With the Euros and Copa America finishing up in July, August was all about the return of club soccer. I should have said ‘football’ being a Brit, but I’m a sucker for alliteration, so welcome to August’s Soccer Special Sports Roundup. Don’t worry I’ve still included a few other sports highlights in here too!
1 – The EPL Returns
The most entertaining league in the world, the English Premier League returned to action in August and the opening weekend certainly didn’t disappoint.
The pick of the goals was clearly new Aston Villa man Danny Ing’s sensational volley.
This was 𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟. 😍 @IngsDanny pic.twitter.com/evw8HuOiQV
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) August 21, 2021
Premier League newcomers Brentford have been a refreshing addition, both for their impressive displays on the pitch, and their football family vibe off of it. Here’s a piece of class from Bees manager Thomas Frank celebrating the club’s brilliant opener vs Arsenal and sharing the good times with the fans.
Meet Woody O’Rourke..
After being turned away by his local football club because he was born with Down Syndrome, Brentford FC invited him to a game in 2018.
Now, three years later, Woody was there to celebrate Brentford’s first top-flight win in 74 years.
The beautiful game 🙏 pic.twitter.com/e8GQnJjGXN
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) August 16, 2021
2 – Libertadores Magic
The best of the best in South America come together for the CONMEBOL Libertadores, and that’s when moments of brilliance happen like this Ings-esque goal:
🔥⚫⚪ A STUNNER from Matías Zaracho after a perfect cross from Hulk to open the scoring for @Atletico tonight against @RiverPlate! pic.twitter.com/LoqZffJ2er
— CONMEBOL Libertadores (@TheLibertadores) August 19, 2021
3 – Monsieur Messi
Speaking of the best of South America, how could we leave out the sensational story of Lionel Messi’s move from Barcelona to PSG?! His debut may have only been for 24 minutes after coming on for Neymar, but it broke all kinds of records.
This is a little different…
Leo Messi comes on for his PSG debut! #beINLigue1 #SDRPSG
Watch Now – https://t.co/hkoevnV6B4 pic.twitter.com/MorxOZirBI
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS_EN) August 29, 2021
PSG vs Reims was the most watched Ligue 1 game on French TV ever, with 10.5 million people tuning in. Over in Spain two million watched along, making it the most viewed French football league game ever.
🎥 ‘𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗜 𝗖𝗔𝗠’ 🔴
Focusing on the debut of Leo Messi! 🔍 pic.twitter.com/mq0vDU7w1i
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) August 31, 2021
Another unwanted record for the Argentine was that Messi was the most fouled player of the match, remember, he was only on the pitch for 24mins! He may have to get used to that.
4 – Over in España
Speaking of Spain, check out this incredibly creative finish from Valencia’s Carlos Soler.
Take a moment to appreciate this beautiful flicked finish from Carlos Soler 😍 pic.twitter.com/DPIhaaFFvC
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) August 27, 2021
5 – Terrific Texas
El Paso Locomotive FC… love the team name! But I love this sensational finish even more. It looks great from every angle.
Hey, @SportsCenter, Number One on #SCTop10?
Gotta be, right? pic.twitter.com/U7BQY3cbLK— El Paso Locomotive FC (@eplocomotivefc) August 22, 2021
6 – MLS All-Star Game ⭐
Americans do things a little differently to the rest of the world. You’d never see a bunch of Premier League players team up mid-season to take on La Liga’s best players (although I’d love to see it). Well that’s what MLS and Mexico’s Liga MX did for the All-Star game. The game was given a bit of extra spice thanks to the international rivalries.
An entertaining 1-1 game went to penalties and New England Revolution’s GK Matt Turner ensured the win for MLS All-Stars.
Matt Turner, brick wall.
Ricardo Pepi, ice in his veins.
The #MLSAllStar shootout was one to remember. pic.twitter.com/UqGvMogudk
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 26, 2021
7 – Pre-Season Football 🏈
Sticking with the US, and shifting gear to their version of football. Well it’s in pre-season and it has been delightful so far.
This angle of the Dolphins’ Hail Mary win. 🤤
It’s…
It’s so beautiful. 🙏 @MiamiDolphins | @reidsinnett | @cmyarick pic.twitter.com/D9Xz2IORlH
— NFL (@NFL) August 29, 2021
8 – Who needs two?
Seriously, who needs two when you can beautifully catch a ball one-handed like this.
JESPER HORSTED.
His third TD catch of the game!
📺: #CHIvsTEN on @NFLNetwork (or check local listings)
📱: https://t.co/fuBaH7nb4O pic.twitter.com/f9PDBvwF03— NFL (@NFL) August 29, 2021
9 – High School Football 🥊
Ironton – sounds like a place that my family way back must have founded. 😉🔨
Anyway, back to the action, what a way to win a game!
Always stay in the FIGHT…. Coach Pendleton before this play said we were going to win this game and make history. The man has been in apart of some of greatest finishes in football history and this one just adds to it. JUST BELIEVE @espn @SportsCenter pic.twitter.com/QPwFqBp1xX
— Ironton Football (@FootballIronton) August 28, 2021
10 – Pro Boxing Debut for Ali’s Grandson
Also in August, the GOAT Muhammad Ali’s 21-year-old grandson Nico Ali Walsh scored a TKO win over Jordan Weeks in his impressive pro boxing debut.
Still buzzing 🦋🐝 Go behind the scenes of a memorable pro debut for @NicoAliX74.
FULL BTS VIDEO ➡️ https://t.co/NuVrlkhEkx pic.twitter.com/ONCaEJ8xvZ
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) August 19, 2021
Expect a lot more from this guy!
11 – MLBonus ⚾
I’ll finish up with some top MLB highlights.
The caption they used describes this perfectly…
What an insane double play! 😱 pic.twitter.com/gDkllTMT1g
— MLB (@MLB) August 22, 2021
You’re not tagging me…
jorge mateo said “not today” pic.twitter.com/tcTr5rcEXx
— Cut4 (@Cut4) August 29, 2021
What a catch…
Not Manny guys can do what AJ just did. 😱 pic.twitter.com/ib9F97Vcdi
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 25, 2021
Stand out performance of the month goes to…
Relive the epic performance.
All 27 outs of Tyler Gilbert’s no-no. ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/7JevvPxtFL
— MLB (@MLB) August 15, 2021
If you enjoyed this sports highlights roundup check out the best bits from July .
