The Friendly Sports

[The Friendly Sports @friendlySport]

*THE FRIENDLY WRAP*
Friday 16 October

*A correction first*
Yesterday we said Ronaldo would play Al Ahli last night. That was wrong, and we are sorry. According to the Saudi Pro League, the game had already been moved to Saturday 6 March 2027, for logistical reasons and to give players the minimum rest between matches. Al Hilal and Al Ittihad were due to play today, and their games have also been moved, to Saturday 19 December.

Thursday night belonged to Ghana's Ernest Nuamah in Lyon and Mohamed Salah in Finland.

*Europa League*

*Lyon 3-2 Crystal Palace*
Ernest Nuamah scored in first half stoppage time. According to GhanaSoccernet, he finished Keito Nakamura's delivery with his left foot into the bottom corner to make it 2-0. Corentin Tolisso had opened the scoring in the 8th minute. Yeremy Pino pulled one back for Palace after the break, Pavel Šulc made it 3-1, and Daichi Kamada made it 3-2 with nine minutes left, but Lyon held on.

*Salzburg 0-4 Milan*
According to AFP, Alphadjo Cissé scored a hat trick and Gonçalo Ramos added the fourth.

*Benfica 4-1 Celtic*
According to Sky Sports, Benfica were 3-0 up at half time. Jhon Durán scored twice, Alexander Bah and Vangelis Pavlidis got the others, and Camilo Durán scored for Celtic. Celtic have now lost both of their Europa League games.

*Torreense 1-2 Sunderland*
Noah Sadiki won it for Sunderland in the 93rd minute, according to AFP.

Juventus won 2-1 in Spain at Celta Vigo, and Marseille lost 1-0 at home to Olympiacos.

*Other results*
Lech Poznań 0-4 Leverkusen
Bournemouth 3-0 Sturm Graz
Hoffenheim 2-3 Beşiktaş
Union SG 1-1 Real Sociedad
Dinamo Zagreb 1-0 Anderlecht

*Conference League*
It was matchday one in the Conference League last night.

*KuPS 2-4 Trabzonspor*
Mohamed Salah set up the first goal and scored the second in the 44th minute, his first European goal for Trabzonspor. According to Foot Africa, Franculino Djú scored twice.

*Brighton 4-0 Kauno Žalgiris*
Georginio Rutter scored twice and set up Jack Hinshelwood, and Matt O'Riley headed in the fourth.

*CSKA Sofia 1-2 Monaco*
Paris Brunner and Ansu Fati scored for Monaco.

Ajax lost 2-1 at Hajduk Split, Atalanta beat Pafos 3-1, and Copenhagen beat Braga 3-0.

*Other results*
Freiburg 3-2 Jablonec
Lugano 3-2 Crvena Zvezda
Panathinaikos 2-1 Borac
Universitatea Craiova 1-1 Getafe
Hearts 1-1 Nordsj��lland

*Messi this weekend*
Inter Miami visit Atlanta United on Saturday at 11:30pm Ghana time.

Know more. Cheer louder.

[The Friendly Sports @friendlySport]

*THE FRIENDLY WRAP*
Thursday 15 October

Wednesday gave us 46 goals in nine Champions League games, a Messi assist that took Inter Miami into the playoffs, and two big wins for Japanese clubs in Asia.

*Champions League*

*Manchester City 2-4 PSG*
PSG were three goals up after 32 minutes at the Etihad. Désiré Doué and Ousmane Dembélé scored within two minutes of each other, and Vitinha made it three. Erling Haaland scored twice after the break, with Maghnes Akliouche scoring for PSG in between. According to Reuters, that first half proved decisive.

*Roma 3-4 Real Madrid*
Roma led 3-1 with eight minutes to go, after two goals from Donyell Malen. Then Carlos Espí scored in the 82nd minute, Endrick made it 3-3, and Antonio Rüdiger won it in the 90th minute from an Arda Güler corner. Kylian Mbappé had scored Madrid's first.

*LASK 3-6 Liverpool*
Bradley Barcola scored a hat trick in Austria. According to AFP, they were his first goals since his summer move from PSG. Ronald Araujo, Jeremie Frimpong and Lewis Koumas also scored. Liverpool were 3-0 up at half time, and LASK scored three after the break, but Liverpool kept scoring too.

*Aston Villa 6-0 Fenerbahçe*
Johan Manzambi opened the scoring on his 21st birthday. Nicolas Jackson and Ross Barkley scored two each, and Tammy Abraham added the sixth in stoppage time.

*Other results*
Bodø/Glimt 1-0 Borussia Dortmund
Real Betis 3-2 Porto
Feyenoord 3-2 Como
Shakhtar Donetsk 3-1 AEK Athens
Slovan Bratislava 0-3 Stuttgart

Shakhtar played their home game at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge in London.

After two games, nine teams have won both: PSG, Barcelona, Aston Villa, Stuttgart, Liverpool, Sporting, Arsenal, Real Madrid and Real Betis.

*MLS*

*Inter Miami 2-0 New York City FC*
Messi had a hand in both goals. His pass to Rodrigo De Paul began the move for the first, and Luis Suárez set up Germán Berterame to finish it after 20 minutes. Then, with the last kick of the first half, Messi pulled three defenders towards him and laid the ball off for De Paul to score. In stoppage time, Dayne St Clair saved a New York City penalty.

According to AFP, the win guarantees Inter Miami at least a wild card place in the playoffs, with five games left, and they stay second in the Eastern Conference behind Nashville. According to Al Jazeera, that makes it three playoffs in a row. Next up: Atlanta United away this weekend.

*Asia: AFC Champions League Elite*
Kashiwa Reysol 5-1 Port FC
Vissel Kobe 2-0 Jeonbuk

According to the J.League, Kashiwa got their first win of the campaign, and Kobe have now won both of their games.

*Ronaldo tonight*
Al Nassr visit Al Ahli in Jeddah in the Saudi Pro League at 6pm Ghana time. Ronaldo scored his 981st career goal on Monday, so tonight he goes for 982.

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[The Friendly Sports @friendlySport]

*FOOTBALL LAW SCHOOL: LAW 2, THE BALL*

Can a team just bring any ball it likes? At the very first World Cup final, two teams tried.

*What the Laws say*
According to the IFAB Laws of the Game, the ball must be round, 68 to 70 cm around, and weigh 410 to 450 grams when the match starts. That is about as heavy as a big tin of evaporated milk. Both teams play with the same ball, and only the referee can allow it to be changed during a match.

*If the ball bursts*
During play, the referee stops the game, brings in a new ball and restarts with a dropped ball.
At a restart, like a corner, a free kick or a throw in, the restart is taken again.
At a penalty, if it bursts on its way to goal before it touches a player, the post or the bar, the penalty is taken again.

*Two stories from history*
1930: At the first World Cup final, the story goes that Argentina and Uruguay used a ball each, one per half. Argentina led 2 to 1 at half time, and Uruguay won 4 to 2. According to When Saturday Comes, some historians doubt it, because photos of the match appear to show one ball all game.
1946: In the FA Cup final, Jackie Stamps of Derby County shot for goal and the ball burst. With a new ball he scored twice in extra time, and Derby beat Charlton 4 to 1.

Watch the full lesson on our Instagram, TikTok and X.

Now you know more. Cheer louder.
Follow The Friendly Sports for the next lesson of Football Law School.

[The Friendly Sports @friendlySport]

*THE FRIENDLY WRAP | TUESDAY 13 OCTOBER*

*Premier League*
*Coventry City 4-1 Newcastle United*
Jack Rudoni scored an early penalty and Sidiki Chérif, 19, added a second after the break. Sven Botman pulled one back, but Ellis Simms scored with his first touch off the bench, and Stephen Mfuni, 18, became Coventry's youngest ever Premier League scorer. According to Sky Sports, it was Coventry's first Premier League home win in more than 25 years, and it lifts Frank Lampard's side out of the relegation zone.

*LaLiga*
*Levante 3-3 Sevilla*
Robbie Ure and Félix Correia put Sevilla two up before Iván Romero pulled one back. Then stoppage time went wild. Dela equalised, Isaac Romero put Sevilla back in front and was sent off for a second yellow card after celebrating in front of the home fans, and Ifeanyi Ndukwe made it 3-3 nearly ten minutes into added time.

*Serie A*
*Atalanta 3-1 Venezia*
Kessié and a Krstović double did the damage early. Venezia are still waiting for their first point after six games.
*Torino 2-1 Udinese*
Bragança scored his first Serie A goal and Kulenović got the winner after a goalkeeping mistake. Udinese have now lost four in a row.

*AFC Champions League Elite*
*Al Nassr 3-1 Neftchi Fergana*
Ronaldo scored again, his 981st career goal, as Al Nassr picked up their first points of this campaign. Angelo opened the scoring and an own goal sealed it.

*MLS*
*St. Louis City 6-2 LA Galaxy*
Played overnight, our time. Carlo Holse scored a hat trick inside 21 minutes, and according to the Associated Press, St. Louis are now 20 games unbeaten, level with the MLS record the New York Red Bulls set in 2016.

*Coming up*
Messi and Inter Miami host New York City FC on Wednesday night, 11:30pm Ghana time.

Know more. Cheer louder.
#trending #viral #goats

[The Friendly Sports @friendlySport]

Are all football pitches the same size? No, they are not.
According to the Laws of the Game, a pitch can be as short as 90 metres or as long as 120, and anywhere from 45 to 90 metres wide. So yes, some pitches really are bigger than others.
What never changes
The goal. It is always 7.32 metres wide and 2.44 metres high. Strange numbers, right? The first laws were written in England in 1863, where they measured in yards and feet. In yards and feet, the goal is simply 8 yards wide and 8 feet high.
The part most people do not know
Every line belongs to the area it marks. A ball sitting on the line is still in play. It is only out when the whole ball has crossed the whole line. And if a defender fouls on the line of the penalty area, it is a penalty.
Swipe through the slides for the lines, the boxes and a surprise from 1863. The animated version of this lesson is on our TikTok, Instagram and X.
Now you know more. Cheer louder.
Follow The Friendly Sports for the next lesson of Football Law School.
#viral #trending #soccer #football

[Major League Soccer @MLS]

Messi scored twice in his first game after retiring from Argentina. 🐐🇦🇷

[Manchester City @ManCity]

Out of this world 🚀

💫 @JeremyDoku

[Footysm | 𝐅 @Footysm]

The most embarrassing goals ever 😭💀

What on earth is that no 6 ?? 😳

[The Friendly Sports @friendlySport]

THE FRIENDLY WRAP | THE WEEKEND
There were no big matches on Thursday, so the weekend wrap starts on Friday. Swipe for all three days, plus the Saudi League and MLS.
Friday
Borussia Dortmund were two goals up against Werder Bremen with five minutes left, and still drew. Daniel Svensson and Nico Schlotterbeck scored late, then Ludovit Reis and Niclas Füllkrug hit back, the equaliser coming in stoppage time. In France, Lens beat Lyon, and in Spain, Málaga and Espanyol drew.
Saturday
Chelsea scored five against Bournemouth, and Arsenal beat Leeds, who had not lost all season. Manchester United and Tottenham drew at Old Trafford.
In Spain, Real Madrid beat Villarreal and Barcelona beat Getafe. Rayo Vallecano against Athletic Club was stopped after 25 minutes. According to VAVEL, fans covered the pitch with paper planes in protest against club president Raúl Martín Presa, and the match was abandoned.
In Germany, RB Leipzig put six past Eintracht Frankfurt, with a hat trick from Christopher Nkunku, while Bayern Munich were held at Augsburg. In Italy, Inter and Napoli both won without conceding, and in France, PSG beat Le Mans.
Sunday
Manchester City won at Anfield. Ryan Gravenberch was sent off just after the hour, and Erling Haaland, Jérémy Doku and Rayan Cherki then scored. City have won all six league games, and according to Manchester City, it is their first time winning back to back league games at Anfield since 1953. It was Liverpool's first defeat of the season.
In Italy, AC Milan and Juventus were both held, by Sassuolo and Cagliari, while Lazio beat Monza to sit with Inter at the top. Real Betis scored five against Osasuna, with two from Isco, and Marseille won at Troyes.
Saudi League and MLS
Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 980th career goal as Al Nassr beat Al Diriyah on Friday, in his first game since he walked out of the Portugal squad during the international break. On Saturday, Al Hilal won the Saudi Clasico against Al Ittihad and went top of the table, two points clear of Al Nassr and Al Qadsiah.
In MLS, Lionel Messi scored twice in his first game since his farewell to Argentina, and Luis Suárez also scored twice, as Inter Miami beat D.C. United. According to VAVEL, Messi now has 934 career goals. LAFC and Vancouver Whitecaps drew in Los Angeles.
Know more. Cheer louder.
Follow The Friendly Sports for the daily wrap.
The Al Hilal score comes from a single results site. The table backs up that Al Hilal won, but not the exact 3-2.
#deadlock #SportsFans #EXÉRCITODOLULAEMCAMPO #٢٠٣٠_بلا_نقاب12 #trendingpost #SportsUpdate #soccer

[The Friendly Sports @friendlySport]

Thank you Leo
#MessiAdiós #goat #trendingreelsvideo #FootballTips #SportsFans

[The Friendly Sports @friendlySport]

Hello, and welcome to Football Law School. This is lesson one, and we're starting with the big one. Offside.

Here it is in one line. When a teammate passes the ball to you, you can't be closer to the goal than both the ball and the second last opponent. The goalkeeper is usually the last opponent, so just watch the last defender.

Now, three things that settle most arguments.

One. It's judged at the moment the pass is played, not when the ball arrives.

Two. Level is fine. If you're in line with that last defender, you're onside.

Three. Standing in an offside position is not a foul. It only counts when you get involved in the play.

A bonus. You can't be offside straight from a throw in, a goal kick or a corner.

That's Law 11. One law down, sixteen to go.

This is The Friendly Sports. Know more. Cheer louder.

[The Friendly Sports @friendlySport]

Class is in session. *Welcome to Football Law School.*

Football has just *17 laws.* Most of us have loved the game for years without ever learning them. That changes now.
Two lessons a week. One law at a time. Six slides and one minute each. By the end, you'll know every law in the book.
We start with the one everybody argues about: *OFFSIDE*

Bring a friend. Nobody should sit this class alone.

Know more. Cheer louder.🎊🎊
#SportsUpdate #MessiAdiós #FootballTips #trending #trendingpost

[The Friendly Sports @friendlySport]

Welcome to The Friendly Sports.

If you've ever cheered at a goal and then quietly wondered why it was ruled out, you're in the right place.
Here you'll get sport explained in plain words: short slides, quick voice notes, and polls after the big moments. We start with football and grow from there.
Turn on notifications so you never miss an update, and share this channel with one friend who loves the game.

Know more. Cheer louder.
#FootballTips #MessiAdiós #٢٠٣٠_بلا_نقاب7 #خليجي٢٧ #SportsUpdate