European Super Football

 AC Milan 1 - 0 Tottenham Hotspur Spurs suffered a narrow first-leg defeat in the San Siro Diaz nodded in early on after Spurs goalkeeper Fraser Forster had saved a Theo Hernandez shot and then superbly got a hand on the scorer's initial follow-up attempt. Antonio Conte's side looked relatively comfortable for long periods of the contest against the seven-time European champions. A young midfield pairing of Pape Sarr and Oliver Skipp deputised confidently for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (suspended) and Rodrigo Bentancur (injured). Not much attacking threat from the away side They were rarely able to build any attacking momentum with their front three of Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski. They were all well-shackled by an AC Milan side that was well-disciplined. Will Milan have regrets? Mian's only regret will be not to have put the tie beyond this depleted Spurs side. Can they get at least a draw in North London to see them qualify for the last eight of the compe

 It's time to explore the life of another football icon. This time it's Paolo Cesare Maldini Paolo Maldini is an Italian former professional footballer who played primarily as a left-back and centre-back for AC Milan and the Italy national team. He is regarded as one of the greatest defenders of all time.  As the Milan and Italy captain for many years, he was nicknamed "Il Capitano" ("The Captain"). Maldini held the record for most appearances in Serie A, with 647, until 2020, when he was overtaken by Gianluigi Buffon. He is currently serving as technical director for Milan, as well as being co-owner of USL Championship club Miami FC. A true one-club man... Maldini spent all 25 seasons of his playing career in the Serie A with Milan, before retiring at the age of 41 in 2009. He won 26 trophies with Milan: the European Cup/UEFA Champions League five times, seven Serie A titles, one Coppa Italia, five Supercoppa Italiana titles, five European/UEFA Super Cu

 Napoli 5 - 1 Juventus Goals from Victor Osimhen, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Amir Rrahmani, Victor Osimhen and Eljif Elmas earned a memorable 5-1 victory for Napoli. The visitors from Turin were roundly jeered by home supporters in Naples when they appeared. Juventus had won eight straight games without conceding a goal and were also able to hand Federico Chiesa his first start since tearing his cruciate ligament over a year ago. More news from Itaaly>>> However, Napoli took the lead in the 14th minute. Wojciech Szczesny brilliantly parried an acrobatic shot from Kvaratskhelia but Osimhen headed in the rebound, the first goal Juventus had conceded in 770 minutes. Napoli never looked like losing the game, even when Angel Di Maria pulled a goal a few minutes before half-time For all their problems, Juventus had only conceded seven in the top flight this season beforehand and sit third, level on points with second-placed AC Milan. However, this was a breathless Napoli display, one

Inter Milan are through, Barcelona will be playing in the Europa League after Christmas Inter Milan 4-0 Viktoria Plzen In the match itself, substitute Romelu Lukaku marked his return from injury with a late goal as Inter comfortably secured the win that sent them to the last 16.  Edin Dzeko also scored twice after Henrikh Mkhitaryan's opener in the 4-0 win. Dzeko was given a standing ovation when he went off but there was even more of a resounding reaction shortly afterwards, when Lukaku was brought on with seven minutes remaining. You can watch the highlights of Inter's domination in the video below. Footage from  BT Sport - YouTube Barcelona 0 - 3 Bayern Munich  That result for Inter meant Barcelona knew their fate before they kicked a ball, but they still had tbe daunting prospect of a match against Bayern Munich. On the pitch, Mané, Choupo-Moting and Pavard scored for Bayern Munich to give them a comfortable win.  The Barca boss told the media: "This is our reality

It was a dramatic night in Group H of the Champions League One giant of European competition won't be playing in Europe's premier competition after Christmas. Paris Saint Germain 7 - 2 Maccabi Haifa Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe both scored two goals as Paris St-Germain thrashed Maccabi Haifa to reach the last 16 of the Champions League. Neymar and Carlos Soler also scored while Shon Goldberg scored an own goal. Messi's two goals mean he becomes the first player to score 80 goals in the group phase of the Champions League. PSG top Group H with 11 points from five games, the same as Benfica, while Juventus, who have failed to qualify, and Maccabi Haifa have three.  Highlights from  BT Sport - YouTube One YouTuber commented: "Mbappe and Messi's link-up is phenomenal. Their quick passes are insane!" Another added: "Messi is just something else, people can say whatever they want about the opposition, but football will never ever see anyone like him again.

 Chelsea 3 - 0 AC Milan This was an even more comfortable win for the Blues than the scoreline suggests. Graham Potter made two changes to his side, with Jorginho and Kai Havertz missing out due to slight injury problems, but both were okay for a place on the bench. Edouard Mendy returned among the substitutes, as Kepa Arrizabalaga continued in goal. Kalidou Koulibaly came into the defence to join Wesley Fofana and Thiago Silva in a back three. After a couple of close calls, it was midway through the first half that the breakthrough arrived. Thiago Silva quickly forced a save and a block when getting his head to a series of set-pieces, but on the third occasion Milan couldn't clear and Fofana was in the right place to put the ball in the net after a scramble around the penalty spot. Mason Mount thought he had made it two soon afterwards with a lovely chip over the keeper, but it was disallowed for offside. The home side pulled away to safety in the second half, though, as Pierr

Italy 1 - 0 England It was another awful night for England as they were relegated from their Nations League. There are now a lot of questions to answer for Gareth Southgate.  He has of course been here before – in his nightmares at Molineux. Back in June, at the end of the 4-0 humiliation against Hungary, the England manager had ventured onto the pitch to applaud the home crowd. The boos that greeted him dripped with venom. And so to full time here. After Hungary at home; goodness, after the loss to Hungary away – plus the draws in between against Germany and Italy which had got this Nations League campaign off to such a bad start – it was a night when Southgate desperately needed a mood-changer, something to restore belief. Yet there would only be more frustration, more dead-ends and an absence of creative inspiration. Watch the highlights from England's dismal night. Footage from  England - YouTube   Jude Bellingham was England’s standout man on another poor night in the Nati

 Roma 1 - 0 Feyenoord José Mourinho became the first coach to win all three current men's UEFA club competitions. Let's explore how that happened. You can watch the highlights by watching the video at the bottom of the page. This is the match report from UEFA's official website. Spurred on by their supporters, Feyenoord swiftly looked to reply, forcing Rui Patrício to deal with a succession of threats – Orkun Kökçü's rifled effort the most dangerous of the bunch. In a rapid start to the second half, Mancini diverted onto his own post, before Rui Patrício sprawled to tip Tyrell Malacia's long-range effort onto the woodwork. Danger averted, Mourinho's men could take a breath. Feyenoorders, bedankt voor jullie support dit seizoen in de #UECL . Van Pristina tot Tirana, mede dankzij jullie was het een onvergetelijke reis. ❤️🤍🖤💚 #MakingMemories pic.twitter.com/pWx8boBZyw — Feyenoord Rotterdam (@Feyenoord) May 26, 2022 As the stadium rocked, momentum conti

Lets look at what all the newspapers are saying across the continent. The rumour mill is rather busy at the moment.  Premier League rumours and stories Liverpool are reportedly ready to trigger the £75m release clause in Sevilla and France defender Jules Kounde's contract this month, with Chelsea and Real Madrid also interested in him. Chelsea's German defender Antonio Rudiger, out of contract in the summer and yet to sign a new deal with the European champions, is said to prefer a move to Real Madrid over Paris St-Germain if he leaves London.  Uruguay striker Edinson Cavani has committed himself to Manchester United for the rest of the season after talks with boss Ralf Rangnick. In terms of incoming players, United have discussed a move for Borussia Monchengladbach's Denis Zakaria this month. They are yet to make a bid for the Swiss midfielder.  FA Cup: Man United hold on to beat Aston Villa  Newcastle's hopes of signing defender Sven Botman during the January tran

Roma 3 - 4 Juventus Roma and Juventus produced one of the best games of the season. The home side with 3-1 up with only 20 minutes left. However, there was a stunning comeback from Juventus.  Roma's Lorenzo Pellegrini also had a late penalty saved after Matthijs de Ligt was given a second yellow card for handball. The win keeps Juventus in fifth place, but they are only three points behind Atalanta. Roma stay in eighth place, and Jose Mourinho said his side suffered a psychological collapse. You can watch the highlights in the video below. Footage from the Serie A YouTube channel.  More reaction This is one of many tweets posted by the Juventus account after a wonderful match had been concluded. 𝘼𝙖𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚... 😮‍💨 How are your heart rates after that, Bianconeri?? 📈 #RomaJuve #ForzaJuve pic.twitter.com/UBasDhIUMJ — JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) January 9, 2022 The Roma account posted the thoughts of Jose Mourinho: "3-1 and 3-2 are different scorelines bu

Let's look at some of the best matches and moments of 2021. England v Italy - Euro 2020 final It was so close to coming home. England had a superb tournament but came unstuck in a penalty shootout in the final. The gradual return of crowds throughout the competition meant a special atmosphere.  Italy's triumph was perhaps unexpected despite their wonderful run of form throughout recent history, Southgate and England went one better than their semi-final spot in the 2018 World Cup. Can they finally win their first trophy since 1966 in Qatar 2022? Another notable mention from the tournament was France 3-3 Switzerland. The 2018 World Cup winners were knocked out after an enthralling match. Chelsea v Manchester City - Champions League final Another all English final. Manchester City were desperate to win their first Champions League title but it never really happened for them on the night. Back in May, Greater Manchester took a detailed look at some of the best reaction from th

Top-flight domestic football is returning after the international break. Let's have a look at some of the latest news from across the continent. AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic looks set to extend his stay at the club. The Swedish legend re-joined the club in January last year. He is out of contract in the summer but rumours in Italy suggest that he will sign a new contract until June 2023.  Manchester City are once again looking to strengthen their squad. Reports across Europe believe they are close to signing Barcelona and Netherlands midfielder Frenkie de Jong for around £75 million.  With Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris in the final year of his contract, the North London club are on the hunt for a replacement. A story in The Telegraph and Mirror believe that manager Antonio Conte is interested in Everton's England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. German media are also suggesting that Spurs also want to sign Bayern Munich and France midfielder Corentin Tolisso. They coul

Cristiano Ronaldo rescued Manchester United with a sensational late goal to earn his side a point against Atalanta in Champions League Group F. The 36-year-old, who also levelled in first-half added time, volleyed in from outside the box in added time for his second of the night. Watch the highlights of the match in the video below. Did United get lucky? Throughout the match, United had struggled to impose themselves but they also produced the move of the match for Ronaldo to grab his first, pouncing on Fernandes touch to level after a first half in which United had battled to keep the hosts at bay. Reaction from those involved Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer spoke with the media after the match: “Nobody can question the character of these players. They just don’t give up, don’t give in and keep going. We had to make a few changes and they worked." Solskjaer and United left back Luke Shaw were full of praise for the performance of Eric Bailly. Shaw said: "He

Juventus fell to a shock Serie A defeat as Maxime Lopez's injury-time strike gave Sassuolo a memorable win. The home side have now dropped to eighth, behind Lazio on goal difference, in the table. More worryingly for Juventus fans, they are now 13 points behind leaders AC Milan. Even at this stage, that looks an amount that will be very difficult to overcome.  This is only the second time since the start of the 1996/1997 season that they have lost three of their opening 10 games. They actually lost four in 2015-16 - but still went on to win Serie A. FT | ⌛️ | Final whistle at Allianz Stadium. #JuveSassuolo #FinoAllaFine #ForzaJuve pic.twitter.com/MM6HDqTLEU — JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) October 27, 2021 What's going wrong for Juventus? Their big issue is a lack of goals. In all competitions, no Juventus player has more than three goals, Despite his issues last season, they are still missing the threat of Cristiano Ronaldo. This is a view supported by many Juventus fans. Sas

Let's have a look at the reaction as Manchester United pulled off a stunning comeback against Atalanta. Second-half goals from Marcus Rashford, Harry Maguire and Cristiano Ronaldo gave United the win. The reaction from pundits and players United defender Harry Maguire spoke to BT Sport after the match: "The first half we conceded two bad goals. Two big moments in the game. For the first they caught us out and then the second it is a set-play that we shouldn't be conceding. We created a lot of chances in the first half so we knew at half-time that the next goal would be crucial. We got the goals we needed and deserved and I think we deserved the win in the end. Yes, we made it difficult but it is a tremendous victory in the end. Some previous great nights in Europe involving Manchester United On Ronaldo's goal, he added: "I had eyes on it all the way. I was right behind him. His leap, his timing, it was perfect right in the corner. We see it day in, day out in t

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

The UEFA Nations League group stage involves all 55 Uefa countries and was brought in to replace international friendlies with more meaningful games, involving promotion and relegation. The finals of the competition are considered a proper tournament, with the winner getting a sterling silver, 7.5kg, 71cm tall trophy.  Italy 1-2 Spain post match reaction Two first-half goals from Manchester City ’s Ferran Torres set Spain on course for a win at the legendary and iconic San Siro stadium. This earned then a place in the Nations League final. Italy rallied in the second-half but an 83rd minute goal from Lorenzo Pellegrini wasn't enough to extend their long unbeaten run.  It was a superb game and a great showcase for the competition. This was two international sides that were close to their best and putting on a show for the fans. It has given the Spanish side an opportunity to start a relatively new era with a trophy and provides them with a boost ahead of next year's World Cup.