tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73310662024-03-18T04:00:23.228+01:00Football Fanaticos"Of all the unimportant things in the world, football is the most important"El Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14524616809585764331noreply@blogger.comBlogger1524125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331066.post-71361896670712355102024-03-17T23:55:00.000+01:002024-03-17T23:55:01.709+01:00Lazy Sunday matchesDespite it being a lazy Sunday at home I watched too great matches. The first was the FA Cup quarterfinal between Manchester United and Liverpool. Liverpool have ambitious goals now in Klopp's farewell season, while Manchester United is continuing its unstable ride under Erik ten Haag. It was nevertheless United who looked the strongest as the match got going and only ten minutes into the El Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14524616809585764331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331066.post-23815249951856272042024-03-15T17:01:00.032+01:002024-03-16T17:58:29.928+01:00Champions League clashes The last 16 of this season's Champions League has been decided. Although some good and close matches (I greatly enjoyed Porto-Arsenal and Inter-Atletico Madrid, both decided on penalty kicks, which is in fact a relatively rare occurrence in the CL) I don't think that there were major surprises, and this means that the quarterfinals will all be huge matches:Arsenal-Bayern Munich: Arsenal areEl Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14524616809585764331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331066.post-57443580178459282872024-03-10T21:57:00.004+01:002024-03-10T21:57:30.540+01:00It is all good for ArsenalThe Premier League is as exciting as could be, and two of the title contenders faced one another today when Manchester City went to Liverpool, and with both teams fighting to keep a hold on Arsenal, who took the first spot in the league after defeating Brentford 2-1, their eight Premier League victory in a row!Jurgen Klopp's announcement that he will leave appears to have given Liverpool new fireEl Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14524616809585764331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331066.post-4815609282926732602024-03-10T06:38:00.001+01:002024-03-10T06:38:04.576+01:00Intense evening in Santa TeclaYesterday I was traveling home to El Salvador from Antigua, Guatemala, and spoke with a guy who told me about the Antigua football team, one of the best in the country despite being from a small town. I suddenly had a feeling that I really wanted to see a match, and tonight I went to watch a match in the Salvadoran first division between the local side of Santa Tecla and the visitors from El Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14524616809585764331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331066.post-53158268022791406042024-03-09T17:32:00.005+01:002024-03-09T17:32:33.851+01:00Being on the blog I have not blogged for more than two months. I have before had periods during which I have blogged little, but they were either because of technical problems or because I was simply tired of football.That is not the case now: I am following football a lot, and so many things have happened: the sad passing of the giants Mario Zagallo and Franz Beckenbauer; the (unlikely) Ivorian victory in El Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14524616809585764331noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331066.post-75530214231598495022023-12-19T09:41:00.005+01:002023-12-19T09:41:55.026+01:00Champions League elimination round The Champions League Group stages (the last ones in this format) have just ended. The elimination of two English sides was one of the first surprises: Manchester United were shambles, and ended bottom of Group A, which was totally dominated by Bayern Munich, while FC Copenhagen took first spot after having defeated Galatasaray on a cold day in Copenhagen. Copenhagen, although a El Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14524616809585764331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331066.post-520172198799337042023-11-23T09:34:00.034+01:002023-12-14T09:51:25.167+01:00Playing like World Champions Brazil playing at home to the World Champions, their Argentinean rivals, is always bound to be a dramatic match. The World Cup qualifier a couple of days ago was no exception to the rule, and we even feared that the match would be suspended due to the fan disturbances before the start of the match.It was sad to watch, but also odd how Brazilian police and stadium authorities appear to have El Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14524616809585764331noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331066.post-3472076672089463642023-11-17T16:00:00.007+01:002023-11-17T16:00:48.082+01:00Bielsa's Uruguay and South American qualifiers The South American World Cup qualifiers are ongoing. Argentina's defending World Champions had not lost a game since their World Cup defeat to Saudi Arabia. Yesterday, they played Uruguay at home at la Bombonera (instead of the Monumental, where they usually play, since it had been reserved for one Ms. Taylor Swift). Uruguay has been doing well under their legendary Argentinean manager, El Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14524616809585764331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331066.post-81762678148478445222023-11-12T04:00:00.015+01:002023-11-17T16:08:04.583+01:00Reluctant admiration amid disappointment I still consider myself a Valencia fan although the team has over the years gone from disappointment to disappointment. One of these disappointments has been the fan's racism, something that is sadly still too common in Spain. One player who suffered racist attacks in Valencia was Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr.I certainly supported Valencia against Real Madrid today, and even after Dani El Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14524616809585764331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331066.post-14925969958767586472023-10-01T05:12:00.005+02:002023-10-01T17:23:27.911+02:00Exciting Premier League It all points to a very exciting Premier League. After 6 consecutive victories, Manchester City finally crashed by losing 2-1 to Wolverhampton, showing a league where all teams are competitive. Manchester City remains in first spot though, one point ahead of Tottenham. Tottenham defeated Liverpool 2-1 in a dramatic and intense match. Liverpool were looking good until Curtis Jones got aEl Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14524616809585764331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331066.post-65970219806691123132023-09-29T19:30:00.047+02:002023-09-30T19:44:43.272+02:00Forever blowing bubbles I identify with West Ham's song "Bubbles": fortune is always hiding.Last Sunday I was at a beautiful beach in El Salvador. After a morning walk on the beach, at 7 AM, I went online to watch the match between my dear Brøndby against our arch-rivals, FC Copenhagen, over a delicious cup of Salvadoran coffee. Brøndby has started the season well and could, with a victory, take first spot in the El Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14524616809585764331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331066.post-62703406702900463062023-08-26T20:02:00.003+02:002023-08-26T20:02:34.745+02:00Circus Spanish Football FederationFew people around the world knew who Luis Rubiales was. But the head of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has become a world celebrity following his embarrassing behaviour at the World Cup final, grabbing his crotch and kissing one of the Spanish players, Jenni Hermoso. He has in a rather pathetic apology defended himself with being euphoric at the moment, but at the same time said that he El Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14524616809585764331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331066.post-71108824775243543002023-08-20T19:05:00.004+02:002023-08-20T19:05:36.226+02:00Spain World ChampionsSpain have become World Champions defeating England 1-0 on a first half strike by the Real Madrid player Olga Carmona. Only her third goal on the national team, the second having come in the semifinal against Sweden. Spain were the better team throughout the match and deserved the victory. England were saved by a larger defeat by a strong Mary Earps on goal.Spain have been growing for years with El Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14524616809585764331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331066.post-57175726724336821912023-08-20T07:05:00.028+02:002023-08-20T19:15:33.268+02:00First title for MiaMessiMessi has been extraordinary at Inter Miami, contributing to bring a club that had never won anything to new heights. He has scored 10 goals in seven matches, and now Miami has taken its first title as they won the North American Leagues Cup against Nashville FC in the final. Messi scored a spectacular goal in the final to bring Miami ahead, but Fafa Picault equalized for Nashville and the match El Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14524616809585764331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331066.post-57020642105720068522023-08-17T03:56:00.001+02:002023-08-17T03:56:52.585+02:00The 2023 finalistsAlready when we had the four semi-finalists we knew one team that had never won before would be World Champion. And now we have a final with two sides who have never been there before: Spain versus England.Spain has been a rising power for many years, and the rising power of FC Barcelona (defending CL champions) and Real Madrid has become to transfer to the national team. That said, internal El Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14524616809585764331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331066.post-72950930035447050792023-08-15T03:41:00.003+02:002023-08-15T03:41:21.279+02:00Linda Caicedo Just read a very interesting article on the BBC on the young Colombian phenomenon Linda Caicedo. Only 18 years old she has a challenging childhood, survived cancer, signed for Real Madrid and become a World Cup celebrity. I surely hope she continues a bright career and that we see more of her in the future!El Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14524616809585764331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331066.post-55142510295510620672023-08-14T03:26:00.011+02:002023-08-15T03:28:09.423+02:00Premier League 2023-2024 OpeningI had the pleasure of watching an excellent openining match for Chelsea and Liverpool in the Premier League. Matches like this point to an excellent season ahead, where the usual suspects of Manchester City will be challenged by the likes of Arsenal (who opened with a 2-1 victory over Nottingham Forest), Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, and even other teams in one of the world´s most El Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14524616809585764331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331066.post-47958643446742860422023-08-12T17:21:00.024+02:002023-08-13T16:34:27.589+02:00Colombia out and other results With time difference and limited coverage, it continues to be difficult to follow the World Cup in Australia/ New Zealand. That said, results and matches continue to be very exciting as we have now reached the semifinals.The first big news was the elimination of the defending champions USA by Sweden in a tense penalty knock-out. It was in fact refreshing: the North Americans were a bit too El Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14524616809585764331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331066.post-76813138375396336642023-08-03T18:21:00.002+02:002023-08-03T18:21:23.771+02:00The last-16 at the 2023 World Cup I have unfortunately not been able to watch much of the Women’s World Cup 2023; in El Salvador they do not show any matches (they are focusing on the Miss Universe contest to be held in November….), and although I am currently visiting Colombia and have watched a bit more, I remain limited by time difference.That said, I have followed results closely. Here in Colombia they have been greatlyEl Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14524616809585764331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331066.post-84643322917365069852023-07-21T04:28:00.001+02:002023-07-21T04:28:04.133+02:00The Greatest World Cup ever Today the World Cup has started in New Zealand/Australia. It will be the first women's World Cup with 32 teams competing, and with the immense growth of the women's game in the past decade, it all points to it being the best World Cup ever.In the opening match, the hosts from New Zealand pulled a somewhat surprising 1-0 victory over Norway, while the other hosts, Australia, defeated El Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14524616809585764331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331066.post-10027859548244179652023-07-17T15:39:00.003+02:002023-07-17T15:39:14.459+02:00Win for Mexico, tears for PanamaI enjoyed watching the Gold Cup CONCACAF final between Mexico and Panama. Mexico as biog favourites against a Panamanian side that pressed for their chances, as they had done against USA. But in the end the Mexicans won 1-0 on a late goal by the Feyenoord striker Santi Gimenez. It was deserved because Mexico had managed to put pressure on the Panamanians, who despite it all fought so bravely thatEl Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14524616809585764331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331066.post-35785452173068603072023-07-13T17:43:00.002+02:002023-07-13T17:43:09.069+02:00Panama in the Gold Cup Final Yesterday I had a 4 hour layover at Tocumen airport in Panama City. Fortunately, the layover coincided exactly with the semifinal in the Gold Cup between USA and Panama.USA are the defending champions, having won two years ago and despite the absence of some players, must have been counted as favourites after defeating Canada in the quarterfinals. Panama had crushed the invitees of Qatar El Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14524616809585764331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331066.post-15258440492840610092023-06-20T16:23:00.004+02:002023-06-20T16:23:54.449+02:00Wet dynamiteWe are entering a period of vacation, and there is not much quality football after the Champions League final. National teams have been playing qualifiers and friendlies, where Spain's victory in the European Nations League after penalty kicks against Croatia is perhaps the most interesting thing that has happened (personally, I missed the match, having even forgotten it was being played).Last El Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14524616809585764331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331066.post-82651322593778838912023-06-11T12:44:00.000+02:002023-06-11T12:44:02.385+02:00City's legendary Champions Manchester City managed to do what they have been trying to for years: win the Champions League. It was was not elegant, and they played a nervous and poor match despite being full favourites against Inter Milan, who with more precision could or should have scored. In the end Rodri's precise strike in one of the few good moments created by City gave them the victory.A pity for the Italians,El Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14524616809585764331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331066.post-55028960307524671522023-06-09T12:30:00.012+02:002023-06-11T12:38:34.980+02:00MiamessiAfter his spell in PSG and recent announcement that he would leave, Leo Messi is now starting a new chapter in the MLS side Inter Miami. It is obvious that he had other offers, including from FC Barcelona, and millionaire sums from Saudi Arabia. However, Miami appears to be the obvious choice: the city is basically an extension of Latin America where his family can probably settle well, while theEl Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14524616809585764331noreply@blogger.com0