There were not, admittedly, many great matchups in Tuesday’s Champions League slate. All the big clubs played opponents they were expected to beat, and while some struggled to claim all three points, most came away with easy victories.
Two of the most emphatic victories came from PSG (5-0 over Club Brugge) and Manchester City (5-1 over Atalanta). Their star men both recorded stunning hat tricks.
Sheffield United took on Arsenal at Bramall Lane on Monday night. It was a match that would’ve meant Arsenal jumping up to third in the Premier League assuming the Gunners turned up and won. Arsenal’s away form however tells a different tale: four wins in the past 18 matches.
Sheffield United was looking to break its duck as it hadn’t scored a goal since September. Lo and behold, Sheffield United outplayed Arsenal and beat the Gunners 1-0, moving up to ninth in the table.
On Monday, France Football (over the course of five ridiculous hours) released its 30-man shortlist for the 2019 Ballon d’Or prize, as well as a 20-player shortlist for the Ballon d'Or Féminin. Last year, Luka Modrić broke Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi’s combined 10-year stranglehold on the game’s most prestigious individual award, but Messi is again the favorite this year after leading Barcelona to the Spanish league title while capturing his sixth European Golden Shoe.
An 85th-minute equalizer from Adam Lallana — his first goal since May 21, 2017 — earned Liverpool a dramatic point from Old Trafford on Sunday, extending Manchester United’s winless streak in league play to four games. It was a gut punch to the home side, who’d largely dictated the run of play for the entirety of the match.
One can never presume to know what goes through the minds of executives at networks like NBC, Fox, ESPN and TNT who decide which matches to show on TV.
On Sunday, during a crunch Euro 2020 qualifier between Wales and Croatia in Cardiff, there was a terrifying moment in the 14th minute when highly touted Welsh winger Daniel James — somewhat stooping to win a header in the middle of the park — caught a flying knee to the back of the head from Croatian defender Domagoj Vida.
It wasn’t a vintage Netherlands performance by any means, but the Dutch’s quest for a first major international tournament appearance since the 2014 World Cup remains on course following a 2-1 victory over Belarus on Sunday.
With two matches remaining in Euro 2020 qualifying, a draw against Northern Ireland in Belfast on Nov. 16 would ensure a return to the big stage for the Oranje.
Hailed as one of the best defenders in the world right now, Virgil van Dijk is also one of the more likable figures in world soccer. Just don’t tell that to the poor 8-year-old Everton fan he teased in a recent sit-down with some Liverpool U-8 players.
LFC’s stellar social media department released a YouTube video of VVD taking questions from Liverpool youth players in a mostly adorable segment.
Van Dijk answered questions like “Do you pick your nose?” and “Who smells the most in the team?” in a delightful 6:46 video (embedded above).
You just can’t escape Liverpool these days, even during the international break, which can’t end soon enough.
Liverpool has won 17 straight Premier League matches, a run that includes winning the Champions League trophy at the end of last season. The Reds are already eight points clear of Manchester City atop the league table and look poised to run away with the title.