Duisburg Goalkeeper's Water Bottle Is Getting Auctioned Off For Charity

On Saturday afternoon, Duisburg goalkeeper Mark Flekken produced one of the greatest blunders in recent memory - but the club and the man himself have made the most of it and turned it into a positive.

Playing against Ingolstadt in the German second tier, Flekken saved a penalty in the 11th minute when he denied Stefan Kutschke from 12 yards.

But then seven minutes later, in one of the most bizarre things you will ever have seen in a football game, he gifted the same player an equaliser in sensational fashion.

Dealing with a routine long-ball over the top from visitors Ingolstadt looked to have been a fairly straightforward task for centre-back Gerrit Nauber, who headed the ball back to his goalkeeper despite being under pressure from an opponent.

It would have been a tidy piece of defensive play if Dutch goalkeeper Flekken hadn't turned his back on play and stood behind the goal-line fetching his drink.

With Flekken 'glitching out' and it being too late when he turned around, Kutschke capitalised and scored the easiest goal of his career.

Luckily for the 24-year old, his side went on to win 2-1 and remain in fourth spot. And taking it all in good jest, Duisburg have confirmed on their official website that the infamous drinking bottle is to be auctioned off to raise money for a charity called Zebrakids, which focuses on disadvantaged children in Germany.

"The bottle and I wrote a bit league history on the weekend," Flekken said.

"Our guys did the best in the story after the match, and now we're making the story even better. We auction my bottle in favour of the zebrakids!

"The work the zebrakids do with so much passion is very, very important. It is therefore important to me to support this commitment."

Brilliant stuff from all those involved.The highest bidder will be the lucky recipient of the Sinalco bottle, with all being announced on Monday 5 March.

All the details on how to get involved in the bidding can be found on the Duisburg website.

Topics: Football News, Football, Germany

Josh Lawless

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