Matias Almeyda celebrates winning the CONCACAF Champions League.
A big congratulations to Matias ALMEYDA on winning the CONCACAF Champions League with his club Guadalajara.
It was an absolute rollercoaster of a final. Using the same concept as CONMEBOL’s Copa Libertadores (a final played over two legs), ALMEYDA’s men won 3-3 (4-2) on penalty kicks over Toronto FC. Following a 2-1 win in Toronto on April 17, GUADALAJARA had the advantage going into the second leg. However, two goals by Toronto FC in the first half of the second leg erased any advantage the Mexican club had conjured up.
The match went to a penalty shootout and while Toronto FC scored two of their four shots, ALMEYA’s team went a perfect four out of four as they won the CONCACAF Champions League.
A big congratulations to Matias ALMEYDA on winning his fifth (and no doubt biggest) title as coach in Mexico.
Roberto Ayala scores for Argentina in the quarter finals of the 2006 FIFA World Cup versus Germany.
As part of the 50 days, 50 Argentina World Cup moments, we will be counting down the top 50 Argentina moments at a World Cup using the daily number.
We are just 49 days until the start of the FIFA World Cup and in 49th place we have Roberto AYALA who scored for Argentina in the 49th minute against Germany at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
A match which proved to be the end of an older generation for Argentina came in 2006 and it was only fitting that a leader of that generation scored. An absolutely nailbiting match which ended in heartbreak.
Hernan CRESPO, Roberto AYALA and Juan Pablo SORIN just to name a few lead an entire Argentine generation. CRESPO and AYALA were part of the 1998 FIFA World Cup squad with SORIN being a key figure under both Marcelo BIELSA and Jose PEKERMAN. When Argentina took on Germany in the quarter finals of the 2006 World Cup in Berlin, there was a sense of security as many of these players had been together since the youth squads. The team was out there with veterans lead by Juan Roman RIQUELME, playing a style which caught the attention of the entire footballing world.
Here was Argentina’s starting eleven for that match:
1. Roberto ABBODANZIERI
2. Roberto AYALA
3. Juan Pablo SORIN
4. Fabricio COLOCCINI
6. Gabriel HEINZE
8. Javier MASCHERANO
9. Hernan CRESPO
10. Juan Roman RIQUELME
11. Carlos TEVEZ
18. Maxi RODRIGUEZ
22. Luis “Lucho” GONZALEZ
It took until the 49th minute of the match for us to get our first goal and was it ever worth it. A corner kick delivered by Juan Roman RIQUELME and a leaping header by Roberto AYALA. After that came moments Argentina fans all around the world would like to forget. Goalkeeper Roberto ABBONDANZIERI having to be substituted off due to injury, Juan Roman RIQUELME being replaced by Esteban CAMBIASSO while the likes of Pablo AIMAR and Lionel MESSI remained on the bench. A potential penalty on Maxi RODRIGUEZ not given and of course two missed penalties by Esteban CAMBIASSO and Roberto AYALA himself.
A team which had a lot of promise but fell short will forever be remembered maybe not for this match in particular, but for the style they brought to that tournament.
Portuguese football giant Benfica are looking at Argentine defender German CONTI as a possible signing for next season.
The 23 year old is currently playing for Colon and has been touted as one of the promising talents to emerge from the Argentine league for quite some time.
The Lisbon based side are keen to bolster their defence in the long run by looking for possible replacements to their current ageing pair, Luisao (37 years old) and Jardel (32 years old).
CONTI has been getting offers from clubs in Brazil and Russia in recent months but it seems like Benfica is now leading the race for his signature and are willing to match Colon’s asking price of €4 million. In December, he was almost on the verge of signing for Atletico Mineiro but the deal fell through the last minute.
According to Adriel DRUSSI of TyC Sport who spoke to Portuguese media DN Sports, CONTI is a natural leader after having captained Colon for the past few seasons. Not known to be fast and a physical type of player but CONTI supplements those aspect for his agility and being difficult to get passed in an one on one situation. Playing in Europe could help him to improve his game and has better chance to receive call ups for the national team.
Sergio Romero playing for the Argentina National Team vs. Switzerland at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
We are just 50 days until the start of the FIFA World Cup and we will be counting down the Argentina moments, beginning with Sergio ROMERO!
Argentina’s starting goalkeeper for the past two FIFA World Cup’s has played a total of 93 matches for his country but match number 50 for him was very special. It came on July 1, 2014 at the FIFA World Cup where Argentina defeated Switzerland 1-0 in extra time courtesy of a goal from Angel DI MARIA. A tight affair, Alejandro SABELLA’s men had much of the ball but were unable to do anything up until Rodrigo PALACIO won the ball, passed it to MESSI who went on a mazy run who then slotted it over to DI MARIA to score the winner. The entire bench went out to celebrate with the rest of the players as the team held on for the 1-0 win on their way to the final.
Sergio Romero: Argentina International Caps – Senior Level
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Opponent
Competition
Date
Result
1
Paraguay
2010 World Cup Qualifiers
September 9, 2009
Final 1-0 Paraguay
2
Peru
2010 World Cup Qualifiers
October 10, 2009
Final 2-1 Argentina
3
Uruguay
2010 World Cup Qualifiers
October 14, 2009
Final 1-0 Argentina
4
Spain
Friendly
November 14, 2009
Final 2-1 Spain
5
Germany
Friendly
March 3, 2010
Final 1-0 Argentina
6
Nigeria
2010 FIFA World Cup
June 12, 2010
Final 1-0 Argentina
7
South Korea
2010 FIFA World Cup
June 17, 2010
Final 4-1 Argentina
8
Greece
2010 FIFA World Cup
June 22, 2010
Final 2-0 Argentina
9
Mexico
2010 FIFA World Cup
June 23, 2010
Final 3-1 Argentina
10
Germany
2010 FIFA World Cup
July 3, 2010
Final 4-0 Germany
11
Republic of Ireland
Friendly
August 11, 2010
Final 1-0 Argentina
12
Spain
Friendly
September 7, 2010
Final 4-1 Argentina
13
Japan
Friendly
October 8, 2010
Final 1-0 Japan
14
Brazil
Friendly
November 17, 2010
Final 1-0 Argentina
15
Portugal
Friendly
February 9, 2011
Final 2-1 Argentina
16
Albania
Friendly
June 20, 2011
Final 4-0 Argentina
17
Bolivia
2011 Copa America
July 1, 2011
Final 1-1 Draw
18
Colombia
2011 Copa America
July 6, 2011
Final 0-0 Draw
19
Costa Rica
2011 Copa America
July 11, 2011
Final 3-0 Argentina
20
Uruguay
2011 Copa America
July 16, 2011
Final 2-2 (5-4 P) Uruguay
21
Venezuela
Friendly
August 29, 2011
Final 1-0 Argentina
22
Nigeria
Friendly
September 6, 2011
Final 3-1 Argentina
23
Bolivia
2014 World Cup Qualifiers
November 11, 2011
Final 1-1 Draw
24
Colombia
2014 World Cup Qualifiers
November 15, 2011
Final 2-1 Argentina
25
Switzerland
Friendly
February 28, 2012
Final 3-1 Argentina
26
Ecuador
2014 World Cup Qualifiers
June 2, 2012
Final 4-0 Argentina
27
Brazil
Friendly
June 9, 2012
Final 4-3 Argentina
28
Germany
Friendly
August 15, 2012
Final 3-1 Argentina
29
Paraguay
2014 World Cup Qualifiers
September 7, 2012
Final 3-1 Argentina
30
Peru
2014 World Cup Qualifiers
September 11, 2012
Final 1-1 Draw
31
Uruguay
2014 World Cup Qualifiers
October 12, 2012
Final 3-0 Argentina
32
Chile
2014 World Cup Qualifiers
October 16, 2012
Final 2-1 Argentina
33
Saudi Arabia
Friendly
November 14, 2012
Final 0-0 Draw
34
Sweden
Friendly
February 6, 2013
Final 3-2 Argentina
35
Venezuela
2014 World Cup Qualifiers
March 22, 2013
Final 3-0 Argentina
36
Bolivia
2014 World Cup Qualifiers
March 26, 2013
Final 1-1 Draw
37
Colombia
2014 World Cup Qualifiers
June 7, 2013
Final 0-0 Draw
38
Ecuador
2014 World Cup Qualifiers
June 11, 2013
Final 1-1 Draw
39
Paraguay
2014 World Cup Qualifiers
September 10, 2013
Final 5-2 Argentina
40
Peru
2014 World Cup Qualifiers
October 11, 2013
Final 3-1 Argentina
41
Uruguay
2014 World Cup Qualifiers
October 15, 2013
Final 3-2 Uruguay
42
Ecuador
Friendly
November 15, 2013
Final 0-0 Draw
43
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Friendly
November 18, 2013
Final 2-0 Argentina
44
Romania
Friendly
March 5, 2014
Final 0-0 Draw
45
Trinidad and Tobago
Friendly
June 4, 2014
Final 3-0 Argentina
46
Slovenia
Friendly
June 7, 2014
Final 3-0 Argentina
47
Bosnia-Herzegovina
2014 FIFA World Cup
June 15, 2014
Final 2-1 Argentina
48
Iran
2014 FIFA World Cup
June 21, 2014
Final 1-0 Argentina
49
Nigeria
2014 FIFA World Cup
June 25, 2014
Final 3-2 Argentina
50
Switzerland
2014 FIFA World Cup
July 1, 2014
Final 1-0 Argentina
51
Belgium
2014 FIFA World Cup
July 5, 2014
Final 1-0 Argentina
52
Netherlands
2014 FIFA World Cup
July 9, 2014
Final 0-0 (4-2 P) Argentina
53
Germany
2014 FIFA World Cup
July 13, 2014
Final 1-0 Germany
54
Germany
Friendly
September 3, 2014
Final 4-2 Argentina
55
Brazil
Friendly
October 11, 2014
Final 2-0 Brazil
56
Croatia
Friendly
November 12, 2014
Final 2-1 Argentina
57
Ecuador
Friendly
March 31, 2015
Final 2-1 Argentina
58
Bolivia
Friendly
June 6, 2015
Final 5-0 Argentina
59
Paraguay
2015 Copa America
June 13, 2015
Final 2-2 Draw
60
Uruguay
2015 Copa America
June 16, 2015
Final 1-0 Argentina
61
Jamaica
2015 Copa America
June 20, 2015
Final 1-0 Argentina
62
Colombia
2015 Copa America
June 27, 2015
Final 0-0 (5-4 P) Argentina
63
Paraguay
2015 Copa America
June 30, 2015
Final 6-1 Argentina
64
Chile
2015 Copa America
July 4, 2015
Final 0-0 (4-1 P) Chile
65
Bolivia
Friendly
September 4, 2015
Final 7-0 Argentina
66
Ecuador
2018 World Cup Qualifiers
October 8, 2015
Final 2-0 Ecuador
67
Paraguay
2018 World Cup Qualifiers
October 13, 2015
Final 0-0 Draw
68
Brazil
2018 World Cup Qualifiers
November 13, 2015
Final 1-1 Draw
69
Colombia
2018 World Cup Qualifiers
November 17, 2015
Final 1-0 Argentina
70
Chile
2018 World Cup Qualifiers
March 24, 2016
Final 2-1 Argentina
71
Bolivia
2018 World Cup Qualifiers
March 29, 2016
Final 2-0 Argentina
72
Honduras
Friendly
May 27, 2016
Final 1-0 Argentina
73
Chile
2016 Copa America
June 6, 2016
Final 2-1 Argentina
74
Panama
2016 Copa America
June 10, 2016
Final 5-0 Argentina
75
Bolivia
2016 Copa America
June 14, 2016
Final 3-0 Argentina
76
Venezuela
2016 Copa America
June 18, 2016
Final 4-1 Argentina
77
United States
2016 Copa America
June 21, 2016
Final 4-0 Argentina
78
Chile
2016 Copa America
June 26, 2016
Final 0-0 (4-2 P) Chile
79
Uruguay
2018 World Cup Qualifiers
September 1, 2016
Final 1-0 Argentina
80
Venezuela
2018 World Cup Qualifiers
September 6, 2016
Final 2-2 Draw
81
Peru
2018 World Cup Qualifiers
October 6, 2016
Final 2-2 Draw
82
Paraguay
2018 World Cup Qualifiers
October 11, 2016
Final 1-0 Paraguay
83
Brazil
2018 World Cup Qualifiers
November 10, 2016
Final 3-0 Brazil
84
Colombia
2018 World Cup Qualifiers
November 15, 2016
Final 3-0 Argentina
85
Chile
2018 World Cup Qualifiers
March 23, 2017
Final 1-0 Argentina
86
Bolivia
2018 World Cup Qualifiers
March 28, 2017
Final 2-0 Bolivia
87
Brazil
Friendly
June 9, 2017
Final 1-0 Argentina
88
Uruguay
2018 World Cup Qualifiers
August 31, 2017
Final 0-0 Draw
89
Venezuela
2018 World Cup Qualifiers
September 5, 2017
Final 1-1 Draw
90
Peru
2018 World Cup Qualifiers
October 5, 2017
Final 0-0 Draw
91
Ecuador
2018 World Cup Qualifiers
October 10, 2017
Final 3-1 Argentina
92
Russia
Friendly
November 11, 2017
Final 1-0 Argentina
93
Spain
Friendly
Match 27, 2018
Final 6-1 Spain
It was a special World Cup not only for the fans but more specifically for the players. In this case, Sergio ROMERO. Chiquito ROMERO was under fire and seen as the weak link by much of the Argentina fan base but he proved his doubters wrong coming up with key moments for his country in the tournament. A few excellent saves in the opening match against Bosnia and Herzegovina was followed by an even better performance against Iran in the second group stage match. His stand out performance no doubt came in the semi-finals against the Netherlands where ROMERO made two saves in the penalty shootout as the Albiceleste defeated the Netherlands to reach the final in Rio.
No doubt an unforgettable moment from all Argentina fans around the world and match number 50 for ROMERO against Switzerland will not be one easily forgotten.
River vs Independiente de Santa Fe
Foto Juano Tesone
Following Arsene WENGER’s announcement that he is leaving Arsenal at the end of the season, it appears as though Monaco’s current coach Leonardo JARDIM is among front runners to replace him next season.
Various reports are now suggesting that the club are looking at former cult hero Marcelo GALLARDO of River Plate as the potential candidate to fill in the vacant position, should JARDIM take up the offer to go North London.
Interesting development. Monaco are reportedly eyeing former player (also ex-PSG) & current River Plate coach Marcelo Gallardo… Leonardo Jardim potentially off? Les Monegasques certainly appear to have lost steam under him in recent weeks. #ASM#CARPhttps://t.co/BlWjpeg7De
GALLARDO has long hinted his desire to manage in Europe once his chapter with River comes to an end despite just signing a four year extension deal last December. Monaco could be a perfect destinaiton for him considering three memorable years at the club as a player.
He arrived at Monaco in 1999 and was a huge success in his first year at the club. The team won the Ligue 1 title and GALLARDO was also named as French league’s Player of the Year. He also won the Trophée des Champions the following season and the Coupe de la Ligue in 2003.
It remains to be seen if GALLARDO will finally make the move to Europe.
