GIF Gallery: The Best Golazos and Skill Moves of the Week

From cheeky back heel flicks to sumptuous strikes from distance.

Image via sofoot.com

The second half of the Champions League Round of 16 first legs, and the second legs of the Europe League Round of 32 got the week off to a stunning start. Meanwhile, top-flight domestic action and the Capital One Cup final at Wembley featuring Premier League sides Manchester City and Sunderland provided an entertaining finish. The Madrid derby took center stage in La Liga, with Real and Atletico combining to produce arguably the most exciting 90 minutes in Europe all season.

Domestic plot lines continued to change with Arsenal slipping up at Stoke, and both Liverpool and Chelsea completing decisive away victories. Real’s 6-1 thrashing of Schalke means the Merengues are all but ensured of a spot in the last eight of the Champions League, while Chelsea and Galatasaray have it all to play for, at the Bridge in a few weeks time. There’s a lot to take in, but as always we’ve got you covered. So sit back, relax, and click your way through the Best Golazos and Skill Moves of the Week. 

Written by Adam Silvers (@silversurfer103)

20. Claudio Marchisio Puts Juventus on Their Way

Date: 2/27/2014
Match: Trabzonspor v. Juventus
Competition: Europa League, Round of 32, second leg
Ground: Hüseyin Avni Aker Stadium, Trabzon, Turkey

Juventus went through to the Round of 16 comfortably after their 4-0 dismantling of Turkish side, Trabzonspor. This beautiful ball over the top from Claudio Marchisio helped set up the Old Lady for their second on the night, and made sure the Serie A giants would continue their European campaign.

19. Aaron Hunt's Acrobatic Assist

Date: 3/1/2014
Match: Werder Bremen v. Hamburg SV
Competition: Bundesliga
Ground: Weserstadion, Bremen, Germany

It was a closely contested match at the Weserstadion on Saturday, and Aaron Hunt's perfectly weighted back heel flick from a headed ball in set up Bremen for what would eventually be the game-winner. Great awareness and skill from the German International.

18. Fabio Borini Fires Home From a Tight Angle

Date: 3/2/2014
Match: Manchester City v. Sunderland
Competition: Capital One Cup Final
Ground: Wembley Stadium, London

Fabio Borini has been a neat addition to a Sunderland side that has found trouble finding the back of the net this campaign. The on-loan Liverpool forward struck again for the Black Cats when he opened up the scoring in the Capital One Cup final with this low outside of the boot drive. A neat finish for a man looking for a permanent home.

17. Maxim Choupo-Moting's Cheeky Back Heel Flick

Date: 3/1/2014
Match: Bayer Leverkusen v. Mainz
Competition: Bundesliga
Ground: BayArena, Leverkusen, Germany

Maxim Choupo-Moting gets extra cheeky with this coolly slotted back heel finish in Leverkusen. The German-born Cameroonian's strike opened the scoring, and proved to be the game-winner as Mainz collected three important away points.

16. Luis Suarez Finds Sterling for the Easy Finish

Date: 3/1/2014
Match: Southampton v. Liverpool
Competition: English Premier League
Ground: St. Mary's Stadium, Southampton, England

Luis Suarez was at it again on Saturday, scoring, assisting, and winning a penalty in Liverpool's 3-0 away victory on the south coast. For Liverpool's second, Suarez used the path of the ball to turn his defender and make a run that drew three Saints defenders to him. The Uruguayan then neatly cuts the ball back into the path of a willing runner in Raheem Sterling, who scores after being on the pitch for about two minutes. The Reds went second in the table after their victory, and certainly gave life to their title challenge.

15. Cristiano Ronaldo Leaves Joel Matip in the Dust

Date: 2/26/2014
Match: Schalke 04 v. Real Madrid
Competition: Champions League, Round of 16, first leg
Ground: Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Germany

RIP, Joel Matip. The best player in the world at the moment turns Matip inside out, before unleashing a vicious effort with his less favored left foot. Wham, bam, thanks for playing. The 6-1 score line is far from flattering for the German side, but if you watched this match you know it could've been a lot worse.

14. Ruben Castro's Delicate Touch Sinks Rubin

Date: 2/27/2014
Match: Rubin Kazan v. Real Betis
Competition: Europa League, Round of 32, second leg
Ground: Kazan Arena, Kazan, Russia

Real Betis may sit bottom of the Liga table in Spain, but that's what makes playing in Europe so great. With Betis holding the advantage in the tie at 2-1, Ruben Castro stepped up and scored this deft chip over the on-rushing keeper to place the final nail in Rubin Kazan's coffin. A 2-0 victory on the night and 3-1 on aggregate means Betis will now play a hotly contested derby against local rivals Sevilla in the Round of 16. We cannot wait.

13. Stephen McPhail Announces His Rovers Debut in Style

Date: 2/24/2014
Match: Shamrock Rovers v. Glentoran
Competition: League of Ireland Premier Division
Ground: Tallaght Stadium, Dublin

Well, this is one way to endear yourself to your new club. Check out this terrific effort near the edge of the area from the new Rovers man. McPhail gets his shot up and over the wall, and makes the ball come down just under the bar and into the back of the net to give his side the 3-1 advantage.

12. Joel Campbell Puts Manchester United in Big Trouble

Date: 2/25/2014
Match: Olympiacos v. Manchester United
Competition: Champions League, Round of 16, first leg
Ground: Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium, Athens, Greece

It's been a season that has fallen well short of expectations for Manchester United and their supporters. The Champions League offered United a chance to put their disappointing domestic campaign on the back burner, but when it's not going your way, well, this is what happens. This terrific left-footed effort from Olympiacos' Joel Campbell gave the home side an all-important second goal going into the second leg of the tie at Old Trafford in Manchester. The Red Devils will now have to overturn a two-goal deficit in a few weeks time.

11. Christian Benteke's Overhead Golazo

Date: 3/2/2014
Match: Aston Villa v. Norwich
Competition: English Premier League
Ground: Villa Park, Birmingham, England

There's no doubt that when he's in form, there are few who are more gifted at the role of striker than Christian Benteke. The Belgian International reminded us of that fact with this acrobatic overhead finish against Norwich on Sunday. Benteke showcases his strength to hold off his defender, and then shows us the skill of a top-class striker with this finish. Villa ran out 4-1 winners on the day, and bagged a crucial three points in their fight to move up the table.

10. Samir Nasri's Terrific First-Time Volley

Date: 3/2/2014
Match: Manchester City v. Sunderland
Competition: Capital One Cup Final
Ground: Wembley Stadium, London

Samir Nasri completed the comeback for Manchester City in the Capital One Cup final with this cracking first-time volley. The Frenchman leaves Sunderland keeper Vito Mannone absolutely rooted to his spot as Nasri whistles this shot into the corner. City never looked back and ended up 3-1 winners on the day.

9. Nicolas Gaitan's Precision Placement

Date: 2/27/2014
Match: Benfica v. PAOK
Competition: Europa League, Round of 32, second leg
Ground: Estádio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal

Nico Gaitan helped book Benfica's place in the last 16 of the Europa League with this sublime free kick in Lisbon. The Argentine goes for placement over power as he curls this one up and over the wall, and nestles the ball into the back of the net. 3-0 to Benfica on the night, and 4-0 overall had the Eagles flying high.

8. Aritz Aduriz's Laser at the San Mames

Date: 2/28/2014
Match: Athletic Bilbao v. Granada
Competition: La Liga
Ground: San Mames, Bilabo, Spain

How about this for a strike from Aritz Aduriz? The Spaniard gets all of his weight behind the ball and finds the top corner like a laser-guided missile. This was just one of Aduriz's three goals on the night, as Bilbao moved into fourth place with their 4-0 victory.

7. Ivan Trickovski's Blast in Belgium

Date: 3/1/2014
Match: Waasland-Beveren v. Zulte Waregem
Competition: Belgian Jupiler League
Ground: Freethiel Stadion, Beveren, Belgium

The Zulte defense gives Trickovski way too much time and the space to get this shot away, and the Macedonian does not need a second invitation to have a go. He gets the technique spot on, and once his strike is airborne it only has eyes for the top corner. Both sides would have to settle for a point in the end, as the match would end in a 2-2 tie.

6. Emanuel Herrera Rifles One Into the Top Corner

Date: 2/27/2014
Match: Tigres UANL v. Puebla
Competition: Copa MX
Ground: Estadio Universitario, Nuevo Leon, Mexico

It may have been a goalkeeping blunder that starts the attack from Tigres, but this goal scored by Emanuel Herrera is a thing of beauty. He collects the pass, turns towards goal, and fires his effort into the top corner all before the keeper even knows what hit him.

5. Luis Rodriguez Spots the Keeper Off His Line

Date: 2/26/2014
Match: Independiente v. Atletico Tucuman
Competition: Primera B Nacional
Ground: Estadio Libertadores de América, Buenos Aires, Argentina

It's one thing to see the keeper off his line and attempt such an audacious shot, it's another to execute the plan to perfection. Luis Rodriguez doesn't need to think twice before unleashing this first-time strike, and it's a sublime goal by any standards.

4. Yaya Toure's Perfectly Placed Finish

Date: 3/2/2014
Match: Manchester City v. Sunderland
Competition: Capital One Cup Final
Ground: Wembley Stadium, London

Sunderland may have scored first in the Capital One Cup final on Sunday, but it was City who had the last laugh. This unstoppable effort from Yaya Toure cancelled out an earlier strike from Fabio Borini, and had the Citizens well on their way to victory. The Ivorian's placement on this first-time looping drive is nothing short of perfection.

3. Gabi's Thunderbolt Puts Atletico Ahead

Date: 3/2/2014
Match: Atletico Madrid v. Real Madrid
Competition: La Liga
Ground: Estadio Vicente Calderon, Madrid

Sunday's Madrid derby between Atletico and Real produced one of the best 90 minutes we've seen all season, and certainly in recent derby memory. This 30-yard drive from the Atleti captain, Gabi, gave the hosts a 2-1 lead at the stroke of halftime, and had the Colchoneros perfectly placed to go top of the Liga table. A late Cristiano Ronaldo equalizer would prove to be the final decider in the match, though, and a point for each in the end was probably a fair result.

2. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar Pulls One Back for Schalke

Date: 2/26/2014
Match: Schalke 04 v. Real Madrid
Competition: Champions League, Round of 16, first leg
Ground: Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Germany

It was certainly the visitors' night as Real Madrid brushed aside Schalke to the tune of 6-1, and all but booked their spot in the last eight of the Champions League. The goal of the night, however, does belong to Schalke's Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. The Dutchman gets the technique absolutely perfect here as he fires this one home on the volley.

1. Emanuele Calaio Leaves Pepe Reina With No Chance

Date: 2/24/2014
Match: Napoli v. Genoa
Competition: Serie A
Ground: Stadio San Paolo, Naples, Italy

You simply cannot place a free kick any better than this effort from Emanuele Calaio. He strikes this ball from a solid 30 yards out, gets it up and over the wall, and slams it into the back of the net off the post. Napoli keeper, Pepe Reina, barely moves from his spot, though there was little he would've been able to do even at full stretch. This late golazo was certainly worthy of giving the visitors a point on their travels.

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