Great team goals

Here's something to take your minds off all the depressing current event articles I have posted recently. It's a collection of great team goals from the 'Guardian' online's Joy of Six series:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2009/jul/17/joy-of-six-great-team-goals

They are indeed cracking goals, with Brazil's fourth against Italy in the 1970 World Cup final being the best. However, there are some great ones missing. I'll get to my favourite Man Utd team goal in a moment, but first, to show I'm not biased, here is the greatest team goal I've ever witnessed live, and the greatest goal I've seen scored against Man Utd.

It's from the 2002/03 Champions League quarter final second leg at Old Trafford between Utd and Real Madrid. Real had torn Utd apart in the first leg in Madrid, winning 3-1 and playing some divine football against the side that later went on to win the Premiership that season. Utd went out despite winning the second leg 4-3, with the three coming from the Brazilian Ronaldo, giving perhaps his last ever great performance. He got all the headlines, but the star of the show was my favourite player of all time, Zinedine Zidane. He tormented Utd in the first leg and did it again in the second, and no goal exemplifies his puppeteering genius than Real's second that night.

The match highlights begin around 1'34", with the buildup to Real's second coming at 3'06". Notice how, in the first stage of the attack, Zidane effortlessly rides a challenge from Giggs before eventually making the killer pass for Carlos to square to Ronaldo. Exquisite.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0QiX2KgiV8&feature=related

Neutrals everywhere mourned when Juventus knocked that Real Madrid team out in the semi finals. Here is another example of the stellar football they played that year. This comes from the group stage against AC Milan. The video begins about halfway through the full move, which is a shame, and also the quality isn't great, which is an even greater shame because the brilliance of the one-touch pass from Zidane is not immediately clear. Watch it again. Figo finds him on the left with a perfect cross-field pass from the right. As the ball is arriving, Carlos is bombing behind Zidane on the overlap. Without ever taking his eyes off the ball, Zizou finds him with an immaculate, perfectly weighted flick into his path. Carlos finds Raul, who was then in his prime, and he doesn't mess around. Fantasy football.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AyRmtT_cdE

As for Man United, well, there are a number of sensational team goals that could be chosen. Andy Cole's goal against Barcelona in 98/99 was, as Clyde Tyldsley said at the time, "out of this world". Mark Hughes' late equaliser against Oldham in the 1993/94 FA Cup semi final was memorable (more so because it featured a young Nicky Butt in the buildup). John O'Shea's dagger goal against Arsenal at Highbury in 04/05 was very special (as are all John O'Shea goals). But for the sheer number of passes, the quality of the final pass and the quality of the finish, it has to be Paul Scholes' goal against Panathanikos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjnQad_ulgQ