Birmingham City beat Derby County 2-1 in the English Championship on Saturday, though the result could have been more comprehensive had Luis Vázquez not missed a golden chance late in the game. With just minutes left at Pride Park, the Argentine forward failed to score despite being presented with an open net after a parried shot from Ethan Laird. Vázquez side-footed the ball over the crossbar from a few feet out, sparking debate about whether it ranks among the worst misses in football history.

The article compares Vázquez's error to other infamous open-goal blunders, including Nwankwo Kanu's physics-defying miss for West Brom against Middlesbrough in 2004, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting's accidental block of a teammate's shot for PSG against Strasbourg in 2019, Dennis van Duinen's nonchalant effort over the bar in a Dutch fourth-tier match in 2017, and Aster Vranckx's youthful misfire for Mechelen against KV Oostende in 2020. While Vázquez's miss was poor, the piece concludes it does not reach the level of these historic errors, which have become legendary for their sheer improbability and timing.