Moments of the year – The story of the side netting
No. 1 - "Ghost goal" writes history
The day:October 18th 2013
The time:69th minute
The moment:Leverkusen's Gonzalo Castro delivered a corner from the left-hand side in the WIRSOL Rhein-Neckar-Arena and Stefan Kießling headed it into the side netting. However, the TSG goal had a hole in the side and the ball slipped through. The goal, that wasn't a goal, counted. The Bundesliga had its second ghost goal after Thomas Helmer's in 1994.
The consequences:TSG appealed against the result of the game, which led to a hearing in front of the German FA's sports tribunal in Frankfurt. However, the referee's ruling was upheld and the game remained a 2-1 defeat for Hoffenheim. The whole of the footballing community in Germany talked about the goal for days to follow. TSG ultimately accepted the decision and sold the netting at auction for charity. The “ghost goal” chapter is now closed for Hoffenheim, but it is still one for the Bundesliga history books.