Goals in Football: On Balls and Chance

Almost every second goal in football is scored by chance, no matter how outstanding the players or coaches are. That is not necessarily a flaw. The author sees something good in football's unpredictability, inspired in part by a very old computer game.

About every ten weeks, the author meets two friends for an all-night session with Eishockey Manager, a 33-year-old game from Software 2000. The pixelated business simulation comes from what the article calls the earliest era of gaming and challenges players to lead an ice hockey club to glory.

The ritual began after the three friends happened to discuss old video games at a party. They discovered that all of them had played Eishockey Manager as children. One of them suggested playing it again. What initially sounded like a casual idea born over beers became a regular event that has lasted for years.

The article presents the game as a way to recognize the appeal of chance in sport. Even the most powerful players and tactically gifted coaches cannot control every outcome. Goals can emerge from unpredictable moments, much as a long-running game night can grow out of an incidental conversation.