There are many situations where it would be brilliant to just be in the mind of a footballer as they make a mad decision, and this may be one of the best examples.
Ukraine found themselves 1-0 down to Northern Ireland last night as a defender reads a long ball and runs back to cover. Presumably in their head they were fully aware that the option was there to simply knock the ball back to the keeper and start again, but it appears the option to wipe out the opponent was just too tempting:
The Northern Ireland vs Ukraine match contained one of the most cynical fouls I have ever seen. It is almost a work of performance art. pic.twitter.com/uRKVdQ1mId
— Scott Pack (@meandmybigmouth) April 13, 2021
It has to go down as one of the greatest cynical fouls of all time because it was so needless and no effort was made to disguise what was happening, but it’s truly capped off by the Ukrainian starting the walk of shame towards the tunnel before the ref had even got the card out.