Highlights

The Africa Cup of Nations is usually full of surprises, and the 2017 edition of the tournament has been no different. We’ve already seen the hosts, Gabon, eliminated, tournament favorites Algeria sent packing and defending champions the Ivory Coast knocked out during group play.

The Ivory Coast, which featured the talents of Salomon Kalou, Wilfried Zaha, Wilfried Bony, Max Gradel, Serge Aurier and Eric Bailly, were ultimately punished for a slow start to their AFCON tournament on Tuesday.

Zimbabwe were eliminated from the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations on Monday after losing to Tunisia in their final group match, 4-2. The Warriors, who were making only their third AFCON appearance and first since 2006, are largely reliant on striker Knowledge Musona, considered to be one of the finest footballers Zimbabwe has ever produced. 

One of the few players on the team to play abroad, Musona plays for K.V. Oostende in the Belgian first division, the striker gave Zimbabwean’s a lasting memory by scoring one of the best goals of the tournament.

Martin Odegaard made his debut for Heerenveen on January 14 by coming on as a last-minute substitute in his side’s 2-0 victory over ADO Den Haag. On Sunday, he was given an extended runout against PSV Eindhoven in a match featuring two clubs near the top of the Dutch Eredivisie. 

DeAndre Yedlin put in his best performance of the season on Saturday as Newcastle United thrashed Rotherham to go top of the EFL Championship. Yedlin registered two assists in the 4-0 victory, and he’s fast becoming a consistent game changer on the right-hand side of defense for the Magpies.

In the opening episode of the newest, most extravagant HBO television series, The Young Pope, the decidedly Neapolitan Cardinal Angelo Voiello, anticipating his upcoming meeting with the Holy See, lays out on a desk his three smartphones. Each is emblazoned with a slightly different cover. The Naples Trinity, Voiello calls them: the attacking trident which set Serie A on fire. Marek Hamsik, Lorenzo Insigne and Gonzalo Higuain. 

Barcelona closed the gap on Real Madrid to two points, although Real still have a game in hand, following their 4-0 victory over Eibar on Sunday. Denis Suarez opened the scoring before goals from the attacking trio of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar finished the contest.

Sunday’s Premier League encounter between Arsenal and Burnley at the Emirates featured damn near everything. With Liverpool, Tottenham, Manchester City and Manchester United all failing to win on Saturday, it was up to the Gunners to keep the pressure on league leaders Chelsea.

PSV Eindhoven stayed within touching distance of Feyenoord and Ajax at the top of the Dutch Eredivisie table thanks to a last-gasp winner from Mexican center back Hector Moreno. Just days after celebrating his 29th birthday, Moreno scored with his knee in the 90th minute to give PSV a 4-3 victory over Heerenveen.

Hector Moreno Goal vs Heerenveen (4-3) - https://t.co/R0x8TKXOYU via @DailymotionUSA

The Bundesliga returned from its winter break on Friday, and Bayern Munich defeated Freiburg after Robert Lewandowski blatantly cheated to score in the 91st minute. 

He trapped the ball with his chest, which wasn’t fair, juggled it, which was a clear foul, and rolled a shot in off the post, which should earn him a lifetime ban. Poor Freiburg, they didn’t deserve to lose, not like this.

How did he do that?

At every major international tournament, there’s always a player that does something so sensational that he finds himself the subject of a massive transfer. This goal from Piqueti of Guinea-Bissau may be the example of that at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.

This is Guinea-Bissau’s first-ever appearance at the African finals, so next to nothing was expected of the side from West Africa. However, they opened the tournament with a shocking 1-1 draw against the hosts, Gabon. In their next match against heavily favored Cameroon, they took an unexpected 1-0 lead through Piqueti.