World Cup 2018: Colombia's Juan Quintero sneaks free-kick goal under Japan's wall and Twitter is loving it
Colombia kept the ball on the ground on a free kick, and Japan's keeper played the ball too deep
On free kicks, it isn't often that players shoot on goal without taking the ball to the air against opponents' jumping wall. For Colombia, the decision to do so paid off when it scored an equalizer against Japan to knot the match up at one. Playing 11-on-10 after Carlos Sanchez was sent off for a red card early, Juan Quintero kept the pressure on Japan, burying a free kick from the top of the box by sneaking it under the wall for a Colombia goal.
What a cheeky free kick from Quintero!
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 19, 2018
The Colombian hits it under the wall and sneaks it into the near post for the equalizer. pic.twitter.com/TNLPpLQhR9
Naturally, Twitter was alight as people commented on the sneaky, sneaky goal.
A story in two acts. pic.twitter.com/oDUWZGYDWt
— CBS Sports Soccer (@CBSSportsSoccer) June 19, 2018
Golazo nojoda #VamosColombia #Rusia2018@ActualidadRT pic.twitter.com/Ub9uxPZtlK
— Carlos Valderrama (@PibeValderramaP) June 19, 2018
THAT FREE KICK WAS SO CHEEKY
— A West (@ayyy_west) June 19, 2018
Si, si, #COL
— COPA90 US (@COPA90US) June 19, 2018
1️⃣-1️⃣ #WorldCup PARTY RESUMED!! pic.twitter.com/eVmaGxg79N
COLOMBIA DANCE DOT GIF
— World Cup Tweets Only Until July 16 (@TheKaylaKnapp) June 19, 2018
🇨🇴!!!!!!!!!!! Quintero is genius with that free kick. #WorldCup
— Taylor Twellman (@TaylorTwellman) June 19, 2018
I love the Japanese keeper hoping his vigorous finger wagging will overturn the decision
— Nooruddean (@BeardedGenius) June 19, 2018
You don't see that everyday. Hell of a free kick goal.
— Jason Davis, The ⚽📻 Maker (@davisjsn) June 19, 2018
The Japan keeper trying his best to convince the world it wasn't over the line #COLJAP pic.twitter.com/GFHo6twnyZ
— Tom Rawle (@trawle91) June 19, 2018
Quintero's goal wasn't one that you see every day. It's incredibly difficult to sneak a ball under, and to make matters the Japanese keeper Eiji Kawashima played the ball too deep, ultimately touching the ball in the net.
Japan's adamant protests actually weren't about the goal. The team believed that the foul preceding the goal should have been reviewed, and that VAR didn't have time to properly review the moments leading up to the free kick. Goal-line technology confirmed that Kawashima touched the ball inside of the net.
Whatever the case, after the kick the match was tied up 1-1 on a beautiful kick from Quintero. For a team playing a man down, that's quite an accomplishment.
















