Of the four UEFA World Cup qualifying playoffs, few would have expected this sort of entertainment from the Croatia vs. Greece match. Greece, a team that once turned winning while attacking as little as possible into an art form, were away to a resolute Croatia with its star striker on the bench in what is usually a cagey first leg. But the match was refreshingly exciting.
If you come at Barcelona in the UEFA Women’s Champions League, you best not miss. On Wednesday night, Lithuanian side Gintra Universitetas attempted to come at Barcelona in the Round of 16 and they missed. Horrendously.
Barcelona were already leading 3-0 when the home team hilariously failed to convert a 3-on-0, and the Catalan side would go on to win 6-0 in the first leg. The return leg, scheduled for November 15 in Barcelona, is now something of a formality.
Tuesday marked the beginning of a new era, with Twitter doubling the character count for most Western-language users. (Japanese, Korean and Chinese users will stay at 140 because their languages convey more per character.) There were countless bad jokes across the globe as everyone felt compelled to tweet about the fact they had something that everyone else had.
Hilarious own goals are a tragedy for the player who scores them. It's arguably even worse for goalkeepers as they are the only players on the field allowed to use their hands. In spite of this, however, they sometimes manage to score the most remarkable, unexplainable own goals.
This week, 18-year-old Benfica goalkeeper Mile Svilar scored a really unfortunate own goal when the Eagles faced Manchester United in the Champions League.
A lot of things can go wrong in a soccer match. Aside from the pain and suffering that accompanies losing, one’s physical well-being is constantly at risk. Injury is a part of the game, but typically it’s muscle strains, ligament tears and the occasional broken bone or concussion. Mariano Bittolo suffered an injury far more painful than anything one expects to suffer on the pitch. It may have been the most painful injury of all time.
The back-to-back European champions were humbled 3-1 by Tottenham at Wembley in Champions League group play on Wednesday, and Dele Alli’s performance will be fondly remembered in London. But it’s Casemiro’s strange form of embellishment when touched by Harry Winks that’s got the whole world talking.
The touch caused Casemiro to lose his balance for an instant, but then the Brazilian continued to forcibly lose his own balance for what seemed like an eternity.
It’s been two weeks since Benfica goalkeeper Mile Svilar made Champions League history by becoming the youngest goalkeeper to ever play in the competition, breaking Iker Casillas’s record at the tender age of 18 years and 52 days. What was even more memorable was Svilar’s horrendous mistake on a Marcus Rashford free kick, when the young Belgian caught the curler but dumbly brought the ball with him across his own goal line. The mistake gave Manchester United a 1-0 victory.
What can a person do in nine seconds?
-Ride a bull long enough for points to be awarded.
-Run Mike D'Antoni's offense.
-Quarter-mile drag race if your car is fast enough.
-Watch that one Miller High Life Super Bowl commercial.
-Decide that "The Chainsmokers" are awful.
-Make a decision that will have UNSEEN REPERCUSSIONS affecting THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.
In the end, Netherlands and FC Barcelona attacker Lieke Martens was the deserved recipient of 2017’s The Best FIFA Women’s Player award (an accolade presumably named by a toddler or Sepp Blatter). But the three-woman shortlist for the prize continues to flip the bird at anyone who wishes to try and make sense of it all.