By Chris Wright
It’s June of 1996, and Norway are about to kick off their qualifying campaign for France ’98 with a foregone conclusion of an opener against minnows Azerbaijan.
Got that? Okay, then let us proceed…
Of course, Norway absolutely thumped their also-ran opponents as you might expect: Ole Gunnar Solksjaer (of Molde) and Stale Solbakken (then of Lillestrom) helping themselves to two goals apiece in a 5-0 demolition job at the Ullevaal stadium.
Among the flurry, it was Solskjaer (who must have been about 12-years-old if the footage is to be believed) who caught the eye with an exquisitely-taken goal to put his country 2-0 up .
The baby-faced striker cushioned a high ball with his chest on the edge of the area and promptly dispatched it into the top corner with a beautiful falling volley…
Less than two months later he joined Manchester United and the rest, as they say, is six Premier League titles, two FA Cups and one Champions League-and-treble-winning goal in the Camp Nou.
Here are the match highlights in full. Ten points on offer for anyone who can spot Tommy Svindal Larsen….
A selection of other Random Great Goals on Pies…
Patrick M’Boma (Gamba Osaka) Destroys Defence With Interpretive Dance
Roberto Cabanas (New York Cosmos) Scores With Aerial Acrobatics
Thierry Henry (Arsenal) Is Grace Personified
Keisuke Honda (Japan) Manipulates The Laws Of Physics
Rory Delap (Southampton) Scores An Overhead Kick!
Eduardo (Arsenal) Is One Deft Son Of A Gun
Taison (Metalist) Strays Into Van Basten Territory
Giovani Dos Santos (Mexico) Finishes With Devastating Finesse
Ronaldo Obliterates His Peers During Unicef Charity Match
Giuseppe Mascara (Catania) Belts One In From Downtown
Geraldão (Cruzeiro) Clangs An Elastic Freekick Into The Top Corner
Andres Vasquez (Goteborg) And His 25-Yard Rabona Of Doom!
Darren Ambrose Scores Crystal Palace’s 2011/12 Goal Of The Year
Southampton Legend Mick Channon Finishes Off Telepathic Team Goal