Joe Bell & Gianni Stensness – Viking FK (Norwegian Eliteserien)

Three wins and a draw despite some tricky fixtures in August, with Joe Bell playing every minute and contributing a goal and an assist... it’s not gone unnoticed. Player of the Month for the entire Eliteserien, mate. Bellinho putting them all on notice. And you already know that you don’t win player of the month for two goal contributions either, this is also a recognition of Bell’s excellent defensive work as much as anything. Barnsley really let that one slip, aye?

Footy time now. VFK were away to Stabaek coming out of the international break, might as well give Gianni Stensness his starting debut then. GS lined up at centre-back while JB lined up in the midfield and Viking were quickly into their work taking a tenth minute lead through Veton Berisha, fed in by Kevin Kabran after Joe Bell had won a tackle in midfield.

It had been a slow start up until then against the bottom team in the division. And the goal didn’t save those woes because there was worse to come when Fitim Azemi equalised on 15 mins. Stensness was trying to deal with a bounding ball over the top when his goalie came rushing outta nowhere and leapt over the back of Stensness and catapulted himself, dropping the ball at the feet of Azemi who scored in an open net. Stensness took a knock to the face in the process and needed a little physio treatment. Welcome to the Eliteserien, lad.

But Viking ran the show the rest of the way. Berisha had a goal disallowed later in the half (also coming after a Joe Bell tackle which started the move) and by the second stanza they were all over them. Joe Bell could’ve had 3-4 assists. He sent in a gorgeous free kick which was headed over by Kabran. Then he sent in an even better cross from open play which Berisha nodded towards goal at the far post and it seemed to be going in only for Viljar Vevatne to vulture it on the line (67’). Fair enough, gotta be sure. Bell got his assist five minutes later anyway with a free kick that Berisha flicked in off the noggin (72’).

3-1 was the final score which means that VFK have taken 13 points from their last five games and are only one point off third place. Five assists now for Joe Bell – there’s only two blokes in the whole competition with more (Gjermund Åsen & Magnus Wolff Eikrem) and suffice to say that neither of them are defensive midfielders.

Up Next: Bodø/Glimt on Monday at 4am (NZT)

CJ Bott - Vålerenga (Norwegian Toppserien)

Champions League qualifiers, ninety minutes from the group stages for one of these teams, but the chances of Vålerenga overturning a 3-1 deficit in the away leg against the Swedish champs were slim, let’s not lie about it. It certainly didn’t help that injuries and suspensions and tactical adjustments meant that Vålerenga made five changes made to the first leg starting team (CJ Bott not one of them – she was on the bench again). But if they could just score first, ideally nice and early, then they’d suddenly be right back in contention...

Häcken were also a wee bit below full strength themselves. One of the goal scorers from the first leg, Filippa Angeldal, wasn’t available to play the second because in between the two games she’d transferred to Manchester City (joke’s on her because Man City lost to Real Madrid on the same morning so they won’t be in the UCL this season). Angeldal made her City debut against Ria Percival’s Spurs a few days later, more on that soon.

But the other scorer was still there. Stina Blackstenius. And towards the end of a pretty cagey, pretty scrappy, first half it was Blackstenius who got that crucial first goal to all but extinguish those lingering VIF hopes. Corner kick from the left side of defence where Blackstenius was the one who got her head to it about six yards out.

Then seven minutes into the second half she did it again. Clinically done on the break, Häcken spreading the ball out to their left before sending the early ball in low for Blackstenius who just stayed onside. Keeper came out, Blackstenius went around her and finished on a deceptively tricky angle. The aggregate score was now 5-1 to Häcken and there simply wasn’t any coming back from that.

However we did get a good twenty minutes of CJ Bott after she came on to replace Adrine Tomter at left back...

Almost immediately she served up a bit of gold, winning the ball back on halfway and carrying it forward onto attack before springing a one-two with teammate Agnete Nielsen and then crossing it off the left right over to Synne Jensen who volleyed it home to get VIF on the board in the second leg. Lovely mahi.

Sadly Johanna Rytting Kaneryd responded for Häcken five minutes later. Tapped in from close range after a corner kick. Katie Stengel did get another consolation goal in the 88th though, hence the 3-2 away defeat a slight improvement on the 3-1 home defeat a week earlier. 6-3 was the aggregate score for those of you who can’t do basic maths.

So that’s the end of their Champions League quest, falling in the final qualifying round before the 16-team group stage. Effectively the same round they lost in last season except with the change in format it wasn’t competition-proper stuff this time, so it goes. Their league form has also been pretty rubbish lately as they’ve had to balance it with all the UCL travelling. But at least they’re still in with a shot of winning the cup. This after a 3-1 win away to Kolbotn to move on into the semi-finals.

CJ Bott started the cup game playing pretty much the entire thing, subbed off right at the end as the fifth and final change and the result in the bag. Dejana Stefanovic put them into the lead on ten mins with a header from a corner, while Andrine Tomter added to that just before the half firing in off the crossbar. Kolbotn did pull one back in the 52nd min but the tension was eased in the 79th as Stefanovic scored again for 3-1 with a fine strike from range. Snaps a four game losing streak in all comps. Elsewhere Sandviken, LSK, and Rosenborg all won so it’s the top four teams in the league all into the semi-finals of the cup.

Up next: Home to LSK on Monday 27 Sept at 3am (NZT)

Ria Percival – Tottenham Hotspur (English Super League)

Generally speaking it’s not much fun to come up against the biggest teams after a bad result. They tend to bounce back. So perhaps getting Manchester City a few days after being knocked out of the Champions League in the second qualifying round (losing to Real Madrid) may not have been ideal for Tottenham. Granted, a heap of pesky injuries did mean that City were below full strength. That always helps.

A couple changes for Spurs. Becky Spencer in as goalie while Aussie international Kyah Simon made her club debut from the start (against her compatriot Alanna Kennedy who was making her full debut for City after joining from Spurs in the offseason). It was also a change in formation. Against a team expected to dominate possession (which, spoiler alert, they did) it was more of a 4-5-1 with Ria Percival thus moved out to the right wing as opposed to the attack-minded central midfield role of last week. No secret about it: Spurs were gonna sit deep and try soak it all up like a sponge.

Except they conceded after only five minutes. Alex Greenwood with the corner kick and Lauren Hemp flicked it in off her head from the near post to the far. Immediately playing from behind. The game then took a pause after Ashleigh Neville and Esme Morgan clashed and Morgan would need to be stretchered off for City. Not the way you want it to happen but the break did allow Spurs to settle... yet before long City were back to business with Hemp firing just wide and Georgia Stanway striking one off the post. Then Ellen White had one superbly tipped over by Spencer, who also one-handed a Kennedy header off the line on the dive.

How Spurs managed to survive until the half without further damage, who knows. But they did do a quality job of adjusting on the fly in order to cope with things – one of the tweaks was switching Ria Percival out to the left where she could shield Neville against Janine Beckie... which worked really well albeit Greenwood and Hemp were causing carnage down the right. Also Beckie did blaze one over from a heap of space in stoppage time, to be fair. But 0-1 it was at the break, Spurs without anything even close to resembling a chance on goal.

Percy was back on the right in the second half and Spurs looked better for having been able to talk it over. Suddenly they were a little more aggressive, a little more competitive, and early in the second half Percival broke though down the wing and crunched a low shot towards the goal where it was saved by Karima Taieb. First shot on target for Spurs all game. A statement of intent because soon after they were level. 61st minute and Chioma Ubogagu picked up the switch to the left and squared it low towards the penalty spot. A few bodies clashed as the ball made it through to Rachel Williams... who curled it in. 1-1.

Jess Naz nearly scored on the break soon after but shot wide. Amazingly this game had swung back in the other direction. Spurs were swarming, City were rattled. Percival moved into central midfield as Tottenham reverted to the original script: City with a lot of ball and Spurs sitting in and defending, now that they had something to protect. On another day Filippa Angeldahl or Jessica Park might have scored from decent looks. But this wasn’t another day.

Then, in the 86th minute... drama. Kit Graham drilled a free kick out wide to Angela Addison who crossed it in towards Rosella Ayane. Did it hit Ayane’s arm on the way through? It sure looked like it. However none of the officials picked it up and the ball bounced off Steph Houghton (also seemingly via her arm) and onto the post then back into the knee of City keeper Taieb and in for an own goal. Outrageous way to score.

City threw everything at an equaliser. Bunny Shaw had a shot saved. Ellen White headed wide. Alex Greenwood whipped a free kick over the top. Nothing that stuck. Seven minutes and change of injury time later and Spurs had their first ever win against Manchester City, making it two wins from two to start the new WSL campaign and also making it a pretty bloody terrible week for Manchester City.

Say would you look at this? Casey Stoney recognises what’s up.

Up Next: Spurs vs Reading, Monday 27 September at 2am (NZT)

Chris Wood - Burnley FC (English Premier League)

Everton vs Burnley on a Tuesday morning. The Toffees were without top scorer Dominic Calvert-Lewin to injury while the Clarets were yet to win after three games of the new campaign so a Monday night at Goodison Park can maybe be excused for being a tad cagey to begin with.

Having said that, Chris Wood enjoys a scrappy cagey game. Six minutes gone and Dwight McNeil swung in a stunner of a cross that Wood was battling for at the near post but seemed to lose sight of it and it only glanced off his head. 18 mins gone and tried to flick a cross just behind him towards goal, catching a deflection off Yerry Mina for a corner kick. There was also a great take near the goal-line which he then squared for Ash Barnes, the ball ending up with Josh Brownhill who’s thumping shot was straight at the keeper. Always a plus when Chris Wood is heavily involved from the beginning.

The first half was otherwise a bit stale with two defensively minded managers cancelling each other out, but Burnley broke the deadlock on 53 mins. A free kick was repelled at the first attempt but Johan Berg Gudmundsson sent it back in and Ben Mee was able to get a run up to power his header past Jordan Pickford. Chris Wood was lurking directly behind him to score it had Mee not been there.

However six minutes later Andros Townsend sent in a mean cross that Michael Keane blasted in off his head and it was back to evens. A centre-back goal apiece. Then Andros Townsend scored a rocket from distance in the 65th and in the 67th Demarai Gray ran through in space as the Burnley defence was caught sliding without cover in transition and he scored to make it three. How did that happen? From 1-0 up and battling well to being 3-1 down and looking ragged in the space of seven minutes. Football, aye?

Townsend forced a fantastic save from Nick Pope. Andre Gomes put a great opportunity wide. Doucoure had one disallowed for offside... it could have been even worse. James Tarkowski did appear to pull one back for Burnley but it was ruled out because Chris Wood had blocked off the keeper from an offside position, preventing him from gathering the cross before it got to Tarks. The Woodsman was subbed off late in the game. It ended 3-1 to Everton. Make that one point from four games for Burnley now.

Up Next: Burnley vs Arsenal, 2am on Sunday (NZT)

Olivia Chance - Celtic FC (Scottish Premier League)

At half-time against Glasgow City, Celtic found themselves in a bad place. They were 2-0 down against the 14-time defending champions and while it may only have been the second game of the season it was still shaping to be a potentially disastrous result for their title hopes. So they went with the trump card. They subbed on Olivia Chance.

Two goals later and Celtic went home with a 2-2 draw. Liv Chance’s first two goals for the Hoops and both were assisted by Chinese international Mengyu Shen, who herself was also brought on at HT.

Chance was the one who played the initial ball through for Shen in transition for the first goal which sparked the whole move. Then she followed it up by dashing half the length of the field in support and popped a clinical finish into the bottom corner. The second goal obviously a tap-in after some twinkly feet from Shen but again: right place right time huge goal.

Celtic actually started decently as Caitlyn Hayes had a close call with an early header among a few other moves that didn’t quite click together but then Clare Shine smashed in a low shot from a narrow angle for Glasgow City after half an hour and a Lauren Davidson strike seven mins later extended the GC lead. Ruthless stuff from the champs. Until the second half, that is. Celtic even had a few opportunities to maybe win it later on but they’ve gotta be chuffed with the 2-2 draw under the circumstances.

Up Next: Motherwell vs Celtic, Monday at 3am (NZT)

Ryan De Vries – Sligo Rovers (League of Ireland Premier Division)

That, friends, is what they call in the business: a screamer.

It was also the second goal in a 2-0 win for Sligo, beating St Patrick’s Athletic. Johnny Kenny with the third minute penalty for the first goal. Rovers had been slumping recently, not a single win to their name in any of their last eight matches in all competitions, but they had the perfect start to this one then RDV put that banger away against one of the title contenders and suddenly Sligo Rovers are back in the hunt. Probably not for first, Shamrock Rovers have a healthy lead there (25 games, 52 points). But St Pats (27gm/50pts) are only eight points clear of Sligo Rovers (25gm/42pts) having played two additional games.

This was De Vries’ second goal of the LOI season. To be honest he should probably have scored a few more along the way but so it goes – Sligo have been getting by on the best defence in the league rather than being a team that scores in bundles. He nearly had one or two more in this very game, in fact. Drove one at the keeper which was saved after a mint counter attack in the second half.

There were then some ugly scenes after the final whistle as opposing players got into some kerfuffling in the tunnel. Not sure what was going on there, seems to have been some errant steam after a feisty contest is all. Replies to this tweet are mostly just fans of one team blaming the other team for being grubs. De Vries wasn’t involved in the fracas - you can actually see him in the clip below walking over to help up an elderly fella who’d been knocked to the ground as the thing erupted. Quality footballer and quality person both.

Up Next: Sligo Rovers vs Dundalk on Weds at 6.45am (NZT)

Nik Tzanev – AFC Wimbledon (English League One)

The Nik Tzanev tale is one of the coolest ones to grace these pages in a wee while, stuck on the bench for so long after working his way up the ranks at AFC Wimbledon, watching loan keepers and short-term signings start ahead of him and underperform as he patiently worked his arse off on the training ground... and then finally he got a cheeky run in the first team late last season and like a deep cross that strays into the six yard box he came out and claimed it with both hands. Tzanev helped steady things for the Dons as they avoided relegation last time and entered this term as the number one. Now he’s signed a three-year contract extension. Sheer magnificence.

Mark Robinson, AFCW manager: “Nik absolutely deserves it. He has been fantastic, I’ve always had a great relationship with Nik, and I felt that if he got the opportunity it would just be a matter of confidence. That has been the case – it was just whether or not he could show that self belief. When he went out on loan to Sutton he did very well and the feedback we got was great. I just felt it was time to give him that opportunity, and he has been absolutely fantastic – even beyond my expectations.”

The day he signed that contract was also the day of the first EFL Trophy game with AFC Wimbledon facing Portsmouth and, for the first game this season, Tzanev was only on the bench. Given a rest for the lesser cup competition with Algerian backup Zaki Oualah wearing the gloves instead. In the past these were the rare games that Tzanev would get to play... now they’re the rare games he gets to rest for. NT has played every minute in League One and in the League Cup so far this term. The Dons won 5-3.

As anticipated, Tzanev was back in for the weekend’s clash with Morecambe and once again it was full of excitement. The Dons have been a constant source of late goals and comeback results and general madness on the footy field through the early days of this season and this game was no different.

They led for the majority of the first half after Anthony Hartigan curled in a stunner of a free kick from a tight angle in the sixth minute and continued to shade the rest of that opening 45, things well poised at the break. But of course it wasn’t to last. 49th minute and Morecambe drew level as Cole Stockton was left in space in the area and picked his spot sharply. Then five minutes later Shane McLoughlin headed the Shrimps into the lead. Ethan Chislett rippled the net with a low volley in the 61st to restore parity but then Morecambe were back in front within a few more spins of the clock as Stockton got his brace with an outrageous volley from about 40 yards out, looping over Tzanev and dropping in. On the one hand, NT’s got himself caught out off his line there. On the other hand the dude had no right to shoot from there so he could hardly have anticipated it.

But this was an AFC Wimbledon game after all so in the 72nd minute Will Nightingale with a backpost header from a long free kick and then in the third minute of stoppage time Ayoub Assal crunched a superb winner on the spinning volley, off the crossbar and in. A 4-3 win for Wimbledon who move up to fourth on the ladder after seven games.

Also this...

Up Next: Sunday at 2am vs Plymouth Argyle (NZT)

Michael Boxall – Minnesota United (American Major League Soccer)

Chuck another two years on this contract too. Michael Boxall extending with Minnesota United and very much feeling the love. Boxy’s emerged as probably the team’s most reliable defender and you could see how much he meant to the team by the sneaky way the coach tried to keep him out of the Olympic squad (though ultimately he didn’t recover from injury until after the tournament so it didn’t matter in the larger scheme of things).

Since signing with the then-expansion team in 2017, nobody has played more games for the Loons than Michael Boxall. He marked his 100th app earlier in the year. By the time he completes this new contract he may even be within range of Simon Elliott’s NZ record of 247 MLS appearances (220 in the regular season). And shout out to his daughter for allowing it to happen...

Michael Boxall: “Very happy to commit the next couple of years here — I’ve really enjoyed my time here. I’m delighted that [my daughter] Maxwell has given me permission to stay here for a couple more years. Already the family makes so many sacrifices with my schedule and moving countries once or twice before, so now that the little ones are in school, with a good circle of friends, I want to affect them as little as possible. Happy to be setting deeper roots here for a couple more years.”

MNUFC Head Coach Adrian Heath: “Fully deserved, really pleased for Michael. I was asked about Boxy the other week for an article and they asked me what is the best about him – consummate professional, great teammate, consistent, know what you’re getting and if every manager had plenty of Boxys in their club, they would be very, very happy. Delighted that he’s got a contract that he fully deserves. He’s earned his reward of a new deal.”

Not so much to celebrate away to the Seattle Sounders a couple days later. João Paolo Mior scored in the 22nd minute for the Sounders for what proved to be the only goal of the game as Minnesota Utd continue to struggle for scoring. Star playmaker Emanuel Reynoso and top scorer Robin Lod were both still out injured, although a couple others did recover during the week off so that helped a bit. They got better in the second half, Adrien Hunou forcing a fine save at one point, yet it wasn’t enough against a well-organised defence. 1-0 to Seattle.

Quick breeze through the rest of the MLS now, Bill Tuiloma was a 75th minute introduction for the Portland Timbers as a second half own goal gave them a 1-0 win away to Vancouver Whitecaps. Another example of the recent trend of Tuiloma playing at fullback. Also Elliot Collier was an unused sub for Chicago Fire in a 2-0 loss away to Sporting KC. Chicago conceded twice in the first six minutes. Onwards.

Up Next: Thursday at 12.30pm away to Sporting Kansas City, then home vs LA Galaxy on Sunday midday (NZT)

Meikayla Moore – Liverpool (English Championship)

A moment of appreciation for the noble tui.

Also some appreciation for Meikayla Moore who missed the start of the Championship season but made her season debut this weekend at the third attempt. She came on deep into stoppage time, just a small cameo at the end, replacing striker Leanne Kiernan as the Reds settled for a 0-0 draw against Bristol City. They’d had the better of the chances throughout but they did also have to play the last twelve minutes with ten women after Niamh Fahey was sent off (which might push MM back into the starting line-up in a hurry after the international break). Bristol City also had a late red card to even it out.

Up Next: Liverpool vs Crystal Palace, Monday 27 Sep at 2am (NZT)

Sarpreet Singh - SSV Jahn Regensburg (German 2. Liga)

It’s be lovely to tell you that Sarpreet Singh walked out for his grudge match against FC Nürnberg, the team he joined on loan last season but left halfway through because they were hardly playing him and using him out of position when they did, and then promptly scored a hat-trick or something. It’d be lovely but it’d be a lie. In actual fact he had a quiet game as SSV Jahn drew 2-2, coming from a goal down to lead 2-1 and then conceding in the 79th min to share the points. Singh played 75 mins and he did flex a bit of his clever vision now and then but he also didn’t have a shot all game. A forgettable one in the end. But a decent point for the club, bouncing back after their loss before the international break.

Up Next: Away to Fortuna Düsseldorf on Saturday at 11.30pm (NZT)

Liberato Cacace – Sint-Truiden (Belgian Pro League)

Yet to score one for STVV in proper competition but Libby Cacace banged a goal away in a friendly match versus KVC Westerlo during the international window. Always good for the confidence.

As for the real stuff, there was a curious matchup for STVV this week away to Beerschot. The team in last place in the Pro League, the only club without a win yet, and it just so happens that they’re coached by a bloke called Peter Maes. If you recognise that name it’s because he was STVV gaffer last season after Kevin Muscat was fired. But Maes chose not to extend his contract beyond that caretaker season despite some very positive results and instead took over at Beerschot while Bern Hollerbach got the gig at De Kanaries.

Beerschot were the more incisive team in the early stages of this contest but their finishing was awful from minutes one to ninety. And one thing that has been going alright for Sint Truiden is their defence so they were able to ride through the pressure and... well the plan was to hit back on the break but their midfield wasn’t up to much so while Liberato Cacace was getting forward with energy from left wingback he generally got stuck either having to pass back or lob into the channel for a running forward with no support.

STVV were also boosted here by last season’s top scorer Yuma Suzuki returning to the team. The Japanese striker had been sitting out in the expectation of being sold before the transfer deadline yet that didn’t eventuate. Cagliari, Schalke, Antwerp, and Club Brugge were all rumoured but nothing concrete followed. Meanwhile Nottingham Forest reportedly agreed a fee for the bloke but he rejected that deal. Thus he’s still a Canary, thus he played against Beerschot and added an undeniable threat to the STVV attack... on the few occasions when they were actually able to get the ball to him.

Mostly we’re talking about a pretty poor game between two teams not quite clicking here but three minutes before the break there was a flash of something exciting as Daichi Hayashi turned on halfway and went on a run all by himself. He held off two defenders along the way but nearing the area he was pushed over. Still he managed to squeeze the ball to his right before the contact and Steve de Ridder ran onto it and popped it first-time. In off the post. 1-0 to STVV. The second half was as bad as the first with Beerschot (who had two players replaced injured in the first half) wasteful with their attempts and STVV unsure of how to go about things in possession. No worries though, that lone goal was the difference as Sint Truiden won it 1-0. Ninety mins and a clean sheet for Libby Cacace.

Up Next: STVV vs Genk, Sunday at 11.30pm (NZT)

Abby Erceg – North Carolina Courage (American National Women’s Soccer League)

Abby’s back. After sitting out a couple games with a sneaky hip injury she returned as NCC hosted first-placed Portland Thorns... aka their biggest obstacle to another NWSL title. A huge boost for the Courage who have been pretty disrupted at the back all year and have relied on goalkeeper Casey Murphy to bail them out more than a few times, which she’s done immensely (annoyingly they’ve also struggled to finish chances at the other end... but the team’s form has been much better lately).

Murphy was on top of her game again here. She needed to be. Portland have the best goal difference in the comp for a reason and they came out firing on sight in a surprisingly open game. 35 shots between the two teams. 14 of them on target. Both had pace in attack and sought to use it. In the early stages of the second half it remained a scoreless game which meant the Courage surpassed an NWSL record of 546 consecutive minutes without conceding... but the streak was finally broken in the 57th min when Sophia Smith ran onto an angled ball in behind and Murphy hesitated just enough for Smith to get there first and slip it past her.

It was to be the only goal of the game. Jess McDonald went close. Debinha went close. Amy Rodriguez had a great chance in stoppage time but wasn’t able to beat the keeper with her attempt. Hence Portland held on to win it 1-0. The Courage may have been shutting teams out lately but two of those five straight clean sheets were in 0-0 draws and two were 1-0 wins. Not quite the free scoring team of old. Need more Abby Erceg set piece headers.

Up Next: Sunday 26 Sep at 8am away to Gotham FC (NZT)

Ali Riley - Orlando Pride (American National Women’s Soccer League)

The Pride have been queens at grinding out results this season but goals have been sparse. Hence the best thing about their 3-1 win over Racing Louisville wasn’t just that Ali Riley played at left wingback with a new back three formation being tested, thus getting more licence to go forward, but also the fact that Alex Morgan’s 65th minute goal to effectively clinched the points marked only the second game all year in which they’ve scored more than twice.

They had been 2-0 up at the half. Quickfire goals in the 30’ and 34’ mins from Sydney Leroux and then Marta had steadied things after the Pride were put under the pump by Racing early on. That back three being well tested, especially with regular goalkeeping-extraordinaire Ashlyn Harris out injured (granted Erin McCleod ain’t a half bad backup). But they were creating little moments of their own and a few mins before the first goal Leroux had scooped one over the bar. Soon after she had a 1v1 denied by the goalie... but then she collected the loose ball, found an angle, picked her spot, and made amends for those earlier misses. Leroux then set up Marta’s goal after a ball over the top and Orlando were in control.

Cece Kizer had been Louisville’s most dangerous option and she was the one who scored in the 51st running onto a Yuki Nagasato ball to shake this one back up again. But they were unshaken quarter of an hour later when Leroux picked out substitute Alex Morgan at the third attempt and Morgan’s finish was inch perfect. Orlando shut it out the rest of the way. 3-1 the final score. Full game for Riley, here’s hoping we see more of that back three coz it really did allow her to join in the attacking stuff much more than had been the case. Also it meant she ran a lot...

Up Next: Away to OL Reign on Monday 27th at midday (NZT)

Callum McCowatt & Elijah Just - FC Helsingør (Danish Division 1)

Something strange happened in the latest FCH game: nothing. For the first time in a Division 1 game since both McCowatt and Just returned from the Olympics... neither scored. Neither even bagged a cheeky assist. S’pose it was bound to be the case eventually.

What did happen was that they both played 75 minutes as Helsingør twice took the lead against Hvidovre but were twice pegged back on the way to a 2-2 draw. McCowatt and Just had three shots each, none of them anything high percentage. Keeps the team undefeated through eight games still first on goal difference. No Nando Pijnaker here yet either, btw.

However we did get a loanee debutant in one of the other Div1 games. Marko Stamenic at HB Køge, starting for his temporary team in a wild 4-3 loss away to Jammerbugt. They scored first but were soon 2-1 down only to respond just before the half. Then just after it they scored an own goal, levelled back up three mins later, and ended up losing to a 68th min penalty. Full game for Marko at least. And down a division Kolding drew 1-1 with Hillerød with Dalton Wilkins doesn’t appear to have played.

Up Next: Saturday at 4am, top of the table clash away to FC Fredericia (NZT)

Betsy Hassett - Stjarnan (Icelandic Úrvalsdeild Kvenna)

It wasn’t the flashiest of performances as Stjarnan brought their season to a close. It was never going to be, not against a desperate Tinda­­stóll side which needed to win to avoid relegation (as well as having other results go their way). Sure enough, Stjarnan found themselves down 1-0 after only five minutes as Hugrún Pálsdóttir put one away with a fine finish.

But the Stars responded straight away. Elín Helga Ingadóttir in the 8th min as the Tinda­­stóll goalie went awol chasing a corner kick out. Stjarnan looked the more likely to score for pretty much the entire rest of the game though it wasn’t until the 85th minute that they eventually did. Arna Dís Arnþórsdóttir tapping in at the end of a counter attack – with Hassett heavily involved down the left wing in there. A draw might have been a fairer result but Stjarnan managed to grind out a 2-1 win instead. See the goals in the second half of this clip...

That win means that Stjarnan finish fourth on the ladder, a pretty excellent effort in the end. They were sixth in 2020. Hassett started all 15 games that she was available for (missing a few during the Olympics) scoring 4 goals in 1312 minutes with one yellow card. Also, it’s never easy to figure these details out, contracts get signed in secret, but Hassett initially joined Stjarnan on a 1+1 contract so there’s a decent chance she’s now a free agent.

Up Next: Put the feet up for a couple weeks, surely

Vic Esson – Avaldsnes IL (Norwegian Toppserien)

Yeah... that went about as it was expected. Avaldsnes smoked 4-0 in the cup quarters by Rosenborg. Tell ya what though, they hung in there for ages after conceding in the 17th min as Maria Olsvik tapped in an open one at the far post. The high-pressing AIL forwards had some moments in the first half, best of all being a piledriver off the crossbar. It wasn’t often pretty but they weren’t going down without a fight.

However Rosenborg steadily increased the pressure in the second half and eventually it became all about sitting in and holding on, hoping for something against the run of play. A few quality stops from Esson in there, including one incredible fingertip save onto the bar. With only a quarter of an hour left it was still only 0-1 with Avaldsnes one potential moment from forcing extra time... but then Rosenborg scored three times in the last twelve. Not a single one of them did Esson even have a hope of stopping. Ah well.

Up Next: Sunday 26 September, Avaldsnes vs Rosenborg but in the Toppserien this time (NZT)

Stefan Marinovic - Hapoel Nof HaGalil (Israeli Premier League)

Great save. This was in a 3-1 win over M. Netanya as Nof HaGalil have thoroughly brushed aside their poor preseason/Toto Cup form. They drew 0-0 with Hapoel Katamon in game one before this. Good yarns.

Up Next: Nof HaGalil vs Ashdod, Sunday at 4am (NZT)

Tommy Smith – Colchester United (English League Two)

Dramatic, aye? Colchester United played away to Barrow on a Friday night local time and this one got wild. Smithy was back in the line-up after being rested with most of his mates for the EFL Trophy came in the midweek, which the U’s lost 1-0 to Gillingham, though sorry to say it was his mistake in the 25th minute that allowed Barrow to take the lead. A gentle pass across the six yard box but his keeper wasn’t on the same wavelength and it was picked off for the simplest of goals by Jordan Stevens.

By half-time Colchester were in front. First Alan Judge levelled up (35’) on the end of an early low cross from Freddie Sears, then Sears scored one for himself (38’) running in behind the defensive line after a bit of head tennis. Then the game took a swing back in the other direction when Luke Chambers went in with a raised boot as he simultaneously tried to win a challenge and appeal for an earlier handball, and that was his second yellow. Off ya go, son. The U’s would play the final quarter of the match with ten men.

76th minute of the game and Barrow equalised. They’d been forcing the issue since the red card and finally they got one to count as Ollie Banks converted from the spot after Stevens got his heels clipped. Only for Colchester to then, incredibly, retake the lead in the 80th. Substitute Tom Eastman, on at the back to partner Tommy Smith after the red card to Chambers, popped up with a perfectly placed header off a corner kick and there ya go. Barrow would receive a red card of their own near the end when James Jones earned two quick yellows. 3-2 was the final score. Second win of the season to go with all those draws Colchester had been getting.

Up Next: Colchester vs Crawley Town, Sunday at 2am (NZT)

Thomas Raimbault - Stade Malherbe Caen (French Ligue 2)

Yes indeed. This move actually happened back in July but had seemingly escaped much attention back here. Raimbault played last Premiership season with the Wellington Phoenix reserves, returning to the club after some time spent in the Vancouver Whitecaps system after his family moved to Canada. He did squeeze in a few games for Lower Hutt City in the winter season but then it was off to France where he found himself featuring in a few reserve team friendlies for SM Caen on trial. And he must have shown them what they wanted to see. Contract’s been signed. Only with the reserve team to start with but that’s how you get on the ladder.

Up Next: The work begins

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