Drone Breaks Up Euro Qualifier

((HT: Sport Central))

This might be the next step in hooliganism- the HQ is still trying to figure out if this move below was a genius one-off or the beginning of something that could get infinitely more dangerous over time.

Serbia and Albania were going at it in the first half of their Euro 2016 qualifier when someone got very ingenious with their attempt at game interruption. This, folks, was no black lab...


When you wave an Albanian flag in Belgrade, it's the equivalent of waving something in a bull's face in the ring.

UEFA had banned Albanian fans from being in the building, so someone decided to fly the drone. The Albanian flag had a map of Kosovo and the message 'autochthonous', meaning indigenous- drooping from the craft.

That's when players and fans all got into it. Serbian defender Stefan Mitrovic pulled the flag down and that act seemed to start it.

The political background for all of this dates back to 1999 when NATO had an almost three-month long air war to stop the killing and expulsion of ethnic Albanians in Kosovo by Serbian forces. Kosovo declared independence in 2008, but this is not recognized by Serbia. Adding to that, seven of Albania's squad were born in the Kosovo region.

The match was abandoned and may not have been a good idea in the first place.

According to Reuters, the brother of Albanian Prime Minister was arrested in the V.I.P Box and was found with a remote.

'He was arrested on suspicion that he masterminded and executed the incident in which a flag with a map of greater Albania was flown over the pitch and the terraces, after which the match between Serbia and Albania was abandoned."

Someone Actually Touched Messi

((HT: beINSports))

Barcelona played Malaga today in La Liga and it appeared that the back line for Malaga wasn't going to roll over for anyone...

Much less Messi...

The weird thing about the whole exchange was that Weligton and Pique each got yellows when a red card REALLY would have been appropriate.

How good was Malaga's defense...???

Barcelona were held without a shot on goal in a league game for the first time in the past 11 seasons...

That good...

An 80-Yard Goal To Seal It...

((HT: Fox Soccer/Bundesliga))

If I asked you who you thought was on top of the Bundesliga table after four matches, you'd probably give me something like Bayern Munich or Dortmund, right...???

What the HQ figured...

But, no, it's recently promoted Paderborn who are on top...

They sealed their win this weekend with one of those shots that went from one end to the other since the Hannover goalie was up on offense late in the match.

The ploy didn't work, thanks to Moritz Stoppelkamp

Goal Stoppelkamp [ Paderborn 2-0 Hannover ] 20... by Bundes2014

La Liga Match Suspended By Smoke Bomb

((HT: Canal+))

This, sadly, is more commonplace than the HQ would like but the Celta Vigo-Villareal match was suspended by 20 minutes in the second half by one of these...


Celta Vigo win, which was a surprise, and everyone was bent:

"This experience has been crap, pardon the expression," Villareal coach Marcelino said after the match. "There are attitudes that sometimes humans do not understand and this is one of them. The most positive thing is not to discuss this issue."

Villarreal president Fernando Roig condemned the action and apologized:

"Villarreal deplores and condemns what happened. We are convinced that this is a person who is outside of Villarreal and has specifically come to harm the club. We are making all appropriate inquiries and hope to be able to identify as soon as possible to the perpetrator and come down on him with the full weight of the law.

"Such acts do not represent the fans of Villarreal. The club wants to apologize and to acknowledge the work of the security forces in the evacuation."

Messi Does It Again...

((HT: beinsportsUSA vine))

Or... another normal day at work...

Barca was down 1-0 in the slop at the Bernabeu, but then Barca woke up...

This goal by Messi gave them the lead heading into the locker room...


See...???
Normal...

OSG Prem: Hazard And Liverpool Shine, Man City Listless

((HT: BPL on NBC))

The top of the Premier League table is a mess again... short of the Everton result with Spurs tomorrow...

1 Chelsea 25 56
2 Arsenal 25 55
3 Man City 25 54
4 Liverpool 25 50
5 Everton 24 45
6 Spurs 24 44

Chelsea is atop the table after a Eden Hazard hat trick in a romp over Newcastle, 3-0...


Liverpool drew closer to Arsenal with four goals in the first 20 minutes at Anfield on their way to a 5-1 win. Skrtel and Sterling each scored twice with Daniel Sturridge scoring the fifth...

It wasn't even THAT close...
Brendan Rodgers was blown away...
((HT: BBC Sport))


Man City drew at Norwich- which was a wasted opportunity, frankly...

Elsewhere, Hull City, West Ham, and Crystal Palace all pulled wins out to get them closer to being out of the drop zone conversation. Stoke and Southampton drew for a point a piece. And Swansea got a well-needed three points at the expense of their Welsh derby mates, Cardiff, with a 3-0 shut out at Liberty Stadium...

West Brom, Cardiff, and Fulham are now in the relegation zone with Fulham having to play Manchester United this weekend.

How's This For An Own Goal...???

((HT: DailyMotion))

Cristiano Ronaldo is on the verge of a three-game La Liga suspension for dissent and excessive hand waving the other day...

So, the folks over at Barca tried to get some things moving forward in their semi-final with Real Sociedad

And its goals like this that give you the margin you need to win and advance to the anticipated final everyone on the planet is looking for in the first place...

HILARIOUS own goal | Barcelona vs Real Sociedad... by LaLigaAction

Pretty good facial...

Ibra Is Ridiculous... But We Already Know That...

((HT: beINSportsUSA via Instagram))

PSG is all over the top of Ligue Un right now...
And this is part of the reason...

A golazo volley by Ibrahimovich in their first half with Nantes...


Yeah... just more confirmation...

A Beautiful, Fiery, Silly Protest

((HT: wawasportpl/Dirty Tackle))

The HQ understands how, um, fired up soccer fans can get...

The folks at Legia Warsaw got slapped on the wrist as a result of their "ultras" (most vocal fans) racist displays in the pervious round against a Welsh side...

Racism against Welsh...??? Sounds difficult, but the ultras pulled it off and got a fine and an order by UEFA to close their north end- the place where they hang out...

The second leg of their match against Steaua Bucharest yielded this nose-thumbing, tongue-sticking-out en masse...

Here's the display...


UEFA decided that the ultras had engaged in "racist behavior" but did not get into any specifics...

So, yeah, take THAT UEFA...
The HQ can feel the impact from here...

Soccer Fans Riot In Europa League Action: Who Knew, Right...???

((HT: Pro Soccer Talk)) The professional leagues in Britain start today, and the Europa League qualifiers are already in the third round... But who thought that fans would already be in full practice for rioting and showing outright displeasure this early in season... Take you to Odessa, Russia where Chornomorets Odesa was on their way to a 3-1 opening leg win over Red Star Belgrade when this happened... ((HT: Chornomorets Odesa their own selves)) The idea behind what you just saw is: If the fans stormed the pitch, the game might have been wiped off the books and the match-up would have to start from scratch... The ploy didn't work... One fan was listed in serious condition and it's not up to UEFA to decide punishment...

You Don't Want $80M...?? Okay, How About $85M??? Bale Not Real's Yet...

The HQ, admittedly, is a novice at this whole soccer football thing...

But we do know that Tottenham Hotspurs Gareth Bale had a flat-out ridiculous season last year...
It was a coming out party...
Evidence below...
((HT: EPL))


It's no secret that Real Madrid are making some kind of play for him- even as Spurs manager Andre Villas-Boas is denying that he'll go (or not) and that the transfer fee Real is ponying up has increased up to a world-record 100-million euros (or 86.3-million pounds)...

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has refused the offer flat and Bale is hot about it- in a bad way...

From the Guardian newspaper:
The situation has got under Bale's skin and it is threatening to turn ugly. He has had a glute muscle problem, which has restricted him in pre-season, but it has come to feel slightly convenient as he has been in no frame of mind to play. Bale featured in the club's opening friendly against Swindon Town but he missed the game against Colchester United and, although he travelled to Hong Kong for the Asia Trophy, he has not trained and he missed Tottenham's matches against Sunderland and South China.

After a 6-0 win in China, AVB wouldn't say anything on the ongoings...

"I don't want to comment on anything like that," Villas-Boas said. "I cannot speak about anything." The manager gave the same response to a question about Real's conduct.

Spurs are trying to shore up their scoring in case of a Bale exit. In the off-season, they are close to wrapping up the €30-million transfer order on Valencia striker Roberto Soldado. They have already signed the midfielder Paulinho for a club-record £17m from Corinthians and the winger Nacer Chadli for £7m from FC Twente.

But, that won't add up to Bale...

Zinedine Zidane (remember his head butt in the Worlds?) is now part of Real's front office and admits what everyone seems to know- except, maybe, Spurs:

“We have not given up on Gareth Bale – it is impossible to give up a player of that quality.

“Of course Tottenham are doing the right thing by trying to get him to sign a new contract.

“We have made it clear he is a target, but Real Madrid have a very good ­relationship with Tottenham so we would make sure any approach is done in the correct way.

“It is ideal to get any new players in as early as possible so they can integrate with the team – but it is not always ­ possible and the best players are worth waiting for.”

And the HQ thinks this is only the beginning as the next move is, probably, a written request to go by Bale himself...

Goal From 70 Meters Out Gives Red Bull Wings

((HT: Star Football Live TVV))

It's the season of friendlies overseas as we get closer to the beginning of football season...
Or soccer season... whichever you prefer...

And Red Bull Salzburg was playing Schalke 04 when Martin Hinteregger shot this laser...


Not bad from your own defensive end...

When Goalies Attack And Don't Think You're Really Hurt

((HT: Talksport/Digisport Romania))

This is what happens when situations get a little more than volatile...

You saw last time out in the eastern conference finals what everyone thinks about flopping...
Not a fan...

So, when athletes think other athletes are taking it easy and trying to take advantage of a situation, you get this...

In a Romanian league game between two teams called Petrolul and Gaz Metan, Gaz Metan striker Thaer Bawab goes down with- something... a flat tire, a cramp to his Achilles, something...

Petrolul goalkeeper, Mircea Bornescu, takes a chunk out of the dude when the pile gets together to encourage the guy to get up and stop faking...


The end result was 11 yellow cards, six reds, and 15 minutes of extra time.

BREAKING: Lewandoski Goes Four On The Floor Vs. Real

It was one of those night that people dream about under normal circumstances...

Much less against Real Madrid in the Champions League semis at home...
It started with a flick on goal early on and, simply, did not stop...
((HT: UEFA))


Robert Lewandoski (8th, 50th, 55th, 66th) put in three normally and knocked home one from the penalty spot as it is looking more and more like the Champions League final at Wembley might be Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund...

Oh... the final score...??? 4-1 Dortmund...

It even took Diego Lopez to get in front of another Lewandoski ball to keep him from five...
How ridiculous is that...???

Does Zlatan Even Like Zlatan's Goal...???

((HT: ourmatches.net/youtube))

All the HQ is really going to do is let you watch this absolutely obscene bicycle kick from the Swede's 4-2 win over England in a friendly this afternoon...


Okay...

If thata's not a Goal of the Year candidate, the HQ will NEVER know what is...

Out Of The Stands, Into The Game...

((HT: TheAwayEnd))

Sky and Fox Sports has the story of a women's soccer player who, because of injury, was yanked out of the stands and ended up scoring the game-tying goal in a 2-2 friendly with Norway...

Sarah Crilly hadn't registered a cap (a national appearance for those not soccer people...) and was in line for her half-time tea before her day picked up.

Crilly scored with five minutes left in shoes too big (two sizes that needed three pairs of socks) and shorts too baggy...

Here's her national coach on the effort...

DEVELOPING: Swedish Soccer Player Dies On Pitch

((HT: Expressen.se/Expressen Newspaper, Hogstrom))

The 29-year-old former captain of the Swedish Pitea IF, Victor Brannstrom, collapsed on the pitch after scoring a goal in his League 4 game in Sweden earlier Sunday

(the ambulance is pictured right, thanks Expressen.se/Skaugvold).

Pitea was playing Umedalen when it happened...

From Hogstrom's article:

"Then I turn around and when he is just there. I blew off and ran over there and see that something is serious. It was not hard to see that he was seriously ill," according to referee Roland Adelsson.

Press Service of Piteå hospitals report that Victor Brännströms heart stopped. The cause of death is still unknown.

"There must be an autopsy to find out about it," says Agneta Spaton Norqvist at the hospital's press office.

It was the second player death this season in the Swedish leagues, and it was the second time this season that Brannstrom had collapsed. In a practice match in February, he was unconscious for 30 seconds before he was taken to hospital. There was nothing found wrong in the testing back then.

In an interview with Expressen after the February incident, he admitted he was a little apprehensive about training again.

More when we know more...

Baletlli did it: Italy slides by Germany and heads to Euro finals

Mario Balotelli

Well, it certainly didn't lack for entertainment value. And it had more scoring than the other semi-final too.

Italy beat Germany 2-1 Thursday afternoon to reach the Euro 2012 Finals against Spain. Oh, the game will be played in Ukraine for those curious.

Your star of the game: Mario Balotelli with 2 goals for Italy. Quite honestly, the storyline started on his goal in the 20th minute and ended when he scored again 16 minutes later.

And the game was relatively controversy free...so it had that going for it. Though Balotelli did create a bit of a stir after his second goal when he took off his shirt. That in soccer is cause for a Yellow Card.

It winds down, but doesn't finish what has been a highly entertaining couple of weeks. The soccer played in the tourney has been top-notch and thanks to ESPN, the games have been running in the afternoons and have drawn pretty good ratings.

It would be nice to see this kind of soccer take off here in the states, and it is showing signs of happening with the TV ratings improving and in fact exploding when Team USA plays.

We can only hope it is a precursor of things to come.

Here's the second goal, which broke Germany's back...
((HT: UEFA/youtube))

Spain wins on PK's, Ronaldo controversy begins

Yes, we are doing a soccer story.

Because if you are a fan of Sports, you should be watching the European Soccer Championships. It's some of the most entertaining, dramatic moments that you'll see.

And before some of you say it....it's more exciting to watch then most baseball games if you know what you are watching.

The 1st of the Euro League semi-finals was played Wednesday afterooon (our time) and featured defending champion Spain vs. Portugal, featuring all-world star Christian Ronaldo.

The game ended regulation time in a draw. So much like hockey (appealing to American fans), the two teams chose sides and went to a Penalty Kick shootout.

And Spain won the shootout 4-2 after their goaltender Iker Casillas stopped the 1st shot and another Portugeses shot hit the crossbar.

However, it did not end without some controversy as Portugal did not have Ronaldo, their supposed best player, take any of their attempts.

Spain will face the winner of Thursday's Germany vs.Italy game. The finals will be on Sunday.

Ronaldo's omission would be roughly the equivalent of the Heat taking LeBron or Dwyane Wade out of the game in the final 2 minutes. Or Tom Brady on the bench during the Patriots last possession.

(Yes, I know we are dumbing this down. But it's shocking how many people don't get "Big-Time" Professional Soccer.)

We are efforting highlights. We'll post 'em when we find 'em...

Found 'em...hope they don't get pulled.

Why Soccer Needs Goal-Line Technology

((HT: UEFA/ITVSport/youtube))

Okay, it's the last day of round-robin play for the 2012 European competition held in both the Ukraine and Poland...

Donetsk was privy to the co-host's last game against the Three Lions...
England was up 1-0 on a Wayne Rooney goal until, we all thought, this...


You can easily see, on overhead replay, John Terry was inside the goal when he retrieved it. But the side judge didn't call it...

The HQ is wondering, if the co-hosts lose, how long it will be before the rioting starts and UEFA has to apologize...