Look familiar? Footage emerges of Wout Weghorst scoring from a similarly cheeky free-kick routine for German club Wolfsburg in 2020 to the one that dragged Holland level in their World Cup quarter-final defeat
Wout Weghorst’s goal in the 101st minute to force extra time in Holland’s World Cup quarter-final was a popular move, one he previously did two years ago.
When Weghorst was playing for Wolfsburg against Bielefeld, a free-kick expected to be blasted at the goal was actually played to his feet, deceiving the defence, and he took a touch before slotting it home, resulting in the opening goal.
At the Lusail Stadium on Friday, after more than ten added minutes, Holland surprised the world – and Argentina – by playing the ball to substitute Weghorst’s feet from a free-kick, instead of taking a shot.
Wout Weghorst’s 101st minute equaliser was very similar to a goal he scored for Wolfsburg
It was very similar to the Wolfsburg goal which opened a 2-1 win back in 2020, as someone tweeted not long after the equaliser in Qatar.
Weghorst played for Bundesliga side Wolfsburg between 2018 and 2022, before moving to Burnley. The 30-year-old striker is currently on loan at Besiktas from the Lancashire side.
He scored his first international goal in June 2021 in a friendly match against Georgia. He also found the net in front of Dutch fans at Euro 2020 against Ukraine, and in a Nations League match away in Wales.
In the Lusail Stadium, Argentina went 2-0 up through Nahuel Molina’s first half goal and Lionel Messi’s 73rd minute penalty.
Weghorst’s last-gasp free-kick move ensured that Holland went into extra time with Argentina
However, Weghorst came off the bench to score twice for Holland to secure extra time. His first was a glancing header which bounced in off Argentina goalkeeper Emi Martinez, whilst the second caught the attention of the world, securing a draw with seconds remaining.
In the penalty shootout, Weghorst netted Holland’s fourth penalty of their five, but Argentina went on to win the shootout 4-3, Lautaro Martinez putting away the decisive spot-kick.
Some fans felt Cristian Romero should have been issued with a red card for punching the ball away from opponent Memphis Depay. The referee issued a yellow card instead for the incident, which was compared to the sport of volleyball.
Weghorst, on loan at Besiktas, was naturally devastated by Holland’s World Cup elimination
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