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Showing posts with the label Spain

PSG sweep aside Atletico Madrid in Pasadena

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PSG 4 - 0 Atletico Madrid Champions League winners start Club World Cup with emphatic win Author | Jack L Stadium | Rose Bowl Paris Saint-Germain made a commanding start to their first-ever Fifa Club World Cup campaign with a comfortable victory over Atletico Madrid in Pasadena. The newly crowned European champions controlled proceedings from the outset in the sweltering California heat, dominating possession in front of a crowd of 80,619 at the iconic Rose Bowl.  They had a remarkable 82.6% of the ball in the opening 15 minutes, setting the tone for what turned into a one-sided affair. Fabian Ruiz opened the scoring with a precise low strike from the edge of the area, giving Jan Oblak no chance. Goncalo Ramos had several opportunities to extend the lead but was wasteful in front of goal, missing the target three times. Vitinha doubled the advantage just before the break, gliding through the heart of the Atletico defence before finishing coolly past Oblak. The Slovenian goalkee...

Atletico Madrid interested in signing Liverpool's Andy Robertson

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Andy Robertson to Atlético Madrid?  Is another title-winning full back about to move to Spain?  Author | William G Atlético Madrid have expressed an interest in signing Andy Robertson, as Liverpool prepare to make a move for Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez to become their first-choice left-back.  Robertson said last week that he had not given much thought to his future, instead focusing on enjoying a well-earned break after another long campaign, one that ended with his second Premier League title. However, with the transfer window set to open in the coming days, uncertainty surrounds the Scotland captain’s future at Anfield for the first time in eight years.  Kerkez is expected to be Arne Slot’s preferred option at left-back, with a fee of around £45m to £50m likely to be required to prise him from Bournemouth. Liverpool are eager to keep hold of Robertson and would prefer to let current understudy Kostas Tsimikas depart.  READ MORE |  Transfer News an...

Portugal claim 2nd Nations League title

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Portugal 2 - 2 Spain (Portugal won 5-3 on penalties) A dramatic night in Munich has two of the favourites for next year's World Cup faced off.  Author | Jack L Stadium | Allianz Arena Portugal defeated Spain in a dramatic penalty shootout to secure their second UEFA Nations League title, following a pulsating 2-2 draw in Munich. Cristiano Ronaldo levelled the scores in the second half after a back-and-forth contest that saw both sides squander leads. Although substituted before extra time, the Portugal captain was overcome with emotion on the sidelines after Ruben Neves struck the decisive penalty and Diogo Costa saved from Álvaro Morata. Spain, the 2023 champions, took the lead midway through the first half when Martín Zubimendi pounced on a loose ball to finish from close range. But Portugal responded quickly as Nuno Mendes drilled a powerful shot past Unai Simón to equalise just five minutes later. La Roja regained the advantage before the break through Mikel Oyarzabal, whos...

Spain edge nine-goal thriller

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Spain 5 - 4 France Spain edged a breathless nine-goal contest against France to book their place in the Nations League final, with 17-year-old Lamine Yamal stealing the spotlight in Stuttgart. Author | Jack L Stadium | MHPArena The Barcelona prodigy struck twice in a dazzling performance as Spain raced into a commanding 5-1 lead. Yamal, already being tipped as a Ballon d’Or contender, won and converted a penalty, before adding a smart finish to cap a stunning attacking display.RE Goals from Nico Williams and Mikel Merino had put Spain 2-0 up before Yamal's spot-kick, while Pedri added a fourth after a slick move involving Williams. Kylian Mbappé responded for France from the penalty spot after Pedro Porro was penalised. READ MORE |  Portugal reach Nations League final Yamal’s second seemed to have killed the game, but France mounted a remarkable late comeback. Substitute Rayan Cherki announced himself on debut with a spectacular volley from the edge of the box, before a Dani Vi...

Trent Alexander-Arnold to join Real Madrid early

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A sign that Real Madrid are taking the Club World Cup seriously? Trent Alexander-Arnold will officially become a Real Madrid player on Sunday 1 June after Liverpool agreed to an early termination of his contract in exchange for a fee. Author | William G Liverpool sources suggest the Spanish club has paid €10m (£8.4m) in a single up-front payment, although figures close to Madrid claim the fee is lower. The payment allows Alexander-Arnold to complete his move in time to feature in the expanded Club World Cup next month. The 26-year-old England international had been due to leave Anfield on a free transfer when his contract expired on 30 June, but had already made clear his intention to depart this summer. He has now signed a six-year deal with Madrid that includes a €1bn (£840m) buy-out clause. Fifa has approved a special transfer window from 1 to 10 June for clubs competing in the month-long Club World Cup, which begins on 14 June in the United States. READ MORE | News from across ...

Chelsea make history in Poland

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Real Betis 1 - 4 Chelsea  Enzo Maresca’s bold tactical reshuffle and astute use of personnel steered Chelsea to victory over Real Betis in the Conference League final. Author | Lewis W Stadium | Stadion Wrocław The opening 45 minutes had offered little encouragement for the Premier League side. Betis were deservedly in front at the interval, with Isco orchestrating the first half and providing a no-look assist for Abde Ezzalzouli, who surged through to fire the Spaniards ahead inside nine minutes. But the match flipped after the break. Cole Palmer was afforded greater freedom and, capitalising on the injury-enforced withdrawal of Betis left-back Ricardo Rodríguez, delivered a commanding display that earned him player of the match honours. Palmer's teasing, dipping delivery from a central area was then expertly glanced in by Enzo Fernández just after the hour mark. READ MORE | A recap of our live coverage from the night READ MORE | Chelsea fan reaction on London Super News ...

Recap | Conference League final coverage

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Chelsea v Real Betis This is the place for the best news and stories from the 2025 Conference League Final Author | Lauren W Keep reading for updates from throughout the day and match. Chelsea fans display before kick off. The Chelsea party can start now  | Real Betis 1-4 Chelsea A fantastic second-half performance by Chelsea that has seen them score four goals. Moises Caicedo - who has started all 38 Premier League games this season - had a shot from the edge of the box that took a slight deflection on its way into the net. That has to be game over now  | Real Betis 1-3 Chelsea With seven minutes of left to play, Jadon Sancho has extended Chelsea's lead.  It was a goal delivered by the substitutes bench as Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall's ball bobbled into the path of Jadon Sancho. The player, who is still on loan from Manchester United, curled the ball beyond Adrian, probably sealing Chelsea's spot in the history books. They will be the only team to have won all four ma...

Barcelona linked with Marcus Rashford

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The Barcelona Sporting Director has spoken about the potential signing Would the forward, currently on loan at Barcelona, be a good signing for the La Liga champions? Author |  Peter Grainger   What next for Marcus Rashford? youtu.be/YsWVOzZZWE0?... [image or embed] — Super News Affiliate ( @eurosuperfootball.bsky.social ) 23 May 2025 at 07:43 Rashford has been in reasonable form for Aston Villa since joining them on loan for the second half of the season from Manchester United. While he has impressed at points with four goals and six assists in 17 appearances for Unai Emery's side, his promising start for the club was curtailed by a hamstring injury.  It remains to be seen whether Aston Villa want to make this move permanent. For Rashford, it would be a much more attractive move if they qualify for next season's Champions League. Barcelona were said to be interested in signing Rashford on loan back in January, but were ultimately beaten to his signature by the Villa...

Real Madrid announced signing of defender Dean Huijsen

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Real Madrid have announced the signing of defender Dean Huijsen from Bournemouth. The deal has been completed in time for Huijsen to play in the Club World Cup after the Spanish giants activated his £50m release clause. Author - Ed The 20-year-old has signed a five-year deal that allows him to debut at the newly expanded tournament in the United States. Both clubs confirmed the move with Madrid saying that one-time Spain international Huijsen will officially join on 1 June. Their first match of the Club World Cup is against Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal on 18 June. The fee will be paid in three instalments, with Huijsen's two former clubs set to receive a slice of the fee. Juventus are due 10% and Malaga 5%. Huijsen had as many as seven offers on the table, and had attracted interest from Premier League clubs Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and Newcastle. Huijsen has chosen Real and will return to Spain where he grew up, playing for Costa Unida CF academy in Marbella and Malaga's yo...

Man United are going back to Bilbao

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Manchester United 4 - 1 Athletic Club (Manchester United won 7-1 on aggregate) Mason Mount brought an end to a frustrating 20-month spell with a superb second-half brace as Manchester United set up an all-English Europa League final against Tottenham in Bilbao on 21 May. Author - Olivia T Stadium - Old Trafford The former Chelsea midfielder delivered at just the right moment. Hampered by a succession of injuries since his £55m move from Stamford Bridge in 2023, Mount had made only 10 Premier League starts for United prior to Thursday night. He had barely been on the pitch for 10 minutes when he collected Leny Yoro’s  pass inside the area and finished with composure. It was only his third goal for United, but unquestionably his most significant. The strike extinguished any remaining concerns that Athletic Club might become the first side in 134 attempts to overturn a three-goal first-leg deficit away from home in European competition. READ MORE: Europa League news and stories Th...

Man United take giant step to Europa League final

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Athletic Club 0 - 3 Manchester United  Manchester United took a commanding step towards the Europa League final after a blistering first-half display against ten-man Athletic Bilbao gave them a significant advantage ahead of the return leg at Old Trafford. Author - Olivia T Stadium -  San Mamés In a fervent atmosphere, United were fortunate not to fall behind early on. Iñaki Williams headed over from a promising position before Victor Lindelöf made a crucial goal-line block to deny Álex Berenguer. The match shifted in the 30th minute. Harry Maguire, operating on the right, showed composure and vision to deliver a cross that was flicked on for Casemiro, who rose to head United in front. Seven minutes later, the visitors tightened their grip. A VAR review confirmed a foul on Rasmus Højlund by Dani Vivian, resulting in a penalty and a red card for the Bilbao defender. Bruno Fernandes silenced the hostile crowd with a calm finish from the spot. READ MORE: MUFC news and stories...

Barca and Inter play out a thriller

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Barcelona 3 - 3 Inter Milan Barcelona twice came from behind to earn a draw against Inter Milan in a pulsating six-goal Champions League semi-final first leg, leaving the tie finely balanced ahead of next week’s return fixture in Milan. Author - Jack L Stadium - Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys The visitors stunned the hosts within 30 seconds when Marcus Thuram diverted Denzel Dumfries’ low cross into the net with a deft backheel, registering the fastest goal ever scored in a semi-final of the competition. Dumfries then doubled Inter’s lead after 20 minutes with an acrobatic volley that silenced the Montjuïc crowd and left Barcelona facing an early uphill task. However, the irrepressible Lamine Yamal soon dragged his side back into the contest. The teenager weaved inside from the right, jinking past several defenders before curling a sublime left-footed shot in off the post to halve the deficit. READ MORE: Champions League news and stories Yamal remained at the centre of Barcelona’s a...

Rangers Europa League adventure ends in Bilbao

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Athletic Club 2 - 0 Rangers (Athletic Club won 2-0 on aggregate) Nico Williams' late header ended Rangers’ Europa League hopes, as Athletic Bilbao secured a place in the semi-finals and kept alive their ambition of lifting the trophy on home soil. Author - Craig H Stadium  - San Mamés  Following a hard-fought goalless draw at Ibrox, where the Spanish side played much of the first leg with ten men, Rangers knew they would need something close to flawless to progress past La Liga’s fourth-placed team. For a while, they remained in contention, still level with just over ten minutes remaining. But Williams’ decisive goal, nodding in a superb cross from Oscar De Marcos, extinguished any hope of Rangers reaching a second final in four years. The breakthrough had come earlier in first-half stoppage time, when Oihan Sancet converted a penalty to give Bilbao the lead. The timing of the opener was a bitter blow for Barry Ferguson’s side, though in truth Athletic had been the do...

Barca qualify despite scare against Dortmund

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Borussia Dortmund 3 - 1 Barcelona (Barcelona won 5-3 on aggregate) Borussia Dortmund came agonisingly close to pulling off a remarkable Champions League comeback, but their spirited second-leg display against Barcelona was not enough to overturn the heavy damage inflicted in the first leg. Author - Josh T Stadium - Signal Iduna Park The Bundesliga side had been left with a mountain to climb following a chastening 4–0 defeat at the Camp Nou, a result that had all but booked Barcelona’s place in the semi-finals for the first time since 2019. Yet Dortmund refused to roll over. Led by a stunning hat-trick from Serhou Guirassy, they produced a breathless display in front of their home crowd, injecting genuine jeopardy into what had seemed a foregone conclusion. What does all of this mean for Barca? Despite their valiant efforts and a stirring performance, it is Barcelona who advance to the last four. It marks their first appearance at this stage since their infamous capitulation to Live...

Barcelona ease to first-leg win over Dortmund

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Barcelona 4 - 0 Borussia Dortmund Raphinha matched Lionel Messi’s long-standing club record for goal involvements in a single Champions League season as Barcelona dismantled Borussia Dortmund to seize control of their quarter-final tie. Author - Paul Woods Stadium - Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys The Brazilian winger was instrumental throughout, scoring once and providing two assists to bring his tally to 19 goal involvements in this season’s competition, equalling the mark set by Messi during the 2011–12 campaign. Barcelona took a deserved lead midway through the first half, with Raphinha on hand to finish from close range after Pau Cubarsí’s effort squirmed past goalkeeper Gregor Kobel. The 27-year-old’s 12th goal in Europe this season came after a chaotic set-piece that began with Karim Adeyemi conceding a free-kick for pulling Jules Koundé’s hair. Robert Lewandowski extended Barça’s advantage early in the second half, converting Raphinha’s header from a yard out after a sweeping...

Rice shines for Arsenal against Champions League holders

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Arsenal 3 - 0 Real Madrid Declan Rice lit up the Emirates with two superb free-kicks as Arsenal cruised to a 3–0 victory over Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final. Author - DJ Stadium - Emirates Stadium Rice had never scored from a free-kick in his career before this match, delivered two moments of brilliance in the second half to put Mikel Arteta’s side in firm control of the tie. Ahead of kick-off, Arteta had called on the home support to arrive early and generate a big-game atmosphere. The fans responded, and so did the players, as Arsenal made an energetic start and put Madrid under early pressure with a series of threatening crosses. It wasn’t until the 20th minute that the visitors created anything of note, with Vinícius Júnior curling a shot narrowly wide. After the break, Arsenal turned their dominance into goals. The breakthrough came in the 58th minute, when Rice bent a free-kick around the wall and beyond Thibaut Courtois to open the scori...

Can Arsenal shock Real Madrid?

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Arsenal v Real Madrid Preview Los Blancos will make their first-ever competitive appearance at the Emirates Stadium. Author - DJ While the 15-time winners have beaten 111 teams in the competition’s history, Arsenal are not one of them courtesy of their famous last-16 success in the only previous meaningful meetings between the teams back in 2006. While Arteta's looking to reach the final four for just a third time, Madrid’s love affair with the competition sees them looking to make that a reality for the fifth consecutive season.  Real Madrid head into the first leg knowing that no team has beaten Arsenal in North London in 10 Champions League games since their return to the competition last season. An extension of that run would put them in a superb place before a visit to the Spanish capital eight days later. Who remembers this match from 2006? Source | Arsenal YouTube A closer look at how Real Madrid are doing Not since the 2003-04 season have Real Madrid been knocked out ...

Barcelona restore three point lead at top of La Liga

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Barcelona 4 - 1 Girona Robert Lewandowski scored twice as Barcelona re-established a three-point lead at the top of La Liga with a comfortable victory over Girona.  Author - Ajay Stadium - Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys Ladislav Krejci's own goal had given Barcelona a deserved lead in the first half against their Catalan rivals. Girona, however, threatened to pull off an upset when Arnaut Danjuma equalized early in the second half against the run of play. Nevertheless, Poland forward Lewandowski put Barcelona back in front just after the hour mark with an improvised finish. He then scored his 25th league goal of the season following some excellent midfield play from substitute Frenkie de Jong. Ferran Torres rounded off the scoring late on with a low effort into the bottom corner. This was the perfect response from Barcelona, who watched their great foes Real Madrid fight back to beat Leganes and move level on points at the summit of the Spanish top flight on Saturday. They ...

Spain edge past Netherlands to reach Nations League semi-finals

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Spain 3 - 3 Netherlands The match finished 5-5 on aggregate. Spain won 5-4 on penalties Author - Paul Woods Stadium - Estadio de Mestalla Spain had twice taken the lead in normal time, both courtesy of Real Sociedad striker Mikel Oyarzabal. But Memphis Depay marked his 100th Netherlands cap with a penalty early in the second half, before debutant Ian Maatsen’s thunderous strike forced extra time. Yamal restored Spain’s lead with a stunning solo effort, curling a beauty into the far corner, but Xavi Simons hit back with another Dutch penalty after Simón had brought him down in the box. The shootout saw Lang rattle the crossbar before Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen kept out Yamal. However, Simón produced the crucial stop from Malen, allowing Pedri to send Spain through to a last-four clash with France. The victory extends Spain’s unbeaten run in all competitions to 18 matches, and they haven’t lost in the Nations League since a 2-1 defeat to Switzerland in September 2022. A...

De Kuip prepares to host two international giants

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Netherlands v Spain Preview Spain, the reigning UEFA Nations League champions, head to Rotterdam for the first leg of their quarter-final clash against the Netherlands. Author - Ajay Feyenoord's stadium will host the match The winners of this two-legged tie will progress to the semi-finals in June, where they will face either Croatia or France. After being knocked out by England in the Euro 2024 semi-finals last summer, the Netherlands secured second place in League A Group 3 of the Nations League, picking up nine points from six matches (W2 D3 L1) in the latter half of last year. Since the competition's inception in 2018, the Dutch have twice come close to lifting the trophy—finishing as runners-up to Portugal in 2019 before losing the third-place playoff to Italy in 2023. READ MORE: What's the point of the UEFA Nations League Manager Ronald Koeman will be looking to shore up a defence that struggled during the group stage, conceding seven goals—the most of any team at...