Connect with us

Football

Why Lionel Messi wore number ten in the Coupe de France

Published

on

SportVectru Ad


Fans of Paris Saint-Germain and more specifically Lionel Messi were left bewildered recently when the Argentine star wore a number he does not normally display for the Parisian side but is heavily associated with.

Advertisement

Since joining the club from Barcelona, Messi has been wearing the number 30 and has produced some incredible moments in the shirt.

That wasn’t the case against Marseille in the round of 16 of the Coupe de France on Wednesday night when Messi was wearing a different number. Here’s why.

Advertisement

It is probably just as well for PSG that Messi and Neymar Jr are friends from their time at Barcelona, otherwise there could have been an issue to address. When Messi joined, the number ten shirt he had been wearing for Barcelona for so many years was occupied by Neymar.

Messi did not create any sort of fuss, though, and decided to take the number 30 shirt. In the Coupe de France though, all of the shirt numbers must be between one and 11, precluding Messi from wearing 30. He decided that, as he did in the prior round against Nice, he would wear the number ten.

Advertisement

That was only possible because Neymar agreed to let Messi take his number ten shirt and the Brazilian wore number 11 instead. There has not been any suggestion that Messi would like to take the number ten shirt from Neymar in the future, he appears content with 30.

Changes to numbers swiftly became the least of Messi and Christophe Galtier’s worries as PSG were dumped out of the tournament by their southern rivals.

Advertisement

Marseille were given a penalty in the first half after a clumsy foul from Sergio Ramos. Alexis Sanchez dispatched the spot kick, but Ramos redeemed himself before the break with a great header from a corner to make it 1-1.

The parity only lasted just over ten minutes into the second half as Ruslan Malinovskyi scored a great goal from the edge of the box with his special left foot, making it 2-1 at the Stade Velodrome to the hosts. They held on to win the game and blow the tournament wide open with PSG out.

Advertisement

Messi has been an absolute mainstay for PSG this season as he has certainly found his feet in Paris. Leading up to the 2022 Qatar World Cup, it was clear that he was hitting a rich vein of form and did not have any fitness issues to contend with.

So far in the 2022/23 campaign for PSG, he has scored 15 times and added 14 assists in 25 games, which is a superb return. In the wake of Kylian Mbappe’s injury that has ruled him out of the Champions League last 16 first leg against Bayern Munich, Messi will have even more goalscoring responsibility from Galtier.

Advertisement

Eight of his goals and assists have come in the Champions League and that is where he will really prove his worth to PSG as they strive to achieve that elusive honour.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

EPL

Tottenham weighing up decision on Antonio Conte future

Published

on

SportVectru Ad


Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is weighing up whether to sack manager Antonio Conte this week, 90min understands.

Advertisement

While Spurs remain fourth in the Premier League, limp exits in the FA Cup and Champions League threw the Italian’s future into doubt and his meltdown at Southampton plunged the club further into crisis.

90min revealed earlier on Monday Tottenham could be forced to pay Conte a whipping £15m if they dismiss him before the end of the season.

Advertisement

Now, sources have confirmed Conte is back in Italy for a routine trip to his homeland having held talks with Spurs boss Levy. A final decision has not yet been reached but a number of officials at the club believe Conte’s position is untenable.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Football

Players of the MLS Matchday 4

Published

on

SportVectru Ad


Another weekend of MLS saw action-packed scenes on the field from coast to coast.

Advertisement

From one-sided blowouts to records being broken, week four of MLS lived up to the expectations set by week three. On the field, many players stood out for their teams, making them worthy of praise for their efforts.

Here at the top five players from week four…

Advertisement
Junior Moreno is a vital part of FC Cincinnati.

Junior Moreno is a vital part of FC Cincinnati. / Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports

FC Cincinnati started off the season well; They are currently sitting third in the Eastern Conference with eight points through four games. Their latest match against the Chicago Fire was an all-out attacking spectacle.

Junior Moreno led the way for Cincinnati with a two-goal performance that saw the men in Orange take a point home. Though Moreno isn’t the most well-known player on the roster, his impact was felt on match date four.  

Advertisement
Jesus Ferreira helps FC Dallas win.

Jesus Ferreira helps FC Dallas win. / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Jesus Ferreira is a man in form. The 22-year-old was on the score sheet once again for FC Dallas as they beat Sporting KC 2-1. 

Ferreira had a complete game, scoring once and also creating for his teammates. With this win, Dallas is now fourth in the Western Conference on seven points. 

Advertisement
Joao Klauss is propelling St. Louis to success.

Joao Klauss is propelling St. Louis to success. / Jeff Le-USA TODAY Sports

Here comes Joao Klauss!

The 26-year-old Brazillian notched his third goal in four games for St. Louis City as they beat the San Jose Earthquakes 3-0. Despite being a forward, Klauss was active on both sides of the pitch, ending the game with five passes into the final third, two interceptions, and three recoveries. 

Advertisement

Talk about a well-rounded player. 

Romell Quioto is vital for CF Montreal.

Romell Quioto is vital for CF Montreal. / Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

CF Montreal got their first win of the season with a shock victory against defending Eastern Conference champions, the Philadelphia Union.

Advertisement

Romell Quioto led the way for Hernan Losada’s men scoring a brace to lift them over a struggling Union side. The Honduras international finished the game with four total shots, two passes into the final third on just 27 touches, the least of any outfield player. 

Thiago Almada is on fire for Atlanta United.

Thiago Almada is on fire for Atlanta United. / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

What more can be said about Thiago Almada?

Advertisement

Arguably the best player in the league, the World Cup winner is having an incredible start to the year for Atlanta United. Not only did the Stars and Stripes put on a clinic against the Portland Timbers, but Almada scored a Goal of the Year candidate in the 45th minute with a looping free kick to beat Timbers netminder Aljaz Ivacic. 

With performances like these, it’s only a matter of time before big European clubs come knocking for the young Argentine’s talents. 

Advertisement





Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Football

Charlotte FC quiet the Lions as they pick up their first win of the season

Published

on

SportVectru Ad


Charlotte FC picks up their first win of the season with a challenging 2-1 win away at Orlando City. 

Advertisement

With the pressure mounting after three straight losses to start the season, Charlotte FC broke their winless streak with a 2-1 triumph over Orlando City SC. Head coach Christian Lattanzio lined up his side in a slightly different starting XI, leaving Designated Players Karol Swiderski and Kamil Jóźwiak on the bench due to bad form. In their place were 21-year-old Kerwin Vargas and 25-year-old McKinze Gaines. 

Since arriving in MLS, Jozwiak has fallen short of expectations, with the Poland international failing to score in the league and only assisting three times in 23 matches. This personnel switch saw Charlotte play an attacking brand of football with much more cohesion as a team.

Advertisement

“…I am very, very proud of the boys because they played a complete game in the sense that they attacked when they had the possibility to do it. They defended when they had to. In football, you need to fight to impose your game and impose yourself into the game. And I think that this has to be a part of our DNA.”

Lattanzio spoke about the lineup changes after the match, saying that he gave specific players chances to show their quality, but their on-field performances fell flat.

Advertisement

“I made the changes because we played three games and I gave certain players opportunities to play and I think it’s only fair to give other players opportunities when things don’t work the way we’d like them to work.”

He also touched on their roster depth and how it’s important to give chances to players who will perform well.

Advertisement

“It’s part of the team, that’s why we have a roster and on many occasions I said that I really trust all the players on the roster because they train well. We decided to give opportunities to guys that trained well, and they proved it.”

Though it is a massive win for Charlotte, rookie goalkeeper George Marks pumped the brakes on the hype train and said in his post-game comments that the team needs to continue to work hard if they want results like this to come.

Advertisement

“…Tomorrow it’s back to the grindstone, try to look at the performance objectively, not just throw it to the side because we won the game and try to look at the little details, what we could do better, what we need to continue to do, so we can get this thing rolling in the right direction.

“I said during the week not to talk, to put the head down, keep working. And despite the win, for me it’s the same. We keep the head down, we let other people talk now. We let people talk, we listen, whatever, but we are very determined to improve on a weekly basis”.

Advertisement

Charlotte FC will continue their MLS campaign this weekend as they take on the New York Red Bulls.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending

Home
Live Scores
Use App
Live TV
Predictions