Pires: My favourite goals

14 April 2012

Robert Pires does not believe that his spectacular strike against Liverpool 12 days ago was the best he has ever scored.

The strike has already been marked down as an early contender for goal of the season, but Pires ranks it only second on his all-time list.

The Anfield strike came at a crucial point in a match with the scores level after Arsenal had fought back from conceding an early goal.

"That is what sometimes makes a goal even more special," said Pires. "If you are winning a match easily, by three or four goals, then there is no pressure if you try something special. If it doesn't come off, then there is no problem. But if the match is tight - like the one at Anfield - it means so much more.

"I was playing slightly deep when we cleared the ball to Titi (Thierry Henry). He put the ball through to Edu and I pushed forward in support along the lefthand side. Edu came back towards me with the ball and went through two or three challenges to get the ball off him and eventually passed to me.

"I pushed the ball back inside and moved to the right. I took another touch and decided to try a shot. In front of me was a defender. I decided to use him as a kind of point of reference.

"I knew if I could bend it round him with the inside of my right foot that it had a chance of beating Jerzy Dudek. In that kind of situation, you make the defender work for you. Yes, he is a kind of target, a barrier you have to get round. It worked perfectly.

"But that is also the result of a lot of practice in training. I work hard on that kind of finish with Arsenal. Is it successful? Ask Jens Lehmann, our goalkeeper. Do I score all the time? Of course!

"What pleases me even more was that it was a vital goal, a goal that won us the match. If there is more pressure and more reward, then it is more satisfying."

But Pires does not regard the goal as the best he has scored. Here is a list of the other four . . .

His all-time favourite was against Aston Villa at Villa Park in March 2002. With Arsenal winning 1-0 he latched on to a clearance, lifted the ball over a Villa defender and then calmly lobbed the ball over Peter Schmeichel in the Villa goal.
No3 came in the Champions League for Arsenal in Rome against Lazio in October 2000. It was the equaliser in a 1-1 draw. "I collected the ball and just kept running towards the Lazio goal. We were 1-0 down at the time and it was important that we did not lose because a draw would mean we were not only through but through as group winners and that was an advantage. As the goalkeeper came out, I produced the same shot that I did against Liverpool, with the inside of the right foot. On this occasion there was no defender but it bent past the goalkeeper into the corner, just as at Anfield. It was special because it was my first goal for Arsenal and it was an important one."
No4 was the goal which brought Arsenal their 1-0 FA Cup Final win against Southampton last May. "It was not a hard shot or anything or a difficult chance. It was close to the goal but I had to keep a cool head because it was to be the first goal in the final and that was always going to be important. It was the only goal of the game and won the FA Cup for Arsenal so for me it was memorable."
No5 was against Chelsea for Marseille in the Champions League in March 2000. "It was a remarkable goal. The ball came from the left, I hit a volley and, without hitting the ground, the ball hit one post then the other and went into the net. I was told that this goal was unique in football at top level, that it had never been done before."

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Pires: My favourite goals

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