Football is finally being played at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. While the official Tottenham stadium opening will be Wednesday when Spurs hosts Crystal Palace, the North London club celebrated its new digs with a legends match against Inter Milan on Saturday.
And Robbie Keane stole the show.
What is the softest material in the universe? Is it a baby’s pure skin? The fur of your best dog/cat friend? A kiss from your mother? Your “My Pillow” that is more expensive than a pillow has any right to be? Or is it this Lionel Messi free kick vs Espanyol?
I’d argue it’s the latter.
Barcelona defeated Espanyol 2-0 on Saturday at the Camp Nou, moving at least temporarily 13 points clear of second-place Atletico Madrid in the LaLiga standings. Lionel Messi scored both goals, hitting at least 40 for a remarkable 10th straight season.
Heading into the season, there were legitimate questions over how Toronto FC would rectify its disaster of a 2018 MLS season. Sebastian Giovinco was shipped off to Saudi Arabia and Gregory van der Wiel was let go after a year by “mutual consent” from both parties, which is rarely a sign of good things behind the scenes.
The UEFA Women’s Champions League quarterfinal second legs were held across Europe today, and the field has now been trimmed to four after some truly captivating matches between the continent’s biggest clubs.
After defeating Norwegian side LSK Kvinner 3-0 in the first leg, Barcelona took care of business in Lillestrøm by opening the scoring in the seventh minute to doom any hopes of a Kvinner comeback. Barca has advanced to the semis in two of the last three seasons, but the club has never made it to the final.
Last night during the USMNT’s 1-1 draw with Chile, winger Christian Pulisic scored his 10th international goal, moving him to joint-22nd on the all time U.S. scoring list alongside the velvety left foot of Eddie Lewis.
The goal was also special because not only did it feature a great first touch from Gyasi Zardes, it also made Pulisic the youngest-ever American to reach 10 international goals.
The arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus has somewhat upset free kick duties. Before the Portuguese legend came, it was Paulo Dybala, Miralem Pjanic and Federico Bernardeschi who did the honors, and they did them well.
This season, Pjanic and friends have taken a back seat to Ronaldo. In fact, the only set piece Pjanic has converted this season was against Napoli back on Mar. 3 with Ronaldo hovering over the dead ball. Still, it’s a nice setup for what I’m about to show you.
France turned on the style in the second half to thump Iceland 4-0 in Paris, making it two wins from two matches in Euro 2020 qualifying for the world champion. Three days ago, it was Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe, Olivier Giroud and Raphael Varane on the scoresheet in France’s 4-1 victory over Moldova, and it was the same three attackers that again scored today, but instead of Varane, it was defensive partner Samuel Umtiti amongst the goals.
With just over two weeks to go until Juventus travels to Amsterdam to play Ajax in the first leg of its Champions League quarterfinal matchup, Cristiano Ronaldo has been forced off injured with an apparent hamstring injury while on international duty.
In the 31st minute of today’s Euro 2020 qualifier between Portugal and Serbia at Estadio da Luz in Lisbon, Ronaldo went sprinting after a ball on the left wing before pulling up and immediately signaling for a substitution.
Canada, winner of gold at the 1904 Summer Games, is back on track. With a 4-1 victory over French Guiana on Sunday, the Canucks secured qualification to this summer’s Gold Cup and a spot in League A at the inaugural 2019-20 CONCACAF Nations League. Yes, Canada was expected to blast nations like the U.S. Virgin Islands and Dominica, but John Herdman’s side took care of business, and that’s not something Canada has done since the 2000 Gold Cup.