Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Christoph Kramer has apologised to his teammates after his spectacular long-distance own goal sent them crashing to defeat at Borussia Dortmund.
Germany international Kramer lofted the ball over his own goalkeeper Yann Sommer from 45 metres to decide a game in which struggling Dortmund notched up more than 20 shots on target but only won 1-0.
BVB coach Jurgen Klopp said of Kramer: "He now has a small place in our club's history," while the Foals midfielder explained: "I wanted to pass the ball back low.
"When I saw that it had gone high instead, I thought: 'S---!' When I saw that Yann Sommer was standing that far away from the goal, I again thought: 'S---!' And when I saw that the ball had landed in the goal, I thought: 'Huge s---!'"
The 23-year-old endured a tough afternoon at the Westfalenstadion, winning just 39 percent of his direct challenges and completing only 69 percent of his passes.
"A goal like that can happen, but a performance like that should not happen," he said after the match. "I am annoyed that I played utterly crap. When such an important player falls away in the centre of the field, the match plan is upset. Dortmund have to thank me, and I have to apologise to Gladbach."
Kramer's disastrous moment enabled Dortmund to notch up their first Bundesliga win since mid-September, while ending Gladbach's 18-match unbeaten streak.
"He now has a small place in our club's history without wanting it," Klopp told his postmatch news conference. "But he's an extraordinary player, and this goal will only be an oddity in his life.
"We wasted so many chances, and then this odd goal happens. I'll gladly take it."
Dortmund now have 10 points and are up to 15th in the Bundesliga after 11 games.
