Celso Borges might have pulled off one of the filthiest nutmeg sequences of the year. Yes, I'm aware we're in January.
The 34-year-old central midfielder is one of Costa Rica’s all-time greats (playing a vital part in the Ticos’ 2014 World Cup run) and to this day, he keeps showing us why he’s regarded as such, even in a charity match.
If you've played indoor soccer before, you've undoubtedly been left mad as hell at your goalkeeper for making a total mess of harmless balls smashed off the walls. The corner is a particularly dangerous area for keepers with zero foot skills, but we've also all probably seen a traditional outfield player being forced into the keeper role and getting beat by the softest of efforts.
What I've never seen before is this: a player understanding all the angles, all the realities, and purposefully hammering one off the wall to outfox a keeper coming out to usher away a chance.
Marseille returned to action after the World Cup break Thursday and hammered Toulouse 6-1 to climb to third in the Ligue 1 table. Marseille's third straight league win was secured with goals from Valentin Rongier, Rasmus Nicolaisen (OG), Sead Kolašinac, Dimitri Payet, Cengiz Ünder and Nuno Tavares.
Trailing 1-0 to France shortly before halftime in Wednesday's FIFA World Cup semifinal, Morocco center back Jawad El Yamiq almost found an equalizer with an outrageous bicycle kick from 12 yards out.
Initially it looked like the overhead attempt had thumped directly off the base of the post, but it was counted as a shot on target and save for Hugo Lloris after replays showed the French goalkeeper getting his fingertips to it to help aid it onto the woodwork.
Without Lloris' touch, maybe the shot hits the inside of the post and goes in.
Lionel Messi's recent World Cup past has been synonymous with infamous performances from Argentina's strikers.
In the 2014 final, Gonzalo Higuaín was Argentina's worst player, slicing a glorious opportunity wide and failing to check his run on an offside goal. In 2018, Sergio Agüero fought with manager Jorge Sampaoli and got dropped.
If you’re a casual soccer fan who tunes in for the World Cup and the occasional game, you probably noticed an odd tactic. “Why does a player lie down behind the wall in soccer?” you may have asked yourself.
The tactic of having a player laying down behind the wall is simple. Having a player lay down behind the wall denies the free kick taker any chance at shooting the ball underneath the wall when the players jump.
Giovanni Reyna is back with the people who love him most. After getting all of 52 minutes at the World Cup despite being fully fit, the 20-year-old American eclipsed that total Saturday during a 60-minute performance in a Borussia Dortmund friendly against Rapid Bucharest.
If you were wondering what all the fuss was about concerning Gregg Berhalter's decision to keep Reyna on the bench, this thunderbolt in Dortmund's 2-1 win should answer your questions.
When the Netherlands ceded possession to the United States in the World Cup Round of 16, it was a departure from football history but a masterstroke from the Dutch: they knew the U.S. wouldn't have the quality to find that final pass in the attacking third and that they'd slice the Americans apart going the other direction.
A similar approach could be seen by the Netherlands at the start of its quarterfinal match against Argentina. Playing in a 3-4-1-2, the Dutch packed the middle of the park and said there's no way you're finding joy centrally.
With less than five minutes to play in extra time and Croatia trailing Brazil 1-0 in Friday's World Cup quarterfinal, it looked like Luka Modrić's 160th appearance in that famous checkered shirt would be the captain's last after an inspirational 17-year international career.
But only Modrić gets to decide when he's finished.
Spain manager Luis Enrique made the surprise decision to start Marcos Llorente at right back for his team’s Round of 16 clash with Morocco. Llorente hadn’t played a single minute in this World Cup before Tuesday and Morocco’s Sofiane Boufal had a field day with him in the first half.
Boufal was a Moroccan menace in the opening 45 minutes showing off a variety of skills and good dribbles. The 29-year-old winger who plays for Angers in Ligue 1 made Llorente’s life a living hell.