Sport
Kane breaks the August ‘curse’ – it’s 7 points in 7 days
Visit www.colossusbets.com to play our lotto-sized Jackpots. 18+
From ironic chants to broken curses, it has been an eventful week of football. As most of the major European leagues begin to grind into action, take a look at the most notable goings- on.
You’ve Got No Fans
Burnley’s week ended in disappointment after an underwhelming loss to Watford, but in midweek they were able to continue their European adventure. Their tie against Istanbul Başakşehir ended goalless after 180 minutes, but a Jack Cork goal in extra time was enough to prevent penalties and secure progression for Sean Dyche’s side. Perhaps the strangest element of the game was the complete lack of away supporters; the Turkish club decided not to sell any tickets to their fans. Cork’s goal was met with an ironic chorus of “you’re not singing anymore” from the Burnley fans – a humorous response to a bizarre situation. The Europa League playoff round now awaits.
Atletico Triumph in Madrid Derby
Burnley will be dreaming of emulating last year’s winners, Atletico Madrid, who this week faced off against their city rivals in the UEFA Super Cup. This one-off match is held between the winners of the Champions League and Europa League – it has been criticised in the past for being a glorified friendly, but there was certainly no lack of competitive edge in this fierce derby. Nor did the game disappoint. Diego Costa put Atletico into the lead within a minute, but a Benzema equaliser and a penalty from Sergio Ramos handed Real the advantage. Costa was on hand again to restore parity with ten minutes to play, forcing extra time. Saúl and Koke both scored excellent goals during this period to deliver a memorable win for Atletico, and deny Julen Lopetegui his first trophy as Los Blancos boss.
Levante Briefly Enjoy Top Spot
The Spanish domestic action also got underway this week, and it was the perfect start for Valencian outfit Levante. Their match against Real Betis was one of two to take place on Friday; the earlier game between Girona and Valladolid had ended in a draw, so both sides knew that a win would ensure that they could enjoy top-of-the-table bragging rights for at least a day. It was Levante who triumphed, and in emphatic fashion. They ran out 3-0 winners, thanks in part to an impressive brace from Jose Luis Morales. The first of these was particularly spectacular – fans could have been forgiven for forgetting that Messi would not be in action for another 24 hours. A weaving run starting from the halfway line took Morales past four defenders, before an improvised outside-foot finish left the goalkeeper stranded. However, the real Messi ensured that Levante didn’t have top spot for long; he also scored a brace on the way to a 3-0 triumph over Alavés. Sevilla, meanwhile, won 4-1: Levante will have to settle for ending the week in third.
Kane Breaks Curse
Over in England, Tottenham continued their campaign by hosting Fulham. This was initially pencilled in as their last ‘home’ fixture at Wembley, but delays to the new ground mean that they will be staying at the national stadium for a little while longer. Perhaps they are reluctant to leave – certainly they were able to produce a good performance there against The Cottagers, running out 3-1 victors. Aleksandar Mitrovic briefly gave Spurs fans a scare when he cancelled out Lucas Moura’s opener, but a stunning free kick from Kieran Trippier reinstated Tottenham’s lead with fifteen minutes to play. The result was secured by Harry Kane’s first ever Premier League goal in August: he will be delighted to finally put talk of the curse to bed, and will now have his eyes upon reclaiming the Golden Boot from Mohamed Salah.
City Run Riot
He may face some stiff competition – fellow perennial marksman Sergio Aguero took an early lead in the goal scoring charts with a remarkable hattrick against Huddersfield. The first of these came with the novelty of an Ederson assist; the keeper’s distribution has been apparent since he signed, but his pitch-length pass delighted fantasy football managers everywhere. Aguero still had plenty of work to do, but after teasing Hamer he eventually lifted the ball into the net. He was beneficiary of some great work by Mendy for his second and third goals; the French full-back has been as good as a new signing upon his return from injury. Jesus, Silva and a Kongolo own goal brought up six for City, while Stankovic netted a consolation after Guardiola’s men failed to deal with a long throw. It is hard to see how anyone will have enough to keep pace with City this season, who shrugged off Kevin de Bruyne’s absence as though it were nothing – given that last year’s runners-up fell to defeat against Brighton, Guardiola’s confidence in retaining the Premier League trophy must be growing by the minute.
Seventh Heaven for West Brom
Not to be outdone, West Bromwich Albion went one better with a 7-1 win over QPR in the Championship. Rangers have endured a torrid start to the new season, but they actually went in level at the break in this match after a Joel Lynch strike had cancelled out Phillips’ opener. It unravelled in a big way in the second period. Jay Rodriguez, Dwight Gayle, Hal Robson-Kanu and even Kieran Gibbs all got in on the act as QPR were blown away. This leaves Darren Moore’s side in fourth place, having accumulated seven points from the opening four games. Middlesbrough occupy top spot, but it is second-placed Leeds who have been the story of the Championship so far. The Yorkshire outfit have won all of their three games to date, and have done so in style – the somewhat surreal appointment of Marcelo Bielsa is already paying dividends, and some of the football on show has been remarkable. Bielsa, who a multitude of top coaches cite as their inspiration, looks to be revolutionising the English second tier.
Juventus Survive Scare
A certain Cristiano Ronaldo has been backed to have a similarly transformative effect in Serie A. However, his competitive debut was not quite as straightforward as his appearance against the Juventus youth! The league campaign got underway with a trip to Chievo: Khedira gave Juventus the lead early on, but Chievo responded with two goals of their own. With fifteen minutes to play, the champions found themselves behind. A fortunate own goal brought them level, but it was not until the 93 rd minute that they reclaimed the lead. Federico Bernadeschi was the hero, ensuring that the Old Lady’s title defence did not get off on the wrong foot. Napoli, the challengers from last season, also began with a win: they produced an impressive 2-1 away victory at Lazio. However, big spending Inter Milan were shocked by Sassuolo – they suffered a 1-0 defeat.
Visit www.colossusbets.com to play out lotto-sized Jackpots. 18+
