BERLIN - Talking points from the Bundesliga weekend.
DORTMUND WOES
Borussia Dortmund are in danger of missing the Champions League for the first time since the 2015-16 season after a 2-1 loss to Eintracht Frankfurt left them seven points off fourth place.
Cádiz and Valencia’s LaLiga match at the Estadio Ramón de Carranza was briefly halted on Sunday after Los Che defender Mouctar Diakhaby was racially abused by Cádiz’s Juan Cala.
The event took place off the ball, but video shows Diakhaby confronting Cala before being restrained by teammate Kevin Gameiro and Cádiz’s Fali. Diakhaby was booked for his actions; Cala — who was already on a yellow — wasn't punished.
NEWCASTLE - Tottenham Hotspur manager José Mourinho said they were the architects of their own downfall after failing to hold on to the lead in a 2-2 Premier League draw at Newcastle United on Sunday.
Spurs led 2-1 at the break thanks to a quick-fire double from Harry Kane but an 85th-minute equalizer from Joe Willock prevented Mourinho's side from provisionally moving up to fourth in the table.
Christian Pulisic’s latest injury setback is frustrating. It’s frustrating for Chelsea fans who want to see him recapture the form he showcased throughout “Project Restart.” It’s frustrating for USMNT fans who simply want to see him play week in, week out. And it’s supremely frustrating for Pulisic, a 22-year-old with clear leadership qualities who’s sacrificed everything in the singular pursuit of playing for one of the world's biggest clubs.
While there were no headlining matchups, the latest cycle of international qualifying across the globe provided us with some unexpected upsets — if you know where to look.
North Macedonia over Germany and Luxembourg beating the Republic of Ireland were tabbed as the biggest surprises of the international break, but there plenty more stunning results from across Europe and beyond.
These were the best of the bunch:
The offside trap is a rarity in professional soccer these days. While youth soccer in the U.S. employs this strategy all the time, it’s rarely seen at the highest level.
The last time an offside trap was used on a big stage and worked correctly was when Japan caught nearly all of Senegal’s team napping in the 2018 World Cup.
Waking up and looking at Tuesday’s schedule of international football, I couldn’t help but notice the final score of one match that had already finished out in Chiba, Japan. The Japan national team had put up two touchdowns — a fortnight of scoring — on Mongolia in World Cup qualifying.
The 14-0 win isn’t the biggest in Japan’s history (15-0 over the Philippines in 1967), nor was it the biggest defeat in 190th-ranked Mongolia’s (15-0 to Uzbekistan in 1998).
BELGRADE - A Cristiano Ronaldo goal not given in a dramatic World Cup qualifier between Serbia and Portugal would have stood if the two football associations had agreed before the game to use goal-line technology, UEFA said on Monday.
Portugal captain Ronaldo was left fuming and got booked for dissent after his stoppage-time effort in Saturday's Group A 2-2 draw at Serbia was cleared by Stefan Mitrović after the ball had crossed the line as shown by television replays.
The United States are "absolutely devastated" at missing out on qualification for the Olympic men's soccer tournament following Sunday's 2-1 defeat to Honduras, said coach Jason Kreis.
Defeat in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament means the United States will miss a third successive Games, with their last appearance coming in Beijing.