Inspiring

Gibraltar, a British overseas territory located at the tip of the Iberian Peninsula right across the Mediterranean from Africa with a population smaller than most major soccer stadiums, has won a game of football. The Gibraltar national team defeated Armenia 1-0 in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday in Yerevan, Armenia, the team’s first win in a meaningful match after 22 straight losses since joining UEFA in 2013. 

And you could see what it meant to the players and coaches from the territory of just over 30,000 people as soon as the referee blew his final whistle. 

Anyone who grew up in the ‘90s has an affinity for the Simpsons. Your parents probably didn’t let you watch it, but you watched it anyway, and you loved it. Sure, the series has had its ups and downs — who among us hasn’t by the time we reached 30? — but it’s an iconic show in American culture. That’s why we absolutely love these soccer players drawn as Simpsons characters.

During the 2016-17 Bundesliga season, Thiago Alcântara led all players with a pass success rate of 90.2 percent. During an injury plagued 2017-18 campaign, that number climbed to 91.8. Seven matches into the new season, he again sits at a success rate of 91.8. This is all to say that Thiago is an absolute monster when it comes to his passing technique and on-the-ball quality. 

Where were you when the bomb dropped? 

It was, on the whole, a riotous day on this planet of ours. Australia had necessitated extra time to get past Syria in the AFC playoff. Holland was officially bounced after failing to defeat Sweden by a margin of seven (although Arjen Robben tried his damnedest). 

Shortly after 7:30 pm ET, Lionel Messi’s hopes of even appearing at the 2018 World Cup appeared doomed after Romario Ibarra had given Ecuador a first-minute lead over a desperate Argentina side in Quito.