Soccer Sorcery

It's been a difficult start to the season for Palermo. They're already on their second manager of the season (and 20th different one since 2002) and prior to Sunday, they still had not won after five Serie A matches, but 33-year-old captain Fabrizio Miccoli helped changed that with a hat trick in their 4-1 win against Chievo Verona. The final goal of his hat trick came in the 82nd minute, when he launched a perfectly placed volley from about 40 yards away that went over the keeper's head and bounced into the net. Said Miccoli after the match (via Football Italia ): "It is one of my best days. This is my sixth year in Palermo, yet every time it feels like I have to start from scratch and prove I'm not old or just worthy of playing the last half-hour." I think he proved his point.

Cesc Fabregas helped Barcelona to a comeback win against Sevilla in more ways than one, keeping their perfect record in tact through six La Liga matches. With Barca down 2-0, Fabregas scored in the 53rd minute to get them back in the match. Perhaps his most important contribution to the match, however, was when he got Sevilla midfielder sent off in the 72nd minute by putting on what was apparently a referee-convincing performance. Medel and Fabregas came together away from the ball, in the middle of Barcelona's half, while the referee was distracted. The pair bumped chests and if there was any head-to-head contact, it was slight, but that didn't stop Cesc from staggering away and holding his face as if he'd been punched in the nose. This prompted the ref to act and he did so by showing Medel a straight red. With Sevilla down to 10 men, Fabregas scored an equalizer in the 89th minute and David Villa pulled out a winner in the third minute of injury time. Though Cesc's ap

Cesc Fabregas helped Barcelona to a comeback win against Sevilla in more ways than one, keeping their perfect record in tact through six La Liga matches. With Barca down 2-0, Fabregas scored in the 53rd minute to get them back in the match. Perhaps his most important contribution to the match, however, was when he got Sevilla midfielder sent off in the 72nd minute by putting on what was apparently a referee-convincing performance. Medal and Fabregas came together away from the ball, in the middle of Barcelona's half, while the referee was distracted. The pair bumped chests and if there was any head-to-head contact, it was slight, but that didn't stop Cesc from staggering away and holding his face as if he'd been punched in the nose. This prompted the ref to act and he did so by showing Medal a straight red. With Sevilla down to 10 men, Fabregas scored an equalizer in the 89th minute and David Villa pulled out a winner in the third minute of injury time. Though Cesc's ap

Both Wayne Bridge and Anton Ferdinand have passive-aggressively shown their displeasure with John Terry by skipping him in the pre-match handshake line when playing against Chelsea and before the European champions beat Arsenal 2-1, Gunnersaurus showed just how silly that is. From the Guardian : [T]he Arsenal mascot Gunnersaurus extended his paw to Terry as the teams lined up before the game and then, as Terry went to shake it, pulled it back in, leaving Terry's hand dangling in the air although Gunnersaurus had shaken Terry's hand earlier, when Chelsea arrived. By giving Terry a probably sweaty, two-handed shake earlier in the day (pictured above), Gunnersaurus made it clear that he didn't have a problem with Terry -- or at least no more than most people. But by employing a prank reminiscent of what a young Chelsea mascot famously did to Steven Gerrard several years ago (video below), Gunnersaurus showed that refusing a handshake before a football match instead of expre

Blackburn fans' long nightmare finally ended when manager Steve Kean resigned on Friday , despite having just one loss through eight matches in the Championship after relegation from the Premier League last season. Over the course of his tenure, the supporters' aggressive "Kean out" campaign knew no bounds. The signs were everywhere -- in the sky , at the Olympics and even at professional wrestling events in Boston, Massachusetts . So what to do with all those signs now that their message has finally been realized? Well, one fan at Saturday's 1-1 draw away to Charlton added a couple of letters to his so it now reads "Kean is out," reassuring his fellow fans that it actually happened and spreading the joyous news like a silent town crier. And since old habits die hard, we'll probably see these modified signs well into next season when they are still inadvertently relevant as Steve Kean is forced out at KFC when his position once again becomes untenab

AAAAHHHHHHHH I AM ARTUR BORUC AND THIS IS A LIST OF THINGS THAT MADE ME ANGRY THIS WEEK: 1. I'M IN ENGLAND -- I'M EXCITED AND I'M NERVOUS AND I'M SWEATING FOR NO REASON AND NOTHING IS ON FIRE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHY IS NOTHING ON FIRE?!?!?!??!?!??!?!!? AHHHHHHHHHH I BROUGHT ALL THIS CHOCOLATE FOR NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 2. DINAMO ZAGREB PLAYER FINED100,000 FOR OPENING A BEER ON THE BUS -- WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!?!?!??!?!?!?!? DRINKING BEER ON THE TEAM BUS IS UNPROFESSIONAL AND UNACCEPTABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! EVERYONE KNOWS YOU ONLYINDULGEIN SOFT DRINKS LIKE PAINT THINNER AND AN ASSORTMENT OF VARNISHES WHEN YOU'RE TRAVELING WITH YOUR TEAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ONE TIME I HAD A BATHTUB FULL OF BEER AND DO YOU KNOW WHAT I DID WITH IT?!?!?!?!??!?! I KICKED IT IN HALF AND THE BEER WENT EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I NEVER GOT MY SECURITY DEPOSIT BACK ON THAT PLACE!!!!!!!!!!!!! 3. FOOTBALLERS BEING FORCED TO TAKE A LIE DETECTOR TEST -- THIS IS BAD!!!!!!!!!!! BUT IF YOU JUST M

At the bottom of their UEFA World Cup qualifying group after starting off with losses to Georgia and France, Belarus have decided to pump up the monetary incentive for their players to get a result against reigning champions Spain next month. Because clearly that's what's holding them back from complete world domination. From Reuters : Belarus will more than triple bonuses to their players if they beat world and European champions Spain in next month's World Cup qualifier, the country's football federation (BFF) said on Friday. "Each player will receive a $10,000 bonus," BFF first vice-president Sergei Safaryan told a news conference. In case of a draw the players will also be rewarded, Safaryan said. It might sound like a pretty safe bet that the BFF won't have to pay out for the win and that they could make the bonus $1X batrillion if they wanted to, but stranger things have happened. And if they do win, they're going to need all the extra money they

From the earliest days of his tenure as Blackburn Rovers manager, Steve Kean was loathed by the Ewood Park faithful. So much so that, before guiding the Lancashire club back into the Championship, the 44-year-old needed a bodyguard to protect himself from the overwhelmingly enthusiastic "Kean Out" movement . After starting the Championship campaign with Blackburn's hugely unpopular owners publicly threatening to fire him and completely undermining his authority by bringing in players he'd never seen play Kean's Reign of Terror is finally over . According to Sportingintelligence , however, the Scotsman would have been enjoying the thrills of unemployment last weekend if it wasn't for his wife phoning the club's co-owner and earning him a 'stay of execution': Insiders say the decision was taken to sack Kean last weekend and plans for his dismissal were so advan! ced that a press release confirming the news was in circulation at Ewood Park o

Darren Fletcher (right) impressed against the Magpies Returning Manchester United midfielder impressed Sir Alex Ferguson in a new midfield role against Newcastle. The Scottish international started his first game in 10 months in midweek as he continues his rehabilitation from a chronic bowel complaint. Ferguson has selected Fletcher in Saturday'ssquad for the visit of Tottenham. However, Fletcher's next meaningful involvement is likely to come in Tuesday's Champions League encounter with CFR Cluj in Romania. "Having played on Wednesday night and contributed so well I wouldn't think he'll start tomorrow," said Ferguson. "But he may get a place on the bench and he could possibly go to Romania and play against Cluj. "That may be an ideal opportunity for him. "The great thing about Fletcher the other night was that his enthusiasm was fantastic. "He played a great part in the victory and in a role different

Two months after a court of law found Chelsea captain John Terry not guilty of racially abusing QPR's Anton Ferdinand last season, an independent commission with a lower burden of proof has found Terry guilty of racially abusing Anton Ferdinand, resulting in a four-match ban and 220,000 fine from the FA. While Terry awaits the full written reasoning behind the decision before he considers appealing the decision, there is no shortage of opinions on the matter. Former Liverpool and England player John Barnes has offered a more pragmatic conclusion than most, saying that John Terry isn't a racist, but he is a "unconscious racist." Which Barnes says most everyone is, including himself. From the Independent : "I would never, ever say John Terry is a racist, but I would say John Terry is no more or less racist than anyone else. I actually have a bit of empathy with John Terry. Ninety-nine per cent of us, me included, are unconscious racists, because we have an opinio

Independiente Santa Fe midfielder Gerardo Bedoya is no stranger to taking an early bath, and picked up his 41st career red card in Saturday's Bogota derby with Millonarios for elbowing Yhonny Ramirez. The excessively aggressive Colombian wasn't done with his assault though after seeing red, the 36-year-old went over to the midfielder he had floored seconds earlier and stamped on his forehead. Despite committing these two inexplicably violent acts, Bedoya still felt it appropriate to argue his case with the ref as he was bear-hugged away from the field by a colleague. For committing 'violent conduct against an adversary in an incident off the ball', the league's governing body has issued Bedoya with a fifteen match ban and a fine of just over 1.2m Colombian pesos (approximately $5,000). Since his contract is set to expire at the end of this season, he will now only be able to play for Santa Fe if they make the championship finals. (But as last year's champions a

Vuk Bakic scored what could be the fastest goal ever in a Serbian youth match between his GSP Polet side and Dorcol. When the referee blew his whistle to start the match, Bakic took a shot on goal from the center mark that caught Dorcol's goalkeeper off guard, flew over his head and bounced into the net. FIFA's laws of the game specifically state that "a goal may be scored directly from kick-off" (law 8), but Dorcol protested the fact that Bakic's teammate was standing in their half of the pitch when the shot was taken, which is a violation. The referee let the goal stand though, and GSP Polet went on to win the match 4-1. While Bakic has gained a bit of international fame from this, Dorcol's keeper has probably gained a sense of paranoia on kick-offs and the referee hopefully got a refresher on the rules. Video via 101gg

Frustration continues to build at Liverpool following last weekend's controversial loss to Manchester United and manager Brendan Rodgers believes that frustration could push his players to dive. Something he says they don't already do, which would make them pretty much the only team in the world that doesn't. From the Guardian : "I'm concerned that we've not had any sort of rub of the green from officials," Rodgers said. "We like to think we are a sporting team, I have always told my players to do the right thing, not to dive, to play fair. But the fairness we show, it seems the decisions pass us by because of it. There are so many decisions that have gone against us. "It would be a shame if players who respect the rules and managers who are asking players to stay on their feet and not dive are not getting the decisions because of it. I think it is important that referees understand that. It has been a criticism of the last few years of players

Things don't always turn out well for fathers of Manchester United players who bet on football , but Ryan Tunnicliffe's dad is now a wealthier man for having faith in his son's abilities. Midfielder Tunnicliffe has been on the books at Manchester United since he was scouted as a 9-year-old. Seeing his son's potential at that young age, Tunnicliffe Sr. did what any upstanding father would do and rushed to his local bookmakers to place a wager. Reports The Guardian : When the fledgling midfielder, now 19, was nine his father had placed the wager that his son would one day play for United, taking the odds of 100-1 with a 100 bet. When Tunnicliffe made his debut appearance for the first team as a 76th-minute substitute for Marnick Vermijlin Wednesday's League Cup win over Newcastle, the 10-year-old bet earned pops a tidy 10,000 ($16,234) payout. While 10 large is a fantastic return on investment, the Daily Mail notes that the Tunnicliffe family could be in line for ano

Things don't always turn out well for fathers of Manchester Utd players who bet on football , but Ryan Tunnicliffe's dad is now a wealthier man for having faith in his son's abilities. Midfielder Tunnicliffe has been on the books at Manchester Utd since he was scouted as a nine-year-old. Seeing his son's potential at that young age, Tunnicliffe Sr. did what any upstanding father would do and rushed to his local bookmakers to place a wager. Reports The Guardian : When the fledgling midfielder, now 19, was nine his father had placed the wager that his son would one day play for United, taking the odds of 100-1 with a 100 bet. When Tunnicliffe made his debut appearance for the first team as a 76th-minute substitute for Marnick Vermijlin Wednesday's League Cup win over Newcastle, the ten-year-old bet earned pops a tidy 10,000 pay-out. While ten large is a fantastic return on investment, the Daily Mail notes that the Tunnicliffe family could be in line for another 35,00

Darren Fletcher was handed the captains armband for last nights Capital One Cup win over Newcastle the Reds midfielders first full match in almost a year For the ultimate big game player it was a relatively low-key return. But for Darren Fletcher last nights Capital One Cup third round tie with Newcastle was as momentous as any in his career. Starting a match for the first time since November 2011, it was an occasion that many feared would never come when it was revealed last year that he is battling to overcome ulcerative colitis. In his darkest moments, Fletcher too must have questioned if a career that has already defied the odds would come to a premature end. No matter then that he was playing in a competition Sir Alex Ferguson usually reserves for blooding his youngsters or stretching the legs of fringe players. And who cares if there were swathes of empty seats inside Old Trafford for a match that had clearly failed to capture the imagination of supporters?

Ronaldinho's first visit to Flamengo since he left the club on bitter terms turned nasty in the second half. Flamengo were leading Atletico-MG 2-1 in the 70th minute when Atletico defender Rever whipped around and smashed Flamengo's Victor Caceres across (full-speed replay at 1:06 into the video). And when Caceres fell to the ground, Rever also went down holding his face. Caceres was shown a yellow card, Rever was sent off and Atletico's Jo was also booked for shoving Marcos Gonzalez. Flamengo held on the for 2-1 win and the 30,000 whistles every time he touched the ball kept Ronaldinho quiet. Rever, meanwhile, should be in line for a ban or a switch to UFC. This has been the Dirty Tackle of the Day: a chronicling of unfortunate events.

A 5-meter (16.4 feet) high version of Algerian artist Adel Abdessemed bronze statue of Zidane headbutting Marco Materazzi in the 2006 World Cup final has been erected outside Paris' Centre Pompidou, one of the world's foremost modern art museums. A smaller version of the statue had previously been on exhibition in a New York gallery , but now it is massive and out in the open for all to admire. But what would a modern art museum in the country that ultimately lost the World Cup final to Italy after Zidane tried to ram his bald head through Materazzi's chest want with such a statue? From ESPN : "This statue goes against the tradition of making statues in honour of certain victories. It is an ode to defeat," exhibition organizer Alain Michaud told Agence France Presse. How very French. And unusually human.

After Zenit St. Petersburg captain Igor Denisov demanded more money and publicly voiced his opinion that foreign signings like Hulk and Axel Witsel shouldn't be making "three times as much" as the Russian players on the team , debate has increased over the rising influence of money at the club. And now the local communist party has written an open letter to Russian president/shirtless fisherman Vladimir Putin, asking for his help in eradicating the greed at the club and replacing Italian manager Luciano Spalletti with a "taskmaster" from North Korea. (Seriously -- of all people, they asked Vladimir Putin. That's not satire.) Zenit are owned by Gazprom, the massive Russian energy company owned by the government. But St. Petersburg native Putin has stated that the club's funding is entirely from Gazprom and not the state -- a distinction that seems more like a technicality than the best explanation. From Reuters : "We have an explosive situation at Ze

To the surprise of only Fiorentina, Dimitar Berbatov's agent, Emil Dantchev, has declared that his client will not be repaying the Italian club for the plane tickets they bought him before Berbatov decided mid-flight that he would rather play for Juventus and then Fulham. After he signed for Fulham, Fiorentina's sporting director publicly stated that they wantreimbursementfrom the player and his agent , but it sounds like they're going to be disappointed by Berbatov yet again. From Sky Sports : Emil Dantchev says that will not be happening, tellingTuttomercatoweb: "What about Fiorentina's request? It's an irrelevant question. "Why should we pay for the plane? And because in Italy you take care so much about such a thing? Juventus and Fiorentina were two options for Dimitar, but then he chose England and coach Jol's Fulham. A choice that satisfies us fully." Fiorentina's sporting director says he's still waiting, though. Just as The Berba h

In weekseven of the MEN football podcast, MEN's Manchester United reporter Stuart Mathieson joins MEN Sport's Mike Keegan andRob Dawson to reflect on the season action, plus find out their predictions for the weekend's big games. Listen to the podcast by click here . Tweet

In the latest episode of Law and Order: Cobham Mysteries, the Daily Mail's Neil Ashton reports that exactly "six wallets, nine mobile phones and several watches" have been stolen from staff and players during a training session at their Cobham complex, prompting a police investigation. And yes, it would be very easy to make a John Terry joke right now. From the Daily Mail : Players are now demanding to know how their possessions could have been taken during an hour-and-a-half training session. A club spokesman said: 'A number of personal items were recently stolen from the academy dressing room area. The matter is currently being investigated by the police. CCTV footage is being handed to them and confirms the thefts were carried out by a lone intruder not connected with the training ground site. 'Other local premises near to the training ground were targeted that day and may be connected. Nobody at Chelsea FC is under suspicion.' Although Chelsea insist the t

To celebrate the release of EA Sports' wildly popular FIFA 13 video game, we asked the Qatar InvestmentAuthority, owners of PSG, to play it and give us their thoughts. This is their review... First of all, we were gravely disappointed to learn that this is a video game and not the ability to purchase ownership of FIFA, the actual international governing body of football, for the entirety of 2013. Secondly, we were even more disappointed to learn that this game is not available on Playstation 5, which we have had forever, and can only be purchased for an old, decrepit system like Playstation 3, which is for poor people like the Queen of England. Upon starting the game, our disappointment continued when we threw shopping bags full of euros at the screen to trigger the ownership mode, where you can sit back while talented players and owners scramble to collect your money like children under a broken pinata and then attempt to repay you with medals and cups you could have easily paid a

It's not often that we have cause to report on Brazilian lower league matches, but this is a worthy exception. Ponta Pora were hosting and Coxim on Sunday when the visitors launched an attack down the left flank. After some silky individual skill the Coxim number 4 thought he only had the keeper to beat but he was wrong. The quick-thinking Ponta Pora physio discretelyslid in with a heroic last-gasp clearance, all while keeping hold of his bags. What a hero. If the referee wasn't standing yards away, he probably would've got away with his brilliant plan. Video: 101GG

Dinamo Zagreb defender Domagoj Vida is being called "probably the stupidest footballer in the world" after deciding that the bus ride to a cup match against lower division club NK Vrsar the next day was a good place to pop open a beer. It would turn out to be the most expensive beer he's ever opened. From the Independent : The coach of the Croatian champions, Ante Cacic, immediately ordered Vida to leave the bus, and the club have followed it up by imposing a fine of 100,000 euros on the 23-year-old. "The Dinamo management has decided to punish Vida with a financial penalty of 100,000 euros for his behaviour," the club said on their website. Vida, 'probably the stupidest footballer in the world', has 14 caps for Croatia. Dinamo have encountered a string of player discipline issues lately, this being the fifth case in a month, so the massive fine was probably more of an attempt to end that than what they felt was a reasonable punishment for opening a beer

SIDELINED: Manchester United's Nemanja Vidic Manchester United have been dealt another injury blow after skipper Nemanja Vidic was ruled out for eight weeks following knee surgery. Vidic, who missed the final five months of last season after rupturing his cruciate in the Champions League defeat to Basle, missed Sunday's Premier League win at Liverpool after complaining of tightness in his right knee. However, a subsequent examination revealed a greater problem, prompting Vidic to be sent for an operation, which has now been completed. "Nemanja Vidic has had a meniscus operation on his right knee and will be out for around eight weeks," said a club spokesman. "Sir Alex, as a precautionary measure, rested Vidic at the weekend, after he complained of tightness in his knee, however, further medical investigation revealed the underlying problem. "The central defender was operated on this week and will be sidelined for abo

Last season was a very good one for Tottenham. Finishing fourth was a fine achievement, but even though Chelsea finished two places behind them, they still managed to wreak havoc on Spurs -- the extent to which is still coming out. Chelsea walloped them 5-1 in the FA Cup semifinal. And by winning the Champions League, Chelsea took Spurs' qualification spot, which led to Harry Redknapp getting sacked and replaced by bearded thinker Andre Villas-Boas. The man Chelsea sacked in order to allow Roberto Di Matteo to lead them to their cup double. And now, Eden Hazard is rubbing even more salt in the wound by telling Spurs that Chelsea's improbable Champions League win also cost them an Eden Hazard. From PA Sport : "It's true that Tottenham tempted me because it was a young team which was third in the league," Hazard said in a France Football article. "Unfortunately, the end of the season did not go well. They did not reach the Champions League, which tipped the ba

No one likes sitting on the bench, especially when its raining and you've got nothing to cover your head. So during Man City's 1-1 draw against Arsenal on Sunday, Mario Balotelli and Carlos Tevez teamed up and and shared a coat as a head covering and another coat as a blanket to create a makeshift two-person rain fort. They were going to drape towels over both rows of the bench and tell scary stories while hiding out in there, but they were both subbed into the match so that ruined that. The next time someone says these two aren't team players, remember this.

The first episode of Being: Liverpool was interesting because of its sunny portrayal of Kenny Dalglish's departure and Brendan Rodgers' arrival, plus the insight into the personal lives of Rodgers and several players. But for episode two, those insights and events were largely replaced by a long advertisement for parent company Fenway Sports Group and slow-motion. The episode took place almost entirely in Boston and Toronto, where Liverpool began their preseason tour. And as most footballers will tell you, days consisting solely of training sessions and living out of a hotel away from home can get boring. Maybe that was the point of episode two. Still, there were some fine moments to pull from this installment. Here are some of the best (presented in chronological order)... 1. Kenny Dalglish burn? "Rodgers' hands-on philosphy is a change from the past," narrator Clive Owen says. "But one to which his players are responding." Jamie Carragher confirms this

Despite spending 80-100 million to acquire Hulk and Axel Witsel before the transfer deadline, cash-infused Zenit St. Petersburg have had a run of mediocre results and bitterness is spreading among the club's lower-paid Russian players. Captain Igor Denisov and striker Alexander Kerzhakov, both Russian internationals, have been banished to training with the reserve team over wage disputes . And now Denisov has taken the issue to the media, with jabs at Hulk and Witsel as an added bonus. From Reuters : "I'm not against foreign players but there must be a balance in the team," Russia captain Denisov told the Sport-Express daily. "Yes, the club has bought good players but do you think they are so much better than us that they should make three times as much?" Local media said midfielder Denisov was making 3m euros a year and was asking for a 2m euro raise. "Zenit already have great players who have won as many titles as the new guys. I would understand if w

Prior to Man City's 1-1 draw against Arsenal on Sunday, Gael Clichy was one of several City players standing in the tunnel when Arsene Wenger passed through. Wenger appeared to spot Clichy before walking right by him without saying a word, which Clichy noticed and took exception to. Clichy played eight seasons for Arsenal before joining the steady stream of players that have moved from North London to Man City in July of 2011, to the chagrin of Wenger. "It's only been nine years," Clichy tells his teammates after watching Wenger go by, in reference to how long they've known each other. You can see that the French defender was a bit hurt. Wenger actually did greet Clichy in that moment, though. It would just take him a few extra seconds to smell it. This could be your future, Theo Walcott . Repent. Video via 101gg

Mark Halsey shows Jonjo Shelvey in the match between Liverpool and Manchester United The Twitter abuse of referee Mark Halsey has been condemned as "beneath contempt" by the match officials' union Prospect. Halsey was the victim of two abusive tweets on Sunday, both of which referred to his throat cancer diagnosis in 2009. The 51-year-old official, from Bolton,sent off Liverpool midfielder Jonjo Shelvey and then awarded Manchester United a controversial penalty in the Barclays Premier League game at Anfield, with Robin van Persie converting the spot-kick for a 2-1 win. A tweet posted from an account named @johnwareing1 read: "I hope Mark Halsey gets cancer again and dies" while another from @lfcjohn259 read: "Mark Halsey should've died of cancer." Both tweets were met with outrage from other users of the social media site. The post from @lfcjohn259 was deleted and the @johnwareing1 account was removed completely. The natio

Celtic were charged by the Scottish Football Association last week for a banner fans brought to a preseason friendly against Norwich in July that the club failed to remove. The banner depicted thede-evolution, death, rise from the grave and zombification of Rangers (image below). The main problem with the banner, however, was the final image of a soldier shooting the Rangers zombie. So following the charges that, according to the Daily Record , leave Celtic accused of four separate violations ("allowing the banner into the ground, letting it be displayed, not removing it and letting the banner be unfurled for a second time without taking action"), Celtic fans expressed their disagreement with the SFA during Saturday's 2-0 win against Dundee. One banner read "justice for zombies" while another said "Celtic fans against the undead!" Niether is likely to have an impact on the club's potential punishment, but all of this could serve as an excellent vir

With Toulouse down 2-1 to Stade Rennes late in added time, goalkeeper Ali Ahamada came forward on a free kick in an attempt to salvage a point at home. Ahamada ended up finding space in the box and managed to execute an off-balance backwards header to score an equalizer in the 95th minute. Ahamada then celebrated like the happiest man on earth, scrambling to his feet, hoping over the advertising board and embracing a group of joyful supporters. Though it Ahamada's goal didn't quite have the grace of the Danish keeper who scored a stoppage-time equalizer with an overhead kick a few weeks ago, it still got the job done in delightful fashion.

Rayo Vallecano's attempt to host city rivals Real Madrid on Sunday was allegedly sabotaged by vandals who messed with the Campo de Ftbol de Vallecas'selectrical cables, cutting the power to the stadium's floodlights. The players were forced to wait around as attempts to fix the problem were made, but the match was eventually postponed and rescheduled for Monday night. And Cristiano Ronaldo was clearly not pleased. From the AFP : Rayo's president Raul Martin Presa indicated he had reason to believe cables had been cut. "Vandals have cut cables, we have tried to solve the problem as quickly as possible but told the stewards not to open the doors of the stadium. We will leave it to the police to find out who is responsible," said Presa. Fans were not allowed into the Estadio de Vallecas ground for security reasons ahead of the match, which had been due to start at 9.30pm local time (1930 GMT). So the troubled start to Real Madrid's season takes another odd tw

Man United came away from Anfield with a 2-1 win and kept a 10-man Liverpool winless through their first five matches of the season. The referee tested the pre-match goodwill of the Hillsborough tribute and Luis Suarez and Patrice Evra finally shaking hands with several major calls that went against Liverpool starting with Jonjo Shelvey's straight red in the 39th minute for a lunging challenge on Jonny Evans, who went for the ball with two feet himself ( gif here ). As Shelvey walked off, he exchanged words with Sir Alex Ferguson, accusing him of influencing the officials' decision.Though Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard gave Liverpool a 1-0 lead just after halftime, Rafael equalized just five minutes later and, in the 81st minute, Man United were given a penalty that Robin van Persie converted to get the 2-1 win. After the match, Ferguson and Shelvey had slightly different takes on the red card. From ESPN : "It was a clear red card, it was dangerous, I don't think he

AAAAHHHHHHHH I AM ARTUR BORUC AND THIS IS A LIST OF THINGS THAT MADE ME ANGRY THIS WEEK: 1. FINALLY SIGNING WITH A NEW CLUB -- AHHHHHHHHHHHH THIS IS THE GREATEST DAY OF MY LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHEN I WENT FOR MY INTERVIEW AT SOUTHAMPTON I DROP KICKED THE DOOR TO THEIR BOARDROOM AND THEN I HEADBUTTED THEIR CONFERENCE TABLE INTO TOOTHPASTE AND SAID "JOIN ME IN THE FIGHT AGAINST THE CORN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" AND THEY SAID "ARTUR WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR A GOALKEEPER TO SAY THAT SINCE MAY!!!!!!!!! YOU'VE GOT THE JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" AND THEN I SAID "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" AND THEY SAID "AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" AND THEN I BOUGHT FRAPPUCCINOS FOR EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!! EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 2. MICHAEL AGAZZI'S BACKHEEL SAVE -- YESTERDAY I KICKED A HIVE OF RACIST BEES JUST LIKE THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHERE IS THE HIGHLIGHT OF THAT!??!?!?!?!!?!??! 3. THE FIRST EPISODE OF BEING: LIVERPOOL -- I'VE ALREADY

Early in Wigan's match against Fulham on Saturday, referee Lee Probert was caught in the wrong spot and accidentally hacked down by the lunging attempts to reach the ball from Fulham's Steve Sidwell and Wigan's Ben Watson. As Probertreceivedtreatment from the physios, he kept his sense of humor about the incident despite being in a bit of pain and showed Wigan captain Gary Caldwell a red card while lying on his back ( video here ). Probert would continue on while Caldwell wondered if he should continue the joke by filing a pretend appeal after the match or to just serve a pretend ban and pay a pretend fine.

Manchester United supporters traveling to Anfield for Sunday's match against Liverpool will be given a letter written by Sir Alex Ferguson urging a waking of conscience in an effort to prevent any chants about Hillsborough on the day of a tribute to the victims. The match will be Liverpool's first at home since the publication of a report revealing the wrong doing and police cover-up surrounding the death of 96 fans at Hillsborough in 1989. Both Liverpool and Man United have put aside their bitter rivalry to put together a tribute to the victims , but fears remain that a minority of fans on both sides will resort to chants about each club's respective human tragedies (Hillsborough for Liverpool and the Munich air disaster for Man United). So Ferguson's written appeal will be handed to Man United fans attending the match. Though it doesn't specifically call for an end to hurtful words set to frivolous melodies, it's suggestion of what should go without saying -