Petr Cech has said Mesut Ozil’s volley reminded him of Zinedine Zidane’s legendary goal in the 2002 Champions League final.

Ozil’s volley was the only goal in Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Newcastle on Saturday. The technique to connect with the ball and guide it into the corner despite moving backwards was superb.

Petr Cech was so impressed by it that he compared it to Zinedine Zidane’s volley for Real Madrid in the 2002 Champions League final against Bayer Leverkusen.

“It was a fantastic goal,” he told Arsenal.com.
“It made me think of the Zidane goal in the Champions League final in Glasgow against Leverkusen. The ball went the other way but the technique was a moment of brilliance which literally won the game.
“He had a fantastic game, the whole game, he was actually brilliant.” Ozil had a sluggish start to the season, but in recent weeks he’s shown signs that he’s back to his best form.
While many speculated that Ozil simply didn’t care enough and was going through the motions until his contract expired, Cech believes it was a simple case of fatigue catching up with him.
“I think sometimes people forget that when you play for a top national team then you play every week, play every summer, have a short break and you carry on, carry on, carry on.
“I think the first few months of the season the fatigue caught up with him. You could see he was as not as sharp as he is now which I think he benefits from.”

The 29-year-old did have the summer off as he wasn’t required for Germany’s Confederations Cup squad, but it is true that he looks a lot sharper than he was at the start of the season.

Unfortunately, Ozil’s fine performances have come during a time his fellow attackers have forgotten how to put the ball in the back of the net.

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With any luck, he’ll continue his fine form against Liverpool on Friday.

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