A stat crossed my timeline the other day showing that Lionel Messi has 35 goals from direct free kicks for Barcelona over the last decade. That in and of itself is impressive, but perhaps even more extraordinary is the fact that Messi's free kick total is higher than any other club in Europe's top five leagues during that span.
This Messi stat is insane pic.twitter.com/RZpCyf5tXl
Zlatan Ibrahimovic might leave AC Milan's next penalty to team mate Franck Kessie, he said after missing his third spot kick of the season in their 2-2 draw with Verona on Sunday.
The 39-year-old later scored Milan's equalizer in stoppage time but not even that could diminish his frustration.
ZLATAN SKIES THE PENALTY pic.twitter.com/vWbOXGIEPR
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) November 8, 2020
Lazio substitute Felipe Caicedo scored in stoppage-time for the second week running to earn his side a 1-1 draw at home to Juventus in Serie A on Sunday after Cristiano Ronaldo had given the champions a first-half lead.
The Ecuadorean, who grabbed a 98th-minute winner at Torino last weekend and notched a late equalizer in Wednesday's 1-1 draw at Zenit, leveled in the 94th minute to end Juve's resistance after Lazio had dominated the second half.
Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo scored three minutes into his return following a COVID-19 infection and then added a penalty to help the Serie A champions to get a 4-1 win at Spezia on Sunday.
The 35-year-old, out of action for nearly three weeks after testing positive for the virus, came on in the 56th minute and almost immediately put Juventus 2-1 ahead. Adrien Rabiot added a third before Ronaldo scored with a Panenka-style penalty in the 76th minute to complete their win.
"SIIIIIIIUUUU"
The irrepressible Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored an acrobatic late goal, taking his league tally to seven this season, to give Serie A leaders AC Milan a hard-fought 2-1 win at Udinese on Sunday.
Ibrahimovic, with his back to goal, hooked the ball into the net with an overhead kick in the 83rd minute despite not making proper contact after Sebastien De Maio had sliced an attempted clearance high into the air from Ante Rebic's cross.
Juventus and Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo has recovered from a COVID-19 infection, the Serie A club said on Friday.
. @Cristiano recovers from Covid-19https://t.co/4etecyAw0O pic.twitter.com/YPZSm0My8A
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) October 30, 2020
It’s been a dream start to the campaign for Napoli after a disappointing seventh-place finish last season (apart from the ludicrous fallout of the abandoned Juventus match), and a key to the club’s revival has been the renaissance of Hirving “Chucky” Lozano.
AC Milan and AS Roma drew 3-3 at the San Siro on Monday in a ridiculous match that included a brace for Zlatan Ibrahimović and a late Marash Kumbulla equalizer that only arrived after the 39-year-old Swede failed to clear a corner.
109 seconds into the match, Ibrahimović turned Rafael Leão’s beautiful cross beyond Antonio Mirante for an early lead.
Rafael Leão to Zlatan Ibrahimovic!
Ibra is now joint-top scorer in Serie A pic.twitter.com/FwzDaB7VmJ
Juventus should not require a slap to wake up even if the atmosphere at grounds is soporific, coach Andrea Pirlo said after the Serie A champions stumbled to a 1-1 draw against Verona on Sunday.
Pirlo said he could understand players might be influenced by appearing in near-empty stadiums during the COVID-19 pandemic but added that it was something they would have to adapt to.
Lorenzo Insigne and his younger brother Roberto scored for opposing sides on Sunday as Napoli came from behind to win 2-1 away to promoted Benevento in Serie A.
Roberto Insigne, the younger of the two, stunned Napoli by scoring his first Serie A goal at the age of 26 before Lorenzo leveled on the hour and substitute Andrea Petagna won the game for the visitors who moved into second place.