To the delight of 80,000 at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia has opened the scoring against Saudi Arabia in the 2018 World Cup’s curtain raiser. CSKA Moscow midfielder Aleksandr Golovin provided some excellent service from the left wing, and FC Krasnodar’s Yury Gazinsky directed his header beyond Abdullah Al-Mayouf to give Russia the lead in the 12th minute.
Back in January of 2016, Tottenham attacker Dele Alli announced his talent to the world by scoring what BBC Match of the Day would later vote Goal of the Season against Crystal Palace. Alli controlled a Christian Eriksen knock-down with his thigh, flicked an audacious sombrero over the head of an onrushing defender, swiveled and struck a 22-yard volley inside the post.
It wasn’t the style that the USWNT will be looking to impose on nations exactly one year from now in France (qualifying willing), but a set piece delivered by Megan Rapinoe and finished by Alex Morgan, who now has five goals in her last three international appearances, was enough to see the U.S. over China in Sandy, Utah on Thursday night.
A strong crowd at Rio Tinto Stadium also got to see the return of Amy Rodriguez and watch Crystal Dunn play in pretty much every position on the field.
Andres Iniesta has made his next move official, signing with J1 League side Vissel Kobe. He's undoubtedly one of the J League's greatest imports, so in his honor, we've decided to assemble a list of the 18 best foreign players in J League history.
Newcastle Jets midfielder and most Australian-sounding man in the world Riley McGree just scored an incredible scorpion kick goal. For those of you who have never seen a scorpion kick goal, it's the equivalent of an NBA player turning around at the 3-point line, moonwalking its perimeter and scoring a no-look basket while doing so.
Our feelings about this goal are summed up nicely by the eloquence of this Twitter user:
Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta appears set to join Chinese Super League (CSL) team Chongqing Dangdai Lifan next season.
Colombian forward Jackson Martinez was one of the first Europe-based players to make a lucrative move to China. The former Porto and Atletico Madrid player was snapped up by Guanzhou Evergrande for an amount of money that seemed like far too much at the time.
We haven’t heard from Dimitar Berbatov in a while, but that’s probably because he’s at the age where all of his footballing contemporaries have now retired. After last appearing for Greek club PAOK in 2016, the Bulgarian was out of football for a year before signing a one-year deal with Indian Super League side Kerala Blasters last August.
Javier Mascherano has quickly settled in with his new club in China, Hebai China Fortune. In fact, he already has a nickname: Pony Brother.
That, we must admit, is a far better nickname than the one given to fellow Argentinian and former Shanghai Shenua striker Carlos Tevez, a.k.a. Very Homesick Boy.
Saudi Arabia has a terrible record for gender equality, but there was a step in the right direction on Friday as women were allowed to attend a professional soccer match for the first time.
Organizing the first ever soccer match to allow Saudi women has been surreal!! pic.twitter.com/WELR9dvONH