Footballing World | World Cup 2006: Goals Of The Tournament

World Cup Analysis

World Cup 2006: Goals Of The Tournament

By Mike Martin ⋅ July 6, 2006 ⋅

Less than twenty-four hours after the BBC launched its Goal Of The Tournament competition in Euro 2004, Maniche curled one in from the corner of the penalty area against Holland. Despite this, Mike Martin hopes he is tempting fate in picking his Top 15 three days early.

15. Fernando Torres (SPAIN v Ukraine): A great team move, set up brilliantly by the hungry Puyol, before Torres smashed the ball past the helpless and unspellable Shovkovskyi.

14. Sergiy Rebrov (UKRAINE v Saudi Arabia): The opportunist goal of the tournament, the former Tottenham Hotspur misfit caught Saudi goalkeeper Zaid off his line with a superb long range effort into the far corner.

13. Mohamed Kader (TOGO v South Korea): Beat two defenders with a fine piece of chest control before drilling in from the edge of the area. Togo’s tournament started brilliantly but was sadly all downhill from there.

12. Deco (PORTUGAL v Iran): Set up by Luís Figo, Deco drilled home from the edge of the area. One of the better moments to remember Portugal by from the 2006 World Cup; Deco remains Portugal’s most talented and effective player.

11. Javier Saviola (ARGENTINA v Ivory Coast): Not a screamer, but clevely set up by the guile of the outstanding Juan Román Riquelme. Saviola was picked alongside Crespo ahead of the likes of Messi and Tévez and this cool finish vindicated the decision.

10. Carlos Tévez (ARGENTINA v Serbia & Montenegro): Granted, the opposition were atrocious and playing with ten men, but the cool with which Tévez cut inside two defenders before side-footing past Jevric exemplified the outstanding team performance of the tournament.

9. Ronaldo (BRAZIL v Japan): One Ronaldo started the World Cup a figure of fun, another ended it the enemy of football. The transition began with this brilliant turn and shot from thirty yards, which equalled Gerd Müller’s World Cup goals record he would later break against Ghana in Round 2.

8. Steven Gerrard (ENGLAND v Trinidad & Tobago): If Gerrard can curl the ball in from twenty-five yards with his wrong foot, imagine what chaos he might unleash if the England team were actually set up to take advantage of his quality.

7. Kaká (BRAZIL v Croatia): Brazil needed a moment of magic against the stubborn Croats, and Kaká provided it. Brazil’s only consistent creative player in the tournament brilliantly beat Pletikosa from long range to give them a 1-0 win.

6. Tomás Rosicky (CZECH REPUBLIC v U.S.A.): The Czechs looked unstoppable in the first match, with Rosicky directing traffic. His brilliant long range drive gave the Czechs optimism that was never justified in the subsequent games.

5. Torsten Frings (GERMANY v Costa Rica): Germany provided plenty of excitement in the opening match, the post-script was Fring’s late drive from thirty yards. Frings became one of Germany’s outstanding players throughout the tournament.

4. Maxi Rodríguez (ARGENTINA v Mexico): Some people churlishly claimed the goalkeeper was badly positioned, but Rodríguez’s control and volley - of his ‘weaker’ foot - deserved nothing but admiration.

3. Phillip Lahm (GERMANY v Costa Rica): The first goal of the tournament was one of the best. The unlikely goalscorer cut inside the full-back and fired in off the far post just six minutes into the tournament.

2. Esteban Cambiasso (ARGENTINA v Serbia & Montenegro): Twenty-four passes, one back heel and one powerful finish. It all added up to a seminal moment in Argentina’s footballing history that is rightly compared to Carlos Alberto’s strike in the 1970 Final.

1. Joe Cole (ENGLAND v Sweden): Totally out of context in a frustrating tournament for England, but Joe Cole’s stunning thirty-eight yard lob drew universal praise and he finally came of age as a world class talent. Cole controlled a clearance with his chest before ambitiously volleying high into the far corner, giving the acrobatic Isaksson no chance.