In our selection of the best goals scored in Serie A this week, Roma’s Javier Pastore conquered our hearts with a delicious backheel – precision and execution combining to give his side an early lead in a Stadio Olimpico goalfest.
The Argentinian preceded a devastating lob shot by Fiorentina’s Nikola Milenkovic, and a volley by Mirco Antenucci that unexpectedly propelled SPAL to the top of the table after two games! Here is the best of what we saw on Italian football fields last weekend:
5) Miralem Pjanic in Juventus-Lazio 2-0 (1-0)
In the opening game of Serie A matchday 2, Miralem Pjanic paved the way for Juventus’ second win in a row with a deadly right-footed shot from outside the box. The Bosnian’s conversion was timely, effective, and made Massimiliano Allegri’s afternoon an easy one. What more could you ask for?
4) Giacomo Bonaventura in Napoli-Milan 3-2 (0-1)
Sure, Napoli won in the end. But the whole San Paolo Stadium must still be asking themselves how the hell Giacomo Bonaventura hit the ball for Milan’s first goal. When Fabio Borini served him a golden pass into Napoli’s box, Milan’s number 5 seemed ready to hit it with his left foot, but then suddenly changed his mind and unleashed a sharp right-footed volley that caught defender Raul Albiol and goalkeeper David Ospina totally by surprise. The Partenopei took the three points, but the applause was all for Jack Bonaventura!
3) Mirco Antenucci in SPAL-Parma 1-0 (1-0)
Wait a sec, what’s that white-and-blue striped team leading Serie A with Juventus and Napoli? Leonardo Semplici’s SPAL had a hard time saving themselves last season, but this time they seem keen to get the job done early. Six points in two games will not lead them to the Scudetto, but will sure come in handy when the relegation battle gathers pace. Captain Mirco Antenucci (and his flamboyant beard) exemplified the Emiliani‘s determination with a terrific volley – making the best out of a cross by Manuel Lazzari and awarding SPAL the spoils from the regional derby against Parma. That’s what you call perfect coordination!
2) Nikola Milenkovic in Fiorentina-Chievo 6-1 (1-0)
Fiorentina’s seasonal debut at their Artemio Franchi Stadium resulted in a brutal hammering of Chievo – a shock considering the Clivensi had given Juventus a pretty hard time just one week earlier. Among the six goals, Nikola Milenkovic’s opener caught our eye enough to secure second place in our selection. The Serbian defender pounced on a ball cleared by the Gialloblu defense, used his body to see off Emanuele Giaccherini, and produced an impressive right foot lob that “wiped spiderwebs out of the goal’s top right hand corner,” as we say in Italy. And that was just the beginning…
1) Javier Pastore in Roma-Atalanta 3-3 (1-0)
OH. MY. GOD. What was that?
Our prize for the best Serie A goal this week goes to a piece of football skill that seemed to come straight from a Subbuteo table. If Roma-Atalanta was meant to be a slugfest – with 6 goals and 48 scoring chances – Javier Pastore set the pace very early in the game, putting the Giallorossi ahead after just two minutes with a masterpiece that made the 41,000 strong crowd in the Olimpico rub their eyes in disbelief. Cengiz Under crossed the ball from the right, delivering it between Pastore and three Atalanta defenders. The next thing we knew, the ball was pottering over Pierluigi Gollini’s goal line. But what happened exactly? The replay showed a masterful back heeled kick by the former Paris Saint Germain midfielder, which hit the target with the precision and effectiveness of a table-football shot. Whoa!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhQdt4rApek