robbie keane scored the second against everton on wednesday night in the carling cup

If you want to know what makes a truly great, natural, striker, take a look at Robbie Keane’s scrambled effort against Everton in the Carling Cup on Wednesday night.

In one of the most intense (and ultimately successful) goalmouth scrambles ever, it took genius to notch a winner for Spurs.

With the score 1-0, and Everton pressing, Keane took a penalty and hit it hard and low to the keeper’s right. The keeper managed to parry and Keane followed up, but failed once more.

Advantage Everton.

As the congregation around the ‘D’ converged on the six-yard box an almighty broo-ha-ha took placed as frenetic attacking begat desperate defending.

It was an almighty and inglorious mess and looked – as the number of defenders grew – as if the moment had passed for Spurs.

But Keane kept his instincts in tact.
Having missed the penalty, and having failed in his follow-up, less experienced striker would have stood their ground (in front of the keeper to the left of the goal) and steeled themselves for an unlikely morsel.

Keane, read the melee better than that, and stealthily withdrew himself to the right-hand post.

Why?

Because his striking instincts told him that the goalscorer’s friend is space.

In a melee, he is a spare pawn – no better than any other body – but at the back post he had space, and thus, possibilities.

His gamble (natural instincts) paid off when the ball broke right and, in a final statement of striking genius, he lifted the ball high knowing that (as all naturally instinctive strikers do) that there are no defenders in the sky.

Job done.

Meanwhile, his palpable relief and humility in his celebration belied the fact that what we had witnessed was one of the truly great strikers’ goals.

The whole episode, which took barely five seconds, was an incredible lesson in football.

It’s why we stand in the wind and the rain for hours on end.

It was beauty.