European Super Football

AC Milan 3 - 1 Club Brugge Tijjani Reijnders netted two impressive second-half goals as AC Milan overcame a shaky start to defeat a 10-man Club Brugge. Author - Katrine Jonnson  The Belgian side began brightly, with Christos Tzolis nearly putting them ahead, only for a superb save by Mike Maignan to deny him. Milan, needing a victory after defeats against Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen, took the lead when former Chelsea forward Christian Pulisic's   inswinging corner flew directly into the net. Referee Felix Zwayer showed a red card to Raphael Onyedika for a high tackle on Reijnders following a VAR review, leaving Brugge with what eventually proved to be a significant disadvantage. Despite the setback, Brugge managed to level the score with a well-crafted goal. Substitute Kyriani Sabbe finished off a slick team move, slotting the ball into the far corner. At 19, Sabbe became only the fourth teenager to score against Milan in the Champions League. Champions League: 2024/2025 Th

The end of an era in French football  Olivier Giroud has announced his intention to step down from international duty with France after Euro 2024. The AC Milan striker is that nation's all-time top scorer, with 57 goals in 131 appearances and won the World Cup in 2018. The former Arsenal and Chelsea forward has been named in Didier Deschamps' provisional squad for the Euros, which start next month in Germany. A key player for this golden generation of French football? Despite playing 465 minutes at the 2018 World Cup, Giroud did not score or have a shot on target. However, many of those around him have spoken about the massive impact he had. He scored four at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. This included a late winner against England in the quarter-finals. France went on to reach the final, where they were beaten on penalties by Argentina. Giroud is out of contract at AC Milan next month and has agreed to join American Major League Soccer side Los Angeles FC after this summer&

 AC Milan 1 - 2 Inter Milan Inter Milan secured their 20th Serie A title by beating Milan in a fiery derby showdown at San Siro. This victory propelled Simone Inzaghi’s squad to an insurmountable lead in the league standings. Goals from Francesco Acerbi and Marcus Thuram in each half were enough to seal Inter’s win, with Fikayo Tomori finding the net late in the game to narrow the scoreline. The match was marked by three players receiving red cards in stoppage time, leading to Milan finishing the game with only nine players due to escalating tensions. Theo Hernández and Davide Calabria were sent off alongside Inter’s Denzel Dumfries. With five league matches now left, Inter holds a commanding 17-point lead over second-placed Milan . The San Siro was full of fans from both teams, with Inter supporters proudly displaying two stars to signify their imminent 20th Scudetto triumph, sending a clear message to their rivals: "Our destiny, your nightmare." The game got off t

 AC Milan 0 - 0 Newcastle United With a 0-0 draw at the San Siro, Newcastle earned what could prove to be a vital point after holding a dominant AC Milan to their first Champions League match in over twenty years. Eddie Howe's side qualified for the group stages for the first time since the 2002/03 season, joining Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund, as well as Milan, last year's semifinalists. In such a daunting draw, any points gained away from St James' Park should be cherished - even if theis was mainly earned through gritty defending and opposition wastefulness. Newcastle were fortunate to go into half-time level with the hosts after Rafael Leao fluffed a backheel after a fine solo run. In the second half, the game became much more even. The visitors' Sandro Tonali had a shot blocked, while Tijjani Reijnders forced Pope into a decent save. More AC Milan news In the closing stages, Leao should have won it with a header after getting between Newcastle def

 AC Milan have completed the signing of Ruben Loftus-Cheek from Chelsea on a four-year contract. The two clubs did not disclose the fee involved. However, it has been reported that Milan will pay £15m plus add-ons. The 27-year-old had been at Stamford Bridge since he was a youth player. He has scored seven goals in 155 club appearances, winning two Premier League titles, the Europa League and the Uefa Super Cup. The midfielder has also had loans at Crystal Palace and Fulham where he made an additional 54 Premier League appearances. It has already been a busy summer of outgoings for Chelsea. They have sold Kai Havertz to Arsenal and Mateo Kovacic to Manchester City. Edouard Mendy and Kalidou Koulibaly have moved to Saudi Arabia with Al-Ahli, and N'Golo Kante has agreed a deal with fellow Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad. What are people saying about the move?  Lauren, a Chelsea fan, was sad to see him go. She said: "When he played for Sarri he looked like the real deal. He su

 It's time for you to read about another football icon. Jaap Stam is a Dutch professional football coach and former player. As a player, he played as a centre-back and is regarded as one of the best defenders of his generation. A brief introduction Stam played for several European clubs including PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United, Lazio, Milan and Ajax. More icons The start of a fantastic career On August 15th 1992, Stam made his professional debut for FC Zwolle in a 1–1 draw against SC Heracles in the Eerste Divisie. He became a first-team regular right away and moved to Eredivisie club Cambuur Leeuwarden for the following season, but relegated in his first season which brought him back into the Eerste Divisie.  Two seasons performing well at Cambuur earned him a transfer to Eredivisie club Willem II. At Willem II, he immediately impressed at the Eredivisie level and earned a transfer to PSV Eindhoven despite only making 19 appearances. Icons: Henrik Larsson (eurosuperfootball.

 Let's explore some of the best Champions League and European Cup finals. There have been some truly memorable encounters in the final of the competition since it started in the 1950s. Real Madrid 4 - 3 Stade de Reims: 1956 A football match that you have probably never heard of. This was actually the first final of the European Cup. Real Madrid triumphed in what would prove to be the first of five consecutive title in the competition. On this night, the Spanish giants came back from behind to win 4–3. This was thanks to goals from Alfredo Di Stéfano and Marquitos, as well as two goals from Héctor Rial. Benfica 1 - 4 Manchester United: 1968 A memorable night where Man United became the first English side to win Europe's premier competition.  United took the lead from Bobby Charlton's header eight minutes into the second half. Jaime Graça's 79th-minute equaliser meant the match went into extra time. United scored three times in seven minutes in the first extra tim

 Juventus 0 - 1 AC Milan Olivier Giroud scored the winner as AC Milan qualified for next season's Champions League with a narrow win against Juventus. The defeat ended Juve's hopes of qualifying for the Champions League. The home side started the match aggressively, knowing that only a win was good enough to maintain their slim hopes of securing a top-four finish. Massimiliano Allegri made enforced changes to his team as their star striker and top scorer Dusan Vlahovic was sidelined.  Davide Calabria crossed from the right for the France striker to head in the winner for the Rossoneri. Alexis Saelemaekers had a low shot saved by Wojciech Szczesny as Milan probed for a second goal. Click here to find more AC Milan news and stories. Milan have now completed a league double against Juventus for just the third time in the last 50 years. They are now secure in fourth place, with Inter, Lazio and champions Napoli having already qualified for next season's Champions League. Aft

 Inter Milan 1 - 0 AC Milan (Inter won 3-0 on aggregate) Inter Milan reached the Champions League final as Lautaro Martinez's goal sealed victory over fierce rivals AC Milan. The 'home side' qualified for the final in Istanbul on the 10th of June after a disciplined second-leg display ensured progress. They were made to absorb early pressure as a determined start by Milan ensured the match began at a frenetic pace. Theo Hernandez fired marginally over with a ferocious strike and Brahim Diaz was denied by Andre Onana as Stefano Pioli's side attempted to undo the damage done by conceding two goals inside 11 minutes last week. Click here for more Champions League news:  UCL and UEL (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) The talented Rafael Leao displayed flashes of inspiration on his return but shot agonisingly wide of the far post after driving in from the left. Inter asserted themselves as the first half progressed, and the tie would have been effectively over before the i

This player might be Brazilian, but like his friend Ronaldo, his impact across Europe was huge.  Icons: Ronaldo (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) Let's explore Rivaldo's fantastic career A brief introduction Rivaldo played mainly as an attacking midfielder. However, he was also used as a second striker and occasionally as a wide midfielder or a winger. He was renowned for his bending free kicks, bicycle kicks, feints, and powerful ball striking from a distance. Rivaldo also had the ability to both score and create goals. In 1999, he won the Ballon d'Or and was named FIFA World Player of the Year. With his huge success, he is one of nine players to have won the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Champions League and the Ballon d'Or. Early career  He started his career in 1991 with Brazilian club Santa Cruz, moving on to spells at Mogi Mirim, a loan spell at Corinthians, and Palmeiras. People across the major European leagues were impressed, and it was inevitable that a move was

Let's take a look at some of the greatest Champions League semi-finals.  With the 2023 Champions League semi-finals just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to look back at some legendary matches at this stage of the competition.  From AC Milan to Manchester United and Didier Drogba to Zinedine Zidane, iconic clubs and players have come of age and built their modern mythology in these matches. However, which games were the best?  AC Milan v Monaco - 1994 The Champions League was still a very different competition when it officially changed its name from the European Cup in the earlier part of the 1990s.  In this game against Monaco, Milan went up early through Marcel Desailly but suffered a significant setback when Alessandro Costacurta was sent off after 40 minutes. However, they were determined not to let their advantage slip. In the end, they only held their lead but also added to it with further strikes in the second half. The season would only get better for Milan.

 Tottenham Hotspur 0 - 0  AC Milan (Aggregate 0 - 1) Tottenham Hotspur's Champions League campaign ended in disappointing fashion as they failed to overturn a first-leg deficit against AC Milan. Our write-up of a brilliant night in London 👉 https://t.co/ACYqFrO5iG Il nostro racconto di una splendida notte londinese 👉 https://t.co/LyRQnQbeei #TOTACM #UCL #SempreMilan pic.twitter.com/Xks6RzSEzZ — AC Milan (@acmilan) March 8, 2023 The home side paid the price for another passive start that allowed Milan to settle into their task. This misery for Spurs was complete when Cristian Romero was sent off late on after receiving a second yellow card for a wild challenge on Theo Hernandez. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg tested AC Milan keeper Mike Maignan with a powerful second-half shot and Harry Kane headed wide, but Spurs failed to mount sustained pressure on the Italian defence. Lads, it's Spurs news from European Super Football>>> There wasn't much in the way of late

 AC Milan 1 - 0 Tottenham Hotspur Spurs suffered a narrow first-leg defeat in the San Siro Diaz nodded in early on after Spurs goalkeeper Fraser Forster had saved a Theo Hernandez shot and then superbly got a hand on the scorer's initial follow-up attempt. Antonio Conte's side looked relatively comfortable for long periods of the contest against the seven-time European champions. A young midfield pairing of Pape Sarr and Oliver Skipp deputised confidently for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (suspended) and Rodrigo Bentancur (injured). Not much attacking threat from the away side They were rarely able to build any attacking momentum with their front three of Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski. They were all well-shackled by an AC Milan side that was well-disciplined. Will Milan have regrets? Mian's only regret will be not to have put the tie beyond this depleted Spurs side. Can they get at least a draw in North London to see them qualify for the last eight of the compe

 It's time to explore the life of another football icon. This time it's Paolo Cesare Maldini Paolo Maldini is an Italian former professional footballer who played primarily as a left-back and centre-back for AC Milan and the Italy national team. He is regarded as one of the greatest defenders of all time.  As the Milan and Italy captain for many years, he was nicknamed "Il Capitano" ("The Captain"). Maldini held the record for most appearances in Serie A, with 647, until 2020, when he was overtaken by Gianluigi Buffon. He is currently serving as technical director for Milan, as well as being co-owner of USL Championship club Miami FC. A true one-club man... Maldini spent all 25 seasons of his playing career in the Serie A with Milan, before retiring at the age of 41 in 2009. He won 26 trophies with Milan: the European Cup/UEFA Champions League five times, seven Serie A titles, one Coppa Italia, five Supercoppa Italiana titles, five European/UEFA Super Cu

The dreaded European Super League is back in the news again This video from Tifo Football explores how the original idea fell apart. Keep reading this article for the latest news on the European Super League. It now appears to be back in the news again.  What's being said? In an article for Sky Sports, it was reported that the chief executive of the company behind the previous failed project has claimed that a new European Super League with no permanent membership could be up and running by the 2024/25 season. There has also been an interesting article in The Financial Times. ESPN are reporting some of the developments and what it could mean. Are we close to the idea being relaunched? A22 Sports Management -- the company that launched the European Super League in April 2021 -- appointed a new chief executive, Bernd Reichart, who claimed it would be relaunched within three years. This comes against the backdrop of legal action taken by the three remaining Super League clubs (