European Super Football

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...

Manchester City 3 - 3 Feyenoord Manchester City squandered a 3-0 lead to draw 3-3 with Feyenoord in the Champions League, extending their dismal run of form at a shell-shocked Etihad Stadium. Author - Macca A remarkable evening in Manchester https://t.co/SoSZpMS13p https://t.co/g5nOKIUHZj — European Super Football (@ESFootballNews) November 28, 2024 The above tweet probably sums it up quite well.  A closer look at what happened Pep Guardiola’s team appeared to be in full control after Erling Haaland netted twice and Ilkay Gundogan added a third, giving the hosts a commanding lead. However, Feyenoord mounted a remarkable comeback, delighting their 5,000 travelling supporters. Anis Hadj Moussa capitalised on a Josko Gvardiol error to spark the revival, before substitute Santiago Gimenez scored in the 82nd minute. David Hancko completed the dramatic turnaround in the 89th minute, leaving Guardiola visibly frustrated and some City fans voicing their displeasure at full-time. City,...

Inter Milan 1 - 0 Arsenal Arsenal's unbeaten run in this season’s Champions League came to a frustrating end at the San Siro, as a contentious first-half penalty handed Inter Milan a narrow victory. Author - DJ Just before half-time, Inter were awarded a penalty when Mikel Merino was judged to have handled the ball following a flick-on from Mehdi Taremi. While there seemed little Merino could do to avoid it, VAR upheld the decision, and Hakan Calhanoglu confidently slotted the penalty down the middle. This marked Arsenal’s first goal conceded in Europe this season , yet they had ample time to respond. They came close in the second half, with Gabriel’s header from a corner cleared off the line by Denzel Dumfries. Arsenal kept the pressure on, with Inter’s keeper, Yann Sommer, making an outstanding one-handed save to deny Kai Havertz’s curling effort. Havertz nearly found the net again, only to have his shot expertly blocked by Yann Bisseck. Despite their dominance in the second ...

Celtic 3 - 1 RB Leipzig Nicolas Kuhn delivered an outstanding performance, inspiring Celtic to come from behind and secure a thrilling third consecutive Champions League home victory at the lively Celtic Park against Germany's RB Leipzig. Author - Sean M > After a dominant six-goal League Cup win over Aberdeen on Saturday and a tough draw away to Atalanta in the previous matchday, expectations were high for this game, despite Leipzig being the top seeds. Celtic very much delivered in what was probably their best performance in a European match for several years.  How the action unfolded - an unbiased reflection of a wonderful night for Celtic fans We burst onto the pitch with real intent, pressing high and applying pressure from the start. In the opening minute, Reo Hatate’s sharp pass to Daizen Maeda set the tone, and Arne Engels' shot—blocked by the Leipzig defence—signalled Celtic’s ambitions. RB Leipzig, struggling to match Celtic’s pace, nearly saw Kuhn break the dea...

Sporting 4 - 1 Manchester City New Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim marked his final home game with Sporting by delivering one of his greatest triumphs, inflicting a third straight defeat on Manchester City. Author - Macca This was City’s heaviest loss since September 2020 and only the second time Pep Guardiola has suffered three consecutive defeats in a single season during his trophy-filled tenure. To add to City’s misery, star forward Erling Haaland smashed a second-half penalty against the crossbar. Sporting’s own Scandinavian star, Viktor Gyökeres, played a leading role with a fantastic hat-trick. He levelled Phil Foden’s early opener in the 38th minute, then held his nerve to score twice more from the spot in the second half. The first penalty followed a disastrous start to the second half for City, as Sporting took the lead just seconds after the restart when Maximiliano Araújo latched onto a through ball and struck a precise shot into the corner. Find more Champions...

Barcelona 4 - 1 Bayern Munich It was a disappointing night for Bayern Munich as Barcelona eased to a comfortable victory in the Champions League league stage. Author - Josh T Barcelona winger Raphinha was a hero on the night as he delivered an outstanding hat-trick. The Brazilian opened the scoring in under a minute, pouncing on a ball over the top and skilfully rounding goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. England captain Harry Kane levelled the score for Bayern in the 18th minute, volleying in Serge Gnabry’s cross at the back post. However, Barcelona continued to exploit Bayern’s high defensive line. Fermin Lopez broke through, poking the ball past Neuer to set up Robert Lewandowski for Barcelona’s second, 18 minutes later. Just before half-time, Raphinha, wearing the captain’s armband for the night, made it 3-1 with a sublime curling shot from the edge of the box. Soon after the break, he sealed his hat-trick by latching onto another long pass and drilling a shot into the far corner. A c...

Atalanta 0 - 0 Celtic Celtic secured a valuable Champions League point with a resilient defensive performance, holding last season’s Europa League winners Atalanta to a goalless draw in Bergamo. Author - Peter Grainger from GMCR Football This result marked a notable shift in fortunes for Celtic, who had previously lost all seven of their matches in Italy in this competition. Despite facing relentless pressure from the hosts, the Scottish champions stood firm, taking a crucial step towards progressing to the knockout stages. Kasper Schmeichel played a pivotal role with several impressive saves, while Atalanta squandered several clear chances. Celtic’s defensive discipline proved key in denying the Serie A side, who grew increasingly frustrated as the match developed.  After two challenging away fixtures, Celtic now have the advantage of back-to-back home games against RB Leipzig and Club Brugge, with four points already secured.  Celtic’s Champions League campaign has been ...

Arsenal 1 - 0 Shakhtar Donetsk Arsenal secured a vital Champions League win over Shakhtar Donetsk, aided by an own goal from goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk, as they bounced back from their weekend defeat to Bournemouth. Author - Craig H from GMCR Football  Gabriel Martinelli’s strike in the 29th minute rebounded off the post, hitting Riznyk’s back before creeping over the line, reflecting Arsenal’s strong start. The Gunners looked lively from the off, with Riccardo Calafiori missing a good early chance to break the deadlock. Gabriel Jesus then saw a solid opportunity saved by Riznyk after the opener. Shakhtar were well-drilled and posed a counter-attacking threat, with winger Eguinaldo keeping Arsenal’s defence busy throughout. Mikel Arteta’s side are already grappling with injury issues, missing key figures like captain Martin Ødegaard and Bukayo Saka. The manager could face fresh concerns, as Ben White didn’t return for the second half, possibly due to being on a yellow card, and C...

AC Milan 3 - 1 Club Brugge Tijjani Reijnders netted two impressive second-half goals as AC Milan overcame a shaky start to defeat a 10-man Club Brugge. Author - Katrine Jonnson  The Belgian side began brightly, with Christos Tzolis nearly putting them ahead, only for a superb save by Mike Maignan to deny him. Milan, needing a victory after defeats against Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen, took the lead when former Chelsea forward Christian Pulisic's   inswinging corner flew directly into the net. Referee Felix Zwayer showed a red card to Raphael Onyedika for a high tackle on Reijnders following a VAR review, leaving Brugge with what eventually proved to be a significant disadvantage. Despite the setback, Brugge managed to level the score with a well-crafted goal. Substitute Kyriani Sabbe finished off a slick team move, slotting the ball into the far corner. At 19, Sabbe became only the fourth teenager to score against Milan in the Champions League. Champions League: 2024/20...

It's time to for another sliding doors moment in football  We travel back to 2004. Manchester United face Porto in the last-16 of the Champions League.  Author - Liam C What actually happened? A ontroversial offside call against Paul Scholes became a pivotal moment in European football history. The disallowed goal cost United a place in the quarter-finals, while Porto, managed by the up and coming manager José Mourinho, went on to win the competition and launch Mourinho into the managerial elite. But what if Scholes hadn’t been ruled offside? How might this alternative scenario have changed the landscape of world and European football? Scholes wasn’t offside: United progress Had the linesman not flagged Scholes for offside, Manchester United would have progressed to the next round of the Champions League. Scholes' goal was legitimate, and had it stood, United would have won the tie on aggregate, knocking out Porto and ending their European dreams. With the Red Devils movin...