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Opinion

Best of the half-season: Goal

As we prepare for the return of Ligue 1 McDonald's this weekend, our team of writers have selected some of their favorite moments of the season's first half, starting with goals.
E. DEVIN with G. BOXALL & L. ENTWISTLE
Published on 01/01/2026 at 19:00
2-minute read
João Neves scored two of the three goals selected by our panel of writers

As we prepare for the return of Ligue 1 McDonald's this weekend, our team of writers have selected some of their favorites of the season's first half, starting with goals. Hear from Eric, George & Luke as they talk about their top moments before the season resumes, starting with our picks for the best goal.

Eric: Matthis Abline vs Paris FC

This has hardly been an easy campaign for FC Nantes, with the Breton club struggling near the foot of the table with just two wins all season and already having changed managers. One of those two wins, however, featured an absolutely stunning strike from Matthis Abline, the team's young forward who has been one of their bright spots to date. In a 2-1 victory away to Paris FC in October, with the hosts having leveled following an early strike by Youssef El-Arabi, the capital side poorly cleared a corner, which fell to Abline on the edge of the area. Picking up the ball on the bounce, he lifted it into the air before volleying an unstoppable effort into the top corner to restore a lead that his side wouldn't relinquish.

George: João Neves vs TOULOUSE

Perhaps the best individual display of a single player this season, Joao Neves was simply on fire against Toulouse with a hat-trick which featured not one but two bicycle kicks. The first saw the Portuguese international open the scoring for Les Parisiens, flicking the ball up to his chest after Ousmane Dembélé scrambled to volley the ball - and then finishing acrobatically in line with the six-yard box. The second was even better though, chested in line with the penalty spot before being sweetly struck with the overhead kick… simply stunning.

Luke: João Neves vs Toulouse

João Neves can make a goal-of-the-season reel all of his own. His three against Toulouse back in August are all genuine contenders for the award. His first bicycle kick was exceptional for his ability to create a situation in which he could pull it off, cheating and dragging the ball into his arc, making it a worthy challenger to the second, a picture-book example of the action. There have been plenty of great bicycle kicks in recent months and years - including at AFCON - but this is right up there.

Read more:

>> Best of the half-season: Young Player

>> Best of the half-season: New arrival

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