Being a referee is a difficult, thankless job. No ref will ever get every call right (or wrong) but it’s always important to remember that 99.9 percent of referees are just trying to facilitate a fair match between two teams. Unfortunately these refs in New Delhi, India, were attacked for doing their job.
Indonesian goalkeeper Choirul Huda died from injuries suffered during a collision in a match on Sunday.
Playing in Liga 1 in Indonesia, the Persela Lamongan goalie collided with a teammate going for a low ball in the box. He was immediately taken to a nearby hospital but pronounced dead shortly after arriving.
A brace from Australia’s all-time leading scorer, Tim Cahill, was enough to see the Socceroos narrowly edge Syria 2-1 after extra time, 3-2 on aggregate, in Sydney. Cahill’s header in the 109th minute completed the Aussie turnaround and sent them into the inter-confederation playoff, most likely against Panama or Honduras, at the expense of a spirited Syrian side that pushed them until the very end.
Syria salvaged an improbable 1-1 draw with Australia in the first leg of their qualifying playoff to keep their World Cup dream alive, but the Socceroos are still in control of this tie having scored a vital away goal ahead of the return leg in Sydney on Tuesday, October 10.
The level of football in China, millions of dollars spent on foreigners not withstanding, is not quite up to par with some of the top soccer leagues in the world. As evidence, may we present to you Oscar, a Brazilian midfielder who had a decent spell at Chelsea but absolutely annihilated the near non-existent defense of Guangzhou Evergrande on Saturday while playing for Shanghai SIPG in the Chinese FA Cup semifinals.
For the first time since 2006, Saudi Arabia will be in the World Cup. The Green Falcons, having missed out on the last two tournaments, will return to the world stage after a 1-0 win over already qualified Japan on Tuesday.
CONGRATULATIONS!
Saudi Arabia become the fourth Asian team to reach the #WorldCup, joining Iran, Japan and Korea Republic! pic.twitter.com/vQQylx8GyU
Syria needed a win or a tie Tuesday against Iran to keep its World Cup hopes alive. Down 2-1 going into stoppage time, it looked like the dream was dead.
And then it wasn't.
Absolute scenes. 93rd minute equaliser to keep Syria's World Cup dream alive. Pitch invasion. The works pic.twitter.com/Uk4hIlZebh
— Chris Deeley (@ThatChris1209) September 5, 2017
Syria’s 3-1 victory over Qatar in World Cup qualifying on Thursday was remarkable for two reasons: 1.) Syria are now in third place in Group A heading into the final matchday, a finish that would see them improbably qualify for the fourth round playoff. 2.) Defeat for Qatar means that they’ve been mathematically eliminated from the 2018 World Cup, so they’ll be the first nation since Italy in 1934 to host the tournament without having ever taken part.
This Vietnamese goalkeeper had it all under control. A long ball played forward, he thought he’d just stroll 30 yards from his goal and clear the ball a la Manuel Neuer. Simple, right?
Or not.
The fourth season of the Indian Super League doesn’t begin until November 17th, but the quasi-big-name signings are starting to create a real buzz here within The18 office.
Back in August, Atletico de Kolkata (ATK) announced that they’d come to terms former LA Galaxy striker Robbie Keane. The 37-year-old Irishman will take the pitch for his new club after a year off.
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