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Showing posts with the label Europe

Selection of transfers on February 2024 Deadline Day

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Despite not as much money being spent, it was still a busy transfer deadline day across Europe. Premier League transfers It was certainly fairly quiet in the Premier League. Despite appearing to need new signings, Manchester United didn't bring a single player in. Most of the money was spent by teams near the other end of the table. Matz Sels [Strasbourg - Nottingham Forest] £5m Enes Unal [Getafe - Bournemouth] Loan Lorenz Assignon [Rennes - Burnley] Loan Caylan Vickers [Reading - Brighton] Undisclosed Joe Gauci [Adelaide United - Aston Villa] Undisclosed Mason Holgate [Everton - Sheffield United] Loan Click here to find more Premier League news and stories Maxime Esteve [Montpellier - Burnley] Loan Adam Wharton [Blackburn Rovers - Crystal Palace] £18m, potentially rising to £22m Lino Sousa [Arsenal - Aston Villa] Undisclosed Morgan Rogers [Middlesbrough - Aston Villa] £8m, potentially rising to £15m Rodrigo Ribeiro [Sporting Lisbon - Nottingham Forest] Loan Armando Broja [Chel

News: UK and Republic of Ireland announced as Euro 2028 hosts

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UEFA has confirmed that the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland will host the 2028 European Championships . The joint bid was unopposed after Turkey withdrew to focus on a bid with Italy for Euro 2032, which was also confirmed at a meeting in Switzerland. Check out this video from  FAI TV - YouTube The UK and Ireland focused on Euro 2028, with UEFA's approval, after they had previously cancelled a plan to be Europe's preferred candidate for the 2030 World Cup. London's Wembley Stadium and Glasgow's Hampden Park hosted games at Euro 2020. Wembley hosted the final after what proved to be a hugely controversial day where there were reports of carnage and hooliganism outside the stadium.  Matches at Euro 2028 are set to be held at 10 different grounds, including Wembley and Hampden Park alongside Cardiff's Principality Stadium and Dublin's Aviva Stadium. Belfast's Casement Park and Everton's Bramley-Moore Dock stadium, the former unbuilt while the

European football summary

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 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

Europa Conference League: West Ham pick up first-leg win

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West Ham United 3 - 1 Viborg FF Gianluca Scamacca scored his first West Ham goal as they beat Danish side Viborg in their Europa Conference League play-off first leg at London Stadium. The Italian forward, a £30.5m signing from Sassuolo, was handed his first start and took just 24 minutes to make an impact when he headed in following neat play on the left from fellow new arrival Maxwel Cornet. West Ham players celebrate - Picture from  Football Pictures | Flickr It set the hosts on their way to a first victory this season, having lost their opening two Premier League games without scoring a goal. Jarrod Bowen zipped a second into the bottom corner from distance with 26 minutes to go. However, the visitors hit back immediately through Jakob Bonde's header. That almost made life uncomfortable for the Hammers until Said Benrahma and Michail Antonio combined for the latter to tap into an empty net and secure a healthy advantage going into the second leg. That second leg will take p

Ballon d'Or shortlist announced

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The shortlist for Ballon d'Or 2022  has been announced, and there have been some interesting developments. Let's take a look at some of the talking points. No Messi and Neymar! Lionel Messi and Neymar have not been included on the 30-man shortlist for the 2022 Ballon d'Or. The Argentina international has won the most Ballons d'Or in history with seven, but he did not make the list despite scoring 11 goals in 34 matches for Paris Saint-Germain last season. His team-mate Neymar is also not on the list. He played just 28 times for PSG last season in an injury-hit campaign. Kylian Mbappe does make the list. Recognition for the Lionesses  England's Euro 2022 success has been recognised. Millie Bright, Beth Mead and Lucy Bronze have been nominated for the women's Ballon d'Or, awarded to the best female footballer of 2022. Women's Euro 2022: England win after dramatic final (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) Who could win it? Real Madrid's Karim Benzema,

Is it coming home? A preview of UEFA Women's Euro 2022

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There will be some international football this summer Let's look ahead to UEFA Women's Euro 2022 The 2022 UEFA European Women's Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Women's Euro 2022, will be the 13th edition of the UEFA Women's Championship, the quadrennial international football championship organised by UEFA for the women's national teams of Europe. It will be the second edition since the number of teams increased to 16.  𝗛𝗔𝗟𝗙 𝗔 𝗠𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗞𝗘𝗧𝗦 𝗦𝗢𝗟𝗗 🎟️ 🎉 Record-breaking sales 🎉 More than double #WEURO2017 🎉 Purchasers across 99 countries Don't miss out - get yours now! 👇 #WEURO2022 — UEFA Women's EURO 2022 (@WEURO2022) July 1, 2022 The final tournament will be hosted by England and was originally scheduled to take place from 7 July to 1 August 2021. England last hosted the tournament in 2005. The  Netherlands will be the defending champions, and Northern Ireland will participate in a UEFA Women's Eu

UEL: Relive a night of drama

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 Eintracht Frankfurt and RB Leipzig will both take leads into the second of their Europa League semi-finals. West Ham United 1 - 2 Eintracht Frankfurt West Ham will have to come from behind in Germany next week if they are to reach their first European final in 46 years after Eintracht Frankfurt secured a deserved first-leg advantage at London Stadium. Jarrod Bowen came agonisingly close to snatching a draw for the hosts in stoppage time when his overhead kick from a Declan Rice cross bounced down off the crossbar. Irons. ⚒👏 pic.twitter.com/1PgLUJ9Irc — West Ham United (@WestHam) April 29, 2022 But that would have been harsh on Frankfurt, who were a constant threat on the counter-attack and showed why they had won away at Real Betis and Barcelona already in the knockout stages. The Hammers did recover through Michail Antonio's 11th goal of the season - and his first in the Europa League since September - as he bundled home Kurt Zouma's nod down at the far post. It was Fra

Who will win the 2021 Ballon d'Or?

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It's time to decide the world's best footballer again The winner of the Men's Ballon d'Or will be decided on 29th November. Let's have a look at some of the contenders. Will we see a shock? Cesar Azpilicueta Chelsea's Cesar Azpilicueta is one of the more surprising names on the shortlist.The defender is something of an unsung hero, helped Chelsea to win the Champions League last season and also reached the Nations League final with Spain. Karim Benzema The French forward was overshadowed at Real Madrid for a long time but he's now getting the praise he deserves. He scored 30 goals in 46 matches in all competitions for Real Madrid and finished second in the La Liga Golden Boot race. He won the UEFA Nations League with France a few weeks ago. For all his goals, this was the only trophy he has picked up over the last 12 months. Erling Braut Haaland Unless things go drastically wrong for him, the Norwegian forward is going to feature on Ballon d'Or shortli

Europa Conference League: Vitesse 1 - 0 Tottenham Hotspur

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Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem earned a deserved win in the Europa Conference League. With players such as Harry Kane and Son Heung-min rested, Tottenham fielded a different starting eleven to the one who beat Newcastle in the Premier League on Sunday and they lacked rhythm in a poor performance. Vitesse finished fourth in the Eredivisie last season and created the better opportunities. This sell-out crowd when Wittek finally made their dominance count. You can watch the highlights in the video below.  The Spurs boss Nuno told the media after the match: "The Europa Conference League is like this; there are always tough moments. "We have got two home games left and I truly believe they can help us solve the group." Click here for more Tottenham news This was the second game in this busy period and it was clearly given a lower priority in an important week. This was proven by the relatively inexperienced team chosen. They go to rivals West Ham in the Premier League on Sunday

Manchester United's greatest ever European nights (Part 1/2)

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Manchester United were the first English team to win the European Cup back in 1968.  Let's have a look at some of their greatest ever nights in European competition. Click here to read more news from the often crazy world of Manchester United.    More on the 1968 European Cup final A dream come true for Sir Matt Busby. United had suffered the tragedy of Munich a decade earlier and recovered over the next few years to eventually become champions of Europe for the first time. They won 4-1 after extra time and their legendary team of the 1960's finally won the competition. Watch some highlights from the match in the video below. Barcelona at home in 1984 After Sir Matt Busby retired and before Sir Alex Ferguson took over at United in 1986, they very rarely performed well in Europe. They did have the occasional great night though. The editor of Greater Manchester Football spoke about the match: "Old Trafford has never been louder. The Stretford End was rocking in response to

What's your favourite ever football match?

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Back in July, News Ball UK spoke with a number of people about their favourite football matches. Finals, semi-finals and last day relegation battles are all mentioned here. Click here to read the original story. Manchester United 2 - 1 Bayern Munich. 1999 Champions League final On the 26th May 1999, Manchester United won the Champions League in rather dramatic circumstances. They sealed an historic Treble. Ryan Thomas said: "It was the greatest night of my life. Nothing has ever come close." More Manchester United news and stories can be found here>>> Wigan Athletic 1 - 0 Manchester City. 2013 FA Cup Final Dave Whelan's dreams had come true. Wigan Athletic have won the FA Cup. Marcus Thompson, a Wigan fan and occasional contributor, told this blog: "You grew up as a Wigan fan not expecting to ever do or win anything. Getting to the Premier League in 2005 was great but this was another level entirely." Oldham Athletic 4 - 3 Southampton. Oldham stay in th

Headlines from across Europe

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Let's take a look at some of the football headlines from across Europe It has been a very busy weekend across the continent. Wales: Swansea City 3 - 0 Cardiff City Article from European Super Football Cardiff City manager Mick McCarthy has pledged to fight on after Swansea inflicted a south Wales derby mauling and a sixth successive defeat on his side.  Jamie Paterson, Joël Piroe and Jake Bidwell were on target as Swansea piled the pressure on the embattled McCarthy with a comfortable victory. Click here to find more news from the English Football League. European Super Football: #Championship reaction: #Swansea City 3 - 0 #Cardiff ... https://t.co/zRHKSxWXJl — News Ball (@UKNewsBall) October 18, 2021 Spain: Real Sociedad 1-0 Mallorca Real Sociedad took the lead of the Spanish top-flight on Saturday after Julen Lobete scored a 90th-minute winner to edge Mallorca 1-0 in a match in which they played the entire half with 10 men. An interesting article in The Guardian went into

UEFA Nations League: Spain 1 - 2 France

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Kylian Mbappé scores late and sinks Spain to clinch the UEFA Nations League for France You can watch the highlights from the entertaining match in the final below. The video was posted by Sky Sports Football.  The final four of the UEFA Nations League brought three fantastic nights in Milan. The champions had twice to come from behind to lift a still unfamiliar trophy. When it came to the moment that decided its destination, there in the madness was Kylian Mbappé. Spain were not happy about Mbappé's winner. He had been clearly offside when he was released by Theo Hernández and Eric García admitted he had trouble accepting Anthony Taylor’s explanation that his tiniest of touches had played the Frenchman back onside again. It was certainly a cruel way to lose any match, never mind a final. This is the place for more football news from across Europe.  Comments from around the internet On The Guardian, one fan commented on the post match story:   "Well done by France. In the en

Video game: A look at FIFA 22

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FIFA 22 will be a football simulation video game published by Electronic Arts as part of the FIFA video game series.  It will be the 29th instalment in the FIFA series. It will be released on 1 October 2021 for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles. There will be enhanced versions released for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and Google Stadia. Watch a video of some gameplay in the video below.  New features of this latest instalment  The Career Mode allows you to create a club and lead them from relegation candidates to global giants. The overhauled Player Career experience gives you more ways to progress, achieve, and immerse yourself in your Pro’s journey through the game.  EA Sports also talk about true ball physics. It says on their website: "Real-world data imported into FIFA 22 takes the game’s ball physics to a new level of realism. Tuned parameters including speed, swerve, air drag, air resistance, ground friction, and rolling friction

Icons: Eric Cantona

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We now take a look at one of Manchester United's greatest ever players This article was originally posted on Greater Manchester Football. The news of Eric Cantona's impending transfer from Leeds to fierce rivals Manchester United was met with hostility from Leeds fans.  However, the transfer was seen as a good piece of business by most football experts. The Yorkshire club had removed a troubled player from their side and got decent money for him even though he played a part in them winning the league during the previous season.  Watch: Eric Cantona's 14 goals for Leeds United Eric The King Cantona made his first appearance for the club on 1 December 1992 in a friendly match against Benfica in Lisbon to mark Eusébio's 50th birthday, wearing the number 10 shirt.  Eric made his competitive debut as a second-half substitute against Manchester City at Old Trafford on 6 December. United only lost on two occasions in the 92/93 season after his arrival. They finished the se

Icons: Zinedine Zidane

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This was an article first published in Greater Manchester Football's European Legends series Zinedine Zidane is a legend that played for Juventus and Real Madrid (Zidane celebrates winning the World Cup in 1998) Early life One of Zidane's earliest memories involving football came when he was watching the 1986 World Cup. The performance in that tournament of Diego Maradona had a huge impact on him. He said "Maradona was another level." Move to Juventus After playing professionally in France for Cannes and Bordeaux, Zidane moved to Juventus in 1996. The Italian giants had just won the European Cup so they had signed him from a position of strength.  Zinédine Zidane stats for Juventus (All tournaments) 🏃 212 Appearances; ⚽ 31 Goals; 🅰 38 Assists. #ZinedineZidane #Juventus #SerieA #France pic.twitter.com/E9ZnzCOfWt — Buaksib (@buaksib) April 21, 2021 In his first season, Juventus won the 1996–97 Serie A title and the 1996 Intercontinental Cup. They won the Seri

History: The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup

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The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions.  The Cup Winners' Cup was for a long time regarded by UEFA as the second biggest European club competition, behind the European Cup (now Champions League) but ahead of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup (later the UEFA Cup and now Europa League). The video below explores some of the most iconic matches and moments in the competition.  One of those iconic moments in more detail 1983 final: Aberdeen 2 - 1 Real Madrid Yes you read that correctly. Aberdeen once beat Real Madrid in the final of a European competition. It was a match and occasion that put a certain Alex Ferguson in the spotlight.  Aberdeen took the lead early in the first half with a goal by Eric Black, but Real Madrid drew level following a penalty scored by Juanito in the fifteenth minute.  It remained 1-1 so the match went into extra time. The winning goal was scored for Aberdeen by John Hew