Straight Red Signs Off for Summer

Ladies and gentlemen... we've come to the end of the road. Straight Red on a Sunday morning? Well, usually you'd be settling in to cap off your weekend of footie, but this week sadly things just aren't the same. The Community Shield is on July 30th––less than two months away––so there is some hope. Until then, if you are anything like us, life may be a bit grey. 

Reminder: The referral contest goes on... The summer is a great time to kick into gear and get some friends to sign up as we enter the 22/23 campaign, and the first to 10 referred subscribers will win a free jersey of their choice!!

Get sharing!

Let's get straight into it.

ICYMI (In Case You Missed It)

🇫🇷 Real Madrid have done it yet again!!! Somehow, someway, Carlo Ancelotti and his band of brothers lifted club football's biggest prize last weekend, making it the 14th time Real Madrid have won the European Cup (twice the amount of any other club). This was the Vinicius Jr. goal that brought it home.

It was a game that felt peculiar from the off. The match was delayed 15 minutes, then another 15 minutes, due to "fans showing up late to the stadium" (according to UEFA). If hard evidence is anything to go by these days, this seems far from the case, as the organization outside the ground was pitiful and frankly dangerous. 

Liverpool came in favourites, and showed as much. They managed 24 shots (9 on target) to Real Madrids 4 (2 on target). That said, really only one or two of Liverpool's chances were big ones––Mané in the first half and Salah in the second––and ultimately Madrid were able to stifle Liverpool's attacking players. For all Liverpool's dominance in the match, they did not capitalize on their chances and went home empty handed. 

What a season for Madrid and Ancelotti. Winning La Liga, and then winning the Champions League, on the back of beating PSG, Chelsea, Man City, and Liverpool is nothing short of an astounding feat––not to mention the lingering financial issues surrounding the club in the background. 

For Liverpool, it's a season that will still be held in high regard. They won both the League and FA Cups in England, but failed to win both the Premier League and the Champions League, ending up nowhere near the quadruple they were so desperately chasing.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Nottingham Forest completed the dream, beating Huddersfield Town in the Championship Playoff Final in a game I totally told everyone was on Saturday but was actually on Sunday. It's a remarkable accomplishment for Forest to return to the big time for the first time since the 90's––and what a job by Steve Cooper. Great to have them back. 

Quiz Of The Week

How many debutant countries are appearing in the 2022 World Cup?

Scroll to the bottom for the answer...

For a Trip to Qatar

Sunday –– 12 PM ET

Wales (+190) vs Ukraine (+170)

Though club football has come to a close, there are still a few big World Cup qualifying games on the horizon. This Sunday Wales take on Ukraine, after Ukraine dumped Scotland out of the playoffs earlier in the week. What a tale potentially being told by Ukraine, who had their fixtures put off due to the ongoing war with Russia. 

It will now come down to one big game between these two, for the final European spot at the World Cup in Qatar. Wales have the stars, but Ukraine find themselves with the better odds on the road. Is there something there? It will be a great match.

Quiz Answer: Just 1! You guessed it, the host nation of Qatar...

To all of our readers: Thank you for putting up with Dan and I and continuing to tune in for everything football all season long. We love supplying you with everything you need to know each week, and we hope you continue to enjoy reading it. See you in July!!

Have a great summer and continue to spread the Straight Red love if you want a chance to win a jersey of your choice!