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Football

31st Dec 2018

THROWBACK: Footballer sent off for WWE-style drop-kick in Champions League tie

Barely touched him ref....

Wayne Farry

“STRAIGHT OFF THE TOP ROPE”

We all love a bit of physicality in sport. It’s why we watch football rather than tiddly winks and it’s the reason we watch boxing and UFC rather than fencing.

While non-contact sports such as basketball and tennis are good, clean fun, sometimes you just can’t beat the sheer thrill of players jumping up for headers. sliding in for tackles or, in the case of Dudelange’s Bryan Melisse, launching yourself into a spectacular drop kick straight into an opponent’s groin back in July.

The incident – which works even better if you watch it while imagining the WWE’s Jim Ross shouting “DEAR GOD, NO, HE’S GOT A FAMILY. GOOD GOD ALMIGHTY!” – took place during the Luxembourgian side’s Champions League qualifier with Videoton of Hungary.

The match, or ’bout’ in this context, had entered its final stages, with Videoton winning 2-1, when the home side’s goalkeeper launched the ball into Dudelange’s half.

The ball then dropped to the grass, or ‘mat’ in this context, at which point Melisse decided to go hell for leather and do everything he could to get back the Intercontinental Championship belt.

Kicking the ball clear with one foot, Melisse used his other to connect with the Videoton player with such impact that he immediately fell to the floor.

Melisse, to his credit, knew what he had done and, presumably content that he had achieved one of his life goals of performing a WWE move on the football pitch, walked off without any fuss at all.