European Super Football

Club Brugge 2 - 1 Atalanta  Gustaf Nilsson won and converted a controversial late penalty as Club Brugge edged past Atalanta in the first leg of their Champions League knockout play-off. Author - Peter Grainger Stadium - Jan Breydelstadion The Belgian champions started brightly and got their reward when teenage winger Chemsdine Talbi pounced on a loose pass before setting up Ferran Jutgla, who fired a right-footed shot into the top left corner after 15 minutes. Atalanta hit back just before half-time, with Croatia international Mario Pasalic nodding in Davide Zappacosta’s cross from the left. However, deep into stoppage time, Swedish defender Isak Hien was penalised for holding off his fellow countryman Nilsson with his arm. After a VAR check, Turkish referee Halil Umut Meler upheld his decision to award the penalty. A fascinating encounter in Belgium. eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com youtu.be/ciZwuAcTHgA?... [image or embed] — European Super Football ( @superfootball.bsky.soc...

Atalanta 0 - 0 Celtic Celtic secured a valuable Champions League point with a resilient defensive performance, holding last season’s Europa League winners Atalanta to a goalless draw in Bergamo. Author - Peter Grainger from GMCR Football This result marked a notable shift in fortunes for Celtic, who had previously lost all seven of their matches in Italy in this competition. Despite facing relentless pressure from the hosts, the Scottish champions stood firm, taking a crucial step towards progressing to the knockout stages. Kasper Schmeichel played a pivotal role with several impressive saves, while Atalanta squandered several clear chances. Celtic’s defensive discipline proved key in denying the Serie A side, who grew increasingly frustrated as the match developed.  After two challenging away fixtures, Celtic now have the advantage of back-to-back home games against RB Leipzig and Club Brugge, with four points already secured.  Celtic’s Champions League campaign has been ...

Atalanta 0 - 0 Arsenal David Raya pulled off a stunning double save from the penalty spot as Arsenal played out a draw against Atalanta in their Champions League opener. The Spaniard dived low to his right to deny Mateo Retegui’s penalty, then somehow scrambled across his goal to keep out the striker’s follow-up header right on the line. It was the only moment of excitement and quality in an otherwise forgettable match in Bergamo. Clear chances were hard to come by, with Raya not needing to make any other saves beyond that dramatic two-second sequence. Arsenal, on the other hand, didn’t manage a single shot between the 18th and 75th minute. Like their opponents, their only two shots on target came as part of a double save. Atalanta's keeper, Marco Carnesecchi, tipped away Bukayo Saka’s free-kick and then blocked Thomas Partey’s close-range follow-up. Champions League: 2024/2025 (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) It looked as though the game might slip away from Arsenal when Thoma...

Atalanta 3 - 0 Bayer Leverkusen Ademola Lookman delivered a stunning hat-trick as Atalanta ended their 61-year trophy drought, crushing Bayer Leverkusen’s hopes of an unbeaten season in the Europa League final at a lively Aviva Stadium. Both teams brought a massive wave of support and vibrant colours to Dublin for what was Atalanta’s first European final and only Leverkusen’s third. Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen side had remained undefeated for 51 games this season and were just two matches away from perfection. The former Charlton Athletic winger Lookman had other plans. He netted the first goal with a top-corner strike from Davide Zappacosta’s cutback. His second goal was a thing of beauty, nutmegging Granit Xhaka before curling a fantastic shot into the bottom corner from 20 yards. Lookman's third was equally brilliant, a step-over to beat Edmond Tapsoba before smashing the ball into the roof of the net. Leverkusen who have been known for their dramatic comebacks this season...

 Liverpool 0 - 3 Atalanta A few weeks ago, Liverpool fans were dreaming of 4 trophies. This time next week, there's every chance that they will only be fighting to add the Premier League to their Carabao Cup.  The Anfield side faces a huge battle to stay in the Europa League after suffering a home defeat to Atalanta in the quarter-final first leg.  Let's explore what happened.  The former West Ham United forward Gianluca Scamacca scored in each half. Ex-Chelsea player Mario Pasalic added a late third goal to ensure the Italians start strong favourites to reach the semi-finals when the sides meet in the return leg in Bergamo.  After a fairly open first 30 minutes or so, Scamacca managed to break the deadlock in the 38th minute after Caoimhin Kelleher allowed his low drive to creep under him. On a deeply frustrating night for below-par Liverpool, Darwin Nunez missed two big chances to give Liverpool a foothold in the match. Harvey Elliott's curling attempt som...

Another new signing for Manchester United The £72m (£64 million plus 8 million of add-ons) signing of Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta has been completed by the club. Having joined the Serie A side in 2022, the 20-year-old scored 10 goals in 34 appearances last season. After suffering a small injury during pre-season training with Atalanta, Hojlund will miss the beginning of the 2023-24 season. United kick off the campaign against Wolves on Monday 14th August. This means United will probably start the season with Rashford playing in that more central role.  He was presented to the United fans before their friendly win against Lens. Before Manchester United's friendly with Lens, which ended in a 3-1 victory for the Red Devils, Hojlund received a rapturous reception when he walked out of the players' tunnel. As a result of his presence, a Danish TV crew flew in to cover the event. Last week, Manchester Super News explored the potential impact of the new signing:  Football News:...