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Picture Credit: Twitter

New Zealand defender Meikayla Moore scored a perfect hat-trick of own goals in the first 36 minutes against the USA in the SheBelieves Cup. The Football Ferns eventually suffered a 5-0 defeat and as a result, they are currently placed at the fourth spot with zero points from two games. Whereas the USA is on the top of the table with six points from the first two games of the tournament.

Meikayla Moore plays for Liverpool at the club level and has been part of the Kiwi senior national team since 2013. Moore was making her fiftieth international appearance in this game. Her nightmare started in the fifth minute as she miss-hit Sophia Smith’s cross in goal with her right foot ending USWT’s 181-minute goalless streak.

Then merely seconds later, Margaret Purce headed Sofia Huerta’s cross but the ball hit Moore in the face and ricocheted into the goal. The horror continued, as in the 36th minute Margaret Purce made an incredible run on the right flank and sent out a cross towards the goal, where Moore once again hit the ball in the net with her left foot. Moore was then subbed out in the 40th minute.

The USA team finished the game with five goals as Ashley Hatch and Mallory Pugh scored in the second half.

Moore receives support on social media

In footballing history, this is the second occasion where a player has completed a hat trick of own goals in a game. Belgian footballer Stan van den Buijs was first to perform this feat playing in the Belgian league for Germinal Ekeren against Anderlecht in the 1994–95 season.

After this nightmare performance, Meikayla Moore received tremendous support online from the footballing community. NJ/NY Gotham FC head coach Scott Parkinson wrote: “Meikayla Moore will bounce back. Playing against the best team on the planet, who are delivering UNREAL balls into the box.

“For all the keyboard warriors giving her a bit of shit, get back in your mums basement. She’s doing things that 99.9% could only dream about! Good player!”