Bayern Munich’s Niklas Sule is one of the most promising young defenders in Europe. At 22, he’s already one of the best center backs in Germany. He has a German national team future, and perhaps even a present as well.

But don’t let any of that distract from the fact that he scored an incredibly embarrassing own goal against Augsburg on Saturday:

Sule was, of course, helpless, and the goal is more unfortunate than anything else. But there are few things worse than taking a ball to the face in a game watched by millions around the world and having that ball then ricochet into your own net.

Fortunately, Sule – who went down immediately after the ball slammed into him – looked to be OK.

And Bayern as a team, of course, will be fine. The Bavarians equalized 14 minutes later, then took the lead eight minutes before halftime. And if they hold on to beat Augsburg, they’ll clinch a sixth consecutive Bundesliga title.

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Henry Bushnell covers global soccer, and occasionally other ball games, for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Question? Comment? Email him at henrydbushnell@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @HenryBushnell.