By Chris Wright
One of the great unsung dead-ball specialists of the relatively recent past, two set-pieces from Francisco “Chiqui” Arce saw Paraguay go 2-0 up over South Africa in the opening Group B fixture at the 2002 World Cup: the first being a pinpoint far-post cross for Roque Santa Cruz to head over the line and the second being this wonderful direct free-kick which crashed in off the bar from an improbable angle…
Here it is again, this time in slightly higher definition GIF form…
Lovely strike. The angle of the run-up just makes it.
More in the series…
#1 – Maxi Rodriguez (Argentina) vs Mexico, 2006
#2 – Saeed Al-Owairan (Saudi Arabia) vs Belgium, 1994
#3 – Giovanni Van Bronckhorst (Holland) vs Uruguay, 2010
#4 – Pierre Njanka-Beyaka, (Cameroon) vs Austria, 1998
#5 – Nelinho (Brazil) vs Italy, 1978
#6 – David Platt (England) vs Belgium, 1990
#7 – Alessandro Del Piero (Italy) vs Germany, 2006
#8 – Javier Zanetti (Argentina) vs England, 1998
#9 – Manuel Negrete (Mexico) vs Bulgaria, 1986
#10 – Emmanuel Sanon (Haiti) vs Italy, 1974
#11 – Josimar (Brazil) vs Northern Ireland, 1986
#12 – Maicon (Brazil) vs North Korea, 2010
#13 – Dennis Bergkamp (Holland) vs Argentina, 1998
#14 – Dragan Stojkovic (Yugoslavia) vs Spain, 1990
