Football (Soccer) Thread

[FunkMonk]

So. Ronaldo. Seems to have been a good idea after all.
Amazing he and Messi remain so good at their age.
I wonder how long they'll continue. Even once they're no longer world class (when?) will love of the game have them playing at lower divisions? - unlikely with Ronaldo I reckon.

They're both inhuman so I'd expect to see them playing until their 70s 

[Admiral Yi]

Chelsea!

Pulisic is out of the rotation again.

[Zoupa]

Tottenham report, match day 4.

There will be no report today, as no Tottenham players showed up.

Join us next week, as maybe Nuno wakes up and decides to do some coaching.

[Josephus]

Chelsea!

Pulisic is out of the rotation again.

Maybe because he flew back from the USA just a couple days earlier?

[Sheilbh]

Tottenham report, match day 4.

There will be no report today, as no Tottenham players showed up.

Join us next week, as maybe Nuno wakes up and decides to do some coaching.

Flipside - Tanganga telling Zaha "I'll fuck you up, bruv. Pussio!" deserves an end of season award of some sort.

I wasn't delighted with the Benitez appointment but I am being won round and the, I think, 6 minutes when we went from 0-1 down to 3-1 up were very, very fun. Townsend scored his goal and it's always very good. More fun though is that Benitez has somehow got us playing like an old school throwback Premier League team (pre-Klopp, pre-Guardiola) and I'm quite enjoying it.

We are still very light in a few positions, but as someone who has wanted us to please sign a winger who can run for about five years I am thrilled that Townsend and Gray are working out so well. I'm a simple man and genuinely think there's nothing in football I enjoy watching more than someone with the ball just running at a defence

[Zoupa]

That Townsend goal was magnificent. Didn't see Richarlison all game, so that was an extra bonus.

[Duque de Bragança]

Languish Pepe fans will be happy to know that Pepe seems back to his Real shenanigans in a very tense game ending in a 1-1 with Sporting.

https://www.besoccer.com/new/pepe-punches-coates-in-the-jaw-and-no-foul-was-given-1042348

[Duque de Bragança]

More Pepe for you, Languish fans:

Atlético Madrid 0 F.C Porto 0

injured in the last game vs Franco FC n°2 (Atlético Madrid for the not so football-savvy). Not a great game by any means, very defensive, with both squads not willing to risk, goalless draw with a goal refused to Porto since there was an unintended and undecisive handball.
Porto seemed on an equal footing with Atlético, so the third place, leading to Europa League is attainable. Liverpool and Milan AC, 3-2 for the English club btw, seem to be on a different level.

Sporting 1 Ajax Amsterdam 5

4 goals by Haller, no less. I guess not playing the Champions' League for years has its cost for Sporting, specially without a key player (Coates). Still, Sporting could have equalized, following 2 early goals (in the first 10 minutes), but the goal was deemed offside. Clandestino, just an accident or should we expect more of this?

Earlier on, Tuesday, Benfica tied with Dynamo Kiev, 0-0, in a game more or less dominated by Benfica, but with some late scares by Kiev.

Upset of the Night:

Bruges 1 PSG 1

Bringing Messi was not enough, Neymar was not very active and the best Qatari Parisian player was Ander Herrera. 

Other games as well, but I did not watch them, even the highlights, so feel free to comment about them.

[clandestino]

Sporting 1 Ajax Amsterdam 5

4 goals by Haller, no less. I guess not playing the Champions' League for years has its cost for Sporting, specially without a key player (Coates). Still, Sporting could have equalized, following 2 early goals (in the first 10 minutes), but the goal was deemed offside. Clandestino, just an accident or should we expect more of this?

No idea Duque, I'm turning Scandinavian in that sense, following the English Premier League. Go Wolves!

[celedhring]

I've been a Club Brugge fan since I was a wee kid.

In other news, Barça's shit.

[Liep]

Bruges 1 PSG 1

Bringing Messi was not enough, Neymar was not very active and the best Qatari Parisian player was Ander Herrera. 

Surprising to see that they didn't really have a response for high pressure, you'd think with Mbappe on the team they would have options.

[Duque de Bragança]

Sporting 1 Ajax Amsterdam 5

4 goals by Haller, no less. I guess not playing the Champions' League for years has its cost for Sporting, specially without a key player (Coates). Still, Sporting could have equalized, following 2 early goals (in the first 10 minutes), but the goal was deemed offside. Clandestino, just an accident or should we expect more of this?

No idea Duque, I'm turning Scandinavian in that sense, following the English Premier League. Go Wolves!

[clandestino]

I know, who would pass upon the chance of seeing more Tondela games or participate in endless conversations about refereeing at local cafes.

[Duque de Bragança]

I know, who would pass upon the chance of seeing more Tondela games or participate in endless conversations about refereeing at local cafes.

Last domestic game was not vs Tondela.  Not to mention this was about the Champions League. 

I still run into people of the "Portuguese" school years and it invariably ends about this way, specially with a benfiquista acquaintance of mine.
Lately, French and Portuguese politics have crept up in these homeric debates, however.

[Duque de Bragança]

™Ligue des Tas Lents™ is now back in the top 5. Messi back in a top league! 

Portuguese clubs could not win their Champions League game (2 ties 1 defeat) and the single one in Europa League lost (Red Star Belgrade 2 Braga 1).
French clubs behaved better in the Europa League with 2 victories and one tie, so they're back in the top 5 (Champions League was lackluster with PSG tieing with Bruges and Lille 0-0 withWolfsburg).