For almost all of their existence, The Wombles have been the best factor to return out of deepest Bulgaria. That’s till Mesut Ozil picked up the ball within the dying minutes of a Champions League tie in November 2016.
Ozil was the very definition of a fantasy footballer at his peak, in a position to spot gaps thinner than a supermodel’s waist to string passes in the direction of a wide range of grateful strikers.
He was additionally a throwback to the period of 90s playmakers; utterly tired of defending, ready to impersonate a teapot on some rainsoaked pitch whereas ready for the ball to enter his orbit, however safe within the data that he may decide the match outcome with a sleek of his foot.
And all this got here to move within the best objective of his distinguished 17-year profession, as Arsenal desperately strove to keep away from a humiliating setback in opposition to Ludogorets.
The Bulgarian champions scored two early objectives, as your complete European continent chortled and the away contingent mentally brainstormed their home made ‘Wenger Out’ banners.
However objectives from Granit Xhaka, assisted by an Ozil cross, and Olivier Giroud drew the Gunners stage earlier than half-time.
As an alternative, the match developed right into a tense, uneasy stalemate as watching viewers settled into their armchairs with their popcorn and awaited the inevitable AFTV automobile crash.
Ozil wore a mildly horrified expression all through, like a time traveller that’s arrived in 1900 solely to find there’s no inside rest room and the one type of transport is a visibly decaying horse.
However, on this occasion, an extended move from Mohammed Elneny was the prelude to genius. Catching the Ludogorets’ defence napping on guard obligation, Ozil sprung the offside lure and juggled the ball between his ft as he raced by on objective.
Keeper Milan Borjan sprinted out of his space to curtail the hazard, however was immediately retired by the daintiest of Ozil flicks.
In a forlorn try to rescue their goalkeeper, two Ludogorets defenders had managed to place themselves between Ozil and the objective, however might be seen visibily trembling with apprehension on the potential dignity-shredding they have been about to endure.
Their instincts have been proper. Possessing the coolness of a freezer-stored cucumber, Ozil waited for one opponent to commit earlier than sitting the remaining impediment between him and immortality on his arse.
Each Ludogoret puppets had been taken out of the sport, leaving the World Cup winner free to dot the I’s and cross the T’s by tapping the ball into an empty internet.
Always remember this sensible objective from Mesut Ozil 😮💨
Class ✨
(by way of @Arsenal) pic.twitter.com/A03vQKls1B
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 22, 2023
“To me it didn’t seem like the optimum answer, however when the ball was within the internet I assumed it was,” mentioned an astonished Arsene Wenger after the sport.
“The good gamers make the appropriate selections within the sport conditions they face. They all the time make the optimum answer.
“You wished him to take possibly his likelihood earlier, however on the finish he had sufficient ability to show that he was proper.”
That was Ozil in a nutshell; regardless of quite a few detractors who have been lowered to a frothing mess at his laid-backness, the Germany worldwide all the time possessed the magic in his ft to close them up.
Some may also argue that Ozil by no means absolutely fulfilled his potential and this argument has extra benefit; his time on the very peak was all too quick and was most likely in light decline by the point of his Ludogorets insanity.
However Ozil deserves to be remembered as one of many main abilities of his era. And Exhibit A in our argument will endlessly be his unreal solo winner in deepest Bulgaria.
By Michael Lee
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