Definition of Own Goal

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What does the term "own goal" mean? What is the definition of the term "own goal" in the world of sports?

In the world of sports, an own goal refers to when a player accidentally scores on his own net.

The term is heavily used in soccer, though it is used in other sports as well.

For example - let's say that a defender is dribbling in his own end and elects to pass back to the goalie.

The goalie goes to trap the ball under his foot, only for the ball to bounce oddly, going between his legs and into the goal.

This would be an "own goal", as the defender technically scored on his own goal.

There are more own goals in the soccer world than you might think, thanks to deflections off of defenders and corner kicks that errantly strike a body part of a defending player and go into the net.