Английн Чемпионшип лигийн хүрээнд Бристол Сити болон Бирмингем Сити багуудын тоглолт 2-2-ын харьцаатай тэнцэж өндөрлөв.
Тоглолтын 86 дахь минутад Бристол Ситигийн хамгаалагч Рио Кардинесийн дамжуулалтыг довтлогч Дом Баллард өсгийгөөрөө гайхалтай цохин гоол болгосон нь энэ улирлын шилдэг гоолын гол өрсөлдөгч болоод байна. Хаалга руу нуруугаа харуулсан байрлалаас хийсэн уг цохилт нь хамгаалагч Кристоф Кларерын дарамт дор гүйцэтгэсэн техникийн өндөр ур чадвар шаардсан үйлдэл байлаа.
Өнгөрсөн улиралд Лиг нэгд 23 гоол оруулж байсан 21 настай тоглогчийн хувьд энэ нь түүний Чемпионшип лигт шилжин ирснээс хойшх анхны бөгөөд хамгийн онцгой гоол юм. Хэдийгээр Бристол Сити тоглолтын төгсгөлд Демарай Грэйд торгуулийн цохилтоос гоол алдаж, тэнцээгээр өндөрлөсөн ч Баллардын энэ үйлдэл хөлбөмбөгийн мэргэжилтнүүдийн анхаарлыг татаж байна.
Тоглолтын дараа Баллард өөрийн хийсэн гоолыг “бөмбөгний чиглэлд итгэж өсгийгөөрөө цохисон” хэмээн тайлбарласан юм. Одоогоор улирал дөнгөж эхэлж байгаа хэдий ч түүний энэхүү гоол нь Оливье Жиругийн 2017 онд хийж байсан алдарт “хилэнцэт хорхой” цохилттой дүйцэхүйц, улирлын шилдэг гоолын төлөөх хүчтэй өрсөлдөгч болж байна.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
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Top-tier European football is only just returning, but an outrageous strike in England’s second tier might already have closed the goal-of-the-season submissions for the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland.
Those superstars may have to yield to 21-year-old Bristol City striker Dom Ballard, who produced a moment of breathtaking improvisation during his side’s 2-2 draw away at Birmingham City on Saturday.
When Bristol full-back Rio Cardines whipped in a cross to Ballard in the 86th minute, the odds were stacked heavily against the centre-forward.
He had his back to goal, Birmingham centre-back Christoph Klarer tight behind him, and the cross arrived at an awkward height. Weighing up this unfavourable mix of variables, Ballard correctly deduced that there was only one possible strike available to him: a backheeled volley.
A quite frankly, ludicrous goal from Dom Ballard. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/sHS6VlIZF9
— Bristol City FC (@BristolCity) August 22, 2026
To even visualise a strike of such ingenuity requires a remarkable blend of quick thinking and imagination. Conceiving it is one thing, pulling it off another entirely, and here Ballard’s technique and execution were flawless.
Planting himself to the left of the penalty spot, Ballard flung his right boot at the ball, the speed of his leg swing producing enough power to beat Birmingham goalkeeper James Beadle. More impressive than the power was the trajectory. The effort started outside the post before bending inwards towards the top-left corner, with Ballard’s outside-of-the-boot contact generating the spin required.
Dom Ballard’s finish ended in the top corner (Sky Sports)
Inevitably, the goal sparked scenes of wild jubilation from players and fans alike. The travelling supporters were perched behind the goal for a perfect view of the wonder strike, and Ballard made a beeline straight towards them, booting the advertising hoarding for good measure.
Ultimately the day was tinged with disappointment for the away side, with Birmingham equalising courtesy of a last-minute Demarai Gray penalty. On a personal level, though, this was surely a career highlight for Ballard. He had already proven himself a prolific scorer, finishing top of the League One scoring charts with 23 goals last season, but this was his first at Championship level following his summer move from Leyton Orient, and easily his most spectacular.
After the game, Bristol City’s media team asked Ballard to talk through the strike while watching it back on a phone. “It’s not bad,” he laughed, putting himself in firm contention for understatement of the season, too. Not forgetting his media training, Ballard said he was “gutted to not get the three points”, a statement somewhat undermined by his broad grin.
Dom Ballard talks through today’s absolute worldie. 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/U6BwIFZu6r
— Bristol City FC (@BristolCity) August 22, 2026
The goal called to mind other iconic flicked finishes, with Olivier Giroud’s famous scorpion kick in Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Crystal Palace on New Year’s Day in 2017 perhaps the most memorable. Giroud won the 2017 FIFA Puskas Award for the strike, the annual prize for the best goal of the year.
But there is still a uniqueness to Ballard’s strike, making it hard to pull up any direct comparisons. Unlike Giroud, he was facing away from goal, making it much more difficult to judge the precise trajectory. The other key difference is intent. Most finishes of this kind are reactive, split-second adjustments, whereas Ballard appears to telegraph the strike long before the ball reaches him. “I just trusted the flick,” he said afterwards.
🗓 January 1, 2017
🎬 Olivier Giroud stars in ‘The Scorpion King’
🏆 Puskas Award winner#NaNaNaNaa 🦂👑 pic.twitter.com/xts4eEYXjD— Arsenal (@Arsenal) January 1, 2019
While the Ballon d’Or is, by design, hoovered up by the game’s top talents, jaw-dropping goals can come from more humble origins. In fact, plundering England’s lower leagues is a rich source of unique goals, from Ballard’s spectacular effort to this cheeky one from Crewe Alexandra striker Josh March in their 1-0 League Two win over Northampton on Saturday.
Hide and seek with Josh March 🫣#CreweAlex pic.twitter.com/mKqQ9gTb0d
— Crewe Alexandra (@crewealexfc) August 22, 2026
It is, of course, premature to declare it goal of the season this early on — the Bundesliga has yet to even start, for example — but Ballard’s flick will take some beating.
The world’s strikers are going to have to reach deep into their bag of sweetly struck volleys, mazy solo goals and thundering free kicks to eclipse it.
