Top 10 Matches from World Football in October
The past month stood out for one particular reason: In England, Spain, Italy, Germany and the rest of Europe, fans were treated to an exceptional number of goals, some of which were very special indeed.
That is why it is no surprise to see that the best games in October were high-scoring affairs. Some on the list were tense, action-packed games that went down to the wire. Others stood out for the sheer dominance and talent shown by the winning side which enabled them to record convincing victories.
Do you not agree with some of the choices here? Do you feel a particularly memorable 90 minutes have been overlooked? Write down your nomination for October's best match below in the comments section.
10. Valencia 3-1 Atletico Madrid
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La Liga champions and Champions League finalists Atletico Madrid knew that a season without Diego Costa, Filipe Luis and the rest of the team's departing stars would not be easy. A promising start to the Spanish campaign, however, has raised hopes that a repeat could be on the cards for Diego Simeone's men.
Where Real Madrid faltered against their rivals, a reborn Valencia sent their own title warning with a brilliant display. Miranda got the Colchoneros off to a bad start with an own goal before Andre Gomes hit a fine individual effort. Simeone's countryman, Nicolas Otamendi, extended the advantage from a set piece.
Diego Alves also came up big with a penalty save, and Valencia demonstrated that with four teams chasing the Liga title this year, the Spanish championship is becoming ever more democratic.
9. Real Madrid 5-0 Athletic
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The warnings were there for the rest of Spain and Europe. Carlo Ancelotti's Real Madrid had spluttered a little in the early days of the season, but by the time October rolled along the Blancos machine was firing on all cylinders. Athletic Bilbao found that out to their cost at the Bernabeu.
Cristiano Ronaldo was the star of the show, firing his 22nd Liga hat-trick to equal the record of Athletic idol Telmo Zarra, but the entire Madrid team was in unstoppable form.
The Basques had enjoyed a decent start to the campaign, but a double from Karim Benzema rounded off the drubbing and left Madrid basking in another convincing win.
8. Germany 1-1 Republic of Ireland
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It was a classic David vs. Goliath clash. Germany were fresh from a 7-1 destruction of Brazil on the way to their fourth World Cup trophy, while the Republic of Ireland watched the entire show from home after failing to qualify for Brazil 2014.
Few gave the nation even the faintest hope in October's Euro 2016 qualifier, especially when after defiant defensive work from the visitors Toni Kroos finally broke through 20 minutes from the end.
But Ireland and John O'Shea had different ideas. The defender celebrated his 100th cap in style by turning in an injury-time equaliser, leaving the Irish with seven points from three games in qualifying and well on course to join the party two years from now.
7. Southampton 8-0 Sunderland
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Teams like Southampton are not accustomed to tearing their Premier League rivals to pieces. But Ronald Koeman has installed new belief down on the south coast of England, and Sunderland found out the hard way that the Saints are a dangerous prospect this season.
Gus Poyet's men were blown away by a scintillating attacking display, conceding eight unanswered goals at St. Mary's to sink without a trace.
Three own goals, including an unforgettable howler from Santiago Vergini, did not help matters, but even without those mistakes the Mackems were played off the park and deserved to be the victims of Southampton's highest-ever Premier League victory.
6. Schalke 4-3 Sporting
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The Champions League was in fine form across October. The goals flew in from every angle and across the European continent, making for an even better spectacle than usual for the fortunate neutral fan.
Schalke's pulsating battle with Sporting was not the most high-profile match of the month, but for excitement few could top its 90 fascinating minutes.
Nani had given the visitors the lead against the run of play, but Schalke soon fought back to build up a strong 3-1 lead. But Sporting were not finished. The Portuguese club were determined to grab something from the game and hit two in quick succession through Adrien Silva to bring the score to 3-3.
Just when a draw appeared the most likely result, a questionable penalty in injury time allowed substitute Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting to fire home a heart-stopping winner, giving Schalke all three points in a game that had fans on the edge of their seats.
5. Eintracht Frankfurt 4-5 Stuttgart
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Thrilling, high-scoring games were indeed all the rage for Bundesliga clubs. While Schalke had fans biting their nails in the Champions League, back home in Germany Eintracht Frankfurt and Stuttgart played out their own brilliant 90 minutes in a nine-goal stormer.
After an opener from Frankfurt, the visitors appeared to have taken control when two Martin Harnik goals and a strike from Christian Gentner put them 3-1 ahead. But Stuttgart took their foot off the gas, and three goals in eight minutes for Frankfurt meant the hosts were once more in the driving seat.
Having made life extremely hard for themselves, the away side were ready to deliver a sting in the tail. Timo Werner's equaliser and a winner for Gentner just six minutes from time decided the encounter, leaving Frankfurt fans shell-shocked.
4. Juventus 3-2 Roma
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Sometime the best games are not those of the highest quality. Incident and controversy can make for just as intriguing a spectacle over the 90 minutes, and Serie A's top-of-the-table clash between Juventus and Roma had both of those elements to spare.
A questionable performance from referee Gianluca Rocchi certainly added to the spectacle. Three penalties were awarded, with Carlos Tevez converting two and Francisco Totti stepping up to hit his own from 12 yards for Roma. Alvaro Morata and Konstantinos Manolas saw red for good measure as the game spiralled out of control.
But just as the game looked set to finish in a bad-tempered draw, the winner appeared from the most unlikely of sources: Leonardo Bonucci let loose with a stunning late volley to seal a 3-2 Juventus victory.
3. Tottenham 5-1 Asteras
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What could a Europa League group game possibly contain to attract anyone other than fans of the sides directly involved? The goal of the season, a host of other fine strikes and a forward filling in between the posts, for a start.
Tottenham's 5-1 drubbing of Greek side Asteras will be remembered principally for an outrageous rabona shot from outside the area by Erik Lamela. The Argentine was awesome at White Hart Lane, adding another strike that was excellent in its own right to the count.
The cavalier Spurs have not hit top gear often this season, but the midweek fixture proved what is possible when everything goes right for Mauricio Pochettino's hit-and-miss charges.
2. Real Madrid 3-1 Barcelona
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Both Real Madrid and Barcelona had been in impressive form going in to the first Clasico of 2014/15. The result at the Bernabeu, however, was a tribute to Carlo Ancelotti and the physical, all-action squad he has put together since arriving in the Spanish capital.
The Catalans had taken the lead through an excellent Neymar goal, but even with Luis Suarez making his debut they had no answer for the quality of their bitter rivals, who ran them off the park.
Cristiano Ronaldo's penalty, Pepe's header and Karim Benzema's slick finish from Andres Iniesta's catastrophic error gave Los Merengues bragging rights in a fiercely contested 90 minutes.
1. Roma 1-7 Bayern Munich
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Sometimes in football, everything clicks. When this happens for a team of Bayern Munich's calibre, with coach Pep Guardiola getting everything right from the bench, opponents should be very, very afraid.
Roma had been in good shape early in the season, but the Italians endured an horror evening in the Champions League as Bayern ran rampant. The Stadio Olimpico saw Die Roten run out 7-1 winners after 90 minutes in which the home side were dismantled by a unique display of controlled aggression and perfect passing.
In a performance reminiscent of Germany's destruction of Brazil in the World Cup, Bayern raced into a 5-0 lead with barely 30 minutes of play completed.
Roma made the remaining hour a little more respectable, but it was still an historic evening for the German fans who had travelled down for an unforgettable game in the Eternal City.
