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Fiorentina have scored some wonderful goals this year. Dušan Vlahović taking off like a runaway locomotive from inside his own half against Inter Milan before belting one past Samir Handanović. Franck Ribery sliding home an inch-perfect cross from Federico Chiesa against Atalanta. Ribery utterly bamboozling the AC Milan defense before slotting home. Gaetano Castrovilli rising like an uncoiled spring for a thumping header two games in a row. Chiesa smashing home from 30-something yards out against Atalanta.
Viola fans are spoiled in terms of spectacular goals. Guys like Gabriel Batistuta, Adrian Mutu, Juan Cuadrado, and Giuseppe Rossi hit stunners with alarming regularity. Heck, even defenders like Nikola Milenković (thunderbastard), Facundo Roncaglia (from waaaaay downtown), and Juan Manuel Vargas (I mean) hit better goals than some teams’ strikers ever manage.
We’re not talking about last-minute winners or strikes against rivals. We’re talking about the goal divorced from its context, as a self-contained moment of genius that does not exist outside itself. You can argue that decontextualizing a goal is impossible, and you’re probably right, but you’re also no fun and getting in the way of a good though experiment. Get out.
Poll
For the rest of you, which kind of goal is the most exciting, the most impressive, and generally the best?
This poll is closed
-
7%
A perfectly-curled free kick
(4 votes) -
38%
An absolute smash from long range
(20 votes) -
34%
A quick-moving team goal with at least 5 players getting the ball forward using minimal touches
(18 votes) -
1%
A big jump and a bullet header
(1 vote) -
7%
An acrobatic volley
(4 votes) -
5%
A swerving solo run and a clean finish past the goalkeeper
(3 votes) -
3%
Something else I’ll list in the comments
(2 votes)
Here’s your weekend thread for whatever comes through your mind. Stay loose, y'all.