LISBON - Benfica's Primeira Liga match at Belenenses on Saturday was abandoned amid extraordinary scenes after their COVID-19-hit opponents were forced to name a team of nine players — including two goalkeepers.
Benfica took advantage of their numerical superiority to rack up seven goals by halftime before Belenenses returned with only seven players for the second period.
Deyverson, a 30-year-old forward who has played in Portugal, Germany, Spain and Brazil, may have scored the biggest goal of his career on Saturday in Montevideo, Uruguay. Deyverson pounced on a horrible miscue from the Flamengo defense to help Palmeiras lift the 2021 Copa Libertadores trophy after a 2-1 win in extra time.
I’ll admit, I love a good team goal. But there’s just something about a sweetly struck volley that cannot be beat. I mean, just look at this Thiago goal vs Porto on Wednesday.
Tuesday was a remarkable day for U.S. Soccer abroad as six different Americans started for their respective club team in the UEFA Champions League.
There’s something about snow that brings out both the beauty and the pain of this world. Few things in life are more beautiful than watching frozen water crystals fall to the Earth, transforming the landscape. Few things in life are more painful than taking a blow to the crotch in below-freezing weather, altering your entire world view. Few things in life are more beautiful than a perfectly executed bicycle kick; few things in life are more painful than a complete whiff by a goalkeeper.
Often called "The World's Game," soccer is a ubiquitous sport that is often loved for its distinct regional flavor. Brazilians love to dribble, Englishmen relish a crunching tackle and the Italians always prize their gamesmanship.
Fans from all of these countries can appreciate — in varying degrees — a fingertip save, a great dribbling move or a top-corner goal. The responses to those plays sometimes differ, but few events in a match can elicit the type of feelings that consistently follow an absurd own goal.
Disappointment followed the first Aberdeen corner of the match, as the low outswinger at the end of the first half failed to make it past the first line of Dundee United defenders. Aberdeen's Funso Ojo chased after the loose ball and attempted to play it back to the corner kick taker, but under pressure, his miscued pass went over the end line for a goal kick.
Sunday’s Intercontinental Derby between Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe featured two sides that are struggling to keep pace with the top of the Süper Lig, but it’s always a monumental occasion when the European side of Istanbul clashes with the Asian.
The scene at Galatasaray’s NEF Stadium was electric before kick-off, with players entering the pitch to one of this season’s greatest tifos. If there’s a contest going on without a reference to Squid Game these days, did a contest really even take place?
LONDON - Steven Gerrard withstood a period of intense pressure to turn fallen giants Rangers into Scottish champions again and now Aston Villa provides one of the Premier League's all-time great players with a platform to truly prove himself as a manager.
Gerrard, who spent 17 years patrolling Liverpool's midfield and scored 120 Premier League goals in 504 appearances, has been named Villa boss after the Birmingham club sacked Dean Smith on Sunday.
Christian Pulisic is back. The American featured in about 20 minutes of Chelsea’s 1-0 Champions League victory against Malmö on Tuesday.
Pulisic was included in a Chelsea lineup for the first time since the Premier League opener against Crystal Palace on Aug. 14. While he might have spent the majority of the night on the bench, it’s the most action for him since his ankle injury against Honduras in September.