The 2013/14 UEFA Champions League season has seen its fair share of great goals – net-busting screamers, fantastic free kicks, vicious volleys and sublime solo runs. With five more games to play, we could see a couple more added to the list. But for now, these are the 10 best goals scored in the world’s premier club competition so far.
Best Goals of 2014 Champions League
10. Julian Draxler vs Basel
Julian Draxler is widely considered one of Germany’s most promising young talents, and he gave a glimpse of that great potential with this sumptuous volley against Basel (fast-forward to 1:15). Watch how he patiently sizes up his strike, and expertly unleashes it past the despairing Basel ‘keeper.
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9. Lionel Messi vs Ajax
What’s a list of great goals without the great Lionel Messi? His Barcelona side has been knocked out unusually early this year, but Messi met his quota for the sublime in their very first group game against Ajax. Messi scored another amazing hat-trick, started off by a pinpoint accurate free kick.
8. Cristiano Ronaldo vs Galatasaray
Of Cristiano Ronaldo’s Champions League-leading 14 goals thus far, his hat-trick completing goal against Galatasary in Real Madrid’s first group game is the pick of the bunch. Ronaldo weaved his way past three Galatasaray defenders before drilling home the exclamation point in a 6-1 thrashing.
7. Lorenzo Insigne vs Dortmund
Napoli began their Champions League campaign with a bang after beating last year’s runners-up Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in Naples. Budding Italian talent Lorenzo Insigne put the Italians two goals up with a spectacular free kick expertly placed in the very top corner.
6. Yaya Toure vs Viktoria Plzen
Manchester City breezed past the Champions League group stage thanks to dominating performances like their 3-0 destruction of Viktoria Plzen in the very first group game. Yaya Toure had just one goal in this season’s tournament, but it was a beauty of a curler, whipped with pace beyond the reach of the Plzen keeper.
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5. Diego vs Barcelona
Atletico Madrid knocked out giants Barcelona in the quarterfinals with a 1-0 second leg home win. However, had they forced a scoreless draw, Diego’s spectacular long-range strike at the Nou Camp still would’ve seen Atleti through on away goals. The seldom-used Brazilian came on after leading scorer Diego Costa withdrew due to injury, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
4. Javier Pastore vs Chelsea
PSG squandered a 3-1 first leg win over Chelsea after a 2-0 second leg defeat in London which saw the French champions crash out. That result somewhat diminished the value of Javier Pastore’s amazing solo effort in first leg stoppage time to give PSG that two-goal cushion. The Argentine substitute held off the challenges of three Chelsea defenders before slotting one past Petr Cech’s near post.
3. Vladimir Weiss vs PSG
Olympiakos unexpectedly made it to the knockout stage this year despite getting thrashed 4-1 by Paris Saint-Germain in their first game. Olympiakos’ lone goal proved to be a beauty. Vladimir Weiss nutmegs (goes between the legs) on PSG defender Marquinhos, evades one of the best defenders in the world in Thiago Silva, before coolly dispatching the greatest goal he will likely ever score.
2. Hulk vs Atletico Madrid
The bulky Brazilian so aptly nicknamed “Hulk” lived up to his superhero moniker by delivered an out-of-this-world strike to open the scoring against Borussia Dortmund in their Round of 16 second leg clash. That goal would prove inconsequential as Zenit would ultimately crash out.
1. Zlatan Ibrahimovic vs Anderlecht
Mere words cannot do justice to the perfection that was Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s 30-yard thunderbolt against Anderlecht. That was Zlatan’s third goal of the night and he would finish with four. The Swede may score a hundred more goals, but none could be as flawless as that sweet strike.
