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Odion Ighalo
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VIDEO: Ighalo scores amazing solo goal for Man United v. LASK

By Joe Prince-WrightMar 12, 2020, 2:40 PM EDT
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Odion Ighalo is playing for the club he loves and he scored a superb solo goal for Man United v. LASK in the Europa League.

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Ighalo picked up the ball on the edge of the box, juggled the ball past a couple of defenders to work some space and then rifled home off the crossbar and in.

There was no crowd to witness it as the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 first leg game was played behind closed doors due to the coronavirus outbreak. Odion Ighalo may not score a better goal in a Man United shirt.

Click play on the video below to see the Nigerian striker score his fourth goal in eight outings for Man United since his loan move from China in January.

With goals like this, surely  Ighalo’s loan will made into a permanent move in the summer?

More coronavirus connections to soccer:

Serie A: Top 2 both lose as Lazio player bites opponent (video)

Lazio player bites opponent
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By Nicholas MendolaJul 7, 2020, 5:44 PM EDT
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Juventus had a chance to effectively put another scudetto race to bed after chasers Lazio lost to relegation-threatened Lecce on Tuesday, a Lazio player biting an opponent to get a late red card to add insult to injury.

But Juve blew a 2-0 second-half lead at AC Milan in remarkable fashion, conceding four times at the San Siro.

[ MORE: Premier League summer schedule ]

Juve leads Lazio by seven points with seven matches to play for both teams and they meet July 20 in Turin. Inter Milan is third with 64 points and Atalanta fourth with 63, both with a match-in-hand on the top two.

Lecce 2-1 Lazio

The latest manner in which Lazio threw away a chance to dethrone Juventus definitely leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

Lazio lost Tuesday for the third time in five post-coronavirus pause outings, seeing a defender sent off for a biting incident in a 2-1 loss to previously-bottom three Lecce.

Patric did not like Giulio Donati’s arms boxing him out of a set piece situation, and clearly latches onto the Lecce man’s left arm.

It was already 2-1 when the red card was shown, Lazio frustrated when Felipe Caicedo’s early goal was countered by goals from Khouma Babacar and Fabio Lucioni.

AC Milan 4-2 Juventus

Milan pulls into fifth in the race for a Europa League place that will leave either Roma, Napoli, or Tuesday’s victors out of Europe.

It was nil-nil at halftime when the game really found its footing.

Adrien Rabiot scored a stunner just after the break and Juan Cuadrado cued up Cristiano Ronaldo for an insurance goal six minutes later.

Ronaldo’s 26th of the season puts him three back of league leader Ciro Immobile of Lazio.

Milan took one back through Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the 62nd, and the Swede then set up Franck Kessie for an equalizer before departing in the 67th minute.

Rafael Leao scored right after restart, stunning Juventus. Giacomo Bonaventura, who’d come on for Ibrahimovic, then set up Ante Rebic for the fourth goal of the match.

The Rabiot goal, though…

Aubameyang, Vardy score in Arsenal-Leicester draw

Arsenal - Leicester City recap
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By Nicholas MendolaJul 7, 2020, 5:20 PM EDT
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Premier League Golden Boot leaders Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Jamie Vardy both scored as 10-man Arsenal held on to draw Leicester City 1-1 at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday.

[ MORE: Premier League summer schedule ]

Eddie Nketiah was sent off with 15 minutes to play for Arsenal, giving the Foxes a chance to fight back after Aubameyang scored his 20th of the PL season.

Vardy poked home his 22nd with five minutes to play, giving Leicester 59 points and keeping them a point back of third-place Chelsea.

The Foxes have a four-point lead on fifth-place Manchester United and are six clear of Wolves, but have played one more match than both.

Three things we learned

1. Aubameyang, Vardy pace league: Aubameyang’s first-half goal was his 20th of the season and moved him within one Jamie Vardy’s Premier League lead only to see the Leicester City hit man regain his 2-goal advantage late.

For those wondering the ways home for both players, Arsenal finishes with Spurs, Liverpool, Aston Villa, and Watford. Leicester will finish the season with Bournemouth, Sheffield United, Tottenham, and Manchester United. It’s going to be tight.

2. Schmeichel remains underpraised: Remember those years ago when Leicester made its big charge and it was simply a fun note that its goalkeeper was the son of Premier League royalty? Well, Kasper might not have the EURO title or collection of PL crowns his father amassed, but he’s an incredible goalkeeper. The Dane made five stops before halftime and another great move to thwart a David Luiz free kick after the break.

Leicester can count its lucky stars he’s been there to bail them out a few times this season. His 12 clean sheets are one off the Golden Glove race and his 86 saves tops amongst top four contenders.

3. Vardy equalizer defies offside: VAR did the right thing when it comes to super fine margins. Vardy wasn’t onside when he started his run to meet the late equalizer, but he was a shade off if Ayoze Perez’s flailing boot got a piece of the ball. The cameras couldn’t tell for sure, and the call rightly stood.

Man of the Match

Schmeichel — Arsenal’s subbing all of its stars at the hour mark if the Dane doesn’t stand on his head in the first half.

Arsenal – Leicester City recap

Emiliano Martinez was busy early and made no better play than his leg save on a Kelechi Iheanacho shot that came through a sea of bodies and Shkrodan Mustafi’s legs.

The Gunners went ahead when Dani Ceballos played an exquisite long pass to Bukayo Saka behind the line, the teenager sweeping across for Aubameyang to finish. The term “inch-perfect” comes to mind.

[ MORE: Premier League stats ]

Schmeichel made a tremendous point-blank save on Alexandre Lacazette to keep it 1-0 before impressing with another stop on Hector Bellerin within 30 seconds.

Both teams had goals ruled offside by the linesman, Lacazette’s 69th minute hit one that could’ve put the rain-drenched tie to bed.

The Gunners looked prepared to outduel Leicester but handed a chance back to the Foxes when Eddie Nketiah’s dangerous high challenge was reviewed by VAR.

Vardy was offside when he fired into the outside of the net in the 80th minute but he got his goal four minutes later when he charged over a sliding Shkrodan Mustafi to score his 22nd of the season.

Former Nottingham Forest, Xavier U player mourned before kickoff

Nottingham Forest player mourned
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By Nicholas MendolaJul 7, 2020, 4:51 PM EDT
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Former Nottingham Forest player and Xavier University graduate Derrick Otim is being mourned on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean after reportedly drowning this weekend in South Carolina.

The Championship side honored Otim with a moment of silence as both Fulham and Forest gathered around the center circle before Forest’s 1-0 loss to Fulham on Tuesday.

Otim scored seven times with nine assists in 70 college games, twice earning All-Big East honors. He also played for current NISA side Detroit City during its time in the NPSL.

It’s clear that Otim’s positive attitude and upbeat personality made huge impacts on both his college teammates and Forest peers.

Here is Otim’s college teammate Sam Sergi, now with USL side New Mexico United, from Cincinnati.com:

“Over the last 24 hours of me having some time to process this, the one thing that keeps coming into my heart is, one, how tragic it is that he passed and the mourning and the grief so many people that he touched are facing, but also the joy that we have in our hearts to have had those moments with him,” said Sergi, a teammate and friend of Otim’s for four years at Xavier. “As terrible as this is, how grateful are we to have had an experience with another human being that has that kind of an impact on your life.

Here’s a selection of memories shared of Otim following his passing.

 

 

Lampard: “We should have killed the game off” at Palace; Praises Pulisic, Willian

Lampard on Pulisic
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By Nicholas MendolaJul 7, 2020, 4:02 PM EDT
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Frank Lampard’s Chelsea continues to put the pressure on its top four combatants.

The Blues won again on Tuesday, an uneven but potent performance that produced a 3-2 win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

The goals were there but the defense a question mark. Kepa Arrizabalaga made a great late save after allowing an ugly goal earlier, while Kurt Zouma stormed into the box to tackle Wilfried Zaha with the win on the line in stoppage time.

[ MORE: Pulisic Watch — Minute-by-minute v. Palace ]

Was Chelsea fortunate?

“In the last few minutes, maybe,” Lampard said. “We should have killed the game off. Some slight wrong decisions. Kepa makes a great save, Kurt a great tackle.”

Lampard hailed his wings after Willian and Christian Pulisic again starred in the Chelsea kit. Pulisic has three goals and has drawn two penalties in five PL outings during Project Restart, while Willian has four goals and two assists in that span.

CRYSTAL PALACE – CHELSEA FULL MATCH REPLAY

It’s becoming a trend to hear Frank Lampard’s answers to questions about Pulisic, as the winger has been tremendous for Chelsea since the return from the coronavirus pause.

He scored on Tuesday, his eighth Premier League, belting a left-footed shot past the flailing Vicente Guaita to make it 2-0.

“I knew the talent that Christian has. It’s a physical league and he has come in and been great for us. The quality for us and the end product is great.”

Chelsea’s 60 points will be good enough for third if Arsenal holds on to beat Leicester City on Tuesday (The Gunners are ahead early on a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang goal).

The Blues face Sheffield United, Norwich City, Manchester United, Liverpool, and Wolves to finish the season.