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Which goal was the best of the Euro 2012 group stage?

IAmZlatan (Getty Images)

The Euro 2012 group stage is in the books, and Czech Republic, Greece, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Italy, England and France are the eight teams left standing prior to Thursday's opening match of the quarterfinals.

Before looking ahead to the remaining teams, though, there were a number of individual moments that stood out during what was a memorable group stage that deserve another look. Three goals, in particular, commanded more headlines than most.

Danny Welbeck's back-heel flick to cap England's comeback victory against Sweden, Mario Balotelli's overhead volley with his back to the goal to seal Italy's victory over Ireland and Zlatan Ibrahimovic's flying side volley against France all had the wow factor that brought the fans in Poland and Ukraine and those watching around the world to their feet.

Which of the three goals do you think was the best one during the Euro 2012 group stage? Take a look at our three nominees and cast your vote after the jump:

DANNY WELBECK vs. SWEDEN

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRQAWOZppwA]

MARIO BALOTELLI vs. IRELAND

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMcXqkCdhJk]

ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC vs. FRANCE

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evBaQR7K_TA]

 

 

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How did you vote? Which goal do you think was the best of the Euro 2012 group stage? Was there any goal that was not one of these three that caught your attention the most?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. “Which of the three goals do you think was the best one during the Euro 2012 group stage? Take a look at our three nominees and cast your vote after the jump:”

    First of all the greek goal is not one of the three nominees so al17 is out of order.

    Second of all “best” is vague and covers a lot of ground.Ives is not specific as to what he means by “best”. It could be degree of difficulty, it could be the most important one, it could be the most entertaining.

    In terms of degree of difficulty it would be Ibra’s just keeping the ball on target.

    Balotelli’s was the most entertaining because of O’Shea’s attempts at undressing him.

    Wellbeck’s was the most important since his game was still in doubt.

    Sweden was already out and Italy were leading 1-0 when Balotelli scored at the last second.

    Reply
  2. Voted Zlatan on aesthetic/acrobatic grounds, without taking into account the goal’s effect on the scorer’s team’s fortunes. If you add clutch value into the equation, that puts Welbeck over the top.

    Reply
  3. I noticed you didnt say “and had a beer”, which is an afterthought in those ads.

    Am I the only one who thinks his sweaty mane is disgusting?

    Reply
  4. Semis = Spain v Portugal and Germany v whoever is gonna lose to Germany. I could see this surprisingly cohesive Portugal side stealing it from Spain, but France is too unsteady in the back and cannot out-possess Spain. It would be exciting to see Portugal make it to the final, but either way Germany wins. This coming from a guy who’s bracket it already shot to h€ll.

    Reply

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