Amazing Goals

With Lionel Messi out with a knee injury, Barcelona needed someone to step up, and they got just that with this Suarez goal vs Leverkusen in the second round of Champions League group matches. The Uruguayan executed a perfect finish off of a pass from Munir El Haddadi, who weaseled his way through the Leverkusen defense. Barcelona were not playing very Barcelona like during the match. They were out possesed and out shot, but come the 82nd minute Suarez stepped up to the plate and cracked a perfectly placed right footed shot into the upper corner. 

Everyone, Robert Lewandowski scored 5 goals in 9 minutes. Now there are a lot of things that can happen in 9 minutes, but scoring 5 goals in a Bundesliga match against a top opponent in the league is about as much an anomaly as Donald Trump leading the primaries for the GOP. But both things are happening, and the goal explosion has spurred something special for Lewandowski. The Polish player has been on an absolte tear since the 5 goal performance. Since then he has added 7 more goals in the following three games after arguably the best 10 minute soccer performance of all time.

This Christen Eriksen goal for Tottenham is what Spurs fans were expecting from the Denmark international this season. The lad has had a slow start in the Premier League, but his two goal performance this weekend may be a sign for what's to come from the 23-year-old. Sitting in the middle of the tabe and coming off a 4-1 shalacking of first place Chelsea, Tottenham looked to steal three points from a solid Swansea team who hasn't won since their 2-1 victory over Manchester United back in August.

One thing we can't get enough of here at The18 is a ridiculous bicycle kick. And boy do we have one to share with you. Zach Knudson, a sophomore from Oakland, New Jersey provided us with this gem of a goal as N.C. State tied #4 Notre Dame this past weekend.

An Alexis Sanchez goal in the first five minutes of the match vs Manchester United set the tone for the Gunners as they marched their way to a 3-0 victory in the Emirates this weekend. Alexis Sanchez continued his tear netting this ridiculous back heel to put the Gunners up 1-0. Only a minute late Mesut Ozil added to the tally and the route was on. It was a vintage Arsenal performance as the Gunners played with pace and creativity, while Manchester United looked stuck in the mud. The result was what Arsenal needed after coming off a Champions League loss to Olympiakos.

Was it the greatest performance by a soccer player in a final? Yes. Carli Lloyd's hat-trick in the 2015 Women's World Cup final only took 16 minutes, and was capped off with a 50 yard boot over the Japan keepers head, giving the USWNT a commanding lead not even half way through the first half. All three goals showed off Lloyd's skill set. 

The first: Lloyd streaks into the box beating her defender to the ball and executes a difficult finish with the outside of her left foot.