In 2009 the Chelsea fans sat down in the stands of Stamford Bridge donning scarves and jerseys of their favorite club. In a mid-week night time game, the team prepared to play Bolton and expected a calm and collected victory. After beautiful play in the first half, Chelsea lead 3-0 and switched their focus to possession. Terry and Cahill formed a brick wall on defense, stationed a few feet behind half field. Hazard and Anelka positioned on the right and left wings of the field firmly planted their teams flag and claimed the space as their own. In the center was a scuffle, a group of piranhas wearing Bolton jerseys eagerly pounced towards every ball that came near, but Deco and Lampard were too swift.
After growing bored possessing, Terry slotted the ball to the left wing where Anelka calmly received it. The Bolton players approached, but not too close, as a cat slowly approaches a mouse it’s hunting. Anelka was given the green light to dribble the ball down the field to the corner, which he graciously accepted and went on his way. Upon reaching the corner, the trumpets sounded, and the Bolton players took their defensive positions. Two players stood facing Anelka in the corner shooing him away from their goal box. In the center, each Bolton defender stood equidistant from each other and scattered throughout the box. The Chelsea players observed this defensive tactic and formed a plan. Anelka launched the ball toward Deco like a player beginning a game of pinball. The defenders, turned into stone statues, could only watch the trajectory beaming right toward Deco. The head of Deco connected the ball to the backheel of Lampard, which redirected to Drogba’s right foot. Given the ball 10 feet from the net, Drogba first began celebrating, throwing is hands in the air and flashing a wide grin, and then delivered the ball to the back of the net.
The Chelsea fans erupted from their seats and the stadium became the first active volcano to form in England. The world record for the number of high fives given in one minute was swiftly broken, and atmosphere of the crowd would permanently buzz with awe and excitement. It is incredibly rare to witness the peak of soccer’s beauty with your own eyes. They had witnessed the kind of goal that creative children dream of and spend the rest of their lives trying to replicate.
This video displays the goal that the piece is written about.