By , ,
Published January 10, 2017
Remember when the Carlos Tevez soap opera seemingly dominated the headlines on the Internet a year ago?
Well, that was then and this is now.
The only headlines the Argentine international striker is making these days is as a good old-fashioned goal-scorer for Manchester City. He struck against for the English Premier League champions in their 3-1 victory over Queens Park Rangers on Saturday.
Tevez wound up playing a role in all three City scores on a team that was not always running on all cylinders, despite the final score.
After Tevez's volley was blocked, Yaya Toure fired in the rebound for a 1-0 lead in the 16th minute.
After Bobby Zamora knotted things up at 1-1 in the 60th minute, Tevez's feed to Edin Dzeko restored MC's lead a minute later before Tevez tallied an insurance goal two minutes into stoppage time.
BRAZIL
Diego Forlan
The Uruguayan star, the 2010 World Cup's Golden Ball winner, struck for his first goals for Internacional since joining them from Inter, boosting his team to a 4-1 triumph over Flamengo. After Flamengo scored first, Forlan equalized, thanks to a blunder by goalkeeper Muriel, in the 30th minute and scored his side's third goal in the 66th minute.
Carlos Tenorio
The Ecuadorian scored the insurance goal early in the second half of Vasco da Gama's 2-0 win over Portuguesa.
ENGLAND
Javier Hernandez
Chicharito finally got some playing time for Manchester United as a 70th-minute substitute for Danny Welbeck in its 3-2 away win over Southampton, but the Mexican international did not figure in the scoring.
Maynor Figueroa
The Honduran international certainly did not help Wigan's cause in its 2-2 tie with Stoke City. He blatantly handled the ball in the penalty area in the 40th minute, allowing Jonathan Walters to convert a penalty kick for a 1-1 deadlock.
Pablo Hernandez
The Spanish international midfielder transferred from Valencia to Swansea City for a club record $8.82 million. Hernandez signed a three-year contract.
Chico Flores, Michu
Both Spaniards played key roles in Swansea's 2-2 tie at Sunderland's. Michu tallied his fourth goal in three matches on a 66th-minute equalizer at 1-1. Prior to the goal, Flores was red-carded for a wild challenge on Neil Taylor. Michu almost scored another goal, but his header into the ground bounced up and over the crossbar.
Ruben Rochina, Luciano Becchio
Rochina, a Spanish striker, connected on a dramatic equalizer in the 84th minute to lift Blackburn into a wild 3-3 tie at Leeds United in the English Championship. Becchio, an Argentine, lifted Leeds into a 3-2 lead in the 65th minute.
SPAIN
Angel Di Maria, Gonzalo Higuain
Both Argentines played key roles in Real Madrid's 3-0 victory over Granada. Di Maria set up Ronaldo's first goal in the 26th minute (he also scored in the 54th minute) before Higuain came off the bench to finish off the match with a 76th-minute score.
Lionel Messi, Andres Guardado
A report about international soccer would not be complete without mentioning the great Messi, who did not score in Barcelona's 1-0 victory over Valencia and Guardado, a Mexican international midfielder. Messi, an Argentinean international had a header saved by goalkeeper Diego Alves in the 18th minute before Brazilian Adriano tallied several minutes later.
ITALY
Pablo Osvaldo
Osvaldo, a Argentine, felt the highest of highs and lowests of lows for AS Roma in its 3-1 win over Inter. He set up goals by Alessandro Florenzi (15th minute) and second-half substitute Marquinho (81st minute) while scoring one of his own in the 67th minute before he was given his marching orders for a second yellow card a minute into stoppage time.
Arturo Vidal
The Chilean striker converted a first-half penalty kick to start Juventus on its way to a 4-1 victory over Udinese. After goalkeeper Zelijko Brkic was red-carded for a foul on Sebastien Giovinco, Vidal put his spot kick past new keeper Daniele Padelli.
PORTUGAL
James Rodriguez, Jackson Martinez
The Colombian connection struck on either side of halftime to propel Porto to a 3-2 triumph over Olhanense. Rodriguez scored in the 43rd minute and Martinez added his goal in the 49th minute. Brazil's Hulk found the back of the net in the 72nd minute.
Oscar Cardozo
The Paraguayan international striker finished with a second-half brace for Benfica in its 3-0 home win over Nacional. Cardozo's header broke a 1-1 tie before he added an insurance goal.
FRANCE
Guillermo Ochoa
A week after getting pounded and injuring his knee in a 3-0 loss to Valenciennes, the Mexican international goalkeeper and his A.C. Ajaccio teammates were literally on the other side of the ball. This time Ochoa backstopped a shutout as Ajaccio registered a 2-0 home win over vian TG FC. Ochoa, who was called into Mexico's national side for its World Cup qualifying series with Costa Rica, made two saves.
GERMANY
Jefferson Farfan
Farfan, a Peruvian international, set up all three goals for Schalke 04's 3-1 victory over Augsburg.
Javier Pinola
The Argentine defender helped Nuremberg to a 1-1 tie with two-time defending champion Borussia Dortmund by clearing defender Mats Hummels' header off the goal line in the 63rd minute.
Juan Arango
Borussia Moenchengladbach played newly promoted Fortuna Dusseldorf to a scoreless draw, although the Venezuelan midfielder did his best to give his team a win in the 29th minute. He sent a right-wing cross to Luuk de Jong, who volleyed a shot that Dusseldorf goalkeeper Fabian Giefer saved.
RUSSIA
Jose Rondon
A Venezuelan international striker, Rondon found the back of the net in Rubin Kazan's 2-1 home to Terek Grozny.
UNITED STATES
Federico Higuain, Emilio Renteria
Higuain, the reigning Major League Soccer player of the week, set up two goals in the waning minutes to lift the Columbus Crew to a 2-1 victory over the Montreal Impact. The Argentine's free kick set up Chad Marshall's header goal in the 80th minute and then Renteria, a Venezuelan, on another header three minutes into Stoppage time.
Victor Bernardez
The Honduran defender blasted a 35-yard free kick aroun the defensive wall in the 11th minute for the first goal of the San Jose Earthquakes' first goal in their 4-0 rout of Chivas USA.
Mauro Rosales, Blas Perez
Perez warmed up for Panama's World Cup qualifiers against Canada by setting up FC Dallas' equalizing goal in its 1-1 draw with the Seattle Sounders on Sunday. The Argentinean Rosales, off a Steve Zakuani feed, had given the Sounders the lead in the 20th minute. Twelve minutes later, Dallas equalized as Perez set up Jackson, a Brazilian.
Michael Lewis, who has covered international soccer for more than three decades, can be reached at SoccerWriter516@aol.com.
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