Celebrations

Lille controls its own destiny in the mission to claim the club’s first Ligue 1 title in a decade. Only six points separates Lille, the current league leaders with 73, and fourth place Lyon at 67. 

On Sunday, Lille secured an imperative 3-2 comeback victory against Lyon. Les Douges conceded twice in the opening 35 minutes but rallied back to retake the top of Ligue 1 from Paris Saint-Germain. Burak Yilmaz capped off the dramatic comeback in the 85th minute with the cheekiest of chips.

You know that feeling as a kid when you’re thoroughly enjoying something and then your little brother comes along and kills the mood? Perhaps you’re telling a great story at the dinner table and then the little rat has to make it about him.

Flamengo striker Rodrigo Muniz had a similar feeling during Saturday’s Campeonato Carioca game against Macaé. 

After Diego Forlán stepped into one back in 2002, unleashing a howitzer from nearly 25 yards out that was still rising when it flew into the corner, you could sense the relief and outpouring of ecstasy from both the Old Trafford crowd and the Uruguayan forward.

On Dec. 9, 2020, Emerson Carioca scored the goal that gave Sampaio Correa promotion to the Carioca Championship. To everyone's surprise, the player decided to celebrate it by TAKING OFF HIS CLOTHES! In front of the Maricá bench, the rival on duty that day.

Soccer is one of the very few sports that boasts competitions where small, local sides are able to face off against the best teams in the country. These matchups capture the imagination while providing a sense of hope and magic to a small group of supporters.

Domestic cups have long provided smaller clubs with the opportunity to prove their mettle by facing nationally recognized sides, and while major upsets are rare, just the slightest hope of an improbable win is enough to cause local pandemonium and stir significant interest among neutral supporters.