Papiss Cisse has been more than impressive for Newcastle since signing with the Magpies on January 2012. Now he’s gone on and scored the goal of the season in the Premiership, leading Newcastle to 2-0 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, cementing his incredible 2012 campaign as the best in the league.
There have already been jokes around the Internet about Cisse’s goal defying the laws of physics. Nope. Just an incredible swerve on the ball, hit at incredible power with the exact place on the outside of his boot to send it curving like that, over the stunned Petr Cech. Cisse has now scored 13 goals in his 12 matches for Newcastle, who have gone on to win 8 of their last 9 matches (since March 18), putting Newcastle in a spot worth Champions League next season.
Cisse? He’s scored 11 league goals during this incredible streak, who is usually associated with one of the big clubs. We haven’t been used to Newcastle getting these results in, well, over a decade. For a team projected to finish in the lower half of the table by many, 2011-2012 might be a springboard towards a return to the top of English Football, or somewhere around that mark.
Newcastle don’t play scintillating soccer. They rely on a strong defense and long balls, with the occasional Hatem Ben Arfa wonder goal from time to time. Most of their offense relies on their Senegalese duo, Demba Ba and Papiss Demba Cisse, both in their first season with the club.
Strong, tall, powerful. Two striker. Not wingers, not false 9’s, no disguises. Just great strikers who finish well in and out of the box. Not too much flash about their game. Just power and execution. Demba Ba carried the load during the first half of the season, scoring 16 goals up to February. He hasn’t scored since, but the attention he gets helps Cisse thrive.
Not many players coming out of Freiburg turn out to be Premier League sensations and hopefully Champions League top performers soon after. That’s the way Newcastle and Cisse are heading. Lets just hope they finish well and make smart moves this summer, like they have since Alan Pardew took over.
Image: Source
Update – A nice infographic with a breakdown of Cisse’s goal
