European Super Football

Coventry City 3 - 2 Oxford United Coventry City's striker Haji Wright secured the Sky Blues' first three Championship points of the season with a dramatic 96th-minute winner against newly promoted Oxford United. Oxford, who had won both of their opening league and cup fixtures, twice came from behind, leaving them hopeful of extending their unbeaten start to the season. After Wright’s initial headed goal, Oxford responded swiftly with an equaliser from Ciaron Brown. When Milan van Ewijk restored Coventry’s lead before half-time, Mark Harris brought Oxford level again with a close-range finish in the 55th minute. However, the match took a final twist when Wright, making his first start following an injury-disrupted pre-season, capitalised on Will Vaulks' misplaced backpass. He rounded the goalkeeper to secure Coventry's first home win since early April. A closer look at what happened Coventry initially took the lead when Van Ewijk and Tatsuhiro Sakamoto combined bril

Manchester United 1 - 0 Fulham Joshua Zirkzee quickly became an Old Trafford favourite by scoring an 87th-minute winner against Fulham. The former Bologna striker was brought on alongside Alejandro Garnacho after an hour, as United struggled to break down Marco Silva's side. With time running out, the duo combined brilliantly, with the Argentine winger delivering a cross from the right that Zirkzee expertly guided into the bottom corner, dealing a crushing blow to Fulham.United had a slow start, with Andre Onana forced to tip a Kenny Tete effort over the bar early on. But as the match progressed, United posed the greater threat. Fulham's goalkeeper Bernd Leno was in fine form, making three crucial saves to deny United. First, he thwarted Bruno Fernandes , drawing visible frustration from the Portuguese midfielder.  Then, it was Mason Mount's turn. His attempt was also stopped by Leno after a cross from Marcus Rashford. Despite these setbacks, United were determined to

Ajax 0 - 1 Panathinaikos It finished 1-1 on aggregate with Ajax winning 13-12 on penalties Ajax beat Panathinaikos on penalties after an epic shootout featuring 34 spot-kicks to reach the Europa League qualifying play-off round. Ajax Goalkeeper Remko Pasveer saved five penalties and scored one, while defender Anton Gaaei scored the winning kick for Ajax. The Dutch side won despite Netherlands striker Brian Brobbey missing two spot-kicks, with Bertrand Traore and Youri Baas were also off target for the home side.  This was the second-highest penalty shootout score in a European competition, just behind Glentoran's 14-13 loss to Gzira United in last season's Conference League qualifiers. The match went to penalties after the Greek team secured a 1-0 win in Amsterdam, bringing the overall score to 1-1. Tete's goal in the 89th minute forced extra time. The match ultimately ended without any further goals. Best reaction William, a Liverpool fan from Bradford, watched the

Leeds United 0 - 3 Middlesbrough  Middlesbrough secured a spot in the second round of the Carabao Cup after scoring three goals in just 16 minutes to defeat Championship rivals Leeds United at Elland Road. The first half was closely contested but the away side broke the deadlock when Anfernee Dijksteel drifted in from the right touchline and calmly slotted the ball into the corner of the net. As Leeds pushed forward, Josh Coburn played in Delano Burgzorg, who kept his composure and found the net with a deflected strike off Joe Rodon. Leeds manager Daniel Farke made five substitutions in the 65th minute, but shortly after, Coburn tapped into an empty net, securing Boro’s first win at Elland Road since 2011. A closer look at what happened Last season’s meetings between the sides saw 12 goals, and the frantic start to this match hinted at more of the same. EFL 23/24 : Middlesbrough and Leeds play out a thriller  Boro goalkeeper Sol Brynn denied Junior Firpo with a leg save in the thir

How big of an impact could these new players have on United's season? The Red Devils have brought in Bayern Munich duo Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui in a deal that could total nearly £60 million. Brothers in arms 🇳🇱🇲🇦 Our signing interview with @MdeLigt_04 has just dropped — exclusively to #MUTV subscribers for the first hour 🙌 #MUFC — Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 15, 2024 De Ligt has signed a five-year contract, with the option to extend for an additional year, while Mazraoui has agreed to a four-year deal, also with the possibility of a one-year extension. United have agreed to pay £38.5 million, plus £4.3 million in add-ons, for 25-year-old centre-back De Ligt, who previously captained Erik ten Hag’s Ajax team that reached the Champions League semi-finals in 2019. Mazraoui, who also worked under Ten Hag at Ajax, has praised the manager’s influence on his career. The 26-year-old Moroccan defender joins for an initial fee of £12.8 million, with an extra

This is the latest in our ' big discussion ' series of articles. Here, we will examine Porto's Champions League success in 2004 and ask whether a similar type of success can happen again. Mourinho celebrates in 2004. Photo from  mohamedkaka | Flickr Over the last twenty years, the Champions League has been dominated by a relatively small pool of teams from a limited number of countries. However, it wasn't always like this. Teams like Porto have a proud record in European competition, with their last Champions League victory in 2004. At that time, they were led by a man with a growing reputation. This was José Mourinho. How big an achievement was this in 2004? Porto has struggled to compete with the best in Europe in recent seasons. It is often anticipated that they may struggle to get out of the group stage on occasion. During the upcoming campaign, if you were betting on the Champions League, you would have seen that they were considered huge outsiders. Since Porto

Hibernian 0 - 2 Celtic A brilliant goal from Callum McGregor helped Celtic secure a comfortable Scottish Premiership victory over Hibernian at Easter Road. Nicolas Kuhn opened the scoring within three minutes, capitalising on a mistake by Hibs’ goalkeeper Josef Bursik, who failed to deal with Kyogo's initial shot. McGregor, who had announced his retirement from international football earlier in the week, then doubled Celtic's lead with a stunning left-footed strike from 25 yards, capping off an excellent first-half performance. Brendan Rodgers’ side could have added more goals if not for the woodwork, but they will be satisfied with taking three points from a ground where they have struggled at times under Rodgers' management. More Celtic news can be found by clicking here Sunshine on Leith: The place for more Hibs news and stories The home side were booed off at half-time, having failed to register a single shot, although they improved somewhat in the second half. Stri

Sheffield Wednesday 4 - 0 Plymouth Argyle Wayne Rooney's first match as head coach of Plymouth Argyle began on a sour note, as his team suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat against Sheffield Wednesday. The former England top scorer, who took charge of Argyle in May, watched his side struggle to create opportunities, while the home team cruised to victory. Sheffield Wednesday dominated the first half and deservedly went into the break with a lead, courtesy of debutant Jamal Lowe, who tapped in from close range after a well-executed build-up. Lowe was instrumental in Wednesday’s second goal, as his header from Djeidi Gassama’s cross deflected off Brendan Galloway for an own goal. The hosts continued to control the match. Josh Windass made it three with a powerful shot from six yards after Anthony Musaba pulled the ball back from the byline. Substitute Michael Smith completed the scoring in the sixth minute of added time, converting a close-range cross. EFL: 2024/2025 (eurosuperfootball.b

Tottenham Hotspur 2 - 3 Bayern Munich Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane received a warm welcome back at his former club Tottenham Hotspur, where fans gave him a standing ovation as Bayern edged out Spurs 3-2 in a pre-season friendly. Returning to his old stomping ground for the first time since leaving for Bayern in a £86.4 million deal last summer, Kane came on as a late substitute. The England captain was met with applause both when he entered the pitch and later, when he took a solo lap of honour after the match. Alongside Eric Dier, who joined Bayern from Tottenham in January, the pair were honoured by Spurs before kick-off, receiving gifts in recognition of their contributions to the club. Premier League: Summer 2024 news and stories (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) Before the game, Tottenham also introduced their new signings (Dominic Solanke, Archie Gray, and Lucas Bergvall) to the home crowd. Once the match began, Dejan Kulusevski gave Spurs the lead, but Bayern responded wi

Oxford United 2 - 0 Norwich City Oxford United marked their return to the Championship after more than two decades with a well-earned 2-0 victory over Norwich City. Striker Mark Harris, a key player for Oxford, scored their first goal in the second tier this century. He capitalised on a mistake by Norwich captain Grant Hanley, skilfully cutting inside Shane Duffy and slotting the ball through Angus Gunn’s legs. Cameron Brannagan doubled the lead just before the hour mark with a beautifully curled shot from the edge of the box, following a precise cross from Sam Long. Norwich's best opportunity came late in the game, but Jack Stacey’s shot was bravely blocked by Oxford’s left-back, Joe Bennett, capping a tough first match for new City manager Johannes Hoff Thorup. EFL: 2024/2025 (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) More Oxford United news and stories Oxford fans created a fantastic atmosphere. Thorup’s day got off to a bad start when winger Jonathan Rowe withdrew from the squad

Leeds United 3 - 3 Portsmouth Brenden Aaronson salvaged a dramatic late point for Leeds United on their opening day, as they were pushed to the limit by Championship newcomers Portsmouth. Leeds took the lead when Pascal Struijk coolly converted a penalty after Daniel James was brought down. However, Pompey equalised through Elias Sorensen. Portsmouth then seized the advantage just before half-time with a stunning long-range strike from Callum Lang, but Leeds responded almost immediately after the break, with Willy Gnonto slotting in an equaliser. The drama intensified in stoppage time when Portsmouth were awarded a penalty after Jayden Bogle’s challenge on Christian Saydee. Lang calmly converted the 92nd-minute spot-kick, giving Pompey what seemed to be a late victory. But Aaronson had other ideas, firing in a low shot to ensure Leeds claimed a point. MOT: More Leeds United news and stories A closer look at what happened For Portsmouth, it was a tough return to the Championship af

Manchester United 1 - 1 Manchester City Manchester City won 7-6 on penalties Manchester City avenged their FA Cup final loss to Manchester United as Pep Guardiola's team emerged victorious in a penalty shootout after the Community Shield ended in a draw at Wembley. Bernardo Silva equalised for City in the dying moments of the match, but his fortunes quickly turned as his penalty was saved by Andre Onana, giving United the upper hand.  However, Ederson kept City in the game by stopping Jadon Sancho’s effort. Later, experienced defender Jonny Evans sent his shot over the bar. Manuel Akanji then stepped up to secure City's first win in this competition since 2019, in front of a crowd of 78,416. It had earlier seemed Alejandro Garnacho had sealed the victory for United with a composed finish into the bottom corner, nine minutes from time, after a well-orchestrated move led by captain Bruno Fernandes. Community Shield: Some of the best ever matches (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.