Perhaps the most famous play of Luis Suarez's career occured during the quarterfinals of the 2010 World Cup, when Uruguay faced Ghana. Suarez blocked a header off the goal line with his hands late in extra time and was sent off. Ghana missed the ensuing penalty, and Uruguay advanced.
PSG's run-of-the-mill 4-1 victory over Sochaux in the Coupe de France took an extremely interesting turn in the final seconds when PSG goalie Kevin Trapp was sent off for a foul on a clear goal-scoring opportunity.
The story of Bruno Zuculini’s young career is one of fire, fury and loan moves. A product of Buenos Aires club Racing, Zuculini made his first team debut with the club, one of the “big five” clubs of Argentine football, at the tender age of 16. After establishing himself as one of the Primera Division’s top talents, Manchester City signed him at the age of 21 for $3.2 million in 2014.
Ajax played at FC Utrecht on Sunday in the Eredivisie, a scoreless draw that was relatively unremarkable — except for the exploits of one Lukas Görtler. Utrecht’s German striker Görtler was sent off for a second yellow card, despite having been substituted off the pitch more than 30 minutes prior.
Manchester City winger Leroy Sané is one of the most exciting young players in the world, with the pace, dribbling and finishing to terrify any defense. He could be a breakout star for Germany at the 2018 World Cup, assuming he doesn’t break his leg first. Joe Bennett’s Leroy Sané tackle looked like it might have caused serious damage to the German on Sunday and the German national team’s Twitter account stood up for its player.
For some reason, kicks to the head are becoming increasingly popular in Liga MX. More specifically, Club America players seem to have taken a liking for kicking opponents' heads in diverse circumstances.
Many people do not care for Paris Saint-Germain. Yes, Neymar, Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbappe are three of the most enjoyable footballers to watch on the planet, but together, the whole sum of PSG can aggravate with how much it insists upon itself.
Chelsea had two players shown second yellow cards after being adjudged to have been guilty of simulation during their FA Cup replay against Championship side Norwich on Wednesday. Nonetheless, Antonio Conte’s side survived a 94th-minute equalizer and managed to advance 5-3 in a shootout after a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge.
The absurdity of the Chelsea vs. Norwich City replay was not about the beauty of the FA Cup, but instead the beauty of a referee who didn’t take shit from anyone, even with VAR ready to back him up.
One of the few certainties in soccer is players (and coaches) will not get along with referees. There will always be contentious calls and subjective decisions that could go either way. This isn’t exclusive to soccer, but there is one sport that avoids this aspect completely: ultimate Frisbee, which does not have referees. Could the beautiful game ever follow suit and institute self-officiated soccer?
Ligue 1 referee Tony Chapron has been suspended by the French Football Federation (FFF) “until further notice” following his insanely villanous actions at the end of Paris Saint-Germain’s 1-0 victory over Nantes on Sunday.