Highlights
Barca Extend Contract Of Carles Alena, The Phenom Dubbed The Next Iniesta
The hype surrounding Barcelona midfielder Carles Alena has been slowly building for some time now. Alena joined La Masia as a 7-year-old, and it wasn’t long after that comparisons to Andres Iniesta began. Last season, Alena was pivotal in helping Barca B earn promotion to the Second Division A after appearing in 29 matches, scoring three goals and registering seven assists.
Argentina Were Awful On Tuesday But Lionel Messi Was A Savage
On the face of it, a 1-1 draw with bottom-dwelling, already-eliminated Venezuela in front of 60,000 at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires was a godawful result for Argentina, and it really was. But from a broader perspective there’s a lot more to analyze and discuss than simply draw = bad.
Bobby Wood Snatches 85th Minute Equalizer To Avoid Calamitous USMNT Defeat To Honduras
Booby Wood, on as a 73rd minute substitute for Darlington Nagbe, salvaged a point for the USMNT against Honduras by scoring his nation’s lone goal in the 85th minute. It took a superbly struck Kellyn Acosta free kick to trouble the staunch Honduran defense, and Wood was on hand to keep the U.S. in the automatic qualifying places — at least for now.
A Panama victory over Trinidad and Tobago later tonight would see the U.S. drop to fourth in the Hex, the spot that necessitates a dreaded inter-confederation playoff with Asia to determine who advances to Russia.
Good Dog Brings Goals To Brazil-Colombia World Cup Qualifying Match
Everyone loves a good dog. Especially when he brings goals.
Moments after a dog wandered onto the pitch in the World Cup qualifier between Colombia and Brazil, Willian opened the scoring with a beautiful goal in a 1-1 draw between the two teams who came into the match atop the CONMEBOL standings.
A dog entering the field during Colombia - Brazil pic.twitter.com/abEH1bZnVB
Ireland’s World Cup Hopes On The Brink After Defeat To Serbia
A 1-0 defeat to Serbia in Dublin has all but destroyed the Republic of Ireland’s World Cup dream following a dire 1-1 draw with Georgia on Saturday — it's safe to say it's been a disastrous week of qualifying for the Boys in Green. For Serbia, Aleksandar Kolarov’s 55th-minute strike has put them in firm control of securing automatic qualification from UEFA’s Group D with two matches to play.
Italy Helpfully Reminds The World Of The Devastating Longevity Of Spain’s Tiki-Taka
This past Saturday, Spain hosted Italy in a World Cup qualifier at the Bernabeu in Madrid. Both sides have won the competition in the post-millennial age and can justifiably feel bitter about being drawn in the same group. Italy, who have a well-established tradition of being utterly awful in the qualifying rounds of international tournaments yet miraculously not losing, are now at risk of finishing second in the group.
Romelu Lukaku Is A Problem And Belgium Have Qualified For The World Cup
Belgium officially became the sixth team to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia after defeating Greece 2-1 Sunday on the back of this Romelu Lukaku header:
Mexico Has Officially Qualified For The 2018 World Cup
Mexico's future is in dynamic wing players. Specifically, Jesus "Tecatito" Corona and Hirving "Chucky" Lozano, of Porto and PSV, respectively. Watch the two combine for the only goal in Mexico's 1-0 win over Panama Friday, the goal that officially sends the Mexico National Team to the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
(52') GL MEXICO!!!
Hirving Lozano opens the scoring from in the area!!Mexico - Panama
Statistically Speaking, Thomas Meunier Redefined The Right Back Position vs. Gibraltar
Belgium's latest qualifier was against Gibraltar (whose record now reads played seven, lost seven, conceded 33), so many are claiming that right back Thomas Meunier is the beneficiary of coming up against the worst international left back of all time. Still, any match in which a defender records a hat trick of both goals and assists should be roundly applauded.