Goalkeepers

Beijing Renhe fielded three goalkeepers in a Round of 16 match against Guangzhou Evergrande in the Chinese FA Cup on Wednesday. 

To quickly answer the questions you’re all asking right now: 

Loris Karius doesn’t need defending. He's a professional athlete. He’s impossibly good-looking; his girlfriend even more so. He makes over $1.5 million annually. He plays for one of Turkey’s biggest, most successful clubs. 

Despite playing the second leg at home, top-seeded León couldn’t find a way past Tigres goalkeeper Nahuel Guzmán while putting five shots on frame, and Tigres is now the Liga MX Clausura champions thanks to André-Pierre Gignac’s lone goal from the first leg.

It’s Tigres’ seventh Liga MX crown and fifth title this decade. For manager Ricardo “Tuca” Ferretti, it’s a seventh league title overall, drawing him level with Ignacio Trelles for the most all time.

Bayern Munich defeated RB Leipzig 3-0 in the final of the DFB-Pokal on Saturday to secure a domestic double for the first time since 2015-16 (Pep Guardiola’s last season at the club). The goals included a brilliant brace from Robert Lewandowski and a sensational solo effort from Kingsley Coman, but Manuel Neuer also provided two stunning saves while making his first appearance since suffering a calf injury on Apr. 14.

For more almost a decade now, Bill Hamid has been a stalwart goalkeeper in Major League Soccer. At 19, he became the youngest goalkeeper to win a regular-season MLS match, beating Tim Howard’s record by four days. 

Hamid has now made 200 appearances for D.C. United — and Wednesday night’s was arguably his best performance yet. 

The question is: Will it get him some playing time with the USMNT?

Everything was going perfectly for Marcelo Bielsa and Leeds United on Wednesday. 

Then, a shocking mistake between a goalie and his defender started a snowball effect that resulted in a stunning comeback by Derby County, which defeated Leeds United 4-2 (4-3 on aggregate) to advance to the final in Wembley against Aston Villa. 

Everyone knows the famous boxing photograph of a victorious Muhammad Ali towering over the vanquished Sonny Liston. It’s an image that screams pride, power and the futility of attempting to fight the sport’s GOAT. During today’s Europa League semifinal second leg between Chelsea and Eintracht Frankfurt, we got a recreation of that famous moment, except Ali was substituted for Kepa Arrizabalaga (who refuses to be substituted himself) and Liston for a soccer ball.

All Barcelona had to do was get one. One away goal and it would all be over for Liverpool. One simple goal from the team with the greatest goal scorer of this era, perhaps of all time.

But Alisson wouldn’t let it happen. 

What a difference a goalkeeper makes.

Last year, Liverpool’s Champions League run was ended by poor goalkeeping, Loris Karius undoing all the good work done by Jurgen Klopp’s side against Real Madrid.