We’re through 45 minutes at the London Stadium, and West Ham United and Liverpool have treated us to a thoroughly thrilling half of soccer.
From the Reds’ opening goal — which was so clearly offside that it’s inexcusable for such a call to be missed — to the Hammers’ equalizer six minutes later, the Premier League title race is looking more and more interesting with every passing minute.
Hit the link above to stream the second half live on NBCSports.com.
The Women’s World Cup is into the final eight, with seven of the eight teams hailing from Europe.
[ MORE: Women’s World Cup Power Rankings ]
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.
Joe Prince-Wright
Semifinals
England v. France
Netherlands v. Germany
Nicholas Mendola
Semifinals
USA defeats England
Germany defeats Italy
Andy Edwards
Semifinals
France defeats England
Germany defeats Italy
Final
Germany defeats France
Kyle Bonn
Semifinals
France defeats England
Germany defeats Italy
Final
France defeats Germany
This Gold Cup isn’t short on drama.
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).
[ MORE: Spurs set to add $82M mid ]
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:
All 24 teams at the Africa Cup of Nations have a match in the books as of Tuesday, and we’ve got another tournament surprise.
[ MORE: Spurs set to add $82M mid ]
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?
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.
[ MORE: Spurs set to add $82M mid ]
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.
The news comes less than a week after a fellow Spanish legend, Fernando Torres, announced his retirement.
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?
