LONDON — Tottenham Hotspur striker Dominic Solanke was thrilled with his “remarkable” scorpion-kick goal against Manchester City, watching it repeatedly on the big screen throughout the match.
As a cross was played slightly behind him, Solanke executed a stunning improvised flick, using his heel to send the ball over City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and into the corner of the net, capping off Tottenham’s comeback in a 2-2 draw during the Premier League.
Solanke mentioned that he had to “make something out of nothing” and planned to “rewatch that multiple times.”
He has already begun the process.
“I was aiming to stay focused on the game,” Solanke stated, “but I could hear the crowd cheering every time it was shown on the screen, so I couldn’t resist taking a few glances.”
His goal echoed a famous scorpion-kick from Olivier Giroud, who scored a similar style goal for Arsenal on January 1, 2017, which was awarded FIFA’s Puskas Award for the best goal that year.
After the match, Tottenham manager Thomas Frank expressed hope that the comeback would help forge “some magic together” between the team and its fans.
Despite facing significant pressure due to the lack of home wins this season, Frank noted, “I believe we can create something magical together when players and fans unite, as we did especially in the second half and during the [Champions League victory over Borussia] Dortmund [on January 20]. That atmosphere and intensity really motivated the players.”
“While I would prefer a smoother journey, that’s just part of football. In this period, I believe we’ve achieved more good than bad, although we need to convert our performances into results. However, I am pleased that we’ve secured four solid performances and remain unbeaten.”
Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.