Goalkeeper assists are an extremely rare commodity. In fact, in the history of the Premier League, goalkeepers have registered less than 60 assists in total. While keepers can play wonderful roles in the buildup to goals (see Barcelona’s Marc-Andre ter Stegen), it’s uncommon to see a goal scored directly after the goalie relinquishes possession.
Real Sociedad have quietly gone about assembling one of the strongest squads in all of La Liga, but their promising start to the season was brought to a halt by Levante center half Chema Rodriguez last night. Levante would ultimately win 3-0, but it was Chema’s wonder goal on the stroke of halftime that put his side ahead for good.
The USWNT steamrolled New Zealand 5-0 at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati last night in front of an announced crowd of 30,596. Goals from Lindsey Horan, Mallory Pugh, Lynn Williams and a brace for Alex Morgan saw the States claim their second victory over the Kiwis in the space of five days following their 3-1 win in Commerce City, Colorado last Friday.
Bayern Munich defeated Schalke 3-0 on Tuesday with James Rodriguez factoring heavily in his first Bundesliga start for the Bavarians. Robert Lewandowski opened the scoring from the spot, and James put Bayern up 2-0 before halftime with his first goal for the club. James then put the finishing touches on the victory with a fantastic feed for Arturo Vidal in the 75th minute.
Ricardo Quaresma, the pioneer of strictly passing with the outside of your boot and facial tattoos in football, has scored one of the finest goals of his illustrious career only eight days before he celebrates his 34th birthday.
Like most Portuguese footballers, Quaresma had an excellent 2016-17 season beginning with his triumph at Euro 2016. Quaresma also helped club side Besiktas win back-to-back Super Lig titles in Turkey, and that fine form has obviously carried over into the new campaign.
Gareth Bale has done it again. Perhaps best known for his stunning sprint against Barcelona in the 2014 Copa del Rey Final (one that had Usain Bolt saying: “It’s a goal any sprinter in the world would like to score one day. He’s the fastest footballer in the world at the moment.”), Bale has scored another scorching effort for Real Madrid.