REPORTS WE COULDN’T MAKE UP
1 SURPRISING SIGNING
It was a big surprise when Spanish side Racing Murcia announced that they had signed former England defender Joleon Lescott, who retired in 2017 after a year at Sunderland. In fact, the move was so surprising, even Lescott himself didn’t know about it. “There’s been an offer for me to go and take part in a game in Spain, which I’m exploring,” he told BBC Radio. “I didn’t know I’d signed – I’d had a conversation. It appears I’m coming out of retirement but I’d only be participating in one game.”
2 SWEDISH CHICANERY
To Sweden now for some worldclass gamesmanship. With the scores tied at 2-2 in stoppage time, AIK were so desperate for a winner they sent their goalkeeper up for a corner, but alarm bells started ringing when the ball went for a goal-kick and Elfsborg launched a quick counter-attack. Wily midfielder Sebastian Larsson had the situation under control though; grabbing a spare ball and booting it back in play towards the onrushing Elfsborg attack. The ref was force to stop the game, Larsson was booked, and the game finished 2-2.
3 ANOTHER ANIMAL INTERRUPTION
A couple of months ago we told you about a non-league game in England that was interrupted by an alpaca. In Brazil, another game was brought to a halt by a different species: this time, it was ants. The Serie C match between Ferroviario and Jacuipense had to stop for five minutes after the visitors’ goalkeeper Jordan landed on an anthill in the goalmouth, then had to wash them off with a quick sponge bath.
4 MOST DRAMATIC SHOOT-OUT EVER?
There’s a lot to pack in here, so bear with us. In the quarter-final of the MLS play-offs, Orlando City were leading New York City 4-3 in a penalty shoot-out, and thought they had sealed the win with a save from Pedro Gallese. Their celebrations were cut short, however, when the referee ruled that the goalkeeper had moved off his line too early. Not only was the spot-kick retaken, Gallese was shown a second yellow card for the infraction. Next, substitute Brian Rowe put his gloves on to go in goal, but – eventually – was told that subs could not be made during the shoot-out. So, defender Rodrigo Schlegel went in instead. Two kicks later, the Argentine pulled off an unlikely save and, thinking that this was enough to seal the victory, set off to celebrate with his team-mates. Yet once again, the celebrations were premature: the score was still 5-5. Thankfully, Schlegel’s blushes were spared when Benji Michel slotted in his kick to seal the victory. Phew...
5 SILLY SILAS
After a mix-up in the Werder Bremen penalty area, Stuttgart striker Silas Wamangituka was left with the simple task of tapping the ball home. But instead, he chose to take his time, walking towards the goal at a snail’s pace. When Werder Bremen’s keeper tried to close him down, he hammered the ball in from approximately two inches away, at which point the referee booked him for unsportsmanlike conduct.