Football is finally back in full swing. With the premier league set to kick off in just 2 days, yesterday was a good lead up to the real thing with a handful of international friendly ties across the globe. I’m hear to highlight a few of the top matches and give you a one-stop place to see some of the best goals and highlights.
England 3 – 2 Scotland
It was a momentous occasion in London yesterday as England and Scotland got together for only the 4th time since 1989, when the fixture was discontinued. The hoards of Scottish fans that took over Trafalgar Square can be an entire post all in itself, but we leave that for another time. The game was a competitive bout throughout, with 31-year old Rickie Lambert scoring the decider on his first international cap. Goals from Walcott and Welbeck cancelled out a golazo from Kenny Miller and a flub-up from goalie Joe Hart. The pick of the litter has to be Miller’s, although the towering header from Lambert has to be celebrated as a dream story for the Southampton forward. Full highlights.
Bosnia-Herzegovina 3 – 4 United States
The United States Men’s National Team (USMNT; not to be confused with TMNT) continued their blistering form coming from behind to rack up their 12-game winning streak, the longest active winning streak in international footy. The US went down 2-0 in the first half but a staggering hat trick from Sunderland new boy Jozy Altidore brought them back. After an Eddie Johnson goal started them off, Altidore took over. Edin Dzeko got his second of the game in the last minute but it would not be enough.
Portugal 1 – 1 Netherlands
In probably the most marquee matchup of the day, Portugal and Netherlands battled out to a draw. Kevin Strootman proved why he is on a lot of clubs radars with a cracker 16 minutes into the first half. It stayed that way for a while in an exciting and open game before Cristiano (obvi) pulled one back when the ball found him open in front of the net with just a few minutes to play.
Belgium 0 – 0 France
I’m highlighting this game because it was another marquee matchup, and I’ve been harping on the Belgium national team for a while now. The game itself wasn’t much and it was a pretty drab 0-0 draw. There are some highlights here if you care to look at them. Also, there is this picture of a diminutive Matthieu Valbuena. He’s adorable!
Ecuador 0 – 2 Spain
A couple of classy goals from Santi Caszthorla Cazorla and Alvaro Negredo saw Spain put away Ecuador rather handily. Spain got all sorts of cheeky for their first goal with a wonderful build up to a shot, only to be parried away by the Ecuador goalie. The rebound fell back to Spain who centered the ball and Negredo continued the cheekiness with a back-heel flick into the net. Cazorla then finished off yet another move of cheekiness after a back heel pass found him open at the top of the box before he fired home. I suggest you check out the highlights:
Looks like we’re all ready for some competitive club football.
