Carroll goal was as good as Ibra's
Zlatan Ibrahimovic's stunning volley against France has been singled out as the goal of Euro 2012 so far by many - but one ex-international striker insists Andy Carroll's towering header for England against Sweden was just as good.
Former Republic of Ireland forward Niall Quinn knows Ibrahimovic's acrobatic volley against Les Bleus, which saw the AC Milan striker connect with a driven cross mid-air, was a superb piece of skill.
But he believes Carroll out-leaping the Swedish defence and powering a Steven Gerrard cross past Andreas Isaksson from 13 yards out demonstrated as much technique and talent as any other strike this tournament.
He wrote in The Telegraph: "When Carroll scored that header against Sweden, I was delighted. For me, that was as good a goal as we have seen at this tournament. People talk about Zlatan Ibrahimovic's swivel volley against France, but Carroll's was every bit as difficult.
"Heading the ball like that, with that amount of power when you are so far off the ground, is a skill as hard as any other to master. Andy does it as well as anyone."
Quinn, who scored 141 league goals during spells with Arsenal, Manchester City and Sunderland throughout a career that lasted from 1983 to 2002, sees similarities between Carroll and himself as a young centre-forward.
"When I started at Arsenal I was young and I came into a side used to players who were pleasing on the eye," wrote Quinn. "And there I was, this 6 ft 5 inch forward with long hair - not quite as long as Andy's mind - and they couldn't see what purpose I served.
"I didn't know what my game was back then. I tried to do things I shouldn't and exposed my limitations. My weaknesses were all people talked about, rather than my strengths. People should start looking at the things Andy can do and others can't.
"Could another player at the Euros have scored that goal? He has to look at what he did; he attacked the cross, he ran in from the back post, lost his marker and once he did that, he was unstoppable.
"Even the mighty Barcelona, with all their amazing players, could not break Chelsea in the Champions League. Chelsea let them have the ball out wide because they didn't have anyone like Carroll to get to crosses. We're still needed and Andy is proof of that.
"I went to see Jack Charlton the other day and before I'd even sat down in my chair he was reminding me that when he first got hold of me I was someone who ran around like a headless chicken and thought I was a footballer.
"What he told me to do was go to the back post and start attacking headers from there. I tell people now I played my best football in my thirties when I knew how to play to my strengths and Andy has oceans of time left to get to the very top."
Reports indicate England manager Roy Hodgson will persevere with the front two he deployed in England's previous encounter against Ukraine, when he reveals who will face Italy in tonight's quarter-final.
That would mean Carroll misses out on a place in the starting line-up but Quinn insists it shouldn't be an issue as Carroll can still have a huge part to play coming off the bench.
"Now Wayne Rooney is back [Danny Welbeck and Carroll] are competing with each other to start [against Italy], but they've made their mark on this tournament and will look back on Euro 2012 as a pivotal moment.
"It's a great dilemma for Roy Hodgson to have. A problem for a manager is a loss of form with his strikers or injuries, sometimes even both.
"What Roy has to decide is whether he goes for the pace and athleticism of Welbeck or the strength and power of Carroll against Italy. Whoever gets the nod, and it looks like it will be Welbeck, the other one will be waiting on the sidelines, desperate to get on and change the game.
"That isn't a problem, that's a real strength of England. Carroll could still be the match winner. Other teams do not have a weapon like him and if Roy wants to change the style of the game, he will have the perfect player to do it with."