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Last Weekend: Girona promoted to La Liga, score draw in the Cairo Derby and Julián Álvarez shines for River Plate

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As the final loose ends of the 2021/22 season were being tied up in Europe the top leagues elsewhere began to pick up the pace. This week, we will be covering a play-off final in Spain, one of Africa’s biggest derbies, leagues from five continents in total plus the Euro U19s in Slovakia.

?? Spain: Tenerife 1-3 Girona (1-3 agg.)

Since the current play-off format was adopted for promotion to La Liga in 2010, Girona have reached six finals from seven attempts. Prior to this one, they had lost four out of five but that streak was broken on Sunday evening.

After a goalless draw in the first leg away from home, Tenerife might have fancied their chances given the fact that they had also beaten Girona in both of their meetings during the regular season. But they were outplayed in the first half and they conceded just before half-time after a handball offence in the box gifted Girona a penalty, which Cristhian Stuani converted.

Carlos Ruiz came on as a half-time substitute for the hosts and within 15 minutes he was on the scoresheet after heading home from a corner. It was anyone’s game thereafter as both sides looked threatening but ultimately the visitors prevailed thanks to a massive stroke of luck when an attempted cross deflected in off of Tenerife defender José Leon.

Arnau Martínez added a third in the 80th minute to give Girona a two-goal cushion – sealing their return to the top flight after an absence of three seasons.

?? Egypt: Al Ahly 2-2 Zamalek

Arguably the biggest derby in African club football was held in Cairo this weekend, as league-leaders Zamalek visited defeated CAF Champions League finalists Al Ahly.

The hosts got off to a quick start as Mohamed Sherif opened the scoring in the 12th minute and they held on to that lead for close to an hour. Zamalek eventually found a response in the second half when Achraf Bencharki and Shikabala scored within eight minutes of each other to turn the course of the match.

But not for long as Salah Mohsen equalised for Al Ahly in the 80th minute. Zamalek therefore dropped points against their arch-rivals but remain top of the table – for now. Al Ahly sit four points further back in third but do have the advantage of three games in hand.

?? Argentina: Unión 1-5 River Plate

River Plate finally registered their first win of the new league season in Argentina and they did so in some style against Unión Santa Fe.

Manchester City-bound forward Julián Álvarez missed the first match of the season as he was on international duty and he then drew a blank in each of the next two games. He made up for all of that in this match however – setting up his side’s first two goals with some clever passing before going on to bag two for himself.

The other goal-scorers were Braian Romero, reported Manchester United and AC Milan target Enzo Fernández and Agustín Palavecino. The final scoreline in this match was certainly a bit flattering but River will hope this result sparks a good run of form just in time for the knockout stages of the Copa Libertadores.

?? USA: New York City 1- 1 Colorado Rapids

It was the end of an era for New York City as MLS Cup-winning head coach Ronny Deila left for Standard Liège in Belgium. Former Man City Women’s coach Nick Cushing was named as his interim replacement and his tenure began with a draw against the Colorado Rapids.

The 37-year-old Englishman did not change much tactically as his side continued to play a possession-heavy brand of football in their 4-2-3-1 formation. They were comfortably the better side in this match, but the visitors scored first through Michael Barrios in the 68th minute. Teenage star Talles Magno equalised soon thereafter with a clever volley but there were no further goals to speak of.

NYCFC will certainly feel they should have come away with all three points but they have no time to rue missed chances as they need turn their attention to a midweek Hudson River Derby in the Open Cup.

?? Japan: Kashiwa Reysol 3-1 Vissel Kobe

Over in Japan, Vissel Kobe – who finished third last season are having a terrible time as we reach the midway point of the current J.League campagin.

Vissel – who can call on the experience of a certain Andrés Iniesta have not spent a single matchday outside the relegation zone and they were five points from safety going into Saturday’s round of fixtures. Things did start well for them though as Kento Hashimoto opened the scoring just before the half-hour mark. But that was as good as it got.

Within 10 minutes, Keiya Shiihashi equalised for the hosts and on the stroke of half-time, VAR awarded them a fairly contentious penalty, which Matheus Sávio duly dispatched. Substitute Yuki Moto later added insult to injury with a third for Reysol.

Looking at the match statistics, it is clear to see that this was a fairly even contest, with both sides attempting exactly the same number of shots.

Yet, Vissel were comfortably beaten in the end and that aptly sums up their season. They’ve put in some storng performances but they have rarely been rewarded with good results.

?? Brazil: Atlético Mineiro 2-0 Flamengo

Dorival Júnior had overseen his first win as the new coach of Flamengo in midweek but his side’s problematic start to the campaign continued at the weekend with defending champions Atlético Mineiro comfortably outplaying them.

Ignacio Fernández opened the scoring in the 35th minute and the hosts looked to be in control for the rest of the match. Flamengo had marginally more possession, but they simply failed to create any good goal-scoring opportunities and never put their opponents under any sustained pressure.

Ademir Santos eventually scored a second for Atlético in the 85th minute to seal a win that takes them all the way up to fourth. Flamengo will need to dust themselves down and prepare to go again as these two sides face each other again on Wednesday night in the Copa do Brasil, Round of 16!

?? Norway: Lillestrøm 3-1 Rosenborg

Surprise league-leaders Lillestrøm survived a minor scare to preserve their unbeaten record in the Eliteserien as they got back to winning ways following the international break.

Rosenborg opened the scoring with the first shot of the match in the 16th minute as Stefano Holmquist Vecchia found the bottom corner from the edge of the box. Ifeanyi Matthew equalised after another 16 minutes with an even better volley into the bottom corner and just a few minutes later Vetle Dragsnes put the home side in front after a corner.

Lillestrøm ultimately prevailed in a match of few chances, with Magnus Knudsen sealing the result in the 87th minute.

?? Slovakia: England U19 2-0 Austria U19

The final stage of the Under-19 Euro kicked off in Slovakia over the weekend with spots in the next Under-20 World Cup on offer for five of the eight competing teams.

In Group B, England took on Austria after Isreal’s draw with Serbia. Highly-rated Aston Villa talent Carney Chuckuemeka was the star of the show and he was involved in both goals. He showcased his neat footwork when he exchanged passes with Dane Scarlett before firing England in front just before half-time and then in the 65th minute he set up Tottenham youngster Alfie Devine for the second.

The matches will come thick and fast in this tournament with the group stage set to conclude by next Saturday. The Young Lions will quickly learn that there is no rest for the wicked.

Written by Neel Shelat.

Cover Image from IMAGO

Last Weekend: Girona promoted to La Liga, score draw in the Cairo Derby and Julián Álvarez shines for River Plate

As the final loose ends of the 2021/22 season were being tied up in Europe the top leagues elsewhere began to pick up the pace. This week, we will be covering a play-off final in Spain, one of Africa’s biggest derbies, leagues from five continents in total plus the Euro U19s in Slovakia.

?? Spain: Tenerife 1-3 Girona (1-3 agg.)

Since the current play-off format was adopted for promotion to La Liga in 2010, Girona have reached six finals from seven attempts. Prior to this one, they had lost four out of five but that streak was broken on Sunday evening.

After a goalless draw in the first leg away from home, Tenerife might have fancied their chances given the fact that they had also beaten Girona in both of their meetings during the regular season. But they were outplayed in the first half and they conceded just before half-time after a handball offence in the box gifted Girona a penalty, which Cristhian Stuani converted.

Carlos Ruiz came on as a half-time substitute for the hosts and within 15 minutes he was on the scoresheet after heading home from a corner. It was anyone’s game thereafter as both sides looked threatening but ultimately the visitors prevailed thanks to a massive stroke of luck when an attempted cross deflected in off of Tenerife defender José Leon.

Arnau Martínez added a third in the 80th minute to give Girona a two-goal cushion – sealing their return to the top flight after an absence of three seasons.

?? Egypt: Al Ahly 2-2 Zamalek

Arguably the biggest derby in African club football was held in Cairo this weekend, as league-leaders Zamalek visited defeated CAF Champions League finalists Al Ahly.

The hosts got off to a quick start as Mohamed Sherif opened the scoring in the 12th minute and they held on to that lead for close to an hour. Zamalek eventually found a response in the second half when Achraf Bencharki and Shikabala scored within eight minutes of each other to turn the course of the match.

But not for long as Salah Mohsen equalised for Al Ahly in the 80th minute. Zamalek therefore dropped points against their arch-rivals but remain top of the table – for now. Al Ahly sit four points further back in third but do have the advantage of three games in hand.

?? Argentina: Unión 1-5 River Plate

River Plate finally registered their first win of the new league season in Argentina and they did so in some style against Unión Santa Fe.

Manchester City-bound forward Julián Álvarez missed the first match of the season as he was on international duty and he then drew a blank in each of the next two games. He made up for all of that in this match however – setting up his side’s first two goals with some clever passing before going on to bag two for himself.

The other goal-scorers were Braian Romero, reported Manchester United and AC Milan target Enzo Fernández and Agustín Palavecino. The final scoreline in this match was certainly a bit flattering but River will hope this result sparks a good run of form just in time for the knockout stages of the Copa Libertadores.

?? USA: New York City 1- 1 Colorado Rapids

It was the end of an era for New York City as MLS Cup-winning head coach Ronny Deila left for Standard Liège in Belgium. Former Man City Women’s coach Nick Cushing was named as his interim replacement and his tenure began with a draw against the Colorado Rapids.

The 37-year-old Englishman did not change much tactically as his side continued to play a possession-heavy brand of football in their 4-2-3-1 formation. They were comfortably the better side in this match, but the visitors scored first through Michael Barrios in the 68th minute. Teenage star Talles Magno equalised soon thereafter with a clever volley but there were no further goals to speak of.

NYCFC will certainly feel they should have come away with all three points but they have no time to rue missed chances as they need turn their attention to a midweek Hudson River Derby in the Open Cup.

?? Japan: Kashiwa Reysol 3-1 Vissel Kobe

Over in Japan, Vissel Kobe – who finished third last season are having a terrible time as we reach the midway point of the current J.League campagin.

Vissel – who can call on the experience of a certain Andrés Iniesta have not spent a single matchday outside the relegation zone and they were five points from safety going into Saturday’s round of fixtures. Things did start well for them though as Kento Hashimoto opened the scoring just before the half-hour mark. But that was as good as it got.

Within 10 minutes, Keiya Shiihashi equalised for the hosts and on the stroke of half-time, VAR awarded them a fairly contentious penalty, which Matheus Sávio duly dispatched. Substitute Yuki Moto later added insult to injury with a third for Reysol.

Looking at the match statistics, it is clear to see that this was a fairly even contest, with both sides attempting exactly the same number of shots.

Yet, Vissel were comfortably beaten in the end and that aptly sums up their season. They’ve put in some storng performances but they have rarely been rewarded with good results.

?? Brazil: Atlético Mineiro 2-0 Flamengo

Dorival Júnior had overseen his first win as the new coach of Flamengo in midweek but his side’s problematic start to the campaign continued at the weekend with defending champions Atlético Mineiro comfortably outplaying them.

Ignacio Fernández opened the scoring in the 35th minute and the hosts looked to be in control for the rest of the match. Flamengo had marginally more possession, but they simply failed to create any good goal-scoring opportunities and never put their opponents under any sustained pressure.

Ademir Santos eventually scored a second for Atlético in the 85th minute to seal a win that takes them all the way up to fourth. Flamengo will need to dust themselves down and prepare to go again as these two sides face each other again on Wednesday night in the Copa do Brasil, Round of 16!

?? Norway: Lillestrøm 3-1 Rosenborg

Surprise league-leaders Lillestrøm survived a minor scare to preserve their unbeaten record in the Eliteserien as they got back to winning ways following the international break.

Rosenborg opened the scoring with the first shot of the match in the 16th minute as Stefano Holmquist Vecchia found the bottom corner from the edge of the box. Ifeanyi Matthew equalised after another 16 minutes with an even better volley into the bottom corner and just a few minutes later Vetle Dragsnes put the home side in front after a corner.

Lillestrøm ultimately prevailed in a match of few chances, with Magnus Knudsen sealing the result in the 87th minute.

?? Slovakia: England U19 2-0 Austria U19

The final stage of the Under-19 Euro kicked off in Slovakia over the weekend with spots in the next Under-20 World Cup on offer for five of the eight competing teams.

In Group B, England took on Austria after Isreal’s draw with Serbia. Highly-rated Aston Villa talent Carney Chuckuemeka was the star of the show and he was involved in both goals. He showcased his neat footwork when he exchanged passes with Dane Scarlett before firing England in front just before half-time and then in the 65th minute he set up Tottenham youngster Alfie Devine for the second.

The matches will come thick and fast in this tournament with the group stage set to conclude by next Saturday. The Young Lions will quickly learn that there is no rest for the wicked.

Written by Neel Shelat.

Cover Image from IMAGO