“The Beautiful Game” is more than just goals, but we at The Bat Flip really like goals. This semi-ambitious project will take every goal scored during the 2018 World Cup and rank them daily, with a master list compiled at the end of the tournament.
A few things to consider when figuring your proper dosages of salt grains:
- Importance of the goal may supersede beauty.
- Penalty kicks will be considered on a case-to-case basis.
- Shootout goals will only be ranked if they were the match-winners, or if some absurd act made the goal possible.
Now let’s rank some goals from Tuesday’s match play:
July 3, 2018
Unranked – England def. Colombia 4-3 in penalties
No longer can we hold it over England’s head that penalty kick shootouts are their bugaboo. In a year where all sorts of fun sports droughts/curses are getting snapped … Here comes England with another trend ended.
No. 3 – Harry Kane – England vs. Colombia
Somehow, this wasn’t England’s most important shot from the spot on Tuesday.
No. 2 – Emil Forsberg – Sweden vs. Switzerland
You have to feel for Switzerland’s Manuel Akanji. His boot ultimately doomed the Swiss as Sweden’s Emil Forsberg ripped this shot from about 20 yards away, only for it to carom off Akanji’s boot and away from keeper Yann Sommer. If not for that deflection, it can be argued that this shot finds its way to Sommer with little peril. As it stands, it becomes an example of why you should take the shot if you have the look.
No. 1 – Yerry Mina – Colombia vs. England
So, this was an amazingly dramatic goal from Yerry Mina. The kind that should have led to a “team of destiny” run for the Colombians. As it stood, it just set the table for another narrative to fall in 2018. Still, though. Watch this and tell me that it wasn’t just as dramatic as Belguim’s game-winner on Monday.
The Bat Flip 