The Premier League may have whirred back into life but for lovers of truly horrendous point-blank misses, it's fair to say the best of the weekend's action lay elsewhere.
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Over in Belgium, the first unfortunate soul to succumb to goalmouth heebie-jeebies was KV Mechelen midfielder Aster Vranckx, who saw his truly terrible effort against KV Oostende go viral.
A combination of poor defending and slapstick goalkeeping saw Vranckx presented with a completely vacant goal and the ball at his feet.
Sadly, the 17-year-old wasn't able to capitalise as his entire lower body let him down at the most inopportune moment.
❌ | Wat een verschrikkelijke misser van Aster Vranckx! ?#KVMKVO pic.twitter.com/pdAAmUN1Ez
— Eleven Sports (NL) (@ElevenSportsBEn) September 12, 2020
Just to make matters worse, Mechelen went onto lose the game by a single goal.
Thankfully, Vranckx wasn't alone for long as Ibrahima Ndiaye suffered a similar howler while leading the line for Swiss side FC Luzern in their cup tie against FC Thun.
With the ball squared across the six-yard box and the Thun keeper stranded, Ndiaye was left with the simple task of slotting it into an empty goal.
You can probably guess what happened next.
OH MY GOD! ?
I see your Aster Vranckx and raise you Ibrahima Ndiaye!
The FC Luzern forward manages to put it wide from just yards out with an open goal!
WHAT A MISS!?♂️ pic.twitter.com/esuFPQlTDs
— ????????????? - Craig King (@FootballSwissEN) September 13, 2020
In fairness to Ndaiye, the net rippled -- but not quite in the manner he'd have hoped.
Sure they were both utterly abysmal in their own right, but it's fair to say Vranckx and Ndaiye are in good, or should be say bad, company.
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (PSG)
vs. Strasbourg, 2019
With the score locked at 1-1, PSG cult hero Choupo-Moting did the unthinkable and actually prevented his teammate from scoring, inexplicably stopping the ball before it crossed the line.
"It's difficult to explain," uttered the bewildered striker after the game, echoing the sentiments of thousands of disbelieving PSG fans around the world.
Dennis van Duinen (Harkemase Boys)
vs. VV Capelle, 2017
Nightmare stuff from the Dutch lower leagues, in which Van Duinen bundles his way past the goalkeeper to find himself presented with an absolutely vacant net -- and still manages to gift Capelle a goal kick.
Just to cap it off, Harkemase went onto lose 3-2 against their mid-table rivals.
Een misser die je zelden ziet: Harkemase Boys kan tegen Capelle op een 3-0 voorsprong komen, maar dat feest gaat niet door... pic.twitter.com/qRv0FuIeAe
— NOS Voetbal (@NOSvoetbal) October 8, 2017
Tumelo Khutlang (Lesotho)
vs. Tanzania, 2018
Two risible missed sitters for the price of one from the least ruthless penalty box predator in Lesotho.
? Menciona al amigo/a que fallaría un gol así
?♂️ El delantero de Lesotho Tumelo Khutlang, desperdició un gol prácticamente cantado en la eliminatoria de la Copa de África entre Lesotho y Tanzania pic.twitter.com/tLYnxjzRhA
— Mundo Deportivo (@mundodeportivo) November 19, 2018
Raheem Sterling (Man City)
vs. Lyon, 2020
City went tumbling out of the Champions League after Sterling somehow managed to sky this nailed-on sitter of an open goal to deny his side an equaliser.
Edin Dzeko (Roma)
vs. Palermo, 2016
He may have scored a vast number of goals over the years, but Dzeko is prone to a horror miss once in a while. Indeed, the Roma striker was at his worst when he calmly slotted this chance well wide with the goal at his mercy.
Edin #Dzeko with what may well be the miss of the season. #RomaPalermo #Roma #ASRom pic.twitter.com/B6mL36J8AN
— Matthias Marburg (@BILD_Marburg) February 21, 2016
Ilija Sivonjic (Dinamo Zagreb)
vs. HNK Cibalia, 2009
In which Croatian midfielder Sivonjic succinctly proves that Choupo-Moting's extraordinary aforementioned point-blank miss against Strasbourg wasn't entirely without precedent.
Unknown (Belgrade Zone League, Serbian fourth tier), 2016
Spooned over the crossbar from less than 30 centimetres out. For his own sake, it's probably best if this "striker" remains anonymous.
Giorgi Merebashvili (Wisla Plock)
vs. Gornik Leczna, 2016
Merebashvili skilfully twists and pivots his way through the penalty area, leaving the goalkeeper and several defenders behind him, only to discover he made himself so dizzy in the process that he couldn't quite recall where the goal was.
????? GENTE... Marca aí aquele amigo que perderia esse gol! Esse cara aí é o Giorgi Merebashvili, no jogo entre Wisla Plock e Gornik Leczna.
Crédito: EKSTRAKLASA OFFICIAL pic.twitter.com/Nhnu1mfbZX
— Esporte Interativo (de ?) (@Esp_Interativo) August 29, 2019
Sergio Araujo (AEK Athens)
vs. Asteras Tripoli, 2018
A deflected cross that was visibly heading into the goal anyway and what does Araujo do? Fly in to knee an awkward "shot" against the crossbar from directly underneath it.
Kenny Dalglish (Liverpool)
vs. Manchester United, 1980
An all-time classic from The King, who somehow managed to slice one wide from a foot out at Old Trafford after having a sitter presented on a silver platter by the marauding Alan Hansen.
Fahad Khalfan (Qatar)
vs. Uzbekistan, 2010
After rounding the Uzbek goalkeeper to be faced with a vacated goalmouth, a total and utter lack of left foot sees teenage striker Khalfan instantly enter the annals of Asian Games infamy.
Dodo (Giresunspor)
vs. Fenerbahce, 2018
Still to this day the worst penalty attempt we've ever seen (and that's saying something!) from a striker with the most apt nickname imaginable.
Rocky Baptiste (Harrow Borough)
vs. Waltham Abbey, 2009
Otherwise known as "The Miss Of The Century" in non-league circles.
A truly iconic example of the genre that should never be forgotten.
Source: espn.co.uk