It's going to happen: A Club América vs. Cruz Azul Liga MX final will kiss 2018 goodbye. La Máquina beat Monterrey, and Las Águilas destroyed Pumas in the semifinals last weekend, thus securing the high-voltage final most soccer enthusiasts in Mexico were looking forward to.
During an extensive talk with La Gazzetta dello Sport, Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo spoke about why he deserves the Ballon d’Or every year, how he’s loving life in Turin and how he doesn’t like to be compared to other footballers . . .
It’s taken 39 days and two reschedules (one due to rain, the other due to violence ) — and of course we ultimately needed extra time — but we finally have a champion of the Superclásico Copa Libertadores final: River Plate, a wild 5-3 on aggregate.
The transformation of the 2018 Copa Libertadores Final from one of the most anticipated club matches of the calendar year to an absurd sideshow was complete when the second leg’s staging at the Santiago Bernabéu was confirmed — a decision that turns the Superclásico into nothing more than the “most costly friendly in history,”
Except for a four-minute spell of tilt which resulted in two Tottenham goals, Arsenal thoroughly enjoyed a 4-2 derby victory over Spurs on Sunday after a glorious second half fightback that included strikes from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (his 10th of the season), Alex Lacazette and the inspirational Lucas Torreira.
The match quickly set about foreshadowing the madness to come in the ninth minute, when Jan Vertonghen inexplicably handled a corner to give Aubameyang his first goal of the match from the spot.
It’s been almost 180 days since Sergio Ramos put Mohamed Salah into a judo hold, fun-cussed Loris Karius and gave Roberto Firmino the flu by sweating on him, but to Liverpool’s Dejan Lovren, it still smacks of yesterday.
The Croatian defender has gone full-on Dani Alves of late, telling anyone and everyone under the sun about his every whim and desire, and we’re here for it.
Sunday wasn’t Raheem Sterling’s greatest individual display as an attacker, but the 23-year-old again demonstrated why he’s such a vital part of Pep Guardiola’s side — and completely unmatched in his skill set within the England national team — by retaining possession in difficult areas and constantly pulling Manchester United’s well-organized, pressing defensive unit this way and that with his array of clever flicks, dribbles and one-touch passing.
The18 is where soccer lives, but soccer definitely has an all-time home in Buenos Aires, located in La Boca neighborhood, and everybody calls it La Bombonera.
There was no 42-pass team goal, but compared to today’s Manchester derby at the Etihad, the Boca Juniors-River Plate Copa Libertadores final seemed like it was being played on another planet entirely.