‘Absolute beauty’ – Reading’s Sam Smith wows with a sublime goal against his former club Cambridge on New Year’s Day.
A brace from Harvey Knibbs before a special effort from Sam Smith effort sealed all three points to make it three wins on the bounce.
It was Smith’s goal that got everyone talking, With ten minutes to go, a long ball forward from Lewis Wing found Smith running away from goal.
On the bounce, Smith then struck the ball, looping it over the keeper and into the net, with it leading to huge celebrations on the pitch and in the dugout.
The result means that Reading are 5th in League One with 40 points from 23 games played, while Cambridge are 23rd with 17 points from 23 games played, and 5 points from safety.
“That’s BEAUTIFUL!”
Sam Smith, wow 👏 pic.twitter.com/ecT40rbaoP
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) January 1, 2025
Reading boss Noel Hunt said post-match, per the club website: “Getting back-to-back here is really important for us. And to be fair, we were prepared for the game.
“They’re a very good side, and have an experienced team. We thought that they would try to bully us if we let them, but we were up for the fight, and I thought the boys were outstanding.
“We’re fit. We’re fit and strong. We’ve done so much good work over the last six or seven months, and the boys came in. We got stronger towards the end of the game. We had to stand and defend for it at times, but we managed the game well, and we could’ve caught them on the counter a couple of times as well.
“It’s important these boys know how strong they are, the mentality of the group. It’s great.
“We’ve got to keep instilling that belief, and the characters we have in this squad see us through. Today’s performance was excellent—we blocked a lot of shots from distance, stopped crosses, and dealt with transitions effectively.
“The team talk at half-time didn’t change much. We showed them a few things on the screen—how they shaped up in certain moments and how we could play out and around them.
“But then when they went back out, it was about playing feet-to-feet and getting the decision-making right at the right times. The boys were brilliant in that regard.
“The supporters mean so much to the players. Honestly, a stadium like this gives the boys that extra lift. It makes it so hard for oppositions to come here, and you feed off their energy.
“I know that too well myself from years past, but it really does count. They really do matter for us.
“They’re a special part of this football club, and everyone matters. Everyone is so important for this football club right now. We’re sticking together, we’re pushing through, and hopefully, we can look forward to a good 2025.”
Noel Hunt on Sam Smith’s wonderful volley: “He deserved the goal today, and I said to him he would get one with his work rate, that something would fall for him, and he would score. From the minute he hit it, it looked sweet, and we knew it was in.”
Cambridge head coach Garry Monk said, per Cambridge Independent: “It’s disappointing in terms of the result but I thought the performance was where it needed to be.
“That was a brutal result to receive considering everything we put into the game and the way that we went about it.
“It was crucial moments in both boxes. We had so many good periods in the game and we were on top of them, in around their penalty box but we couldn’t get the ball in enough.
“They relied on moments, they had a few of them and that was the difference. It was about both boxes.
“It was a brutal result in terms of what we put into that game. Normally we’d be stood here saying how proud we were of that performance, everything that went into it and the quality that we showed. It was a tough result to take.
“It’s moments that have hurt us. We haven’t shown enough quality in those moments but in terms of effort and endeavour and being up for the fight, we’ve shown that across the majority of the season.
“That’s what we’re going to try to keep hold of and continue, but it’s difficult when you put that much into a game and come away with nothing.
“It’s difficult, that’s human nature, but we’ll dust ourselves down and get ready for the next game.”
Here’s how fans reacted as Reading’s Sam Smith wows with a sublime goal against his former club Cambridge…
@BerkshireBoys_: Your defence is terrified Sam Smiths on 🔥 #readingfc
@ptragedan: Certainly is beautiful. 💙🤍💙🤍 @ReadingFC #readingfc
@aabiscuit: Marco Sam Basten at the Abbey again I see
@davemc_exile: Just wow #readingfc
@dan_green_: Sam Smith again olay olay olay 🎶 #ReadingFC
@OllyURZ: Oh Smithy …. What’s Occurin’
@JamesAshfield95: Sensational 🔥 #readingfc
@BelfastBiscuit: Currently watching on loop. #ReadingFC
@Nozzzaaaa: Bloody BRILLIANT @samtsmith_ 🤩🤩🤩 #ReadingFC
@_JackRFC_: Corrrr 😍
@Brisingrthrone: Gotta be one of the best goals I’ve seen this season, if not the best ..
@mightyroyals: @samtsmith_ such a sexy beast
@Joshhhalll: On fire, some would say🔥 #ReadingFC
@Dubstep1988: Marco Sam Basten. #readingfc
@WillPittRFC: Sam Smith’s on fire 🔥
@benjxyy: Unreal strike
@nedeye: What a ball and finish
@ollie_rfc: One of the best goals i’ve seen us score. What a hit and Left footed to :). The pass from Wing 😍
@ThisIsLimpus: Oh my lord take a bow Smith! 😳 #readingfc
@Callun_12: Better than Windass goal
@ElmParkRoyals: What a strike, fantastic goal. This guy 😍
@TalkReading: Sam Smith has just won the Puskás Award on January 1st. #readingfc
@southbank76: Take a bow son, take a bow..⚽️💥 #ReadingFC
That Sam Smith goal #ReadingFC pic.twitter.com/ESY6pk1lra
— JB (@JoshSB91) January 1, 2025
— Royal Kingsley (@Kingsley_Royal) January 1, 2025
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