1. Andrea Pirlo, Spain vs Portugal Quarterfinal
Euro 2012 finally came to an end with Spain’s thumping victory over Italy. Though the final didn’t have jaw-dropping goals, the tournament surely did. Here are the top 5.
Having the gall to softly chip a penalty over a diving ‘keeper, rather than firing to his left or right, is such the height of cool that this technique is named after its pioneer, Antonin Panenka. He used it to win the 1976 European Championship for Czechoslovakia against West Germany in a penalty shootout. At Euro 2012, Andrea Pirlo did it in Italy’s quarterfinal shootout victory over England, and Sergio Ramos performed a “panenka” to help defending champion Spain beat Portugal in their semifinal penalty shootout. Brave.
__PAGEBREAK__
2. Antonio Di Natale, Spain vs Italy Group match
Antonio Di Natale’s chip at speed past Iker Casillas in the 61st minute in their opening Group C match on June 10 wasn’t the prettiest goal of Euro 2012, but it’s a top five pick for its rarity.
__PAGEBREAK__
3. David Silva, Spain vs Ireland Group match
Controlling the ball 12 meters (yards) out, the nippy Spain midfielder faced a seemingly impenetrable wall of three Ireland defenders blocking his route to goal. So he improvised, dancing right then left before hitting the ball with pinpoint precision past one defender, through the legs of two others, and beyond ‘keeper Shay Given. It was Spain’s second goal in a 4-0 win Group C on June 14. Laser-like.
__PAGEBREAK__
4. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Sweden vs France Group match
Sweden was already eliminated when it played France on June 19 in Group D, but its towering frontman was determined to go out with a bang. With a roundhouse kick Bruce Lee would have been proud of, Ibrahimovic met Sebastian Larsson’s cross and threw himself nearly sideways in the air to volley the ball with his right boot past Hugo Lloris. Thumping.
__PAGEBREAK__
5. Danny Welbeck, England vs Sweden Group match
The Manchester United forward scored only once for England at Euro 2012, but his goal was brilliant for its cunning and exquisite timing. With England and Sweden at 2-2 in the 78th minute of their June 15 group stage match, winger Theo Walcott sent in a cross. His back to the goal, Welbeck met the ball with his right leg and flicked it behind him with his heel, stunning Sweden goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson. A top five pick because the 21-year-old Welbeck’s execution was astounding and the goal secured the win for England.