Regardless of the sport, everyone loves a “Big Man” play. There’s nothing better than a player defying expectations and assumptions people have on them based on their size. Wycombe’s Adebayo Akinfenwa did just that in December with a perfect chip shot that earned him League’s One’s goal of the month.
A player on the losing team receiving the Man of the Match award rarely happens in soccer. Despite the rarity of the situation, it was the only possible outcome after Friday’s AFCON game between Morocco and Comoros. Salim Ben Boina, the 30-year-old Comoros goalkeeper, had one of the most spectacular performances AFCON has seen during his side’s 2-0 defeat.
Morocco should have won Friday’s group stage game by a minimum of 6-0, however Boina consistently produced miracle saves to keep his country — ranked No. 132 in the world and competing in its first ever AFCON — in the game.
The official record for highest attendance at a professional women’s soccer game is held by the 1999 World Cup Final at the Rose Bowl between the USWNT and China with 90,185. Unofficially the 1971 World Cup Final between Denmark and Mexico had 110,000 in attendance.
A new candidate for the record is lurking in the shadows to take down the USWNT’s record. On March 30, Barcelona’s women’s team will host Real Madrid in the second leg of the UEFA Women's Champions League quarterfinals at Camp Nou.
RIYADH - Athletic Bilbao substitute Nico Williams struck late in the second half to give the Spanish Super Cup holders a 2-1 come-from-behind win over LaLiga champions Atlético Madrid in Thursday's semifinal.
Bilbao set up a showpiece clash on Sunday against Real Madrid, who beat Barcelona 3-2 on Wednesday.
When asked what motivates him to continue playing football after the age of 50, Kazuyoshi Miura softly answers: "I have this passion of wanting to play, so that keeps me going"
It’s frustrating when you see countless European coaches, fans and media outlets focusing more on what the Africa Cup of Nations costs than the joy it brings. Yes, some European clubs are without some top players for a little while, but no one complains participation in the Euros or Copa América. For proof of what AFCON means to the continent, look no further than the tears of Mohamed Kamara, the young Sierra Leone keeper who was named Man of the Match after an unlikely 0-0 draw with Algeria on Tuesday.
The reigning Africa Cup of Nations champion Algeria began its title defense Tuesday with a match against Sierra Leone in Douala, meaning it was also time to get a first glimpse of three-time Premier League winner and 2016 African Footballer of the Year Riyad Mahrez.
In 1986, Diego Armando Maradona was on top of the world. With five goals and five assists, El Pibe de Oro led Argentina to an impressive World Cup victory. The stat that really shows how great Maradona was that summer in Mexico wasn’t his goals, assists or record number of dribbles — it was the record he set for most fouls suffered in a men’s World Cup.
After Sporting lost 3-2 to Santa Clara on Friday, Porto was presented an opportunity to open up a lead at the top of the Primeira Liga with a positive result against Estoril Praia on Saturday.
However, Estoril Praia, the league's fifth-place team, stormed to a 2-0 halftime advantage thanks to an André Franco penalty and a wicked deflection on Arthur's shot from the edge of the area.
Week after week, Jaime Escandar proved his talents as a striker in Club Aparición, a small amateur squad in Paine, a town a few miles south of Santiago, Chile. In the words of his teammates, he was a natural. He could score goals with his right foot, with his left foot, with his head. He just scored goals for every taste.
But last weekend, his goal was a bit different.