First Goalscorer

A first goalscorer bet asks you to name the player who scores the opening goal of a match. If the game finishes goalless, stakes are normally refunded. Dead-heat rules apply in the rare event two players are credited with scoring at the same instant. Worked example: back a striker at 11/2 (6.50 in decimal) to open the scoring. A £10 stake returns £55 profit if he nets first; if no one scores, your £10 is returned. The market offers generous odds, especially on defenders or holding midfielders who rarely score, because the chance of any one named player striking first is small. It matters as a high-odds, low-stake market that adds interest to a single moment of the game. Many books offer Anytime Goalscorer as a tamer alternative — the player simply has to score at any point, at much shorter odds. The most common mistake is assuming a later goal by your player still wins the bet; only the first goal counts unless you backed anytime. Own goals also trip people up: most books either void first-goalscorer bets when the opener is an own goal or apply next-goal rules, so always check the terms. Compare with Anytime Goalscorer and Both Teams To Score.