Audio By Carbonatix
Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored his astonishing overhead kick goal against England hours too late to be named best goal in 2012 in a FIFA contest.
FIFA said Thursday that Ibrahimovic's fourth goal in Sweden's 4-2 victory came after voting opened at 1400 GMT Wednesday for its 10 approved candidates for the Puskas Award.
"Given that a number of votes have already been cast for this year's award, the select committee for the Puskas Award may not, at this stage, include an additional nominee," FIFA said in a statement.
FIFA said the goal can be considered by its selection panel of experts as a candidate for the 2013 Puskas Award.
The 2012 award, named after Hungarian great Ferenc Puskas, will be announced Jan. 7 at the Ballon d'Or gala in Zurich.
Lionel Messi, Neymar and Rademal Falcao are among the contenders being voted for by visitors to fifa.com.
Ibrahimovic's instinctive 30-yard (meter) strike was lavished with praise by Swedish and English media.
He reacted after England goalkeeper Joe Hart weakly headed the ball clear outside the penalty area. Facing away from the goal, Ibrahimovic leaped high and twisted to launch a looping shot which bounced into the unguarded net.
Ibrahimovic ripped off his shirt in celebration and ran to the halfway line to be greeted by teammates mostly laughing with surprise at what they witnessed.
The stoppage-time spectacle was a fitting end to the first international match at the new Friends Arena in Stockhom.
"From now it's called Zlatan Arena," wrote sports columnist Mats Olsson in the Swedish daily Expressen.
Ibrahimovic said it was "probably the goal I enjoyed the most" of those he scored for the national team.
"I've played a lot of good games. I've scored many nice goals," he said. "But the important thing was to win in the new arena, which I've said earlier, it feels like a Coliseum."
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Tags:
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Latest Stories
-
Banking sector deposits jump 25% to GH¢334.3bn in 2025 — PwC
9 minutes -
Hostel Owners Association bares teeth over legality of rent control campaign against exorbitant fees
16 minutes -
GCB overtakes Ecobank as Ghana’s largest deposit-taking bank
17 minutes -
Young Cocoa Farmers petition Mahama over funding, producer price and start date for new cocoa season
28 minutes -
Ruha Benjamin challenges Africa to shape its own AI future
30 minutes -
Trump threatens to bomb US ally Oman if it ‘gets in the way’ over Iran deal
36 minutes -
FIFA sacks senior executive who criticised Infantino, Sky News understands
39 minutes -
Aksa saga: Don’t turn EOCO-OSP roles into turf war – Deputy AG
50 minutes -
Abandoned Dome-Berekuso-Kitase road project should not become a waste of taxpayers’ money — chief warns
1 hour -
University of Gold Coast graduates urged to prove themselves beyond certificates
1 hour -
GoldBod sets new X-Ray Fluorescence standard for gold purity testing from September 1
1 hour -
Why EOCO, not OSP, is leading AKSA bribery probe – Deputy AG explains
1 hour -
Republic Bank-JoyNews Habitat Fair to kick off with Mini-fair at Achimota Mall on August 21
1 hour -
From promises to poisoned rivers: The dangerous silence fueling Ghana’s escalating galamsey and environmental collapse
1 hour -
Hasty cancellation of AKSA contract could trigger judgment debt – Deputy AG warns
1 hour