While there were no headlining matchups, the latest cycle of international qualifying across the globe provided us with some unexpected upsets — if you know where to look.
North Macedonia over Germany and Luxembourg beating the Republic of Ireland were tabbed as the biggest surprises of the international break, but there plenty more stunning results from across Europe and beyond.
These were the best of the bunch:
Ole Gunnar Solskjær went some way toward discarding his “Baby-face” misnomer on Monday with a savage dig at anyone that dares stray from mass conformity. Much like José Mourinho before him with his effusive praise of Scott McTominay’s “normal haircut,” Solskjær’s weird anecdote about dismissing a transfer target solely because of what they did with their hair shafts must have Paul Pogba raring to sign a contract extension at Old Trafford.
Cristiano Ronaldo puede ganar un campeonato universal y salvarnos del apocalipsis con sus goles, pero para mí solo hay un Ronaldo y no es él. Ronaldo, hoy y siempre, es el brasileño, el Fenómeno. Su carisma natural es la gran diferencia y cada vez que tiene una "entrevista íntima" lo saca a relucir.
Portuguese football fans will be understandably aggrieved following the goal-line controversy in Saturday's World Cup qualifier against Serbia. It's important to remember though that the Seleção is still tied for first in its qualifying group — a very easy group at that.
Moments like this are why we love the sport so much. Sudan booked its ticket to Cameroon for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations after defeating South Africa 2-0 on Sunday in the final day of Group C play.
This was the first time Sudan had qualified for the competition in nearly a decade and the reaction after the full time whistle says it all.
Mabrouk SUDAN!
After 10 years there will be playing an AFCON!
In my opinion, there was no more beloved character in 2020 than Ted Lasso. During a difficult year, his eponymous show on Apple TV+ was a joy to watch. The first season had everything you could want from a series during a global pandemic: laughter, heart and soccer.
But Ted Lasso met his match on Friday, and that was another of 2020’s biggest stars: Trevor Noah.
This Sergiño Dest goal vs Jamaica deserves to be hung in the Louvre.
The Barcelona defender played out of his mind in the opening 45 minutes of the USMNT’s friendly against Jamaica. Playing in the left back position — as opposed to his typical right back position with Barcelona — didn't faze Dest at all.
After bagging a brace for Barcelona on Sunday against Real Sociedad, Dest kept his shooting boots laced up with this beauty from 25 yards out.
Barcelona winger Ansu Fati became the new ambassador of the Cupra brand, and, as one of the benefits, he received a customized car. However, the 18-year-old still doesn’t have a driver's license, therefore he can’t drive his new car yet.
Ansu, one of the most promising youngsters at Barcelona, will receive the Cupra Formentor, whose lower-end car is priced at almost $50,000.
If you frequently use Twitter, then you know that a little Papillon dog named Gabby is trending once again. This speedy little dog stunned the world with her pace in 2019 and is once again on my timeline. The question must be asked, how fast is Gabby and is she faster than Kylian Mbappé?
The first thing to do in answering the question of how fast is Gabby is to review her 2019 footage. Gabby put on an electrifying performance at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. Dare I say this performance was equally as impressive as Mbappé's game against Argentina at the 2018 World Cup?
On the surface, the rivalry between Sheffield United and West Ham United seems to be one of the most obvious derbies in English football; Sheffield is nicknamed the Blades because of the city's connection to the steel industry, while West Ham is known as the Hammers for its roots in the local ironworks of London.
But the rivalry between these two clubs extends beyond the metalworks and is centered around another important resource: money.