A couple months ago, Chucky Lozano was kicked out of training, with the Mexico international looking like he was on the outs at Napoli. Two games into the 2020-21 Serie A campaign, however, he looks to be an integral piece in Gennaro Gattuso’s side.
The year 2020 has brought us horrible nightmares that will plague us for some time. On the bright side, this span of 366 days — I forgot this year was a leap year — has produced some amazing goals thus far. Sporting Lisbon’s U-23 prodigy Loide Augusto scored one of the best goals of 2020 in a match against Benfica on Thursday.
This isn’t your standard bicycle kick. Bask in the glory of this Puskás-worthy gem.
Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho said he had to demand Europa League opponents Shkendija fix the goalposts ahead of their tie on Thursday after his keepers alerted him to the fact they were too small.
Spurs goalkeepers Hugo Lloris and Joe Hart noticed the dimensions were wrong and told Mourinho, who took the matter up with UEFA's delegate at the match.
After the game Mourinho posted a picture of himself on Instagram nearly touching the crossbar.
Chelsea midfielder Kai Havertz got off the mark with a hat trick in a 6-0 thrashing of Barnsley at Stamford Bridge in the third round of the League Cup on Wednesday.
Havertz, who joined Chelsea from Bayer Leverkusen for 71 million pounds ($90 million), started both of his side's Premier League games against Brighton and Hove Albion and Liverpool but showed his class against Championship (second tier) side Barnsley.
On paper, Watford traveled to southeast Wales on Tuesday as overwhelming favorite over Newport County in their third-round League Cup tie. Watford was a Premier League club last season, while Newport County was a middling League Two side. What the Hornets failed to account for though was Newport's penchant for upsetting upper-league opposition in cup competitions.
After defeating Manchester City in both their meetings last season, many predicted another trial by fire for Pep Guardiola’s side against Wolves at the Molineux on Monday night, especially so with Nathan Aké and John Stones anchoring City’s backline.
But the opening 45 minutes was a master class in command from the Sky Blues (although looking very much like the Lilywhites) with Rodri and Fernandinho protecting the backline and Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden and Raheem Sterling playing in perfect harmony.
AC Milan's veteran forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored twice and also missed an open goal to give his side a 2-0 win over Bologna and get their Serie A campaign off to a winning start on Monday.
The 38-year-old broke the deadlock with a towering header in the 35th minute and added the second with a penalty — the first in Serie A this season — five minutes after the break.
Zlatan doing what he does best, score goals! pic.twitter.com/d2pb7ClW6X
Aston Villa got their season up and running with a labored 1-0 home win against 10-man Sheffield United on Monday as Ezri Konsa's second-half header proved enough to settle a dour game.
All eyes were on Villa's new record signing Ollie Watkins but it was defender Konsa, a former teammate of Watkins' at Brentford, and debutant goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez who earned their side three points.
Andrea Pirlo’s first match as Juventus manager included debuts for 22-year-old American Weston McKennie and 20-year-old Swede Dejan Kulusevski, and both young talents did their manager proud in a 3-0 victory over Sampdoria at Allianz Stadium.
It was Kulusevski, the Serie A Best Young Player award-winner last season while on loan at Parma, who opened the scoring in the 13th minute with a left-footed curler from the edge of the area.
What a beauty!
Chelsea, winner of the 2020 Premier League summer transfer window, was defeated by England’s actual champion Liverpool 2-0 on Sunday in a match that’ll probably force the Blues to dip back into the market in a bid to replace the world’s most expensive goalkeeper.