REPORTS WE COULDN’T MAKE UP
1 VAR DRAMA: FROM 2-1 UP TO 2-1 DOWN
If you think your team has been the victim of a cruel VAR decision, then just listen to this report from a recent clash in Argentina’s Copa de la Liga Profesional. With less than three minutes left on the clock, Huracan thought they had sealed a dramatic victory against local rivals Barracas Central through a Matias Coccaro header. The jubilant celebrations were soon stopped, though – not by an offside, but by a handball by their own goalkeeper. In springing the counter-attack that resulted in the goal, Marcos Diaz was shown by VAR to have handled the ball outside of his penalty area – not only ruling out the winner, but giving Barracas a chance to score one of their own with a free-kick on the edge of the penalty area. Inevitably, Ivan Tapia stepped up to sweep the ball home – via a wicked deflection – though not before several minutes of arguing. The drama didn’t end there, with Barracas full-back Facundo Mater shown a second yellow card in the ninth minute of stoppage time, yet his team held on for a famous win and the local bragging rights.
2 CANINE CAMEO
This won’t be the first time that this column reports on a dog interrupting a football match, and it is unlikely to be the last. The match in question was the first leg of Brazil’s Pernambucano State Championship final between Nautico and Retro, and the dog – a German shepherd called Boris – was with the police. As his handler came onto the pitch to collect him, Boris picked up the ball in his mouth and continued to run rings around the players, before finally being put on a lead.
3 ELITE CHICANERY
Meanwhile, a match in Spain was interrupted not by a dog but by one of the coaches. Villanueva del Pardillo were drawing 1-1 with Colmenar Viejo when one of the visitors’ coaches ran onto the pitch to intercept the ball as Villanueva launched a promising, late counter-attack. The coach was instantly sent off, but the ploy worked as his side held on for the draw.
4 GOING UP, GOING DOWN
Going up and down is a familiar tale for Norwich City, as they return yet again to the Championship after one year in the Premier League. Yet for their sporting director, Stuart Webber, going up and down is an idea that he is keen to take quite literally, having set out to climb Mount Everest. After revealing this ambition to The Times, the 38-year-old came under fierce criticism from fans at Carrow Road for a perceived lack of commitment due to its timing. “If we lose I’m upset, but my life isn’t to appease Norwich fans,” he said in the interview, before explaining that he climbed Kilimanjaro in January and will take on Chimborazo in Ecuador and Mont Blanc before tackling Everest next.
5 GLOBAL TOUR FOR PEACE
With the Ukrainian league suspended, Shakhtar Donetsk have embarked on a series of charity games around Europe in a “Global Tour for Peace”. Their visit to Polish top-flight side Lechia Gdansk was particularly heart warming, with 12-year-old Dmytro Keda – a refugee from the heavily bombed city of Mariupol – brought on to the pitch for the final moments, with the scores level at 2-2. After a kick-around with the Shakhtar players, Keda was allowed to score the winner, before celebrating on the shoulders of the visiting players.