Here's an epic penalty...Maldivian falls, gets up and scores
Forget the Panenka - there's a new way to take a penalty in town.
When the AFC Challenge Cup third-place play-off between the Maldives and Afghanistan ended 1-1 following extra time, Maldivian midfielder Ashad Ali, who is also known as Adey, was called upon to take one of the penalties for his side in the ensuing shootout.
When Adey fell flat on his face during the run-up, opposing goalkeeper Mansur Faqiryar must have thought that he was up for an easy save.
But Adey quickly got back on his feet and stroked the ball past the distracted Afghani custodian.
The referee allowed the spot-kick to stand in the match that was played on Thursday (May 29) and Maldives went on to win 8-7.
Pre-planned
While it looked like a freak accident at first, Adey confirmed that the dive was pre-planned.
Speaking to maldivesoccer.com, the midfielder said: "“I don’t think that there is any rule saying that it was against the rule.
"And I think it was a good one and I am sure if it’s a wrong one, then the referee would have not accepted it.”
The video of Adey's penalty has since gone viral, garnering more than 6.3 million views on YouTube.
Various media outlets also picked up on the footage, with the Daily Telegraph saying that Adey had "re-invented" the penalty kick.
Hope you're taking notes in Serbia, Nenad "Penalty Fail" Mirosavljevic.
Source: The Guardian, 101 Great Goals, maldivesoccer.com
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