Roberto Carlos, the man who has a hammer instead of a left foot, broke two decades worth of hearts by debunking the mystery behind his jaw-dropping free-kick – perhaps the most famous goal of his career – against France in 1997. ‘It was because of the wind,’ he said. We think he’s just being modest. Sure, it may have helped the process. But in no way does it take away the technique involved in the strike.
On that note, though, we look at the not-so fortunate cases where a surprise goalscorer emerged - the wind.
Asmir Begovic (Stoke) vs Southampton
Begovic answered the famous English urban legend ‘But can he do it on a cold windy night in Stoke?’ To put it shortly, yes. And he did it in less than 30 seconds from kickoff. Southampton lost possession, the ball rolled to Begovic who gave it a right whack. The ball soared through the windy Britannia stadium and bounced over Artur Boruc straight into the net.
Romford vs Thurrock (Kamarl Duncan own goal)
Romford had the wind on their side as they drew 1-1 at home to Thurrock in the Isthmian League Division One North, the eighth tier of English football. In the 22nd minute, Thurrock defender Kamarl Duncan attempted to clear the ball from midway in his own half but the wind made it loop back into the direction of his goal before bouncing over goalkeeper Rhys Madden.
Assaf Mendes (Maccabi Haifa) v Dynamo Kiev
This is probably the best of the lot. In an insane ‘turn’ of events, a seemingly well struck goal kick by Assaf Mendes turned against him, and how! The ball took a wild bounce, spun and flew right over his head. He could’ve done better in hindsight but luckily for him, it was just a practice game.
Well, we just don’t have any words for this one:
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