football moments

Liverpool’s struggle, Eze’s hat-trick, a slap, and the bicycle kick

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Rock, paper, scissors, C. Ronaldo

CR7’s goal against Al-Khaleej was his 954th, and once again it turned out to be quite memorable. According to certain sources, if everything is correct, this was Cristiano Ronaldo’s 4th overhead-kick goal scored in an official competitive match. ESPN also reported that after his very similar strike against Juventus in 2018, this was the second most beautiful one in his ranking of bicycle-kick goals.

Who is Eze?

It would be impossible not to include Eberechi Eze’s performance in the North London derby among the big moments of the week, where he scored a hat-trick and became the first player in the history of North London derbies to net three goals in the Premier League era.
Previously, during clashes between the two teams, only the following players had achieved this:

Ted Drake (Arsenal) – 20 October 1934 – Arsenal 5–1 Tottenham (at White Hart Lane)
Terry Dyson (Tottenham) – 26 August 1961 – Tottenham 4–3 Arsenal (at White Hart Lane)
Alan Sunderland (Arsenal) – 23 December 1978 – Tottenham 0–5 Arsenal (at White Hart Lane)

Arsenal defeated Tottenham 4–1, and after 12 rounds they now hold a 6-point lead over Chelsea, who sit in second place on the table.

There is still a long way to go, but at this moment the league title is very much leaning toward Arsenal. Many experts consider them the most in-form team in Europe right now, with rock-solid organization—especially regarding their defensive structure. They have scored 24 goals, tied with Man City for the most in the league, but even more remarkable is that they have conceded only 6 goals in the Premier League this season.

Newcastle’s blue scalp

Newcastle defeated Manchester City 2–1 on Saturday’s matchday, with both goals scored by Harvey Barnes, making him the hero of the match. Despite City seemingly playing in control and having nearly 70% possession, Newcastle managed to create more shots on target, more big chances, and more momentum, building brilliantly—just as we’ve come to expect from them—on their quick transitions.
It was already City’s fourth defeat of the season, and although a Champions League spot is essentially guaranteed, their hopes of winning the league title are growing dimmer and dimmer.

Barcelona’s first match in the new Camp Nou

Barcelona returned to the new Camp Nou with a memorable match—one could even say a worthy one—when they beat Athletic Bilbao 4–0.

Robert Lewandowski gave Barça the lead in the 4th minute, and with that he essentially made history as the first goalscorer in the new stadium. His goal was later followed by a Ferran Torres double and one from Fermín.

The stadium still can’t be considered finished; at the moment it can only host a limited number of spectators. A little more than 45,000 people were able to watch the match live. The renovations will definitely continue until 2027, and the costs so far have been a staggering ~1.5 billion euros.

Interestingly, 909 days passed before Barça could return to their beloved stadium. In the world of spirituality, the number 909 is considered an angel number, used by spiritual forces to communicate with humanity, and among other things it symbolizes the universe opening new doors—new opportunities, learning, and growth. Naturally, many people attributed deep meaning to this.

What’s going on with Liverpool?

Liverpool’s weekend defeat wasn’t painful only because, as defending champions, the team slipped back to 12th place after 12 rounds, or because they have lost six of their last seven Premier League matches—getting beaten 3–0 by City and now by Nottingham Forest as well—or because the roles and places of the key players simply aren’t visible anymore, with Isaak, Salah, and Wirtz massively underperforming compared to their usual level. It was also painful because Anfield had a kind of silence that should never exist in front of one of the world’s loudest fanbases.

Murillo’s goal gave Forest a 1–0 lead at halftime, but even in the second half the visitors had more shots on target, created more chances, had a higher xG, and were practically better in every element of the game… which is a bit incomprehensible.

Last season they lost only four matches in total, so Liverpool really need to pull up their red shorts, because if this freefall continues, we might soon be talking about a historically negative run…

The Slap

On a rainy Monday evening you turn on the TV to take a look at the MU–Everton match, only to see one Everton player slap another, getting himself sent off. Your eyebrow suddenly shoots up, your mouth stays slightly open in surprise, and your first thought running through your head is: What the fuck is happening here? → You’ve had a bad day, you’re tired, but a half-smile still appears on your face because up until this moment you thought you were the problem — but no, the world is crazy, man.

Yes, Idrissa Gueye slapped his own teammate and was sent off in the 13th minute. United fans could shake their fists here, thinking: “Yes, this one is ours now”… But unfortunately, no. I don’t want to be snarky, I don’t want to be mean, but Manchester United still somehow managed to lose, even though Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall scored the opening goal — which later became the winner — in the 26th minute.

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