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The next installment of a weekly series that showcases the three best goals of the week (plus more if we can’t decide), as decided by yours truly. Or us truly. Us trulies? Ah, by the staff here.
Honorable Mention
Arkadiusz Milik
2-0 Napoli (3-0 Victory over Parma)
The amount of skill in the Serie A seems to have increased exponentially overnight. I cannot remember the last time I have consistently seen this level of quality in goal-scoring in a long time, and I can vividly remember watching top flight Italian soccer for close to 30 years. This goal is an honorable mention, but last year, could’ve finished top 10 or 15 for the season. Just a fantastic through ball from Lorenzo Insigne to a wide out and all alone Arkadiusz Milik, who seems to make himself invisible in order to avoid being man-marked. Milik lets the ball run because Massimo Gobbi literally left him in an ocean of space and the central pair of Riccardo Gagliolo and Bruno Alves kept him onside by a mile, before he takes one touch in advancing the ball just outside the box and just unleashing a dipping ball that fools everyone and drops into the far top corner. Luigi Sepe doesn’t even have the chance to flinch.
No. 3
Joaquin Correa
2-0 Lazio (2-1 Victory over Udinese)
This goal is a tale of two players - Lazio midfielder and one-on-one predator Joaquin Correa, and humiliated Udinese defender Jens Larsen. There isn’t much to explain here, you just need to watch - scissor, scissor, step-over, ball-roll, scissor, pull-back and NFL stiff arm to literally flatten the poor Dane, before tucking the ball from a tight angle across the face of goal, and passed the once promising Italian goalkeeping prospect Simone Scuffet.
No. 2
Bram Nuytinck
2-1 Udinese (2-1 Loss to Lazio)
Before I state the obvious that one game yielded two spectacular goals, I need to stress that I do not care for the official designation that this is technically an “own goal” credited against Lazio and Milan Badelj. This is too good to give away. Udinese are trying to claw their way back into the game, and are rewarded for their efforts with a dead ball on the wide left flank. Zebrette star Rodrigo de Paul sends a looping cross to the far right side of the box, into the path of a backtracking and under-marked Bram Nuytinck. What happens next is both uncharacteristic and unexpected of the hulking defender - a scissor/overhead kick while falling away, slicing the shot through the box and into the side netting passed Thomas Strakosha.
No. 1
Javier Pastore
2-0 Roma (4-0 Victory over Frosinone)
Do not refresh your browser, this is not a mistake. Javier Pastore did it again. AND better. Absolutely unreal finish after Roma seemingly had possession for minutes upon minutes.
Bonus: Milan goalscorer, Lucas Biglia, with a beautiful strike after the awareness to step in and intercept a defensive error by the Empoli midfielder Rade Krunic. I don’t care if it’s an own goal - which by the way, why are these own goals if they are clearly going in regardless? A score in the 10th minute gave us all hope for 3 points until we carelessly gave it away with a combination of not finishing and careless defending leading to a penalty against.