own goal

noun

1

chiefly British : a goal in soccer, hockey, etc., that a player accidentally scores against his or her own team

2

British : something that one does thinking it will help him or her but that actually causes one harm

The workers scored an own goal by demanding such high wages that no one could afford to employ them.

Examples of own goal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Less than 10 minutes later, fans at Etihad Stadium were sent into an uproar and invigorated with hope following an own goal by Club Brugge after Gvardiol’s low cross was inadvertently directed into the net by Joel Ordóñez to give City a 2-1 lead. —Homero De La Fuente, CNN, 30 Jan. 2025

Less excusable, ‘CCV’ scored an own goal of his own making against Club Brugge. —Michael Walker, The Athletic, 23 Jan. 2025

Prioritize the development and advancement of your team as your own goal. —Kathleen Shanley, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024

Dan Burn played a dangerous pass to Guimaraes who, facing towards his own goal, had the ball nicked from him by Ryan Christie and Semenyo. —Chris Waugh, The Athletic, 18 Jan. 2025