He’s got a black belt in taekwondo, you know.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic doesn’t do things by halves, and that was the case when he knocked in his 500th career goal during an MLS game.
With his LA Galaxy side 3-0 down against Toronto, Zlatan saw fit to drag his side back into the game the only way he seems to know how – with a landmark goal.
And while this was the Swedish striker’s 500th senior goal at club and international level, that wasn’t the only remarkable thing about it.
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Unreal. The 36-year-old, who has scored at legendary clubs like Manchester United, Paris St-Germain, Barcelona and Ajax, does have a blackbelt in taekwondo, which goes some way to explaining how he could possibly have pulled off this amazing finish.
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Galaxy went on to lose 5-3, but that didn’t stop fans around the world reacting to Zlatan’s latest stunner, with some noting his technical ability for such a big striker.
Meanwhile others couldn’t help but point out what a fantastic signing the Swede has been for the MLS outfit.
And for fans in England, where Zlatan spent time with Manchester United, such acrobatics won’t be surprising given he did this to the Three Lions not long ago.
The man does not score ordinary goals, whether they’re his first of his 500th.
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The first season of major conference expansion has produced an intriguing set of championship games this week, and not only because they will determine which teams get automatic bids and first-round byes in the College Football Playoff.
Four of the nine games Friday and Saturday match teams that already squared off in the regular season. Texas-Georgia in the Southeastern Conference game in Atlanta is one of those rematches and also one of two games matching teams in the top five of The Associated Press college football poll.
Each of the Power Four games will include a team that wasn't in that conference last season. Three of the newcomers were in their previous league's championship game last year — Oregon (Pac-12), Texas (Big 12) and SMU (American).
And not unexpected with so much change on the college sports landscape, there will be a couple of first-ever meetings: Arizona State-Iowa State in the Big 12 and SMU-Clemson in the ACC.
All championship games are Saturday except in the American Athletic, Conference USA and Mountain West, which will be played Friday.
No. 1 Oregon (12-0) can lock up the top seed for the CFP with a win over No. 3 Penn State (11-1) in the Big Ten game in Indianapolis. The Ducks went unbeaten in the regular season for the second time — they also did it in 2010 — and will meet the Nittany Lions for the first time since the 1995 Rose Bowl.
No. 2 Texas (11-1) gets another shot at No. 5 Georgia, which beat the then-No. 1 Longhorns 30-15 in Austin on Oct. 19. The winner will get the SEC's automatic CFP bid; the loser likely will be an at-large selection. That could lead to a third meeting of the teams.
No. 12 Arizona State (10-2) plays No. 16 Iowa State (10-2) in the Big 12 game in Arlington, Texas. The Sun Devils, first-year Big 12 members and picked to finish last in the 16-team league in the preseason poll, have won seven more games than a year ago under second-year coach Kenny Dillingham. Iowa State has won 10 games for the first time in its program's 133-year history.
No. 8 SMU (11-1) faces No. 18 Clemson in the Atlantic Coast Conference game in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Mustangs won the American Athletic Conference title last year and went unbeaten in league play in their first season in the ACC. Clemson (9-3) made it to the championship game with help from Syracuse, which upset Miami on Saturday.
There are three rematches in the Group of Five championship games.
No. 19 UNLV (10-2) faces No. 10 Boise State (11-1) on the blue turf in Boise, Idaho. The defending champion Broncos won 29-24 in Las Vegas on Oct. 25.
Ohio (9-3) plays defending champion Miami (Ohio) (8-4) in the Mid-American Conference game in Detroit. The RedHawks beat Ohio 30-20 on Oct. 19 and have won seven straight after a 1-4 start. The Bobcats have won five in a row.
Jacksonville State (8-4) and Western Kentucky (8-4) will play for the second time in seven days when they meet in the Conference USA game in Jacksonville, Alabama. Western Kentucky won 19-17 on Lucas Carneiro's 50-yard field goal with three seconds left Saturday.
Army (10-1) hosts Tulane (9-3) in the AAC game in West Point, New York. The teams will play for the first time since 2020. Tulane, the conference runner-up last year, has won four straight and is 13-9-1 all-time against the Black Knights, who are in their first year as a football-only AAC member.
Marshall (9-3) visits Louisiana-Lafayette (10-2) for the Sun Belt game. The Ragin' Cajuns have won the only two previous meetings, in 2021 and '22.
AP Sports Writer Stephen Hawkins in Dallas contributed to this report.
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Georgia running back Nate Frazier (3) celebrates his game-winning score after eight overtimes in an NCAA college football game against Georgia Tech, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
