European Super Football

The Portuguese Football Federation has confirmed the departure of Roberto Martinez following Portugal's last-16 loss to Spain. Martinez had already announced that he would be leaving the role he had held since January 2023. Author | Ed Portugal finished second in their World Cup group, drawing with Colombia and DR Congo and beating Uzbekistan 5-0, and defeated Croatia in the last-32 before Monday's tournament exit. The last moments of the Portugal/Martinez era Martinez, 52, led Portugal to the UEFA Nations League title in 2025, but his side departed Euro 2024 at the quarter-final stage with a penalty shootout defeat to France. His decision to consistently start Cristiano Ronaldo has come under considerable scrutiny in the past two global tournaments, with a TV pundit saying the Spaniard was "pandering" to the 41-year-old forward. Speaking after the 1-0 loss to Spain, Martinez said: "I came to Portugal with the objective of winning the World Cup, and because I hav...

All change for Germany following World Cup exit The German football association is seeking talks with Jurgen Klopp about becoming the men's national team coach after Julian Nagelsmann resigned. Author | Ed Nagelsmann requested to be relieved of his duties on Thursday following the team's early exit from the World Cup. The German FA (DFB) has now accepted that request and immediately terminated its contractual relationship with the 38-year-old former Bayern Munich manager. Germany's World Cup campaign came to an end on Monday when the four-time champions were beaten on penalties by Paraguay in the last 32. The defeat sparked widespread debate in the German media over the changes needed to restore the national side's ability to compete at the highest level once again. Initially Nagelsmann, who was appointed in 2023, was determined to remain in charge, saying after the game: "I'm not someone who runs away." Some immediate reaction to Germany's exit earlie...

A shock exit at the World Cup There was a time when Germany were expected to win major football tournaments. Author | Ed Including their years as West Germany, they have lifted the World Cup four times, finished runners-up on another four occasions and won three of the six European Championship finals they have contested. Those days, however, now feel a long way off. The front page of Tuesday's Bild newspaper captured the mood with the headline: "The next German football nightmare", after Germany's World Cup campaign came to a sudden end in the last 32 with a 4-3 penalty shootout defeat by Paraguay following a 1-1 draw after extra time. Watch | A former German footballer responds to their defeat and exit Since winning the World Cup in 2014, Germany have twice failed to progress beyond the group stage and have now been eliminated in the first knockout match they have played at the 2026 tournament. Paraguay began the competition 41st in the FIFA world rankings, compared...

Bayern Munich 3 - 0 Stuttgart Harry Kane scored a second-half hat-trick as Bayern Munich beat Stuttgart in the German Cup final to complete a league and cup double. Author | Ed Stadium | Olympiastadion After a goalless first half in Berlin, the England captain stooped to head home Michael Olise's cross at the back post to put Vincent Kompany's side ahead in the 55th minute. The former Tottenham Hotspur striker added his second 10 minutes from time, turning smartly onto Luis Diaz's pass before finishing calmly. He then converted a stoppage-time penalty to seal victory and complete his second hat-trick in as many matches. Kane's goals in the final cap a remarkable season with Bayern The striker ends the campaign on an extraordinary 61 goals in 51 appearances. After Bayern retained the Bundesliga title earlier in May and lifted the German Supercup last August, Kane has now collected four trophies since joining the German champions in the summer of 2023. What ultimately pro...

Inter Milan 2 - 0 Parma Inter Milan clinched their 21st Serie A title with a convincing win over Parma. Author | Ed  Stadium |  San Siro Requiring only a point to seal the Scudetto with three matches remaining, goals from Marcus Thuram and Henrikh Mkhitaryan ensured there would be no delay. The result moves Inter 12 points clear of reigning champions Napoli. Thuram broke the deadlock in first-half stoppage time, driving a precise right-footed effort beyond Parma goalkeeper Zion Suzuki. The hosts had to remain patient for a second, which arrived 10 minutes from time when Lautaro Martinez squared for the 37-year-old Mkhitaryan to finish from close range. Blue and gold ribbons were scattered across the pitch at full-time as Inter head coach Cristian Chivu celebrated his first major honour in management, adding to the three Serie A titles he won during his playing career with the club. READ MORE |  Football news from across Italy on European Super Football Chivu had spok...

Bayern Munich 4 - 2 Stuttgart Bayern Munich came from behind to overcome Stuttgart, sealing a 35th Bundesliga title in typically emphatic fashion. Author | Ed Stadium | Allianz Arena Having lost just once all season, Bayern required only a point after closest challengers Borussia Dortmund were beaten at Hoffenheim on Saturday night. For a while, though, Stuttgart threatened to delay the celebrations. Chris Führich gave the visitors the lead after 21 minutes with a fine curling finish that briefly silenced the home crowd. The response was swift and decisive. Raphaël Guerreiro levelled 10 minutes later, before Nicolas Jackson, starting in place of Harry Kane, turned the game on its head within two minutes.  Alphonso Davies extended the lead before the interval, showing quick thinking to divert the ball past Alexander Nübel after a delivery from Luis Díaz. Watch | Highlights from the official Bundesliga YouTube account Kane, introduced at half-time in place of Jamal Musiala, needed on...

Real Madrid 1 - 2 Bayern Harry Kane marked his return from injury with a fine strike as Bayern seized the initiative in their Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid Author | Ed  Stadium | Santiago Bernabeu Kane, watched by England head coach Thomas Tuchel, was back in action after the minor issue that ruled him out of the friendly against Japan and Bayern’s Bundesliga victory over Freiburg. The 32-year-old England captain was relatively quiet in the opening half, though he played a part in the move that led to Bayern’s opener, finished calmly by former Liverpool forward Luis Diaz four minutes before the interval. Watch | Highlights of the match from TNT Sports Kane underlined his quality shortly after the restart, driving a precise right-footed effort into the bottom corner beyond Andriy Lunin. Neuer was very important for the Bundesliga leaders The Bayern number one produced four important saves, three of them denying Kylian Mbappe, while Vincent Kompany’s side threate...

Inter Milan 1 - 2 Bodo/Glimt (Bodo/Glimt won 5-2 on aggregate) Another extraordinary night for a club that keeps on defying the odds  Author | Ed  Stadium | San Siro Inter entered the knockout round play-off as three-time winners of the competition and with a commanding 10-point lead at the top of Serie A, status that made them overwhelming favourites for the tie. But Bodø/Glimt, still in their winter off season, have built a reputation for confounding expectations during their debut campaign in the UEFA Champions League and delivered another landmark result. Having already beaten Manchester City and Atlético Madrid in the group stage, they added Inter Milan to the list with a 3-1 victory in the first leg. They faced a barrage of attacks from the home side in the second leg Inter peppered the Bodø/Glimt goal in the first half but the visitors remained resolute, repelling most of the pressure with Nikita Haikin alert to anything that did reach the target. The goalkeeper p...

Werder Bremen 0 - 3 Bayern Munich Harry Kane struck twice to bring up 500 career goals as Bayern Munich re-established a six-point lead at the summit of the Bundesliga with a composed win at Werder Bremen. Author | Ed Stadium | Weserstadion The England captain opened the scoring in the 22nd minute, converting his ninth penalty of the campaign after VAR adjudged Senne Lynen to have fouled Lennart Karl inside the area. Kane added a second three minutes later, guiding a crisp effort in off the post from the edge of the box. That finish marked a significant landmark for the 32-year-old It took Kane to 500 senior goals in 743 appearances for club and country, with a fifth of those coming from the spot. He has now scored 41 times in all competitions for Bayern this season, including 26 in the league, as they moved further clear of Borussia Dortmund, who had beaten Mainz 4-0 on Friday. The visitors were forced into a change at the interval when Manuel Neuer was withdrawn with a calf probl...

Ajax 0 - 2 Benfica Ajax’s bleak Champions League campaign took another turn as they fell to fellow strugglers Benfica, a result that leaves them rooted to the bottom of the league phase. Author | Ed Stadium | Johan Cruijff ArenA Their form in Europe has been wretched, with this defeat marking a fifth successive loss in the competition after ending last season with three straight reverses in the Europa League. Benfica arrived in Amsterdam on their own dismal run of six defeats but secured a first Champions League win under Jose Mourinho, striking early through Samuel Dahl’s emphatic drive after six minutes. Ajax created openings yet found Anatoliy Trubin in resolute form, the goalkeeper denying Davy Klaassen, Rayane Bounida and later Oscar Gloukh at his near post. Their resistance counted for little in the end as Benfica doubled their lead in stoppage time. Leandro Barreiro broke clear and hammered in a decisive second to lift the visitors’ hopes of reaching the knockout rounds. For...

Bayern Munich 6 - 2 Freiburg  Michael Olise delivered a remarkable performance with two goals and three assists as Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich overturned a two-goal deficit to overwhelm Freiburg. Author | Ed Stadium | Allianz Arena Pictures from the fans The visitors shocked the champions with a swift double inside 17 minutes. Yuito Suzuki struck from close range before Johan Manzambi rose to nod in Jan Niklas Beste's corner. Bayern, unbeaten in the league since March, recovered with authority and were level by the break. Lennart Karl, still in his teens, steered in from an Olise pass on 22 minutes and then returned the favour in first half stoppage time, squaring for the French winger to lash home. Freiburg goalkeeper Noah Atubolu was left regretting his attempt to keep it out. Bayern asserted themselves after the interval Dayot Upamecano powered in a header from an Olise corner to give them the lead for the first time. Harry Kane added his 14th league goal of the season ...

Cologne 1 - 4 Bayern Munich Bayern Munich overturned an early deficit to secure a 4-1 victory over Cologne in the second round of the DFB Cup. Author | Ed Stadium | RheinEnergieSTADION Cologne began brightly and, after failing to capitalise on a couple of early chances, eventually took the lead when Ragnar Ache headed home Ísak Jóhannesson’s corner. Bayern responded swiftly through Díaz, before a composed turn and finish from Harry Kane put the Bavarians ahead as they went into the second half. Around the hour mark, Kane nodded in from Joshua Kimmich’s corner, and Michael Olise completed a swift counter-attack by slotting home Díaz’s pass to seal the scoring. Substitute Linton Maina struck the post for Cologne late on, but the Billy Goats could not prevent Bayern from extending their winning start to the season. The reigning Bundesliga champions have now bettered AC Milan’s start in 1992/93, when the Italian side won their opening 13 matches in all competitions. Vincent Kom...

Frankfurt 1 - 5 Liverpool Hugo Ekitike scored against his former club as Liverpool emphatically ended their losing streak, coming from behind to thrash Eintracht Frankfurt. Author | Ed Stadium | Deutsche Bank Park After beginning the season with seven straight wins in all competitions, Liverpool had stumbled badly, suffering four successive defeats, including Sunday’s loss to Manchester United in the Premier League. Their troubles appeared set to continue when Rasmus Kristensen, the former Leeds defender, put Frankfurt ahead after a sluggish opening from the visitors. But Liverpool soon found their rhythm. Ekitike, starting alongside British-record signing Alexander Isak for the first time, levelled ten minutes before the break, latching on to Andy Robertson’s precise long pass and finishing calmly. Virgil van Dijk headed Liverpool in front four minutes later from a corner, before Ibrahima Konaté made it 3-1 on the stroke of half-time with another powerful header. Virgil van Dijk...

Pafos 1 - 5 Bayern Munich Harry Kane extended his remarkable scoring streak with two goals as Bayern Munich swept aside Pafos. Author |  Ed Stadium | Alphamega Stadium Bayern Munich dominated possession throughout The England captain , now 32, has 102 goals in 105 appearances for Bayern since joining from Tottenham for £86.4m in August 2023. This season alone he has 17 in nine club games, including 11 in his last five, alongside a goal for his country in their 5-0 win over Serbia earlier this month. For Pafos, it was a historic night as they hosted their first Champions League group match, but their hopes were quickly undone. Kane opened the scoring after 15 minutes with a first-time finish from Michael Olise ’s pass. Raphael Guerreiro added a second soon after, before Nicolas Jackson claimed his first Bayern goal since arriving on loan from Chelsea, again thanks to Olise’s creativity. Kane struck again on 34 minutes to make it 4-0, though Mislav Orsic briefly lifted the ho...

Eintracht Frankfurt 5 - 1 Galatasaray Eintracht Frankfurt recovered from an early setback to secure a commanding win over Galatasaray in their Champions League opener. Author | Ed Stadium | Deutsche Bank Park Pre-match scenes In a raucous atmosphere, the visitors struck first after only eight minutes. Former Manchester City winger Leroy Sané won possession in his own half, surged forward and slipped in Yunus Akgün, who finished neatly into the bottom corner. Frankfurt, however, turned the game on its head with three goals in the space of 12 minutes before the interval. Davinson Sánchez was unfortunate to turn the ball into his own net after Ugurcan Çakir had parried Ritsu Dōan’s effort.  Moments later, 19-year-old Turkey international Can Uzan scored against his country’s champions with an instinctive strike on the turn. On the stroke of half-time Galatasaray conceded a second own goal, Wilfried Singo heading past his own goalkeeper while attempting to clear a free-kick. Home fan...

Ajax 0 - 2 Inter Milan Marcus Thuram scored twice as Inter Milan began their Champions League campaign with a convincing win at Ajax.  Author | Ed Stadium | Johan Cruijff ArenA Thuram headed in from two Hakan Calhanoglu corners, one in each half, to continue his excellent start to the season. The 28-year-old now has five goals in four games across all competitions, providing last season’s beaten finalists with the perfect response as they look to move on from their heavy defeat by Paris St-Germain in May’s final. A closer analysis of what happened Cristian Chivu, who succeeded Simone Inzaghi after that loss, kept faith with much of the side that started in Munich, naming eight of the same players. He was rewarded with a fluent and assured performance, Thuram at the heart of it. With Lautaro Martínez left on the bench due to a back issue, the former Borussia Monchengladbach forward carried the main attacking threat throughout. Thuram had gone close before his opener, flashing on...

The league phase of the Champions League returns this week Are we going to see any shock results over the next few weeks? Author | Ed PSG fans tifo before 2025 Champions League final A closer look at the format The Champions League underwent a major overhaul ahead of the 2024-25 campaign, introducing a new 36-team league stage . In this expanded format, each club faces eight different opponents, split evenly between home and away fixtures. The top eight sides at the end of the league stage advance directly to the last 16, while those finishing between ninth and 24th must contest a two-legged play-off to join them. Clubs that end the phase in 25th place or lower are eliminated from Europe altogether, with no drop into the Europa League . What happened at this stage in 2024/2025? Last season Liverpool finished top with 21 points, with Arsenal and Aston Villa also securing places in the top eight. Celtic and Manchester City moved into the play-off round, while Club Brugge squee...

Germany 3 - 1 Northern Ireland Northern Ireland produced a determined display but could not prevent Germany from claiming a first win in their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign. Author | Ed Stadium | RheinEnergieSTADION The under-pressure hosts took an early lead in the seventh minute through Serge Gnabry, but on a tense night in Cologne, Isaac Price's volley 11 minutes before half-time brought Northern Ireland back on level terms against Julian Nagelsmann's side. Northern Ireland held firm until the 69th minute, when Nadiem Amiri took advantage of a rare lapse at the back before a curling free-kick from Liverpool's Florian Wirtz made it 3-1. Closer analysis of what happened Coming off three successive defeats, including Thursday's 2-0 loss in Slovakia to begin their Group A campaign, Germany could hardly have hoped for a stronger start. A heavy touch from centre-back Eoin Toal allowed Newcastle United's new signing Nick Woltemade to nip in and steal the ball, ...

An interesting development from the Bundesliga Former Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has been sacked by Bayer Leverkusen after just two league matches in charge. Author | Ed Ten Hag , 55, was only appointed by the German club in the summer having been sacked by United in October. After losing at home to Hoffenheim on the opening weekend of the season, they drew 3-3 at 10-man Werder Bremen on Saturday, having led 2-0 and 3-1. Ten Hag signed a two-year contract to succeed Xabi Alonso as head coach in May after the Spaniard, who led Leverkusen to a league and cup double in 2023-24, was appointed Real Madrid boss. You can watch the highlights of that last match in the embedded Bluesky post below. youtu.be/t8-lFKoEm3s?... More dropped points for Leverkusen this weekend. [image or embed] — Super News Affiliate ( @sup3rnew5affiliate.bsky.social ) 1 September 2025 at 11:51 Best reaction A statement from the Leverkusen CEO, Fernando Carro, on their club website say s: "A ...

Bayern Munich 6 - 0 RB Leipzig Harry Kane began the new Bundesliga season in devastating fashion, scoring a hat-trick as Bayern Munich swept aside RB Leipzig in a commanding display. Author | Ed Stadium | Allianz Arena It was Michael Olise who opened the scoring after 27 minutes, lashing a fierce strike into the far corner after a loose ball fell his way. Serge Gnabry , outstanding throughout, was central to Bayern’s second five minutes later, threading a pass for Luis Díaz to hammer in off the underside of the bar for his first Bundesliga goal since arriving from Liverpool . Just before half-time, Gnabry again tormented Leipzig , feinting to shoot before slipping the ball to Olise, who powered home his second. Kane then took over after the interval, beginning with a neat finish from a counter-attack on 64 minutes. READ MORE | Bayern Munich win the German Super Cup Leipzig briefly thought they had a way back through Antonio Nusa , but his strike was ruled out after a free-kick i...