European Super Football

Hungary 2 - 3 Republic of Ireland Troy Parrott completed his hat-trick with virtually the final kick of the match as the Republic of Ireland staged a remarkable comeback to reach the World Cup play-offs. Author | Lee Francis Stadium | Puskás Aréna After reviving their hopes of a first finals appearance since 2002 with a superb 2-0 victory over Portugal on Thursday, Heimir Hallgrimsson’s team arrived in Budapest knowing only a win would be enough to secure their place. Hungary struck early through Daniel Lukacs, whose header after four minutes gave the hosts the perfect start. Parrott levelled from the penalty spot, but Barnabas Varga restored Hungary’s advantage before half-time with a fierce effort. The second half unfolded with mounting tension. Parrott’s delicate finish 10 minutes from the end breathed life back into Ireland’s challenge. READ MORE |  World Cup 2026 Qualifying news and stories Substitute Johnny Kenny was then frustrated by goalkeeper Denes Dibusz, yet I...

Republic of Ireland 2 - 0 Portugal Cristiano Ronaldo was dismissed for the first time in his international career as Portugal squandered the chance to seal World Cup qualification in defeat to the Republic of Ireland. Author |  Lee Francis Stadium |  Aviva Stadium Troy Parrott struck twice before the break to give the hosts control, and the night unravelled further for Portugal when Ronaldo received a yellow card for catching Dara O'Shea with an elbow just after the hour. The caution was upgraded to a red after referee Glenn Nyberg consulted the pitch-side monitor on the advice of the VAR. It marked a bleak conclusion to the five-time Ballon d'Or winner's evening, the first sending off of his 226 appearances for Portugal. A win would have booked Portugal's place at next year's finals with a match to spare, but Parrott's double kept Roberto Martinez's side in check and revived Ireland's hopes of progressing. Portugal remain favourites to top the group...

Republic of Ireland 1 - 0 Armenia Republic of Ireland revived their World Cup qualifying hopes with a vital win over 10-man Armenia. Author | Lee Francis Stadium | Aviva Stadium A red card for Armenia captain Tigran Barseghyan, sent off early in the second half for aiming a headbutt at Finn Azaz, proved decisive as the hosts shook off a laboured opening and claimed victory through Evan Ferguson’s second-half header. A flat first half offered little for the home crowd, with Armenia’s Eduard Spertsyan coming closest to breaking the deadlock when he volleyed narrowly wide. The match turned seven minutes after the restart when Barseghyan was dismissed for thrusting his head into Azaz’s face, leaving Armenia to play the remainder with ten men. From there, Ireland pressed forward. Armenia goalkeeper Henri Avagyan produced several fine saves, tipping Nathan Collins’ header on to the bar and clawing away Dara O’Shea’s effort. He also denied Ferguson from close range before the striker fina...

Portugal 1 - 0 Republic of Ireland Rúben Neves' stoppage-time header shattered Republic of Ireland’s resistance and sealed a dramatic World Cup qualifying victory for Portugal. Author | Lee Francis Stadium | Estádio José Alvalade View from the stands Neves climbed superbly to meet Francisco Trincão’s cross and glance it beyond Caoimhín Kelleher, rescuing Portugal and sparing Ronaldo’s embarrassment following his missed spot-kick. Ronaldo had seen his penalty saved by Kelleher 15 minutes from time after Dara O’Shea was penalised for handball when blocking Trincão’s goalbound effort. Before that and for much of the evening, it appeared that Ireland would hold firm and leave the Estádio da Luz with a hard-earned point, but Neves’ late intervention condemned them to a second successive defeat, following last month’s surprise loss to Armenia in Yerevan. Ronaldo has penalty saved A 2-0 victory for Hungary over Armenia in Group F’s other match leaves them five points behind leaders Portu...

Armenia 2 - 1 Republic of Ireland The Republic of Ireland’s hopes of reaching the World Cup took a damaging hit as they slumped to a deserved defeat against Armenia in Yerevan. Author | Jordan F Stadium | Vazgen Sargsyan anvan Hanrapetakan Marzadasht Three years after a shock Nations League loss to the same opposition, Ireland were humbled once more by a side ranked 105th in the world, 45 places below them. Eduard Spertsyan, who struck the winner in 2022, gave Armenia the lead from the penalty spot in first-half stoppage time after captain Nathan Collins fouled Lucas Zelarayan. Ireland’s problems deepened when Grant-Leon Ranos doubled the advantage six minutes into the second half. Evan Ferguson pulled one back almost immediately, but Heimir Hallgrimsson’s side were fortunate not to concede again, with Artur Serobyan’s late effort ruled out for offside. READ MORE |  Scotland secure a routine but important victory over Belarus READ MORE |  World Cup 2026 Qualifying news an...

Shelbourne 3 - 1 Linfield Shelbourne take a two-goal lead into the second leg of their Uefa Conference League play-off after a pulsating over 10-man Linfield. Author | Liam Philips Stadium |  Tolka Park The Dublin contest delivered drama throughout, with four goals, three penalties and a red card. Harry Wood put the hosts ahead from the spot just before half-time, moments after Linfield had been reduced to 10 men.  Less than a minute into the second half Mipo Odubeko extended the advantage, making amends after missing a first-half penalty when the match was still goalless. Kieran Offord gave the visitors hope with a well-taken finish after the break but later missed a chance to draw level from the penalty spot. Evan Caffrey stepped off the bench to seal the win for Shels , finishing from close range 13 minutes from time. READ MORE |  Conference League 25/26 season READ MORE |  Shelbourne knock Linfield out of Champions League Drama again between these two si...

 St Joseph's 0 - 4 Shamrock Rovers Shamrock Rovers all but booked their place in the next round of the UEFA Conference League with a dominant first-leg victory over St Joseph’s in Gibraltar. Author | Sean M Stadium | Europa Point A great night in Europe for Shamrock Rovers. [image or embed] — Super News Affiliate ( @sup3rnew5affiliate.bsky.social ) 24 July 2025 at 21:26 A polished attacking display saw the League of Ireland champions dismantle their opponents, with three second-half goals in quick succession effectively ending the tie as a contest. Barring an unlikely turnaround in next week’s return leg, Stephen Bradley’s side will face either Floriana of Malta or Kosovo’s Ballkani in the third qualifying round. A closer look at what happened in Gibraltar Rory Gaffney opened the scoring in the 13th minute with a composed finish, latching on to Dylan Watts’ lofted pass before lifting the ball over goalkeeper Bradley Banda. Despite a few early scares, the visitors gradually took...

Linfield 1 - 1 Shelbourne (Shelbourne won 2-1 on aggregate) Shelbourne booked their place in the second qualifying round of the Champions League after eliminating ten-man Linfield Author | Mark Lee Stadium | Windsor Park Leading by a single goal from the first leg at Tolka Park, Shels extended their advantage midway through the first half thanks to a composed finish from Allistair Coote. The hosts equalised before the break through a Chris Shields penalty, but a second-half red card for Ben Hall all but ended Linfield’s hopes of turning the tie around. Shelbourne will now face Qarabag in the next round, while Linfield drop into the Europa Conference League, where they will meet Lithuanian champions Žalgiris. A closer look at what happened The second leg had added significance for David Healy, who was taking charge of Linfield for the 500th time. His side responded to the occasion with a positive opening in the south Belfast sunshine, pushing Shels back early on. A Kirk Millar free-...

England 5 - 0 Republic of Ireland England sealed their return to the top tier of the Nations League in stunning fashion, thrashing the Republic of Ireland at Wembley in Lee Carsley’s final game as interim manager. Author - Peter Grainger from GMCR Football Lee Carsley now hands the reins to Thomas Tuchel, who takes charge from 1 January. During his tenure, Carsley guided England to five wins in six matches, with his team delivering a commanding second-half display here after a lacklustre opening 45 minutes. Harry Kane opened the scoring from the penalty spot eight minutes into the second half. The England captain's brilliant through-ball set Jude Bellingham free, only for Bellingham to be brought down by Liam Scales, earning the defender a second yellow card and a sending-off. What's the point of the UEFA Nations League? With the Republic reduced to ten men, England took full advantage. Anthony Gordon netted his first senior international goal just two minutes later, tappi...

Republic of Ireland 0 - 2 England Lee Carsley started his time as England’s interim manager with a win in the UEFA Nations League against the Republic of Ireland. Declan Rice and Jack Grealish both scored against the team they once represented. Carsley, who also played for the Republic of Ireland during his career, will oversee England for at least two matches following Gareth Southgate's departure after Euro 2024. He had a smooth start as the Three Lions triumphed in a vibrant atmosphere at a packed Dublin stadium. Rice, who earned three senior caps for the Republic of Ireland before switching allegiance in 2019, quietened the home fans with a goal in the 11th minute after Harry Kane’s shot was blocked. Rice opted not to celebrate. However, former Irish youth player Jack Grealish put his fingers in his ears in response to scoring on his return to the England squad, following his exclusion from Southgate’s Euro 2024 team. Does an exciting new era await? When Lee Carsley walk...

Shamrock Rovers 0-2 Sparta Prague (1st leg) Shamrock Rovers' Champions League campaign seems to be coming to an end unless they can overturn a two-goal deficit in Prague next week. The Hoops conceded two soft goals, particularly the first one, when they lost possession while trying to pass the ball out from the back. Before Velkjo Birmancevic's 38th-minute goal, they looked comfortable against their strong opponents. But when Tomas Wiesner made it 2-0 in the 65th minute, the tie seemed almost over. However, the Tallaght side will head to next week's second leg needing to score only one goal. Josh Honohan came very close to scoring twice in injury time – the first was a header brilliantly saved by goalkeeper Peter Jensen, and the second, moments later, was a back-post effort that drifted inches wide. How last season's Champions League was won. Jensen could have cost his side a first-half goal when he rushed from his goal and sent the ball straight to the feet of Neil...

 Republic of Ireland 2 - 1 Hungary John O'Shea strengthened his bid to become the permanent Republic of Ireland manager following a 2-1 victory over Euro 2024-bound Hungary. In a close encounter at Dublin's Aviva Stadium, Troy Parrott netted a last-minute winner, securing O'Shea's first win as interim manager. Adam Idah opened the scoring in the 36th minute with a header, only for Adam Lang to equalise four minutes later from close range. Parrott took advantage of several defensive errors to score in the 92nd minute, handing Hungary their first defeat in 14 matches. The first 30 minutes of the game were lacklustre, marked by loose passes and weary legs in Dublin. Hungary initially had the upper hand, with Loic Nego curling an early effort over and Andras Schafer shooting wide. Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher was called into action to save a shot from Milos Kerkez before the hosts took the lead against the run of play. Just ten days after scoring the winner fo...

Roy Keane is another football icon. He is someone that won a number of team and individual honours during a hugely successful playing career. Read about more icons A brief overview He is the joint most successful Irish footballer of all time, having won 19 major trophies in his club career, 17 of which came during his time at Manchester United. Many regard him as one of the best midfielders of his generation. In 2004. he was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players.  In his 18-year playing career, Keane played for Cobh Ramblers, Nottingham Forest, and Manchester United before ending his career at Celtic. He was a dominating box-to-box midfielder noted for his aggressive and highly competitive style of play. This was an attitude that helped him excel as captain of Manchester United from 1997 until his departure in 2005. Keane helped United achieve sustained success during his 12 years at the club. He then signed for Celtic, where he won a domesti...