Football
Ajax Concede Puskas Award Contender In Thrilling 4-3 Victory Over Heracles Almelo
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Get to know James Chittick betterPublished20 Oct 2024
German winger Mario Engels’ goal against Ajax in the Eredivisie on Sunday is a potential Puskas award winner.
With Heracles Almelo hosting Ajax in the Dutch top division on Sunday afternoon, fans were treated to a thriller.
In a topsy-turvy encounter, the visitors eventually ran out 4-3 winners to move back up to third in the table.
Heracles opened the scoring before Ajax equalised, but it was the hosts’ second goal that has caught the headlines.
With Ajax looking to build from the back, a mix-up in midfield led to a loose ball.
Rather than finding a teammate, Heracles’ Engels looked up and struck the ball from inside his own half, completely catching out Ajax keeper Remko Pasveer.
The ball looped over Pasveer’s head as he scrambled to make a last-ditch save, but could not back-peddle fast enough to keep out the perfect strike.
AJAX HAVE JUST CONCEDED TO THIS POTENTIAL PUSKAS CONTENDER! pic.twitter.com/WLsJroDEvP
— The 44 ⚽️ (@The_Forty_Four) October 20, 2024
Unfortunately for Engels and Heracles, Ajax bounced back and took the points, but the German’s long-range goal will live long in the memory.
Mario Engels Goal A Puskas Contender
Established in 2009, the FIFA Puskas award is awarded to the man or woman judged to have scored the ‘most beautiful’ goal in a calendar year.
The award is named after former Hungarian internatinal and global icon, Ferenc Puskas.
Puskas played for Real Madrid in the 1950s and ’60s, and was a key figure in a superb Hungary side.
He scored an incredible 806 goals in 793 club games, with 86 for Hungary in 90 caps.
Following his death in 2006, then-president of FIFA, Sepp Blatter, created the award in honour of Puskas’ prolific scoring record.
Recent winners include Erik Lamela, Son Heung-Min and Mohamed Salah.
But what makes the award so special is that it could be won by anybody, at any level of football.
Mario Engels’ goal will take some beating, but any goal that wins the Puskas award will definitely be worth watching.