Sunderland AFC wrapped up its thirteenth win of the League One season against Bradford City on Wednesday. Currently sitting in third, Sunderland is aiming to gain promotion back into the Championship after being relegated last season.
Yesterday, Hoffenheim hosted Mainz in the final Bundesliga match before the winter break (the league doesn’t recommence play until the weekend of Jan. 18-20). Hoffenheim took the lead through Kerem Demirbay in the 11th minute, but Mainz equalized five minutes later via Jean-Philippe Mateta.
In keeping with the spirit of Christmas, the match ended in a draw and the spoils were shared. However, the game's true highlight was the visiting Mainz supporters serenading the Rhein-Neckar-Arena with this lovely rendition of “Last Christmas” by English pop duo Wham!.
Replacing Cristiano Ronaldo’s average of 50 goals per season throughout his nine-year stay in Madrid has (surprise!) proven impossible for Los Blancos. Things probably reached rock bottom following that 5-1 defeat to Barcelona back in October — the climax of a five-match winless streak in LaLiga that included defeats to Alavés and Levante — but yesterday’s 3-0 loss to CSKA Moscow at the Bernabéu is right up there with that torrid stretch.
During yesterday’s Premier League match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Stamford Bridge, a Blues supporter could be seen allegedly directing racist abuse at City forward Raheem Sterling.
Take a bow, Atlanta. You earned this.
Atlanta United defeated the Portland Timbers 2-0 in the MLS Cup final on Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. As much as the Five Stripes earned their victory with thrilling offensive play and some heroic defending when needed, this MLS Cup championship is really all about the fans in Atlanta.
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.
For the past four seasons, the United Soccer League has had tremendous growth, both on and off the pitch, growing from 14 clubs in 2014 to 33 during the most recent campaign. And while attendance in professional sports is a hotly contested topic, there is no denying that the league has seen a tremendous return on its investment. However, as the USL attendance star, FC Cincinnati, heads to MLS in 2019, can the league maintain the current heights?
The transformation of the 2018 Copa Libertadores Final from one of the most anticipated club matches of the calendar year to an absurd sideshow was complete when the second leg’s staging at the Santiago Bernabéu was confirmed — a decision that turns the Superclásico into nothing more than the “most costly friendly in history,”
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