Paulinho didn’t score once in 15 Premier League appearances for Tottenham last season, but eight weeks after joining Guangzhou Evergrande, he did this.
One of two things is happening here. Either he developed an intense hatred for Spurs during his two unsuccessful seasons there and is now fueled by that, or China has weaponized Paulinho. Or maybe China hates Spurs and that’s why they’ve weaponized Paulinho? I don’t know. But there’s definitely an intense revenge/Bionic Man angle at play here.
Real Madrid faced Milan in Shanghai and the pre-match festivities proved all too much for one young mascot.
Everything started out well enough for the boy as he walked out with Pepe…
If the crowd that greeted Bayern Munich when they landed in Beijing is anything to go by, it’s safe to say that they are quite popular in China.
Qatar opened their 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign by beating 178th ranked Maldives 1-0, with the lone goal coming in the ninth minute of added time (even though there was “only” supposed to be eight minutes of added time). In other words, it was a totally normal and not at all suspicious way to end a match.
Wasting no time after Barcelona’s treble celebrations, Xavi has already arrived in Doha for his presentation as an Al-Sadd player on Thursday. Normally when a player of Xavi’s caliber moves to a place unaccustomed to hosting superstars, there’s an untamable mob of giddy fans filling an airport terminal beyond capacity. But this is World Cup 2022 host nation Qatar.
Though there were some fans and club officials awaiting his arrival, it was all very orderly and far from overwhelming. Which is probably a sensation he should get used to over the next two years since Al Sadd have an average attendance of about 6,000.
Buriram United defender Theerathon Bunmathan scored his side’s first goal in their 2-1 AFC Champions League win against Gamba Osaka directly from a corner kick. If anything earns the right to mimic Cristiano Ronaldo’s signature goal celebration, it’s this. So Bunmathan followed his perfect goal with his celebratory tribute.
Playing on what appears to be a beach, Liaoning Whowin striker James Chamanga scored with a wild lob over his own head that somehow came off perfectly. Regardless of whether this was intended to be a shot or not, it really should have been the sole focus of this video. But then the Zambian international celebrated his goal.
Chamanga struck an odd pose and one of his teammates came over and appeared to mime chopping him down as if he were a tree. But your guess is as good as mine.
When Guizhou Renhe player Hyure was tripped in the box during a Chinese Super League game against Shanghai Shenxin, an argument ensued over who would take the resulting penalty. It did not involve Hyure.
Guizhou Renhe captain Krzysztof Maczynski and Ricardo Santos did some pushing and shoving as they had a childish argument over who would take the penalty, before Maczynski finally won out. Of course, fighting with your own teammate isn’t the best way to mentally prepare for a spot kick, so his shot was saved.
Maczynski and Santos did make amends later, though — as the Polish captain set up the Brazilian for a winner in the 80th minute.
Kalimat diskriminasi/pelecehan gender pada jersey Pusamania Borneo FC buatan @SALVO_ID pic.twitter.com/dW5z3zNUEq
— REVOLUSI PSSI (@revolupssi) March 8, 2015
Sportswear company Salvo Sports has apologized — albeit not convincingly — for the insanely stupid decision to print “Washing instructions: Give this jersey to your woman IT’S HER JOB” on the inside of Indonesia Super League club Pusamania Borneo’s shirts.
China played their first Asian Cup group-stage match against Saudi Arabia on Saturday and the Man of the Match was a 12-year-old Australian ball boy.