Former Tottenham Hotspur defender Toby Alderweireld has had his very own 'Aguero' moment, by scoring a late winning goal to end a long league title drought for his hometown club.
Since last summer, Alderweireld has been plying his trade for Royal Antwerp, a club based in the Belgian city of his birth.
At that point, the club hadn't won a Belgian top flight title since 1957, and it looked for a time on Sunday that this barren run would be extended.
Antwerp were losing 2-1 to Genk, in their final game of the Belgian Pro League Championship round - which features the four clubs who finished highest in the 18-team regular season.
As the match entered stoppage time, Union Saint-Gilloise were poised to win their first title since 1935, but conceded three late goals in an eventual 3-1 defeat to Club Brugge.
« Het kan niet mooier geschreven worden! » 🏆❤️🤍 pic.twitter.com/rnY3CATfdp
— Royal Antwerp FC (@official_rafc) June 5, 2023
Toby Alderweireld fires title-winning goal
Enter Alderweireld to seal the title for Royal Antwerp in the most dramatic fashion, as the central defender latched onto a deft Jelle Bataille touch, before firing the ball into the top corner from all of 20 yards.
Cue manic scenes among teammates, management, and the Antwerp away end, as the significance of the strike began to sink in.
League championships rarely end in such dramatic circumstances, with the most famous such occasion that springs to mind being Sergio Aguero's injury-time winner for Manchester City against Queen's Park Rangers back in 2012.
That goal meant that City pipped arch-rivals Manchester United to the Premier League title on goal difference, to end a 44-year gap since their last top flight success.
𝟲𝟲 𝗷𝗮𝗮𝗿 𝗴𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗻 ... Onze eerste landstitel sinds 1957! 😍❤️🤍 pic.twitter.com/GEBPyJr17Z
— Royal Antwerp FC (@official_rafc) June 5, 2023
Career-defining moment
Alderweireld has had his fair share of nearly moments throughout his career, having lost Champions League finals with both Atletico Madrid and Spurs, while winning 127 caps for a so-called Belgium Golden Generation that never won a major international trophy.
With all of that in mind, the 34-year couldn't have asked for a more fitting scenario than scoring a goal that will be spoken about among friends and neighbours for decades to come.
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