European Super Football

Croatia 0 - 7 England England produced arguably their most impressive performance under head coach Thomas Tuchel as they delivered a devastating attacking display to thrash Croatia Author | George B Stadium | Stadion HNK Rijeka The game was officially staged behind closed doors as a sanction against Croatia supporters for previous bad behaviour, although 6,000 schoolchildren and 100 visiting fans were in attendance as rampant England ran riot to humiliate Slaven Bilic's side. England had bounced back from their opening defeat by Spain at Wembley with a deserved victory against the Czech Republic in Prague, but they moved to another level to dismantle Croatia, 108 days after beating the same opposition 4-2 at the World Cup in Dallas. A closer analysis of a great night for England and Thomas Tuchel Harry Kane put England ahead after eight minutes, ruthlessly punishing a mistake by Manchester City defender Josko Gvardiol. He took Jude Bellingham's pass in his stride before firing ...

Ukraine 0 - 3 Northern Ireland Northern Ireland produced one of their best away performances under Michael O'Neill as they beat Ukraine in Slovakia in the Nations League. Author | Mark Lee Stadium | City Arena Ciaron Brown scored his first international goal to open the scoring before Isaac Price headed home a second in an excellent first half for Northern Ireland. Brown added his second in bizarre fashion in the 61st minute when Ukraine goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk came out of his area and missed his header, allowing the ball to roll into an empty net. The victory preserves Northern Ireland's unbeaten start to the Nations League and leaves them top of Group B2 with two wins and a draw from their three matches. They can complete the opening set of four games unbeaten if they avoid defeat against Georgia at Windsor Park on Monday. Having secured their first away Nations League victory in Tbilisi, Northern Ireland made a bright start, with Jamie Donley and Terry Devlin both going clo...

England 2 - 3 Spain England were beaten 3-2 in an entertaining game by world champions Spain Author | George B Stadium | Wembley Stadium Lamine Yamal put Spain ahead before goals from Anthony Gordon and Harry Kane turned the game around for England. Kane then missed a penalty before Alex Baena curled in an equaliser, with Mikel Oyarzabal scoring the winner. Here's how the England players rated? Did James Trafford impress on a rare England start? James Trafford: Showed early on that he was comfortable playing out from the back but conceded after just two minutes when Guehi gifted the ball to Lamine Yamal. Produced an important save to deny Torres making it 2-0 in the first half. 6 Did one defender have something else on his mind? Jarell Quansah: Continued at right-back after showing his ability in the position at the World Cup. A physically commanding performance and came close to scoring but headed over. 6 Ezri Konsa: Had some shaky moments alongside England's back four but the...

Italy 0 - 2 Belgium Mark van Bommel's Belgium began their Nations League campaign with a victory over Roberto Mancini's Italy in Rome. Author | Ed  Stadium | Stadio Olympico  The former Netherlands midfielder was taking charge of the Red Devils for the first time, while Mancini was beginning his second spell as Italy manager. Mancini spoke with the media after the match, saying: "We need to think positively and not keep banging on all the time about what has happened in the past," Mancini said when asked whether Italy's failure to qualify for the World Cup was still hanging over the country. Mancini previously managed Italy between 2018 and 2023, guiding them to victory at Euro 2020. A closer analysis of what happened here Paris St-Germain's Mika Godts opened the scoring with his first Belgium goal, cutting inside two defenders in the penalty area before firing into the net. Benfica's Dodi Lukebakio then doubled the lead after carrying the ball from his ow...

Manchester City have been found guilty of breaking the majority of the 115 financial rules they were accused of breaching. It has been reported that sanctions have yet to be decided, but that the independent panel has reached its verdict, finding the club guilty on all but one count. Author | Josh T The Premier League declined to comment. City also declined to confirm or deny whether the report was accurate. In February 2023, City were charged with more than 100 alleged breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules following a four-year investigation. The club was referred to an independent commission over allegations that it had breached financial regulations between 2009 and 2018. The hearing began behind closed doors in September 2024 and concluded in December after around 12 weeks. The Premier League alleged that City had breached rules requiring clubs to provide “accurate financial information that gives a true and fair view of the club’s financial position”. City have strongly...

Real Sociedad 1 - 2 Bournemouth  Bournemouth held on to claim a famous victory at Real Sociedad in the first European match in the club's history. Author | Ajay Stadium | Estadio Municipal de Anoeta Goals from Justin Kluivert and Rayan put the Cherries in control as their relentless pressing overwhelmed their Basque opponents during a dominant first half. Sociedad improved considerably after the break, pulling one back through Sergio Gomez and pushing hard for an equaliser late on, but Marco Rose's side held firm to secure victory and make a winning start to their Europa League campaign. A closer analysis of what happened In a remarkably open start to the game, both sides found dangerous positions, but the first chance of note came in the 11th minute and was converted by Kluivert at the end of a fine move. The goal was initially ruled out for offside, but the video assistant referee intervened and, after a two-minute delay, it was confirmed that the Netherlands international h...

A comfortable win for Manchester United on their return to the Champions League  Here's out their players rated in a comfortable 4-0 over Sabah from Azerbaijan Author | Olivia T Stadium | Old Trafford Senne Lammens: Not the busiest of nights for the Belgian, who dealt comfortably with everything required of him. 6 Noussair Mazraoui: Got forward regularly, with an early shot blocked before another effort found the side netting. Was fortunate to escape punishment when he failed to spot Joy-Lance Mickels dropping towards the far post, where the Sabah player was left with a clear header in the first half. 6 Leny Yoro: A big season awaits the young Frenchman, who needs to find the consistency that has so far been missing during his United career. Had limited opportunity to shine but made no real errors. 7 Lisandro Martinez: Led United's defence and helped guide Yoro through the game. Marked his return to the scoresheet by pouncing on a loose ball after the Sabah defence hesitated. 7...

Napoli 0 - 1 Arsenal Martin Odegaard's excellent start to the season continued as the Arsenal captain came to his side's rescue against Napoli in Naples. Author | DJ Stadium  |  Stadio Diego Armando Maradona The Gunners ere guilty of wasteful finishing and appeared destined for a frustrating draw in their first Champions League game since agonisingly losing last season's final. However, Odegaard had Arsenal's 1,500 travelling supporters celebrating with a fine finish from outside the box, the captain's fourth goal in five games, including the Community Shield. Piero Hincapié dropped to his knees after the final whistle and thumped the ground with his hands in relief at the result. Arsenal won all eight group phase games on their way to last season's final, and they are up and running after a fine win in Italy. A closer analysis of what happened in Naples Mikel Arteta's side had missed three great chances to punish last season's Serie A runners-up befor...

Club Brugge 2 - 3 Aston Villa Aston Villa breathed fresh life into their season with a narrow Champions League victory over Club Brugge. Author | Peter Grainger  Stadium | Jan Breydelstadion Villa try to build an attack First-half goals from John McGinn, Emi Buendia and Nicolas Jackson secured a hard-fought win for the Premier League side in Belgium. Hugo Vetlesen had briefly brought the hosts level after McGinn's opener, but Buendia and Jackson, with his first goal for the club, restored Villa's advantage. Nicolo Tresoldi's 61st-minute penalty, awarded after Aaron Wan-Bissaka's handball, set up a nervy final 29 minutes for the visitors, with Tresoldi later striking the post. Villa held on for a result they will hope can provide a platform to build on after three successive league games without scoring, with Unai Emery still working to integrate 10 new signings. View from the away end The Europa League winners have lost six members of the starting XI from their triumph...

It has been another summer of transfer records in the Premier League Let's explore a rather eventful few months Author | Josh T Three of the 10 most expensive transfers in football history have taken place this summer, with all three involving Premier League clubs. The window also produced four of the top flight's five biggest deals on record. Fernandez was the headline signing, eclipsing the £116m Manchester City paid earlier in the window for Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson.  Chelsea, meanwhile, spent £117m to bring Morgan Rogers to Stamford Bridge from Aston Villa. Liverpool paid an initial £106m, potentially rising to £123m, for Paris St-Germain and France forward Bradley Barcola. Yan Diomande's move to Real Madrid and Anthony Gordon's switch from Newcastle to Barcelona are the only deals completed so far this summer by clubs outside the Premier League to exceed £60m. Tottenham's signing of Sandro Tonali represented a club-record fee that could even...

Shocks, thrashings and more Let's have a look at the biggest talking points from the Premier League this weekend Author | Josh T Champions Arsenal start as they mean to go on First-half goals from Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka put the champions in control before captain Martin Odegaard added a third shortly after the restart to complete a straightforward opening-day win. Full match report here Arsenal were without new signing Bruno Guimaraes because of injury, but another summer arrival, Christos Tzolis, provided an early glimpse of what he can offer. The Greek winger cut in from the left and curled a shot over after five minutes. Newly promoted Hull City shock Manchester United  Michael Carrick insisted the club's opening-day defeat at Hull City will not change the overall direction the club are heading in. The defeat was only Carrick’s third in 21 games as head coach, but it was a disappointing start to the new campaign. Central defenders Semi Ajayi and Nobel Mendy scored first...

Arsenal 3 - 0 Coventry City Arsenal began their Premier League title defence with a comfortable victory over newly promoted Coventry City Author | DJ Stadium | Emirates Stadium Pre-match atmosphere Mikel Arteta ended the club's 22-year wait for a league title last season and, after a commanding performance against Frank Lampard's Sky Blues, his side offered an early reminder of why they are favourites to retain the crown. First-half goals from Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka put the champions in control before captain Martin Odegaard added a third shortly after the restart to complete a straightforward opening-day win. Arsenal were without new signing Bruno Guimaraes because of injury, but another summer arrival, Christos Tzolis, provided an early glimpse of what he can offer. The Greek winger cut in from the left and curled a shot over after five minutes. View from behind the goal Tzolis was involved again when Arsenal opened the scoring It was a familiar face who supplied the fi...

Celtic 3 - 0 LASK Celtic took a giant step towards the league phase of the Champions League as two stunning Camilo Duran strikes gave a commanding first-leg play-off lead. Author | Sean M Stadium | Celtic Park Duran hit fabulous efforts either side of half-time after a wonderful finish from Benjamin Nygren set the Scottish champions on their way. A closer analysis of what happened Pre match atmosphere The Champions League is all about big players producing big moments, and the goals from Nygren and Duran were of the very highest order. Duran already looks like an inspired signing. His pace, skill, finishing and willingness to work make him a player who appears perfectly at home on the biggest stage. The Colombian scored five goals in the Champions League last season for Qarabag and, if Celtic can finish the job against LASK, he looks capable of becoming a key weapon. Watch | Reaction from Celtic's star player on the night. Video from the club's YouTube channel. Celtic looked vu...

Premier League breakthrough stars | Shea Lacey The first in a series of articles where we analyse young players who might be making a huge impact in the Premier League this season Author | George B At Manchester United, much of the conversation around the academy has centred on JJ Gabriel, a player so precociously gifted that he can seem almost unnatural. But he is still only 15, meaning his involvement this season is likely to be limited to the occasional EFL Cup appearance. A few years further along the pathway, but still only 19, is Shea Lacey, who has put his early injury problems behind him and featured prominently during pre-season. Lacey is an exciting wide player, exactly the sort United supporters tend to take to, and he is already well known to Michael Carrick. The United head coach has watched him develop not only in his professional capacity, but also from a more personal perspective after following his son Jacey through the academy over the years. I watched Lacey against B...

Arsenal 3 - 0 Manchester City Premier League champions Arsenal produced a statement victory over rivals Manchester City to lift the 2026 Community Shield in Cardiff. Author | DJ Stadium  | Principality Stadium Kick-off at the 2026 Community Shield Mikel Arteta’s side took the lead after just 23 seconds when Myles Lewis-Skelly played in Riccardo Calafiori, who calmly slotted the ball past Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. Arsenal doubled their advantage in the 28th minute when Kai Havertz headed home, with summer signing Christos Tzolis nodding Martin Odegaard’s cross back across goal for the German to finish. Three minutes into the second half, Tzolis found Odegaard inside the City penalty area. The Norwegian sent Donnarumma the wrong way with a superb dummy before placing the ball into the opposite corner. Arsenal players and families celebrate Victory over the FA Cup holders secured Arsenal’s second trophy in four months and their 18th Community Shield triumph ov...

Wolves 2 - 2 Blackburn Rovers Returning Blackburn Rovers boss Tony Mowbray was denied a dream start to his second spell in charge as a late Raul Jimenez penalty earned Wolverhampton Wanderers a point in the Championship opener  Author | Peter Grainger Stadium | Molineux View from the stands Wolves, widely tipped to challenge for promotion, appeared on course for the expected three points when Marshall Munetsi powered them in front after 18 minutes. But Rovers drew level nine minutes later through Sean McLoughlin's first goal for the club, before completing the turnaround when Andri Gudjohnsen struck three minutes into the second half. Mowbray's side defended resolutely for much of the second period and even threatened to extend their lead, only for Ryan Alebiosu's clumsy handball to result in a penalty awarded by referee Farai Hallam. Both sets of fans watch on Second-half substitute Jimenez kept his composure after an almost comically long, stuttering run-up to send the sp...

PSG 2 - 1 Aston Villa  Paris St-Germain retained the Super Cup with a narrow victory over a spirited Aston Villa to make it back-to-back triumphs in the competition. Author | Peter Grainger  Stadium | Red Bull Arena Salzburg Desire Doue's 62nd-minute winner, after a VAR check for offside, settled the contest in Salzburg and secured another trophy for the Champions League holders. PSG had taken the lead in the 20th minute when Khvicha Kvaratskhelia thumped a fine finish into the net, but Villa hit back through Brian Madjo just before half-time. A new hero for Villa The 17-year-old striker marked his competitive debut in memorable fashion, becoming the youngest player to score in the Super Cup when he volleyed John McGinn's cross in at the back post. Madjo had already passed up two good opportunities, shooting wide before heading over, but made no mistake with his third chance to cap an eight-month battle to be allowed to play. The England Under-17 international joined Villa fro...

PSG v Aston Villa preview Two teams looking to make a statement in Salzburg Author | Peter Grainger Stadium | Stadion Salzburg The traditional European season curtain-raiser sees Luis Enrique's all-conquering Paris seek to become only the second team in the modern era to retain the Super Cup after Real Madrid managed it in 2016 and 2017.  The French champions overcame Tottenham on penalties in last season's edition in Udine, Italy Standing in the way of PSG are am Aston Villa side who will still be buoyant from defeating Freiburg in the Europa League final on a famous night for the club in Istanbul in May.  This was Villa’s first trophy since winning the League Cup in 1996. Fans are now looking at more trophies and the Super Cup would be a great place to start.  They have won the competition once before, beating Barcelona 3-1 on aggregate over two legs in the 1982/83 season. Previous encounters between the sides The only previous meetings between Paris and Villa produced ...

The first round of the EFL Cup saw domestic football return to England Let's have a look at some of the best moments from across the country on Saturday 8th August Author | Lewis Whatley The match reports below are from across the Super News Affiliate network. QPR 1 - 1 Millwall | Millwall won 2-0 on penalties A fantastic goalkeeping performance sees Millwall progress. Millwall keeper Lukas Jensen saved all four QPR penalties in the shootout as the Lions booked their place in the second round West Ham 3 - 1 Portsmouth West Ham have started preparation for life back in the Championship with a win over Portsmouth in the EFL Cup. They scored three goals in seven minutes as they came from behind to beat Pompey. This was the highest attendance ever at this stage of the competition. Stoke City 2 - 0 Oldham Athletic League Two Oldham made Championship side Stoke City work hard for this win to earn them progress to the next round. Wolves 3 - 0 Port Vale New Wolverhampton Wanderers manager ...

Vinicius Jr is expected to resume contract talks with Real Madrid this week Premier League champions Arsenal continuing to monitor the Brazil forward's situation closely. Author |  Jack L The Gunners have identified Vinicius as their preferred option on the left wing if uncertainty over his future at the Bernabeu continues. The prospect of one of world football's leading attackers moving to north London has inevitably fuelled speculation, but there remains significant doubt over whether he will be available this summer. Real Madrid and the player's representatives have been discussing a new deal for the past 18 months, with his current contract due to expire in 2027. Real Madrid aim to reach agreement Vinicius returned to Madrid on Monday for his first pre-season training session and medical assessment after representing Brazil at the World Cup. The winger is working under Jose Mourinho for the first time this week, and sources close to the Portuguese coach say he is eager ...