blog soccer football "the assist"

#102 // Schmeichel → Vardy Leicester City 2 – 0 Arsenal

The AssistPremier League

From one penalty box to the other—a 100-yard assist.

And a beautiful move, at the end of it, from Jamie Vardy.

What NBA Street Vol. 2 would call the “Back to Papa!”

 

 

 

He must’ve grown up watching Tracy McGrady, if there was any intention on this at all.

 

 

 

Up off the backboard, back into his hands, and in for the dunk.

A simple, almost comical little trick.

Now done with elegance here on the soccer field.

 

But with a good question right off the bat, regarding the assist.

 

 

 

Schmeichel sent the original ball in, almost the length of the field, on a perfect two-bounce setup for Vardy; and then, Vardy knocks the it to himself off the crossbar; but, if you’re an animist, well, you’d have to consider crediting the third entity involved.

 

 

The line would read as such:

Goal—Vardy, Jamie

Assist—Crossbar, The

 

 

 

 

So if I were more devoutly animistic, the assist may go somewhere other than Schmeichel.

But, as he was the only one of the three to have made his pass intentionally, it goes to him.

 

With a brilliance that should be acknowledged—the long kick over everyone, and into one window of space that would set up that shot.

From there, the 2-0 lead.

 

 

 

The low point of a terrible day for Arsenal. Losing 3-0 in the end, down to 10 men after a red card, all but definitely sending them beyond the range of the Champions League qualifiers.

Back to the Europa League, where they’ve been these past two seasons.

 

 

 

But a great day for Leicester. Schmeichel. Vardy. The crossbar.

 

And a new addition for this, to the top of the all-time list: