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UCL: Barca thrash Swiss side

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Barcelona 5 - 0 Young Boys Robert Lewandowski netted twice as Barcelona cruised to victory over Young Boys in the Champions League. Lewandowski opened the scoring just eight minutes in, slotting home Raphinha’s cross at the far post. Barca soon doubled their advantage, with Raphinha tucking away the rebound after Pedri’s initial shot was blocked. The La Liga leaders were in full control, and just three minutes later, Iñigo Martínez added a third, heading in from close range following a pinpoint free-kick from Pedri. Barcelona extended their lead early in the second half, with Martínez nodding the ball back across goal for Lewandowski to tap in his second of the night. Champions League: 2024/2025 (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) Young Boys’ best opportunity came when Joel Monteiro's effort struck the crossbar, but their night went from bad to worse in the 81st minute when Mohamed Ali Camara inadvertently turned Alejandro Balde's cross into his own net. Monteiro thought he ha

UCL: Swiss side shock Galatasaray

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Galatasaray 0 - 1 Young Boys Young Boys won 4 - 2 on aggregate  After a tense 86 minutes, Mauro Icardi’s blocked shot led to a rapid counter-attack by Young Boys with Cedric Itten setting up Alan Virginius, who outpaced his marker to slot home the decisive goal in the 87th minute, sealing a 1-0 victory. Galatasaray, favourites going into the tie, never managed to live up to expectations. A closer look at what happened After a first leg defeat. fans expected a fiery response from Galatasaray. However, the Turkish champions, known as "the Lions," failed to muster more than a faint roar in their home stadium for most of the match. As the clock ticked down and defeat loomed, Galatasaray created a handful of chances, but none of them posed a serious threat. Champions League: 2024/2025 (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) The visitors from Bern celebrated reaching Europe’s top competition for the second season in a row, fully deserving the win and creating numerous chances that cou

UECL: Chelsea take first leg lead

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Chelsea 2 - 0 Servette  Christopher Nkunku’s penalty helped Enzo Maresca claim his first win as Chelsea manager, with the Blues securing a two-goal lead against Servette in the first leg of their Conference League play-off. A significantly rotated Chelsea side had been struggling to break down their Swiss opponents until Nkunku was brought down by goalkeeper Jeremy Frick early in the second half. The French forward, one of only two players to retain their place from the team that started the 2-0 defeat to Manchester City   calmly converted the penalty, marking the first goal of the Maresca era. Nkunku, a former Paris St-Germain player, celebrated in his signature style by inflating a blue balloon in front of the ecstatic Chelsea supporters. Chelsea nearly extended their lead shortly afterwards when Frick hesitated with the ball, allowing 18-year-old Marc Guiu to pounce. The Spanish youth international seemed poised to score, but he lost his composure, and Frick managed to recover a

Euro 2024: England fight back yet again

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England 1 - 1 Switzerland England win 5-3 on penalties Trent Alexander-Arnold fired home the winning penalty after Cole Palmer, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, and Ivan Toney had all kept their composure.  Jordan Pickford had previously set the tone by saving Switzerland's first penalty from Akanji, securing a tense shoot-out victory. England, who will now face the Netherlands in the semi-finals on Wednesday, had been at risk of a premature exit from the tournament in normal time. Breel Embolo had put Switzerland ahead in the 75th minute, sneaking past Kyle Walker to tap in Dan Ndoye's deflected cross from close range. Saka equalised shortly afterwards with a superb curling finish in off the post from outside the box, marking England's first shot on target. Gareth Southgate's side struggled during extra-time, enduring nerve-wracking moments as Xherdan Shaqiri hit the woodwork directly from a corner and Zeki Amdouni's shot was parried. The Three Lions find a way ag

Euro 2024: Switzerland knock holders out

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Switzerland 2 - 0 Italy Switzerland delivered an impressive performance, defeating Italy 2-0 in Berlin and knocking the defending champions out of Euro 2024. Luciano Spalletti had made six changes to the Italian starting line-up in search of a winning formula, but it was clear from the start that Switzerland were the superior team. Breel Embolo nearly broke the deadlock before Remo Freuler opened the scoring. Switzerland dominated possession, having over 60% of the ball and creating eight of the first nine shots on goal. Their persistence eventually paid off when Ruben Vargas set up Freuler, who became the sixth different scorer for Switzerland in the tournament. Just 27 seconds into the second half, it got even better. Vargas found the back of the net with a stunning strike. Italy lost possession from the kick-off, and Vargas curled his shot past PSG's Gianluigi Donnarumma into the top corner. Italy struggled to respond, their best chance coming when Fabian Schar headed agains

Euro 2024: Germany leave it late to secure top spot

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Switzerland 1 - 1 Germany Substitute Niclas Füllkrug saved the day for Germany with a late equaliser, ensuring a 1-1 draw with Switzerland and securing the top spot in Group A. Switzerland looked set to progress to the last 16 as group winners after Dan Ndoye's early strike, but Füllkrug's header changed the narrative. The goal ignited celebrations among the German fans behind the goal, as their team preserved their unbeaten record in Euro 2024. For Switzerland, it was a heartbreaking turn of events after they had defended valiantly for over 90 minutes. Nevertheless, they advance to the knockout stages. Murat Yakin's side knew a win would see them surpass Germany, and they almost achieved this feat in Frankfurt, only to succumb to the relentless pressure in stoppage time. Germany had largely frustrated their home supporters with a lacklustre performance, but a late surge of opportunities finally bore fruit. Earlier, Swiss fans were jubilant, celebrating Ndoye’s superb f

Euro 2024: Scotland battle to earn a point

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Scotland 1 - 1 Switzerland Scotland entered this match with one aim: to avoid being sent home with regrets.  A loss in Cologne would have left them needing unlikely help from other groups, even if they managed to beat Hungary in Stuttgart on Sunday. Now, Scotland know a win against Hungary would bring them to a four-point total, likely enough to secure a coveted spot in the tournament knockout stages for the first time. The Scots bounced back admirably from their 5-1 thrashing by Germany. However, as the dust settles on this thrilling encounter, they may felt they deserved more. Just 102 seconds in, John McGinn won Scotland a corner, showing more attacking intent than in their painful loss in Munich on Friday. Scott McTominay took the set-piece, but it was deflected by a defender. Euro 2024 news and stories  Scotland's breakthrough came from a Swiss corner. The Swiss hesitated after taking it short, allowing Scotland to counter. Billy Gilmour, back in the starting lineup, calml

Euro 2024: Switzerland start campaign with a win

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Hungary 1 - 3 Switzerland Switzerland fought hard to secure a victory over Hungary, marking a successful start to their Euro 2024 campaign in Cologne.  Kwadwo Duah, a surprise inclusion by manager Murat Yakin, scored his first international goal, followed by Michel Aebischer doubling the lead just before half-time. Hungary's Barnabas Varga gave his team hope with 30 minutes remaining, expertly converting Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai's perfectly weighted cross past Yann Sommer. Substitute Breel Embolo sealed the win in stoppage time with a delightful lob over Peter Gulacsi. A closer look at what happened From the outset, Yakin's team controlled possession, leaving Hungary with little to show in attack during the first half. London-born Duah, having played only 45 minutes for Switzerland before this match, was brilliantly set up by Aebischer and finished neatly past Gulacsi in the 12th minute. Just before the break, left wing-back Aebischer cut in on his right

Women's World Cup: Spain and Switzerland start with a win

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 The Women's World Cup has started! There has been some great action on display already, let's explore some of the interesting stories that are already developing. Before the tournament started, we published this preview:  Women's World Cup: Preview (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) Spain 3 - 0 Costa Rica Spain dominated Costa Rica in their Women's World Cup opener in Wellington. They took the lead through Valeria del Campo's own goal, followed by Aitana Bonmati's second goal two minutes later. After Jennifer Hermoso headed against the crossbar, Esther Gonzalez added a third after Daniela Solera saved a penalty. Spain scored three goals despite several fine saves from Solera and Olga Carmona.Their dominance was evident in the match stats, as they attempted 46 shots at goal, including 12 on target, while Costa Rica, ranked 36th in the world, only attempted one shot. You can find more Spanish football news here Additionally, Spain had 80% possession and 22 corner

UEL reaction: Arsenal clinch top spot

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 Arsenal 1-0 Zurich Let's look at all the best reaction as Arsenal clinched top spot in their Europa League group Kieran Tierney's stunning 20-yard drive into the bottom right corner ensured the Gunners finished top of Group A on 15 points, two clear of PSV Eindhoven. It was their 10th victory in 12 matches in all competitions. This was the reaction of  ArsenalVision Podcast - YouTube What did the papers say? The Guardian's match report said: "In this uniquely concertinaed season, matches played every few days, squads in permanent rotation, results are probably all that matter. Though performances remain important, too, and as Arsenal lost focus against opponents who grew in belief, it appeared their minds had drifted to Sunday, and Chelsea. Three matches remain before Arsenal sign off for the World Cup, two in the Premier League, and still being leaders when football turns its focus on Qatar is clearly top priority. "  Arsenal seal Europa League top spot after

UCL: Manchester United 1 - 1 Young Boys

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Manchester United signed off their Champions League group stage campaign with a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford against Young Boys With qualification already secured, Ralf Rangnick took the game as an opportunity to see more of his players in action. He made 11 changes from the United team that started his first match against Crystal Palace in the Premier League. United took the lead with a superb strike from Mason Greenwood after just eight minutes.Young Boys then equalised late in the first half. Given the changes, this was probably a decent draw for United and the Reds can now look ahead to who they face in the next round. More reaction from Old Trafford The United interim boss told the club's website: “We shouldn’t be too strict. I was fully aware with this formation and line-up, the players haven’t played together like this. I think the first half-hour was okay, we scored a beautiful goal, we had another two great opportunities. Juan Mata should have scored actually and the same w