The much maligned Djimi Traoré lit up the CONCACAF Champions League quarter-finals with a stunning strike in Seattle Sounders' 3-2 aggregate win over Mexican side Tigres.
Most people remember the 33-year-old defender from his days at Liverpool where he scored one of the best own goals in English football before picking up a Champions League winners' medal.
And on Tuesday night, he kept on course for another medal with a sensational finish.
Trailing 2-0 in the series after allowing a first-half goal to Elías Hernández, the Sounders pulled one back through a stunning 54th-minute volley from DeAndre Yedlin.
Then, just seven minutes later, Traoré did him one better.
The Mali international took a bouncing ball off the half-volley from 30 yards out and hit a half-volley that hit off the underside of the crossbar before bouncing in.
That left the stage set for Eddie Johnson to erupt for his first goal of the season in the 75th minute to put the Sounders up 3-1 in the match.
"When I saw the space in front of me and I saw nobody coming to close me down, I tried and it worked," Traoré said after the game.
Sounders coach Sigi Schmid added: "That's the type of goal that gives a shot of adrenaline to everybody on the field."
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| Seattle Sounders player Djimi Traoré shoots from long range to score against Tigres Photo: YouTube |
Most people remember the 33-year-old defender from his days at Liverpool where he scored one of the best own goals in English football before picking up a Champions League winners' medal.
And on Tuesday night, he kept on course for another medal with a sensational finish.
Trailing 2-0 in the series after allowing a first-half goal to Elías Hernández, the Sounders pulled one back through a stunning 54th-minute volley from DeAndre Yedlin.
Then, just seven minutes later, Traoré did him one better.
The Mali international took a bouncing ball off the half-volley from 30 yards out and hit a half-volley that hit off the underside of the crossbar before bouncing in.
That left the stage set for Eddie Johnson to erupt for his first goal of the season in the 75th minute to put the Sounders up 3-1 in the match.
"When I saw the space in front of me and I saw nobody coming to close me down, I tried and it worked," Traoré said after the game.
Sounders coach Sigi Schmid added: "That's the type of goal that gives a shot of adrenaline to everybody on the field."
