GIF Gallery: The Best Golazos and Skill Moves of the Week

From long-range blasts to the craftiest of touches, what where the best goal, skills and assists from this week in soccer?

Image via thetimes.co.uk

In less than two weeks the world will turn it's attention to Brazil for the biggest soccer tournament on the planet. 23-man squads for the 32 nations that will be competing from Manus to Porto Alegre, and everywhere in between, have been announced, and final travel preparations are being made. This week we had a host of international friendlies, which took on a very serious note as managers used the final tune-ups to tweak lineups and try and find what they believe will be that winning formula. Along with the World Cup preview, the MLS was in full-swing, the Toulon Tournament showcased some of the game's top young talent, and an AFC Challenge Cup final was also in the cards. We certainly weren't lacking for moments of brilliance this week.

Chile and Egypt treated viewers to a five-goal thriller in Santiago, and Romelu Lukaku continued to produce the skill that had many pundits questioning why he wasn't in Mourinho's plans this past campaign. From Khaled Kamar's delicate chip to Daniel Sturridge's blast at Wembley, check out The Best Golazos and Skill Moves of the Week.

Written by Adam Silvers (@silversurfer103)

 

12. Edin Dzeko Sets Himself Up For the Volley

Date: 5/30/2014
Match: Bosnia-Herzegovina v. Ivory Coast
Competition: International Friendly
Ground: Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis

What a neat little play, this is from Edin Dzeko to collect the pass and set himself up for the low driven effort. He just pops it up and pops it into the Ivorian goal. Take a bow, sir.

11. Marcelo Diaz's Acrobatic Finish

Date: 5/30/2014
Match: Chile v. Egypt
Competition: International Friendly
Ground: Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Pradanos, Santiago, Chile

We've watched this several times and we're still not sure how Marcelo Diaz manages to pull of this finish. Diaz shows terrific balance to get the shot away, and great awareness to sneak this ball just past the outstretched keeper. This was one of the matches of the week, too, with Chile pulling out the narrow 3-2 victory in Santiago.

10. Khaled Kamar's Deft Chip

Date: 5/30/2014
Match: Chile v. Egypt
Competition: International Friendly
Ground: Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Pradanos, Santiago, Chile

Kamar finds himself in acres of space thanks to a perfectly-timed run and a great ball over the top, but he still has plenty of work to do in order to apply the finishing touch. Plenty of strikers would be put off by an onrushing keeper, but Kamar remains cool under fire, and executes the chip to perfection.

9. Marco Pappa Bends it Just Inside the Post

Date: 5/31/2014
Match: Seattle Sounders v. Real Salt Lake
Competition: MLS
Ground: CenturyLink Field, Seattle

Bend it like Pappa? The Guatemalan shows some great skill to bend this one around the wall and nestle the ball just inside the RSL keeper's near post. The Sounders said we see your unbeaten streak, Salt Lake, and we raise you this 4-0 shellacking.

8. Romelu Lukaku Brushes Aside the Luxembourg Defense

Date: 5/26/2014
Match: Belgium v. Luxembourg
Competition: International Friendly
Ground: Cristal Arena, Genk, Belgium

Belgium thrashed Luxembourg 5-1 in Genk on Monday, and three of those goals came courtesy of a Romelu Lukaku hat trick. This jinking run through the box and delightful finish was certainly the pick of the bunch for Lukaku. World Cup wildcard?

7. Didier Drogba Finds the Roof of the Net

Date: 5/30/2014
Match: Bosnia-Herzegovina v. Ivory Coast
Competition: International Friendly
Ground: Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis

Just in case you forgot about Didier Drogba, the Ivorian reminded us all exactly what he's capable of from set pieces. This free kick is blasted into the roof of the Bosnian net, and while Bosnia-Herzegovina had the last laugh with the 2-1 victory, Drogba had the goal of the match.

6. Ashraf Nu'man's Perfectly-Placed Free Kick

Date: 5/30/2014
Match: Palestine v. Philippines
Competition: AFC Challenge Cup Final
Ground: National Football Stadium, Male, Maldives

Ashraf Nu'man connects so perfectly with this free kick that he leaves the keeper with no chance at getting a hand to it. Nu'man whips it up and over the wall, and the ball picks up speed as it crosses the goalline. If you're going to win the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup Final 1-0, this is definitely the goal you want to win it with.

5. James Ward-Prowse Finds the Top Corner

Date: 5/26/2014
Match: England v. Brazil
Competition: Toulon Tournament
Ground: Stade Louis Hon, Saint-Raphael, France

It wasn't meant to be for the U20 Three Lions earlier this week, as they fell to a narrow 2-1 defeat at the hands of Brazil. While they didn't win the match, James Ward-Prowse did score this goal for the tournament contender.

4. Olivier Giroud's Sweet Left-Footed Drive

Date: 5/27/2014
Match: France v. Norway
Competition: International Friendly
Ground: Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France

Arsenal fans had to see this goal and wonder where was this all season from Olivier Giroud. The Frenchman catches this one perfectly with the laces, and leaves Norway's keeper with no shot at a save. Giroud helped himself to a brace on the night, and France helped themselves to a 4-0 victory in Saint-Denis.

3. Miguel Layun's 30-Yard Cracker

Date: 5/28/2014
Match: Mexico v. Israel
Competition: International Friendly
Ground: Estadio Azteca, Mexico City

If you weren't familiar with Miguel Layun before this weekend, well, a goal like this will certainly put you on the map with less than two weeks until the World Cup. This is an absolute blast from the Club America man, who would complete his brace in the second half. The Isreal goalkeeper could definitely use a look in the mirror after this match, but take nothing away from Layun's skill and power.

2. Daniel Sturridge Lashes One Past Fernandez

Date: 5/30/2014
Match: England v. Peru
Competition: International Friendly
Ground: Wembley Stadium, London

It will delight England and Liverpool fans alike to watch this blast from the left boot of Daniel Sturridge. This thing comes off like a missile, and it's only got one target, that top corner. England took the lion's share of the spoils with the 3-0 win, and even their fans couldn't miss at Wembley.

1. Gonzalo Marronkle's Half-Volley Blast

Date: 5/28/2014
Match: Ha Noi T&T v. Da Nang
Competition: Vietnamese V-League 1
Ground: Hanoi Stadium, Hanoi, Vietnam

Not only was this goal from Gonzalo Marronkle one of the sweetest efforts we've seen all year, from any league, it was also an extremely important goal for Ha Noi T&T, who jumped to top spot in the V-League with their 2-0 victory. Kaboom!

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