A top of the table clash in the Primeira Liga between first place Benfica and second place Porto went a long way toward deciding the title on Sunday. Thanks to Hector Herrera’s 90th-minute strike at the Estadio da Luz, Porto dramatically leapfrogged Benfica in the table, going two points clear with four matches remaining.
Congratulations, Ștefan Blănaru. You made us pay attention to Romanian football with perhaps the funniest soccer celebration we’ve seen all year. Your combination of cleverness, arrogance and an impeccable performance have us wondering whether this was the greatest thing ever or the dumbest celebration ever.
Blănaru plays for FC Hermannstadt in Liga II, the Romanian second division. He scored the third goal in a 4-0 win over Luceafarul Oradea on Saturday. You’ve never heard of the player or either club — but that doesn’t matter.
Liverpool and AS Roma have made this the most exciting Champions League in recent years (at least as far as the semifinals are concerned). Here's why a Liverpool versus AS Roma UCL final would be the best thing that could possibly happen to us.
There's a good reason powerhouses Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Juventus always feature in the most definitive rounds of Europe's most important competition, and yet, even though these teams never cease to amaze us, there's something refreshing and exciting about teams like Liverpool and Roma making it so far.
Roma completed one of the biggest comebacks in Champions League history by overcoming a 4-1 deficit after the first leg in Barcelona. They advanced to the semifinals on away goals after winning the second leg 3-0. When Manolas headed in the game-winning goal everyone (except Barca fans) went crazy: the players, the coaches, the fans, but the best reaction came from Roma’s commentator. This man was screeching like a little kid who got Nintendo 64 for Christmas.
It’s 3-3 on aggregate at the Santiago Bernabeu after Blaise Matuidi’s leveling goal in the 60th minute. Two previous headers from Mario Mandzukic put Juventus on the precipice of a miracle, and the former PSG man has now completed the comeback.
Douglas Costa, who’s been unplayable on the right-hand side, whipped in a cross, Keylor Navas really screwed the pooch and Matuidi tapped in with 30 minutes to play.
DO NOT SHARE WITH ANYONE OUTSIDE THE MANCHESTER CITY COACHING STAFF AND PLAYERS, THANK YOU.
-Pep
Pinky in the air
Switch to a 4-4-2.
Making a "W" with arms on top of head
Switch to a 4-2-2-2 Brazilian box.
The "Hook 'Em" sign
Switch to a 4-2-3-1.
Hands spreading apart
Play closer to each other (this is trickery).
Hands gone closer together
Spread out (this is also trickery).
Hand to ear like a telephone
It’s no secret: as Messi goes, so too does Barcelona. Accordingly, the Catalan side’s shock elimination to Roma in the Champions League quarterfinals — Roma pulling off an incredible three-goal comeback to win 4-4 on aggregate via an away goal — isn’t all that shocking.
Who are we kidding, it's f*cking insane.
The Italian side nullified the world’s best player over 180 minutes of action and thoroughly outplayed the runaway La Liga leaders at the Stadio Olimpico on Tuesday night.