Weird week in football: Clean sheets, wet seats, and pink meats
Every Monday, theScore will highlight the most outlandish moments from the wacky, sometimes daft, and perennially entertaining world of European football. Here's what made us smile - or cringe - on the pitch this past week.
As perpetually peculiar as football tends to be, this past week in England was littered with all things customary. Arsenal appeared meek in dropping a pivotal tilt with Chelsea, Liverpool lost to a side fighting relegation, and Leicester looked horrid.
Elsewhere on the continent and beyond, matters were decidedly extraordinary, with the likes of Sergio Ramos, Joe Hart, and Tim Cahill all experiencing some outlandish occurrences.
In the spirit of the bewildering, beautiful game, here's a look at the Weird Week in Football:
Sergio swaps shirt for dinner
Frequent Weird Week in Football participant Sergio Ramos made one Real Madrid fan happy after a win over Real Sociedad when the stately Spaniard swapped his shirt for a tray of pork lion smeared in lard.
Seems the fan made himself known by hoisting a banner that read "Sergio, if you give me your shirt, Iβll give you a tray of lomo en manteca."
Drogba makes a funny over Zouma's tummy
After Chelsea's thrashing of Arsenal on Saturday at Stamford Bridge, Blues legend Didier Drogba was in good spirits, and for good reason, as the 3-1 victory put the Fulham side 12 points clear of its London rival.
A cheery Drogba paid Chelsea's locker room a visit after the match, and among the Ivorian's observations was the rigid physique of French centre-half Kurt Zouma.
*Cleans doughnut particles from keyboard* Must be nice.
Cahill blunder Down Under
No stranger to giving the ref a piece of his mind, Melbourne City striker Tim Cahill was shown a red card during Saturday's A-League clash with rival Victory for giving the assistant an earful. Problem is, Cahill wasn't even on the pitch.
With the loss, City is nine points adrift of the Victory, and 18 back of Sydney FC, who has yet to lose in its opening 18 matches (13-5-0).
Furious fan dares draw Delaney ire
Understandably dispirited by his side's four-goal deficit at the half of Saturday's visit from relegation fodder-cum-goal-machine Sunderland, a Crystal Palace supporter invaded the pitch at Selhurst Park to confront Eagles' defender Damien Delaney.
Delaney, who stands a robust 6-foot-2 and is from the same mean streets of Cork, Ireland that produced Roy Keane, stood his ground with the look of a man who eats glass for pleasure.
The fan was promptly arrested, and Delaney was taken off at the interval despite Palace boss Sam Allardyce's protestations that the run-in had nary to do with the Ireland international's early shower. Clean sheet to Sunderland in banner day in south London.
Joe Hart: Ball flop
While Claudio Bravo loses his starting spot at Manchester City to League Cup hero Willy Caballero, Joe Hart continues to toil at Torino with mercurial results.
Look no further than Sunday's visit to Empoli for Hart's latest lapse as the England international gifted Manuel Pucciarelli a straightforward finish in a 1-1 stalemate. My word.
Spidey senses can't save Ghana's AFCON hopes
Looking for some luck ahead of an Africa Cup of Nations semi-final clash with Cameroon, Ghanaian shot-stopper Brimah Razak stashed his son's Spiderman figurine in the goal.
Unfortunately for Razak, fortune favoured the Indomitable Lions, who bested the Black Stars before a come-from-behind second-half effort against Egypt saw Cameroon capture its fifth continental crown.
