You know how politicians do that concession speech thing when the final results of an election aren’t in yet but it’s become obvious that they’ve lost so they say a few words to keep it all respectful? This isn’t quite that but a 1-1 draw with Brisbane Roar means that second place is probably Melbourne City’s now.
14 Premier League goals is amazing, that’s the same amount as Gabriel Jesus and tied for 13th in the division. More goals than Richarlison, Kevin De Bruyne, Son Heung-Min, Alexandre Lacazette or Roberto Firmino.
On paper it should have been close but barely four minutes in Michael Boxall was already charging out of the defensive line. He nearly threaded a brilliant ball through the defence but it was blocked, he then got on the loose ball again and charged into the box where his attempted shot was closed down by the rushing keeper.
Fair play to a Western Sydney team who played very well in frustrating the Nix but usually the Phoenix can play their way around trouble and here they just... didn’t.
It was a ding dong battle, as the rugby-folk say, when Portland and LAFC met in the final round of the MLS Is Back Tournament group stages. Portland were already through but needed to avoid defeat to get the top seeding in the group and as such avoid playing local rivals Seattle Sounders in the knockouts.
These post-pando restart projects are pretty ruthless for the players involved. Let’s not kid ourselves, the competitive nature of pro sportsfolk is one thing but it’s the financial incentives/threats which are demanding these leagues find a television-friendly conclusion.
The game against Sydney FC was basically a freebie. The two best teams facing off but without any decent stakes to the contest. For Welly Nix Title Quest purposes the proper resumption was this Perth game.
Down by a goal, into stoppage time. Burnley pressing to salvage something from the match to keep their hopes of European football alive. In those desperate last moments you turn towards your most trusted players and in this case, needing a goal, that means your top scoring striker.
For about seventy-five minutes that was an incredible, enthralling, enjoyable, and encouraging performance from the Nixies... and then it got very weird very quickly. From a 1-0 lead against the top side looking every bit worth the advantage to losing 3-1 and not entirely understanding how it happened.
Put simply we’ll never get a better chance to do well at a World Cup. Hence the pressure begins immediately to ensure we’ve got the best possible team out there to make it happen.
It looks like a relatively routine one, right? The Woodsman playing off the bench again in his second game back, coming on a bit earlier this time in the 58th minute as Burnley did what needed doing in beating West Ham 1-0.
The point’s been made plenty over the last week or two but the next few years are going to be incredible for women’s sport in Aotearoa. The Cricket World Cup and the Rugby World Cup are both coming here in 2021... then the Football World Cup co-hosted with Australia in 2023.
This is going to be one of those regularly occurring weeks where a decent amount of Flying Kiwis time is devoted to saying how amazing Abby Erceg is.
The end is nigh. The end of the A-League hiatus, that is. While a quick peek at the news channels might give you the impression that the apocalypse is upon us, the return of sports is picking up speed.
Two losses from two to start the season meant Viking weren’t in the prettiest position. Hence the gaffer made a few changes for game three. In came new signing Jefferson de Souza. Also included was 17 year old Sondre Auklend... oh yeah and Joe Bell too.
Got ‘em, yes, get in! The FIFA World Cup is coming to Aotearoa (and Australia) in 2023 with the most prestigious and highest standard tournament in women’s football on it’s way Down Under.
It had to happen eventually. After five straight games as an unused sub, Sarpreet Singh was bound to get out there sooner or later and when it finally did happen it was even better than expected. This was no five minute cameo, matey.
Eight in a row. Bayern Munich’s title reign continues after a 1-0 win over Werder Bremen gave them an unassailable lead at the top of the table with two games still remaining.
There you go, back in the pool and straight in at the deep end. Hannah Wilkinson spent last season in Portugal with Sporting CP but cut that time short after a heap of goals as the pando struck and she’s been working hard in beautiful Northland ever since.
The Wellington Phoenix want to put a women’s team in the Aussie W-League. Not saying they’re going to or that they’re any closer to making it happen but they still want to and they made that clear with a little statement on their website (and beyond) this week.