The Swiss Super League got started yesterday and then the goal of the season was scored today, just like that. Lugano’s Dragan Mihajlovic made like Sisqo and unleashed the dragon on Sion from 77 yards out.
He was very obviously just clearing the ball in the fourth minute after some dicey play at the back, but his “get rid!” sailed through the cosmos before taking a bounce over 20-year-old Sion keeper Anthony Maisonnial.
Something’s happening in Los Angeles. After losing to FC Dallas on May 30, the LA Galaxy are now unbeaten in their last seven MLS matches, including yesterday’s 3-1 win over Philadelphia at Talen Energy Stadium. A lot of that play is down to the goodness of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who now has nine goals and an assist in his last six league starts.
The 2018-19 Liga MX season began yesterday with Apertura action taking place across Mexico. The biggest winners on the day were Cruz Azul, who defeated Puebla 3-0 at the Estadio Azteca. Goals from Andres Renteria, Milton Caraglio and Elias Hernandez sent Cruz Azul to the top of the table, but it was the strike from Hernandez that garnered global praise.
Wil Trapp doesn’t score often. In fact, what you’re about to see from the 25-year-old USMNT and Columbus Crew defensive midfielder is his first goal of the season and only the second of his six-year professional career. When you factor in the circumstances, it’s one of the best goals of 2018.
Emerson Hyndman left Texas at the age of 15 to join the Fulham youth academy in 2011, but the 22-year-old has yet to really break through with a first team in Britain, having also appeared for Rangers and his current club Bournemouth. But this Hyndman goal vs Levante in a preseason friendly makes a great case for the American to be included in the upcoming Premier League season.
A month after Russia thrashed Saudi Arabia to open the World Cup, France took advantage of its chances and was crowned world champions for the second time. Those high-scoring matches bookended a tournament in which there were 169 World Cup goals. With 12 of those resulting from own goals, there were 157 goals where the celebration wasn't marred by an untimely mistake.
19-year-old France forward Kylian Mbappe put the finishing touches on a blistering World Cup campaign Sunday after scoring his fourth goal of the tournament — the PSG phenom entered the competition with just four international goals to his name.
With his strike long-range strike against Croatia in the 65th minute, Mbappe joined Pele as the only teenager to have scored in a World Cup final. Pele, at the age of 17, scored a brace as Brazil defeated Sweden 5-2 in the final of the 1958 World Cup.
Here’s the goal from Mbappe that effectively buried Croatia today.
With France nursing a 2-1 lead at halftime of the 2018 World Cup Final, Croatia was forced to go in search of an equalizer against the planet’s premier counter attacking side.
N’Golo Kanté is, in many respects, the best defensive player in the world because of the amount of turf the midfielder covers, combined with his tactical acumen, speed and tackling ability. But the Ivan Perišić goal vs France made Kanté look like a schoolboy.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup Final opened with Croatia’s high press and positive play causing all sorts of problems for France. The opening 15 minutes was dominated by the perceived underdogs, and that pressure was only relieved when Antoine Griezmann won a foul in a dangerous area just outside Croatia’s box.
In realtime, the Atletico Madrid striker appeared to get bowled over. Referee Nestor Pitana whistled for a free kick but replays revealed that it had been an expert piece of simulation from Griezmann — it was a dive, plain and simple.