Costa Rica’s Alexandra Pinell scored an outrageous goal on the opening day of the Women’s Under-20 World Cup on Wednesday night.Pinell opened the scoring in the 19th minute with a goal that has a chance of being nominated for the 2022 Puskas Award.Nobody inside Costa Rica’s National Stadium would have expected the 19-year-old to attempt to score from 40 yards (at least) - but you can tell by the way she stepped up to take the free-kick that she backed herself.The midfielder unleashed an absolute rocket with her right foot, catching the ball perfectly before watching it sail into the top corner of the net.
As soon as the ball flew past Australia goalkeeper Sally James, the commentator shouted: “Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness! What a start for Costa Rica! What a night, what a goal! Absolutely sensational from the captain Alexandra Pinell! She is the hero of the night in San Jose!“Only the fourth game of the tournament but we’re not going to see a better goal than that, surely?!â€
Video: Alexandra Pinell's free-kick for Costa Rica v Australia
You can watch Pinell’s stunning free-kick in all its glory here:
What a breathtaking strike, that is. Take a bow, Alexandra!
That’s one of the best free-kicks we’ve seen all year.
Australia fought back to win the match 3-1 but Pinell still managed to steal the headlines with her unbelievable strike.
Could Alexandra Pinell win the Puskas Award?
Women have been nominated for the Puskas Award in recent years but we’re still waiting for a female to win the prestigious individual accolade for the first time.
Irish footballer Stephanie Roche came close in 2014 but just missed out to Colombia’s James Rodriguez.
Will that change in 2022?
As well as Pinell’s sensational free-kick, another woman who has a chance of winning this year’s Puskas Award is England’s Alessia Russo for her sublime back-heeled goal at Euro 2022.
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