European Super Football

PSV Eindhoven 1 - 7 Arsenal Arsenal put one foot in the Champions League quarter-finals with a ruthless demolition of PSV. They can still finish this season with a trophy. Author - DJ Stadium - Philips Stadion Mikel Arteta’s side were in complete control from the outset, racing into a three-goal lead before half-time before adding four more in a dominant second-half display. With a trip to Madrid now looming, progression to the next stage looks all but secured. PSV had an early glimmer of hope when Ismael Saibari struck the crossbar, but Arsenal quickly took charge. Jurrien Timber opened the scoring in the 18th minute, and within moments, 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri doubled the lead, finishing emphatically after a sharp cutback from Myles Lewis-Skelly. There was a moment of fortune for Lewis-Skelly, who had already been booked, when he escaped further punishment for a foul on Richard Ledezma. Sensing the risk, Arteta swiftly withdrew him, bringing on Riccardo Calafiori before the bre...

Club Brugge 1 - 3 Aston Villa Aston Villa took control of their Champions League last-16 tie with a 3-1 victory over Club Brugge, capitalising on a late collapse from the Belgian side to gain an advantage ahead of next Wednesday’s second leg. Author - Jamie P Stadium - Jan Breydelstadion Pictures from the away end Brugge had looked the more composed team for much of the contest but were left to rue their own mistakes after conceding twice in the closing stages against an underwhelming Villa. The hosts’ downfall began when Brandon Mechele inadvertently turned Morgan Rogers’ cross into his own net. Just five minutes later, a careless challenge from Christos Tzolis on Matty Cash gifted Villa a penalty, which Marco Asensio confidently dispatched. The three-time Champions League winner has now scored three goals in his last two appearances for the club. How the match unfolded Leon Bailey gave Villa the perfect start, volleying home inside three minutes to put the visitors in front. ...

It will be Paris St-Germain v Liverpool in the Champions League last 16. The first of the two-legged tie will be the first time Liverpool have faced PSG since 2018-19. Author - William G The winners of that tie will face Aston Villa or Club Brugge in the quarter-finals. At one point, the French Champions looked to be heading out of the competition before a late run of form saw them finish 15th in the league phase.  They were defeated by Arsenal before a 4-2 victory over Manchester City set up an all-France knockout phase play-off with Brest which they won 10-0 on aggregate. The first leg will take place in Paris Liverpool will need a plan to deal with Ousmane Dembele. The former Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona forward is one of the in-form goalscorers in Europe right now, with six goals in this season's Champions League. Interestingly, Liverpool have not won any of their past five away games against French clubs, since a Champions League victory against Marseille in 2008. Click...

Real Madrid 3 - 1 Manchester City (Real Madrid won 6-3 on aggregate) This is Real Madrid’s competition. This is their time of year. Author - Beth Lee Stadium - Estadio Santiago Bernabéu The murmurs of admiration that rippled around the stadium as Carlo Ancelotti’s side took control carried a familiar sense of inevitability—one that should serve as a warning to any team hoping to deny them a record-extending 16th European crown. When Real slumped to a 2-0 defeat at Liverpool in November, they looked sluggish and short of ideas—Vinícius Júnior was absent, and Kylian Mbappé was still settling in after his high-profile move to Madrid. Now, Mbappé looks every bit the world-class star they signed him to be. His first goal, a delicate lob over Ederson, oozed composure. His second was pure brilliance, leaving Joško Gvardiol bewildered with a dazzling piece of footwork. Click here for more Manchester City news and stories The hat-trick goal was the finishing touch on a masterful display...

Bayern Munich 1 - 1 Celtic (Bayern Munich won 2-1 on aggregate) Celtic’s Champions League journey came to a dramatic and heartbreaking end as Bayern Munich struck deep into stoppage time, sealing a 3-2 aggregate victory and crushing Brendan Rodgers’ side’s hopes of a stunning upset in Germany. Author - Andrew Cheshire Stadium - Allianz Arena Having lost the first leg 2-1 at Parkhead, Celtic knew they needed a big performance—and they delivered. Nicolas Kühn fired them into a shock lead just after the hour mark, pouncing on a defensive error from Kim Min-jae to slot past Manuel Neuer. The Hoops had already squandered several golden chances in the first half, with Kühn, Callum McGregor, and Daizen Maeda (twice) all going close. Meanwhile, England captain Harry Kane rattled the crossbar before being withdrawn at half-time. Champions League: 2024/2025 More Celtic news and stories Bayern, rattled by Celtic’s intensity, pushed hard for an equaliser. Leon Goretzka nodded wide, Joshua Kimm...

Bayern Munich v Celtic preview Bayern Munich lead 2-1 after what was an entertaining first leg in Glasgow Author - Sean M After edging past Celtic with a 2-1 victory in Glasgow last week, Bayern Munich will be eager to confirm their place in the Champions League last 16 when they host the Scottish champions at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday. Will the atmosphere at Bayern Munich match the one at Celtic? Vincent Kompany’s side were forced to defend for long spells in Saturday’s goalless draw with Bayer Leverkusen, though they remain eight points clear at the top of the Bundesliga. This contest, however, is expected to be a different affair, with Bayern likely to dominate on home turf. Celtic, meanwhile, will be looking to spring a surprise in Munich. Brendan Rodgers’ men head into the fixture with confidence after a commanding 3-0 victory over Dundee United, which extended their lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership. Remarkably, Celtic are in the knockout rounds for the first tim...

Manchester City 2 - 3 Real Madrid The best team in Europe displayed their qualities once again Author - Jamie P Real Madrid may not yet be at their imperious best, but they still possess the craft and know-how to navigate most Champions League challenges. This is the stage of the season where they truly come to life. Carlo Ancelotti, usually the picture of calm, was visibly animated at times as his side spurned a series of chances. Madrid carried a constant threat, pressing and probing throughout. When Kylian Mbappé levelled with a scruffy finish, the serial winners sensed weakness and went for City’s throat. But just as the momentum seemed to be shifting decisively, Erling Haaland’s late penalty looked to have derailed them. Manchester Super News report | Click here for more City analysis Latest Champions League stories from European Super Football No matter. Madrid, more experienced than anyone in these moments, sensed City’s fatigue and pounced. Jude Bellingham’s last-gasp winne...

Brest 0 - 3 PSG Paris Saint-Germain took a firm grip on their all-French Champions League play-off tie against Brest, with Ousmane Dembélé continuing his red-hot form by bagging another two goals. Author - Liam C Former Wolves loanee Vitinha opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 21st minute after Pierre Lees-Melou was penalised for handling a shot from Dembélé. The France international doubled PSG’s lead just before half-time, clinically finishing after Brest failed to close him down. He then added his second and PSG’s third in the 66th minute, seizing on a loose ball inside the box. Dembélé has now netted 18 goals in his last 11 outings for PSG across all competitions, taking his tally for the season to 23 as the Ligue 1 leaders continue to dominate. Brest, making their Champions League debut this season, had little luck in front of goal. Shortly before Dembélé’s first strike, Abdallah Sima hit the post with a header from a corner, and moments later, PSG’s Achraf Hakimi ...

Manchester City v Real Madrid Preview We explore what has the potential to be the match of the season. Author - Macca A clash between two of the biggest forces in English and Spanish football is nothing new. When Manchester City and Real Madrid meet in the UEFA Champions League, it will mark the fourth consecutive season they’ve faced off in the knockout stages of Europe’s elite club competition. However, this time, it’s in unfamiliar territory—the playoffs. Under the tournament’s new format, only the top eight teams in the expanded league phase secured direct passage to the last 16, and both City and Real fell short. City scraped through in 22nd place after a comeback win at home to Club Brugge in their final group match, while Real had a rocky start, losing three of their first five games before recovering to finish 11th. For the fourth season in a row, one of these European giants will see their Champions League run cut short by the other. City’s performance in this playoff...

PSV 3 - 2 Liverpool A much-rotated Liverpool side secured top spot in the Champions League league phase, despite seeing their perfect record end with a 3-2 defeat to PSV Eindhoven. Author - William G Having won their first seven matches, the Reds twice took the lead in the Netherlands but were pegged back, conceding twice late in the first half of their final group fixture. However, with Barcelona failing to beat Atalanta, Arne Slot’s side finished top of the standings on 21 points, two clear of their nearest challengers. The first half was full of action, with Cody Gakpo putting Liverpool ahead from the penalty spot against his former club after Federico Chiesa was fouled by Joey Veerman. Johan Bakayoko levelled with a superb turn and finish, but Harvey Elliott restored Liverpool’s advantage, reacting quickest after Chiesa’s shot was parried into his path. However, goals from Ismael Saibari and Ricardo Pepi turned the game in PSV’s favour, handing the Premier League leaders their ...

Sporting 1 - 1 Bologna Sporting CP scraped through to the Champions League knockout stages with a 1-1 draw at home against Bologna, who had already been eliminated. Author - Peter Grainger The Portuguese league leaders had endured a tough run in Europe, losing three consecutive matches after winning three of their first four. All three defeats came following the departure of manager Rúben Amorim to Manchester United. Bologna nearly took an early lead when Sam Beukema’s header struck the bar from a corner. However, they didn’t have to wait long, as Tommaso Pobega turned in Beukema’s flicked header to put the Italian side in front. Click here to discover more Champions League news and stories from European Super Football . Sporting pressed for an equaliser in the second half and eventually found one when Conrad Harder slotted home João Simões’ cut-back from close range. With results elsewhere going in their favour, a draw was enough to see Sporting through to the play-off round, wher...

Girona 1 - 2 Arsenal  Arsenal staged a comeback, scoring twice in four minutes to overturn a deficit and secure their place in the Champions League knockout stages with a 2-1 victory over Girona. Author - Jack L Heading into the match, the Gunners were already on the verge of qualification, but much of the pre-game discussion centred around their reported interest in Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins. Girona threatened an upset when they took the lead in the 28th minute. Neto, making his Arsenal debut in goal due to David Raya’s injury, rushed out of his box, allowing Arnaut Danjuma to curl the ball into an empty net. Champions League: 2024/2025 Click here to find and discover more Arsenal news and stories from European Super Football Arsenal responded swiftly, levelling 10 minutes later through a Jorginho penalty after Thomas Partey was brought down in the area by Arnau Martinez. Just before half-time, 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri produced a moment of brilliance, cutting in from ...

AC Milan 1 - 0 Girona Rafael Leão's first-half strike secured AC Milan a vital win over Girona, moving the Italian side closer to automatic qualification for the Champions League last 16. Stadium - San Siro Author - Jack L The Portuguese forward expertly controlled Ismaël Bennacer's precise through ball, weaved his way into the box, and unleashed a thunderous shot into the top corner – the only goal of the match. Girona thought they had equalised just before the hour mark when Bryan Gil fired in a stunning effort from the edge of the area, but the goal was ruled out for offside. Leão had a chance to double his tally in the 65th minute, but his curling effort drifted wide of Paulo Gazzaniga’s post. Milan now sit sixth in the table with 15 points, occupying one of the eight automatic qualification spots for the knockout stage. They face Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia next week. Meanwhile, Girona remain on three points and are out of contention for the play-off stage. A closer look ...

Benfica 4 - 5 Barcelona Barcelona overcame two separate two-goal deficits to secure a breathtaking victory over Benfica. Author - Peter Grainger The match at Estádio da Luz started disastrously for the visitors as Greek forward Vangelis Pavlidis netted a stunning 30-minute hat-trick. The first came from a well-placed cross by full-back Álvaro Carreras, while two further goals were gifted by errors from Barcelona's Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny. Robert Lewandowski, however, kept Barca in contention with a first-half penalty after Alejandro Balde was fouled. Barcelona fought back after the break, with Raphinha and Lewandowski scoring either side of an unfortunate Ronald Araújo own goal to leave the score at 4-3. But the drama was far from over. Eric García equalised with a late header, and just when it seemed the game would end in a draw, Raphinha capitalised on a rapid counter-attack in the 96th minute. The Brazilian slotted past Anatoliy Trubin, leaving the home fans stun...

Monaco 1 - 0 Aston Villa Aston Villa missed the opportunity to all but guarantee their place in the Champions League knockout stages after a narrow defeat to Monaco at the Stade Louis II. Author - JP The only goal of the game came in the eighth minute when Wilfried Singo headed in from close range. Emiliano Martinez had done well to block Thilo Kehrer's initial effort, but Singo was quickest to react. Villa struggled to find their rhythm but did create chances to equalise. Monaco’s goalkeeper, Radoslaw Majecki, made two key saves before half-time, first stopping Leon Bailey after some neat play by Emiliano Buendia and then comfortably dealing with Ollie Watkins’ shot, also set up by Buendia. The latest Champions League news can be found here . Monaco thought they had doubled their lead early in the second half, but Maghnes Akliouche’s strike was ruled out for offside. Despite the setback, the hosts continued to threaten, twice breaking through Villa’s defence, only to be deni...

Girona 0 - 1 Liverpool Liverpool are on the brink of securing their place in the Champions League last 16 after Mohamed Salah's penalty sealed a win against Girona. Author - William G from GMCR Football Liverpool maintain perfect Champions League record in 24/25 More reaction here - https://t.co/SoSZpMS13p https://t.co/95Hp43Tq62 — European Super Football (@ESFootballNews) December 12, 2024 The decisive moment in the match came in the second half when Donny van de Beek, formerly of Manchester United and Everton , clipped Luis Díaz's heel in the box, handing Liverpool a spot-kick. Salah made no mistake, coolly converting from 12 yards and wrong-footing Girona's goalkeeper, Paulo Gazzaniga, to notch his 46th Champions League goal. At the other end, Alisson Becker, back in the Liverpool team, pulled off several excellent saves to preserve the Reds' unbeaten run in this season's competition. With this victory, Liverpool maintain their perfect record and top th...

 Arsenal 3 - 0 Monaco Bukayo Saka shone with a brace as Arsenal secured a crucial win over Monaco, bolstering their chances of advancing to the Champions League knockout stages. Author - DJ The Gunners dominated the first half but squandered several opportunities to make the result more emphatic. Arsenal broke the deadlock in the 34th minute when Myles Lewis-Skelly threaded a pass to Gabriel Jesus, whose low cross set up Saka for an easy finish. In the second half, substitute Kai Havertz capitalised on an error from goalkeeper Radosław Majecki in the 74th minute, allowing Saka to strike from close range for his second of the night. Saka then turned provider in the 88th minute, delivering a pinpoint cross for Havertz, who slotted in Arsenal’s third goal. Click here for more Arsenal news and stories Champions League: 2024/2025 A closer look at what happened Despite the late flurry of goals, Arsenal missed several clear-cut chances earlier in the match. Gabriel Jesus was twice...

Juventus 2 - 0 Manchester City Manchester City’s struggles continued as they suffered a potentially damaging defeat to Juventus, leaving their Champions League knockout stage hopes hanging by a thread. Author - Macca Second-half goals from Dusan Vlahovic and Weston McKennie sealed a crucial win for the Italian side, bolstering their chances of progressing automatically as one of the top eight teams in the league phase. For City, however, it marked yet another setback in a torrid run of form, with just one win from their last 10 games in all competitions and a seventh defeat during this miserable spell. The result leaves City languishing in 22nd place in the Champions League standings, with only two group games remaining. They face Paris Saint-Germain away on 22 January and host Club Brugge a week later. The top eight teams secure automatic progression, while those finishing between ninth and 24th must navigate a two-legged play-off. City remain just one point above PSG in 25th...

RB Leipzig 2 - 3 Aston Villa Aston Villa edged closer to securing a spot in the Champions League knockout stages with a dramatic late win over winless RB Leipzig, despite being pegged back twice. Author - Alex W Ross Barkley's deflected effort sealed the victory in the dying minutes after goals from Lois Openda and Christoph Baumgartner had cancelled out strikes from John McGinn and Jhon Duran. The Premier League side made a flying start, taking the lead inside three minutes. Ollie Watkins expertly nodded down Matty Cash's cross, setting up McGinn to smash home from close range. Watkins came close to doubling the lead soon after, narrowly missing Lucas Digne's low cross across the box. However, Leipzig capitalised on a rare mistake by Emiliano Martinez. The Villa goalkeeper misjudged a long ball, allowing Openda to pounce and slot into an empty net. Villa thought they had restored their lead just before half-time when Watkins found the net, but the goal was ruled out fo...

Dinamo Zagreb 0 - 0 Celtic Celtic extended their unbeaten run in the Champions League to four matches, earning a valuable away point that leaves their hopes of progressing to the knockout stages firmly in their hands. Author - Sean M Brendan Rodgers' side now sit on nine points, with a home clash against Young Boys in January followed by a trip to Aston Villa. However, their wait for an elusive away victory in this competition continues – the last coming against Anderlecht under Rodgers seven years ago. Facing a Dinamo Zagreb side plagued by injuries and struggling for form, Celtic sensed an opportunity and started brightly, dominating possession for long periods. Yet, they struggled to break down their resolute opponents. In the first half, Celtic's best chance came from a 20-yard free-kick by Paulo Bernardo, which narrowly missed the target, despite the visitors enjoying nearly 70% possession. Dinamo, defensively disciplined throughout, consistently shut down spaces and l...