SI

Karim Benzema’s Crazy Volley Goal Is the Sports Highlight We All Needed

In Friday’s Hot Clicks: Karim Benzema’s jaw-dropping goal, Gronk in a Bucs jersey and more.

Dan Gartland

This goal was WILD

How long has it been since you saw a legitimate sports highlight? Like, the kind of play that would claim one of the first three spots on SportsCenter’s “Top 10” on a normal sports day? I started following the Taiwanese baseball league on Twitter because they post highlight clips and I’ve seen a couple of diving outfield catches and some slickly turned double plays, but nothing that rises to the level of a must-see highlight. Plus, it’s tough to get too excited about the Fubon Guardians, a team I didn’t know existed until March. 

I have heard of Real Madrid, though. Soccer is starting to resume across Europe, the first sport to start up again that large numbers of Americans actually follow. Real Madrid took on Valencia on Thursday, and god bless Karim Benzema for providing a true highlight play. 

Benzema scored twice in his team’s 3–0 victory. The first was a nicely placed one-touch finish into the corner of the net. The second was a beauty. 

Benzema took Marco Asensio’s pass, kicked it up over his own head and volleyed it into the upper corner of the net. Truly spectacular. 

You can see it in slow motion here. 

I actually slowed it down even more and watched it frame by frame. If you do that, it’s easier to notice how Benzema, after he lands back on the ground, while tracking the ball with his eyes, takes a few small steps to put himself in perfect position for the shot. And it all takes about two seconds. Insane. 

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Email dan.gartland@si.com with any feedback or follow me on Twitter for approximately one half-decent baseball joke per week. Bookmark this page to see previous editions of Hot Clicks and find the newest edition every day. By popular request I’ve made a Spotify playlist of the music featured here. Visit our Extra Mustard page throughout each day for more offbeat sports stories.

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Dan Gartland
DAN GARTLAND

Dan Gartland is the writer and editor of Sports Illustrated’s flagship daily newsletter, SI:AM, covering everything an educated sports fan needs to know. He joined the SI staff in 2014, having previously been published on Deadspin and Slate. Gartland, a graduate of Fordham University, is a former Sports Jeopardy! champion (Season 1, Episode 5).

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