Lorenzo Insigne scored an outrageous lob for Toronto FC against the New England Revolution – and channelled Granit Xhaka with his cheeky celebration.
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Insigne scores audacious lobCelebrates by faking injuryToronto go on to win 1-0 WHAT HAPPENED?
The former Napoli star received the ball on the far side of the box after Federico Bernardeschi's shot was deflected off a defender, assessed his options, and executed a flawless chip over the Revolution's goalkeeper Heinrich Ravas. The 32-year-old seemed to pull a muscle after being mobbed by his team-mates, but soon broke out in a smile as it turned out he was just re-enacting Xhaka's famous injury celebration for Bayer Leverkusen.
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With the goal, Toronto's 916-minute scoreless streak in MLS away games – which began on June 24, 2023 – came to an end. Despite opening his goal account for the 2024 campaign, Insigne was subbed off at half-time as part of pre-planned strategy. Since the game was played on artificial turf at Gillette Stadium, coach John Herdman had previously hinted that Insigne's playing time might be restricted, but his goal did still turn out to be the winner as Toronto held out for a 1-0 triumph.
WHAT NEXT FOR INSIGNE?
The Italian will likely be a starter yet again for the Black and Reds when they take on Charlotte in their next MLS outing on Saturday, March 9. Toronto now have four points on the board from two games this season, and sit eighth in the Eastern Conference standings.