Soccer Monday: Giroud plays goalie, Messi magic ends and tears for Israel
Kick off your week with all the action from this past weekend
Happy Columbus Day!
There was a TV show in the 1980s that I absolutely loved called “Ripley’s Believe It or Not!” The program — hosted by actor Jack Palance — explored what he called in every week’s opening as “the strange, the bizarre, the unexpected.”
This was a weekend where we experienced all three of these things. Here’s a look at them:
3. Giroud plays goalkeeper
First the strange. Americans Yunus Musah and Christian Pulisic combined to give AC Milan a 1-0 against Genoa on Saturday in controversial fashion in the 87th minute.
Pulisic appeared to handle the ball as he spun to get his shot away but the absence of clear and obvious proof stopped the VAR from overruling the decision, allowing Pulisic to score his fourth goal for the Rossoneri this season.
If that wasn’t strange enough, thing’s got even weirder. It was striker Olivier Giroud who also had a crucial part in the win. He made a double save in the 14th minute of stoppage time as he ended the match wearing the goalkeeper’s gloves and jersey after Mike Maignan was red carded.
That’s right, Giroud played in goal after AC Milan had already used up all of its subs.
The win put AC Milan in sole possession of first place with 21 points. In other Serie A action, Fiorentina defeated defending champions Napoli 3-1 at the Stadio Diego Maradona. The win moved Fiorentina into fourth place, while Napoli fell to fifth.
2. Messi magic ends
Now the bizarre. Lionel Messi returned to action for Inter Miami on Saturday, but the team’s playoff hopes came to an end following a 1-0 defeat on Saturday to FC Cincinnati.
After missing four games with a muscular issue, Messi was welcomed back at DRV PNK Stadium, with the Argentine logging 35 minutes off the bench. In the end, he couldn’t make the difference, watching helplessly as his side was eliminated from playoff contention on a rainy South Florida night.
What’s bizarre is not that Inter Miami failed to make the postseason. They were a lousy team before Messi got there over the summer.
What’s bizarre is what Messi could do this winter? Inter Miami manager Gerardo “Tata” Martino was asked about it after the game. Charles Boehm of MLSSoccer.com reported the following:
The Herons went winless in the four games Messi just missed. Would they have picked up the necessary points if he’d been on the pitch? Would he have stayed healthy if not for that Leagues Cup run? These and other questions may echo for IMCF and their fans through the long offseason.
Will those coming months include a loan move for Messi, to his old club FC Barcelona? Martino was asked about rumors to that effect.
“That's surprising. I know nothing about that,” said the coach. “If you're telling me that he's going to go visit Barcelona on vacation, yes, it's probable, but I don't have any information on the other part.”
We shall see. It would not be unheard of. After all, David Beckham was loaned out to AC Milan during his Los Angeles Galaxy days. As a result, we could very well see Messi in a Barca kit — albeit briefly — once again.
1. Israel at war
And sadly, the unexpected. The news on Saturday that Hamas had launched a surprise attack on Israel left much of the world shocked.
While the death toll continues to rise, it’s also worth noting that the soccer world wasn’t immune from the attack.
Former soccer player Lior Assulin was killed after terrorists stormed a party in southern Israel.
The 43-year old was missing for more than 24 hours until his death was confirmed as Hamas terrorists opened fire on the party-goers. The striker began his career with Maccabi Herzliya in 1997, then went on to play for Maccabi Petach Tikva, Bnei Sakhnin, Beitar Jerusalem and Bnei Yehuda. In 2007, he moved to Hapoel Tel Aviv and then played in Cyprus in 2008. Assulin returned to Israel and played for Maccabi Petach Tikva again, in addition to Hapoel Beer Sheva, before moving to the country’s second division and retiring in 2017.
UEFA, meanwhile, announced it had “decided to postpone all matches scheduled in Israel in the next couple of weeks with new dates to be confirmed in due course.” That includes Israel’s Euro 2024 qualifier slated for this Thursday against Switzerland at Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv.
“UEFA will continue to closely monitor the situation and will remain in contact with all teams involved before making decisions on new dates and on potential changes to other upcoming fixtures,” UEFA said in a statement.
Israel’s Euro qualifier at Kosovo on Oct. 15 could also be affected. UEFA said it “reserves a few more days to assess” whether the match can take place on that date “or requires postponement.”
The team’s European Under-21 Championship qualifiers against Estonia and Germany on Thursday and Oct. 17, respectively, have also been postponed. A Under-17 mini-tournament involving Israel, Belgium, Gibraltar and Wales, scheduled to run from Wednesday through Oct. 17, was also postponed.
In other news: Paul Pogba’s lab tests have resulted positive for testosterone, meaning the Juventus midfielder now faces a doping investigation. The exams were carried out by Nado Italia, Italy's anti-doping agency, which had suspended Pogba provisionally nearly a month ago following a positive test carried out after Juventus' game at Udinese on Aug. 20. Pogba did not play in the Serie A match but was on Juve's bench. Pogba remains suspended provisionally and risks a ban of up to four years. … The National Women’s Soccer League has reached new agreements for their broadcasting media rights. According to Sportico, ESPN, CBS, Amazon and Scripps will all air NWSL matches. The top women’s soccer league in the United States previously had a deal with CBS Sports. It’s unclear how much the agreements are worth. The NWSL’s current CBS deal pays $1.5 million per year, but requires the league to foot the bill for game production. … Gabriel Martinelli’s late goal gave Arsenal a 1-0 win over defending champion Manchester City on Sunday, ending a 12-game losing streak in the league against Pep Guardiola’s team. Arsenal are now tied for first place, alongside Tottenham, with 20 points. Man City dropped to second with 18.