General Football Thread

[TCO]

Nowhere else to put it so I'll put it here!

Went to the International Rules Football series tonight for the first time and it was amazing fun! For those who don't know about it, it's a yearly game between Ireland and Australia, only the game is a hybrid, compromised rules of Gaelic and Australian football. Basically takes the best bits from both and it's highly physical, with the game being known for it's violence between the sides.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_rules_football

Should be highlights up on Youtube soon, well worth a watch and we won 56-52!

[Lineker]

International Rules is great. I think BT Sport has the rights to the highlights at some point. 

EDIT: 3pm today!

[Lineker]

This is wonderful, barring the lack of cupset.

[Lineker]

John Terry has been named on a 55-man shortlist for a possible place in the international players’ union’s World XI 2015.

The shortlist – five goalkeepers, 20 defenders, 15 midfielders and 15 forwards – is based on the votes of almost 25,000 Fifpro members from 70 countries. The final XI will be revealed at the Fifa Ballon d’Or ceremony on 11 January in Zurich.

Terry, whose difficult 2015-16 season so far has been disrupted by injuries, earned his place for an ever-present role in his side’s title win last season.

The other Premier League-based contenders are the Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea, Terry’s team-mates Branislav Ivanovic and Eden Hazard, Manchester City’s Vincent Kompany, David Silva, Yaya Touré and Sergio Agüero, Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney and Arsenal’s Alexis Sánchez.

The final 2014 XI featured only one Premier League player – United’s Angel Di María.

The World XI shortlist
Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Italy/Juventus), Iker Casillas (Spain/Porto), David de Gea (Spain/Manchester United), Keylor Navas (Costa Rica/Real Madrid) and Manuel Neuer (Germany/Bayern Munich).

Defenders: David Alaba (Austria/Bayern Munich), Jordi Alba (Spain/Barcelona), Jérôme Boateng (Germany/Bayern Munich), Daniel Carvajal (Spain/Real Madrid), Giorgio Chiellini (Italy/Juventus), Dani Alves (Brazil/Barcelona), David Luiz (Brazil/Paris Saint-Germain), Diego Godín (Uruguay/Atlético Madrid), Mats Hummels (Germany/Borussia Dortmund), Branislav Ivanovic (Serbia/Chelsea), Vincent Kompany (Belgium/Manchester City), Philipp Lahm (Germany/Bayern Munich), Marcelo (Brazil/Real Madrid), Javier Mascherano (Argentina/Barcelona), Pepe (Portugal/Real Madrid), Gerard Piqué (Spain/Barcelona), Sergio Ramos (Spain/Real Madrid), John Terry (England/Chelsea), Thiago Silva (Brazil/Paris Saint-Germain) and Raphaël Varane (France/Real Madrid).

Midfielders: Thiago Alcántara (Spain/Bayern Munich), Xabi Alonso (Spain/Bayern Munich), Sergio Busquets (Spain/Barcelona), Eden Hazard (Belgium/Chelsea), Andrés Iniesta (Spain/Barcelona), Toni Kroos (Germany/Real Madrid), Luka Modric (Croatia/Real Madrid), Andrea Pirlo (Italy/New York City FC), Paul Pogba (France/Juventus), Ivan Rakitic (Croatia/Barcelona), James Rodríguez (Colombia/Real Madrid), David Silva (Spain/Manchester City), Yaya Touré (Ivory Coast/Manchester City), Marco Verratti (Italy/Paris Saint-Germain) and Arturo Vidal (Chile/Bayern Munich).

Strikers: Sergio Agüero (Argentina/Manchester City), Gareth Bale (Wales/Real Madrid), Karim Benzema (France/Real Madrid), Douglas Costa (Brazil/Bayern Munich), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Real Madrid), Zlatan Ibrahimović (Sweden/Paris Saint-Germain), Robert Lewandowski (Poland/Bayern Munich), Lionel Messi (Argentina/Barcelona), Thomas Müller (Germany/Bayern Munich), Neymar (Brazil/Barcelona), Arjen Robben (Netherlands/Bayern Munich), Wayne Rooney (England/Manchester United), Alexis Sánchez (Chile/Arsenal), Luis Suárez (Uruguay/Barcelona) and Carlos Tevez (Argentina/Boca Juniors).

[Matt]

Rooney?  

[Benji]

Zinedine Zidane’s son headbutts opponent in derby match.

I'd shake my head at it, but I'd be worried the family might think I'm challenging them to a duel.

[Lineker]

The Mauritanian federation has been forced to deny that the country’s president, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, ordered a penalty shootout in the 63rd minute of the Super Cup final out of boredom.

Abdel Aziz was in attendance to watch the final between FC Tevragh-Zeina and ACS Ksar last weekend which was abruptly called to a halt with the score level at 1-1, to the astonishment of the rest of the crowd, before the referee signalled for a shootout.

The decision has provoked outrage in Mauritania amid accusations that Abdel Aziz had become impatient with the slow tempo of the match, eventually won by Tevragh Zeina.

But the Mauritanian federation’s president, Ahmed Ould Abderrahmane, wrote in a statement: “I deny in the strongest terms the intervention of the President of the Republic. The decision was made due to organisational issues in accordance with the presidents and the coaches of the two teams.”

[Lineker]

Rogerio Ceni Retires After 1,256 Games and 131 Goals

[Lineker]

Formativas Nacional keeper Guillermo Centurión seizes the moment in the 120th minute of a drawn game against CAP (Club Atlético Peñarol) to secure the match for his Uruguayan club. Following a corner, Centurión takes the ball and runs with it to the other side of the pitch, passing the opposition’s keeper who had left the goal undefended.

[Adam]

That is fantastic. Just when you think you've seen everything possible on a football pitch.

[Colly]

Is there a link to the actual competition? That scoreboard says 3-1, so either they scored again after or they were already leading which would explain why everyone was in the penalty area. Still great awareness from the keeper, but horrible defending presumably from a panicky 'we need to score' situation?

[Adam]

I assume it was 2-1 before the keeper scored, hence why the opposing team had every man forward for the corner bar their own goalie?

[Colly]

That's what I said, Lineker's story said it was a draw.

[Adam]

So he did, I missed that when I read it back before.

[Gazz]

18 hours ago, Ultra Rare Colly said:

That's what I said, Lineker's story said it was a draw.

It was a draw, that's why they were in extra time.

[Colly]

A draw at full time yes, but drawn when that goal was scored? Surely not, unless the other team are desperately shit at penalties.

[Rich]

I didn't know the International Pedants Convention was happening here, otherwise I would have queried it being called "International" since it appears to be people form only the UK getting involved.

[Liam]

I think I read that as either Penis or Paedos. Either way, completely incorrectly.

[DavidMarrio]

Just now, Big Hairy Man Face said:

I think I read that as either Penis or Paedos. Either way, completely incorrectly.

You might be on some list now. Just don't go to any conventions in the near future. 

[Rich]

That's why he supports Young Boys of Bern