Nigerian goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama’s impressive run of not conceding a goal ended after 1,062 minutes yesterday with an own goal by a Lille teammate in the Ligue 1 clash with Bordeaux.
The Danish defender Simon Kjaer deflected a harmless-looking shot by Bordeaux’s Landry N’Guemo, that tantalisingly hit the post before entering the net in the 28th minute.
That was the only goal of the game, bringing Lille’s recent winning run – which included single-goal victories over Toulouse, Valenciennes and Marseille – to an end. The loss means Lille remain four points behind league leaders Paris Saint-Germain.
It was the first time Enyeama had to pick the ball out of his net since September 15, during a 2-0 loss to Nice.
Enyeama, who captained Nigeria to the Africa Cup of Nations title in February, had been closing in on the overall Ligue 1 record.
Gaetan Huard of Bordeaux logged a total of 1,176 consecutive minutes without allowing a goal during the 1992/93 French season.
Huard apparently was not rooting for Enyeama to better his record. “I cannot hide my relief, because I was worried the record would go,” Huard told a French sports outlet.
Enyeama nonetheless stands second on the all-time list, having taken the penultimate spot during last Tuesday’s Ligue 1 game with Marseille.
