VfB Stuttgart defender Konstantinos Mavropanos left his team mates stunned as he slotted a 48-metre own goal with a no-look pass in the German Cup clash against second division side Paderborn.
The Greek international steered the ball from near the right touch line to beat his own goalkeeper Florian Mueller after a throw-in in the fourth minute.
The German Football Federation tweeted it was the furthest distance for an own goal in the competition’s history.
To Mavropanos’s relief, Stuttgart fought back with late goals from Gil Dias and Serhou Guirassy to sneak a 2-1 win and reach the quarter-finals.
“It was a memorable start with the own goal. A real setback. Konstantinos will be telling his grandchildren about it,” Stuttgart sports director Fabian Wohlgemuth told Sky TV.
Mavropanos signed for Stuttgart on a permanent deal last summer after two seasons on loan from Arsenal.
A purchase option was triggered when the 25-year-old helped the club avoid relegation, bringing to an end a four-and-a-half year spell in London, much of which was spent on loan.
Mavropanos made only eight appearances in an Arsenal shirt.
Stuttgart, now managed by Bruno Labbadia after the sacking of Pellegrino Matarazzo in October, are currently 15th in the Bundesliga and face mid-table Werder Bremen on Sunday.
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Additional reporting by Reuters
