Football
Ian Holyman, France correspondent 7y

Lyon's Memphis Depay on goal from halfway line: 'I'm not David Beckham'

Memphis Depay said he had scored the "goal of his life" after striking from near the halfway line in Lyon's win over Toulouse on Sunday.

With Lyon 3-0 ahead and eight minutes remaining, Depay span away from a challenge and lofted a sublime shot over goalkeeper Alban Lafont from just inside the Toulouse half.

L'Equipe calculated that the former Manchester United man had been 46 metres from goal when he hit his shot.

"It was the goal of my life," Depay, who joined during the January transfer window, said.

"I think it's amazing for me to have scored a goal like that. I had tried it a couple of years ago. I hit the crossbar then, and now I'm lucky it went in."

Depay said he had noticed during the first half of the game that keeper Lafont had a tendency to venture a long way off his line.

He added: "I kept it in the back of my head that he's in front of his goal all the time.

"We put on pressure, I looked at him, and as soon as we won the ball I knew where he was, so all I had to do was turn and just do it -- don't think, just shoot.

"I didn't even see the ball go in, just everyone go up in the stands and go crazy."

Depay's brilliant effort drew praise from Wayne Rooney, who tweeted: "Great goal mate," while Lyon forward Maxwel Cornet compared it to David Beckham's famous goal against Wimbledon in 1996.

"He was incredible -- he scored an incredible goal," said Cornet, who also struck in a win that strengthens Lyon's hold on fourth place in Ligue 1.

"I made fun of him by calling him David Beckham, because it was almost the same goal."

But Depay said: "I'm not David Beckham. I don't compare myself to such a legend."

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