Adebayor - The man who inspired THAT goal
If you thought Emmanuel Adebayor was good, just wait until you see Adamo Baba.
You probably won't have heard of him but Baba is a good friend of Arsenal's in-form striker and was the inspiration behind Adebayor's incredible goal at Villarreal on Tuesday night. The Togolese international executed a perfect bicycle kick into the bottom corner to earn Arsenal a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their Champions League Quarter-Final.
Adebayor was left scratching his head after the game as he tried to remember a better goal during his career. But perhaps the 25-year-old's spectacular strike was not such a surprise - after all, Adebayor tries that all the time in training.
"Yes, I always do that," he said. "I've got a friend who is a good mate in Africa, Adamo Baba, he's one of the best in the situation and once he scored three goals like this in one game. Today when the ball came I said to myself 'try'.
"When the ball came I said to myself to chest the ball to go towards the keeper. But because I was already stopped and the way the ball was coming I didn't have any chance to chest it up and volley. When I chested the ball I saw where it was and I said to myself 'you just have to take it'. And it went in.
"When the ball comes you only have one or two seconds to make a decision and I think I made the right decision. I'm very pleased. I don't think [I have scored a better goal] but I hope to score a better one than that."
Adebayor's stunning equaliser was all the more impressive in the context of the tie. Arsenal trailed Villarreal for 56 minutes but emerged with a priceless away goal which makes them favourites to advance to the Semi-Finals. Not that the striker himself is expecting an easy time of it at Emirates Stadium next Wednesday.
"We should not sit and wait at home just because we got the away goal," warned Adebayor. "We must try and play like we do at home and go for the win."
