100 GREAT GOALS: Part II - another ten top strikes for you to choose from

John Harding 05-06-07

How the hell do you select the best goal/goals from the last 100 years of wonderful football? It's a tough one to call but we are asking givemefootball readers to help us name the best of the best. Here are another ten to be going on with, in no particular order and from quite a different era...look out for more over the coming weeks and then there will be your chance to vote...

No. 11: 1965 - A Jimmy Greaves' special sinks United

It's Alan Gilzean and Jimmy Greaves in attack who - collectively and individually - undermine United, Gilzean being the centre piece, sliding, gliding, hiding the ball as he sprays it around and through a bemused Manchester defence. Spurs take a 2-0 lead into the interval after which Greaves produces a magical goal. Receiving the ball from Dave Mackay with his back to United's goal some 35 yards out, he sells two dummies, changes direction and, in the bat of an eyelid, shimmers through and past the converging tackles of Bill Foulkes, Nobby Stiles and Tony Dunne. He then draws out the keeper, by-passes him and strokes the ball into the gaping net. The stadium erupts! It's Matt Busbys 20th anniversary in charge of United and he comments afterwards: "What a way to treat you on an anniversary!"

No. 12: 1947 - Tommy Lawton scores an England wonder goal

With 75,000 Belgians and a score of British soldiers watching, Tommy Lawton heads into the Belgium net just seven passes and 12 seconds after he starts the game! He kicks off to Wilf Mannion who passes back to Lawton, who passes to Tim Ward, who passes on to Matthews, thence to Lawton, back to Wilf Mannion, on to Matthews whose cross is sent into the top corner by Lawton as the goalie comes out! Not a Belgium player touches the ball! England are 3-0 up by half time and though Belgium score soon after the interval, Matthews sets up England's fourth in the 50th minute by beating three men before passing to Finney who scores with a magnificent header. Lawton adds the fifth just before the end. Matthews is so tired at the end that he simply lets the opposition come to him so that he can beat them standing still.

No.13: 1950 - USA's Joe Gaetjens stuns England

In a surreal World Cup fixture, after surviving an England onslaught for 37 minutes, USA's Walter Bahr crossed the ball from approximately 25 yards out, but as England keeper Bert Williams moved to intercept, Joe Gaetjens dived headlong and grazed the ball enough to put it past Bert's reach and into the back of the net. England coach Walter Winterbottom recalled watching in horror as 'our goalkeeper, Bert Williams, had to change direction to try to stop it. He was on his hands and knees trying to stop it rolling over the line!' The crowd exploded as the USA improbably led 1–0 and, despite relentless England pressure, that's how it stayed. Around the world, newspaper headlines trumpeted the shocking upset, except, oddly enough, in the United States and England!

No.14: 1951 - 'Wor' Jackie Milburn's two Wembley goals rock Blackpool

After a goalless first half, Newcastle United spring Blackpool's offside trap and Jackie Milburn races almost the length of the pitch to score. Four minutes later, he doubles the lead with one of the best goals ever seen at Wembley. This time Milburn has no time to dwell on the possibilities. Walker beats a couple of defenders down the right and passes inside to Taylor. Milburn screams to him to back-heel it to him, but there is a moments hesitation before he duly obliges. Milburn is further over the ball than he wishes to be and gets underneath the ball when he strikes it. The result was a ferocious, rising, left-footed shot into the top right-hand corner. Local Reporter Sidney Sterck later described how the 'GeordiesRoar Tore The Clouds To Shreds'.

No.15: 1952 - Len Shackleton shows how it's done

Len Shackleton was probably Sunderland's most naturally talented player ever. When 'Shack' wanted to play, there was no-one who could stop him. His spell-binding trickery was magical, and when he felt like scoring, he usually did. It was the first game of the 1952-53 season and there were nearly 50,000 at Roker Park to see Sunderland play Charlton Athletic. The Black Cats were 1-0 up through Tommy Wright, but Charlton equalised in the dying minutes of the game. Shackleton, the lazy king of soccer (who scored seven on his debut for Newcastle!) was unhappy at this undeserved equaliser. From the kick off he knocked the ball off Tommy Wright's shins, collected it back, beat the entire Charlton team, who had literally every man behind the ball, and scored a stunning goal!

No.16: 1953 - Sir Stan makes the goal that finally gets him that elusive medal

The 1953 FA C up Final was hyped as 38-year-old Stanley Matthews' last chance of getting a Cup winners' medal – but his Blackpool side were 3-1 down after 55 minutes and the 'Wizard of the Dribble' was somewhat subdued. However, in the nick of time, back came the old Matthews' magic as he supplied the cross from which Stan Mortensen pulled the Seasiders back into the game. With two minutes remaining, Mortensen scored again but the greatest drama was yet to come. Matthews gathered the ball, beat Banks and Barrass, reached the by-line and crossed to Bill Perry who fired in Blackpool's winner. Stan had his medal at last and the 'Matthews Final' was etched into Wembley folklore.

No.17: 1953 - Puskas leads England a merry dance

In this historic match, the Hungarians took the lead after just 90 seconds as Hidegkuti scored from 15 yards after receiving a pass from Bozsik. England equalised on 13 minutes through Jackie Sewell, set up by a well-timed pass from Stan Mortensen. The Hungarians, however, were not to be outdone and three more goals followed including probably the most famous scored by a foreigner at Wembley. Geoffrey Green in The Time wrote: "Billy Wright, defending the edge of the goal area, raced past Ferenc Puskás as he dragged the ball back before shooting over Merrick. Wright was, according to Green, 'like a fire engine going to the wrong fire'" Puskás said of the goal: "He (Wright) was expecting me to turn inside. If I had, he would have taken me and the ball off the pitch and into the stands. So I dragged the ball back with the studs of my left boot and whacked it high into the net." Later, a Hungarian commentator even suggested installing a plaque at Wembley to commemorate the drag-back! The Hungarain went on to triumph 6-3 – the first time England had lost on home soil!

No.18: 1955 - Jackie Milburn's an FA Cup Final hero again

For the third time in five years Newcastle United returned to Wembley to seal an FA Cup win. On the eve of the final, Jackie Milburn is quoted as saying that the match will be 'like playing a home tie', and the Newcastle great made no mistake in laying his marker on the game by scoring the fastest FA Cup final goal ever up to that time - in just 45 seconds! White played a nearside cross to Milburn who was waiting totally unmarked, City captain Paul having left him to look after Keeble. Milburn had an unfair reputation in the game of not being able to head the ball but he timed his leap to perfection and glanced the ball just under the bar. It would be a record that he would hold until 1997 when Chelsea's Roberto Di Matteo scored after only 43 seconds. Two more goals were added as Newcastle secured the Cup for a record sixth time in their illustrious history.

No.19: 1958 - Duncan Edwards turns on the power

A capacity 64,000 crowd saw United surge into a 3-0 lead in the first half with goals magically conceived and executed. The giant Duncan Edwards powered majestically into the edge of the penalty area and hit the ball low and unstoppably into the bottom corner of the Arsenal's goal. Bobby Charlton and Tommy Taylor banged in two more and the home spectators seemed resigned to a goal-fest. It came, but not quite in the way they anticipated. Shortly after the interval Arsenal scored, three times in less than three minutes! But United moved up a gear with Denis Viollet and Tommy Taylor soon making the score 5-3. Arsenals Welsh international Derek Tapscott pulled one back and Vic Groves almost equalised but United held out. It was the last occasion that the 'Busby Babes' played on British soil, the last time they were seen playing in English football. Five days later they lay shattered on a snow-covered airfield in Munich and the great team was gone forever.

No.20: 1963 - A Jimmy Greaves' double puts England on top of the world

The FA Centenary clash between England and 16 of the world's best footballers sees one of Jimmy Greave's finest matches: the quick wit and quicker aim of the little Londoner demonstrated as never before. The game really comes alive in the second half when Jimmy scores a goal that brings every fan to his feet in an explosion of triumph – only to find it disallowed by Scottish referee Bob Davidson for a foul outside the area! He then puts England in the lead in the 65th minute. Bobby Moore breaks up a raid and sends Terry Paine away. The winger passes to Bobby Smith and bursts into a position to shoot when Greaves breasts the ball down and tucks it in. Law equalises, accelerating past Moore onto a Puskas pass. Then Bobby Charlton bursts through, his shot is palmed down by Soskic and Greaves whirls in to score the winner! He is voted Man of the Match by a panel of 26 foreign journalists, getting twice as many votes as legendary keeper Lev Yashin!