Memorable moments: Xabi Alonso’s goal from midfield surprised everyone in the stadium

A special moment was offered by the Liverpool vs Newcastle match in 2006. Xabi Alonso got the ball in his own half and, thanks to a goalkeeper’s mistake, scored one of the most memorable goals in football history.

It all happened on 26 September 2006 in a Premier League match between Liverpool and Newcastle. Liverpool were the big favourites in the match, with the home advantage also playing in their favour.

Liverpool also entered the match much better, turning their pressure into the opening goal of the match in the 29th minute when Dirk Kuyt scored after an assist from Finnan. However, the visitors stayed within striking distance for quite a long time and it was the second half that was to be the decider.

Liverpool wanted to decide the fate of the match as quickly as possible, but the minutes were ticking away and the lead was still only one goal. This lasted until the 79th minute, when Xabi Alonso scored to finally decide the three points.

And it was a really great goal and, it must be said, a well-crafted one. The visiting N’Zogbia received the ball in the middle of the pitch and immediately went straight to the opponent’s goal. However, he took a big bite trying to squeeze between two opposing players and lost the ball.

It was recovered by the active and incisive Xabi Alonso, who took the ball on the move and immediately looked for his teammates on the break. However, all his teammates were occupied, so Alonso opted for the least likely option. He shot from the middle of the pitch.

It was a fairly hard shot, but it should be noted that it was by no means goal-scoring. The ball even fell in front of the goal line. However, the visitors’ goalkeeper slipped at a crucial moment and the ball surprisingly reached the net.

Xabi Alonso thus scored one of the best goals of his career, which, moreover, definitely decided the fate of the league match. Newcastle could not do anything until the end of the match, so Liverpool took three points after winning 2:0.

Interestingly, Xabi Alonso scored this goal just a season after he managed a similar feat in the FA Cup match with Luton. There, Alonso scored from 65 yards, but the goalkeeper was not standing in front of him as he ran onto a corner played by his team. The ball only bounced into the empty net.

Source: YouTube, Premier League, Wikipedia