Özil's goal vs Ludogorets (2016)
Mesut Özil scored Arsenal's 87th-minute winner in Ludogorets 2–3 Arsenal on 1 November 2016, a Champions League Group A match in Sofia. Mohamed Elneny played him through; he beat goalkeeper Milan Borjan and two sliding defenders and finished into the empty net. It is the goal behind the 2026 Ozil AI goal trend.
Watch the original goal
Official highlights from TNT Sports Football, formerly BT Sport, the UK broadcaster of the 2016–17 Champions League. The YouTube player loads only when you press play; this site does not host match footage.
The match and the goal, fact by fact
Every row links to the sources that support it. Where sources disagree, the note says how.
| Fact | What the sources say | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Date | 1 November 2016 | UEFA.com match report, ESPN (PA Sport) match report |
| Competition | UEFA Champions League 2016–17, Group A | UEFA.com match report, ESPN (PA Sport) match report |
| Result | PFC Ludogorets Razgrad 2–3 Arsenal (Arsenal came back from 2–0 down) | UEFA.com match report, ESPN (PA Sport) match report |
| Venue | Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria UEFA writes it as "Natsionalen stadion Vasil Levski". | ESPN (PA Sport) match report, UEFA.com match report |
| Scorers | Jonathan Cafú 12′, Claudiu Keșerü 15′ (Ludogorets); Granit Xhaka 20′, Olivier Giroud 41′, Mesut Özil 87′ (Arsenal) ESPN spells the second scorer "Keserü". | ESPN (PA Sport) match report |
| Minute of the winner | 87th minute UEFA describes it as "two minutes from time"; ESPN also writes "with three minutes remaining". | ESPN (PA Sport) match report, Sky Sports match centre |
| Assist | Mohamed Elneny played Özil through | UEFA.com match report, ESPN (PA Sport) match report |
| Goalkeeper | Milan Borjan (Ludogorets) | UEFA.com match report |
| How the keeper was beaten | Özil lifted the ball over the onrushing goalkeeper, then waited as two defenders slid past and finished into the empty net UEFA's wording differs: "lifted the ball over Svetoslav Dyakov and calmly slotted in despite the attentions of two defenders and goalkeeper Milan Borjan". ESPN says he went "round the goalkeeper and two defenders". | Rivista Undici, 18 October 2026, Trivela, ESPN (PA Sport) match report |
| Touches | Six seconds, seven touches, all with his left foot | Rivista Undici, 18 October 2026 |
| What the win meant | Arsenal reached the last 16 of the Champions League for the 17th season running | UEFA.com match report, ESPN (PA Sport) match report |
The goal, second by second
The AI trend copies this exact sequence, which is why every clip reads as the Özil goal within two seconds.
0–2 s
The keeper rushes out and the ball is lifted over him
2–4 s
The ball drops behind the keeper and bounces
4–5 s
Özil controls it on the bounce
5–11 s
Two covering defenders slide in and go past, one after the other
11–15 s
He rolls the ball into the empty net
Rivista Undici sums it up as “six seconds, seven touches, all with his left foot.” Timings above follow the 15-second vertical cut used by the trend, not the broadcast.
Who did Özil lift the ball over?
Most retellings — Rivista Undici and Brazil's Trivela among them — say Özil chipped the onrushing goalkeeper, Milan Borjan. UEFA's own match report words it differently: Özil “lifted the ball over Svetoslav Dyakov and calmly slotted in despite the attentions of two defenders and goalkeeper Milan Borjan.” ESPN's report says he went “round the goalkeeper and two defenders before slotting home.”
We list both versions instead of picking one. The UEFA match report is the official account of the move; this site does not host match footage.
Did the goal win the Puskás Award?
No. Özil's goal at Ludogorets was not one of the ten nominees for the 2017 FIFA Puskás Award, and it never won the award.
A popular explanation says the goal fell outside the eligibility window. That is only true of the 2016 award, whose window closed on 30 September 2016. Goal.com gives the 2017 window as 1 October 2016 to 2 July 2017, so the goal was eligible for 2017 and was simply not shortlisted by the expert panel. No official reason was given.
The 2017 Puskás Award went to Olivier Giroud's scorpion kick against Crystal Palace on 1 January 2017 — and Giroud also scored in the same 3–2 win at Ludogorets.
Now put yourself in this goal
Upload one photo and the AI recreates the chip, the bounce, the two sliding defenders and the empty-net finish — with you as the scorer.
Make my Ozil goalHow the goal became a meme: the 2026 Ozil AI goal trend.
Özil vs Ludogorets: questions
+Which Özil goal is the AI trend based on?
Mesut Özil's winner in Ludogorets 2–3 Arsenal, a UEFA Champions League Group A match on 1 November 2016 at the Vasil Levski National Stadium in Sofia. Mohamed Elneny played him through, he beat the goalkeeper and two defenders and finished into the empty net.
+Where can I watch the original Özil goal against Ludogorets?
The official highlights are on YouTube from TNT Sports Football, formerly BT Sport, which broadcast the 2016–17 Champions League in the UK: "Ludogorets 2-3 Arsenal | Champions League highlights" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5pW-Zu83bE). This page embeds that upload with a click-to-play player; the site itself does not host any match footage.
+What minute did Özil score against Ludogorets?
The 87th minute, according to ESPN and Sky Sports. UEFA's match report describes the goal as coming "two minutes from time", and ESPN's report also says "with three minutes remaining". The goal completed Arsenal's comeback from 2–0 down.
+Who assisted Özil's goal against Ludogorets?
Mohamed Elneny. UEFA and ESPN both credit the Egyptian midfielder with the pass that released Özil before he took the ball past the Ludogorets goalkeeper, Milan Borjan, and two covering defenders.
+Did Özil's Ludogorets goal win the Puskás Award?
No. It was not among the ten nominees for the 2017 FIFA Puskás Award. The 2017 award went to Olivier Giroud's scorpion kick against Crystal Palace on 1 January 2017 — and Giroud had also scored in the same 3–2 win at Ludogorets.
+Why wasn't the goal nominated for the Puskás?
No official reason was given. A popular claim says it fell outside the eligibility window, but that only applies to the 2016 award, whose window closed on 30 September 2016. Goal.com lists the 2017 window as 1 October 2016 to 2 July 2017, so the goal was eligible and simply not shortlisted.
+What did the win mean for Arsenal?
The 3–2 win at Ludogorets sent Arsenal into the last 16 of the Champions League for the 17th season in a row, with two group games to spare. Ludogorets had led 2–0 after 15 minutes through Jonathan Cafú and Claudiu Keșerü.
Updated