World Cup wonder goals: Chavez’s fantastic free-kick

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We’re counting down to the FIFA World Cup 2026™ by showcasing a golazo from the global finals each day.

Luis Chavez

Saudi Arabia v Mexico Qatar 2022 | Group C Lusail Stadium, Al Daayen

It sounds ludicrous. It’s legitimate. A curler was the most powerfully struck goal of Qatar 2022’s group stage. It was courtesy of Luis Chavez’s left boot. He whizzed the adidas Al Rihla into the top corner of Mohammed Al Owais’s net at an average speed of 121.69 km/h. Next came Ristu Doan’s dynamic drive for Japan against Spain (120.04 km/h), Niclas Fullkrug’s smash for Germany against Spain (118 km/h), Cristiano Ronaldo’s potent penalty for Portugal against Ghana (117.39 km/h), and Marcus Rashford’s free-kick for England against Wales (115.63 km/h). Chavez’s beastly beauty wasn’t enough to save Mexico. Despite banking them a 2-1 win, El Tri failed to reach the knockout phase for an eighth time in succession due to an inferior goal difference to Poland. The Jaliscan midfielder’s strike nevertheless finished second on the most powerfully struck goals of the tournament behind Kylian Mbappe’s venomous volley for France against Argentina in the final (123.34 km/h).