He’d tried it hundreds of times in Manchester red – it had only occasionally come off. With confidence (and happiness) gradually seeping away, he tried it less often… and then he stopped doing it.
Now clad in the green of Real Betis, Antony’s resurgence in Spain only needed this type of goal to underline his comeback. The fact that he decided to do it in the 91st minute of a game with Betis’ dreams of a UEFA Champions League spot slowly dying… it’s safe to say that Antony is back.
Cut inside, curl the ball into the top corner with the left foot – this was a trademark of the Brazilian at his time in Ajax, so much so that Erik ten Hag once compared him to *the* cut-inside-and-shoot maestro, Arjen Robben.
Throughout his 96 games for Manchester United however, Antony looked as far away from the Dutchman as possible. The man who had commanded €110.75m in transfer fees on his journey from Sao Paulo to Manchester looked worth about a tenth of that.
A footballer that had been reduced to a meme, Antony’s struggles continued under Ruben Amorim, and when the loan move to Betis came about in January, it was seen as little more than the last gasp of a floundering career.
The change of scenery made a huge difference, and Antony ‘found himself’ at Betis. Why wouldn’t he? Betis was the club of the working class in the city of Seville, something that would appeal to the sensibilities of a boy who grew up in the favelas of Osasco. Even the club’s motto – ‘Viva er Betis manque pierda’ (‘Long live Betis, even if they lose’) spoke of a fanbase that were forgiving, ever ready to offer a second chance to anyone putting on their shirt. Hector Bellerin found himself here. Isco did. And now, so did Antony.
He’d repaid the faith of the fans – with his tally of ten goal involvements in 19 games a far cry from his Manchester United form (his last 10 G/A for United took 72 games). Important goals too, like his incredible right-footed volley in midweek that gave Betis a 2-1 win over Fiorentina in the first leg of the UEFA Europa Conference League semifinal. With Antony’s form, Betis pushed up the table, dreaming of the UEFA Champions League spots.
A trip to Espanyol, 14th in the table, looked easy only on paper; Betis had won only once in their last four visits to the Estadi Cornella-El Prat. When Roberto Fernandez gave the hosts the lead in the 28th minute, betico hearts sank, especially since Joan Garcia was turning in a world class performance in the Espanyol net. 85 minutes in, Betis’ hopes of a UCL spot were in real danger – until a stunning solo run from Giovani Lo Celso saw him equalise for the visitors.
Betis had their tails up, powering forward as the game headed into injury time. Isco lead the charge down the left wing, being tracked by Espanyol defenders. Off-balance, he twisted and fired in a low cross, with Marc Batra in the hosts’ defence making a hash of the clearance. The ball looped in the air and fell kindly for Hector Bellerin on the edge of the box, and he tapped it first time towards Antony in the right channel.
After a pirouette over the ball to turn his body the right way, Antony collected the ball. Game on.
Facing up to Javier Puado, Antony slowed the game down. 89:59 on the clock. A half-touch here, a half-touch there as he teased Puado into getting tight, eyes on the ball. A quick shuffle of his hips in both directions, and Antony feinted to go right, before going left. Puado knew this was coming, but it didn’t matter – his Brazilian opponent had got enough purchase on the ball that there was a yard of space to shoot.
The broadcast angle was perfectly suited for the strike, angled right towards goal from the right corner of the box. Antony whipped a ferocious strike aimed at the top corner and the camera was perfectly positioned to witness the curl – right into the corner-iest of top corners. Garcia in the Espanyol net could only watch in horror, going down on one knee. As the ball cannoned into the net, the small pocket of Betis fans went wild. Those on the pitch were left in disbelief – even Antony’s own teammates. Isco had his hands on his head, Abdessamad Ezzalouili sank to his knees, Cedric Bakambu turned around and gazed in open-mouthed wonder.
Antony Matheus dos Santos had done it again.
“I’ve said it in many interviews – I found myself at Real Betis. The fans have found me as well – I’m very happy. I was joking with the manager (Pellegrini), saying that I scored a golazo with my right foot (against Fiorentina), now I need one with my left foot – and I did that today. I am someone who really likes to feel love from the fans, and I want to thank them for that,” said the Brazilian after the match.
And he’ll continue to thank them, a hundred times more, trying to score goals like that. For keeping his own and his club’s dreams alive with another spectacular golazo, Antony takes ESPN’s Moment of the Weekend.
