Glasgow Rangers striker Kemar Roofe brought down the roof after scoring an outrageous goal in his side’s 2-0 win against Standard Liege in the latest round of the Europa League.
Aside from being a truly wonderful strike, it was also a record-breaking effort – no player has scored a goal from further out (49.9 meters or 54.6 yards) in the albeit short history of the Europa League.
With his side leading 1-0 deep in stoppage time, Roofe took it upon himself to put the tie to rest.
After winning the ball back mid-way in his own half, Roofe powered his way past three defenders before unleashing a strike from just before the halfway line. The ball sailed over goalkeeper Arnaud Bodart’s head who, like everyone else watching the game, was not expecting such an audacious effort.
The 27-year-old Roofe has only been at the Scottish club for two months but will struggle to maneuver a more memorable moment as the Englishman arguably propelled himself into the ‘greatest goal ever scored’ debate.
His manager, former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard described it as a truly “world-class” finish and told Rangers TV “it is the best goal I have ever seen live.” High praise indeed from the super scouser who made his name as a player with stunning strikes.
In Scotland, there’s an intense rivalry between Glasgow clubs Rangers and Celtic, and Roofe’s glorious goal was analyzed slightly differently by one Hoops fan on Twitter, presumably with tongue firmly in cheek.
Special moment
The goal sent Rangers players into a frenzied celebration with Roofe himself looking as surprised as anyone.
Those celebrations seemed to annoy the opposition’s bench with the match ending in unsavory scenes. A member of Liege’s backroom staff squared up to Roofe at full-time which sparked a melee between the two sides.
Once emotions had settled, Roofe was able to reflect on a special moment.
“In the moment, you know what is going on but it is one of those you have to watch back to really understand what it is like.”
“It’s a good goal, but it doesn’t give you extra goals or points for scoring that. It is still the same as a tap-in.”
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