Featured Image Credit: Image: FIFA
Topics: Toni Kroos, Germany, Sweden, Football World Cup
Josh Lawless
Topics: Toni Kroos, Germany, Sweden, Football World Cup
Four years ago, Toni Kroos scored one of the best goals of his career against Sweden in the World Cup.
Germany, having already lost their first game to Mexico, found themselves 1-0 down to an Ola Toivonen strike at the Fisht Olympic Stadium in Sochi.
Marco Reus levelled matters shortly after half-time but then Germany had Jerome Boateng sent off for a second yellow card in the 82nd minute and looked like they might have to settle for a point.
Enter Kroos. In the dying embers, Germany were awarded a free-kick on the left-hand side of the Sweden box and both he and Reus stood over the ball.
The Real Madrid midfielder is capable of a worldie or two but this was an acute angle and everything had to be perfect.
Advert
He rolled the ball to Reus, who cushioned it for him ever so slightly inside the box. He then provided an exquisite finish into the top far corner, giving Robin Olsen absolutely no chance.
The individual brilliance secured a last-gasp win for Joachim Low's side. Years on from the strike, new, unseen footage has emerged and it makes you appreciate the goal even more.
Watching the ball fly in from Kroos' signature Adipure boots from this angle is so satisfying. The tweet has garnered over 146,000 likes and a whopping 5.5 million views on the FIFA World Cup account.
Advert
At the time, there was huge controversy as a punter missed out on £5,000 following on from Kroos' goal.
With Sky Bet, Lee Robinson whacked a fiver on Mexico to beat South Korea 2-1 at 9/1, Romelu Lukaku to score twice for Belgium against Panama at 6/1, and Kroos to score from outside the box at 14/1.
Everything came in, or did it? Agonisingly, Kroos' effort, because of the lay-off from Reus, was scored inside the box and so the bet was not valid.
Advert
It remains one of the most unlucky bets we've ever seen.