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Stormy weather: The best wind-assisted goals ever

Storm Ciara has claimed a number of fixtures in sport this weekend, while wild weather continues to wreak havoc on the A-League at the other end of the planet.

Sometimes there's nothing you can do with the weather, and if games go ahead, goalkeepers are often the ones to profit. But they can also fall victim to the unexpected. Here's a selection of some of the best wind-assisted goals in recent memory.

Roberto Carlos: Brazil vs. France

Let's get this one clear straight away. It wasn't magic. It wasn't physics. It was wind.

The Brazil defender admitted as much (albeit years after his stunning 1997 free kick was talked about as the greatest of all time) when he surprisingly said: "The ball was going completely wide but the wind brought it back to the goal. It was a miracle."

What a shame.

Asmir Begovic: Stoke vs. Southampton

Begovic's long kick after just 13 seconds made it into the net and became not only one of the funniest goals to have been scored, but also one of the quickest.

Tim Howard: Everton vs. Bolton

The U.S. goalkeeper was once named the "Secretary of Defense" for his performances, but on this evidence he should have been charged with mounting attacks, too.

An incredible 100-meter effort bounced in, but Howard refused to celebrate, as he revealed he felt bad for his opposite number, Adam Bogdan.

"It was cruel," he said afterward. "You saw the back fours and the keepers not being able to believe balls all night, and at the back one wrong step and it can be a nightmare. For our goal I was disappointed from a goalkeepers' union standpoint. You never want to see that happen. It's not nice, it's embarrassing, so I felt for Adam, but you have to move on from it."

Kamarl Duncan: Thurrock vs. Romford

An Isthmian League Division One North match back in 2015 saw another defender embarrassed as his own goal went viral.

"At first it was a bit embarrassing and my teammates were giving me a bit of banter," Duncan told BBC Essex. "But I can see the funny side to it, honestly. At the time it wasn't funny.

"When I kicked it I saw it going in the air and thought, 'Wow, it's going back,' so I tried to get back because I didn't know where the striker was. Then I saw it bounce and thought, 'The keeper's going to get it,' and then when it went in it was a big shock."

Assaf Mendes: Maccabi Haifa vs. Dynamo Kiev

You can immediately tell from the trees blowing in the background that this isn't going to end well for the goalkeeper, and there's not a lot that Assaf Mendes could have done about it when he launched a goal kick high into the air, only to watch it blow back into his own net.

He's just lucky it was only a practice match.

Oliver Wiedemann: Grunbach vs. TSV Wimsheim

German amateur side Wimsheim went ahead against Grunbach in some bizarre circumstances back in 2010. Much like the goal above, this time it was a midfielder taking the kick from his goalkeeper and managing to net it himself.

Evidently the rules state that since no opponent touched the ball before it went in, the referee should have disallowed the goal and awarded a corner kick instead. But that wouldn't be much fun now, would it?

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