France
France’s national rugby team swiftly defeated Ireland last week 42-27, pushing them to the forefront of favorites to take home the upcoming Six Nations Grand Slam title — an annual competition between England, Italy, France, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Despite the Irish leading the home pitch in Dublin early on, the French scored five tries — two by Louise Bielle-Biarrey — even without one of their best, team captain Antoine Dupont, who is regarded as one of the world’s best rugby players.
About 30 minutes into the game, Dupont suffered a serious knee injury, causing France’s head coach Fabien Galthié to condemn and call out specific Irish players who had contact with Dupont immediately preceding the injury.
“He is suffering — let’s say it how it is,” Galthié told ESPN. “I don’t want to go into details, mainly due to medical confidentiality. We have cited two players — Tadhg Beirne and Andrew Porter — in our post-match report.”
With the following 35 unanswered points, France effectively ended Ireland’s Grand Slam hopes.
Ireland has won the Grand Slam title for the past two years in a row and was looking for a never-done-before three-peat. For them to make it to this year’s final match, they must beat Italy in Rome this week and hope — by some miracle — that other results go their way.
Spain
On Wednesday night, Real Madrid knocked out crosstown rival Atletico Madrid in a controversial and extremely uncommon penalty shootout, leading Real to advance to the Champions League quarter-final match.
What cost Atletico the match was not without conflict — as a game decided in penalty shootout never is. In extra time, Julian Alvarez of Atletico double-touched on his penalty kick, resulting in a video assistant referee close-call. Alvarez supposedly slipped on the green as he struck, slightly tapping his left cleat on the ball before finishing into the crossbar with his right. The call was judged on review, with no option for a retake.
Prior to the double-kick, which would have otherwise been counted as a goal, both teams continued to cancel each other out in extra time. Once three penalties converted on each side, Alvarez took his mis-kick — which made its way into the net, allowing the shootout to initially continue. However, moments before Real’s Federico Valverde was about to take his penalty, a referee called out Alvarez’s effort, effectively ending the match in the hands of Real.
“This was a heads or tails situation and, today, we called heads and won,” Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti said, according to The Athletic. “But Atleti go out of this competition with their heads held high. No question.”
United Kingdom
Manchester City midfielder Vivianne Miedema is calling soccer fans’ attention towards growing abuse in the women’s game, as first reported on by The Telegraph. Miedema fears the women’s atmosphere will follow the hostile environment often tolerated and seen as commonplace in the men’s — and take a shape of its own through misogynistic aim. Miedema is fighting for a fan culture in the women’s game that is uniquely different from the men’s, while still equal.
Last weekend, Liverpool defender Taylor Hinds heard “sexually inappropriate comments” from a fan while down with a head injury on the pitch, where the perpetrator was then removed from the stadium. As a further investigation proceeds, Hinds says she is “determined to make a stand.”
“It was hard for my mum and dad to not realize what was going on and to find out later what was being shouted at their daughter during a game of football,” Hinds said.
Miedema’s teammate Khadija “Bunny” Shaw, a 28-year-old striker and top scorer this season for the Women’s Super League, received racist and misogynist abuse online following the City’s Arsenal defeat. Shaw withdrew from the next match on Feb. 6 against Arsenal in the Subway League Cup following the abuse. Shaw celebrated with the Black power salute after scoring a goal in her first match back.
“We always say and we’re always proud as a women’s game that we’re very inclusive, but somehow that is starting to slip away a bit,” Miedema said. “As a player and as an advocate for women’s football, I’ve always been one of the ones shouting that we need to weave our own path and we need to be really careful in how we want to grow and develop.”
Contact Levi Langley at [email protected]
