10 Best Golazos from World Football This Weekend
The first weekend of January is always a special one in the English football calendar, as it hosts the third round of the FA Cup—the stage of the world's oldest domestic cup competition when the big boys are first mixed with the minnows.
The FA Cup provides half of the golazos in this week's ranking, with sublime strikes from Scotland, Portugal and France rounding things out...
10. Jamie Walker (Hearts) vs. Hibernian
1 of 10Scottish Championship leaders Hearts hosted Hibernian in the fiercely contested Edinburgh derby on Saturday.
The visitors took the lead after 23 minutes, but Hearts equalised five minutes before half-time with a sensational strike from Jamie Walker.
The 21-year-old midfielder struck a left-footed golazo from around 25 yards to earn the home side a point that kept it 13 points clear of Rangers in the table.
9. Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal) vs. Hull
2 of 10Arsenal and Hull staged a replay of last season's FA Cup Final at the Emirates on Sunday, and once again it was Alexis Sanchez who proved to be the Gunners' star player.
The Chilean set up Per Mertesacker's opener and finished with aplomb to make it 2-0 in the 82nd minute.
Two minutes later, the star forward was given a rare and well-deserved break when Arsene Wenger substituted him.
8. Christian Benteke (Aston Villa) vs. Blackpool
3 of 10Blackpool are currently in a sorry state, but they managed to hold Premier League side Aston Villa to a deadlock until the 88th minute of their FA Cup third round.
That deadlock, however, was broken in style by Christian Benteke, who blasted in a powerful 18-yard volley for a dramatic late win.
7. Willian (Chelsea) vs. Watford
4 of 10Chelsea stormed to a 3-0 win over Watford at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, with the finest goal of the evening coming from Willian's right boot.
In the 58th minute, the Brazilian opened the scoring with a wonderful curling shot from outside the area.
6. Saido Berahino (West Brom) vs. Gateshead
5 of 10Skip to 1.19 for the best goal
West Brom cruised past Conference side Gateshead in their FA Cup third-round tie on Saturday, with Saido Berahino getting on the scoresheet four times.
All of the the England striker's goals were very impressive, but it might be said that his best strike was his second and the Baggies' third. Berahino was gifted enough space and time to curl a lovely strike into the net from outside the net.
As an apparent mark of respect for the lower-league opponents, the star striker did not celebrate any of his fine efforts.
5. Casemiro (Porto) vs. Gil Vicente
6 of 10Porto defeated troubled Gil Vicente 5-1 in the Portuguese Primeira Liga on Saturday, with the opening goal of the game proving to be quite special.
In the 36th minute, Porto defensive midfielder Casemiro struck a beautiful looping shot from outside the box. The Brazilian, who is on loan from Real Madrid, gave the keeper absolutely no chance.
According to 101 Great Goals, the shot flew in at 102km/h.
4. Bruno Martins Indi (Porto) vs. Gil Vicente
7 of 10Casemiro wasn't the only one to score an impressive goal against Gil Vicente over the weekend.
Nineteen minutes after the Brazilian opened the scoring in style, Bruno Martins Indi provided his own piece of flair with an instinctive backheel finish. Not a bad effort for a defender!
3. Ander Herrera (Manchester Utd) vs. Yeovil Town
8 of 10All eyes were on Somerset on Sunday afternoon as Manchester Utd faced League One minnows Yeovil Town.
It took the Red Devils more than an hour to break the deadlock, but Ander Herrera managed it in style.
The Spaniard received a ball from Darren Fletcher on the edge of the area with his back to goal before spinning around and unleashing a brilliant volley into the top-right corner.
According to Martin Samuel for the Daily Mail, the shot travelled at 53.9 mph over a distance of 20 yards.
Angel Di Maria later doubled United's advantage and ensured their progression to the next round.
2. Franck Tabanou (St Etienne) vs. Nancy
9 of 10Sunday's Coupe de France tie between St Etienne's and Nancy went into extra time without a goal. The deadlock was finally broken when St Etienne's Franck Tabanou found the net in the 97th minute.
The French midfielder controlled the ball with his chest outside the area before launching a lovely left-footed volley into the back of the net.
It was a strike worthy of winning any game, and it certainly did the trick for Les Verts.
1. Adrien Silva (Sporting Lisbon) vs. Estoril
10 of 10Adrien Silva scored twice in Sporting Lisbon's 3-0 rout over Estoril on Saturday evening, and the Portuguese midfielder broke the deadlock in the 20th minute with an absolute bobby dazzler.
Estoril could only clear a Sporting attack to the edge of their box, where the 25-year-old proceeded to hammer in a fantastic right-footed volley.
