The finest goal line clearances (Video)

The most beautiful piece of play that you have ever seen is about to culminate in the ball crossing the goal line and your team celebrating wildly as they take the lead. At least it would have been had a pesky opposition player not got his toe-end to the ball at the final moment and prevented the ball from crossing the sacred line. When it goes against you the feeling is of utter disbelief that you haven't scored, whilst when your player is the one doing such a wonderful defensive job, you scream and shout for joy that you are not trudging back for a kick-off.

Whether by head, foot, knee, chest, or any other part of your body, it really doesn't matter how the ball is stopped from entering the net as long as you don't use your hands, unless you're the keeper! When hope is momentarily lost as a striker races round the goalkeeper and passes into the empty goal only to see a recovering defender slide and clear it to safety, this simple action can have a huge psychological boost to the team that benefit. 

However, there are times when an attempt to be a hero can go horribly wrong and the defending player can in fact help the ball into the goal, but for the moment we will focus on the positive and enjoy some great 'saves'.

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