After Sporting lost 3-2 to Santa Clara on Friday, Porto was presented an opportunity to open up a lead at the top of the Primeira Liga with a positive result against Estoril Praia on Saturday.
However, Estoril Praia, the league's fifth-place team, stormed to a 2-0 halftime advantage thanks to an André Franco penalty and a wicked deflection on Arthur's shot from the edge of the area.
Week after week, Jaime Escandar proved his talents as a striker in Club Aparición, a small amateur squad in Paine, a town a few miles south of Santiago, Chile. In the words of his teammates, he was a natural. He could score goals with his right foot, with his left foot, with his head. He just scored goals for every taste.
But last weekend, his goal was a bit different.
FIFA has narrowed down the best goal of 2021 — or the Puskás award as it’s commonly known as — to three finalists. The 2021 Puskás award will be won by one of the following three players.
*Fox NFL theme music*
*Camera pans to Lincoln Financial Field*
Joe Buck: "Welcome to Philadelphia, PA for this riveting divisional game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Elgin City FC, as these two rivals fight for the NFC East title. I'm Joe Buck and this is my partner Troy Aikman, and Troy, what have you made of this stifling Elgin City defense?"
That's right, move over Dallas Cowboys, Elgin City FC is now America's Team.
But how did we get here?
Since the advent of the sport in the 1800s, England and football have been intrinsically linked. This bond started with schoolboys on muddy fields, with the objective to get the ball from one end of the field to the other by any means necessary — no rules, no limit on numbers, only brute force.
Football has now evolved into an organized game; manicured, well-lined pitches, tidy uniforms, and 11 players on each side. Kicking the opponent was outlawed and shinguards were installed should a stray boot make contact with the tibia.
Scotland's Rangers FC reportedly are close to completing a loan deal for New York City FC standout James Sands.
According to The Athletic, it would be an 18-month loan with a purchase option for the 21-year-old defensive midfielder.
Against all odds, Bodø/Glimt was just seconds away from a second consecutive Norwegian league title. Up 2-1 against SK Brann in the dying moments of injury time, Glimt just had to defend a desperation corner and they were league champions.
There would be no celebrations on that December day though, as an injury equalizer conceded against Brann prevented Glimt from sealing the Eliteserien championship on home turf.
Of all the years in the 2020s, 2021 was probably the least bad one. Maybe. But worry not; 2022 can’t possibly be as bad as the first two years of the decade, right? According to our 2022 soccer predictions, it’s going to be the best year ever, or at least the best of the last three.
Adana Demirspor extended Galatasaray’s Süper Lig misery with a 2-0 win on Tuesday through two goals from Galatasaray loanee Yunus Akgün. Though Akgün refused to celebrate either of his goals out of respect to his parent club — no easy feat given his second strike — that didn’t stop Mario Balotelli choosing an odd way to celebrate.
Peculiar red cards are given every once in a blue moon during professional games, but a Croatian player on Dinamo Zagreb may have taken the throne for the most bizarre. This Bruno Petkovic red card during his penalty kick routine is a new one.
Strangest sending off ever?!
Bruno Petkovic got a red for taking a penalty for Dinamo vs Istra! pic.twitter.com/laVIbgmU24