The Best Goals of 2008 – Part 1 (World Football)
Let us then begin with the long view, seeking the perfect goal on the larger world stage…
African Cup of Nations
This first major tournament of 2008 unfortunately went largely unseen outside the continent where it took place; in Europe and especially England, indeed, it was widely (if quietly) regarded as something of a nuisance, because it summoned major club players back to their home lands. One article I saw even hinted that African nations should perhaps feel a bit guilty about this. (But think for a moment: if many of the world’s best players were English–ah, fantasy!–and happened to play their club football in Africa, would England fans feel guilty about seeing them summoned back for a European Cup?)
You goal junkies who missed the tournament will now have a first chance to savor some of its scoring joys, in a fine compilation: African Cup of Nations Top 10 Goals. The scorers on this clip: Mohamed Zidan (Egypt) vs. Cameroon, Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast) vs. Guinea, Sulley Muntari (Ghana) vs. Guinea, Geremi (Cameroon) vs. Tunisia, Chaouki ben Saada (Tunisia) vs. Cameroon, Salomon Kalou (Ivory Coast) vs. Nigeria, Mejdi Traoui (Tunisia) vs. Senegal, Eirio van Heerden (South Africa) vs. Angola, Hicham Aboucherouane (Morocco) vs. Angola, Manucho (Angola) vs. Egypt.
http://www.footytube.com/category/videos/african-cup-of-nations-2008/
see also:
Manucho Goncalves (Angola) vs Egypt 2.10.08 (Notorious for his inconsistency, Manucho also made himself famous for this wicked best-of-tournament strike from way up top.)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=LsutX4kWGy8&feature=related
Manucho Goncalves (Angola): Manucho O Artilhero “Miguxo” (All Manucho goals in this tournament.)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=TqVin_Hjo7s&feature=related
2008 Beijing Olympics
This summer “soccer” tournament, unseen or ignored by many of those billions who saw all those hours of gymnastics, swimming,etc., turned out to be much too good to have been missed. A good deal of pride was at stake and a good deal of rising talent was on display. And Argentina even smuggled in Juan-Roman Riquelme. What more could one want? (And don’t say, “An England side”.)
Angel di Maria (Argentina) vs Nigeria 8.23.08 (Final 1-0) (This clever chip by a rising world star, coming after a couple of hard tumbles seen at the beginning of the clip, was the tournament’s winning goal)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=v581iZtRIbw
Diego Buonanotte (Argentina) vs. Serbia 8.12.08 (On Lio Messi’s day off in the tournament, the tiny youth who may one day succeed him in the role of el mago came brightly to the fore.)
http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/diego%2Bbuonanotte/video/x6febl_gol-de-buonanotte-vs-serbia_sport
Royston Drenthe (Holland) vs. Japan 8.10.08 (This list’s candidate for near-miss of the year, the sizzling Drenthe free-kick off the bar against Japan, coming after a sympathetic three-minute documentation of this famously inconsistent young player’s awful struggles in the tournament, very nearly–but not quite–proves the assertion in the accompanying song-track that “What didn’t kill me can only make me/Stronger”)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=rcJ70R65_eU
World Cup qualifiers and other internationals
Bafetimbi Gomis (France)(2) vs. Ecuador (friendly) 5.27.08 (A pair of acrobatic wonder strikes from a debutant callup, the first a twisting shot across goal, the second a flying volley–merveilleux!)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=zHJgPZvjBWw&NR=1
Sergio Ramos (Spain) vs. Denmark (friendly) 20.08.08 (This Ramos goal comes as the culmination of a 26-pass move, the real quality of the goal consisting not in the sweet clinical finish but in the brilliant interplay of the buildup, so that it’s the teamwork and not the individual that finally deserves the credit: here we see the way Spain plays at its best, wonderful artistic football, inspiring to behold.)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=MJH1f_U-ezM
Andres Iniesta (Spain) vs Belgium (WC qualifier) 10.15.08 (Iniesta is the stutter-stepping fast-footworking impossible-angle finisher, but the interception and thrilling feed-pass are the familiar wonderstuff of Cesc Fabregas: again, Spanish football at its fancy-finest, moving coach Vicente del Bosques to superlatives later–”all of us in the dressing room thought it was the best goal of the season; Iniesta himself was more modest: “nice goal, but I can do better.”)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Tl403YYrh08&NR=1
Pedro Morales (Chile sub-23) vs. Ivory Coast (Toulon Under-23 Tournament, semi-final)(5.23.08 (A heart-stopping moment from the Chilean prodigy: long range strike of the year?)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=bmc4X1O8puQ&feature=related
Fabian Orellana (Chile) vs. Argentina (WC qualifier)10/15/08 (This one deserves full honors not only for the end-to-end quality of the move preceding it–eight players touching the ball in a rapid, dynamic buildup of the sort normally associated with the other side in this match–but for the youthful debutant Orellana’s cool and poised finish: altogether a perfectly constructed goal stealing a page out of the albiceleste‘s own book, delighting a great crowd in Santiago and securing Chile’s first-ever international victory over Argentina.)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=3bjMhapLxXQ
Salvador Cabanas (Colombia) vs. Paraguay (WC qualifier) 10.11.08 (“Quick thinking” by the bullish striker with the surprisingly lovely touch, Cabanas–this one, scored early at 9″, silences Colombia for good on a great away night for Paraguay.)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=N2jqF_eRTuI&NR=1
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=3zfXJaQVV9Q&feature=related
Carlos Costly (Honduras) vs. Canada (WC qualifier)10.11.08 (A swerving 38-meter howitzer blast into the top right corner from distance that proved costly indeed for the Canadians, whose World Cup hopes it terminated.)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=sWR0HYVLl3o&feature=related
Ronald Garcia (Bolivia) vs. Peru (WC qualifier) 10.11.08 (This powerful and deadly missile from distance leaves everyone in the La Paz stadium stunned, no one more so than the surprised shooter himself, who barely survives the emotional shock of his wonder goal.)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=o7BE813z2OM
Ali Gerba (Canada) vs. Mexico (WC qualifier) 10.15.08 (Starting Sven-Goran Eriksson off on another harrowing night in his troubled qualifying campaign at the helm of a team whose veteran players had spoken out boldly against his appointment, Gerba’s wonderfully weighted and lofted lob floats over the head of flabbergasted Mexican keeper Osvaldo Sanchez–and a fretful Sven anxiously paces the touchline, to an ominous music track.)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZHFDrNNrlI&feature=related
Jakub “Kuba” Blaszczykowski (Poland) vs Czech Rep. (WC qualifier) 10.12.08 (Don’t worry about pronouncing the name, this talented young player is known to those who love him simply as “Kuby”–and here he tricks the frantically advancing keeper, no less than Petr Cech mind you, with an audaciously cute chip.)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=cxWRxdxfvzw&feature=related
Daniele de Rossi (Italy) vs Georgia (WC qualifier) (9.10.08). A de Rossi missile from distance.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=paizCSnrJ5U
Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney (2) (England) vs. Belarus (WC qualifier) 10.16.08 (England’s two finest players working together very nicely: Gerrard’s lethal 30-yard drive into the far corner, on the run, is fine, and even better is Rooney’s victory-clinching second on the night, lifted over the keeper after a brilliant feint and displaying a pure scorer’s instincts; Rooney’s post-game comment “it’s probably the best I’ve ever played for England to be honest” was no exaggeration)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=pOqdOFH7_78&feature=related
Yohan Gourcuff (France ) vs. Romania (WC qualifier) 10.11.08 (Last goal on clip: this coming star’s cannon-shot strike will take your breath away.)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=YkZjHlgxszY&feature=related
Elano (Brazil) vs Portugal (friendly) 11.19.08 (And a bit of finesse to go with all that high-calibre artillery.)
http://www.101greatgoals.com/videodisplay/1782122/
2008 World Club Cup
Cristiano (Adelaide United) vs Al Ahly 12.18.08 (A wicked blast from distance by the other Cristiano, this the Brazilian one– easily the best goal of the tournament.)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=jEVVlhE5mw0
Daniel Mullen (Adelaide United) vs. Waitakere Utd 12.11.08 (The runner-up–second goal on this clip, the big header by the man in red creates another happy moment for Adelaide United fans everywhere.)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ehbjlVS2-Bk&feature=related
and for a brief intermission, a message brought to you from the Church of ESPN…
ESPN Top 5 Goals of 2008:
http://www.101greatgoals.com/videodisplay/1908656/
and should you like to choose views of the above from alternative clips:
5 Emanuel Adebayor (Arsenal) vs. Liverpool 4.08.08 (Champions League) (plus the Walcott run)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=rF9dG6ag7qU
4 Sulley Muntari (Inter) vs. Napoli 11.22.08i
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=N5Mdmt5th9A
3 Ronaldinho (Barcelona) vs. Atletico Madrid 3.01.08
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=riAz8tzNpaE&NR=1
2 Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Inter) vs. Bologna 10.04.08
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=i3ogMVLShjk
1 Pablo Daniel Osvaldo (Fiorentino) vs. Torino 5.21.08
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ixVr3gWEaVg&feature=relatedr>
The Best Goals of 2008 – Navigation:
In Pursuit of the Elusive Perfect Goal: 2008
The Best Goals of 2008 – Part 1 (World Football)
The Best Goals of 2008 – Part 2 (England / Scotland)
The Best Goals of 2008 – Part 3 (Europe)
The Best Goals of 2008 – Part 4 (Americas)
Topics: African Cup of Nations, Football Videos, Olympic Football, World Cup
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Makes me wonder why Manucho has had so little opportunity at Man Utd this season. I at least expected him to get a good run-out in the Carling Cup but not so.
Don’t know why ferguson bought him if he’s not prepared to give him a chance?
January 8th, 2009 @ 12:00Excellent question BD, and one I kept asking myself all through my research into the ANC. Obviously Manucho is a raw talent, and if you concentrate on the “raw” you can see why Ferguson has buried him; but if you concentrate on the “talent”–impressive certainly–you can see why offloading him could come back to haunt United. As it is, it would make an interesting wager: who will be gone from Manchester first, Carlitos or Manucho? The first, I think, would be a great loss in the present and near future; the second, possibly a loss not noticed until the farther-off future– when Sir Alex might no longer be around to feel the pain, if there’s any to be felt. But then what would I know, not being The Man Who Has Almost Everything.
January 8th, 2009 @ 16:54Rooney, Berbatov, Tevez, Campell/Wellbeck/Manucho. Not many chances to prove yourself in such a lineup. Everytime he has been on the field he has been rather disappointing. I say next year with Tevez gone, and Manucho used to the physical english game, he will become more influential.
Also, none of the goals really stood out as AWE-Inspiring. Nothing like Cantona’s chip.
January 8th, 2009 @ 19:14Madschester United–I fear you may rue the day you were so eager to dump Tevez.
As for the goals in this Internationals section, perhaps it will help you to reach a state of AWE if you simply imagine every one of these goals as being scored by someone in a United shirt. Or then again, you might have reserved judgment until getting to the next chapter–a little closer to home territory for Reds-only “fans”?
January 8th, 2009 @ 21:16i had a couple of problematic links…the link to diego buonanotte took me instead to a video showcasing the intelligence of crabs. mind you, it’s still a good video, and i half get the feeling the “mistake” was in fact intentional
. and the link for elano’s goal took me to a video of olic’s goal against werder bremen, which is also a bloody brilliant goal.
really good compilation though.
January 9th, 2009 @ 02:20Aditya–Thanks for catching those two faulty links. I’ve tried posting the corrected ones here in the comments box–three times in fact!–and every time they’ve failed to go up. (Perhaps those crabs ate them?)
At any rate I’ve now given the corrected links to the patient and helpful Ahmed, and hopefully he will put them up soon so that those Buonanotte and Elano goals may be seen.
January 9th, 2009 @ 08:10Aditya–Assuming you’re still interested, as it appears the URLs for those two corrected links are going to be devoured by vigilant space crabs every time I try to post them here (six times so far, and they’ve disappeared every time), while we’re waiting for Ahmed’s divine intervention you could, if you wish, find those two goals in the following way:
January 9th, 2009 @ 09:021. Go to Daily Motion.com and search “Buonanotte vs. Serbia”.
2.Go to 101 Great Goals.com and search “Elano vs. Portugal.”
Hopefully this post will be ignored by the space crabs because it contains no suspicious URLs, and by tomorrow the corrected links which I have supplied to Ahmed will appear in the body of this piece. (Gasp…)
(…and a few hours later…) Aditya–Thanks for your patience (and I’m sure that like me you’ve been up all night awaiting these corrected links): the trusty Ahmed now having ridden in to our rescue, the corrected links which I’d posted him are now given above, primed for punching. Never has a goal by Buonanotte or Elano elicited so much anxious anticipation, so I hope the lads don’t now disappoint by showing themselves not gods but mere mortals. (At least, though, neither of them crashed his Maserati in a tunnel last night, suggesting that perhaps there’s some advantage after all to remaining, at least for the nonce, merely human.)
January 9th, 2009 @ 15:40But you know Aditya I must admit I do miss those nosy little crabs now that they’ve gone. And one imagines they’ve crawled into some interesting new places, given where we saw them last, no?
(Finally–any tech heads out there, Ahmed included, who can explain to me why a post in this comments box will transmit a You Tube link but not links from other sites? Is this more mere space-crab techno-mystification, or could it have something to do with the Allied Powers of the Great Gods Google and You Tube?)
(correction time again…) And make that Maserati a Ferrari. (How could any selfrespecting footie fan not know the difference?) And while we’re free-associating on the tragedies of the gods, has anybody considered how this deity is able to drive a Ferrari into a cement wall and walk away unhurt, yet suffer operatic death throes every time he is “tripped” by a grass blade on the pitch? (But then too one remembers that the dramatic arts are merely another branch of footballing skill.)
January 9th, 2009 @ 16:37