One of the finest goals from one of football’s very very best
does far more than Havertz - takes it in flight to cushion downwards, makes one defender look a child in a man’s world by skinning him, then takes the piss with the perfect finish
art/10
He does do more. The ball is from further out... from nowhere really, just a hit and hope that Bergkamp's moment of genius turned into a sublime pass after the event. After his soft foot has pulled it out of the air then the rest just seemed to fall into place for him, the defender has to commit to getting goalside so when Dennis cuts inside he's almost automatically left grasping at nothing, then after that the outside of the boot thump seems the only option, love the way that the goalie just sort of stays there on his knees with his hand where the ball should have been before finally falling forward, like the final baddie in a film who at first refuses to admit that he's dead - or maybe it's just some sort of acknowledgement or salute to a truly brilliant goal.
So yeah, of course the Havertz one wasn't as good - and, no disrespect to Newcastle of course, but this was hardly a world cup semi final either - but it was still a small thing of beauty in its own right. Again the first touch is one of those ones where it seems as though there must be velcro on the top of the shoe, and what made it special for me was the way he finished it with the same foot without even breaking stride.
And this is the frustrating contrast of football right now, no-one can dispute the artistry on display for that goal, but - I think - it will always be tainted by the fact it was scored by a team that were lifted from nowhere to the very top, entirely by stolen and laundered money. A team entirely created by that money, whose success is almost incidental for the buyer, and whose example opened the door for Man City, PSG and whatever else follows...