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

On multiple occasions in the training video, Amorim blows his whistle to simulate a loss of possession, which required all players to sprint back towards their own goal as quickly as possible. —Mark Carey, The Athletic, 23 Nov. 2024

Why Man City centre-backs are walking towards their own goal with the ball Inside La Finca, Madrid's 'Beverly Hills' and home to Mbappe, Bellingham and more... —New York Times, 24 Oct. 2024

In the opening minutes, the Dash scored an own goal to give Bay an early 1-0 advantage. —Jackie Gutierrez, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024

And with the Packers backed up by their own goal line, Rams outside linebacker Byron Young shoved Love toward the back of the end zone. —Adam Grosbard, Orange County Register, 6 Oct. 2024