Own Goals and Goalscorer Bets: Team Score and Player Credit
An own goal can change the team score without counting as a selected player’s goal. Here are the settlement distinctions.
A team goal is not always a player goal
An own goal changes the team score: the match record credits the goal to the opponent. A goalscorer market, however, evaluates which player is officially credited with the scoring action. An own goal is usually not counted as a goal by the selected player. One incident can therefore matter to a score market without satisfying a player prop.
Suppose a defender puts the ball into their own net at 0–0. The score becomes 0–1 to the opponent. If you selected the opposing forward as first goalscorer, that is not automatically a win: the goal may be officially recorded as an own goal rather than credited to the forward. Check the final match report and the operator’s rule.
If the same forward later scores a normal goal, an “anytime goalscorer” selection may win. A first-goalscorer market can treat the earlier own goal differently depending on its rules. Some operators count the first non-own goal; others may define a separate “no scorer” outcome. That is why first-goalscorer and anytime selections need to be read with the market rules.
Possible settlement approaches
An operator may offer an own-goal selection, define the first non-own goal as the scorer, keep a “no goal” selection for certain cases, or settle some player choices as losers. The exact answer cannot be derived from football Laws alone: they govern goals in a match, not the commercial terms of a sportsbook market.
Check whether the market covers regulation time or the full event, whether stoppage time and extra time count, which source determines the scorer, and whether settlement can be corrected after the match report is updated. BTTS depends on the team score rather than the credited player; see the separate guide to own goals in BTTS settlement.
A post-match checklist
- Find the final match report and confirm that the goal was not cancelled.
- Check whether it is recorded as an own goal or credited to a player.
- Read the selected market: first scorer, anytime scorer, last scorer, or team goals.
- Confirm the period and player-participation conditions.
- If a bet is settled differently, refer to the exact market rule rather than relying only on video.
The last player to touch the ball is not always the player credited with the goal: a deflection, attempted pass, and intentional redirection can be treated under the competition’s or data provider’s methodology. Decisions may be reviewed.
Separate the score from the player credit
| Incident | Team score changes | Player receives goal credit |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary shot goes into the net | Yes | Usually yes |
| Defender puts the ball into their own net | Yes | Usually no |
| Goal cancelled after review | No in the final score | No in the final report |
This table shows the broad distinction; it does not guarantee every sportsbook’s rules. Statistical attribution and the operator’s market wording are separate.