European Super Football

"Champions League Varane..." Raphaël Varane is a former French professional footballer who played as a centre-back for Real Madrid, Manchester United and the France national side. Author - Peter Grainger from GMCR Football Varane playing for France. Photo credit -  Xavier NALTCHAYAN | Flickr The start of his career with Lille Varane began his career at French club Lens, starting with their youth team. Ahead of the 2010–11 season, he began training with the senior squad and appeared on the bench in several league games. He made his professional debut in 2010 at just 17 years old.  Becoming an iconic defender at Real Madrid After one season as a professional, he joined Real Madrid, where he spent ten years, from 2011 to 2021, winning eighteen trophies. These included three La Liga titles, a Copa del Rey, four UEFA Champions League titles , and four FIFA Club World Cups.  Known for his pace, composure, and partnership with Sergio Ramos , many fans believe that he was in

It's time to explore another legendary footballer.  Sergio Ramos is a Spanish professional footballer renowned as one of the greatest defenders ever.  Author - Peter Grainger from GMCR Football Ramos in action for Real Madrid against local rivals. Photo credit -  Jan S0L0 | Flickr Known for his tackling prowess, aerial strength, leadership, and an impressive goalscoring record for a defender, he netted over 100 goals for Real Madrid. During his sixteen seasons at Real Madrid, he won multiple UEFA Champions League titles, as well as two UEFA European Championships and the 2010 FIFA World Cup with the Spanish national team. An overview of his club career Ramos was born in Seville and developed his skills in Sevilla’s youth academy. After two seasons with Sevilla's senior team, he made a high-profile move to Real Madrid in the summer of 2005. He became an integral part of the squad, winning 22 major honours, including five La Liga titles and four Champions League titles. Ramos

Tamworth 1 - 0 Huddersfield The greatest cup competition in football is here with the first-round proper, and there's already been a huge shock. Author - Peter Grainger from GMCR Football Former winners in Huddersfield Town have been dumped out by part-timers Tamworth, 57 places below them in the football pyramid. Tom Tonks' long throw caused chaos all night, and it sailed onto the line before being helped over it by the flailing fist of keeper Chris Maxwell, sending The Lamb wild. A closer look at what happened Huddersfield struggled to cope with the direct balls into their box, while the Lambs varied their approach, showing real quality and more than matching their opponents in both effort and determination. Tamworth’s keeper, Jas Singh, pulled off a couple of excellent saves, including a stunning close-range block with his legs to deny Tom Iorpenda. But Huddersfield’s attacks were few and far between – especially in the second half – and the home side, who sit 16th in th

Arsenal 2 - 2 Liverpool Mohamed Salah’s late equaliser salvaged a point for Liverpool in a lively clash against Premier League title rivals Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. Author - Peter Grainger from GMCR Football Arsenal took the lead twice but were hampered by injuries to key defenders Gabriel and Jurrien Timber in the second half, already missing the suspended William Saliba. These setbacks opened the door for Liverpool to push back and claim a point, allowing Manchester City to remain at the top of the table, with Arsenal now trailing the relentless champions by five points. A closer look at what happened Arsenal’s strong start to this enthralling encounter paid off on the 9th minute when Bukayo Saka left Andy Robertson floundering, netting his 50th Premier League goal in the process. However, the lead was short-lived. Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk drew them level in the 18th minute, heading in from close range after Luis Díaz flicked on Trent Alexander-Arnold’s near-pos

Atalanta 0 - 0 Celtic Celtic secured a valuable Champions League point with a resilient defensive performance, holding last season’s Europa League winners Atalanta to a goalless draw in Bergamo. Author - Peter Grainger from GMCR Football This result marked a notable shift in fortunes for Celtic, who had previously lost all seven of their matches in Italy in this competition. Despite facing relentless pressure from the hosts, the Scottish champions stood firm, taking a crucial step towards progressing to the knockout stages. Kasper Schmeichel played a pivotal role with several impressive saves, while Atalanta squandered several clear chances. Celtic’s defensive discipline proved key in denying the Serie A side, who grew increasingly frustrated as the match developed.  After two challenging away fixtures, Celtic now have the advantage of back-to-back home games against RB Leipzig and Club Brugge, with four points already secured.  Celtic’s Champions League campaign has been anything

Empoli 0 - 1 Napoli Napoli held on to their spot at the top of Serie A with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Empoli at the Stadio Carlo Castellani.  Author - Peter Grainger from GMCR Football The match was settled by a late penalty from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, as the visitors found it tough to break down a resilient Empoli side. Empoli, unbeaten going into this fixture, started brightly and created several early chances. Sebastiano Esposito tested former Empoli goalkeeper Elia Caprile with a fierce volley, while Giuseppe Pezzella also forced a save from the Napoli shot-stopper. Napoli, without key players Stanislav Lobotka and Alex Meret, handed Billy Gilmour his first Serie A start alongside Scott McTominay. The visitors had chances of their own, with Alessandro Buongiorno’s header cleared off the line and Esposito’s low shot smartly saved by Caprile. The decisive moment came late on, when substitute Giovanni Simeone made an impact, winning a penalty after Tino Anjorin fouled Matteo Pol

Porto 3 - 3 Manchester United Harry Maguire salvaged a dramatic draw for a 10-man Manchester United side, who had thrown away a two-goal lead and seen Bruno Fernandes sent off in their Europa League clash against Porto. Maguire's injury-time header could be a lifeline for under-pressure manager Erik ten Hag, with the team just seconds from suffering their fourth defeat in ten games at the start of the season. In the first of five added minutes, Maguire leapt to meet Christian Eriksen's corner and expertly nodded the ball into the bottom corner, securing a crucial point. A closer look at what happened Marcus Rashford put United ahead in the seventh minute, cutting in from the left and skillfully beating two defenders before his low shot slipped past Porto’s goalkeeper Diogo Costa at the near post. Rasmus Hojlund, making his first start of the season, added a second after 20 minutes, finishing off a swift United counter-attack to give them firm control. Porto weren’t done yet