Football Scouting: When not serving four goals to win

Arsenal Arshavin

More than once you will have heard from the players, after a great performance, that is how important the team won. The oft-repeated topic remains a possibility when a player signs a superb game that is capable of scoring four goals and then can not say that earned for your team had fulfilled its objective. That a player is as inspired as to mark four goals rarely happens, let alone that do not serve to win the game, but we've seen more than once, most recently yesterday in San Siro.

Diego Milito (Inter Milan)

Under the Siberian cold wave that has arrived on our shores and on a layer of snow covering the San Siro green turning it into white, Milito wanted to highlight the nerazurro to score four goals to Palermo. But did not serve to defeat the Rosanero, guided by a great Miccoli tied the game Ranieri preventing the victory. However, these four goals better confirm the return of Diego Milito, who dazzled in Zaragoza and Mourinho at Inter after passing a bad patch which recently earned him even Bidone d'oro, the Golden Ball parody and is given each year in Italy. With these four goals, Milito and is second with 12 in the scoring charts in Serie A. The match was about to be suspended: it was not so lucky for the Prince, who was king for a night.

Christian Vieri (Atletico Madrid)

We still have a protagonist of Calcium, in this case when he wore the shirt of Atletico Madrid. Atletico lived the difficult years that would follow the doublet, where despite having the same base and with some good signings like Vieri itself would not get the same results. That year, his only in Spain, the Alps would end striker in the league top scorer with 24 goals in as many games, but his fantastic season was not endorsed by his team. One of his best nights yet reached most frustrating a March 21, 1998, when he faced the Salamanca and goalkeeper Bogdan Stelea picked up the ball in the net four times, all sent by former Juventus. However, the team Salamanca, in one of his most memorable nights would end up winning the game 5-4. Vieri is not disbelief.

Andrei Arshavin (Arsenal)

Russian footballer of Arsenal is one of those players who can do magic in a game and the next map disappear without a trace. Unfortunately, the latter is repeated more frequently in recent times. However, on arrival at the Gunners dazzled with several performances and showed a good adaptation to the Premier and magnificent condition. His best night came in 2009 against Liverpool by Rafa Benitez. The former Zenit scored four goals to Queen (second to frame) which nevertheless were neutralized by two of Fernando Torres and two of Israeli Benayoun, two players who are not passing their prime. The end of the game was frantic: Arshavin scored the fourth on 90 minutes and Benayoun equalized on 93.

Milinko Pantic (Atletico Madrid)

Not that you want to recreate with Atletico, but the nickname Calamity T, won that European Cup final against Bayern, claimed more dimension with situations such as those described in this post. It was a year before Vieri's four goals and its star midfielder Pantic was one of the major players in the doublet and now coach of Atletico subsidiary. He also selected the Camp Nou in a leg of Copa del Rey who had registered a 2-2 first-leg at the Calderon. In one of the most unfortunate nights Vítor Baía, Porto magnificent goalkeeper had no luck as Barca, Pantic came to put his team ahead by 0-3, but in front of Barcelona and Ronaldo were the author of three goals, which end up winning by 5-4 and making the pass.

Bonus Track: Oleg Salenko (Russia)

Not the same case: there were four goals but five, and did serve to win the game. However, it also did nothing to make your computer lograse its objectives. It was in the Mundial'94 and the Russian and Cameroon were already eliminated in the final game of their group. Salenko, then in the ranks of Logroñés, sign his best day as a player and set a record still in effect. American and the sun appeared before a playing Cameroon walk (the gossips say that last night was moved), Salenko scored five goals, while attached to scored against Sweden, won him the top scorer trophy that World shared with Stoichkov. Russia won the match 6-1, to no avail, but we all remember that game.