October 10 – Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud’s much-acclaimed ‘scorpion’ kick is through to the final stage of the Puskas Award for the best goal of last season.
The acrobatic improvised strike came against Crystal Palace in a 2-0 win and is joined on the list by Deyna Castellanos, who struck a 94th-minute winner from the halfway line for Venezuela in the Under-17 Women’s World Cup last October, and goalkeeper Oscarine Masuluke.
The 31-year-old Giroud is the seventh Frenchman to be nominated for the award but the first to make the final shortlist of three.
Masuluke, who plays for South African club Baroka FC, came forward to score a late overhead kick to earn a 1-1 draw against Orlando Pirates last November.
The winner of the prize, named after the late Hungary captain Ferenc Puskas, will be announced at FIFA’s Best Football Awards ceremony in London on October 23.
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