Everyone loves a good dog. Especially when he brings goals.
Moments after a dog wandered onto the pitch in the World Cup qualifier between Colombia and Brazil, Willian opened the scoring with a beautiful goal in a 1-1 draw between the two teams who came into the match atop the CONMEBOL standings.
A dog entering the field during Colombia - Brazil pic.twitter.com/abEH1bZnVB
A 1-0 defeat to Serbia in Dublin has all but destroyed the Republic of Ireland’s World Cup dream following a dire 1-1 draw with Georgia on Saturday — it's safe to say it's been a disastrous week of qualifying for the Boys in Green. For Serbia, Aleksandar Kolarov’s 55th-minute strike has put them in firm control of securing automatic qualification from UEFA’s Group D with two matches to play.
Syria needed a win or a tie Tuesday against Iran to keep its World Cup hopes alive. Down 2-1 going into stoppage time, it looked like the dream was dead.
And then it wasn't.
Absolute scenes. 93rd minute equaliser to keep Syria's World Cup dream alive. Pitch invasion. The works pic.twitter.com/Uk4hIlZebh
— Chris Deeley (@ThatChris1209) September 5, 2017
Near the end of England's 2-1 win against Slovakia in UEFA World Cup qualifying, England's precocious and occasionally hotheaded young midfielder Dele Alli became fed-up with somebody.
Dele Alli tells his marker that he's number one. #england #engsvk pic.twitter.com/Tk3VW1rU49
This past Saturday, Spain hosted Italy in a World Cup qualifier at the Bernabeu in Madrid. Both sides have won the competition in the post-millennial age and can justifiably feel bitter about being drawn in the same group. Italy, who have a well-established tradition of being utterly awful in the qualifying rounds of international tournaments yet miraculously not losing, are now at risk of finishing second in the group.
Belgium officially became the sixth team to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia after defeating Greece 2-1 Sunday on the back of this Romelu Lukaku header:
Ben Woodburn became Liverpool's youngest-ever goalscorer last season during the EFL Cup. The now 17-year-old attacker made his Wales debut in a World Cup qualifier against Austria Saturday, and, guess what, he scored.
And it was a banger.
Ben Woodburn comes on and scores on his Wales debut against Austria. Scored on his Liverpool and Wales debut. 17 years old. pic.twitter.com/bNJkZGRenK
It's been said on this website that on recent form Isco is the best player in the world. I have not been saying this, but Isco made me a believer today with his performance in Spain's 3-0 win against Italy, all but guaranteeing them World Cup qualification.
Isco's first goal was a beautiful free kick that hopefully ensures Sergio Ramos never again decides he should be the one to take set pieces for Spain.
August was a kind month for Manchester United and France midfielder Paul Pogba. United currently sit atop the Premier League table after trouncing West Ham, Swansea and Leicester by a combined scoreline of 10-0, with Pogba scoring two goals and registering an assist in three dominating individual displays.
He was duly awarded the club’s Player of the Month award, and with Nemanja Matic now anchoring the midfield alongside him, the Frenchman used August as a showcase of things to come.
Arturo Vidal is one of the best midfielders in the world. He can do pretty much everything on the field. There is no skill that escapes him, although we would struggle to describe any one skill of his as "great."
Except for rocket ship header own goals, of course. Check out this beauty from Chile's 3-0 loss to Paraguay Thursday.
Will done @kingarturo23
Super own goal pic.twitter.com/UJlLiqSyKx