By FRANCO PANIZO
As is the case with every weekend, there were hoards of quality goals, but Cristiano Ronaldo's free kick in Real Madrid's 6-2 victory vs. Villarreal was arguably the best.
Ronaldo opened the scoring in the eight-goal affair, blasting a precise free kick into the top corner of Diego Lopez's net from 25 yards out.
The goal set the tone for the lopsided victory for Real Madrid, a victory that keeps the club just two points behind Barcelona for first place in Spain's top flight.
Here are some other quality goals from this past weekend:
Damien Duff helps lift Fulham to 2-1 victory over Birmingham City with a splendid run and finish.
Martin Bravo nails the winner in Pumas UNAM's 1-0 win vs. Atlante.
What do you think of Ronaldo's goal? Think he is among the best free kick takers in the world? What other goals did you like from the past weekend?
Share your thoughts below.
Cristiano Ronaldo > Messi.
At least one person knew that was going in the entire time… Christiano= Beckham + Ronaldinho + Henry… if he ever starts muscling people around like #9 he’ll be the best player to have ever lived.
Is that ref freaking serious ? Higuain tripped over his own feet and dove. Even Stevie Wonder could see that. That should not have been an penalty. Well it might not have changed the game, but good performance from Madrid.
If only he could have done that more often at United. Stupid jerk, never did nothing for nobody over there…
Kansas City won Luis Gil’s rights but is going to have to trade him as he is demanding a west coast team.
this was wonderful to watch.
I’ve started a petition to have Ives cut his hair like that.
As usual, an obvious dive from Ronaldo. The reason he didn’t do that for United is that refs in the EPL don’t call that. If anything, that’s a yellow card for anticipating contact. A nice free kick, but it would be better if he could learn to pass.
Baird really buried that one…
I would like to argue that Marco Senna’s free kick just 10 minutes later had just as much class as ronaldo’s. The only exception is that CR’s was a knuckle ball placement versus a bending placement. Still both free kicks are textbook quality.
Yeah two assists this game, he really needs to learn to pass the ball.
They won’t even give a yellow card for that dive will they ?
How hard is it to re-watch the game and if someone dives, boot them outta the league.
Would CR ever dive again ? Not if he values his gajillion dollars a year. Let me speak for him…he does.
I was just thinking the same thing
Pretty nice. Best free kicks I’ve ever seen are probably Beckham’s vs. Greece, and Roberto Carlos vs. France.
I wish Ronaldo would have kicked it directly in the face of Giuseppe Rossi.
What’s really sad is the ref was literally standing six yards from the play and didn’t call it a dive, which it clearly was.
Wondering what SAF would have to say about the refs in La Liga calling nonsense like this should he ever have to coach there. His head might explode.
u r pathetic
villareal were missing 5 starters and played with 3 b team players. let’s see how they do vs. lyon again, without the liga refs
Running into the back of someone and falling isn’t a dive. But maybe you’re right, I’m sure the ref that was standing six yards away probably got it wrong. Come on.
Nice free kick, but he should have never been able to take it. It was a dive that deserved a yellow card in my opinion.
Clearly he dove. Clearly he didn’t deserve a free kick. Forget about the assists.
You’re not serious . . .
I think this is one way in which soccer has become more like basketball. Players have learned how to “draw contact.”
It’s not diving, but it isn’t a clear foul, either. Refs and governing bodies ultimately have to establish some kind of policy with this because I see it more and more often.
A dive, for me, is a clear instance in which a player falls without contact (the Eduardo dive is a good example). That’s not what Ronaldo did.
He’s so frustrating to watch. Moments of brilliance but all too many dives. He’s a big strong boy. C’mon, he goes to the ground far too easily.
Clearly? You seem pretty sure of yourself. You want me to send you an apllication to become a ref in La Liga? With you reffing everything would become so much better.
Completely agree
terrible dive. look at him fling himself off the ground into the defender and then instantly search for the ref. pathetic.
You’re right, I’m not. He scored a few goals for United over the years…
Either way, that’s a call that gets made in La Liga and not in the EPL.
Dive. But nice free kick.
How has no one mentioned Casillas’ beard? When did that start?
So running into the back of a defender and falling down is worth a free kick now?
Ronaldo may be good, but that doesn’t mean I have to like him. Wanker.
That’s a load of rubbish Radiogonzo. I live in England and saw Ronaldo win a hundred more calls there than in Spain. In fact Ronaldo was complaining earlier this year how refs in Spain don’t protect ‘entertaining players’ like they do in England.
That was funny! Thanks for that
OK he dove and then takes the free kick. Where oh where was the wall?
That said it was marvelous placement
but he dove, that takes as much away from the game as the nice strike adds…
prayers with 1999 nj soccer hall of fame coach & family . i believe ives covered him for 3 years back in the days
You should start your own blog.
Is anyone better at direct free kicks than Crynaldo and Drogba? Juninho and Roberto Carlos back in the day were beasts. Who are some others?
Rafa Marquez free kick to make it 3-0 Barca vs. Racing was a stunner!
If only MLS had true free agency, he could play here…
Must’ve been a sniper in the stands cause I didn’t see what the foul was…
both the first two penalties that resulted in goals for madrid were dives, yes, including the one with ronaldo… the shot was incredible, out of this world even, but he dove to get it, and therefore I think it takes away all the glory because it was an undeservered opportunity.
I hope Barca stomps them, I don’t think Messi would dive like that…If I am wrong, show me.
what is it then? Being a twit? Or being clumsy? If it were clumsiness you are trying to say, then why bitch and moan when he is on the ground? he dove.
he faked a foul, and called for it! That is a dive! If you can easily stay on your feet, but fall, its a dive. He veered out of his way to hit the player, and then fell… that is part of selling the dive! You have to fake contact! DIVE DIVE DIVE
agreed, i hate little sh!t players like that… they can be good, but they are so full of sh!t they have no honor. Every sport needs a villain, and good villains have to be able to match the heros in ability…
Ronaldo = The Joker
: )
No.. they usually hack him hard before he has a chance to actually dive! LOL
See the game vs Madrid at Camp Nou last year and even this year’s!
I think Rafa Marquez’ goal was amazing too, the GK tried his best & wasn’t late but the ball was as wide as possible without it needing to bounce back out & maybe down the line barely going in, he literary shaved paint off the pole!
Ummm, Neither of those guys can hold Ronaldinho’s jock strap! When he was at his best, he won back to back!
He won a WC already & got to the 1/4s although if he & some of the other lazy Brazilians put half an effort or if the coach made some subs vs France, they would of been at least 3rd! CR hasn’t done a thing with Portugal since 06 WC & missed his PK in 08 CL final+ last year he choked after coming close & even against Barca missed point blank!
He did not “fake contact” or fake foul — there was clearly contact. He moved into the defender, though, which I think is something that refs either need to call or not call on a consistent basis.
The EPL/La Liga comparison doesn’t work — I have seen Donovan draw contact several times during his loan spell.
I don’t necessarily like the technique in soccer or basketball, but I can hardly blame players if referees make a call in their favor. I think it is important, however, that this is not referred to as diving because that is a separate problem.
That has to be the lamest music I have ever heard on a soccer video.
@ zach CR > Messi? really? lets look at the stats
Messi: league play
08-09: 31 app; 23 goals; 11 assists
cup play: 8 app; 6 goals; 2 assists
Europe: 12 app; 9 goals, 5 assists
Total 08-09: 51 app; 38 goals; 18 assists
Ronaldo: League play
08-09: 33 app; 18 goals
cup play: 2 app; 1 goal;
Europe: 12 app, 4 goals
total 08-09; 53 app; 26 goals
huh…im seeing a trend here. in less appearances messi has more goals (assists wiki didnt have info on but i KNOW messi had more assists than CR)
Even look at career totals
Messi: 129 appear; 70 goals, 37 assists .54% goal to game ratio
CR: 235 appear; 99 goals
.42%
those numbers arent even close
The stats are important yes but Ronaldo contributes so much more than just goals and assists.
There’s no escaping the fact that Ronaldo is a petulant little twat whose myriad character flaws are continually exposed for everyone to see. His completely empty personality and demeanor remove him from being considered among the greats. No amount of statistics can overcome that.
and your saying messi doesn’t?
you can definitely blame the player. He chose to force contact by running into an opposing player, and then faking a foul, saying the other player hit him instead!
Is not the definition of a dive faking a foul? THIS IS A DIVE!
The player chose the route of no honor. Therefore, I do not honor the player.