We should be used to this by now, but for some reason it still comes as a surprise.
Another big match involving Jose Mourinho became all about the Portuguese manager, despite an enthralling Chelsea-Manchester United match in the first 96 minutes on Saturday at Stamford Bridge.
Despite only being appointed manager of AS Monaco on Saturday, Thierry Henry has had to approach his first head coaching job like one of his trademark goals from the left wing: with remarkable speed. The traditional Ligue 1 power sits in 18th place after nine matches, and Saturday’s trip to Strasbourg represents a massive opportunity to begin the climb out of the relegation places.
D.C. United’s unlikely push for an Eastern Conference MLS Playoff place — inspired by the arrival of Wayne Rooney — continued apace tonight with a match against reigning champs Toronto FC (although the Reds have already been eliminated from playoff contention).
In the 18th minute, United took the lead thanks to Rooney’s monster free kick from long-range. It was the Englishman’s 10th goal in 18 MLS appearances this season to go along with six assists.
Wayne. Freaking. Rooney.
It is no secret that Roman Abramovich is a wealthy man — he’s got more yachts and aircraft than most people have pairs of jeans. The Russian oligarch single-handedly turned around Chelsea’s fortunes when he bought the club in 2003, in effect forever changing British football.
Last night in Dublin, Wales defeated the Republic of Ireland 1-0 thanks to Harry Wilson’s stunning free kick in the 58th minute. The win put the Dragons at the top of UEFA Nations League B Group 4, and a victory over Denmark in Cardiff on Nov. 16 would see the nation promoted to League A — an achievement that would make Ryan Giggs’ early tenure as boss a resounding success.
On Tuesday, Oct. 23, Cristiano Ronaldo will return to Old Trafford for only the second time since making his 2009 then-world-record-transfer of nearly $110 million to the Santiago Bernabéu.
Ronaldo has played against Manchester United in three competitive matches over the following period — the 2012-13 Champions League Round of 16 and a brief, seven-minute cameo during the 2017 UEFA Super Cup in Macedonia.