Innehållsförteckning för November 2019 från World Soccer

LINDA CAICEDO The 14-year-old scored the goal that won America their first Colombian Women’s League title. America lost 2-1 to Independiente Medellin but won 3-2 on aggregate. Both teams will now represent Colombia in the Copa Libertadores Feminina, although the minimum age to play in the competition is 16, so Caicedo will have to watch from the stands. ESTEBAN PAREDES Became the leading all-time goalscorer in the Chilean top flight with 216 goals in 387 games. The 39-year-old Colo Colo forward beat the previous record set in 1975. JOHN McGINN The Aston Villa midfielder’s goals against San Marino meant he became the first player to score a first-half hat-trick for Scotland since Lawrie Reilly against USA in a friendly in April 1952, 67 years ago. OSCAR TABAREZ The 72-year-old became…

MARCELO GALLARDO The River Plate boss became the first coach to win three Superclasicos in a row when River beat Boca Juniors 2-0 in their Copa Libertadores semi-final first leg. CYPRUS Their 2-1 win in Kazakhstan in a Euro qualifier was the first time in 59 years they won a competitive game in which they had trailed at half-time. ANDORRA Ended a 21-year wait for a first Euro qualifying win with a 1-0 victory over Moldova. TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR Their 7-2 loss to Bayern Munich was the biggest home defeat for an English team in any European competition. MARCO GIAMPAOLO Sacked after just 111 days in charge, he became the shortest-serving coach in Milan’s history. CAMBODIA Lost 14-0 away to Iran and then 4-0 at home to Iraq in the space…

Reports of Martin Odegaard’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. The one-time teenage wonderkid has been a revelation for Real Sociedad in the early weeks of this season and was named September’s player of the month in La Liga. His goals and assists while on loan from Real Madrid helped to propel La Real up to fifth in the table before October’s international break. He produced a standout performance in a 2-0 victory over Atletico Madrid, as well as providing a brilliant pass for Mikel Oyarzabal to score against Alaves. It is almost five years since a 16-year-old Odegaard was thrust into the spotlight in Madrid, presented by Emilio Butragueno at a packed press conference after a triumphant Madrid had seen off competition from across Europe to sign him from Norwegian…

You have to hand it to Roberto Mancini, the national coach who qualified Italy well ahead of time for next summer’s Euro 2020 Championship thanks to a 2-0 victory over Greece. While it could be argued that winning a group that contains Finland, Bosnia, Greece, Armenia and Liechtenstein is no great shakes – and what you would expect from the four-times world champions – what must be remembered is Mancini began this qualifying campaign from the back of the grid. Just 23 months after the most humiliating international night in recent Italian history, when a goalless draw with Sweden meant missing out on Russia 2018, Italy are back at the top table of world football. Mancini has only been in the Italian hot seat for 17 months, but in that…

South American fans have been the life and soul of the party at the last two World Cups, stopping at almost nothing to see their teams play. In 2014, tens of thousands of Argentinians, Chileans and Uruguayans defied Brazil’s dismal transport infrastructure by driving to and around the host nation, with many simply sleeping in their vehicles in the streets. Last year, South Americans again flocked to the tournament and comfortably outnumbered Europeans. Russia may have been distant but it was relatively cheap, not too difficult to get around and its policy of visa-free entry for South Americans meant they could visit even without match tickets But will even they decide to give Qatar a miss in 2022? The Gulf state recently hosted the IAAF World Athletics Championships, where it…

What did your children say to you when they were there and saw you win the award? They were happy. The truth is that they were a little tired in the end because the gala was long. But they were very happy and were looking forward to [me] winning the award so that they could go up [on stage], be with me and enjoy it. It was a spectacular moment. What did they say about the other players? They know everyone and the truth is everyone likes them because they are passionate about football. They watch the matches of all the teams, not only those of Barcelona or Argentina. They were really freaked out looking at everyone because they knew them from the cards and from seeing them in matches.…

Eduardo CAMAVINGA Rennes In a sentence A 16-year-old Ligue 1 phenomenon, the precocious Rennes defensive midfielder had tongues wagging all over Europe with a masterclass in August’s 2-1 win against Paris Saint-Germain. What they say Jo Burel, his coach at Drapeau-Fougeres: “It’s the first time I’ve seen a player with such qualities. He had extraordinary talent. When we needed to hang on to a result we’d put him in defence. If we were out for the win he’d play in attack.” Landry Chauvin, former Rennes academy manager: “He’s of the same calibre as Ousmane Dembele. I can imagine him taking a similar career trajectory.” Story so far Born in Angola to Congolese parents, he moved with his family to France when he was a toddler, initially living in Lille, then…

A blue plaque was unveiled in a south Sydney suburb in October, not far from Botany Bay where Captain Cook made landfall in 1770 and launched the first European settlement of Australia. The plaque, however, was to mark a less remembered historical landmark: the birth of the Matildas, Australia’s women’s football team. It was at Seymour Park, in October 1979, that Australia played their first international, a 2-2 draw with New Zealand. A smattering of spectators watched the game and media coverage was negligible. Four decades on and the Matildas are now a household brand, the team’s star player Sam Kerr is a national icon and Australia wants to host the 2023 Women’s World Cup Female sport is now booming in Australia, with the Matildas carving out their own niche…

Restarting a national team that had been abolished is no easy task, so winning through to the group stage of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers is some achievement for Julien Mette. One of the world’s most inactive and hapless national sides, Djibouti lost all six qualifiers for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). Despite beating newcomers South Sudan 2-0 in the next set of AFCON games, Djibouti lost 6-0 in the return. And a 5-1 hammering at home to neighbours Ethiopia in an African Nations Championship (CHAN) preliminary proved too much for national federation president Souleiman Hassan Waberi, who dissolved the side. Djibouti did not play any more senior internationals until this year, when Mette was contacted about taking on the daunting task of reviving the national side. “I…

Back in July, Brazil beat Argentina 2-0 in the Copa America semifinals and, while there was some controversy about refereeing decisions, there was no doubt that Brazil were the better side. Five days later they deservedly won the Copa, while Argentina got ready to lose the services of Lionel Messi to suspension after he accused the competition of being riddled with corruption. Yet, little more than three months later, it is Brazil coach Tite who is under pressure while Argentina’s Lionel Scaloni is sitting pretty. In four subsequent games Brazil have managed no wins and kept no clean sheets, while doubts exist about the architecture of the side. After years of setting up in a 4-1-4-1 (or 4-3-3 according to preference), Tite has tried to do something different by bringing…

SOUTH AMERICA SUDAMERICANA CUP Semi-finals 1st legs - Sep 18/19; 2nd legs - Sep 25/26 Colon (Arg) v Atletico Mineiro (Bra) 2-1, 1-2 (agg 3-3, Colon 4-3 on pens) Corinthians (Bra) v Independiente del Valle (Ecu) 0-2, 2-2 (agg 2-4) CONCACAF CONCACAF LEAGUE Quarter-finals 1st legs - Sep 24-26; 2nd legs - Oct 1-3 Alianza (ESv) v San Carlos (CR) 2-0, 0-1 (agg 2-1); Olimpia (Hnd) v Comunicaciones (Gtm) 2-0, 0-0 (agg 2-0); Saprissa (CR) v Independiente (Pan) 3-2, 1-0 (agg 4-2); Waterhouse (Jam) v Motagua (Hnd) 0-2, 0-0 (agg 0-2) CANADA 2019 Canadian Championship Final 1st leg - Sep 18; 2nd leg - Sep 25 Montreal Impact v Toronto 1-0, 0-1 (agg 1-1, Montreal Impact 3-1 on pens) EUROPE ICELAND AFRICA CONFEDERATION CUP 1st round 1st legs - Sep…

The recent unpleasant events in Sofia have served to remind us how much football reflects the wider problems of society – and how far the game still has to go in tackling those problems. If there is an upside to the situation it is that this could mark a turning point in football’s dealings with racism. Players such as Raheem Sterling have rightly been praised for calling out racists on social media. Their bravery in being prepared to walk off the pitch in Sofia should provide more than just pause for thought for football’s authorities. But let’s not ignore or belittle the problems that still exist in English football. Whether it’s at Stamford Bridge, the New Den or non-league grounds up and down the country, the English game still has…

“We made history, but our job is not done” Zdenek ONDRASEK (Czech Rep) Nicknamed “The Kobra” by fans of MLS side Dallas, the striker received a shock first call-up to the Czech national squad at the age of 30 and scored the winning goal on his debut in a 2-1 victory over England in the Euro 2020 qualifiers. “I just wanted to hit the ball right and put it in the net,” says Ondrasek, who came on as a substitute and put the Czechs into the second place in the group. “I saw tears in the eyes of my father probably for the first time in my life. It’s a great win and a great feeling.” The shaven-headed forward, who has not played in his home country since 2011, then…

“They lack speed, power and tactical awareness. When you compare someone like [Achraf] Hakimi to these players, it’s like watching two different” “I used to pray for Saturday fixtures so I could go to the Formula 1 on Sunday. It was private jets all over the place. It was crazy” IN EUROPE GEORGI DERMENDZHIEV, who won three successive Bulgarian league titles as coach of Ludogorets, replaced Krassimir Balakov in charge of the country’s national team. PABLO MACHIN took over from David Gallego as coach of La Liga strugglers Espanyol. FRANC ARTIGA replaced Victor Valdes as boss of Barcelona’s under-19 team after the three-time Champions League winner reportedly clashed with former striker Patrick Kluivert, who is in charge of the club’s La Masia youth academy. Former Marseille coach RUDI GARCIA took…

Sargis Adamyan is unlikely to ever forget his first start in the Bundesliga, during which he scored both goals in his side’s shock 2-1 win away at perennial German champions Bayern Munich. As recently as 2017 he was scratching a living playing in the fourth tier for TSV Steinbach. Now the 26-year-old is the name on everyone’s lips after the late-bloomer sent Bayern spinning to their first league defeat of the season. Hoffenheim’s shock victory allowed Borussia Monchengladbach and Wolfsburg – who were the only Bundesliga side to remain unbeaten after seven games – to leapfrog Bayern at the top of the table ahead of the international break. A bargain €1.5million signing from second-tier Jahn Regensburg this summer, he would probably not even have been on the Allianz Arena pitch…

The USA’s national-team problems continue. After their failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup and this summer’s loss to Mexico in the Gold Cup Final, they went down 2-0 to Canada in the inaugural CONCACAF Nations League. It was the first time in 17 games against Canada that the United States had lost, and the first time since 1985. Goals from Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies on 63 minutes and Lucas Cavallini in injury time gave the Canadians a deserved victory. Indeed, it could have been much worse as Jonathan David, the 19-year-old Gent forward, missed two further golden chances, one in each half. Following a performance lacking in energy and ideas, the pressure has ramped up on coach Berhalter. “I think the first thing that stands out to me…

Nobody expected such an extraordinary turn of events. It all began several days before Bulgaria’s Euro 2020 qualifier in Sofia, when England raised concerns after what had happened in Montenegro back in March, when their black players had been racially abused during a game in Podgorica. Some England players said they were ready to ignore UEFA’s “three steps” protocol and abandon the match in the event of racist chants in Sofia. The Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) president Borislav Mihaylov sent letters to the FA and UEFA, declaring it “offensive” that Bulgarian fans had been branded as racists ahead of the game When the match in the Vasil Levski Stadium was twice stopped before half-time by the Croatian referee Ivan Bebek, almost nobody in the press area understood what was going…

If Egypt’s Zamalek win their postponed first-round tie and advance, as expected, it will mean that 11 of the 16 protagonists in the group phase of this season’s African Champions League have won the trophy before. That represents a formidable field going in search of the continent’s top club prize and the potential of a titanic tussle for the trophy, with the Final in May. The group phase kicks off at the end of November and the headline story will be the bid by Tunisia’s Esperance, for so long a perennial bridesmaid, to lift the trophy for an unprecedented third year in a row. Last season’s success came after a boardroom battle, and a slap down for CAF, after Esperance’s opponents, Wydad of Casablanca, walked off the pitch in a…

Belgium became the first country to qualify for next summer’s Euro 2020 finals, sealing their place by beating San Marino 9-0 and spreading the goals around eight different scorers. Three days later Belgium extended their 100 per cent record in the group with a 2-0 win in Kazakhstan, while second-placed Russia confirmed their finals’ place with a comfortable 5-0 victory in Cyprus. Italy were the next team to qualify, putting the painful memories of their failure to reach the 2018 World Cup behind them with a 2-0 triumph over a limited Greece side in Rome. Ukraine confirmed qualification and also their supremacy over Portugal in Group B with a 2-1 victory in Kiev. Poland qualified as winners of Group G with a 2-0 win over North Macedonia in Warsaw, three…

“[Frank] Lampard rang to ask me not to pick Kante. Fine, but sometimes it should go the other way too. Maybe I should ask Lampard to play Giroud more” The FIFA Council meeting in Shanghai has awarded the hosting rights to an expanded Club World Cup in 2021 to China. Under the new format, the Club World Cup will be increased to 24 teams from the current eight. It will be held every four years and replaces both the current annual competition and the Confederations Cup – the unloved tournament between continental champions that has been used as a pre-World Cup warm-up since 1997. Europe will supply eight of the 24 teams, including recent winnners of the Champions League and Europa League. So Real Madrid, Liverpool, Atletico Madrid and Chelsea…

Sofia racism was a disaster waiting to happen The racism which scarred England’s visit to Bulgaria was an indirect product of complacency within international football by those who do care and carelessness by those who do not. Coded admissions emerged in responsive statements from presidents Aleksander Ceferin of UEFA and Gianni Infantino of FIFA. Both urged governments and society in general to do more in terms of anti-racism education, but in the current nationalist and austerity climates that is a wish beyond fulfilment. But that does not exonerate football from accepting its own responsibilities – which is easier said than done as the experiences of FIFA and UEFA prove. History demonstrates that football’s governing bodies were notoriously slow to address the issue of racism in the first place. Back in…

Souness should have known better than to write off Manchester United “Liverpool look nailed on to win at Old Trafford today against a Manchester United side in turmoil and lacking leaders.” Thus said Graeme Souness on the morning of their match. With all his experience, both impressively on and subsequently off the field, he should surely have known that football remains an unpredictable game, with certainty so often a stranger. “Solskjaer has a team short on flair, form and fitness,” Souness pursued. “It’s hard to see it changing.” Well, change it dramatically did. In front of their own crowd, Manchester United rose from the supposed ashes and achieved an honourable draw. No surrender. No being outplayed and out performed. Such is the glory of the game and that is why…

The Venezuela national team has lost the services of one of its most senior players after MLS star Martinez announced that he is no longer available for selection. He says he will not represent his country while former goalkeeper Rafael Dudamel remains in charge. Martinez referred to a breakdown in relations over the course of Dudamel’s three-year reign, with this year’s Copa America marking a new low point. It had been clear for some time that all was not well. In the 2016 Copa, and the closing stages of the last World Cup qualification campaign, the Atlanta United player was often the first player to be substituted – and he made little secret of his displeasure as he left the field. More recently he has not even been in the…

If Bayern Munich are to claim an eighth consecutive Bundesliga title, they are going to have to do it the hard way. That’s the only conclusion to reach after German international centre-back Niklas Sule snapped cruciate ligaments in his left knee in the 2-2 draw away to regional rivals Augsburg. Sule, who duly underwent an operation to repair the damage is expected to be on the sidelines for at least six months. Indeed, his season may have already run its course. To a great extent, Bayern’s defensive plans revolve around the giant 24-year-old Frankfurter. Since arriving at the Allianz-Arena from Hoffenheim at the start of the 2017-18 season, he has developed into one of Europe’s most accomplished stoppers and by common consent, is the champions’ main source of back-line steel…

Last year’s Copa Libertadores came to a dramatic and controversial conclusion at the Santiago Bernabeu. This year’s Final is set for Santiago, with defending champions River Plate of Argentina taking on Brazil’s Flamengo – the most refreshing club to hit South American domestic football for years – on November 23. But there is a problem. This, of course, is the first year of a one-off showdown in a neutral venue. Santiago had seemed like the safest of choices – but then Chile erupted in social unrest and a state of emergency was declared. CONMEBOL, the South American Confederation, is watching anxiously, hoping and trusting that things calm down in time. No Plan B has so far been announced, but the most logical alternative would probably be Asuncion, the capital of…

“I’m not afraid of any challenge. I’ve gone places that other people wouldn’t have gone near” Los Angeles have won the Supporters’ Shield for the team with the best overall record in this year’s regular MLS season, shattering a host of records in the process. It must be a lot of fun… It’s been great, every part of LAFC: the stadium, the fans. There were a group of people that were on board before there was a team that created incredible momentum and energy in the city. And we are so excited to feel like we’re part of something special. Last season was the team’s first and you got to the play-offs. How did you step things up this year? The first season we played a lot of good football…

MAY 10, 2015 Makes Eredivisie debut, as a sub for Willem II at home to ADO Den Haag. AUG 22, 2015 Signs a four-year deal with Ajax and is loaned back to Willem II a day later. SEP 21, 2016 Makes his first-team debut for Ajax, against Willem II in the KNVB Cup. NOV 24, 2016 Plays in continental club competition for the first time, as a sub, as Ajax beat Panathinaikos 2-0 in the Europa League. FEB 12, 2017 Makes his league debut for Ajax, as a sub against Sparta Rotterdam. MAR 24, 2017 Makes his debut for Holland under-21s, against Finland. MAY 7, 2017 Scores his first goal for Ajax, in a 4-0 league victory over Go Ahead Eagles. MAY 24, 2017 Comes on as a late sub…

Despite losing 14-0 away to Iran in a qualifier for the 2022 World Cup, Cambodia coach Keisuke Honda took smiling selfies with female home fans at Tehran’s Azadi Stadium after the game. This is something great and the fans are great,” said the former Japan star. “And it is an honour to witness it.” The reason for Honda’s happiness was that he had been part of a game that had been watched by more than 3,000 women. With a handful of minor exceptions, women have been banned from watching football in Iran since 1981, but here they were, watching their national team thrash the Cambodians. Every single goal was celebrated wildly, the songs never stopped and the fans who had waited so long to see Team Melli were rewarded at…

2022 WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS ASIA SECTION 2nd round Group A Oct 10 - Guangzhou China 7 (Yang Xu 6, 19, 24, 31, Wu Lei 17, Wu Xi 45+1, Elkeson 75) Guam 0 HT: 6-0. Att: 39,987. Ref: Reda (Leb) Oct 10 - Dubai, UAE Syria 2 (Al Somah 26, 60) Maldives 1 (Ashfaq 70) HT: 1-0. Att: 5,500. Ref: Nasaruddin (Mly) Sent off: Al Salih (Syria) 65 Oct 15 - Bacolod Philippines 0 China 0 Att: 2,982. Ref: Asimov (Uzb Oct 15 - Dubai, UAE Syria 4 (Al Somah 3, 44, 83, Al Mawas 90+3) Guam 0 HT: 2-0. Att: 2,050. Ref: Mashentsev (Kyr) Group B Oct 10 - Canberra Australia 5 (Maclaren 6, 19, 90, Souttar 23, Rajbanshi og 59) Nepal 0 HT: 3-0. Att: 18,563. Ref: Alkatiri (Ins) Oct…

SEASON RANKINGS Cumulative votes through the season GOALKEEPER Marc-Andre TER STEGEN (Barcelona) 7 Samir HANDANOVIC (Internazionale) 3 Jan OBLAK (Atletico Madrid) 2 ADRIAN (Liverpool) 1 DEFENDERS Trent ALEXANDER-ARNOLD (Liverpool) 5 Virgil VAN DIJK (Liverpool) 5 Diego GODIN (Internazionale) 4 Andrew ROBERTSON (Liverpool) 4 Ricardo PERREIRA (Leicester City) 3 Stefan DE VRIJ (Internazionale) 2 Salif SANE (Schalke) 2 Stevan SAVIC (Atletico Madrid) 2 Milan SKRINIAR (Internazionale) 2 Nicolas TAGLIAFICO (Ajax) 2 Kieran TRIPPIER (Atletico Madrid) 2 Leonardo BONUCCI (Juventus) 1 Aurelien CHEDJOU (Amiens) 1 Mats HUMMELS (Borussia Dortmund) 1 Joshua KIMMICH (Bayern Munich) 1 Robin KNOCHE (Wolfsburg) 1 Aleksandar KOLAROV (Roma) 1 Ibrahima KONATE (RB Leipzig) 1 Kalidou KOULIBALY (Napoli) 1 Renan LODI (Atletico Madrid) 1 Joel MATIP (Liverpool) 1 Willi ORBAN (RB Leipzig) 1 Benjamin PAVARD (Bayern Munich) 1 PEPE…