French Clubs

AS Monaco midfielder Aleksandr Golovin almost scored the fastest substitute goal that the sport of soccer has ever seen.

During Wednesday’s Ligue 1 match between Monaco and Lorient, Golovin was substituted onto the field in the 64th minute with the score tied a 1-1. It was the Russian’s first appearance for Monaco since Aug. 30 after suffering a severe hamstring injury. He would score in the 64th minute.

It took Golovin all of 10 SECONDS to find the back of the net and give Monaco the lead. Talk about instant impact.

Kylian Mbappé and LeBron James caused a stir on the internet Tuesday when the two sports superstars suddenly swapped profile pictures on Instagram. 

For a moment, fans speculated if the changing of pictures was foreshadowing an Mbappé transfer to Liverpool as James is part of the Reds’ ownership group. ESPN FC stirred the pot a little more by repeating the rumor on Twitter.

It was an ordinary Saturday for Neymar. The Brazilian superstar was likely in the midst of a killer hangover after his wild “Neymarpalooza” New Year’s Eve bash. All was normal when suddenly a cold shiver ran down his spine. Something was horribly awry.

In the 79th-minute of Sunday’s top-of-the-table clash between Lille and Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1, a PSG corner kick quickly transitioned into a Lille counterattack going the other way. Faced with a four-on-one, center back Presnel Kimpembe produced one of the most spectacular tackles you’ll ever see.

After drifting toward Timothy Weah on the ball, Kimpembe quickly reacted to his pass inside, read Burak Yılmaz’s intention and acrobatically put an end to his run on the stretch — Kimpembe obliterated him with the toes of his left foot. 

No one can argue that 2020 has been an awful year that we all want to put behind us. But before we look ahead 2021, we have to take a minute to appreciate how sports have provided something resembling normality in recent months.

Considering the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been incredibly lucky to have soccer leagues playing regularly since June.