Brazil's Leah vs. Stoke City's Rory "The Delapidator" Delap
[digg=http://digg.com/soccer/Brazil_s_Leah_vs_Stoke_City_s_Rory_The_Delapidator_Delap]The throw-in is an essential yet unglamorous part of footie. However, this year we’ve seen it turn into a work of art when done well courtesy of Brazilian Under-20 World Cup player Leah and Stoke City’s Rory Rory “The Delapidator” Delap. Leah’s unorthodox gynmastics-inspired throw-in contributed to one of Brazil’s goals at the U-20 World Cup this weekend.
Here’s a feature on Leah (also known as Leah Lynn Gabriela Fortune from the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, USA) and her tumbling throw-in from Brazilian TV. It’s in Portugese but for the most part you can figure out what they’re talking about.
Meanwhile, the Delapidator has been terrorizing English Premiership defences with his patented long throw-in. Some have called them undefendable. So far, Delap’s throw-ins to opposition penalty boxes have resulted in the following goals:
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Scorer | Result | Competition | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 August 2008 | Britannia Stadium | Aston Villa | 3-2 | Sidibe (90′) | 3-2 | Premier League | |
| 2 | 14 September 2008 | Britannia Stadium | Everton | 1-2 | Olofinjana (54′) | 2-3 | Premier League | |
| 3 | 14 September 2008 | Britannia Stadium | Everton | 2-2 | Jagielka (63′ OG) | 2-3 | Premier League | |
| 4 | 30 October 2008 | Britannia Stadium | Sunderland | 1-0 | Fuller (73′) | 1-0 | Premier League | |
| 5 | 1 November 2008 | Britannia Stadium | Arsenal | 1-0 | Fuller (11′) | 2-1 | Premier League | |
| 6 | 1 November 2008 | Britannia Stadium | Arsenal | 2-0 | Olofinjana (73′) | 2-1 | Premier League |
Here’s an in depth analysis of the man and his method. It just may lead to newly-promoted Stoke City’s survival in the EPL during the 2008/09 season.
