The 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup came to an exhilarating end as an inexperienced but enthusiastic German side came out on top. The valiant Chileans gave the World Champions a run for their money, but a blunder in the first half was enough for the Germans to take the game as well as the trophy away from them.
Fans were somewhat let down by the total number of goals scored in the tournament (43), which is far less than the one in 2013 (68). However, this also indicates the level of competitiveness involved in the tournament.
With goals being scored in all possible ways, there were some delightful ones which caught everyone’s eye. Here is a lowdown of five of the most impressive goals scored in the Confed Cup 2017.
#5 Raul Jimenez (Mexico vs New Zealand)
Most people, prior to the tournament, expected New Zealand to end up as the whipping boys of their group. And though the Kiwis lost all their matches, their dedication and fighting spirit were commendable, with a goal against Mexico being their high-point. Never in their wildest dreams had the Central Americans imagined that they would go down 1-0 before half time to a much lower ranked side.
But as it turned out, the day belonged to winger Javier Aquino, who kept on making terrorising runs down the left flank. Quite inevitably, scores got levelled in the 54th minute when Aquino got past his marker and ran about 40 yards before passing the ball to Marco Fabian. Fabian touched it to Benfica striker Jimenez. Jimenez, who sensed the gap in Kiwi defence, took a quick turn and sent the ball rifling into the top-left corner.
While Aquino got the ‘Man of the Match’ award, had it not been for Jimenez’s brilliant finish, things could have been different for El Tri.
#4 Kerem Demirbay (Germany vs Cameroon)
Before the tournament started, Kerem Demirbay was infamous for making a sexist comment to female referee Bibiana Steinhaus. But a stunner against Cameroon on his full international debut did help him enhance his image in the German media.
In the first half, which finished goalless, Germany wasn't able to get into the groove as Cameroon kept on making unsuccessful quick-paced attacks into the final third. But just minutes into the second half, Demirbay got involved into a one-two with Draxler. The German captain skilfully held the ball in between two opposition players and delicately passed it back to Demirbay with a delightful nutmeg.
The Hoffenheim midfielder did the rest by hitting a powerful right-footed shot just outside the box to launch the ball into the top right corner.
#3 Marco Fabian (Mexico vs Germany)
More often than not, stats like possession, shots taken and shots on target are good enough to give a hindsight of a football match. But on rare occasions, these stats can mislead us, as was the case in the second semi-final between Germany and Mexico. Who could say that a team with 61 percent possession and 26 shots, lost 4-1!
After a disastrous start, Mexico came close to scoring on more occasions than one but it seemed that lady luck just didn’t favour them. The only consolation that they got was in the form of a quickly taken free-kick by playmaker Marco Fabian, unleashed from a long distance. Even though it took Ter Stegen by surprise, the speed and power with which the ball was struck made it impossible for any goalkeeper in the world to stop the curler.
Apparently, this also happened to be the only goal in the tournament scored via a direct freekick, thereby making it a noteworthy achievement.
#2 Andre Silva (Portugal vs New Zealand)
There was no doubt in anyone’s mind who was going to win the contest between New Zealand and Portugal. With a penalty by Ronaldo and well-worked team goal finished by Bernardo Silva, Portugal was easily breezing past its opponents even before half of the match was over.
There was one Portuguese player, however, who didn’t seem satisfied with the proceedings, Andre Silva. He saw his efforts on the target being stopped by the New Zealand’s custodian on more than one occasion. But in the 80th minute, he finally gave a glimpse of his potential and showed the world why Ronaldo considers Silva his successor.
Nearly halfway into the opponent’s half, Quaresma passed the ball to Silva who ran towards the Kiwi defenders and then took a deviation in his run, towards the right, just outside the box. He effortlessly evaded a defender and then shot the ball past the hapless goalkeeper into the top-left corner to finish off a brilliant solo effort.
#1 Leon Goretzka (Germany vs Mexico)
As predicted before the tournament started, a lot of German youngsters caught the eye of fans worldwide en route to Confed Cup victory. But no one saw their stock rise in the market as much as Leon Goretzka, a young German midfielder who is now being compared to arguably the greatest midfielder of all time, German legend Lothar Matthaus. More than anything else, it was Goretzka’s brace against Mexico that led to a shower of praise.
While both his goals were truly remarkable, it was the first one that gets the nod. Goretzka, who got the possession in his own half, sprinted forward before passing the ball to his compatriot Henrichs on the right. Henrichs carried it further and gave it back to Goretzka just at outside the box.
What followed was a shot by Goretzka in the bottom left corner, so perfectly hit that even a full-stretch Ochoa couldn’t get his hand to it. And that was a 22-year-old Goretzka announcing himself on the world stage. On first look, it might not seem anything extraordinary but that’s where the beauty of the goal lies. The ease with which he handled the situation made it look that simple, an attribute often associated with great footballers.
