European Super Football

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 ...

A legendary footballer and a legendary man This is our tribute  Author | Anthony Gates Kevin Keegan, who has died at the age of 75, was one of football's most charismatic and influential figures, enjoying a remarkable career that took him from global playing star to one of the game's leading managers. Although some will remember him for his difficult spell as England manager, he will be far more fondly recalled as a world-class footballer with Liverpool and Hamburg, as England captain, and for his later playing years at Southampton and Newcastle United. It was on Tyneside, however, where he became one of the club's most adored figures. Watch | A wholesome video posted by Newcastle United   Keegan helped revive Newcastle's fortunes as a player before inspiring the club again from the dugout. He guided them back to the top flight and built a thrilling side that challenged for the biggest prizes, even if the ultimate success proved just beyond their reach. His time at Newc...

After his 187th and final match in charge, a record-extending 27th at the World Cup finals... Didier Deschamps brought an end to his long and successful spell as France manager. Author | Jack L The man who guided France to World Cup glory in 2018 looked set on finishing in style, naming both Kylian Mbappe and Michael Olise from the start. The pair arrived as the tournament's leading scorer and top assist provider respectively, and the match certainly lived up to expectations. Instead, Deschamps' reign ended with France's first competitive defeat against England since 1982, despite a vastly improved display after the interval following a first half that threatened to become a humiliation. France created chances almost at will during spells of the contest, but England goalkeeper Dean Henderson produced a series of impressive saves to deny Rayan Cherki, Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele. Olise also squandered two clear opportunities, ending the tournament without finding the net. Aft...

Thomas Tuchel previously said England's mentality was something you could bottle and sell.  What remains beyond their reach, however, is the ability to deliver in the biggest moments. Author | Ben A The England head coach made the above remarks after the World Cup quarter-final victory over Norway, despite being openly critical of his side's display in the 2-1 win. He later went further, suggesting that "it's maybe not in our DNA... to control the game and ball". The dramatic late collapse that saw England surrender their lead against Argentina in the semi-final, denying them a first men's World Cup final since lifting the trophy at Wembley in 1966, inevitably revived familiar questions about their ability to get over the line. This latest setback joins a growing list of painful near misses Successive defeats in European Championship finals and the 2018 World Cup semi-final loss to Croatia have reinforced the perception that England continue to fall just short...

Potentially important news for England... They will make a late decision on Declan Rice's fitness ahead of Wednesday's World Cup semi-final against Argentina. Author | George B There is growing confidence the Arsenal midfielder will recover in time to start after battling illness in recent days. Rice was affected by a sickness bug in the build-up to Saturday's quarter-final victory over Norway in Miami and was substituted at half-time. Declan Rice playing against Arsenal team-mate Head coach Thomas Tuchel revealed afterwards that Rice had spent three days confined to bed before the match, which England eventually won 2-1 after extra time. Rice is understood to have not yet fully recovered from the illness, which he picked up during England's last-16 victory over co-hosts Mexico, but his condition has improved significantly over the past 48 hours. The midfielder is expected to make himself available given the magnitude of the occasion, although England's medical staf...

England fans celebrated across England and United States as the Three Lions beat Norway in extra time in a tense World Cup quarter-final. Midfielder Jude Bellingham scored twice to set up a semi-final against Argentina on Wednesday. Author | Ben A George B who was at the match said: "We have set it up for a fantastic game against Argentina. We are in a semi-final and that's what matters." Liam C told us: ""We have had to work very hard for it and the conditions really told on both teams. We had that little bit of luck as the goalkeeper made a little bit of an error." Jamie P added: “That was a really tough game. However, Norway tired in extra time, and there seemed to be only one winner for me. I thought we were in control for that last 30 minutes.” England fans sing Wonderwall with players at the Miami Stadium Perhaps the most captured moment came at the stadium itself. Players embraced and sung the iconic Oasis class 'Wonderwall' alongside their a...

If you're an England fan, this was one of the most iconic wins since 1966 Did you stay up and watch it? Author | Ben A England's players sank to their knees in a mixture of elation and exhaustion after producing a performance worthy of the occasion as they became one of the few visiting sides to conquer Mexico's formidable Azteca Stadium. On a night filled with drama, emotion and sporting theatre in one of football's most iconic arenas, England secured one of the finest World Cup victories in their history. Indeed, it ranks among their greatest wins of any kind. Arguably their finest since lifting the World Cup at Wembley in 1966. Head coach Thomas Tuchel, who embraced two-goal hero Jude Bellingham with unrestrained delight after the final whistle before the pair collapsed into each other's arms, had delivered precisely the type of victory the Football Association envisioned when appointing him. England's 3-2 victory set up a quarter-final against Norway in Miam...

England's World Cup last-16 tie against Mexico will kick off as scheduled at 01:00 BST on Monday  This announcement comes after Fifa reversed plans to bring the match forward. Author | George B Football's world governing body held talks with the English and Mexican football associations on Friday after proposing the fixture be moved to 19:00 BST on Sunday (12:00 local time). Weather forecasts indicated there could be thunderstorms at that time, although Fifa did not provide an explanation for the proposed change. Sources told different media outlets that Fifa had been preparing to reschedule the match and confirm the decision in a statement, but the proposal prompted a strong reaction from officials representing both England and Mexico. The Football Association requested additional time to examine the weather forecast in greater detail. As discussions continued, concerns were raised over the impact on player preparation, supporter travel and the logistical challenges of rearran...

Four games from immortality As Harry Kane raced towards the corner of Atlanta's futuristic stadium, England head coach Thomas Tuchel followed him on to the pitch in celebration. Author | Ben A Kane, the captain, leader and undisputed world-class striker, had rescued a World Cup campaign that had been drifting towards one of the darkest moments in England's history. Harry Kane leads the post match team talk after dramatic win over DR Congo. youtube.com/shorts/bu7BD... [image or embed] — SuperNews ( @supernews12.bsky.social ) 2 July 2026 at 10:05 Beneath the closed roof, away from Atlanta's searing heat and suffocating humidity, England and perhaps Tuchel's reign were fading fast as they trailed DR Congo until one of the country's greatest-ever players came to their rescue. There is no doubt England were heading for an embarrassment to rival the Euro 2016 last-16 defeat by Iceland and the shock World Cup loss to the United States in 1950 until Kane, as he has do...

England's first two group matches have presented very different challenges. A thriller against Croatia and a battle against Ghana. Author | Liam C Croatia pressed high, while Ghana defended deep and were content to concede possession, as reflected in England's 78.2% share of the ball. Ghana's experienced coach Carlos Queiroz appeared to take particular satisfaction in pointing out, on several occasions, that England had "no solutions". Tuchel said: "It is difficult to find a way through when someone plays a 4-5-1, sits completely deep and is committed to it, and they celebrated a 0-0 like a win. "So you could see the different approaches, which is fair enough and credit to them. You cannot lose your head about it." A closer look at two very different matches Against Croatia, England's runners in wide areas and through the middle posed a genuine threat. With Ghana sitting back, however, the Three Lions needed a moment of individual brilliance and...

It was a remarkable first match for England at the 2026 World Cup Can they keep this brave and attacking style up throughout the tournament? Author | Liam C England supporters spilled out of the magnificent Dallas Stadium into the warm night air buoyed by a sense of exhilaration after Thomas Tuchel's side delivered a powerful statement of intent. Harry Kane had earlier urged his England team-mates to be "free in the mind" and embrace the pressure that comes with a World Cup, and they took him at his word, for better and worse. England's opening 4-2 win over Croatia combined exhilarating attacking football with moments of alarming defensive vulnerability, but the smiles on the faces of supporters leaving this vast arena painted their own picture. This was, whisper it, fun. England have often been difficult to watch in recent years, even when reaching the Euro 2024 final and the World Cup quarter-finals in Qatar four years ago. Those campaigns brought progress, but rare...

We asked an England fan what his first-choice eleven should be... Do you agree with George B's choices here Jordan Pickford is an easy choice in goal. I would start Reece James, provided he is fully fit. In the defence I would opt for John Stones ahead of Ezri Konsa, even though Konsa has been extremely reliable. I just think Stones has the ability to dictate play at international level and, if England need to retain possession in a game, he is someone who can do that. Marc Guehi's inclusion is fairly self-explanatory. He has been outstanding for Manchester City, Crystal Palace and England this season. At left-back, I would go with Nico O'Reilly. I know Djed Spence started there in the friendly against New Zealand, but if I had to choose one, it would definitely be O'Reilly. Who's in midfield? Elliot Anderson and Declan Rice would make up the midfield, which is probably what most people expect. I like Anderson because he can also initiate attacks. While he is there ...

One more warm-up match before the tournament starts England head coach Thomas Tuchel's pre-World Cup experimentation must surely come to an end now. Author | Liam C Tuchel's extended assessment of the options at his disposal continued on Saturday, with two entirely different teams taking to the field across each half of a low-key friendly against New Zealand in the sweltering heat of Tampa. The countdown is on to England's opening World Cup fixture against Croatia in Dallas on Wednesday 17 June. With the Tampa exercise complete, Tuchel should now be ready to offer a clearer indication of the side he believes can deliver success. It was entirely understandable that he wanted his squad to gain valuable minutes in demanding, energy-sapping conditions. It had been said in the build-up to this pre tournament friendly that utilising the full squad is going to be key.  The consequence of all this squad tinkering, however, was that the 1-0 victory, secured by another Harry Kane goa...