GAA followers were quick to recall an infamous goal scored by former Roscommon and All-Ireland Club winning goalkeeper Shane Curran, drawing comparisons to Chelsea penalty taker Cole Palmer.
During Chelsea’s 6-0 win over Everton on Monday evening, a number of Mauricio Pochettino’s players argued who should hit the 64th minute penalty, awarded when the Blues were already enjoying a 4-0 lead at Stamford Bridge.
Regular penalty taker Cole Palmer - who'd already scored a hat-trick - eventually fought off stiff disputes from striker Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke as club captain Conor Gallagher made the final call, confirming that Palmer would slot home his fourth goal of the game.
Interestingly, one of the biggest UK football Twitter accounts likened the whole incident to a famous GAA moment from 35 years ago.
Cole Palmer whenever one of his teammates tries to take his penalty: pic.twitter.com/DkaOwhZG1s
— Not Match of the Day (@NOT_MOTD) April 15, 2024
Shane Curran and the famous Connacht minor final of 1989
It involved Shane Curran, who during a 1989 Connacht Minor Championship final against Galway, stole a penalty kick off Roscommon corner forward Peadar Glennon and rifled the ball to the back of the net.
With the ball lined up on the spot, Glennon, who had apparently received instructions from the sideline to put the ball over the bar rather than go for goal as there was just one-point between the teams, took a couple of customary steps back.
Curran, wearing the number 11 shirt on the day despite being best known as perhaps the first roaming goalkeeper in GAA, whizzed past Glennon, buried the ball to the net and wheeled away in celebration having just scored one of the most controversial penalties of all time.
Galway were leading by one-point at the time and heading towards their fourth Connacht Minor Championship title in a row, but Curran, who was the teams designated penalty taker and had hit the bar with a spot kick earlier in the game, had other ideas.
SEE ALSO: Shane Curran Caused Chaos And Controversy In The 1989 Connacht Minor Final
Roscommon were awarded the trophy and performed a lap of honour, only for the Connacht Council to award the match to Galway as referee John Cosgrove had disallowed the goal because Roscommon had two men (Curran and Glennon) inside the 20m line.
The minor final took place before the senior decider, which finished level as TJ Killgallon’s late score earned Mayo a 1-9 to 0-12 draw with the Rossies, but it was Mayo who went on to win the replay, 3-14 to 2-13, after extra time.
During an episode of TG4’s popular Laochra Gael documentary on Curran, more affectionately known as ‘Cake’, the St Brigid’s clubman recalled how the goal won the game for Roscommon, but the “typical GAA heavies” ordered a replay.
“The typical GAA heavies came in with the big coats and white jackets and big puffy cheeks, probably after having a heap of porter,” recalled Curran. “They took the cup off the table and informed us that Galway had won.
SEE ALSO: Cole Palmer Manages To Keep Cool After Painful Tim Sherwood Question
“The seniors had a meeting about it on the Tuesday or Wednesday before their replay. They had threatened to pull out if we didn’t get a replay at least. I think about 10,000 turned up for that replay.
“It was unheard of for a minor game at that time. I scored a goal, and we ended up winning that match with a goal in the last minute of injury time of extra time by Eddie Ennis.”
While the cup ended up going to Roscommon after all, the wildness of Curran almost cost the Rossies the result but that moment of madness from the future Roscommon goalkeeper, who won a Connacht Championship title at senior level in 2001, was well worth it in the end.
