waroffutbol

  A few finals in the FIFA CWC and its predecessor, the Intercontinental Cup, have been undoubtedly more entertaining clashes than the others with their goal galore. There is nothing better than an entertaining showdown in the summit. Such is always expected in all competition, including the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup final, as Chelsea is taking on UCL champion PSG. Unfortunately, it is quite rare to see goal galore in the major tournaments, where both sides are at their peak in the last game of the competition and trade goals more than once, resulting in an even duel without too much difference between both teams. However, there has always been anomaly. The 2022 FIFA World Cup final is one example and is tipped as the best one in the tournament's history. The 2005 UCL final in Istanbul is another one with an even more thrilling display on the pitch. In FIFA CWC and its predecessor, the Intercontinental Cup, the goal galore did exist in some editions, although such were not as ...

  A few managers have been considered unlucky during their managerial careers at the top level, as they lost more in the finals. The 2024/25 season is finally completed with the unexpected humiliation to Inter Milan in the UCL final last weekend. Nerazzurri, who managed to edge out Barcelona in a goal galore win at the semifinal, were outclassed by PSG five goals to nil. The result was so devastating that Simone Inzaghi opted to leave Giuseppe Meazza. Such a heavy loss marks Simone Inzaghi’s second defeat in the UCL final. The first one was only a narrow one to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the 2023 edition. Interestingly, Inzaghi’s men’s defeat in Munich last weekend was also the third defeat in the summit for the ex-Lazio boss. Does it mean that he tends to have misfortune in the finals? It is still too early to assume, but such may lead to it, should Inzaghi fail to deliver more trophies. As a gaffer, he mainly has clinched the Coppa Italia three times plus the Serie A ...

  Finding managers who have won three domestic titles or more with different teams in the same league proves to be quite difficult. The serial winner managers are always special. Recently, Antonio Conte has stolen the spotlight after clinching Serie A titles with Napoli, his third club in his native country. Such achievement deserves recognition, as the former Chelsea boss appears to be the only one who could do so from across the European top five leagues. Conte did lift the Serie A trophy while taking charge of his former side, Juventus. He was the one who initiated La Vecchia Signora’s dominance in 2010. Conte snatched the title in 2012 and 2014. He then did it again with Inter Milan in the 2020/21 season. His rare record makes him one of the few managers who did so. In Europe’s top to mid-level leagues, only two names made such a similar unique record, whereas in South America’s top-level competition, three names are on the list. Two of whom are from Argentina. Mustafa ...

  The best goalkeepers in the 2024/25 seasons in UEFA’s top five major leagues are surprisingly not from the big teams. The 2024/25 campaign is coming to an end with only two games left or fewer. Some leagues have found their champions, such as the Premier League, Bundesliga, and Ligue 1, whereas La Liga and the Italian Serie A have yet to see the winners. The former might be determined soon, as Barcelona is already leading seven points over their archrival, Real Madrid , on the table. However, the latter has a more thrilling title race, as it could be decided through a playoff, should Inter and Napoli share the same points. In each league, the top scorer award definitely has more exposure than the best goalkeeper. The former is often dominated by well-known names, whereas the latter is quite the opposite. This season, for example, the goalkeepers from the elite sides are barely named the best in the stats. In fact, most of them are probably beyond the fans’ expectations. The b...

  The Argentine boss, Bruno Pesaola, was the gaffer who led Bologna to win their last title in 1974. Ahead of Bologna’s first Coppa Italia final in 51 years, which will be held on May 14th in Olimpico Roma, it would be perfect to look back at how they won their last silverware and the important man behind their last success. He was none other than their gaffer, Bruno Pesaola. His name was probably unpopular compared to the likes of César Luis Menotti, Juan José Pizzutti of Racing Club, Omar Sívori, or Vladislao Cap, who rose to prominence in the 1970s. They were even appointed to takege of the Albiceleste in that decade. Yet, Pesaola left his own legacy abroad, especially in Italy. His decision to switch sides to Gli Azzurri was probably the reason which made him less well-known on his homesoil. Pesaola established his career in Italy both as a player and as a manager. It was his role on the touchline which made his reputation really take off. His best spells were with three...

  A number of serial top scorers seem to have had tough luck in winning a trophy despite being known as prolific goal scorers. Being a serial top scorer in various competitions, including the major ones, does not necessarily guarantee silverware. They may have an eye for goals, but lifting trophies can be an entirely different story from scoring. The failure of Bayern Munich to progress to the Champions League semifinal last week seems to justify another misfortune of Harry Kane, the current serial top scorer at the top level. Despite having been awarded top scorer accolades multiple times in almost all major competitions both at the club and international levels, the England skipper still lacks a trophy in his career. The former Spurs star has won EPL top scorers three times, followed by Bundesliga and UCL top scorer, plus the Golden Boot award in the FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro championship. He was even awarded the European Golden Shoe last season. However, Lady luck se...