If you’ve seen the hit show “Ted Lasso” then you might remember the scene where Lasso, Roy Kent and the gang convince Jamie Tartt to be a prick and get on the other team’s nerves.
One player who excels at this in the real world is Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr. Not only do Tartt and Vini have incredible footwork and finishing abilities, but they both know how to get under opponent’s skin.
MADRID — Real Madrid striker Joselu was in dreamland after he came on in the dying moments of their Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich on Wednesday and turned the game on its head with two goals to snatch a stunning victory.
Joselu, whose journeyman career has included spells at clubs such as Hoffenheim, Eintracht Frankfurt, Hannover 96, Stoke City and Newcastle United, only touched the ball a few times in their 2-1 second-leg win, but it was a night he is likely to remember for a long time.
Real Madrid pulled off another stunning last-minute comeback victory against Bayern Munich to win 2-1 (4-3 on aggregate) in the Champions League semifinal on Wednesday. One major talking point is a late Bayern offside call.
In the dying seconds of the game with Real Madrid leading 2-1, Bayern’s Matthijs de Ligt thought he’d netted a dramatic equalizer. He’d be denied as the linesman raised his flag for an offside call just before his goal.
Carlo Ancelotti has created some controversy following his statements in Real Madrid’s press conference on Friday, with the Italian manager giving no answer as to which goalkeeper he would plan on playing in a hypothetical Champions League final: Lunin or Courtois.
This weekend will see the return of starting Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois after missing all what has been played in the 2023-24 season due to an ACL and meniscus injury. He will start in their home LaLiga bout against Cadiz this Saturday.
DORTMUND — Borussia Dortmund's Niclas Füullkrug fired in a first-half goal to seal a 1-0 victory over visitors Paris Saint-Germain in their Champions League semi-final first leg on Wednesday.
Nico Schlotterbeck floated a pass into Füllkrug's path and the Germany forward controlled the ball with a perfect first touch before drilling a low shot past keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma in the 36th minute.
DORTMUND STRIKE FIRST ⚡
MUNICH — Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr scored twice, including a late penalty, to snatch a 2-2 draw at Bayern Munich in an entertaining Champions League semifinal, first leg on Tuesday, leaving the tie wide open.
The Brazilian, who put Real in front after 24 minutes, has now scored in the semifinals for a third successive season.
Bayern had struck twice in four minutes early in the second half through a Leroy Sane strike and Harry Kane penalty to turn the game around before Vinicius' spot kick.
Antonio Rüdiger shut down Erling Haaland and is now aiming to shut down Kylian Mbappé.
Rüdiger has been in incredible form with Real Madrid this season (taking the reigns of the central defense following the injuries of teammates Eder Militão and David Alaba), leading the team to a very likely LaLiga title as well as to a spot in the UEFA Champions League semifinals through the deciding kick in a penalty shoot-out.
Incoming United States women’s national team head coach Emma Hayes sent shockwaves through the women’s soccer world on Saturday as her Chelsea side defeated Barcelona 1-0 on the road in the first leg of the Women’s Champions League semifinal.
The defending Champions League winners were undefeated at home in the previous FIVE YEARS. Hayes’ side limited Barcelona, who had scored 33 goals in eight Champions League games this season, to just one shot on target.
The result is also Barcelona’s first defeat of the season.
Star Borussia Dortmund defender Mats Hummels couldn’t resist poking fun at the Premier League’s woes in Europe this week as four different EPL teams crashed out of their respective competitions.
Arsenal and Manchester City both suffered quarterfinal exits in the Champions League while Liverpool and West Ham fell short in the Europa League.
EPL fans have mocked the Bundesliga and other leagues for years now with the term “farmer’s league.” The joke is an insult about the league not being competitive as one team always wins it and overall, the league being worse.
The Bernardo Silva penalty vs Real Madrid during Manchester City’s shootout defeat in Wednesday's Champions League quarterfinal was one of the most discussed points of the game.
After a brilliant game that ended 1-1 (4-4 on aggregate) it went to a penalty shootout. Silva stepped up to take City’s second penalty and stunned fans when he shot it right up the middle into the grateful hands of Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin.
Silva received hefty criticism online for his penalty.
What if we told you, it wasn’t a bad kick but instead a genius bit of goalkeeping?