Free-scoring Monaco met Pep Guardiola’s equally attack-minded Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday, and then all hell broke loose. Fox Sports guaranteed us goals on FS1, and they didn’t lie to us.
Goals guaranteed as Man City host high-flying Monaco in the @ChampionsLeague Round of 16!
It only took Monaco six minutes to respond to Manchester City’s opening goal. Radamel Falcao cashed in with a perfect diving header to even up the score. It was his 14th goal in 15 games across all competitions.
Textbook diving header from Falcao, his 14th goal in 15 games (all comps). #UCL #MCIASM https://t.co/8TMQeD84KD
Manchester City and Monaco was low key one of the more exciting matchups in the round of 16 draw. 26 minutes in, Leroy Sane did his best Messi impression, exchanged passes with David Silva and provided a sitter for Raheem Sterling.
Sterling got City's goal, but Leroy Sané should get the credit. What a run! #UCL #MCIASM https://t.co/UkLWvysw2X
Rangers interim manager Graeme Murty is the Zlatan Ibrahimovic of football managers, in that he does wildly flexible, athletic things for seemingly no reason at all.
Murty got a bit too worked up during a recent match against Dundee and, well, he stood on his head.
(holds up "10" sign)
The cars were on fire and there was no driver at the wheel. For the president of Pescara, a rotten six months was capped with the firing of the manager who brought Serie A football back to the provincial town, the torching of his property by disillusioned fans, and a last gasp, hail Mary attempt to save the club’s position by turning to one of Italy’s most notorious cult leaders, Zdenek Zeman.
Tomorrow brothers Paul and Florentine Pogba will meet on the pitch in the Euopa League for the second time in less than a week, Paul for Manchester United and Florentin for St. Etienne. Hopefuly they won't do something so rash as to say hi to each other like they did last Thursday, incurring the ire of Ireland and Manchester United's foremost curmudgeon, Roy Keane.
Here's what Keane said on ITV after the match:
Citing a desire to not be the coach that’s guilty of retiring Francesco Totti, Roma’s Luciano Spalletti has threatened to quit if Totti is not offered another one-year contract extension this summer.
The 40-year-old Roman has neither confirmed nor denied a desire to play next season, but the future of the personal embodiment of the club trumps all other focuses, according to Spalletti.
Dani Alves has slammed FC Barcelona President Josep Maria Bartomeu for the treatment he received during his final three seasons with the club, calling the directors “false and ungrateful.”
Partizan's Brazilian midfielder Everton Luiz was seen leaving the pitch in tears after his side’s match against local Belgrade rival FK Rad. After being subjected to monkey noises and an insulting banner during the game, Luiz approached Rad supporters at the end of the match and gave them the finger after Partizan clinched a 1-0 victory.
Whenever a big side like Manchester United get played close by a smaller club, there's inevitably talk of the "Magic of the FA Cup", and, though that usually refers to some plucky underdog dethroning one of the elite, rich clubs, sometimes the magic of the cup is just watching Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic do something cool.
Case in point:
No 24 for Zlatan
Lovely assist from Pogba pic.twitter.com/ovQRaofihg