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Ozil Goal vs Ludogorets (2016): The Chip, the Slides, the Tap-In

The story of Mesut Özil’s famous solo goal vs Ludogorets in the 2016 Champions League, why it went viral again on TikTok, and where to watch it.

The match

On 1 November 2016, Arsenal played Ludogorets Razgrad in Sofia in the Champions League group stage. The Bulgarian champions went 2-0 up inside the first quarter of an hour. Arsenal pulled level before half-time, and with the game heading for a draw, Mesut Özil scored one of the best solo goals of his career to win it 3-2 and send Arsenal into the last 16.

The goal, beat by beat

The goal is famous because it looks almost lazy. It has four beats, and they are exactly what the TikTok trend copies:

  1. The run. Özil runs onto a ball played over the top and is clean through on goal.
  2. The chip. Goalkeeper Milan Borjan rushes off his line. Özil lifts the ball over him without breaking stride.
  3. The slides. Two Ludogorets defenders sprint back and get between Özil and the goal. Instead of shooting, he waits, shifts the ball, and both defenders slide past him.
  4. The tap-in. With the goal empty and nobody left to beat, he calmly rolls the ball into the net.

Most players would have smashed the shot the moment the keeper was beaten. Özil turned it into a little show, and that calmness is the whole joke of the trend.

In October 2026 the clip came back on TikTok as an AI trend. People recreate the goal with themselves, a friend, a dog or even a Minecraft villager as the scorer. The beats stay the same (chip, two missed slide tackles, cheeky finish) and only the player changes.

Where to watch the original goal

We don’t host or embed the match footage: it belongs to the broadcaster and the competition. You can watch the official highlights on YouTube:

Make your own Ozil goal

Ozil AI makes the trend from one photo. The AI redraws our own re-enactment of the goal, made with invented players in plain kits, so your video contains no match footage, no club badges and no competition branding. You get a 15-second vertical clip of you (or your pet) doing the run, the chip, the two missed slides and the tap-in.

Ozil AI is not affiliated with Mesut Özil, Arsenal FC, PFC Ludogorets Razgrad or UEFA.

Score the Ozil goal yourself

Upload one full-body photo of you. About 4 minutes, from $4.99.

Make my Ozil goal video