Page 87 - Soccer360 Issue 105

DID YOU KNOW?
• Galeno has scored the first ever 90th-minute winning goal conceded by Arsenal in a UEFA Champions League game, and FC Porto’s latest winner on record (from 2003-04, excl. extra-time) in a match in the competition
• In Mo Salah (19) pictured right, Diogo Jota (14), Darwin Núñez (13), Cody Gakpo (11), and Luis Díaz (10), Liverpool are the first club in Europe’s big-five leagues to have five players reach 10+ goals in all competitions this season.
SPECIAL DAY
James Maddison gave a young Tottenham fan a day to remember. The kind-hearted playmaker, 27, took six-year-old Samuel under his wing at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Samuel, who has cerebral
palsy, was one of the club’s mascots
when Wolves made the trip to North London. Maddison walked out of the tunnel at the back of the Spurs starting
XI, holding hands with the kid. He urged the 62,000-seater stadium to give him a wonderful ovation and the home fans duly obliged with a warm applause.
AHEAD, BUT BEHIND
Luton Town players have devised their own Premier League table strategy to avoid relegation. Everton’s involvement in the relegation battle intensified after the Premier League docked them 10 points
for financial irregularities. Sean Dyche’s team has lodged an appeal, seeking to recoup some of the deducted points. However, Luton is not banking on any assistance from Premier League officials in their fight for survival. The club’s CEO revealed that they use modified league tables during training, ignoring point deductions. They’re considering Everton as ten points ahead to prevent finding themselves in a precarious position if Everton’s points are reinstated.
YOU’RE ON !
Cadiz star Robert Navarro
had to be pushed onto the pitch by his own manager after spending too long being interviewed on the touchline. Navarro spoke to a DAZN reporter during half-time of their clash with Real Betis. But he clearly lost track of time as the match was about to restart with Navarro still in full flow. He received a shock reminder of his duties when a Cadiz coach shoved him back onto the pitch, with Navarro quickly taking up his position.
NO LAUREL FOR HARDY
Matt Hardy has responded to Brennan Johnson’s goal celebration against Brighton. After scoring against the Seagulls, Johnson celebrated by pulling off Hardy’s signature pose for the cameras. He held down one of his fingers on his left hand and pointed out two on his right to pay homage to the WWE legend. Hardy has now responded by sharing a snap of the celebration to X, formerly Twitter. Alongside the picture, he also attached a photo of himself doing the pose alongside his brother Jeff Hardy.
KALVIN IS NOT A FATTY
Pep Guardiola has issued a belated apology to Kalvin Phillips for saying the player was overweight on returning from World Cup duty with England back in December 2022. Phillips gave an interview in January in which he admitted Guardiola’s comments had “a big knock on my confidence” and revealed his family had been particularly unhappy after the subsequent backlash.
THESE ARE THE RULES...
Nottingham Forest have appointed former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg as the club’s new referees’ analyst. Forest have been frustrated over a number of controversial decisions by officials and VAR this season.
The appointment of Clattenburg is seen as an attempt to improve their understanding of decisions and also improve relationships with the PGMOL and match officials.
NOT ALL GLITZ
Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Matt Turner’s wife Ashley Herron revealed she suffered a broken
nose due to a team-mate’s wayward shot. She recently attended a match where she had a front-row seat close to the action. But all the “glitz and glamour” went out the window after Gonzalo Montiel fired a powerful shot that missed the target but smacked
her in the face leading to a broken nose.
SAKA - ONLY ECONOMY
Rio Ferdinand has made an announcement onboard his Ryanair flight to Portugal after being trolled by Arsenal fans. Gunners supporters chanted “Saka’s world class” in Ferdinand’s direction on board the flight. The TNT Sports pundit earlier claimed Saka is “not world class yet”, despite his impressive performances this season. Ferdinand took the banter in good spirits and addressed the Arsenal fans on board, reasserting his belief that Saka is a fantastic player but has not yet reached world-class level. His announcement was met with laughter and further chanting from the Arsenal fans on the flight.
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