How Charlie Adam's wonder goal for Stoke City shook the country

 

Charlie Adam's wonder goal from his own half in Stoke's 2-1 defeat by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge is likely to live longer in the memory than the result of the match itself. 

The Scotland midfielder collected the ball in his own half before unleashing a shot from around 65 yards which flew over Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who was caught off his line, and into the net.

Here BBC Sport looks at the best of the reaction to Adam's sensational strike, and recalls other memorable goals scored by players from inside their own half.

'Once in a lifetime goal'

Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was left floundering after Charlie Adam's long-range strike

Stoke midfielder Charlie Adam: "I never knew I had that much power, to beat a quality goalkeeper like that is something special.

One that I will always remember. It was one of them that sat up nicely and I saw the goalie off his line. I was lucky enough that it went in. Once in a lifetime this can happen to you, it's great on an individual level - a great way to get my 50th goal in English football - but the team lost and that is the disappointing thing."

'Messi would've been proud'

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho: "It was a fantastic goal, every player in the world would like to score a goal like that. Diego Maradona to Lionel Messi to all these brilliant players. Not all of them did score that goal in their careers. Charlie Adam has condition for a 50-metre shot, so normally he would anticipate the moment we lost the ball but it's a great goal."

'Charlie has that ability'

Hughes feels Charlie Adam has always shown he has the ability to score goals of that calibre

Stoke manager Mark Hughes: "It was an outstanding goal from Charlie - fantastic. He has got that ability and has obviously shown it to everyone today. He'd always attempt those of kinds of things because he has confidence in his ability. He has the belief and always cleanly strikes the ball."

'The Premier League's best long-range goal'

Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer: "It is an unbelievable strike. It's great vision to see Thibaut Courtois off his line, and the connection is perfect.
"He knows it's good, I'm pretty sure, as soon as he's connected with it. It's just great, great ability.
"It's the best long-range goal I've seen in the Premier League because it's the furthest, and because it's against one of Europe's best goalkeepers."

And would you believe it, he's done it before

Adam's goal against Chelsea was not the first time he has scored from his half. Only a handful of spectators might have witnessed it, but Adam scored a similar one in a reserve team game for Blackpool  against Accrington's second string shortly after he joined the Seasiders in 2009.

How social media reacted to the goal

QPR midfielder Joey Barton

Former England cricketer Andrew Flintoff

Former Stoke midfielder Matthew Etherington

Portsmouth midfielder Jed Wallace

Comedian David Baddiel

So who else has scored from their own half?

David Beckham

David Beckham had actually made 34 appearances and scored seven goals for Manchester United in the 1995-96 season before his memorable goal against Wimbledon 

David Beckham announced himself to the football world when he scored from the halfway line for Manchester United against Wimbledon in August 1996. In United's opening match of the season at Selhurst Park, the midfielder spotted goalkeeper Neil Sullivan off his line to score a famous goal in United's 3-0 victory.
Xabi Alonso

With his back to goal at Kenilworth Road, captain Steven Gerrard initially berated Xabi Alonso for not passing to him. It quickly turned to applause when he turned around and saw the ball had rolled into the net 

Liverpool's Xabi Alonso finished off a memorable comeback against Luton in a classic FA Cup third-round tie in January 2006 when he hit the ball 70 yards into the unguarded net to make it 5-3 for the Reds. The goal won Liverpool fan Adrian Hayward £25,000 after he bet £200 on Alonso scoring from inside his own half at some point in the 2005-06 season on the basis of a dream he had.
Xabi Alonso - eight months later

Newcastle's Steve Harper became the second goalkeeper in 2006 to be caught out by a strike in his own half from Liverpool's Xabi Alonso 

Goalkeeper Steve Harper was left grasping at thin air as Alonso repeated the feat of scoring from his own half in September 2006, this time in Liverpool's 2-0 win over Newcastle in the Premier League. The midfielder assessed the options around him on the counter attack before he launched an arrow of a shot over Harper and into the corner of the net in front of the Kop.
Paul Robinson

Goalkeeper Paul Robinson celebrated his goal but soon consoled opposite number Ben Foster in the Watford goal following the spectacular strike 

The only league goal of ex-England goalkeeper Paul Robinson's professional career - he once scored with a header in the League Cup for Leeds - came with an 80-yard effort for Tottenham in a 3-1 win over Watford at White Hart Lane in March 2007. Robinson lined up a free-kick from five yards outside his own penalty area, but his hoof floated over the defence, bounced over opposite number Ben Foster in the Watford goal, and drifted into the corner.
Maynor Figueroa

Maynor Figueroa actually attempted a repeat of his goal for Wigan at the Britannia Stadium two seasons later in a 2-2 draw in December 2011 

A quickly-taken free-kick from Wigan's Maynor Figueroa just inside his own half caught Stoke goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen completely off guard in their 2-2 draw at the Britannia Stadium in December 2009. Sorensen was powerless to stop the ball sailing over his head and into the net and the strike duly won the BBC Match Of The Day's goal of the season award.
Asmir Begovic

 

 

Stoke City goalkeeper Asmir Begovic earned himself a place in the Guinness World Records book for the longest goal scored in football at 91.9m (301ft 6in), just 13 seconds into the Potters' 1-1 draw with Southampton in November 2013. The Bosnia international's clearance caught the wind and bounced over opposite number Artur Boruc into the Saints net.