Lincoln City Shocks Burnley at the F.A. Cup
BURNLEY, England — Lincoln City became the first nonleague team to reach the F.A. Cup quarterfinals in more than a century by beating the Premier League team Burnley, 1-0, with an 89th-minute goal on Saturday.
Sean Raggett scored the most famous goal in Lincoln’s 133-year history, with goal-line technology confirming that his close-range header at the far post had crossed the line.
Having already eliminated the second-tier League Championship teams Ipswich and Brighton in a run to the round of 16 that started in October, the fifth-tier leader Lincoln ousted host Burnley, a top-flight club that held the runaway Premier League leader Chelsea to a draw last weekend.
“It’s life-changing for us,” Lincoln Manager Danny Cowley said. “It’s game-changing for the profile of our club. Football at our level is not romantic. For them to have this moment in the limelight is something special.”
The last nonleague team to reach the F.A. Cup quarterfinals was Queen’s Park Rangers in 1914. Lincoln was playing in the round of 16 for the first time in 130 years.
“It’s unheard-of in modern-day football,” Raggett said. “It shows just what an achievement this is.”
Lincoln’s announced contingent of 3,210 fans was singing after the final whistle at Turf Moor as the players celebrated.
Lincoln striker Matt Rhead, who four years ago…
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