Strangest celebration from week 38 in Serie A
Thousands of Genoa fans took to the streets after their final game of the season yesterday to celebrate the relegation of their rivals Sampdoria. Their chosen method of celebration? A mock funeral procession!
*****
Moonwalk of the weekend from week 37 in Serie A
*****
Goal of the weekend from week 36 in Serie A
*****
Goal of the weekend from week 34 in Serie A
*****
Goal of the weekend from week 33 in Serie A*****
Goal of the weekend from week 32 in Serie A
Del - April 12, 2011
*****
Goal of the weekend from week 31 in Serie ASeeing as the referee didn't give this fine goal the recognition it deserved, it's only fair that this site should. It's not like he scores every week or anything.
Cristian Brocchi, take a bow...
Del - April 4, 2011
*****
Goalkeeper scores goal number 100 for his club!Brazilian goalkeeper and free kick specialist Rogério Ceni yesterday scored his 100th goal for São Paulo. By becoming such a precise marksman from dead ball situations – despite his position – the 38-year-old is continuing a tradition which was started by Columbian goalkeeper René Higuita.
His 54th minute strike turned out to be the decisive goal in a 2-1 derby win over Corinthians, and you can watch it below along with the game's other two goals.
*****
Goal of the weekend from week 30 in Serie A
The one and only Alessandro Del Piero scores the winner for Juventus over Brescia at the Stadio Olimpico in Turin:
Del - March 23, 2011
*****
Goal of the weekend from week 29 in Serie A
A breathtaking display of skill and pace from Udinese's Alexis Sanchez:
Miss of the weekend from week 29 in Serie A
I think the fact that the commentator had already started into his "GOOOOOOOOOAAAAAALLLL" holler makes this miss look all the more painful!
Del - March 14, 2011
*****
Swimming now possible at selected football matches - details here!
Torrential rain wreaked havoc at a game between Sao Paulo and Palmeiras in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil on Friday last (27th February). Below are highlights from both the pitch and the stands.
As you can see in the second video, a couple of fans decided to go for a swim while the match was delayed for 70 minutes due to the relentless downpour! Action on the field eventually resumed, and the game finished 1-1.
A report on the game is available here.
Del - March 2, 2011
*****
Del's Football Tips Honours Theo Walcott With Award
Barcelona’s Lionel Messi was justifiably recognised as the best footballer in the world today when he was awarded the FIFA Ballon D’Or in Zurich . The 23 year-old Argentinian scored a staggering sixty goals for club and country last year.
 |
| Messi took a break from tormenting defenders to receive the Ballon D'Or |
In the spirit of sporting recognition, I thought it appropriate that we should take this opportunity to award a prize of our own to a practitioner of the beautiful game. Step forward Theo Walcott, and please accept the inaugural Del’s Football Tips "Ballon D’Oh™.”
In an interview for Arsenal’s official site, Walcott has admitted to diving during Saturday’s FA cup tie against Leeds United in an attempt to win a penalty. Diving needs to be eradicated from the game, but I don’t believe that post-match confessions will improve things. Having admitted that he dived, Walcott’s honesty on the field will surely be under much closer scrutiny from officials in future.
 |
| Looks like Theo Walcott is reasonably happy to have been awarded the Ballon D'Oh™ |
"I have heard some players say if there is a slight touch, go down, and it can work both ways,” said the 21 year-old . “It was one of those things. I am not happy with myself for doing that, but I am happy that we got the draw….I had a little joke with the referee afterwards saying 'that was my first dive, can you tell?'."
If Walcott is serious about playing more honestly, he deserves credit. In the meantime, thanks to his big and silly mouth, he is the proud holder of our 2011 Ballon D’Oh™.
Del - January 10, 2011
*****
Who would win a fight between Zlatan Ibrahimović and David O'Leary?
For the benefit of those who haven't been eagerly tracking the career of former Arsenal and Republic of Ireland footballer (and former Leeds United and Aston Villa manager) David O'Leary, he is now in charge of Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli.
His charges were faced with the daunting task of taking on Serie A leaders AC Milan in an Emirates Challenge Cup friendly on Sunday (January 2nd). Milan won the game 2-1, but will be worried that Robinho picked up a knee injury when he collided with a camera during the game. Footage taken by the offending camera can be seen here.
52 year-old O'Leary was clearly unimpressed by a late challenge by Zlatan Ibrahimović on one of his players, and he was keen to make this fact known. "You knew what you were doing," O'Leary told the Swede. Unfortunately we didn't quite find out who would win in a fight between the two, but you can watch the non-fight unfold below.
Del - January 3, 2011
*****
Weekend Round-Up: 18th & 19th December
Wintery weather conditions caused several football matches to be postponed over the weekend, especially in the Netherlands and the UK. Italy was unaffected, with the exception of the Genoa derby which fell foul of conditions in Northern Italy on Sunday evening.
Yesterday was a day of late goals in Serie A, and a day which favoured Napoli and Lazio as they drew closer to the summit. Juventus, having scored a 94th minute winner over Lazio last week, conceded a 92nd minute equaliser at Chievo yesterday and slipped from second to fourth in the table. AC Milan are still top, but their lacklustre performance against Roma – following back-to-back 3-0 wins over Brescia and Bologna - raises questions about their ability to perform against more competitive opposition. The Italian footballers can now enjoy their Christmas pudding, as there are no more fixtures scheduled until January.
I’m sure Claudio Raneiri will be hoping to ration Adriano’s portion of pudding however, as he looked characteristically out of shape at the San Siro on Saturday. The Roma striker was recently awarded the "Golden Bin" or "Bidone d'Oro" by RAI's Radio Due - an award given to the player voted the worst in Serie A every year. Adriano has made history of sorts by becoming the first player to win this award three times.
In Spain’s La Liga, Barcelona staged their weekly goalscoring exhibition, beating city rivals Espanyol 5-1. Their form has been phenomenal of late – they scored five in each of their last two games, and have netted 31 times in their last five games. This must be a cause of concern for Arsenal ahead of their last 16 Champions League tie against the Catalans in February. Real Madrid were also victorious, but they were less impressive, beating an erratic Sevilla side 1-0 in an ill-tempered affair at the Bernabeu which saw both sides finish with ten men.
The highlights of this week’s football are tonight’s English Premier League tie between Manchester City and Everton, along with the Spanish Coppa Del Rey last 16 ties, the first legs of which must be contested (on Tuesday and Wednesday evening) before the players involved can tuck into their Christmas pudding. The second legs are scheduled for January 4th.
Yesterday was a day of late goals in Serie A, and a day which favoured Napoli and Lazio as they drew closer to the summit. Juventus, having scored a 94th minute winner over Lazio last week, conceded a 92nd minute equaliser at Chievo yesterday and slipped from second to fourth in the table. AC Milan are still top, but their lacklustre performance against Roma – following back-to-back 3-0 wins over Brescia and Bologna - raises questions about their ability to perform against more competitive opposition. The Italian footballers can now enjoy their Christmas pudding, as there are no more fixtures scheduled until January.
I’m sure Claudio Raneiri will be hoping to ration Adriano’s portion of pudding however, as he looked characteristically out of shape at the San Siro on Saturday. The Roma striker was recently awarded the "Golden Bin" or "Bidone d'Oro" by RAI's Radio Due - an award given to the player voted the worst in Serie A every year. Adriano has made history of sorts by becoming the first player to win this award three times.
 |
| Adriano: Proud recipient of the 2010 "Golden Bin" |
In Spain’s La Liga, Barcelona staged their weekly goalscoring exhibition, beating city rivals Espanyol 5-1. Their form has been phenomenal of late – they scored five in each of their last two games, and have netted 31 times in their last five games. This must be a cause of concern for Arsenal ahead of their last 16 Champions League tie against the Catalans in February. Real Madrid were also victorious, but they were less impressive, beating an erratic Sevilla side 1-0 in an ill-tempered affair at the Bernabeu which saw both sides finish with ten men.
The highlights of this week’s football are tonight’s English Premier League tie between Manchester City and Everton, along with the Spanish Coppa Del Rey last 16 ties, the first legs of which must be contested (on Tuesday and Wednesday evening) before the players involved can tuck into their Christmas pudding. The second legs are scheduled for January 4th.
My favourite story from the weekend came from Belgium. Anderlecht, who last week qualified for the Europa League knockout phase, visited Club Brugge for a domestic league fixture. The game was stopped for ten minutes by the referee because the home crowd had decided to shower the Anderlecht players with snowballs, giving special attention to corner kick takers. Anderlecht’s Jonathan Legear, one of the targeted players, celebrated his team’s 2-0 victory by lobbing snowballs at his own supporters after the game. See the fun unfold below. And happy Christmas to all!
Del - December 20, 2010
