Hummels misery in a mocking twist of fate

One cannot help but feel for the German centre-back Mats Hummels as he looked upward at the Munich sky in anguish right after deflecting Lucas Hernandez's cross off his shin into his own net as Germany lost 1-0 to France in their opening Group F game at Euro 2020.

And even though Hummels somewhat redeemed himself with a perfectly-timed lunged tackle at the 78-minute which denied Kylian Mbappe from taking Les Bleus 2-0 up, the first-half own goal will still be deemed as the decider in times to come.

Flashback to the 2014 World Cup that was won by Germany, it was Dortmund defender's brilliant header at 12 minutes into the first-half against France that created headlines at quarter-finals.

Russia’s Aleksei Miranchuk celebrates after scoring the all-important goal against Finland in a Group B European Championship match yesterday. The Russians, who remain unbeaten against the Finns since their first meeting in 1912, made amends for their opening loss to Belgium as the group remains wide open. PHOTO: REUTERS

And that too, was the solitary goal of the match. If there is anyone who feels like he has seen both sides of the cruel coin of sporting fate, it is Mats Hummels.