There was some good news on Tuesday. In the aftermath of the Notre-Dame fire, which is being viewed as an accident and not arson, the iconic Paris landmark remains structurally sound. France president Emmanuel Macron vowed the cathedral would be rebuilt and millions of Euros are pouring in to aid the effort.
In the Champions League quarterfinals, Barcelona came out with a solid 1-0 away victory over Manchester United.
It only took 12 minutes for Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez magic to commence, but neither will be credited for the Barcelona score.
A fantastic cross from the GOAT found Suarez on the far post. Suarez then headed it into traffic in front of the United goal and a bounce off left back Luke Shaw would be all she wrote for Manchester.
The reigning World Cup champions were always expected to trounce little Moldova to open Euro 2020 qualifying on Friday. But the class and beauty on display in France’s first goal was another stunning reminder of the quality of the best team in the world.
France was marvelous in its run to the World Cup title last summer and pretty much the entire roster was back for the start of Euro 2020 qualifying this week. Chief among those were Antoine Griezmann and Paul Pogba, who combined for the opener against Moldova on Friday.
In the past, championship rings haven’t really been a big deal in soccer. While Super Bowl and NBA champions flaunt flashy finger paraphernalia, soccer has traditionally been more about the team prizes such as the Jules Rimet Trophy and old Big Ears. But these France World Cup rings could change that.
France won the 2018 World Cup last summer and as a token of gratification, Manchester United star Paul Pogba bought all of his Les Bleus teammates championship rings.
Those France World Cup rings have now been unveiled, and they are nothing short of gorgeous.
Both Chelsea and Manchester United had a point to prove this evening. Chelsea's been struggling for goals and results lately, and manager Maurizio Sarri has been under pressure from fans and the board. Chelsea has slid from fourth to sixth position in the Premier League, and the Blues needed a result today to steady the ship before the Carabao Cup final on Feb. 24.
On the other hand, Manchester United had been on a great run of form until finally hitting a PSG roadblock in the Champions league.
France is a country with incredible footballing talent and the country won last year’s World Cup partly due to its remarkable squad depth. The depth of France’s talent starts in its domestic leagues. An example of this talent would be Ousmane Dembélé, Kylian Mbappè, Nicolas Pépé and Tanguy Ndombélé.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was his calm and collected self in his most recent press conference, especially since he revealed that Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial will be injured for some important games.
Martial has a groin injury while Lingard has a hamstring issue.
During the last few months of his topsy turvy tenure and Manchester United, Jose Mourinho was subject to a number of rumors surrounding his sacking — Zidane replacing him, players threatening to leave unless he was ousted, the whole Paul Pogba ruckus, etc.
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