A Beautiful Thread for the Beautiful Game

Napoli 2 - 3 Real Madrid

Really tense match. Madrid began losing, then scored two goals, then Napoli equalized, and Madrid finally scored the winning goal. The goals by Bellingham and Valverde were spectacular, too! Also, kudos to Modrić for giving Madrid the push they needed to break Napoli's defenses.

PSV 2 - 2 Sevilla

Another tense match, and also tainted by some controversial referee actions, including that Sevilla had scored a goal which was then nullified.

Manchester United 2 - 3 Galatasaray

This one was very messy. Casemiro got expelled, and Icardi scored for Galatasaray after several failed attempts. And it wouldn't surprise me if this defeat contributed to Erik Ten Hag being sacked, because the club hasn't fared very well recently with him.

Inter beat Benfica 1-0. Not a good game for the latter, and only a rather off game of the former saved them.

2030 World Cup will be...mainly hosted by Spain, Portugal, and Morocco. Apparently Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay will also host a few matches to mark the 100-year anniversary of the first tournament? Also getting conflicting information as to whether all 6 countries get automatic spots for being hosts or just Spain-Portugal-Morocco.

2034 edition bidding will be limited to AFC and OFC — Saudi Arabia and Australia already announced intent to bid for those.

I admit that not seeing the WC being hosted in full in South America for 2030 has broken my heart. But such is life, I guess.

Far more hearts were broken today, because...

Newcastle 4 - 1 PSG

Holy Palutena, I didn't see this coming. And it wasn't even a fluke. Newcastle's footplay was so wondrous and otherwordly. PSG definitely understimated them, and paid a steep price. The last goal was also phenomenal.

Atlético 3 - 2 Feyenoord

A very difficult match for Atlético, not helped by how PSV moved forward in the scoreboard twice (it was like this: 0-1, then 1-1, then 1-2, then 2-2 and finally 3-2). But ultimately, Simeone's team prevailed and earned a crucial victory for their group (in the first matchday, they only got a draw).

Porto 0 - 1 Barcelona

The lone goal was during the last few seconds of the first half. Before that and afterwards, Barcelona struggled badly to finally score, but at least they got the job done.

There were other results, like Manchester City winning 1-3 against RB Leipzig, a goalless draw between Dortmund and Milan, and a 2-2 tie between Red Star and Young Boys.

EDIT: Oops, Atlético faced Feyenoord, nor PSV.

Edited by MyFinalEdits on Oct 4th 2023 at 7:48:38 AM

The romantic in me would have loved to see the centenary to be celebreted in South America, but the pragmatic in me thinks that there are way too many issues outside of football in those countries and a full WC would've been disastrous in the long term.

That said, the decision of having "ceremonial" games that are part of the tournament is pretty stupid. The logistics if travelling for the six teams that are going to play the inauguration is a mess for both players and fans. Their performance is going to be diminished by climate and time zones.

Also, poor Chile. Ch UP Ar was too powerful to be unleashed into this world.

After a 2-2 tie in the first leg, Fluminense defeated Inter (Porto Alegre) 1-2 in the Copa Libertadores semifinal and advanced to the final. The other semifinal will be decided today between Palmeiras and Boca, after a goalless draw in the first leg.

EDIT: The Europa League matches have come and gone. Among those, Roma curb-stomped Servette with a 4-0, Villarreal got a difficult 1-0 victory against Rennes and needed their goalkeeper to make a number of miraculous saves, Liverpool won 2-0 against Union Saint-Gilloise, and Betis won 2-1 against Sparta Praha after having started losing 0-1 since minute 3'.

EDIT 2: After a 1-1 tie, Boca ended up winning in the penalty shootouts 2-4 against Palmeiras, and will be in the Libertadores final.

Edited by MyFinalEdits on Oct 5th 2023 at 12:10:29 PM

Eden Hazard has announced his retirement from football. He was already inactive due to no major club having wanted to sign him (and he himself rejected going to MLS despite the offers he was given from there). He simply made his inactivity permanent.

It's very unfortunate how things ended for him. But I have to say that his decisions in the last few years weren't good, so this state of affairs was largely his fault.

Well, another matchday for the World Cup Qualifiers passed. Colombia and Uruguay tied 2-2, Ecuador finally overcame the handicap by beating Bolivia 2-1, Argentina took the top beating Paraguay 1-0, Chile beat Peru 2-0 and Venezuela gave a surprise managing to draw with Brazil 1-1.

Venezuela's tie was a pleasant surprise.

And in Europe, regarding the Euro '24 qualifiers, Spain won 2-0 against Scotland and are only one victory away from qualifying. It won't be easy, though, because their next rivals will be Norway, which means Haaland.

Right now, Portugal is winning 2-0 against Slovakia.

Edited by MyFinalEdits on Oct 13th 2023 at 3:56:08 PM

And it was a 3-2 victory for Portugal. The game got harder for them.

And France beat Netherlands 2-1.

To my surprise, Venezuela won 3-0 against Chile! Also surprising is Uruguay's (so far) 2-0 victory against Brazil.

Colombia and Ecuador got a goalless draw in their match, while Paraguay defeat Bolivia 1-0

In Europe, Portugal continue having a perfect win streak in their (now secured) path to Euro '24 with a 0-5 victory against Bosnia and Herzegovina. England, on their part, secured theirs by winning Italy 3-0, and put the azzurri in a very compromising situation (they're third in their group, with 3 points fewer than Ukraine).

Edited by MyFinalEdits on Oct 17th 2023 at 9:53:21 AM

Chile has been a mess, really. Between an idiot getting sent off for something stupid and them needing a GPS to find the goal, it's not going to go well.

At least the qualifying phase has just begun, and for the next World Cup there will be 6 secured berths plus a playoff one in CONMEBOL, so there's a bigger room for mistake. I do think Berizzo has to re-evaluate his tactics if he still wants to train Chile's team, however, especially since his last great coaching period so far was in Celta de Vigo in the 2016-17 Spanish season (he managed Atheltic Club and left it in relegation positions, and his performance with Paraguay's national team didn't end well either).

I was absent in TVT (and Internet in general) during the UCL matchdays, so I couldn't post any results (though nothing surprising happened anyway, except maybe that Manchester United won their match). However, I came just in time to comment that Real Madrid won 1-2 against Barcelona in the Clásico. They began losing due to a goal by Gündogan at 6', but Bellingham equalized at 68' and then tipped the scales at 92'.

EDIT: Also, LDU Quito has just won the Copa Sudamericana, after a 1-1 tie against Fortaleza that led to a 3-4 victory in the penalty shootouts!

Edited by MyFinalEdits on Oct 28th 2023 at 11:21:49 AM

From BBC Sport: Saudi Arabia is going to host the 2034 World Cup by default after Australia decides not to bid. Deadline to bid is today. With CONCACAF hosting 2026 and CONMEBOL, UEFA, and CAF all hosting 2030 matches, that left only AFC and OFC eligible for 2034.

I am...very unsure how to feel about this, given history.

Sigh... I can't say I'm surprised. -_-

Also, Messi won his 8th Ballon d'Or, but that was so telegraphed that I didn't feel like mentioning it yesterday.

Habemus Champion.

Fluminense defeated Boca Juniors 1-2 in the Libertadores final. Advíncula had scored at 72' for the xeneize squad, but Cano equalized at 86', and then John Kennedy (yes, that's his name ) put the winning goal for the Brazilian side at 99' during the extra time (he was expelled at 101', but that probably won't matter too much for him given that his goal did result in his team's victory). Fluminense obtained his first trophy in the competition. This also means Marcelo joined the club of footballers who won both the Champions League and the Libertadores.

As a River fan, I won't be the one who laments Boca's defeat. I do feel bad for Cavani, however. But either way, congrats to Flu! They will face Liga de Quito in the Recopa Sudamericana next year.

The UCL matchday has come and gone. Real Madrid won 3-0 against Braga, with goals by Brahim, Vinicius and Rodrygo. Barcelona got a surprising 1-0 defeat against Shakhtar, while Manchester United suffered one by Copenhagen 4-3 (the sad thing about this one is that United was winning; then, when they began losing, they still managed to equalize to reach 3-3 but later the Danes scored one more goal). Last, but not least, AC Milan suffered a 2-1 defeat againt Milan, while Arsenal beat Sevilla 2-0.

Many shocking results this time, unlike in the previous matchday. O_o

AC Milan suffered a 2-1 defeat against Milan? Adds whole new meaning to a team getting its own way... anyway, I assume that's supposed to be "PSG suffered a 2-1 defeat against Milan" there, MFE. :)

Had a brain fart in that moment. My apologies.

In the current national team matchday, Venezuela and Ecuador got a goalless draw, as did Chile and Paraguay. The real surprises came from the other matches, with Uruguay defeating Argentina 1-2, Bolivia winning 2-0 against Perú, and Colombia defeating Brazil 2-1. These qualifying matches are becoming pretty interesting...

...and also painful. Vinicius got injured in the Brazil match.

NEXT-DAY EDIT: After the goalless draw with Peru, Chile lost their manager, as Berizzo presented his resignation!

Edited by MyFinalEdits on Nov 17th 2023 at 11:08:42 AM

Ugh, things got ugly very fast-

Argentina defeated Brazil 0-1, but it all ended in a very regrettable kerfuffle. At least Uruguay had a more peaceful time with a 3-0 victory against Bolivia. Ecuador defeated Chile 1-0.

I was going to say Venezuela was losing 1-0 against Perú, but during the time I wrote this post they equalized for 1-1, so they're in a tie as of 55'. Hopefully my team will end up winning the match...

EDIT: Oh well, it remained a tie. At least Venezuela keeps the chances to qualify intact. Perú, on the other hand, will have to consider looking for a different manager, as everybody in the country wants Reynoso out.

Edited by MyFinalEdits on Nov 21st 2023 at 11:58:57 AM

By the way, I'm neutral on it, but I wouldn't be surprised if this will be the first time Brazil doesn't qualify for a World Cup.

Most of my fellow compatriots would go crazy, though.

With six direct berths plus a playoff one, that's very unlikely. Plus, if the rumors are true and Ancelotti will become Brazil's manager starting the second half of 2024, we may see a comeback.

Speaking of managers, it seems like Reynoso will indeed be kicked out of Perú. But that story hasn't wrapped up yet, even though all Preuvian media are giving a preliminary confirmation about the sacking.

Also, it has to be said that this FIFA period has been very harsh for players. Besides Vinicius (Real Madrid), Gavi (Barcelona) suffered an injury as well.

So, anything up with Ecuador's manager? There was a lot of booing by the end of the last game.