FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - UEFA Nations League - Group J - Cyprus v Greece - AEK Arena, Larnaca, Cyprus - September 24, 2022 Greece's Konstantinos Mavropanos look dejected after the match REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou
(Reuters) - VfB Stuttgart defender Konstantinos Mavropanos left his team mates stunned as he slotted a 48-metre own goal with a no-look pass in the German Cup clash against second division side Paderborn.
On loan from Arsenal, the Greek international steered the ball from near the right touch line to beat his own goalkeeper Florian Mueller after a throw-in in the fourth minute.
The German Football Federation tweeted it was the furthest distance for an own goal in the competition's history.
To Mavropanos's relief, Stuttgart fought back with late goals from Gil Dias and Serhou Guirassy to sneak a 2-1 win and reach the quarter-finals.
"It was a memorable start with the own goal. A real setback. Konstantinos will be telling his grandchildren about it," Stuttgart sports director Fabian Wohlgemuth told Sky TV.
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Himani Sarkar)
