Some goals are replayed so
often it can blind us to their
brilliance. Germany’s winner in
the 2014 World Cup final is a
case in point. To meet André Schürrle’s
cross in extra time, Mario
Götze had sprinted to the top-
right corner of the six-yard
box. As he cushioned the ball
mid-jump with his chest, the attacking midfielder had his
back to Sergio Romero in the Argentina goal and momentum
threatened to push him over
the goalline. The 22-year-old swivelled in
one fluid motion and volleyed
the ball with his weaker left
foot past Romero from the
tightest of angles to win the
final 1-0. Between leaving Schürrle’s boot and crashing
into the net, the ball did not
touch the ground. “Show you are better than
Messi,” is what Joachim Löw
claimed to have told Götze on
the touchline and the mercurial
Argentinian aside it is hard to
imagine another player on the pitch that night having carried
off such a jaw-dropping piece
of balletic artistry.
Continue reading here.
www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer/international/the-story-of-mario-gotze-a-rare-illne
