Betting.Betfair.com
·2 gennaio 2025
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·2 gennaio 2025
Sheffield Wednesday's Josh Windass served up the finest moment of the festive football programme with a cracker of a goal from his own half on New Year's Day.
Now experts are asking how the Owls man's super lob compares to other wonder strikes. David Beckham, Xabi Alonso, Harry Kane and Wayne Rooney all famously scored from their own halves.
Windass' goal is the perfect opportunity to revisit some of the greatest ever scored, so without further ado here are five of the best, starting with the man of the moment.
Windass was already in brilliant form, scoring in his previous four league matches, but nothing prepared fans for his second-half belter in Wednesday's 4-2 win over Derby at Hillsborough. It was a moment of pure inspiration, as Windass picked the ball up inside his own half, spotted Jacob Zetterstrom off his line and chipped the Rams keeper.
Wednesday are ninth in the Championship and 22/1 for promotion. Fans will hope that Windass' heroics can be the catalyst for a charge up the table in the second-half of the season.
There had been a buzz about a young midfielder with a sweet right foot around Old Trafford for a while but this was the moment that the rest of the world took note. It was the opening day of the 1996/97 season and United were 2-0 up against Wimbledon, the match in injury time when David Beckham picked up the ball in his own-half and chipped Dons keeper Neil Sullivan. In that moment, a star was born and a new golden era for United was underway.
It is far cry from United's current form, with club losing three in a row over Christmas and their manager telling his players they are in a relegation fight.
Xabi Alonso became a fan favourite during his five years as a Liverpool player from 2004 to 2009 and scored not one but two halfway line goals for the Reds. The first came in a 5-3 win against Luton in the FA Cup while the second was in a 2-0 Premier League win over Newcastle. The Spaniard won the ball in his own-half before spotting Steve Harper off his line and unleashing a shot that went over the hapless keeper and into the net.
Last year, Alonso looked set to return to Anfield as manager before the Reds appointed Arne Slot who has since taken them to the top of the table and seen them backed in to 1/4 Premier League title favourites.
Wayne Rooney's career contained some extraordinary goals and two of them came against West Ham. At Upton Park in 2014, the forward scored from the halfway line for Manchester United. Three years later, he was back at Everton and in the twighlight of his career went he struck one of his sweetest efforts, again against the Hammers, this time as part of a hat-trick at Goodison Park.
His technique is exquisite as he hits his shot first time, 59 yards from goal, to show that he is one of the most gift Englishman to ever play the game.
Harry Kane is another England legend who has scored brilliant goals from long range. He executed an injury-time lob for Tottenham against Juventus in an International Champions Cup match that must be seen to believed. And he smashed an absolute zinger from his own half for Bayern Munich in an 8-0 win over Darmstadt in October 2023. Kane had only been at the Germans giants for two months when he scored this wonder goal as part of a hat-trick.
It was one of the highlights of his 44-goal debut season for Bayern. His goals this season are one of the reasons his club are 1/10 to win the Bundesliga.