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Scotland: Celtic remain in charge of title race

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Dundee 1 - 2 Celtic A double from James Forrest helped Celtic beat Dundee and maintained their three-point Scottish Premiership lead. A screen grab from a Twitter video showing Celtic players celebrating. Forrest marked his return to the Celtic starting line-up with a stunning first-half volley from the edge of the box and low drive midway through the second period. Dundee got back into the game after Adam Idah deflected an Antonio Portales shot past Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart. Despite some late pressure, they were unable to deny the visitors victory. Despite another win for Rangers, the title is still Celtic's to lose with four rounds of fixtures to play and the Old Firm still to meet.  Dundee remain two points behind fifth-placed St Mirren and remain in contention for a Europa Conference qualifying place. Should they achieve that, it would surely be the best season in their recent history.  You can find out what the Celtic manager thought by watching the video below. The int

Scotland: Celtic progress to Scottish Cup Final

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Celtic 3 - 3 Aberdeen Celtic won 6-5 on penalties Celtic clinched victory on penalties in a thrilling match at Hampden Park, securing their spot in the Scottish Cup final and leaving Aberdeen fans devastated. The game was a nail-biting affair, with both teams showcasing their skill in a tense shootout. Joe Hart, Celtic's goalkeeper, had the opportunity to seal the win with his team's fifth penalty, but his shot hit the post, keeping the game on a knife-edge. Yet, Hart redeemed himself by saving Killian Phillips' penalty, securing Celtic's victory. Now, Celtic awaits the outcome of the match between Hearts and Rangers next month, as they aim to claim the prestigious Scottish Cup for a record-breaking 42nd time. The match itself was nothing short of extraordinary, with Aberdeen delivering two late equalisers to keep the contest alive. Angus MacDonald's header in the 119th minute seemed to complete a remarkable comeback after his earlier mistake had led to Celtic&

Scotland: Ross County dent Rangers title hopes

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 Ross County 3 - 2 Rangers Ross County managed to secure their first-ever victory over Rangers, coming from behind and dealing a significant blow to the visitors' Scottish Premiership title hopes.  More reaction to this match coming up: https://t.co/Mu4Cn3wz9B https://t.co/8o4bBLKQZQ — European Super Football (@ESFootballNews) April 15, 2024 Despite Rangers leading at halftime thanks to Jack Baldwin's own goal, County sensed that history could be made. Simon Murray and George Harmon's strikes on the rebound turned the game on its head, and Josh Sims' close-range finish left the visitors struggling for ideas.  James Tavernier's late penalty reply was not enough for Rangers, who suffered their first away defeat in eight games since losing at Celtic Park in December.  Click here for more Rangers news and stories The defeat leaves Philippe Clement's side four points adrift at the top, while County's victory narrowed the gap with St Johnstone to one point,

Iconic Euros Moments: Throwback to England v Scotland (1996)

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It's time to explore another iconic Euros moment.  Let's throwback to Euro 96. This was the first time England and Scotland had met in a major competition in seven years. A tactical analysis Terry Venables' 4-4-1-1 from the previous match gave way to something a little different. Manchester United's Gary Neville , who had just won the double with other members of the 'class of 92' was to join Stuart Pearce in flanking Tony Adams in a back three. Gareth Southgate stepped into midfield alongside Paul Ince, with Paul Gascoigne tasked with being a central creative outlet. Teddy Sheringham was to work off Alan Shearer up front. Darren Anderton and Steve McManaman would be rotated frequently between the wings throughout this match and the rest of Euro 96.  A brief match report After a scrappy, nervous first half, England stepped up a gear, and a peak-form Alan Shearer scored his second goal of the tournament with a superb header from a Gary Neville cross in the f

Scotland: Celtic eventually ease to win over Dundee

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 Dundee 0 - 3 Celtic Paulo Bernardo and Mikey Johnston emerged as the unexpected goal heroes for Celtic in their match against Dundee.  However, there is now a concern about Cameron Carter‑Vickers' injury ahead of the upcoming clash with Rangers at Parkhead on Saturday. Bernardo slotted in the opening goal in the 52nd minute at Dens Park, marking his inaugural goal for Celtic. Johnston, coming on as a substitute, netted his first two goals for the Hoops since December 2019, securing a 3-0 victory. Despite leading by five points, the champions face a challenge from Rangers, who have two games in hand, including their midweek match against Ross County at Ibrox on Wednesday. Manager Rodgers stuck with the same starting lineup from the 2-0 win against Livingston. Dundee, on the other hand, had Cammy Kerr in for the absent Ricki Lamie, and Zak Rudden returned as one of the two strikers. Celtic took control early on without breaking down Dundee's defence. Kyogo Furuhashi's

Scotland: Celtic battle to win

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 Celtic 2 - 1 St Mirren Hyeon-Gyu Oh made a crucial contribution as he emerged from the bench to secure a comeback victory for Celtic in a hard-fought match against St Mirren. In the early stages, Conor McMenamin scored to put Stephen Robinson's St Mirren team in the lead, but David Turnbull's precise strike from outside the penalty area leveled the score. Turnbull had a penalty miss just before halftime, but with only seven minutes remaining, Oh scored a goal past Zach Hemming, securing all three points and preserving Celtic's top position in the Scottish Premiership. St Mirren remains in third place. More Celtic news from eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com This wasn't the best performance from Celtic. However, it could prove to be a vital win. You can see the highlights in the video below. Footage from  SPFL YouTube . One YouTuber commented: "We have a good squad of players and BR (Brendan Rodgers) is getting the best out of them all it seems. Week after week we ar

ECQ: Spain and Scotland qualify for Euro 2024

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 Norway 0 - 1 Spain  Spain and Scotland have qualified from Group A and will take part in Euro 2024. With a win in Norway on Sunday, Spain secured a spot at Euro 2024, as well as helping Scotland qualify from Group A. In the second half, Barcelona midfielder Gavi scored to help the 2008 and 2012 European champions advance to the championships with two games left of qualifying.  Erling Haaland's Norway last appeared at a major tournament in Euro 2000, can now only potentially qualify through play-offs.  On the night, Spain barely allowed Manchester City striker Haaland a sniff all night long on what turned into a frustrating night for the Norwegians.  Gavi eventually fired Spain into the lead just after half-time. The midfielder pounced in Norway's area when Mikel Oyarzabal's shot was deflected into his path and gave him a straightforward goal.  Quick reaction from Norway and Spain Ronnie from Oslo is unhappy with the fact that Norway haven't finished in the top of t

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

Scotland: Aberdeen stun Rangers

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 Rangers 1 - 3 Aberdeen Aberdeen caused a major upset by defeating Rangers, putting more pressure on Michael Beale. This win was Aberdeen's first in the Scottish Premiership at Ibrox in over five years. Despite Rangers winning four consecutive matches in all competitions, this loss marked Beale's third defeat in seven league games. It leaves Rangers in third place, trailing leaders Celtic by seven points. A first Dons goal for Stefan 🇩🇰 #StandFree pic.twitter.com/5BmHGwvPjl — Aberdeen FC (@AberdeenFC) September 30, 2023 Rangers missed numerous clear-cut opportunities to take the lead before Stefan Gartenmann scored Aberdeen's first goal from a Leighton Clarkson corner, taking advantage of poor defending. Rangers' confidence seemed shaken after Gartenmann's goal, and they fell further behind in the second half when Jamie McGrath scored, shortly after Bojan Miovski's header hit the left-hand post from close range. More Aberdeen news from European Super Fo

Scotland: Celtic maintain unbeaten SPL start

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 Livingston 0 - 3 Celtic Four days after their disappointing loss in the Champions League in Rotterdam, Celtic were determined to reaffirm their dominance in domestic competitions.  They faced a close call early on as Bruce Anderson forced a save from Celtic's goalkeeper, Joe Hart, and Scott Pittman's subsequent shot was cleared off the goal line by Callum McGregor. As Brendan Rodgers' team increased their attacking efforts, Daizen Hatate found himself in a promising position to score after receiving a pass from Greg Taylor. Unfortunately for Livingston, Luiyi De Lucas fouled Hatate in the box, resulting in a penalty. The Japanese midfielder's penalty squeezed under the body of Shamal George, marking his first goal of the season. The home team needed to stay competitive, and George made an excellent save to deny another attempt by Maeda. Hart's day came to an abrupt end when Sangare chased a long ball and collided with the goalkeeper outside the penalty area.

Friendly: England triumph over old rivals

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 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

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

Scotland: Celtic win first Glasgow Derby of the season

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 Rangers 0 - 1 Celtic Brendan Rodgers responded to questions about his second spell at Celtic with a statement win in what was a controversial Glasgow Derby.  Kyogo Furuhashi once again delivered the decisive moment, taking advantage of a poor defence just before half-time to score.  The winning goal goal came after a strike from Rabbi Matondo was disallowed for offside in the first minute.  Before the match, Michael Beale has stressed the importance of 'setting a milestone' after Wednesday's humiliating Champions League defeat at Eindhoven, but the pressure will now rest on the Ibrox boss, who has not only one win in six derbies.  Rangers fans created a memorable atmosphere at Ibrox in the build up to the match but they fell silent once they went 1-0 up.  UCL: PSV thrash Rangers Celtic's defence wasn't at full strength and included central defenders Lagerbielke and Liam Scales making their Old Firm debut. It wasn't pretty at times, but everyone associated w

UCL: PSV thrash Rangers

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PSV 5 - 1 Rangers (PSV won 7-3 on aggregate) A 5-1 demolition by PSV Eindhoven ended Rangers' hopes of playing in the Champions League again. Ismael Saibari headed in to put PSV ahead on aggregate for the first time in the tie. He added a second after the break. In the minutes following James Tavernier's strike and a brief Rangers lifeline, Luuk de Jong nodded home before Joey Veerman added another goal. Rangers' chastening evening was completed by an own goal by Connor Goldson. This result and poor performance means that instead of joining their Old Firm rivals in the Champions League, they will return to the Europa League group stage. One Rangers fan told us: "This was a terrible night and performance but being in the Europa League might be good for us." Click here for more PSV news and stories. A terrible night for the away side Rangers played poorly, carrying almost no threat until it was too late. PSV warmed to their task very quickly on the night, and it

News: Tierney moves to Sociedad on loan

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 There's been an interesting transfer development involving a Premier League side and another from La Liga. It has been announced that Kieran Tierney has joined LaLiga side Real Sociedad on loan for the 2023/24 season. Scotland international defender Kieran joined them in August 2019 from Celtic and during his time with them, he has made 124 appearances in all competitions. The 26-year-old enjoyed success in his first season with them, finishing the campaign by scoring his debut Arsenal goal in their 3-2 home victory against Watford on the final day of the Premier League season. This achievement was followed just days later, with Kieran starting in their 2-1 FA Cup Final triumph over Chelsea at Wembley Stadium.  He later played an integral role in helping the club secure their fourteenth FA Cup title, a record-breaking feat. Throughout his four seasons at the Emirates, Kieran also played a part in their FA Community Shield victories, winning against Liverpool in 2020 and more r

UCL: Rangers and PSV group stage hopes hang in the balance

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We're getting closer to the Champions League Group Stages Rangers 2 - 2 PSV After drawing a tense play-off first leg with PSV Eindhoven at Ibrox, Rangers' hopes of qualifying for the Champions League group stages hang in the balance. Check out this video from  Footy Adventures - YouTube Despite a lack of refinement at times, Michael Beale's side kept them alive ahead of the second leg in the Netherlands. A tense Ibrox erupted with joy when Abdallah Sima shaped in a superb opener just before the interval. A hard-fought lead would not last for long, as Ibrahim Sangare scored on the hour following an outrageous stepover from Ismael Saibari. More football news from across Scotland. Rangers were back in front after substitute Rabbi Matondo smashed Cyriel Dessers' teasing delivery into the net. Four minutes after that strike, Luuk de Jong diverted a towering header to ensure these sides will meet for a second leg in Eindhoven with both eyeing a place on the biggest stage.

ECQ: Scotland stun Norway with late goals

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Norway 1 - 2 Scotland There was a great finish to give Scotland a classic smash-and-grab victory and send their fans into party mode during a sun-dappled Oslo evening. With three minutes of normal time, Steve Clarke’s side trailed to Erling Haaland’s 59th goal of the season, and they were staring at their first defeat in Euro 2024 qualifying. Unlikely and sensational late goals from Lyndon Dykes and Kenny McLean maintained Scotland's perfect start to Euro 2024 qualifying as Steve Clarke's side stunned Norway in Oslo. Euro 2024 Qualifying (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) A closer look at the match Erling Haaland's goal from the penalty spot just after the hour mark looked to have given the more lively Norwegians a victory which would have revived their Group A hopes. However, out of nothing Dykes pounced on a mistake with three minutes of normal time remaining to snatch what seemed like a brilliant point for Scotland. Then, barely two minutes later substitute McLean sw

PL News: Moyes to stay at West Ham

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 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

PL News: Ange Postecoglou close to becoming Spurs boss

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Reports from across England and Scotland have suggested Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou has agreed to become the new Tottenham manager on a two-year contract. The Australian has just finished his second season at Celtic. He has them to the Scottish title both years and the domestic treble this campaign. Could he continue going forward with the Parkhead side.  Spurs have been searching for a new main man since Antonio Conte's exit in March. Cristian Stellini and then Ryan Mason both took on the job on an interim basis but struggled to have any success. Cristian Stellini's was arguably a huge disaster.  Premier League news: Tottenham sack interim manager (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) Very few Tottenham fans will ever really forget that horrible afternoon at Newcastle a few weeks ago.  More Premier League news:  Premier League news (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com)   Picture of Postecoglou during his first season at Celtic The final elements of the deal are being finalised bef

Scotland; Celtic champions again

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 Hearts 0 - 2 Celtic Celtic clinched their second successive Scottish Premiership title under Ange Postecoglou as they beat 10-player Hearts 2-0. Despite running away with the title, Celtic didn't have it their own way before they were crowned champions. Joe Hart was made to work inside two minutes from a Lawrence Shankland header, although the assistant referee did flag for offside. It was eventually Kyogo got the title party underway when he knocked the ball in from Reo Hatate's cross after half-time. The Japanese striker was then forced off to be replaced by Hyeon-Gyu Oh who made sure of the victory when he fired in from Aaron Mooy's cross. This win confirmed Celtic's 10th title in 11 seasons, and they can secure a domestic treble if they beat Inverness in the Scottish Cup final on June 3 at Hampden Park. Scotland: Celtic move closer to another Treble (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) More history beckons for Celtic. Celtic can now focus on going for a record poin