Jack Kenmare
A quite extraordinary goal scored in a Belgian fourth division match between KVK Avelgem B and KSV De Ruiter has been tipped to win the FIFA Puskas Award.
Jens Verhellen, a full-back who plays for KVK Avelgem, was determined to clear his lines during last weekend's top-of-the-table clash against KSV De Ruiter.
The 24-year-old ran out from defence and punted the ball as hard as he could from around 35 yards.
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Then, to the absolute amazement of those in attendance, the ball swerved and somehow found the left corner of the net. It's a moment that has been viewed more than 2.3 million times online. Take a look at that goal below.
As you can see in the footage above, Jens even looks away after striking the ball – such was his mindset at the time. So what was going through his head when he pummelled that ball?
“We had just had a corner kick and the opponent set up a counter-attack,” Verhellen told Belgian publication Nieuwsblad.
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“Our team was not yet organized. I'm the right back, so I kicked that ball away so we had time to position ourselves well. Suddenly everyone started cheering. So no, I really didn't expect to score a goal. The last time I scored was four years ago."
The defender says he will now try and score more goals from distance because "it pays off sometimes".
He added: “Fellow players have forwarded the video to their channels that they follow on Instagram. It must have been picked up there.
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"Of course it's nice to go around the world with my goal.”
In terms of Saturday's full-time score, KVK Avelgem B would win the game 3-0 after a dominant performance and as a result, they would go on to claim top spot in Belgium football's fourth division.
But let's be honest, it was Verhellen's screamer from distance that will remembered for years to come.
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One fan commented on the clip, saying: "He could try that thousands of times and that would never happen again," while another said: "That might be the best goal ever scored."
A third wrote: "That's probably the best goal I’ve ever seen."