Underdogs

Gonçalo Ramos shows why he's worth $130M by firing Benfica into the UCL quarters

We haven't covered Gonçalo Ramos much since the 21-year-old took Cristiano Ronaldo's spot at the World Cup and promptly fired Portugal into the quarterfinals with a hat-trick, but we've got to speak about his outrageous talents again because he's just put Benfica into the quarterfinals of the Champions League with two goals and an assist on Tuesday.

High-flying Brentford get past Tim Ream's Fulham while attempting some butt flicks

You know it's heady times in the Premier League when Brentford versus Fulham makes for can't-miss TV, and that was the case in a Monday Night Football clash at Gtech Community Stadium that outlined why both clubs are safe from relegation and eyeing a place in Europe. The London derby was a five-goal barn burner.

Brentford flew out of the traps and earned a deserved lead in the sixth-minute. A barrage of early balls into Fulham's area had been met by Tim Ream, but the American defender could only watch in horror as his attempted block deflected beyond Bernd Leno. 

Football Ferns desperate for answers with Women's World Cup opener only 137 days away

March 4 (Reuters) - New Zealand Football chief executive Andrew Pragnell has thrown his support behind coach Jitka Klimková to turn around the fortunes of her underperforming team with less than five months before the Women's World Cup begins.

New Zealand, who will co-host the World Cup with neighbors Australia from July 20 to Aug. 20, lost all their friendlies last month, suffering a 5-0 hammering by Portugal before falling 2-0 and 1-0 to Argentina.

Can China actually qualify for the 48-team 2026 World Cup?

Newly appointed China head coach Aleksandar Janković is aiming to guide the Asian country to qualification for the 2026 World Cup, the Serbian said, adding that the team has room for improvement.

Despite major government ambitions for the team, China have qualified for the World Cup only once in 2002 when they lost all three of their group matches and failed to score a goal.

4th-tier Grimsby Town dump Southampton out of FA Cup with a bit of the dark arts

If you're a Liverpool or Chelsea supporter disappointed with the season, just remember it could always be a lot, lot worse — you could be a Southampton fan.

The Saints are at the bottom of the Premier League table with only 18 points from 24 matches. They had Nathan Jones as manager for three months. They somehow managed to reach the Carabao Cup semifinals before losing to Newcastle, but the lasting memory there is Jacob Murphy waving off Duje Ćaleta-Car after the defender's red card.

Mourinho red carded as Roma hand Cremonese their FIRST win of the Serie A season

It took all of 24 matches but Cremonese finally won a Serie A game on Tuesday, and the most remarkable thing is that they recorded it over Roma after also shocking José Mourinho's team in the Coppa Italia quarterfinals at the beginning of the month.

No club in Europe's big five leagues had remained winless this long, but Cremonese — based in the Lombardy region of northern Italy — actually moved into 19th-place with all three points (12 overall) while dropping hapless Sampdoria (11 points) to dead last.

Klinsmann targets 2026 World Cup glory after returning to managerial role

Jürgen Klinsmann has been named head coach of South Korea, the country's football association said on Monday.

Former Germany coach Klinsmann replaced Paulo Bento, who stepped down following South Korea's defeat by Brazil in the World Cup last 16 in December.

The Korea Football Association (KFA) said Klinsmann had signed a contract until the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

3 days after Europa League elimination, Barcelona suffer shock defeat to bottom-dwelling Almería

ALMERIA, Spain - Barcelona wasted a golden opportunity to extend their lead at the top of LaLiga as they were shocked 1-0 at lowly Almería on Sunday thanks to a first-half strike by El Bilal Touré.

Barça are top of the league standings on 59 points, seven ahead second-placed Real Madrid who were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Atlético Madrid on Saturday. Almería are 15th on 25 points, two clear of the relegation zone.

Loris Karius makes 8 saves in EFL Cup final but it's still not enough

Loris Karius' one-day Redemption Tour is at an end. Playing his first competitive match in nearly two years and his first representing an English club since that infamous night in Kyiv, Karius could not prevent Newcastle's defeat in the EFL Cup final on Sunday as Manchester United scored two goals in a six-minute first-half span to claim the season's first major piece of silverware.

St. Louis City wins first MLS game after an absurd error from Austin FC

João Klauss found the net on a splendid, decisive goal in the 86th minute to lift expansion St. Louis City to a 3-2 in over Austin FC on Saturday night in Austin, Texas in the teams' season opener.

Expansion St. Louis City shocked the home side by winning its inaugural MLS game, with goals by Klauss and former Austin player Jared Stroud in a span of eight minutes late in the match to produce the come-from-behind upset.

Jared Stroud goal vs. Austin (2-2)

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