“After the first two touches…that moment! You give absolutely everything in that movement. It’s like your life has led up to this moment.”
That is how Dennis Bergkamp described one of the greatest goals ever scored at a World Cup, seventeen years ago today, in an interview with David Winner for The Blizzard magazine.
The Arsenal forward scored plenty of magnificent goals, enough to even take all three spots on Match of the Day’s goal of the month with a hat trick against Leicester City, but none were quite as important as that one seemed.
With Argentina and the Netherlands, two of the best sides in the tournament, having played out a thrilling yet nervy 90 minutes the teams were locked at 1-1. Something special was required.
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Bergkamp had already provided one memorable moment when he delicately headed into the path of Patrick Kluivert for the opener but it was nothing compared to the 90th minute winner.
But it was nothing compared to the magic that he provided for the winner. In one touch he killed Frank de Boer’s 70-yard pass dead inside the Argentine area. With another he used Roberto Ayala’s momentum to take the ball past him. Then the final touch saw him flick the ball past Carlos Roa with the outside of his right boot.
Though the perennially unlucky Dutch fell to Brazil on penalties in the semi-final the Arsenal star's strike made it an unforgettable tournament for the nation.
Scroll down to see Bergkamp’s goal in full
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