It curled right into the top corner.
If it had come from Messi or Ronaldo’s boots, it would have been almost normal. It came from Dan Byrne’s head, which makes it even more horrific.
With a UEFA Champions League match that saw Puskas rival Micky van de Ven’s stunning run 67.7 meters and score a goal, it would take something out of this world to even turn that away from the headlines and highlights.
In the eleventh minute of Newcastle United’s match against Athletic Bilbao, Dan Byrne produced this unique moment.
This column explores the best moments of the beautiful game; Advocating goals and helping with aesthetic bias. Dan Byrne has now appeared twice. Ironically, the last time he appeared on this page, the writer assumed it would be the only time the hulking, bruised centre-back would appear. How wrong we were.
What makes it even more amazing is that Burn never shows up again after a bloodthirsty leap, fulfillment of a childhood dream, and a headbutt that wipes out everyone in his path. This was perhaps the most aesthetically pleasing headed goal in Champions League history, with the broadcast angle perfectly placed to amplify just how special the strike was.
Perhaps Athletic Club did not feel any danger when Bruno Guimaraes stumbled down the right wing, giving Newcastle a free kick in the tenth minute. While Eddie Howe’s team was preparing, due to the location, there was only one candidate to send the delivery.
Kieran Trippier, who has now assisted five of Bern’s nine goals, stood over the ball, fully aware of what was expected of him. A delivery with plenty of whip, sent into an area where all of Newcastle’s big men were on hand to cause Ernesto Valverde’s side plenty of problems.
There was no doubt that the hard-working Bilbao coach was looking to threaten Burn from set-pieces, but the Blyth-born defender left some scratching their heads over his starting position. Standing outside the penalty area, behind the attacking line set up by Newcastle, Byrne’s unusual position perhaps explains why Athletic striker Robert Navarro was tasked with marking him.
As Trippier advanced, Byrne pretended to go inside, before turning away from the crowd of Newcastle and Athletic players. He was helped by teammates Joelinton and Malik Thiaw, who served like NFL blockers, occupying the Athletic’s best defenders and leaving plenty of space for Byrne to run outside, towards the back post.
The pass also played a significant role in achieving the goal, as it witnessed a lot of speed and shooting. Byrne had the space, he had the delivery, all he needed was the right connection. Byrne bent down slightly to meet the ball, and didn’t aim straight at the top corner – there was a lot of distance, and it could have been deflected further. With almost precision, the 6’7″ defender headed the ball over, curled it just wide of the post, and watched confidently into the net as the ball curled in a graceful arc before settling into the top corner. Berne now has more Champions League goals in his career than Alexander Isak.
St James’ Park erupted into complete pandemonium, as fans of the art of headers witnessed Alan Shearer ripping them off multiple times. Nothing like this, though. Shearer himself jumped to his feet to applause in the director’s box, realizing he had witnessed one of the best headers ever.
Speaking to TNT Sports after the match, a humble Byrne downplayed his effort, saying, “I had been on the verge of scoring a goal for a while, and the ball came, and I decided I was going to head it as hard as I could, and fortunately it went into the far corner, so I was happy with it. Sometimes that’s probably about a one in a hundred goal, just like a cup final goal, but I’ll take it. I’ve been due to score a goal for a while, so at least it was a good header.”
His manager Eddie Howe felt differently, opining that it was better than Byrne’s Carabao Cup-winning goal, saying “It was an amazing header from Dan. I would love to see how far it went. It was a neat routine, and it was a powerful header from distance. It would be difficult for him to do something as magical and memorable as a header in a cup final, but tonight’s goal was probably better from a technical standpoint.”
To score one of the best headed goals ever in the Champions League, Dan Byrne returns to the Champions League Moment of the Week on ESPN India.
Impressive run from Yamal 🤤
Dan Byrne’s long-range header 😤
Samardzic’s long-range strike 😮
Phil Foden sweeps 🎯What is your favorite goal? @Heineken || #UCLGOTD pic.twitter.com/3JZylWyNVq
– Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) November 5, 2025
