Watford beat Arsenal 2-1 at the Emirates in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup thanks to this astonishing Adlene Guedioura goal vs Arsenal. If you have never heard of the phrase “thunderbastard” or seen one for yourself, you are about to see a quintessential one.
Diego Costa says he did not bite Everton's Gareth Barry.
Gareth Barry says Chelsea's Diego Costa did not bite him.
Last week was a struggle for me as I only got two matches correct (thank you to Benfica and Portland!). This week the focus will be on England where Chelsea and Manchester United attempt to salvage disappointing seasons by moving forward into the FA Cup semifinals while the biggest match of the year in Mexico takes place in Guadalajara.
Here are the five, can’t miss matches of the weekend:
1. Everton v. Chelsea, Saturday 12:30 p.m. EST, Fox Sports 2
Aaron Ramsey featured in our "Top18 Boots You Can Buy Today" showed off again why he deserves to be highlighted for his great goals. In a match between two world reknown clubs, Ramsey opened the scoring with a nifty backheel. With instinct alone, he guided his teammate's cross into the back of the net. Arsenal would draw Tottenham 2-2, which featured another incredible goal from Harry Kane.
Harry Kane caught everyone off guard today with a wonderful goal from a near impossible angle. Hard work paid off for Tottenham as a battle in the corner allowed them to keep the play alive. When the ball emerged from the corner, Kane gathered it, took two dribbles towards the center of the pitch and with no one stepping to mark him, fired a powerful shot that beat Arsenal keeper, Petr Cech. Kane's goal in the 61st minute gave Tottenham the lead, only for them to lose it and draw 2-2 with Arsenal.
U.S. businessman Charlie Stillitano has raised some controversy with his remarks on Leicester City's remarkable run to the top of the Premier League this season. Stillitano is the Co-founder and Chairman of Relevent Sports, the company behind the preseason tournament known as the International Champions Cup. He also hosts a radio show called "The Football Show" on Sirius/XM radio, on which he made the remarks.
I stayed on target with my predictions as I only missed the Madrid Derby pick (what is going on with Real Madrid!!?!!). Not to worry, I will miss them all this week as quality matches dot the globe and the MLS returns. Here are the five can’t miss matches of the weekend, including the critical North London derby:
1. Tottenham Hotspur v. Arsenal, Saturday 7:45 a.m. EST, NBCSN
English fifth-division side Guiseley provided a very good teachable moment for the youth of the soccer world this weekend with a knuckleheaded breach of sporting etiquette.
Specifically, they failed to follow one of the most hallowed unwritten rules in soccer, concerning the aftermath of an injury.
The interesting part begins right around the 7:00 mark.
Former footballer Adam Johnson was found guilty of one charge of sexual touching involving a child, a 15-year-old Sunderland supporter. Johnson is tentatively looking at four to 10 years of jail time (with a maximum of 14 years).
A statement from the victim read:
“From the very beginning of all of this I always doubted that people would believe me.
Louis van Gaal has hit the screens of millions of people this weekend and this time it wasn’t because his team lost again. Manchester United won, but that's not the reason for Van Gaal's bog weekend either.
During the game against Arsenal, the former Barcelona coach was very upset after the referee said Manchester United fouled Arsenal's Alexis Sánchez, something Van Gaal didn’t think was correct. So after a few seconds of ranting the assistant referee, he dropped himself. And yes, It was as awesome as you can imagine.
Here’s the Vine of Van Gaal diving against Arsenal: