In the opening five minutes of Sunderland against Liverpool today, a red balloon played a decisive role in the first goal when Darren Bent’s shot at goal resulted in the ball being diverted when it hit the red balloon in the penalty box. The ball went one way towards the goal, while the balloon went the other way and past the post. Unfortunately for Reina, distracted by the ball striking the balloon, his reflexes caused him to move toward the balloon, not the ball.
Looking back at recent history, a balloon caused a lot of bother during the January 2008 FA Cup match between Sheffield United and Manchester City. Watch the video above to see exactly what happened.
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