A mirror image | van de Ven and Sonny's stunning solo strikes

It is striking just how similar Micky van de Ven's wonder strike against Copenhagen on Tuesday night was to Heung-Min Son's Puskas-winning strike against Burnley back in 2019.

Getting on for six years to the day since Sonny stunned the world with his remarkable speed, skills and agility to run over 80 yards with the ball while weaving through a well-organised Burnley defence before finishing expertly, Micky reimagined that goal in his own breathtaking way.

Picking the ball up on the edge of our area, a matter of yards away from where Sonny received the ball from Jan Vertonghen back in December, 2019, our lightning-paced Dutch centre half then took flight down the pitch, literally running around defenders with a few jinks of the ball before bearing down on goal and dispatching a finish that any centre forward would be proud of.

What is remarkable about Micky's goal is that Sonny's strike was so rare, so unexpected, so unique that it was felt that such a goal almost a once in a generation occurrence. Yes, players can pick up the ball from the halfway line, run and then score but to do it from box to box, it very rare. Then for it to be two players to do it for the same team, at the same stadium, in the same goal, just six years apart just makes Micky's effort extraordinary. Oh, and he is also a centre-back by trade....

But just how similar were the two goals in terms of how they played out, what each player was up against and the decisions they took along the way?

Well let's look at the goals, frame by frame....

Receiving the ball

Incredibly, Micky (above) and Sonny (below) received the ball just a matter of five or six yards apart before going on their incredible runs.

Micky had the ball sent back to him by Joao Palhinha after the midfielder had got back to challenge Mohamed Elyounoussi while Sonny had the ball popped forward to him from inside the box as Jan Vertonghen intercepted a long ball to James Tarkowski.

Assessing their options

Again, in the second phase of the play, the players are not that far away from each other and their instincts were in tune as they seemingly both take a moment to assess their options.

While Sonny (below) has a bit more time and space to decide what he is going to do with the ball - which isn't always the best situation - Micky has to first surge between two Copenhagen players to get away from their challenges before he has a very slender amount of time to assess what his options are.

Ultimately, both players decided to have a go and look to get as far up the pitch as they could, but their biggest tests still remained.

Getting crowded

Perhaps the key play in the move, it is once again an almost identical picture - albeit the Copenhagen defensive line is higher - as both players advance to the halfway line where they are surrounded by five opponents.

Yet, while they have so many opposition players around them, it is noticeable that their attention is only on one player, and that is the one standing directly in front of them.

As long as they keep control of the ball in this moment - which they did impeccably - they just have to beat that one man as their speed will keep them ahead of the chasing pack while it should also be enough to escpae the attentions of covering man.

Freedom

And it is at this moment that both players begin to sense a goal is on.

Having burst through the wall of opposition, they now have a clear sight of goal. They just have to keep their feet.

This perhaps where the two goals are slightly different and not necessarily a mirror image as Son's run (below) has taken him central while Micky (above) has been drawn towards the wing.

The strike

And the last but certainly most important moment - the strike.

This is again where you see how their runs towards goal are slightly different, Micky (above) ending up outside the posts of the goal when he strikes while Sonny (below) has made sure to be inside the posts when it came to the finish.

That is perhaps the natural instinct of a forward player, but that certainly takes nothing away from Micky as his finish shows. Hitting it with enough pace, power and the all important accuracy, from a decent distance, he managed to beat the goalkeeper at his near post with a shot that probably said he was determined not to miss given all the great work he had just done.