Turkish footballer wins UEFA 'goal of the year'

ISTANBUL

Turkish footballer Selcuk Inan’s dramatic 89th-minute score against Iceland has been chosen as goal of the year on UEFA’s Twitter account.

The Galatasaray midfielder’s rocketing free-kick, which soared above a defensive wall in a Euro 2016 qualifier last October, beat an effort by Barcelona star Lionel Messi.

Inan’s last-gasp strike in Konya secured Turkey a place at the Euro 2016 in Paris.

An online survey inviting fans to choose between four goals on UEFA’s official Twitter account saw Inan’s bullet win 69 percent of the vote.

He was one of two players of Turkish interest on the list, as Ilkay Gundogan’s goal for Germany against Scotland also made the final four.

Fellow nominee Messi’s goal against Bayern Munich in a UEFA Champions League semi-final was in second place with 19 percent of the votes.

He was followed by Roma player Alessandro Florenzi, whose strike against Barcelona won nine percent of the vote. Gundogan came fourth.

ISTANBUL

Turkish footballer Selcuk Inan’s dramatic 89th-minute score against Iceland has been chosen as goal of the year on UEFA’s Twitter account.

The Galatasaray midfielder’s rocketing free-kick, which soared above a defensive wall in a Euro 2016 qualifier last October, beat an effort by Barcelona star Lionel Messi.

Inan’s last-gasp strike in Konya secured Turkey a place at the Euro 2016 in Paris.

An online survey inviting fans to choose between four goals on UEFA’s official Twitter account saw Inan’s bullet win 69 percent of the vote.

He was one of two players of Turkish interest on the list, as Ilkay Gundogan’s goal for Germany against Scotland also made the final four.

Fellow nominee Messi’s goal against Bayern Munich in a UEFA Champions League semi-final was in second place with 19 percent of the votes.

He was followed by Roma player Alessandro Florenzi, whose strike against Barcelona won nine percent of the vote. Gundogan came fourth.