European Super Football

England drop Alexander-Arnold whilst Spence and Anderson are called up for upcoming qualifiers Tuchel’s side face Andorra and Serbia in matches that could move them closer to the upcoming World Cup in the United States. Author | Lauren W England's last qualifier away at Andorra Trent Alexander-Arnold has been omitted from Thomas Tuchel's latest England squad, which includes call-ups for uncapped players Elliot Anderson and Djed Spence. The right-back, who moved from Liverpool to Real Madrid over the summer, had been named in Tuchel's previous squad but will not feature for the World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia. Alexander-Arnold, 26, was also absent from the starting line-up in Real Madrid's 3-0 victory at Real Oviedo on Sunday. Nottingham Forest midfielder Anderson and Tottenham full-back Spence receive their first senior call-ups, while Everton winger Jack Grealish misses out despite impressing under the observation of Tuchel's assistant Anthony...

Legia Warsaw 3 - 3 Hibernian (Legia Warsaw won 5-4 on aggregate) Hibernian's Conference League dream was crushed in heartbreaking fashion as Legia Warsaw denied the Scottish side one of their great European results in an incredible six-goal play-off thriller. Author | Andy C Stadium | Stadion Miejski Legii Warszawa A passionate home support watches on After the Edinburgh side, trailing 2-1 from the first leg, silenced a hostile home crowd in the Polish capital with a remarkable three-goal fightback to lead 3-1 on the night, Juergen Elitim 's 93rd-minute aggregate leveller took a breathtaking encounter to extra time. The Leith side tired and suffered complete heartache when Mileta Rajovic smashed past goalkeeper Jordan Smith eight minutes after the restart. A closer look at what happened Needing to recover a first-leg defeat against a club who reached the quarter-finals of this competition last season, Gray challenged Hibs to create a "special night" in Warsaw ....

Fredrikstad 0 - 0 Crystal Palace (Palace won 1-0 on aggregate) Crystal Palace secured their place in the league phase of the Conference League despite a laboured performance in the second leg of their play-off tie against Fredrikstad. Author | James Lees Stadium | Nye Fredrikstad Stadion Jean-Philippe Mateta’s strike in the first leg at Selhurst Park ultimately settled the contest on aggregate, though Palace offered little in Norway. The French forward had the clearest chance to add to his tally in stoppage time, breaking clear only to be denied by the outstretched leg of goalkeeper Martin Borsheim. A closer look at what happened Fredrikstad once again defended diligently, but unlike in south London they looked to carry more threat. Their attacking intent, however, rarely troubled Dean Henderson. Stiane Molde spurned the home side’s best opportunity when he failed to turn into an almost empty net after Henderson misjudged a ball in the six-yard box, while substitute Henrik Skogvol...

It has been a terrible start to the season for West Ham United They have lost both of their Premier League matches and were knocked out of the Carabao Cup. Author | Jamie Pugh West Ham v Chelsea In a sense, West Ham's problems date back to the aftermath of that euphoric night in Prague, when the club ended a 43-year wait for a trophy by beating Fiorentina in the Conference League final . Owner David Sullivan announced virtually immediately that Declan Rice would be leaving and Tim Steidten came in as technical director to help reshape the Hammers squad with the £105m received from Arsenal. This didn't quite work out as planned For a start, Steidten and David Moyes were not aligned in their thinking, which eventually resulted in the German being banned from the training ground. West Ham spent the Rice money and more on four signings - all of whom initially flattered, then became either inconsistent or ineffective. When Moyes left in 2024, a move most accepted had to happen, Jul...

For the early stages of the competition, there has been plenty of drama Let's have a closer look at some of the biggest talking points Author | Josh D Grimsby Town 2 - 2 Manchester United (Grimsby Town won 12-11 on penalties) We had to start here didn't we? United crashed out of the Carabao Cup in humiliating fashion after a marathon penalty shootout defeat to League Two Grimsby Town. United press for a goal Amorim's side had looked to have salvaged the night after a shambolic first half in which they fell two goals behind, with returning goalkeeper André Onana badly at fault for Grimsby’s second. Bryan Mbeumo came off the bench to halve the deficit before Harry Maguire struck a stoppage-time equaliser. The tie then went to penalties and United faltered again. Matheus Cunha failed to convert their fifth kick and, after Mbeumo struck the crossbar with his second effort, Grimsby sealed a remarkable 12-11 win that sent jubilant fans pouring on to the pitch. Sheffield Wedne...

Club Brugge 6 - 0 Rangers (Club Brugge won 9-1 on aggregate) Russell Martin’s Rangers crashed out of the Champions League in humiliating fashion, suffering a record-equalling six-goal defeat against Club Brugge to seal a heavy aggregate loss. Author | Mark Lee Stadium | Jan Breydelstadion Pre match atmosphere Before kick-off Martin insisted Rangers were “calm” despite a stuttering start to the season, but supporters are unlikely to share that sentiment with Celtic due at Ibrox  on Sunday. A closer look at a terrible first 45 minutes An error-strewn opening eight minutes in Belgium encapsulated Martin’s difficult start as manager, with Rangers five goals down by the interval. The defence crumbled as  Nicolo Tresoldi ’s diving header found the net and Max Aarons was dismissed three minutes later for dragging down  Christos Tzolis  after a simple ball sliced through the back line. Captain Hans Vanaken headed in from a corner before the hosts scor...

A closer look at what happened on a dramatic night of Champions League play-off action There were some shocks on the night. Let's have a closer look... Author | Peter Grainger Sturm Graz 2-1 Bodø/Glimt (aggregate 2-6) Bodø/Glimt secured their first appearance in the competition proper despite defeat in Klagenfurt . The Norwegian champions extended their 5-0 first-leg advantage 15 minutes in with Mathias Jørgensen 's neat finish.  Sturm Graz responded on the half-hour when Seedy Jatta nodded in from close range, and the hosts struck the woodwork through Jon Gorenc Stanković and William Bøving before substitute Tim Oermann completed a consolation second-leg win. Did you know that Bodø/Glimt are the first Norwegian side to reach the Champions League group stage since Rosenborg in 2007/08? Pafos 1-1 Red Star Belgrade (aggregate: 3-2) A brilliant late equaliser from Jajá secured qualification for Pafos in their debut Champions League campaign. The visitors levelled t...

Kairat 0 - 0 Celtic (The match finished 0-0 on aggregate) Kairat won 3-2 on penalties Celtic’s Champions League hopes came to a shuddering halt in Kazakhstan as Brendan Rodgers’ side crashed out on penalties to Kairat Almaty, failing to score across 210 minutes of football. Author | Sean M Stadium | Ortalyq stadıon Substitute Adam Idah saw his opening spot-kick saved, while goalkeeper Temirlan Anarbekov denied Luke McCowan and, crucially, Daizen Maeda to seal a 3-2 shootout win. It was a historic night for Kairat , who reached the group stage for the first time in their history. Maeda had earlier wasted Celtic ’s best chance, blazing over from close range five minutes from the end of normal time after latching on to a Callum McGregor through ball. McCowan also came close in extra time with a fierce strike that was pushed away. A closer look at what happened The prelude to this tie had been dominated by criticism of Celtic’s lacklustre first-leg display and the absence of meani...

Real Oviedo 0 - 3 Real Madrid Kylian Mbappe scored twice as Real Madrid extended their flawless start to the La Liga season with a win at Oviedo. Author | Jack L Stadium | Estadio Municipal Carlos Tartiere Mbappe , who had netted the only goal against Osasuna , made it three goals in two games, opening the scoring eight minutes before half-time with a composed finish from the edge of the box and later side footing home a second late in the match. Trent Alexander-Arnold was named among the substitutes after starting the previous fixture, with manager Xabi Alonso opting for Dani Carvajal at right-back. The England international came on for the final three minutes with Real already 2-0 ahead. READ MORE |  The latest La Liga news and stories Vinicius Jr, another player who began on the bench, added a third in stoppage time with a clinical strike. Alonso also handed a start to 18-year-old Franco Mastantuono in attack, and the teenager impressed with a lively display. Oviedo ’s ...