PES Chronicles

A while ago I promised that my goal replays would all be of truly remarkable or peculiar goals. Today I present a remarkable goal.

For anybody who can’t or won’t view the replay, the goal goes as follows: Komol, playing wide on the left up front, plays a one-two with Podolski in the middle. I hold the ball with Podolski for that fraction of a second needed for Komol to steal a yard on the defender. Then I play a long aerial through-ball back to Komol. The ball bounces once in front of Komol— and I half-volley it from 20 yards past the keeper into the net. A rocket.

Well, I like it. It’s the kind of goal that I love to score, and this is one of the best of its kind.

It was one of the few times during this PES year that I have performed an actual goal celebration in front of the screen. I waved the controller in my left hand and made a fist with my right hand and let out an involuntary shout. More like a roar, in fact. There was no one else in the house, but maybe the neighbours heard me. (“That weirdo next door’s playing his computer games again.”)

Maybe it’s not my greatest-ever PES goal. Off the top of my head I can think of several goals that have given me as much or more pleasure to score than this one.

I can think back all the way to ISS98 on the PlayStation1: a certain Michael Owenn (sic) once netted an arrow-straight screamer from all of 50 yards. Even now, almost a decade on, I can close my eyes and relive the exact moment it flew in—which is fortunate, as there were no replay saves in those days. I remember many a fine goal scored with Stoichkov in PES3, Bergkamp in PES5, a little winger called Malgani in PES6…

But this goal from Komol is the most recent one, and it’s on PES2008. For now, it’s my favourite.

Almost incidentally, I’m now 1st in Division 2. There are two games to go. I’m not just going for promotion now. It’s the Championship I’m after.