Top 10 Matches from World Football in November
Across the world, November was another excellent month for quality football. Records fell, wonderful goals were scored, and fans were kept on the edge of their seats as they watched some gripping encounters that could have gone either way.
The following 10 matches may not necessarily be the highest quality or purest football experiences. They stand out from the thousands of fixtures worldwide for a variety of reasons: great strikes, brilliant supporter experiences or heart-attack-inducing finishes. The one thing they have in common is that those lucky enough to watch them will not forget what they saw for quite some time.
10. River 1-0 Boca
1 of 10There are few games in world football bigger than a River-Boca Superclasico. When that most special of fixtures occurs in a continental semi-final, the resulting madness is guaranteed to bring Argentina to a grinding halt.
The two clubs' second leg of the Copa Sudamericana's penultimate stage was not a classic, but the match did not lack anything. The tone was set just 14 seconds into the clash, when Boca were awarded a penalty kick which was acrobatically saved by Marcelo Barovero.
Leonardo Pisculichi's goal eventually gave the Millonarios a 1-0 win on the night in the Monumental and on aggregate, following 90 action-packed minutes and a fantastic following from the River faithful.
9. Arsenal 3-3 Anderlecht
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Arsene Wenger's Arsenal are one of football's great enigmas. The Gunners' capacity for wonderful play and silky football is only rivalled by the club's tendency to later self-destruct, throwing away winning positions. This was perfectly demonstrated earlier in November in the Champions League.
The north Londoners came flying out of the blocks against Anderlecht, going 3-0 up after less than an hour with goals that included a scorcher from Alexis Sanchez. When the game appeared in the bag, however, the hosts went quickly off the boil.
Anderlecht fought back with two goals from Anthony Vanden Borre, and in the last minute, they silenced the home team with an Aleksandar Mitrovic header that gave the Belgians an unlikely share of the points.
8. Arsenal de Sarandi 2-3 Lanus
3 of 10Arsenal de Sarandí's home match against Lanus in the Argentinian Transicion championship is a fairly obscure fixture to include on this list. For excitement and, more than anything, sheer controversy, however, the game will be remembered for a long time.
After Silvio Romero opened the scoring for title challengers Lanus, Arsenal hit back and were soon 2-1 up with just minutes to play. But a refereeing meltdown by Andres Merlos played in the Granate's favour. The official looked on as Diego Gonzalez equalised in the fifth and final minute of injury time, and despite Arsenal protests, he added on another minute to the clock.
The match was in its 100th minute when Lautaro Acosta swooped to win the game for the away team, sparking angry scenes in Sarandi and filling the headlines for weeks to come.
7. Juventus 7-0 Parma
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Italian champions Juventus have been on a learning curve this season as they adapt to life without Antonio Conte on the bench. When things go right, though, as demonstrated in an all-conquering defeat of Parma last month, the Old Lady are as good as any team in the world.
Parma suffered in Turin as Carlos Tevez took all of the plaudits. The Argentinian scored two goals, the first of which came from a mazy run that brought to mind the very best of Diego Maradona before slotting the ball past the hapless Mirante.
Fernando Llorente and Alvaro Morata also chipped in with a pair each, and Stephan Lichtsteiner completed the rout as Juve sent an ominous message to their 2014/15 Serie A rivals.
6. Hoffenheim 3-4 Cologne
5 of 10Aside from Hoffenheim and Cologne fans, this roller-coaster game may have escaped the attentions of more than a few people in the football world. A shame, as the two sides put on an exhibition of attacking football which showed perfectly why the Bundesliga is one of the world's most exciting leagues.
Hoffenheim took the lead after just two minutes, but they quickly saw that advantage evaporate as goals from Pawel Olkowski, Matthias Lehmann and Anthony Ujah put Cologne 3-1 ahead. Still in the first half, Roberto Firmino struck twice to leave a six-goal thriller tied at the break.
With the game anyone's, it was eventually the visitors who secured three points when Olkowski swooped for his second of the game. Few supporters, however, could have left disappointed after a pulsating match.
5. Nacional 2-1 Penarol
6 of 10It is one of the world's oldest and most fiercely contested derbies. Once more, the latest edition of the Montevideo clasico between Penarol and Nacional did not fail to disappoint, with the Bolsos running out winners in a brilliant finish to events at the Estadio Centenario.
Penarol appeared in control for much of the match, having taken the lead via Manya legend Antonio Pacheco. But in injury time, Nacional were ready to strike, grabbing an equaliser in the 91st minute when Sebastian Fernandez hit home.
And in a finish worthy of Hollywood, it was veteran playmaker and ex-Inter star Alvaro Recoba who decided proceedings. Four minutes into injury time, El Chino let loose with a wonderful effort and gave victory to the white half of Uruguay's capital.
4. Juventus 2-1 Torino
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Juventus demonstrated against Parma that the Italian giants are capable of cutting loose and taking an inferior team to pieces in this year's Serie A. Against derby rivals Torino, meanwhile, the Old Lady proved that they have the heart and will to win in order to grind out results when it really matters.
Having Andrea Pirlo lining up for your team, of course, also helps a great deal.
The grizzled veteran midfielder crashed home a stunning long-range effort, after Arturo Vidal's penalty had been cancelled out by an equally spectacular strike from Torino's Bruno Peres. It was the club's first goal in 12 years against their Turin rivals, but it was not quite enough to stop Pirlo from taking the points for the Scudetto front-runners.
3. Marseille 3-1 Bordeaux
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Fans of high-octane, pressure-driven attacking football are spoilt for choice this season. If, for any reason, the Pep Guardiola revolution in Bavaria is getting tiresome, a quick switch over to the south of France and Marcelo Bielsa's Marseille should satiate even the most demanding of supporters.
OM's most exhilarating 90 minutes of the Ligue 1 campaign so far arguably came with a heart-stopping finish against Bordeaux. A bruising defeat to title rivals Paris Saint-Germain the previous round could have installed doubts in the minds of some coaches.
Not Bielsa. Marseille took an astonishing 26 shots in the Stade Velodrome and enjoyed 60 percent of the ball but still found themselves behind with 30 minutes to play. But Mario Lemina's equaliser, and two goals in the final five minutes, saw the club fight through and retake their place at the top of the league.
2. Manchester City 3-2 Bayern Munich
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Bayern Munich were already safely through to the Champions League knockout rounds when they faced Manchester City on Nov. 25, but the Germans looked like they were playing for their lives early on, giving a masterclass of tactical brilliance when Mehdi Benatia saw red and allowed Sergio Aguero to take the lead from the penalty spot.
Even with 10 men for 70 minutes, Guardiola's men looked a cut above, but Aguero was determined to keep City's Champions League hopes alive. Two late goals, aided by uncharacteristically sloppy keeping from Manuel Neuer, earned the Argentinian his hat-trick and sealed a priceless win for the hosts.
1. Barcelona 5-1 Sevilla
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Barcelona's resounding victory over Sevilla was not the closest or most thrilling match of the month. It did, however, allow the Catalans to get back on track after a rather underwhelming run of form.
What the match will be remembered for is the breaking of one of Spanish football's most historic records. Not one, not two but three goals from the incomparable genius Lionel Messi took the little Argentinian past Telmo Zarra's long-standing Liga scoring mark, setting a milestone that perhaps may never be surpassed.
Messi received the adulation of both his team-mates and a packed Camp Nou after the record fell, setting the scene for an unforgettable week in which he would also smash Raul's mark of 71 Champions League goals.
