Red Star Belgrade butchered a surprise chance to go ahead at Anfield, and the hosts made them pay within moments.
Roberto Firmino reaped the rewards of a fine set-up by Xherdan Shaqiri and Andy Robertson, and Liverpool opened up a 1-0 lead in their UEFA Champions League match against the Serbian powers.
Shaqiri starts the play with an interceptions, then playing an inch-perfect pass into the box for Robertson.
The Liverpool left back cuts a ball toward the spot, and Firmino takes a touch before his slightly-deflected shot wrong foots Canadian keeper Milan Borjan to put the Reds on top.
A win guarantees Liverpool a spot in Group C’s Top Two at the midpoint of the group stage.
The lone outlier is some team from North America who may or may not have won the last World Cup and can become the first team to win four of the things.
Who thinks they will? Our staff weighs in on the matter below.
A day after Haiti stunned Costa Rica to win Group B, it was Curacao’s turn to up the ante.
Needing a point to stay alive for a knockout round berth, Jurien Gaari ripped a stoppage time rocket into the back of the goal to defy Andre Blake and Jamaica a win and the Group C crown (at least for a couple of hours).
Shamar Nicholson had given the Reggae Boyz a 14th minute lead, but Jamaica couldn’t find a second goal.
If Honduras beats El Salvador in the business end of the doubleheader in Los Angeles, Curacao will finish second in the group and advance to face either the USMNT or Panama.
If El Salvador manages a draw or win, well, at least Curacao will have this wonder from RKC Waalwijk’s right back:
Having already seen Uganda upset the Democratic Republic of Congo and Madagascar draw Guinea, this one came when Ghana met Benin.
It was aided by a red card to Ghana, but the 88th ranked Les Écureuils (Squirrels) of Benin managed a result.
Cameroon 2-0 Guinea-Bissau
Scoreless at halftime, Cameroon saw Yaya Banana and Stephane Bahoken score three minutes apart to give the Indomitable Lions the Group F lead on Day One of group play.
Ghana 2-2 Benin
Mickael Pote scored first and last, giving Benin a valuable point against 10-man Ghana.
The Black Stars went behind in the second minute on Pote’s first, only to get Andre Ayew and Jordan Ayew goals on either side of halftime to build a lead of their own.
But John Boye took a 54th minute red card and Pote potted his second nine minutes later to give Benin an early Group F bonus.
How about this sweep behind the leg?
We have our goal of the day and it's magnificent to say the least…⚽️
David Silva says his 10th season at Manchester City will be his last with the Etihad Stadium set.
“It completes the cycle,” he said in a press conference this week. “It’s a nice round figure. I can never see myself playing against City for another team. So 10 years – that’s it.”
Silva turns 34 in January, and posted 10 goals and 14 assists in 50 appearances for Pep Guardiola‘s men last season.
All told, he enters this one-year contract with 396 appearances for City, scoring 71 goals with 129 assists. He’s won the Premier League four times, the FA Cup twice, and the League Cup four times.
He was last capped by Spain at the 2018 World Cup, where he’s scored 37 times in 129 caps. He’s also played with Valencia and Celta Vigo in his native country.
But Silva seems like he’s got a bit more in the tank. Could he be one of the big names matched with Inter Miami for 2020? Or might he follow Xavi’s route to the Middle East?
