Amazing Goals

Tottenham attacker Son Heung-min saved his side from a calamitous home defeat to West Ham United after absolutely lacing a strike in the 84th minute of their Premier League encounter. Pedro Obiang had given West Ham the advantage in the 70th minute with his own vicious punt, but Son’s seventh goal of the EPL season saw Spurs salvage a draw.

It’s still a hugely disappointing result for Mauricio Pochettino’s side, who sit fifth after 22 matches — three points behind Liverpool in fourth. The result also keeps sixth-place Arsenal only two points back on their London rivals.

I had a teammate growing up who was our regular penalty kick taker. He would slowly walk up to the ball and kick it meekly toward the corner. Eventually, the ball would trickle into the back of the net, with supreme accuracy overriding the deliberate pace of the shot. Brazilian legend Zico’s free kicks would do the same thing, only from 20 to 40 yards out.

Two weeks after being named the 2017 U.S. Soccer Male Player of the Year, 19-year-old Borussia Dortmund attacker Christian Pulisic added another first to his individual trophy cabinet: the accolade for December’s Bundesliga Goal of the Month. 

It was the eighth Bundesliga goal of Pulisic’s career, but the first to be named Goal of the Month. The composed finish against Hoffenheim from December 16 gave Dortmund all three points in the 89th minute.

“I used to try to look at the ball and when I’m looking at that ball, I’m trying to see who is moving where and how to make sure I can plan my goal. Sometimes it’s instinct. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not going to lie — sometimes it’s an instinctive finish. But most of the times, you see a lot of strikers in one-on-one situations or when the ball is traveling, losing their way in what they’re trying to do because they’re thinking about it while they are doing it.