Looking back as 2014 draws to a close, it's hard to pick a favorite moment in soccer.
After all, this year's World Cup alone held enough drama to make it hard to choose a single moment that stands out from the rest - from Robin van Persie's incredible diving header in the group stage, to Mexico's heartbreaking defeat in the round of 16, to Tim Howard's epic performance with 16 saves in goal versus Belgium, to Germany's dominant performance versus a shell-shocked host nation of Brazil.
However, for all the fireworks of the aforementioned moments, perhaps our favorite moment of the year comes from a run-of-the-mill match in the Swiss Super League between FC Aarau and FC Zurich. The moment stand out to us for both obvious and more subtle reasons; obvious in its display of sheer determination and acrobatics as FC Aarau goalkeeper Joël Mall first saves a penalty, then a rebounding second attempt, and then - as if that weren't enough - defender Igor N'Ganga comes flying out of nowhere to save a near own-goal with a picture perfect bicycle kick; subtle in the amazing portrait of teamwork that arises as the drama unfolds and practically FC Aarau's entire side gets involved in keeping the ball out of the back of the net, clearing it down the field and out of harm's way.
To us, this is team sport at its finest: the joining of a group of talented individuals into a single unit that lives, breathes, dies and wins together. And for that, we can't help but say that it is perhaps the finest moment in soccer to unfold in the past year.
If you thought this video was awesome, check out some of these other amazing moments below:
Must-See Bicycle Kick Could Be One Of The Best Of All-Time
Goalkeeper Says: Who Needs Hands With Moves Like This?
Goalie Scores Scorpion Kick Equalizer
The18 Recommends For You
