Damian Diaz managed the rare feat of scoring what is known as an ‘Olympic Goal’ in the Spanish-speaking world.
An Argentine footballer has gone viral on social media after scoring directly from a corner kick in a South American continental cup competition on Thursday night.
Damian Diaz was playing for Barcelona Guayaquil at home in Ecuador’s second-largest city, as they hosted Montevideo Wanderers from the Uruguayan capital in a Copa Sudamericana Group A clash on Matchday 1.
On 54 minutes, with his side already winning 3-1, Diaz spotted opposition goalkeeper Ignacio De Arruabarrena some way off his line while commanding his defense and decided to go for broke with a corner kick.
Hitting the ball with the outside of his foot, Diaz expertly managed to make the ball swerve into the Wanderers’ net which caused the Estadio Monumental Banco Pichincha to erupt as seen in one viral clip already enjoyed over 500,000 times and an official one seen almost two million.
THIS. IS. NAUGHTY ????
Barcelona’s Damian Diaz in the #Sudamericana.pic.twitter.com/Hiaw3nOgEM
— Sacha Pisani (@Sachk0) April 8, 2022
The strike was described as a “sick Olympic goal”, as this type of effort is known in the Spanish-speaking world, with it one of the very few kinds that has eluded Diaz’s compatriot Lionel Messi in his illustrious career.
Others called it “naughty” and said it was “craziness”, as another party highlighted the similarity to one scored by the great Roberto Carlos for Corinthians against Portuguesa in 2011.
Roberto Carlos: o gol olímpico mais lindo da história! pic.twitter.com/x81AAHeANy
— Milton Neves (@Miltonneves) October 19, 2021
What was also pointed out was how Diaz missed a penalty in the tie just three minutes earlier, and had Wanderers players yelling in his face.
“Now he silences them with that tremendous goal,” it was added, with Barcelona going on to win 4-2 on the night and head to the top of the group.
