NFL footballer scores somersault penalty and 5 other outrageous spot kicks

Yishun Stadium played host to a special footballing moment when Syafiq Sazali took a penalty in a Singapore FA Cup match on Sunday (Oct 9).

The Yishun Sentek Mariners man scored the fifth goal against Kaki Bukit Sports Club with a rasping shot into the top corner - while executing an acrobatic mid-air somersault at the same time.

 

 

While Yishun, who play in the National Football League (NFL), went on to complete an 8-0 thrashing of their Island Wide League opponents, Syafiq's outrageous goal became the main talking point when his coach Yakob Hashim uploaded footage of the strike on social media.

How good was Syafiq's strike? Here are some other special penalties from the past for you to compare it to.

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1) THE ORIGINAL SOMERSAULT PENALTY?

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Syafiq wasn't the first person to pull off a somersault penalty that was caught on camera - the honour seems to belong to Joonas Jokinen, who scored his audacious penalty back in 2011.

Not even 16 at the time, the Finland Under-21 player shot to Internet stardom when he pulled off a similar trick to Syafiq's when he was playing for Swiss side FC Baar.

 

 

Unfortunately, the youngster's fame did not last.

According to Transfermarkt.com, Jokinen, now 21, has been without a club since 2014 when Italian team Siena was dissolved following their bankruptcy.

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2) THE PANENKA

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When it comes to penalty skills, the Panenka is almost always the first one that comes to mind.

It is named after Antonin Panenka of Czechoslovakia, who did it during the final of the 1976 Euros.

Up against West German goalkeeper Sepp Maier, Panenka went for a cheeky chip down the centre to score the winner.

 

 

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3) THE RABONA

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The rabona is a skill that is capable of thrilling and embarrassing in equal measure.

Get it right and you're an absolute genius. Mess it up and you're a complete tool.

While Angel di Maria won't have exceptionally fond memories of his stay at Manchester United, the Argentinean was asked to pull off a rabona penalty against David de Gea in a promotional piece for club sponsor Chevrolet.

The midfielder duly obliged and even though it wasn't under competitive circumstances, it was certainly one of di Maria's better moments in a United shirt.

 

 

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4) CRUYFF'S PASSED PENALTY

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The late Johan Cruyff might have given birth to the Cruyff turn, but the Dutch master had plenty of other tricks in his locker.

Cruyff's penalty number with Jesper Olsen back in his time at Ajax in 1982 became a talking point once more in 2005, thanks to a supremely-botched effort to replicate it by Arsenal's Thierry Henry and Robert Pires against Manchester City.

Instead of rolling the ball into the path of Henry, Pires' touch was so weak that the ball failed to move off the penalty spot.

 

 

To add insult to injury, the referee awarded a free-kick to City, mistakenly believing that Pires had touched the ball twice.

As hilarious as the French duo's pathetic attempt to watch was, this is how it's supposed to be done, boys:

 

 

Class.

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5) THE BACKHEEL

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This penalty was so cheeky, the player's national team threatened to ban him from playing.

Theyab Awana was called upon to take a penalty when the UAE were leading 5-2 against Lebanon in a friendly in 2011.

When the then-21-year-old opted for an outrageous back-heel to score, his coach immediately hauled him off for a lack of respect.

 

 

Ironically, Lebanon's coach had no qualms about Awana's goal.

While he managed to escape further sanctions, Awana's life was tragically cut short months later when he died in a car crash.