After Gonzalo Higuain scored twice in the first 10 minutes for Juventus, it looked like this Champions League knockout tie was done and dusted. However, after Higuain missed a good chance on the counter to make it 3-0, Harry Kane made it very much a game.
Tottenham’s torrent form at Wembley continued; Arsenal’s did not. Spurs won the North London derby 1-0 on Saturday thanks to a Harry Kane header and the Gunners’ hopes of securing the Arsene Wenger Memorial Trophy for finishing in the top four are all but dead.
Gianluigi Buffon, a legend of the game, set another milestone on Friday. The Italian goalkeeper made his 500th league appearance for the Bianconeri in a 2-0 win for Juventus vs Fiorentina at Stadio Artemio Franchi. Buffon also had a clean sheet — thanks to a little help from VAR and the woodwork.
Toronto FC are on a barnstorming tour of Mexico warming up for the MLS regular season (read about the lengths teams will go to try to stop a Sebastian Giovinco free kick here), which led them to a friendly against local Mexico City club Mexican Navy. We are not making that name up.
Philippe Coutinho scored his first goal for Barcelona after coming on as a halftime substitute in their Copa del Rey semifinal second leg against Valencia Thursday. Coutinho scored four minutes after coming on as Barcelona eased into the final with a 3-0 aggregate victory.
Coutinho’s finish was sure a tidy one, but the majority of the credit has to go to Luis Suarez. The Uruguayan brilliantly worked a bit of space before turning provider for Barca’s all-important away goal at a packed Mestalla.
Liga MX’s Atlas welcomed second-tier Tampico Madero to the Estadio Jalisco on Wednesday night, and the courageous Brave Crabs of Tampico pulled off a stunning upset that all began with a 45-yard piece of violence from 19-year-old forward Eduardo Aguirre.
A penalty from Atlas’ Milton Caraglio gave his side a 1-0 lead in the 44th minute, but a five-minute brace from Aguirre turned the match on its head, gave Tampico Madero the three points and put them on the cusp of the knockout stage.
This Chicharito goal vs Brighton is one to remember. Sadly for West Ham, it was not nearly enough as they lost 3-1 against the Seagulls in English Premier League action on Saturday.
The Oriente Petrolero versus Universitario match in the Copa Libertadores first stage was an emotional rollercoaster. Peruvian side Universitario was facing a 0-2 disadvantage as they hosted Bolivian side Oriente Petrolero in the return leg — you may recall the rather unusual goal celebration that took place in the first leg after Gerardo Freitas scored the second goal for Oriente Petrolero.
In the 60th minute of Arsenal vs. Swansea City, with the score knotted at 1-1, Henrikh Mkhitaryan strode onto the field for his first action as an Arsenal player. Apparently, Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech was so enthralled by Mkhitaryan's grand entrance that he forgot to pay attention to the soccer game he was playing in.
The U.S. Men’s National Team opened the 2018 season with a friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina, a pair of teams who failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. The USMNT vs Bosnia match itself was a relatively drab 0-0 draw, but with about 15 minutes left U.S. forward Jordan Morris had his shirt ripped, by far the highlight of the match.
Morris, the Seattle Sounders product, was involved in a tussle on the left sideline when his shirt tore just enough to bare his smooth abdomen, which the cameras didn’t shy away from showing.