Welcome to Part 3 of our run-down of the top 50 UFWC goals, as part of UFWC Goals Week. Part 3 brings us right up to date, covering 1998 to 2014:
1998 Argentina vs Bosnia-Herzegovina
Ariel Ortega
Showing superb balance, Ortega slaloms his way through the Bosnian defence and slides the ball neatly into the net. (3.39)
1998 Argentina vs England
Michael Owen
A very famous goal as the teenage Owen worked his way through the Argentine rearguard before firing England into an all-too-brief lead. (3.34)
1998 Netherlands vs Argentina
Dennis Bergkamp
For the second time in four days, Argentina fall victim to a wondrous individual goal, and this time it would prove to be their undoing. Bergkamp stops an 80-yard pass dead, cuts inside his marker, and lashes the ball past the keeper. (0.18)
2000 France vs Cameroon
Patrick Mboma
Mboma launches himself well off the ground and fires an overhead kick into the net. (0.03)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpEDgESiluo
2000 Turkey vs France
Johan Micoud
Micoud flashes a powerful long-range effort past the keeper’s despairing dive. (2.46)
2003 Moldova vs Netherlands
Vadim Boret
A stunning volley to give Moldova a shock lead against the Netherlands. It didn’t last. (0.07)
2003 Czech Republic vs Holland
Karel Poborsky
Not for the first time in his UFWC career, Poborsky lobs an opposing goalkeeper with great panache. (0.28)
Fabio Quagliarella
As the ball bounces up, Quagliarella leathers a dipping volley into the net from well outside the area. (0.53)
Angelos Basinas
A well-controlled half-volley that smacks the post on its way in. (1.14)
Robin van Persie
Watching a long ball from out wide all the way, van Persie bides his time and arrows a low shot across the keeper and in. (1.05)
Wesley Sneijder
An extraordinarily ambitious training ground move pays dividends, as a corner kick is clipped long to Sneijder, who controls a volley from nearly 30 yards out. (3.46)
Eljero Elia
Picking the ball up wide on the left just beyond halfway, Elia beats a defender, beats him again, beats another defender, then nutmegs yet another with his curling shot. (6.08)
Giovanni van Bronckhorst
From wide out on the left and nearly 40 yards from goal, van Bronckhorst lets fly. The goal puts the Netherlands on course for the World Cup Final and, more importantly, sets them on their way to their 21st consecutive UFWC defence since taking the title nearly two years earlier, thus breaking Scotland’s record of 20 which had stood since 1888. (1.18)
Tadanari Lee
Extra-time in the Asian Cup Final, and Lee brings continental glory to Japan in spectacular style. Admittedly he was completely unmarked inside the area, but that shouldn’t detract from the perfection of his volley. (0.07)
Claudio Pizarro
A lovely, nonchalant lob over the keeper. (0.05)
Edinson Cavani
Free kicks don’t come any better than this – it begins well off course but bends back in superbly. (1.44)
That concludes out Top 50 goals run-down, but stick around – tomorrow we’ll bring you a selection of UFWC own goals and oddities as Goals Week continues.
