5. Demba Ba vs Istanbul Basaksehir
Now, I’m not going to say this is the fastest or hardest hit goal ever scored. That was scored by Sporting Lisbon’s defender, Ronny, which reached speeds of 131 mph. Look it up, you can barely see it. That being said, this ball was moving at 77 mph, which would still get it pulled over for speeding on almost any road in the country. I’m surprised he didn’t break the net at that speed.
4. Gylfi Sigurdsson vs Arsenal
What a season Sigurdsson is having at Swansea. Last season, he was a player many Spurs fans cried out for while he sat on the bench and he is having something of a renaissance at high-flying Swansea. A beautifully struck, upper-90 free kick that the keeper had no chance saving? Somebody hide this from Alexi Lalas before he passes out from excitement.
3. Carlos Tevez vs Parma
This is the Carlos Tevez that people remember and love. Speed, tenacity, ball skills, and goalscoring prowess. He’s an absolute badger of a player and one of the few that I felt Liverpool should have hunted down to replace Luis Suarez. What does it for me is the beautiful touch Tevez took to take him around the last defender and then slot it past the keeper like he was rooted to the ground. Too easy.
2. Bojan vs Tottenham
This beaut of a goal in the 6th minute put Stoke ahead in one of the shock wins of the weekend. Bojan dribbles through the entire Spurs midfield and absolutely smashes the ball from outside the box. It’s really going to take something special to beat this goal.
1. Landon Donovan vs Real Salt Lake
Call me a Landon Donovan fanboy (trust me, I really am not), call me a stereotypical American soccer fan (again, not true), call me a sucker for a good team goal (well, that one is true), but this goal is definitely special for a variety of reasons. First, it was potentially Donovan’s last game before retiring. Even those who think he’s become a bit of a prima donna, he’s been an important player for the United States during a very important period that has seen the game grow in popularity in this country. His service to the national team should not be forgotten. Secondly, if you look closely at the Real Salt Lake defense, by the time the first pass starts the move off, there are seven defenders camped in and around the box. This was a defense set up to stifle the opposing attack. Parking the bus, possibly. It was going to take some creativity and hard work to get through this set up. So what happens next? Why a beautiful chip over the defense before a no-touch cross in to Donovan, who slides it home off of his head. The precision and skill it takes to pull off each of those passes successfully is something that isn’t expected out of a “lower league”. Keep this up, MLS.
