Goals

After a long footballing period consisting of nothing but transfer market hell and the Gold Cup, it’s permissible that you’d forgotten the real meaning of the beautiful game. It’s totally normal to have watched an inning or two of MLB on the TV, to have spent an inordinate amount of time discussing which Game of Thrones characters and story arcs you vaguely remember. 

Gerard Pique is a defender, not a poet. Mino Raiola is a sideshow, not the main attraction. The football’s since returned, but MLS would argue that it never really left. 

Everton held a narrow 2-0 advantage heading into their second leg Europa League qualifying playoff against Hajduk Split in Croatia. After Josip Radosevic narrowed the advantage to 2-1 with a 30-yard rocket in the 43rd minute, Everton came out for the second half knowing that their Europa League participation was well and truly in the balance. 

But less than a minute after the restart, the 35,000 packed into the Stadion Poljud in Split were silenced by what could be the best goal in the competition all season. 

A glamour friendly between Real Madrid and Fiorentina (who knows) turned out to be a great training exercise for Cristiano Ronaldo on Wednesday. Ronaldo is currently serving a five-match ban for shoving the referee during the Spanish Super Cup, but his wonder goal helped Real defeat their Italian opposition 2-1 at the Bernabeu.

At 33 years of age, Bayern Munich must surely be contemplating how they’ll ever manage to replace Arjen Robben on the right wing. Robben gives the impression of having been around this game forever, and with good reason. The 2017-18 campaign will mark his 18th as a professional. The fact that he’s been bald for the majority of them and is permanently recovering from/suffering a muscle injury only adds to his distinguished agedness.