Top 12 Goals of the Week

For the second week running, despite a shed-load of matches being played worldwide there emerges only one outstanding candidate for the schmuck of the week award. Step forward Eskisehirspor’s centre-half Emre Toraman.

The classification as defender here is used very loosely, as Toraman managed to bag an unforgivable own-goal brace inside 37 minutes to cripple his sides chances of beating Bursaspor on Sunday in the Turkish Super Lig.

The first own goal was bad enough. On the quarter hour mark a bread-n’-butter cross was hurled in from the Bursaspor left-hand side and, with only one visiting striker marked tightly at the back post, their appeared little danger.

Emre Toraman was alone marking the penalty spot. He had all the time in the world to steady himself and clear the ball. Simple and easy defending was the order of the day.

Alan Shearer would have been proud of his effort.

And then there was the calamitous, “take me out the back and shoot me,” second. This time things were far hairier, Bursaspor putting together a pacey counter-attack to tear through the high Eskisehirspor defensive-line.

Three passes later the centre forward was clean through with just the keeper to beat, only for the shot-stopper to brilliantly claw the ball out from the strikers’ feet and halt the imminent danger. Wait. Emre Toraman. What are you doing?!

Emre Toraman’s nightmare against Bursaspor can be seen here.

(Apologises for the criminal music on this video. We’d like you to think of it as “authentic” and please realise it wasn’t our choice of track.)

Onto the list and this week there are no introductions. Suffice to say they are all crackers, with Serie A having an unusually productive week in supplying the four last goals.

As always, all we ask is that you sit back and enjoy!

1. Joao Moutinho (Bayern Munich v Sporting Lisbon, Mar. 10, 2009)

2. Vincenzo Iaquinta (Juventus v Chelsea, Mar. 10, 2009)

3. Andre Pinto (Pacos Ferreira v Leixoes, Mar. 13, 2009)

4. Victor Agali (Aris v Xanthi, Mar. 14, 2009)

5. Alexander Frei (Hannover v Borussia Dortmund, Mar. 14, 2009)

6. Andrei Arshavin (Arsenal v Blackburn, Mar. 14, 2009)

7. Adam Marciniak (Gornik Zabrze v Lech Poznan, Mar. 15, 2009)

8. Claudio Pizarro (Werder Bremen v Stuttgart, Mar. 15, 2009)

9. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Inter Milan v Fiorentina, Mar. 15, 2009)

10. Alexandre Pato (Siena v AC Milan, Mar. 15, 2009)

11. Giuseppe Mascara (Udinese v Catania, Mar. 15, 2009)

12. Simon Kjaer (Palermo v Lecce, Mar. 15, 2009)

Narrowly missing this week’s list were goals from Lukas Podolski, Ariel Ibagaza, Lionel Messi, Heiko Westermann, Gervinho, Kembo Ekoko, Jeremy Morel, Pablo Hernandez and Diego.