PES Chronicles

You know you’re on a roll when things like this happen:

The video clip isn’t too clear. I was playing Wigan Athletic. I was 0-1 down and desperate for a goal to get back into the game.

That’s me attacking – with Huylens, of all people. It was meant to be a cross. The keeper collects the ball about a foot outside his goal, and then holds onto it as he falls backward into the goal.

Yes, the whole of the ball does cross the whole of the line. The goal was given. I was, needless to say, happy…

The own goal made things 1-1. I won the game 2-1 in the end and kept my winning run going. I’m still 8th though. Everyone else around me won too.

The keepers in PES games usually release it automatically at times like that. Maybe my other player nearby made this keeper hold onto it for longer than usual.

What made this incident sweeter was that the goalkeeper was none other than Chris Kirkland, the former real-life Coventry City player.

Whenever a player in real-life scores an own-goal for his old club, people always wonder – half-jokingly, but half-seriously too – if he did it on purpose.

So, did Chris do it on purpose? As a virtual character in PES2008?

Oh, come on. If Konami couldn’t be bothered to include kit selection in the game (never mind a decent framerate), they’re unlikely to indulge in modelling players’ behaviour that minutely.

Are they? Here’s a picture I took of Chris a few moments later. He’s obviously sulking (nice pout, Chris), but I think he looks secretly pleased.