It’s a goal every soccer player dreams of scoring. Ball comes in, chest it up into the air and bicycle kick it into the back of the net. But not even Branislav Ivanovic could believe it when he scored his incredible goal for Zenit St. Petersburg against Real Sociedad in the Europa League on Thursday.
The Ivanovic bicycle kick goal surprised everyone in the stadium, not least of which was the former Chelsea defender himself. Check out his reaction at the start of the video — he’s trying to keep from laughing at the absurdity of what he just did.
Even his manager, former Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini, was stunned. He wasn’t sure whether he should celebrate or look to the skies to see if the four horsemen of the apocalypse were descending upon Anoeta Stadium.
Branislav Ivanovic bicycle kick goal. Yes, he's a defender. Photo: @sporx | Twitter
There were a lot of great goals in the Europa League on Thursday, including Arsenal's 6-0 pasting of Bate, a double from some kid for Everton and this banger from long range, but Ivanovic's effort may have been the best.
During his time with Chelsea, Ivanovic scored more often than you’d expect from a lumbering defender, netting 22 goals in 261 appearances for the London club. This was his second goal since joining Zenit in January, but it’s one he won’t soon forget.
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