Game Recaps

Manchester City defeated Chelsea 2-1 on Saturday in an enthralling Premier League match that was ultimately decided by City’s midfield quality. While Jorginho failed to exert his influence for 74 minutes on the pitch, City showcased its style with commanding displays from Kevin De Bruyne, Rodrigo and deputizing center back Fernandinho.

Charged with shutting down one of the Premier League’s hottest strikers — Tammy Abraham entered the match with 10 goals and two assists in 11 games — it’s difficult to explain just how good the 34-year-old Brazilian is at reading the game.

Fresh off a hamstring injury that cost him six games, 37 days and a myriad of hot takes, Neymar returned to the pitch on Friday for first-place PSG’s encounter with seventh-place Lille in Ligue 1.

In the midst of it all, it’s unfortunate how much the off-the-pitch noise engulfs the 27-year-old Brazilian. He’ll certainly never be Mexico’s cup of tea, but notwithstanding tribal feuds, he remains football’s second-best attraction behind Lionel Messi (I have all the time in the world for the Cristiano Ronaldo G.O.A.T. argument, but he's really not that fun to watch anymore).

After getting hammered 4-0 by Bayern Munich before the international break, Borussia Dortmund manager Lucien Favre was essentially coaching for his job during today’s Bundesliga match against Paderborn. 

What’s more, Paderborn travelled to the intimidating Westfalenstadion in last place with only one win from 11 matches. Dortmund entered the match in fifth but the gap between BVB and surprise leader Mönchengladbach stood at only six points.

The 2019 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup kicked off today in Luque, Paraguay, and we’re going to be all about it over the next 10 days. 

There’s nothing like it — the way you can make a little tee for your free kick before smashing it off a sand dune to leave the keeper wrong-footed; the sight of a goalie slowly juggling it up the beach with one knee while looking the supreme image of concentrated paranoia and anxiety; the civil engineering majors giving it hell; the sound of “What’s Luv?” by Fat Joe and Ashanti blaring out the speakers.

Wales ended a 58-year drought in major international tournaments when it played in the 2016 Euros. The Dragons became one of the feel-good stories of the Euros, reaching the semifinals before bowing out to eventual-champion Portugal. 

Fortunately for Ryan Giggs’ squad, Wales won’t have to wait another 58 years for another shot at glory.

Aaron Ramsey scored once in each half to propel Wales to a 2-0 win over Hungary on Tuesday in Cardiff, helping the Dragons finish second in Group E to qualify for the 2020 Euros.

After a disastrous 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign that ended with a playoff defeat to Sweden and the firing of manager Gian Piero Ventura, Italy’s just finished its UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying cycle in emphatic fashion: A 9-1 victory over Armenia gives the Azzurri a final record of 10 played, 10 won, 37 scored and only four conceded. 

Eternal South American rivals Argentina and Uruguay put on quite a show in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Monday night in a friendly match that featured fine performances from Luis Suárez, Edinson Cavani, Lucas Torreira, Lionel Messi, Sergio Agüero and Paulo Dybala. 

Mexico pushed Brazil to the brink in the final of Sunday's 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup, but late goals from Kaio Jorge and Lázaro sent a raucous crowd of over 15,000 into raptures in Brasília. Inspirational captain Eugenio Pizzuto had provided the assist on Bryan Gonzalez’s opener for El Tri in the 66th minute, but Brazil’s ferocious comeback began in the 84th with Kaio’s VAR-assisted penalty and ended — just before the match was headed straight to a shootout — with Lázaro’s stunning winner with only one minute remaining in stoppage time.

Cristiano Ronaldo entered today’s Euro 2020 qualifier against Lithuania needing five goals to reach a century for Portugal. It was always going to be close as the Juventus striker has historically feasted on the world’s 132nd-ranked side, including the four he hit when the two nations met in Vilnius back in September.

Much like it was throughout the entirety of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, it’s still a very popular sentiment to express how good Rose Lavelle is at soccer. 

rose lavelle is good at passing

— Aaron West (@oeste) November 11, 2019