Coral’s top 10 long-range goals on anniversary of Beckham’s half-way hit

Maynor Figueroa v Stoke City
So sweet was this hit from then-Wigan Athletic left back Figueroa, that no goalie in the world could have stopped it. He took a quick free-kick just behind the half-way line and drilled it into the top corner past Asmir Begovic.

Carli Lloyd v Japan
What a time to get a wonderstrike in the women’s World Cup final, and USA’s Lloyd managed this in similar vein to Alonso against Newcastle a crawling Ayumi Kaihori couldn’t keep it out. Even more impressive about it was that it was her hat-trick goal in just the 16th minute of the game.

Rivaldo v Atletico Madrid
Everything about this hit was to perfection; his touch, turn and then strike right into the top corner from exactly the half-way line summed up Brazil and Barcelona (3/1 Champions League favourites) legend Rivaldo.

Paul Robinson v Watford
It’s a rare occasion when a player scores from over the half-way line, but even rarer when a keeper gets one past his opposite number. A couple have been witnessed from long-range in the Premier League over the years, from the likes of Tim Howard and Begovic, but ex-Spurs stopper Robinson tips it for us against fellow England-capped goalie Ben Foster.

Jone Samuelsen v Tromso
How about this from Norway’s Samuelsen for Odd Greland in 2011? The diminutive midfielder, who once played under England manager Roy Hodgson at Viking, scored a header, yes a header, from just behind the half-way line, the furthest ever recorded after edging out Japanese player Ryujiro Ueda of Fagiono Okoyama.

Mikel San Jose v Barcelona
This is the most recent strike on this list, and former Liverpool defensive player San Jose scored a stunner against arguably the best team in the world right now as he half-volleyed over Marc-Andre ter Stegen in the Spanish Sup Cup. The strike helped Athletic Bilbao on the way to a 4-0 first leg win, and they are 13/2 to claim a draw in the away fixture.

Dejan Stankovic v Schalke
Like Alonso and Beckham, Stankovic has a history of goals from afar, and the Serb centurion’s are arguably the more spectacular having volleyed brilliantly twice before from around the half-way line mark. We have picked out his Champions League strike against Schalke’s then-sweeper keeper Manuel Neuer for Inter Milan, ahead of a similar striker against Genoa.