Hatem Ben Arfa killed it for OGC Nice this season. The thought-to-be-burnt-out winger torched French football for 18 goals and six assists in all competitions, and he looked good doing it. Like, Messi good.
And before you get all uppity about me using the m-word, just check out the video below showcasing the goals he scored this year. They vary from penalties to “holy s***, I can’t believe he’s done that.”
As the moments of desperation evolved, goalkeeper Jamie Butler scored an incredible full field laser to even the game at two goals a piece. Following a favorable skip from right outside the 18 yardbox, the ball found it's way into the upper left corner out of reach from the opposing goalie. Crazy moments like these are why we love the game!
The San Siro in Milan will play host to the 2016 Champions League final as Atletico Madrid take on local rivals Real Madrid. It is a rematch of the final from two seasons ago, which Real won 4-1 in extra time, despite being down 1-0 for most of the match. This will be only the second time that a European Cup final will be contested by two clubs from the same city.
Marco Fabian made it back into the Eintracht Frankfurt team as they secured their Bundesliga safety against FC Nürnberg. A Haris Seferovic goal proved the difference as Frankfurt won 1-0 in Nuremberg and 2-1 on aggregate.
According to The Independent, Louis Van Gaal is no longer the manager at Manchester United.
LVG gone. Hoek, Stuivenberg and Reckers also out
— Mark Ogden (@MarkOgden_) May 23, 2016
10 man Manchester United have beaten Crystal Palace to win the 135th FA Cup.
Jesse Lingard scored the game winning goal in the 110’ minute of extra time in a game that was quite dead until the goals started flowing.
Manchester United and Crystal Palace had combined to manufacture just 3 shots on target between them before Palace’s Jason Puncheon broke the deadlock in the 78th minute:
Today in How You Know You’ve Hit Rock Bottom, we have match officials Marek Pilny and Jiri Jech from the Czech First League.
Pilny and Jech decided it was a good idea to show up stumbling drunk to FK Pribram vs Slavia Prague, a match they were supposed to officiate.
You may be asking yourself: how are you supposed to keep a match in line if you cannot walk in a straight line? This, it appears, was a riddle Pilny and Jech were intent on solving the hard way:
Every once in a while a soccer game erupts in a flurry of goals so breathtaking that I want to run across the globe spreading the word of what I just witnessed. It’s as if I feel a need to show the footage of what just happened to every single person who has ever said soccer is boring to watch. I want to thrust it in their faces and dare them to say it again.
The latest example of one such game comes from the Belgian Pro League, which shows that you don’t need to have the best players in the world to create a breathtaking game of soccer.
When Pep Guardiola moved Lionel Messi from the right wing to the middle of the park, he unleashed a monster. The fist instance of the move resulted in a 6-2 destruction of arch rivals Real Madrid. It took a bit of time for the position to become Messi’s primary one but, once it did, world-beating results followed. Have you ever heard of Lionel Messi’s 91 goal year in 2012? Yeah, that happened when he was playing striker.
The 135th FA Cup final will take place tomorrow, and the historical significance of the occasion will find its perfect match in the outdated, contrasting styles on the pitch. Manchester United have struggled to dazzle, or even go forward, all year. Crystal Palace have played their best while soaking up pressure and hitting on the counter.