THE SOCCER REPORT
Soccer Recap: Flamengo champions of South America, Man City comeback vs. Chelsea
Nov 26, 2019, 8:25 am
THE SOCCER REPORT
Brazilian club Flamengo defeated Argentina's River Plate to claim the 2019 Copa Libertadores, the continental championship of South America. It is the second Libertadores in the club's history and first since 1981. River Plate held a 1-0 lead for 89 minutes before Gabriel Barbosa struck twice in the 89th minute and in second half stoppage time to turn the game on its head. Flamengo will represent CONMEBOL, the South American confederation, in December's FIFA Club World Cup.
The match was the first one-game final in the tournament's history and took place in Lima, Peru - moved from its original setting of Santiago, Chile due to the ongoing protests.
Al Hilal, the new king of Asia 👑 #ACL2019 https://t.co/7ERL4VHRP2— #ACLFinal (@#ACLFinal) 1574623582.0
Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal claimed their third AFC Champions League title with a 2-1 aggregate win over Japan's Urawa Red Diamonds. Former MLS MVP Sebastian Giovinco won Man of the Match honors for Al-Hilal, who now head to December's FIFA Club World Cup.
Top six: 1. Liverpool (37), 2. Leicester City (29), 3. Man City (28), 4. Chelsea (26), 5. Arsenal (19), 6. Sheffield Utd (18)
Bottom three (relegation): 18. Norwich City (10), 19. Southampton (9), 20. Watford (8)
Scoring leader: 12 - Jamie Vardy (Leicester City)
Assists leader: 9 - Kevin De Bruyne (Man City)
Top six: 1. FC Barcelona (28), 2. Real Madrid (28), 3. Sevilla (27), 4. Atletico Madrid (25), 5. Athletic Bilbao (23), 6. Real Sociedad (23)
Bottom three: 18. Celta Vigo (12), 19. Espanyol (9), 20. Leganes (6)
Scoring leader: 10 - Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
Assists leader: 5 - Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona)
Top six: 1. Monchengladbach (25), 2. RB Leipzig (24), 3. Bayern Munich (24), 4. Freiburg (22), 5. Schalke 04 (22), 6. Dortmund (20)
Bottom three: 16. Fortuna (11), 17. Cologne (7), 18. Paderborn (5)
Scoring leader: 16 - Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Assists leader: 7 - Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich)Top six: 1. Juventus (35), 2. Inter Milan (34), 3. Lazio (27), 4. Cagliari (25), 5. Roma (25), 6. Atalanta (22)
Bottom three: 18. Genoa (10), 19. SPAL (9), 20. Brescia (7)
Scoring leader: 15 - Ciro Immobile (Lazio)
Assists leader: 9 - Luis Alberto (Lazio)Top four: 1. PSG (33), 2. Marseille (25), 3. Angers (24), 4. Bordeaux (22)
Bottom three: 18. Metz (14), 19. Tolouse (12), 20. Nimes (11)
Scoring leader: 10 - Moussa Dembele (Lyon)
🚨🚨 ¡HORARIOS DEFINIDOS! 🚨🚨 ¿Estás listo para vivir los #4tosDeFinal de la #LigaBBVAMX? Es momento de armar tu 📆… https://t.co/iFVCQeTQ9O— LIGA BBVA MX (@LIGA BBVA MX) 1574703501.0
🚨🚨TENEMOS FINALISTAS 🚨🚨 Una nueva edición de Final Regia ¿Quién es tu favorito para ser campeón? 🔁@Rayadas ❤️… https://t.co/0lkkz8PYwS— LIGA BBVA MX Femenil (@LIGA BBVA MX Femenil) 1574740782.0
Tuesday, November 26
11:55 a.m. - [UEFA Champions League] Lokomotiv Moscow vs. Bayer Leverkusen (TNT, UniMas, TUDN)
11:55 a.m. - [UEFA Champions League] Galatasaray vs. Brugge (Galavision)
2:00 p.m. - [UEFA Champions League] Real Madrid vs. PSG (TNT, UniMas, TUDN)
2:00 p.m. - [UEFA Champions League] Juventus vs. Atletico Madrid (Galavision)
Wednesday, November 27
11:55 a.m. - [UEFA Champions League] Valencia vs. Chelsea (TNT, UniMas, TUDN)
11:55 a.m. - [UEFA Champions League] Zenit vs. Lyon (Galavision)
2:00 p.m. - [UEFA Champions League] FC Barcelona vs. Dortmund (UniMas, TUDN)
2:00 p.m. - [UEFA Champions League] Liverpool vs. Napoli (TNT, Galavision)
Sunday night matchups don't get much exciting than this, as the Houston Texans host the Detroit Lions in prime-time at NRG.
The Lions come into this game on a six-game winning streak looking every bit of the best team in football. Houston on the other hand has lost two of their last three games with a struggling offense unable to protect their quarterback.
CJ Stroud has only one passing touchdown over this span, and is clearly having trouble adjusting to life without Stefon Diggs and Nico Collins.
If Houston is going to come away with an upset victory, they will need big performances from Tank Dell and Joe Mixon. After catching 4 passes against the Colts two weeks ago, Mixon not only failed to catch a single pass against the Jets, but he wasn't even targeted.
Considering the Texans' offensive line issues, choosing not to use Mixon as a pass catcher is hard to fathom. Especially since he and Dell are the team's top 2 playmakers.
What's working in the Texans' favor?
They play this game at home, where they are undefeated this season. A lot of the team's protection issues have popped up on the road, so communication should be easier for the offense on their home turf.
Bulls on Parade
We have good news and bad news about the defense this week. On the positive side, Azeez Al-Shaair and Jimmy Ward have returned to practice. If they're able to contribute on Sunday night, that would give the defense a lift.
And now for the bad news. Will Anderson has yet to practice this week after rolling his ankle in the Jets game. If he is unable to practice on Friday, it's hard to imagine he'll be active against Detroit.
X-factors
The Texans have to show some improvement on the offensive line this week.
Houston must lean on Joe Mixon again, as Nico Collins isn't expected to play.
Lions' Amon-Ra St. Brown is one of the best receivers in the league, and he does most of his damage from the slot. If the Texans continue to deploy Jalen Pitre against premier receivers in man coverage, St. Brown is going to light up the scoreboard.
What would a win over the Lions mean to Houston?
The Texans are no longer considered a true championship contender because of their losses to the Packers, Vikings, and Jets. In fact, the Bills are the only team with a winning record that the Texans have beaten.
An upset win over the streaking Lions would change that narrative.
What does Vegas think?
The Lions are currently favored by 3.5 and the total is set at 49 points.
Don't miss the full preview of Texans-Lions in the video above!
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