Former Tottenham goalkeeper has nightmare moment scoring 'own goal of the year'

A former Tottenham Hotspur star had an afternoon to forget after scoring a bizarre own goal

Ex-Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Josh Oluwayemi committed a spectacular own goal blunder whilst playing for Wellington Phoenix against Auckland FC. The 24-year-old shot-stopper, who joined the New Zealand team in 2024, is a product of Spurs' youth system but never made a senior appearance.

Since his move to the southern hemisphere, Oluwayemi has been a consistent presence in the Kiwi side's starting line-up, including their Friday afternoon match against Auckland FC. With the score at 0-0, calamity struck as Oluwayemi netted an extraordinary own goal, marking the start of a disastrous afternoon.

In the 24th minute, Auckland defender Jake Girdwood-Reich launched a clearance upfield that sailed over the Phoenix defence and towards Oluwayemi, who was well outside his penalty area.

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Despite facing no immediate threat, the former Spurs academy player attempted to head the ball clear but botched his clearance, heading the ball into his own net from outside the 18-yard box.

The incident left commentators stunned, gasping as the ex-Spurs youngster made the mistake, with fans and players alike equally bewildered.

Social media users have since labelled the incident as the "own-goal of the year," and it's difficult to dispute such a claim.

Matters deteriorated further for the Nix in the New Zealand derby, as Auckland emerged comfortable 5-0 victors, prompting Wellington manager Giancarlo Italiano to resign from his position.

Jesse Randal extended Auckland's advantage on the half-hour mark to compound Oluwayemi's torment, before collapsing at the conclusion of the second half.

Guillermo May added a third four minutes before the interval, with Randall netting his second in the fifth minute of first-half stoppage time.

The Nix faced an insurmountable task and Lachlan Brook completed the rout for the away side in the 74th minute.

Oluwayemi arrived at Tottenham in 2011 aged ten and remained within the north London outfit's academy system for nine years.

He secured professional terms and earned promotion to the senior squad in 2020 but never featured in a competitive first-team fixture, though he did spend time on loan at Maidenhead United.

Oluwayemi departed Spurs in 2022 to join Portsmouth, experiencing another National League loan spell with Chelmsford City, before his Pompey exit in 2024.

Following a short period in Finland with Lahti, he relocated to New Zealand to sign for Wellington where he's made 31 appearances thus far.

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