In a few parts of the world, it’s almost the end of the season. So, this weekend we have some special matches to bring you from all over the place.
The Mexican League is ready to declare a champion, the U23 teams of Africa will crown a new titleholder and we will make a special visit to the Cambodian League.
(All times are in CET local time)
Amateur (Like this goal)
What? Pumas UNAM – Tigres UANL (Liga MX)
When? Monday, 03:30
Where? Estadio Olímpico Universitario, Mexico City
Why? Mexico will crown its first champion of the season in the final of the Apertura. The first match on Thursday ended with a win 3:0 win for Tigres. Pumas are looking to complete their perfect run after they finished in the 1st place in the regular season. Tigres finished 5th, but after their great victory they are close to winning the title.
Key Players: For Pumas, it’s Javier Cortés, who won the Olympic gold medal with Mexico in 2012 and has been playing for the club since 2008. Tigres’s biggest name is former French international André-Pierre Gignac, the team’s leading scorer with 13 goals.
Road to Glory: Bora Milutinović, one of the most fascinating managers in the world, used to play for Pumas and, after his retirement, he got his first job as the club’s manager. He managed the team for 6 years before moving to his next mission, the Mexico national team.
Professional (like this match)
What? Nigeria – Algeria (U23 African Cup of Nations)
When? Saturday, 20:00
Where? Stade Léopold Sédar Senghor, Dakar, Senegal
Why? Seven months before the Olympic tournament in Rio, Africa will see which U23 team is the best on the continent. Nigeria, the 1996 Olympic gold medallists, have qualified for their 7th Olympic tournament. Algeria have qualified for their 2nd tournament, their first since 1980.
Key Players: The leading player for Nigeria is Etebo Oghenekaro, a 20 year-old player from Warri Wolves, who leads the championship's topscorers list with 3 goals. The Algerian midfielder, Zinedine Ferhat, is dominating for his national team and has an important role at USM Alger, Algeria’s league leaders.
African Power: African teams always produce great performances at the Olympic Games, but one of the most famous matches was back in 1988. Zambia thrashed Italy 4:0, with an amazing hat-trick by Kalusha Bwalya.
World Class (like this goal)
What? Phnom Penh Crown – Nagaworld (Cambodian C-League)
When? Saturday, 12:00
Where? Olympic Stadium, Phnom Penh
Why? The Cambodian League had an intense season and now it’s the 2nd leg of the final. In the first leg, Phnom Penh Crown won 2:0. Phnom Penh Crown finished the regular season in 2nd place and Nagaworld finished 4th.
Key Players: Phnom Penh Crown’s George Bisan is a 23 year-old Nigerian and one of the top scorers in the league with 24 goals in 24 matches. Look out for Nagaworld's striker, Kouch Sokumpheak, who has 43 caps for the national team and has now played with Phnom Penh Crown for 5 seasons.
A league of ministries: Back in the 80's, most of the teams' sponsors were government ministries, so among the previous champions you can find teams like Ministry of Transports FC and Ministry of Commerce FC.