The Run of Play is a blog about
the wonder and terror of soccer.

We left the window open during a match in October 2007 and a strange wind blew into the room.

Now we walk the forgotten byways of football with a lonely tread, searching for the beautiful, the bewildering, the haunting, and the absurd.

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Arjen Robben Splits Villarreal Like the Atom

Here’s Arjen Robben scoring against Villarreal earlier today. Madrid looked a little creaky overall, but if Juande Ramos can keep Robben healthy enough to do this on a regular basis, he may deserve a contract extension.

The lateral drag of his run here is just beautiful. Or, as the announcer in the clip puts it, OHHH! OH, lo lo lo lo lo, OH, lo lo lo lo.