Dom Ballard scores stunning backheel goal in Bristol City draw vs Birmingham
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KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Dom Ballard scored a stunning backheel into the top corner for Bristol City.
- His 85th-minute strike looked to have won the game for the Robins.
- Demarai Gray's 95th-minute penalty rescued a 2-2 draw for Birmingham.
The Bristol City forward struck in the 85th minute, reacting brilliantly to a cross from the left and improvising with a backheel that sent the ball flying into the top corner.
It was Ballard's first goal in the Championship and appeared to have given the Robins a dramatic late victory.
Instead, Birmingham snatched a point in the fifth minute of stoppage time when Demarai Gray converted a penalty to make it 2-2.
Ballard produces a moment of magic
The visitors had already taken the lead through Scott Twine in the 33rd minute, but Carlos Vicente restored parity shortly before half-time.With the game finely balanced late on, Ballard produced the moment everyone inside the stadium will be talking about.
A cross from the left picked him out around the near post, but rather than trying to meet it conventionally, Ballard improvised.
Facing away from goal, he flicked the ball with his heel and watched it loop spectacularly into the top corner.
There was technique involved, but just as much instinct. Ballard had only a split second to react, yet somehow found the perfect contact.
A quite frankly, ludicrous goal from Dom Ballard. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/sHS6VlIZF9
— Bristol City FC (@BristolCity) August 22, 2026
First Championship goal is a special one
Ballard could hardly have chosen a more memorable way to open his Championship account.The 23-year-old had been waiting for his first goal at this level, and when the opportunity finally arrived, he produced a finish that will inevitably feature among the season's best goals.
His strike sent the City supporters into chaos in the away end and looked to have settled a fiercely contested match.
For several minutes, the Robins had their win.
Then came Birmingham's late response.
Gray's late penalty denies Bristol City
Birmingham refused to accept defeat and continued to push for an equaliser in the closing stages.Their persistence eventually paid off when they were awarded a penalty deep into stoppage time.
Gray stepped up in the 95th minute and kept his composure from the spot, rescuing a 2-2 draw for the hosts.
For City, it was a painful ending after Ballard's spectacular intervention had seemingly delivered all three points.
Goal of the season contender?
There is, of course, a long way to go before any serious goal-of-the-season debate can be settled.But Ballard's effort has already put itself in the conversation.
Backheel goals are rare enough. Producing one from a cross, under pressure, and sending it straight into the top corner makes this one particularly difficult to forget.
The execution was instinctive, technically difficult and spectacular to watch.
It is exactly the sort of goal that becomes a highlight-reel staple long after the final score has been forgotten.
What happens next?
The draw leaves City still searching for their first Championship win of the season, whilst Birmingham remain unbeaten after their opening two league matches.For Ballard, though, the result almost feels secondary.
His first Championship goal was the sort of finish that can define a player's season, and potentially become one of the competition's standout goals of the campaign.
There will be plenty more football between now and the end of the season, but Ballard has already set the bar remarkably high.
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