Thirty-year-old Brazilian forward Everaldo — a career journeyman who spent two underwhelming years in Mexico with Querétaro — has scored one of the greatest late equalizers in the game's history.
Everaldo is now on the books with Kashima Antlers in Japan, and his side welcomed Cerezo Osaka to town on Wednesday night in J1 League action. The visitors went ahead 3-2 thanks to a goal from Brazilian winger Jean Patric, but that set the stage for his compatriot's incredible equalizer in the 89th minute.
Running onto a header in the area from teammate Yuma Suzuki, Everaldo was forced to flick the ball over a defender to maintain possession. The threat immediately appeared over with Everaldo now dragged high and wide of the goal's frame, but a hint of goalkeeper Kim Jin-hyeon off his line was the only invitation the Brazilian needed.
Everaldo executed a flawless bicycle kick to loop one back across the face of goal — over the bewitched faces of three defenders and the keeper — and in off the far post.
WHAT A GOAL! ⚽️
EVERALDO with the BICYCLE KICK of all BICYCLE KICKS for Kashima Antlers! pic.twitter.com/vedfFfyYjS— J.LEAGUE Official EN (@J_League_En) July 6, 2022
It's a one-in-a-million finish.
This goal broke our model…pic.twitter.com/wFhoXOYY7e
— The xG Philosophy (@xGPhilosophy) July 6, 2022
And a very valuable point for Kashima Antlers. They're five points back of first-place Yokohama FM after 20 matches and remain seven points clear of fifth-place Cerezo Osaka.
