European Super Football

Manchester United 2 - 3 Galatasaray  Manchester United have endured a tough run of form this season.  It took a turn for the worse  as they suffered a defeat to Galatasaray in the Champions League at Old Trafford. Mauro Icardi delivered a crucial blow in the 81st minute, securing the Turkish giants their historic first-ever victory on English soil. Despite missing an earlier penalty opportunity to put the visitors in front at Old Trafford, Icardi showed his clinical side by capitalizing on Davinson Sanchez's header, lofting a shot past United's goalkeeper Andre Onana. This marked United's sixth loss in 10 games this season, with the team now facing its second defeat in the opening two matches of Group A in the Champions League. Adding to the woes of their manager, Erik ten Hag, his team had twice taken the lead thanks to goals from Rasmus Hojlund in both halves. On both occasions, Galatasaray responded swiftly to level the score. Furthermore, the situation escalated when

 Bayern Munich 4 - 3 Manchester United Bayern Munich and Manchester United played out a classic Champions League encounter in Munich. Harry Kane was heavily involved.  This was not Kane's best game, with him floating in and out of it, but he did what was required. His neat set-up enabled the opener and he made no mistake with a typically ruthless penalty. No better way to start our @ChampionsLeague campaign at home 🙌 #MiaSanMia pic.twitter.com/kYeMuhkbAK — Harry Kane (@HKane) September 20, 2023 Following a VAR review, the England captain scored a penalty at the Allianz Arena, taking his tally of goals in all competitions this season to five in five games. Kane's goal came just after Rasmus Hojland's first United goal made it 2-1 early in the second half and gave his side some hope of a result. The Champions League is back! Earlier, in the 28th minute, goalkeeper Andre Onana had undone a disciplined start by allowing Leroy Sane's drive to slip under him and into

 Scotland 1 - 3 England In a raucous Hampden Park friendly, England continued their modern-day superiority over Scotland.  Scots last won this fixture in 1999, but hopes of a 42nd win appeared ominously faint as Phil Foden's opener silenced the stadium before Jude Bellingham added a second. A shaken Scotland eventually awoke the home crowd as Harry Maguire sent Andy Robertson's cross screeching beyond Aaron Ramsdale. A mesmerizing Bellingham assist enabled Harry Kane to score England's third as a result of England's classy play and intricate movement. Top of their European Championship qualifying group with five wins from five and facing an England team held by Ukraine on Saturday , Steve Clarke spoke before the match about the desire to see how much his team had narrowed the gap between themselves and England. An almost ruthless first half from Gareth Southgate's team offered a sobering reply. After a slick, composed and controlled performance, the visitors des

 Ukraine 1 - 1 England England's winning run in their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign came to a halt as they were held to a draw by Ukraine in Wroclaw. Ukraine were backed by 40,000 fans in the Tarczynski Arena, giving the game the fervent feel of a home fixture despite the hosts being unable to play in their own country. In the 26th minute, Arsenal's Oleksandr Zinchenko turned in a cross from Yukhym Konoplya to give Ukraine the lead. There was plenty of possession for England, but there was a lack of creativity. Harry Kane had to show his brilliance four minutes before half-time to equalise. In his 77th appearance, he sent Kyle Walker in with a magnificent raking pass for his first international goal. Euro 2024 Qualifying news and stories  The English had the better of the second half, with Bukayo Saka's shot being deflected by the slightest touch from Ukraine keeper Georgiy Bushchan. England are still firmly on course to qualify for next summer's Euros in Germany, b

 For the second year running, Bukayo Saka has been named England men's player of the year. The Arsenal winger, who turned 22 on Tuesday , retained the award he won first in 2021-22. Midfielder Jude Bellingham came second in the ballot, followed by England captain and all-time top scorer Harry Kane. Picture credit -  Premier League 2023/24, Matchday 4 - Arsenal 3:1 Mancheste… | Flickr In the past year, Saka has scored seven goals in 10 appearances for England, including a hat-trick against North Macedonia at Old Trafford. At the 2022 Qatar World Cup , he scored three times for the Three Lions, twice against Iran in the opening group stage and once against Senegal in the last 16. He has 11 England goals in 28 caps. The Arsenal fan favourite is again among England boss Gareth Southgate's squad for Saturday's European Championship qualifier against Ukraine and Tuesday's friendly with Scotland.  Saka will once again be an important player for England in what could be a

 Arsenal 3 - 1 Manchester United At the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal scored twice in stoppage time to secure a dramatic victory over Manchester United. United thought they had snatched three points before VAR ruled Alejandro Garnacho's 88th-minute finish offside. Limbs. pic.twitter.com/JiDMV59yiO — Arsenal (@Arsenal) September 4, 2023 The drama then switched to the other end when Declan Rice's deflected shot gave Arsenal the lead, then substitute Gabriel Jesus raced clear to seal the victory as the stadium erupted in celebration. Christian Eriksen 's outstanding pass found Marcus Rashford, who cut inside to send an unerring right-foot shot past Arsenal keeper Aaron Ramsdale in the 27th minute. Odegaard's emphatic finish into the bottom corner immediately leveled the match for the Gunners. Arsenal - who had a penalty overturned by the VAR after referee Anthony Taylor initially ruled Havertz fouled - missed a glorious late opportunity when Bukayo Saka shot straight at

 Let's travel across Europe for some talking points Spain: Bellingham shines for Madrid The former Borussia Dortmund midfielde r again proved Real Madrid’s match-winner, scoring in injury time to snatch a 2-1 La Liga victory over Getafe. Real Madrid played their first home game at the Bernabéu this season. Liam is a Manchester United fan, and watched the game on TV: "Bellingham is a special player. I really wish he was playing for Manchester United." You can see some highlights in the video below. Footage from  LaLiga - YouTube Italy: Napoli lost at home to Lazio The Italian champions, Napoli, faced their first loss of the season when they were defeated 2-1 at their home ground by Lazio. It was a surprising turn of events as Lazio's Luis Alberto scored the opening goal with a clever backheel after 30 minutes, despite Napoli dominating the game. Napoli, now under the management of Rudi Garcia, who took over from Luciano Spalletti in June, quickly levelled the score

 Spain 1 - 0 England The wait for England to win its first Women's World Cup title continues after Spain won the final in Sydney. In a game full of flair and creativity, the Spanish team outplayed the Lionesses, looking to become the first England senior team to win a World Cup since 1966. After a final corner kick was dealt with by Spain in the 14th minute of nerve-wracking stoppage time, England players fell to their knees in tears at the final whistle. In the first half, Spain's Olga Carmona scored the winning goal after England's Lucy Bronze lost possession in midfield. Women's World Cup 2023 news and stories After losing two consecutive World Cup finals, Sarina Wiegman introduced Lauren James and Chloe Kelly at half-time, but Spain maintained control. Earps, who won the Golden Glove award as best goalkeeper at the tournament, made several stunning saves, none better than from the penalty spot to deny Jenni Hermoso in the second half. She moved early to her left

 Australia 1 - 3 England On a historic evening in Sydney, England spoiled co-hosts Australia's party by reaching the Women's World Cup final for the first time. A sell-out crowd at Stadium Australia was silenced by the Lionesses' 3-1 victory, making them the first English football team to reach a senior final since 1966. More news from the tournament can be found here: Latest Women's World Cup 2023 news and stories With this win, England, crowned European champions on home soil for the first time last year, showed their superiority and know-how against a team of Australia spurred on by a nation inspired by the Matildas' success after two sensational years under Sarina Wiegman. In this match, Ella Toone set the tone for England with this stunning strike. This made England fans start to dream. However, there was still a lot of time in the match.  📐 @EllaToone99 set the tone for England with a beautiful strike. @Xero | #FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/Jf3CwOsEuB — FIFA W

 England 2 - 1 Colombia As they came from behind against a dangerous Colombia side, England set up a  Women's World Cup semi-final with co-hosts Australia. Despite not playing their best football in the tournament, the European champions showed a much more rounded performance in Sydney in front of a hostile crowd. After goalkeeper Mary Earps had been beaten by a quick-thinking lob in the first half, the Lionesses capitalised on two slices of luck after being composed in defence and hard-working in attack. After Colombia goalkeeper Catalina Perez spilled a routine gather in the six-yard area under pressure from Alessia Russo, Lauren Hemp poked in the equalizer just seven minutes after Leicy Santos had caught out Earps. Russo, who had only scored once in four World Cup matches before Saturday's quarter-final, worked tirelessly out of possession, pounced on a kind deflection to score England's second goal. As Colombia's attacking line-up included Real Madrid's tee

England 0 - 0 Nigeria England won 4-2 on penalties Despite a red card from Lauren James, England made it to the quarterfinals of the Women's World Cup. Georgia Stanway fired wide with the opening penalty but Nigeria missed their next two efforts and the European champions secured their spot in the last eight when Chloe Kelly smashed in the winning kick. After losing possession, James stamped on Michelle Alozie's back in the 87th minute and was rightfully shown a red card by the video assistant referee (VAR). England were given an almighty scare but face Colombia or Jamaica next on Saturday. England stumble over the line but ultimately succeed England stumbled to the end of normal time lacking the fluidity they showed in abundance in the impressive display against China and held on to seal the deal in a shootout. Only 24 hours earlier, back-to-back champions the USA were knocked out of the competition, and England were forced to show resilience to overcome arguably the most

 China 1 - 6 England England won their group and qualified for the last 16 of the Women's World Cup as Lauren James delivered a sensational performance. The world was watching and will be concerned about England's display. It was a performance worthy of their status as European champions, and James once again starred with two goals and three assists. The 13,497 people in attendance on Friday were treated to a masterclass from Chelsea's James, who scored the match-winner against Denmark. Women's World Cup: England start with a win (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) More football news from across England James was on fire throughout this match. She helped England get off to the perfect start when she teed up Alessia Russo for the opener, and later slipped the ball through to Lauren Hemp to place it into the bottom corner. The game was largely one-way traffic as England dominated and overwhelmed. James struck first time and into the corner to make it 3-0 before a further

England 1 - 0 Denmark Six minutes into her first World Cup start, Lauren James announced herself on the global stage with a stunning strike from the edge of the box. An apparent injury to Barcelona midfielder Walsh dampened what was a positive, attacking performance from the Lionesses after a scrappy 1-0 win over Haiti. Previous match report:  England start with a win (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) Walsh went down under little contact and immediately gestured to the dugout that she was in pain. Over 40,000 people were in attendance in Sydney. A Sydney Football Stadium dominated by Lionesses fans was flattened by the sight of England's most crucial player injured. Despite England's deserved half-time lead, Denmark capitalised on this change of mood and created a chance for former Chelsea striker Pernille Harder, which she scuffed wide. Throughout, James showed she is more than deserving of a regular starting position with England, showing the creativity and unpredictabilit

England  1 - 0 Haiti In their opening Women's World Cup game against Haiti, England did what they needed to do - win. The European champions were lacklustre and wasteful in their 1-0 victory, struggling to put away the chances they created while looking occasionally sloppy in defence. Haiti proved why they are in Australia among the 32 best teams in the world with a fearless performance that tested Sarina Wiegman's side. Georgia Stanway's penalty gave England a crucial three points - and it was just the third time in six World Cup appearances they had won their first match. Women's World Cup: Spain and Switzerland start with a win (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) Women's World Cup: Preview (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) Their most recent matches were against Portugal and Australia, and they did little to generate momentum against Haiti. There were 44,000 people in attendance, including many ex-pats living in Brisbane, supporting the English team, but Haiti did

 Declan Rice has been an Arsenal player for a few days now. Arsenal announced they had signed Rice from West Ham in club-record £105m deal.  The midfielder's move is a record transfer fee between two British clubs. He becomes Arsenal's third summer signing to take Gunners' spending to £208m; Rice signs five-year deal at Arsenal. What impact will the transfer have on both clubs? Rice celebrating the recent Europa Conference League with West Ham. His last appearance for the club. Photo from  Football Pictures | Flickr The Arsenal fans are happy We spoke with Peter, an Arsenal Season Ticket holder, spoke about the benefits of the signing: "Declan Rice could be a colossus of the modern game even in this age of mega-athletes. With superb timing, an eye for space that opens up the pitch, and the ability to hit long or short killer passes, he has unmatched power combined with superb timing. Arteta and staff will also turn him into a monster scorer in the penalty box."

England U21 1 - 0 Spain U21 England won the European Under-21 Championship for the first time in nearly 40 years. James Trafford's dramatic last-minute penalty save ensured the Young Lions beat Spain. The young goalkeeper, who is set to join Burnley from Manchester City in a deal that could be worth up to £19m, kept out Abel Ruiz's low spot-kick in the 99th minute. The 20-year-old then produced another brilliant stop on the follow-up before being mobbed by his team-mates. More England news from every level can be found here. You can watch the highlights of the match in the video below.  England U21 1-0 Spain U21 | Heroic James Trafford Makes Young Lions European Champions! | Highlights - YouTube England just about had enough to overcome Spain The winning goal came with virtually the last kick of the first half when a Cole Palmer free-kick deflected off team-mate Curtis Jones and wrong-footed goalkeeper Arnau Tenas to find the bottom corner. Spain had a Ruiz goal ruled out f

 The much anticipated ninth FIFA Women’s World Cup is almost upon us. The tournament kicks off on July 20th and will debut an expanded 32-team format, resulting in a full month of top-flight international football. There is bound to be some world class on display from all the teams taking part. ☄️🇩🇪 Giulia Gwinn knows how to hit them! #FIFAWWC | #HBD pic.twitter.com/1X6uXyFfTw — FIFA Women's World Cup (@FIFAWWC) July 2, 2023 It will take place in two countries: Australia and New Zealand. The matches will be held at 10 stadiums in nine cities across these two nations. Only Sydney will offer two venues, the Sydney Football Stadium and Stadium Australia. The final will be held at Stadium Australia. A full list of the teams that have qualified Australia, China, Japan, Philippines, South Korea and Vietnam qualified to represent AFC (Asia). Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, and Zambia qualified from CAF (Africa). Canada, Costa Rica, Haiti, Jamaica, Panama and the USA represent CONCAC

 Malta 0 - 4 England England continued their perfect record in Euro 2024 qualifying with a comfortable win at Malta. Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold scored a fine 25-yard strike between an own goal and two penalties from Harry Kane and Callum Wilson. Gareth Southgate's side had little trouble dispatching the side 172nd in the Fifa rankings. The England boss would maybe liked a couple of extra goals but apart from that, he'd very little to complain about. You can watch the highlights in the video below. Footage from Channel 4 Sport.  Malta v England (0-4) | Trent Alexander-Arnold Masterclass | Match Highlights | Euro 2024 - YouTube The three points were sealed inside the first 31 minutes as Ferdinando Apap turned past his goalkeeper before Alexander-Arnold's impressive strike. Just over 90 seconds after Alexander-Arnold's goal, Kane made it 3-0 from the penalty spot after being fouled by Matthew Guillaumier. It was his 50th competitive England goal which means

 It has been announced that David Moyes will stay on as West Ham manager after winning the Europa Conference League. Moyes and Declan Rice celebrate with the Conference League trophy. Photo belongs to  Football Pictures | Flickr His future had been the subject of huge speculation throughout the season. On three occasions, Moyes appeared to be only one game from the sack, however, each time, West Ham won and eventually secured their Premier League future with two games to spare. Back in December, it appeared he was really close to the sack. At the time, one West Ham fan told us:  "He has to go!" Premier League: Pressure builds on David Moyes (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) Before that magical night in Prague, it been 43 long years since West Ham fans saw their team lift major silverware.  It has now been decided Moyes will stay in his job as West Ham looks forward to European football for the third successive season for the first time in their history.  UECL: West Ham win

 Fiorentina 1 - 2 West Ham It has been 43 long years since West Ham United last lifted major silverware. That wait has now come to the most sensational of endings. Every single final has its hero. After Saïd Benrahma’s penalty on 62 minutes had been cancelled out by Giacomo Bonaventura’s well-taken finish just five minutes later. It would be Jarrod Bowen who would write his name into Hammers history forever. Bowen made no mistake when it mattered most, latching onto Paquetá's clever pass through the ACF Fiorentina defence and smartly scoring. The manner of victory was rather sweet for West Ham and all their fans. The celebrations of the Premier League team were something to behold. Click here for more West Ham news and stories. The victory ends a wait of more than forty years for major silverware. It also means they have won a European trophy for the second time in their history following the club's UEFA Cup Winners' Cup triumph in 1965. The victory also guarantees the