Page 89 - Soccer360 - Issue 103

WWELEGEND
After the tragic passing of WWE superstar Bray Wyatt, Premier League club Arsenal paid tribute to the wrestler on matchday. Wyatt’s signature song, “Broken Out In Love” by Mark Crozer, was played during the halftime of
the Premier League matchup between Arsenal and Fulham on Aug. 26. After regular time, the match resulted in a 2-2 draw. The man responsible for playing the music at the club was reported
to be a huge wrestling fan and has played various WWE themes throughout his tenure with the club. The theme song was also played at Coventry Arena as Coventry City took on Sunderland.
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Barcelona have had 11 shots on target against Villarreal, their most in an away game in all competitions under Xavi Hernandez.
NOTE TO SELF - EYE EXAM SOON
Following Inter Miami’s US Open Cup semifinal victory, Lionel Messi’s wife Antonela Roccuzzo took to the pitch to join the celebrations and sought out her husband to congratulate him. Footage showed her thinking
she had clapped eyes on Messi and went in to hug him - only to realize at the last moment it was actually Messi’s former Barcelona and now Inter Miami teammate Jordi Alba. The defender made the switch to the MLS side over the summer after his Barca contract was ended a year early. And Roccuzzo approached Alba with arms stretched ready to embrace him, only to realize moments before that it was not her husband and instead, the duo had a half- hearted hug but appeared to recognize the mistake and laugh it off in good spirits.
A DIFFICULT GIG
Kevin De Bruyne has named Newcastle United as the toughest away ground to play at - and
the Manchester City captain has explained why he snubbed Liverpool’s Anfield as the top choice. De Bruyne believes that even when things are not going well for the Magpies, the atmosphere is still a good one to play in. And explaining why he placed Anfield second, De Bruyne explained that though the atmosphere is still up there for an evening game or a Champions League encounter, he feels it is less so when a match begins around lunchtime.
DID YOU KNOW?
• Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski has failed to score in his first two games of a league season for the first time since 2012/13 in the Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund.
• With his brace against Getafe, Cristhian Stuani (right) became the first Girona player to score 50 goals in LaLiga.
DAREDEVIL HAKIM
Hakim Ziyech may have been unwanted at Chelsea, but at Galatasaray he’s already been given a welcome he’ll never forget. The Dutch-born Moroccan winger joined the Turkish giants on a free loan deal with a purchase option, and will be delighted with his decision. Joining the reigning Super Lig champions, Ziyech’s introduction to supporters was far from normal as he suddenly appeared among the ultras at RAMS Park. Gala had just taken a 2-0 win over Trabzonspor thanks to a Mauro Icardi double that secured the first league win of the season. With spirits high, former Arsenal man Lucas Torreira was seen pointing to the stands delighted with his teammates on the pitch, before cameras panned to the home end. Up on scaffolding stood Ziyech, who was conducting the 52,000-capacity stadium in goosebump- inducing scenes. The crowd went silent as he put his finger over his lips, and then burst into life and responded to his mimed drum beats in incredible
fashion. Later the sunglasses-wearing 30-year-old climbed down from the stand and entered the pitch with a scarf and shirt, waving to his adoring new fans.
ON YER MARKS....
Manchester City sensation Erling Haaland has been challenged to a race by
sprinter Alica Schmidt, who has already beaten one of his teammates. Schmidt,
a two-time European medal winner at junior level in the 4x400m relay has a personal best of 52.18 seconds, in the 400 metres. And she fancies her chances against Haaland in a 400m race - though thinks 200m could be trickier given the Norwegian is no slouch and clocked
in at more than 22.5mph last season. Schmidt, once given the unwanted “world’s sexiest athlete” nickname by Australian magazine Busted Coverage in 2017, has created content with Borussia Dortmund players as part of their ‘Stay
fit’ series. She also filmed with defender and World Cup winner Mats Hummels, who had previously played alongside Haaland at BVB, taking part in a 400m race which racked up 5.7 million views on social media. Schmidt won by an absolute landslide, even though Hummels did his best to keep up with her.
I’M JUST TOO MUCH
Liverpool star Mohamed Salah has admitted
his Fantasy Premier League price is way too high - but he still picks himself. Salah is usually one of the higher picks in the FPL due to his extraordinary record in front of goal. Last season, he scored 19 times in the Premier League and recorded 12 assists - making him one of the best players in the FPL as he collected 239 points. But with a price of £12.5million, Salah has admitted his price is too high - though he would still put himself in his team.
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