Football is a tribal sport. It’s us against them, good vs. evil, blue versus a more nefarious shade of blue. Soccer fans invest so much of their lives into their respective clubs that losses become marks against their character, burdens upon their very existence.
Diego Maradona’s attempt to lift the 2018 Ascenso MX Apertura title with Dorados fell agonizingly short on Sunday night after Atlético San Luis triumphed 4-3 on aggregate after extra time.
Dorados won the first leg 1-0 back on Nov. 29, but Maradona was ultimately sent off during the game for threatening San Luis manager Alfonso Sosa with a clenched fist.
Diego Maradona walks off in style after being sent off in Mexico. pic.twitter.com/1RvvxnwaIP
A closely contested Merseyside Derby was decided in the 96th minute after Divock Origi was on hand to head home the strangest of match-winners at Anfield. With Manchester City continuing to eviscerate the opposition, Origi’s dramatic miracle kept Liverpool within two points of the leaders, but what a truly miserable way to lose a match for Everton and goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
A Russian Premier League match in Siberia between bottom-half clubs Yenisey Krasnoyarsk and Akhmat Grozny was played in some absolutely miserable conditions on Saturday. Temperatures reached as low as -13F as the two teams played to a 1-1 draw.
ОФИЦИАЛЬНО!
Температура -13,9! pic.twitter.com/rV6gd8qUbX— ФК Енисей (@FCEnisey) December 1, 2018
As much as we all love soccer here at The18 and around the world, we have to admit that there are a few things more important than the beautiful game. First comes survival: We need food and water, plus a place to live. After that comes sex, followed by our social desires such as parenting and friendship. Only then do we really get to soccer.
Here at The18, we pride ourselves on a wealth of scandalously useless information. We’re the ones who brought you “The Funniest Names In Soccer,” complete with Kevin Lasagna, Bongo Christ, Fabian Assman, Danger Fourpence and Yago Pikachu, to name just a few.
There’s a lot of things that've felt not quite right about Qatar hosting the 2022 World Cup. The feelings of uneasiness began many years ago when accusations of corruption and money laundering ran rampant upon the Arab country being awarded the tournament in 2010.