Top 14 Goals of the Week

With none of the top five clubs in the Premier League managing to hit the back of net last weekend, there is only one goal from England’s top flight represented in our list this week.

And it was a difficult week for some related to the English game, with a flurry of defensive gaffs gifting cheap goals in the past seven days. Thankfully the Three Lions’ win in Berlin airbrushed out from the memory the calamitous manikin impressions employed by John Terry and Scott Carson, while Gael Clichy and Mikel Silvestre were guilty of unwarranted slapstick comedy as they ran into each other to allow Stephen Ireland to score.

A slew of keepers also seemed to forget how to use their hands this week, with Feyenoord’s Henk Timmer, Real Betis’ Ricardo and Lazio’s Rubinho suffering from terrible momentary bouts of crappykeeperitus.

But the booby-prize for the worst No. 1 of the week falls on Bordeaux’s stand-in keeper Mathieu Valverde, who demonstrated that however bad a goalie may be with their hands, they are probably worse with their feet.

This week’s selection has a large helping of set-plays, with goals 2, 6, 9, 10 and 13 all arriving from dead-ball situations. Goal 13 also doubles up as one of the best strikes of the week, with goals 12 and 4 running very close behind. Outside the top list, many will have noticed that Partizan’s sought-out starlet Adem Ljajic broke his duck with a beauty this weekend.

As always, sit back and enjoy!

1. Toni Kroos (v Italy U21, Nov. 18, 2008)

2. Reto Ziegler (v Finland, Nov. 19, 2008)

3. Maicon (v Portugal, Nov. 19, 2008)

4. Elano (v Portugal, Nov. 19, 2008)

5. Francisco Rodriguez (v Heracles, Nov. 22, 2008)

6. Franck Ribery (v Energie Cottbus, Nov. 22, 2008)

7. Robinho (v Arsenal, Nov. 22, 2008)

8. Glen Johnson (Hull, Nov. 22, 2008) (5.30 mins in)

9. Ari (v Ajax, Nov. 23, 2008)

10. Ezequiel Lavezzi (v Cagliari, Nov. 23, 2008)

11. Francesco Cozza (v Atalanta, Nov. 23, 2008)

12. Manu Del Moral (v Barcelona, Nov. 23, 2008)

13. Ivica Olic (v Werder Bremen, Nov. 23, 2008) (pictured)

14. Luciano Monzon (v Sporting Gijon, Nov. 23, 2008) (second goal on the video)

Missing this week’s cut were goals from Andreas Holzl, Robert Lewandowski, Francesco Totti, Youssouf Hadji, Raul Saavedra, Leandro Benitez, Adem Ljajic (after 1.20 minutes), Kenneth Perez, and Ronaldinho.

UPDATE: This post has been up for just a few minutes and the corrections are flooding in. First, thanks to “Glen Johnson” for reminding us of his superb 25-yarder against Hull which should also be included in our top goals (watch here, 5.30 mins in).

Further, thanks to “frederikerne” for pointing out Peter ‘Magic’ Madsen’s flamboyant finish in Brondby’s 6-nil thrashing of Sonderjyske.