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Jump to: Penalty shootout stopped by authorities because match is too noisy | Fulham register 85% possession in stat-busting win | Flamengo fans can buy club jerseys from vending machine
Goal celebration GIFs have become a true staple of the footballing social media landscape in recent years.
While some clubs prefer the prosaic approach of simply flashing up their crest and the word "GOAL" to alert their followers to score updates, others are prepared to go that extra mile to keep us amused.
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In particular, teams playing in the Championship (which you can stream live all season on ESPN+) in England are specialists in producing a seemingly endless stream of surreal GIFs that are worth celebrating as much as the goals themselves.
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Penalty shootout stopped by authorities because match is too noisy
A minor league cup match came to a sudden end in the middle of a penalty shootout on Wednesday when local authorities in Frankenthal, south-west Germany deemed it was too loud.
Pirates FC and visitors SV Studernheim each had four players yet to take spot kicks when the Ordnungsamt (public order office) halted proceedings because there was too much noise and light for 10:15 p.m.
The town of Frankenthal, which has a population of 48,500, asks their residents to preserve the peace from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
"After the Ordnungsamt arrived, it took about 10 to 15 minutes until everyone had left the pitch," Georg Hoess of Pirates FC, told ESPN FC. "They first informed the referee and then a couple of players asked them if they really meant it. They did.
"If it was about disturbing the peace, it wasn't really productive."
The town administration told German outlet Der Spiegel: "The continuation of the match was not an option."
The first-round cup tie was meant to kick off at 7:30 p.m. local time at the ground in a residential area, but began 10 minutes late. With the match still level after extra time and into penalties it was stopped at 10:15 p.m.
The match has now been rescheduled for Sept. 9, and with the kick-off scheduled for the earlier time of 7 p.m., hopefully there will be no need for a repeat of the Ordnungsamt's heroics in the name of public peace...
(by Stephan Uersfeld, ESPN FC's Germany correspondent)
Fulham register 85% possession in stat-busting win
Fulham continued their good start to the Championship season with a resounding 4-0 win over cross-city rivals Millwall on Wednesday night.
It's perhaps worth noting that despite only commanding 15.5% of the overall possession, Millwall still managed to muster seven shots at Fulham's goal -- which is impressive in its own right.
Quite the encounter at Craven Cottage.
Flamengo fans can buy club jerseys from vending machine
Máquinas para vendas de camisas oficiais do Flamengo passam a funcionar a partir desta quarta-feira, no Maracanã #gefla pic.twitter.com/2TWmbA3B2r
— Cahê Mota (@cahemota) August 21, 2019
Flamengo have come up with a novel way of providing replica shirts to fans who arrive at their stadium without one.
The Brazilian club have installed two vending machines inside the Maracana that are stocked with a full range of jerseys -- from the home shirt, to the goalkeeper's kit, to training wear.
The Manto Express machines were pictured on Wednesday night, ahead of Flamengo's midweek Copa Libertadores clash against Internacional.
The idea is to improve supporters' access to official club products and therefore help combat merchandise piracy.
Let's just hope they don't snag as they drop down when purchased. That's a lot more money to write off than the price of a candy bar.