The story behind iconic Papiss Cisse goal that gave him 'a passport' around the world
Papiss Cisse admits that it felt like time stood still at Stamford Bridge when he connected with the ball just before scoring what is arguably Newcastle United's greatest-ever Premier League goal.
Having nonchalantly teed himself up and fired beyond one of the world's greatest goalkeepers Petr Cech in the first-half, Cisse would soon after go on to score a goal that would be talked about around the world for weeks and months - and still is to this day. For this was a strike that defied physics, gravity and football in general.
After Ryan Taylor had tossed the ball down the line, it looked simply like a Shola Ameobi lay off to Cisse in front of the Shed End. The number 9 tells us that even he wondered if Ameobi might simply take the ball down the line to tick down the seconds.
READ MORE:Newcastle United team sheet hint dropped with Harvey Barnes pushing for return
READ MORE:Newcastle United have their fresh January transfer priority regardless of Callum Wilson's fitness
Instead, Ameobi sensed something different and chested the ball into Cisse's path. But nobody, not even Cisse, could have predicted what would happen next.
As a thumping half-volley swerved and fizzed through the spring air before looping over Cech and crashing into the corner the realisation set in that Cisse had scored one of the greatest ever goals in top-flight history. Even Chelsea fans stood up and applauded, Alan Pardew was in disbelief and the great Didier Drogba sprinted up to Cisse to share a stunned acknowledgement!
As Newcastle head to Stamford Bridge on the back of an open play goal drought, they could do with a sprinkling of magic like this. Discussing his famous strike, Cisse told Chronicle Live: "The goal against Chelsea is something that I always talk about. But for me, it is amazing that so many people understand why it is so important.
"The moment, the day, the opponent, the stadium, all the big players all around this game, everything, it is perfect. Chelsea had so many big names and big players to score a goal like this in that stadium is amazing. The goal has everybody talking about it still.
"I always say now this goal is my passport to around the world. I can fly anywhere in this goal! Everywhere I go: China, Turkey, wherever, they always say: 'Are you the guy who scored that goal at Chelsea?' Yeah, I always say: 'It's a bit of me'."
Chelsea were just 17 days away from being crowned champions of Europe when Alan Pardew's team defeated them 2-0 in their own backyard. Newcastle have never won there since but Cisse recalled what Pardew said at half-time.
The former number 9 said: "When I scored the first one, we went back to the dressing room at half-time and the first thing I heard from the gaffer Alan Pardew was: 'I don't want to lose this game and I don't want to draw either'. In the second half, we sat back and played counter attack. We kept the ball well and kept defending very well."
When asked what was going through his mind, Cisse paused and then reflected: "We stayed together as a team and the delivery came to me from Shola Ameobi for the goal. The only thing in my mind was to hit with the outside of my foot, it was able to take it.
"At the very moment, I did not know if I could pull it off but I shot at goal in that area. But then it became this amazing goal, against an amazing team and an amazing goalkeeper. This goal I can never forget. Ryan Taylor threw the ball, Shola was down the line and told me to step back.
"For me, I wondered if he was going to hold on to the ball and keep it. But when the ball dropped down he chested it to me, and I attacked it. Then the striker's instinct comes in. I am so lucky this happened to me.
"It was instinct. This sort of thing is what a striker does: think quickly. That's what we do. In my mind, it was take it, and shoot, if it's not a goal, we'd have dropped back. When I shot, I just looked and went: 'Oh it's going to be a goal!' By the end of that happening, everybody was happy."
Cisse also chuckles when he recalls the moment Drogba came up to him and pretty much questioned his audacity to score such a wonderful strike at the home of the Blues. Cisse told me: "Didier Drogba came running to me and said: 'Where do you come from? 'Where do you come from!?'
"I turned around to him and said: 'Ask your agent!' To be fair his uncle was his agent and knew me and exactly where I was from and what I was about. I was just proud to score that special goal in a black and white shirt."
Cisse's second strike was so good it overshadowed the beauty and quality of a sublime opener. Jonas Gutierrez had played in Davide Santon before the Italian fed him the ball on the edge of the box. The former Bundesliga striker teed himself up before firing past Cech.
"I loved the first one too. It was a goal for a proper striker," Cisse added. "Jonas played the ball and he dropped it to Santon, he drove it to the line, and we all ran to the goal. The feeling was Davide Santon was late.
"Then the pass was on, I made one small step, between the defender, and when he sent the ball I knew if controlled it right, the defender couldn't come towards me. It was then control and shoot. It is the striker's job."
The result breathed new life into Newcastle's Champions League challenge but by the end of a season to remember they had to settle for fifth place and a Europa League place. Cisse admits the team deserved to achieve more before being badly disrupted by a lack of depth in the 2012/13 season.
In fact, Cisse admits that Newcastle could have easily been relegated as the games and injuries caught up with the Magpies and they needed to beat Queens Park Rangers in the penultimate game to stay up.
The Senegal international said: "We had an amazing team. We had Coloccini and Steven Taylor at the back, Jonas, Cheick Tiote and Yohan Cabaye. Even Perchy (James Perch) he could play anywhere him! Left-back, right-back or midfield, honestly that team was an amazing team.
"But we then had a problem, when we got into the Europa League we didn't have enough players and then the Premier League and cup games was a lot for us. A lot of players got injuries and we nearly got relegated! I scored a couple of last minute goals against Fulham and Stoke to help keep us up.
"I jumped into the Gallowgate End. Newcastle is in my heart. St James' Park is in my heart. I am still so happy to have been part of Newcastle United."
Don't miss part two of Papiss Cisse's exclusive chat with Lee Ryder over the weekend as he talks about his best moments at Newcastle and the incidents that broke his heart.