Top 10 World Cup Goals

We're a little over a week removed from the World Cup, and it certainly is a lot more boring without quality international soccer on tap every day.  So, to harken back to those much more interesting, enjoyable weeks between June 11th and July 11th, here's a look back at the top goals of the tournament.

As always, this is just my opinion; feel free to share your own, whether you agree or disagree, in the comments section below.


10. Landon Donovan v. Slovenia: Okay, so I might be a little biased, but this an American soccer site after all, so of course I'm going to get a USMNT player into the list.  Donovan's blast into the roof of the net from a near impossible angle was the first step in the Yanks' memorable comeback against Slovenia, stealing the momentum back after a disastrous opening 45. 

9. Mesut Ozil v. Ghana: Ozil looked like someone with years of experience, rather than a 21 year old, with this calm touch and textbook volley for the game-winning goal in Germany's final group stage match. 

8. Yasuhito Endo v. Denmark: This one was a toss up between Japanese free kicks, with Keisuke Honda's long range effort in this same match being another worthy candidate.

7. Maicon v. North Korea: Whether you think he meant to do it or not, there's no denying that putting a ball into the back of the net from such a tight angle at a full sprint is a hard thing to do.  North Korea were stubborn and organized, and Brazil needed something special to breakthrough, which is exactly what they got via the right foot of Maicon. 

6. Carlos Tevez v. Mexico: After a throughball to a running teammate didn't work, Tevez just took matters into his own hands and hit a frozen rope into the upper corner. 

5. Luis Suarez v. South Korea: Suarez' World Cup might best be remembered for his handball against Ghana, but his goal against South Korea was pretty memorable, too.  The curling strike off of the inside of the far post ended up being the game-winner, booking Uruguay a spot in the quarterfinals.

4. David Villa v. Honduras: Villa's quick cut and burst through the Honduras back line was capped off perfectly with a sliding shot into the far side netting. 

3. Diego Forlan v. Germany: Forlan probably could have been on this list multiple times, but I figured I'd spread the wealth, so only the best of his 5 goals makes the cut. 

2. Giovanni van Bronckhorst v. Uruguay: The last goal of Giovanni van Bronckorst's career may very well have been his best.  His long-range bomb in the semifinals was about as perfect of a shot as anyone could hope for, and probably should be #1 on this list.

1. Siphiwe Tshabalala v. Mexico:  I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I'm a sucker for a great team goal.  The tournament's first set the bar pretty high, though I think it's been woefully underrated by fans and pundits alike.  What a lot of people forget about this goal was that the bullet of a shot into the upper corner was just the cherry on top of a lightning quick counterattack that saw Bafana Bafana go about 85 yards in just a couple of quick passes, the last of which being a perfectly weighted first-time throughball from midfield.  For me, it doesn't get much better than that.


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