European Super Football

Aston Villa 3 - 2 PSG (PSG won 5-4 on aggregate) Aston Villa came agonisingly close to pulling off a famous comeback against Paris Saint-Germain, only to fall short on a night of high drama and raw emotion in the Champions League. Author - Thomas J Stadium - Villa Park   Trailing 3-1 from the first leg, Villa’s hopes of reaching the semi-finals were dealt a huge blow early on, as two goals in the opening 30 minutes appeared to settle the tie. Emiliano Martínez’s uncharacteristic error gifted Achraf Hakimi the opener, before Nuno Mendes added a second to leave the hosts needing four unanswered goals. But Villa, roared on by a ferocious home crowd, refused to lie down. Youri Tielemans gave them a lifeline with a deflected effort just after the half-hour mark, and from there, the match descended into glorious chaos. READ MORE:  Champions League: 2024/2025 READ MORE:  Barca qualify despite scare against Dortmund The second half was pure theatre. John McGinn ignited the co...

Lyon 2 - 2 Manchester United A stoppage-time equaliser from Lyon has left Manchester United’s Europa League quarter-final delicately poised at the halfway point. Author - Olivia T Stadiun - Groupama Stadium United fell behind after 25 minutes when Thiago Almada’s wide free-kick evaded a strong enough touch from André Onana, whose uncertain handling continues to draw scrutiny. But just before the break, United drew level through Leny Yoro. The 18-year-old notched his first goal for the club, reacting sharply to Manuel Ugarte’s volley and steering it into the bottom corner. The visitors looked to have snatched a late winner when Joshua Zirkzee, introduced from the bench, guided a looping header past the goalkeeper from Bruno Fernandes’ cross in the 88th minute. However, with virtually the last kick of the game, Onana fumbled a shot from Georges Mikautadze, allowing Rayan Cherki to tap in and spark celebrations in the Lyon end. READ MORE:  UEFA Europa League and Conference Le...

PSG 3 - 1 Aston Villa Paris Saint-Germain overturned a first-half deficit with three exceptional goals to see off Aston Villa in an entertaining first leg at the Parc des Princes.  Author - James L Stadium - Parc des Princes . Morgan Rogers gave the visitors a surprise lead, but second-half finishes from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Nuno Mendes, along with a first-half equaliser from Désiré Doué, gave the Ligue 1 champions a deserved victory. A closer look at what happened in Paris Having wrapped up the French title at the weekend, PSG looked sharp from the off. Ousmane Dembélé returned to the starting line-up and quickly tested Emiliano Martínez with a powerful early effort. Villa, to their credit, weathered the early storm and nearly fell behind when Vitinha curled narrowly over from the edge of the area. Then came the opener, and it was the Premier League side who struck first with a goal very much against the run of play. John McGinn won the ball deep in his own half and...

It's time to explore another football icon  Paul Ince is a former English footballer and manager, who was most recently manager of Reading.  Author - Jack L Ince played professionally from 1986 to 2007, starting his career with West Ham United and later representing Manchester United, Liverpool, Middlesbrough, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Swindon Town and Macclesfield Town in England, as well as Inter Milan in Italy.  Source | Inter Milan YouTube An interesting fact With a combined total of 271 league appearances for the two, Ince is one of the few players, especially in the Premier League era, to have represented both of arch rivals Liverpool and Manchester United . A closer look at his career Ince spent the majority of his playing career at the highest level; after breaking through with his boyhood club West Ham United in the Second Division. He joined Manchester United in 1989, where he won the Premier League twice, the  FA Cup  twice and the Footb...

Arsenal 3 - 0 Real Madrid Declan Rice lit up the Emirates with two superb free-kicks as Arsenal cruised to a 3–0 victory over Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final. Author - DJ Stadium - Emirates Stadium Rice had never scored from a free-kick in his career before this match, delivered two moments of brilliance in the second half to put Mikel Arteta’s side in firm control of the tie. Ahead of kick-off, Arteta had called on the home support to arrive early and generate a big-game atmosphere. The fans responded, and so did the players, as Arsenal made an energetic start and put Madrid under early pressure with a series of threatening crosses. It wasn’t until the 20th minute that the visitors created anything of note, with Vinícius Júnior curling a shot narrowly wide. After the break, Arsenal turned their dominance into goals. The breakthrough came in the 58th minute, when Rice bent a free-kick around the wall and beyond Thibaut Courtois to open the scori...

Arsenal v Real Madrid Preview Los Blancos will make their first-ever competitive appearance at the Emirates Stadium. Author - DJ While the 15-time winners have beaten 111 teams in the competition’s history, Arsenal are not one of them courtesy of their famous last-16 success in the only previous meaningful meetings between the teams back in 2006. While Arteta's looking to reach the final four for just a third time, Madrid’s love affair with the competition sees them looking to make that a reality for the fifth consecutive season.  Real Madrid head into the first leg knowing that no team has beaten Arsenal in North London in 10 Champions League games since their return to the competition last season. An extension of that run would put them in a superb place before a visit to the Spanish capital eight days later. Who remembers this match from 2006? Source | Arsenal YouTube A closer look at how Real Madrid are doing Not since the 2003-04 season have Real Madrid been knocked out ...

England 3 - 0 Latvia Thomas Tuchel made it two wins from two as England manager with a World Cup qualifying victory over Latvia at Wembley. Author - Mark Lee Stadium - Wembley Stadium Just as in their previous match against Albania, England found themselves frustrated for long spells against a side ranked 140th in the world before finally converting dominance into goals. Chelsea captain Reece James marked his first England start since September 2022 with a superb free kick from 20 yards, curling the ball into the net seven minutes before half time. Despite controlling possession, England struggled to extend their lead as Latvia defended doggedly. That changed in the 68th minute when Harry Kane turned in his 71st international goal from Declan Rice’s cross. With Latvia tiring, substitute Eberechi Eze added a third with a deflected strike 14 minutes from time, scoring his first England goal. The result saw Tuchel become the first England men’s manager to win his opening two competiti...

England v Albania Preview Taking their first step towards qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, England get their campaign under way against Albania. Author - Georgia Baker New boss Thomas Tuchel will lead the Three Lions out at Wembley for his first fixture in charge of the runners up from Euro 2024. How are England shaping up ahead of their new era? After wrapping up their latest UEFA Nations League campaign in style, England kick off 2025 with their opening qualifier for the next World Cup, which will be hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The qualifiers take place over five international windows between now and November, with only the top team from each of the 12 groups securing automatic qualification. Meanwhile, the runners-up will have to go through the play-offs. This month, England will look to take charge of Group K as they begin their journey under Tuchel. One of the favourites for World Cup glory, they start with a home fixture against Albania on Friday be...

An important 18 months is about to start for England Ahead of upcoming World Cup qualifiers, let's explore some memorable moments from this stage of the competition. Author - Mark Lee Italy 0 - 0 England | Qualification is secured England only needed a point from their final match to qualify for the following summer's World Cup. Easier said than done when that final match is Italy away.  A battling and sometimes heroic display from the Three Lions earned them a 0-0 draw and qualification was secured. Not a lot of flair from the attacking players but the point was well deserved. Watch some of the highlights from the game in the video below. Germany 1 - 5 England | Even Heskey scored Germany had beaten England at the start of the end of the qualifying campaign. A disappointing end to the reign of Kevin Keegan and an awful way to say goodbye to the old Wembley Stadium . England gained their revenge though. Before this game, Germany had only ever lost one World Cup qualifier ...

Tottenham Hotspur 3 - 1  AZ Alkmaar (Tottenham won 3-2 on aggregate) Wilson Odobert scored twice to rescue Tottenham Hotspur’s season as they overturned a first-leg deficit to beat AZ Alkmaar and secure a place in the Europa League quarter-finals. Author - Greg S Stadium - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium With Spurs languishing in 13th place in the Premier League and already out of both domestic cups, this competition represents their last opportunity for success this season. Ange Postecoglou’s side had been disappointing in the first leg, losing 1-0 in the Netherlands, but delivered a much-improved performance in front of their home fans. Odobert opened the scoring with his first goal for the club, drilling into the top corner after being picked out in space by Dominic Solanke. Spurs took the aggregate lead early in the second half when James Maddison exchanged passes with Son Heung-min inside the box before curling home a fine finish. However, a lapse in concentration saw AZ claw th...

Manchester United 4 - 1 Real Sociedad (Manchester United won 5-3 on aggregate) Bruno Fernandes delivered a captain’s performance at Old Trafford, scoring a hat-trick to guide Manchester United past 10-man Real Sociedad and into the Europa League quarter-finals, where they will face Lyon. Author - Olivia T Stadium - Old Trafford With their European hopes hanging by a thread and the Europa League representing their only realistic route back into continental competition next season, United could hardly have made a worse start. Mikel Oyarzabal put the visitors ahead from the penalty spot after Matthijs de Ligt brought him down inside the box. But the hosts responded swiftly, levelling just six minutes later when Fernandes kept his composure from 12 yards after Igor Zubeldia had fouled Rasmus Højlund as he surged towards goal. Remarkably, a third penalty of the night put United in front. Sociedad were left furious after Aritz Elustondo was penalised for a challenge on January signing Pa...

Liverpool 0 - 1 PSG (Finished 1-1 on aggregate) PSG won 4-1 on penalties Liverpool’s hopes of European glory were beaten dramatically as Paris Saint-Germain edged them out on penalties at Anfield, ending their Champions League campaign. Author - William G Stadium - Anfield PSG, needing to overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first leg in Paris, showed their growing maturity under Luis Enrique, knocking out a Liverpool side widely seen as strong contenders for the title. Ousmane Dembélé’s early strike set the tone for the comeback, with Liverpool struggling to break down a disciplined PSG, who remained a constant threat on the counter. Over the two legs, PSG were fully deserving of their victory , with goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma proving the hero in the shootout. The Italian made crucial saves from Darwin Núñez and Curtis Jones before Désiré Doué buried the decisive penalty, sparking jubilant celebrations among the visiting fans. Liverpool had begun with intent, looking to build on t...

From Crystal Palace to AC Milan? AC Milan are weighing up a summer move for Crystal Palace left-back Tyrick Mitchell as they brace themselves for the potential departure of Theo Hernandez. Author - Jack L Playing for Palace in 2023 Mitchell, who has earned two caps for England, has been a mainstay in Palace’s defence this season, starting all 28 of their Premier League matches. His consistency and defensive reliability have reportedly caught the eye of Milan’s hierarchy, who are beginning to prepare for life without Hernandez. The Rossoneri are widely expected to part ways with Hernandez this summer, with both Real Madrid and Manchester City expressing strong interest in the French international. While Milan have opened talks with Hernandez over extending his contract, which runs until 2026, negotiations have reached an impasse, making a transfer increasingly likely. Should Hernandez depart, Milan manager Sergio Conceicao is understood to have identified signing a new left-back as...

AZ Alkmaar 1 - 0 Tottenham Hotspur Lucas Bergvall's unfortunate own goal condemned Tottenham to a flat and uninspiring defeat in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie against AZ Alkmaar. Author - Greg S Stadium - AFAS Stadion Ange Postecoglou's side offered little in attack, failing to muster a shot on target until the closing stages, and only managing two touches inside AZ's box all evening. The decisive moment came from teenage midfielder Bergvall, who inadvertently diverted Troy Parrott's cross into his own net as he attempted to clear the danger. Spurs had goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario to thank for keeping them in the tie, producing three crucial saves. This included one to deny former Tottenham striker Parrott, who joined AZ for £6.7m last summer. However, Tottenham's hopes of progression took another blow with midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur now suspended for next week's return leg after picking up his third booking of the competition. Postecogl...

FC Copenhagen 1 - 2 Chelsea Chelsea took a significant step towards the Europa Conference League quarter-finals with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Copenhagen in Denmark. Author - Lauren W Stadium - Parken Enzo Maresca’s side were uninspiring in the first half, failing to register a shot on target, but they burst into life immediately after the break. Marc Cucurella, introduced at half-time for the injured Malo Gusto, made an instant impact by surging down the left and cutting the ball back for captain Reece James, who lashed a superb low drive into the bottom corner from 30 yards out. Copenhagen came agonisingly close to an equaliser moments later when Viktor Claesson’s angled strike cannoned off the inside of the post and fell kindly into the hands of relieved Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez. The Blues made their hosts pay for that missed opportunity in the 65th minute. Cucurella, once again influential, won possession high up the pitch before Christopher Nkunku played in T...

Real Sociedad 1 - 1 Manchester United Joshua Zirkzee netted his first European goal for Manchester United, but his side had to settle for a draw against Real Sociedad, leaving their Europa League last-16 tie finely poised. Author - Liam C Stadium - Anoeta Stadium Zirkzee broke the deadlock 12 minutes into the second half, firing a low shot from the edge of the box that caught goalkeeper Alex Remiro off guard. However, Real Sociedad levelled the score through a Mikel Oyarzabal penalty, awarded after a VAR review spotted a handball by Bruno Fernandes. United will feel frustrated not to have taken a win after dominating for nearly an hour, with Andre Onana untested before Sociedad were awarded their penalty. Fernandes saw a goal-bound effort cleared off the line by Aritz Elustondo in the first half, while the United skipper also sent a free-kick narrowly wide. The equaliser seemed to unsettle United and Onana was forced into action, diving to his right to keep out Brais Méndez’s cur...

PSV Eindhoven 1 - 7 Arsenal Arsenal put one foot in the Champions League quarter-finals with a ruthless demolition of PSV. They can still finish this season with a trophy. Author - DJ Stadium - Philips Stadion Mikel Arteta’s side were in complete control from the outset, racing into a three-goal lead before half-time before adding four more in a dominant second-half display. With a trip to Madrid now looming, progression to the next stage looks all but secured. PSV had an early glimmer of hope when Ismael Saibari struck the crossbar, but Arsenal quickly took charge. Jurrien Timber opened the scoring in the 18th minute, and within moments, 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri doubled the lead, finishing emphatically after a sharp cutback from Myles Lewis-Skelly. There was a moment of fortune for Lewis-Skelly, who had already been booked, when he escaped further punishment for a foul on Richard Ledezma. Sensing the risk, Arteta swiftly withdrew him, bringing on Riccardo Calafiori before the bre...

Club Brugge 1 - 3 Aston Villa Aston Villa took control of their Champions League last-16 tie with a 3-1 victory over Club Brugge, capitalising on a late collapse from the Belgian side to gain an advantage ahead of next Wednesday’s second leg. Author - Jamie P Stadium - Jan Breydelstadion Pictures from the away end Brugge had looked the more composed team for much of the contest but were left to rue their own mistakes after conceding twice in the closing stages against an underwhelming Villa. The hosts’ downfall began when Brandon Mechele inadvertently turned Morgan Rogers’ cross into his own net. Just five minutes later, a careless challenge from Christos Tzolis on Matty Cash gifted Villa a penalty, which Marco Asensio confidently dispatched. The three-time Champions League winner has now scored three goals in his last two appearances for the club. How the match unfolded Leon Bailey gave Villa the perfect start, volleying home inside three minutes to put the visitors in front. ...

Aston Villa 2 - 0 Cardiff City Marco Asensio was the star of the show for Aston Villa again as he helped them secure a deserved 2-0 win over Championship strugglers Cardiff City in the FA Cup. Author - Jamie P Stadium - Villa Park The hosts maintained control throughout the match but faced a strong performance from visiting goalkeeper Ethan Horvath, who made several crucial saves to keep Cardiff competitive. In a clash of attack versus defense, the hosts struggled to break down Cardiff's low block. However, they eventually found the breakthrough when Marco Asensio scored from a precise cross by Marcus Rashford. Asensio secured the win in the 80th minute with another clinical finish, converting a cross from Leon Bailey. This was his fourth goal since joining on loan from Paris Saint-Germain in January. This could still be a landmark year for Aston Villa This year for Villa could yet be one for the history books, with Unai Emery’s side still in the hunt for silverware on two fron...

It will be Paris St-Germain v Liverpool in the Champions League last 16. The first of the two-legged tie will be the first time Liverpool have faced PSG since 2018-19. Author - William G The winners of that tie will face Aston Villa or Club Brugge in the quarter-finals. At one point, the French Champions looked to be heading out of the competition before a late run of form saw them finish 15th in the league phase.  They were defeated by Arsenal before a 4-2 victory over Manchester City set up an all-France knockout phase play-off with Brest which they won 10-0 on aggregate. The first leg will take place in Paris Liverpool will need a plan to deal with Ousmane Dembele. The former Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona forward is one of the in-form goalscorers in Europe right now, with six goals in this season's Champions League. Interestingly, Liverpool have not won any of their past five away games against French clubs, since a Champions League victory against Marseille in 2008. Click...