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Showing posts with the label UEFA Conference League

Crystal Palace start their European adventure with a win

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Crystal Palace 1 -  0 Fredrikstad Jean-Philippe Mateta delivered Crystal Palace’s first goal in European competition as they opened their Conference League campaign with a win over Fredrikstad. Author | James Lees Stadium | Selhurst Park The French forward settled a contest that mixed dominance with frustration for Palace, heading inside the far post after Will Hughes ’s deflected strike dropped kindly in the area. Eberechi Eze, the match-winner in last season’s FA Cup final , was absent with his move to Arsenal expected to be completed in the coming days. Without him, Palace controlled possession but often found themselves thwarted by Fredrikstad ’s deep defensive line, which forced them into long-range efforts and attacks from the flanks. Palace still carved out chances to extend their lead, with Mateta striking the post in the first half and Daniel Muñoz heading against the woodwork after the break. The Norwegian visitors offered fleeting reminders of their counter-at...

Hibernian qualify after enthralling encounter at Easter Road

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Hibernian 2 - 3 Partizan Belgrade (Hibernian won 4-3 on aggregate) Hibernian survived a major scare against 10-man Partizan Belgrade as Chris Cadden’s extra-time strike sealed an aggregate win and a place in the Conference League play-off round. Author | Sean M Stadium |  Easter Road Hibs players and fans celebrate After rotating his squad at the weekend, David Gray reverted to a more familiar starting eleven, with Jamie McGrath the only change from the first leg in Serbia. The Irish midfielder failed a late fitness test, handing Josh Campbell a place in the side. Easter Road crackled with energy at kick-off, the stands packed as Martin Boyle led out the team to a raucous reception. A closer look at what happened on the match Partizan wiped out the advantage with two goals in the first half, both the result of errors from goalkeeper Jordan Smith . He failed to hold Milan Vukotic ’s long-range strike, then allowed Jovan Milosevic ’s tame shot to slip under him. Kieron Bowie r...

Dundee United earn a gutsy draw in Vienna

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Rapid Vienna 2 - 2 Dundee United  Dundee United kept their Uefa Conference League hopes alive with gutsy display. Author | Alan White Stadium | Allianz Stadion View from the stands in Vienna They twice came back from behind to secure an impressive draw in the Austrian capital. Summer signings Max Watters and Zac Sapsford found the net as United stood firm against one of last season’s quarter-finalists. Already hampered by injuries, they suffered another setback when Isaac Pappoe was forced off early, and endured sustained pressure from the hosts in a raucous Allianz Stadion. Yet they rose to the occasion and will return to Tannadice with a play-off place still very much within reach. A closer look at what happened After a disciplined start, Dundee United fell behind when Petter Nosakhare Dahl drifted past Vicko Sevelj to meet a whipped Bendeguz Bolla cross and sidefoot Rapid into the lead. United refused to be rattled and responded with determination, Sapsford driving down the...

Boyle shines for Hibs against Partizan Belgrade

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Partizan Belgrade 0 - 2 Hibernian Martin Boyle surged beyond the 100-goal milestone with a double in Hibernian’s impressive Conference League qualifying victory over 10-man Partizan Belgrade. Author | Andy C Stadium | Stadion Partizana View from the Hibernian end Manager David Gray had urged his players to relish the hostile surroundings in the first leg of their third-round tie, and they responded with a fearless European performance, led by stand-in captain Boyle . Partizan , fielding a youthful side containing eight players aged 22 or under, remain Serbia ’s second-strongest team and were backed by an intense home support. Yet Hibs began brightly and capitalised on Vukasin Durdevic ’s dismissal for a second bookable offence when Boyle converted at the back post for his 100th goal for the club. READ MORE |  Conference League 25/26 season Gray may have been concerned by missed opportunities as the hosts battled gamely despite their numerical disadvantage, but Boyle eased an...

A nervy victory seals Dundee United progression

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UNA Strassen 0 - 1 Dundee United (Dundee United won 2-0 on aggregate) A nervy victory over UNA Strassen in Conference League qualifying sealed Dundee  United's progression in Europe for the first time in 28 years. Author | Alan White Stadium | Stade Parc des Sports With a goal advantage from the first leg, the Tannadice side had to wait until midway through the second half in Luxembourg for Iurie Iovu to score with a header, easing any remaining jitters. United's last victory in a two-legged tie (and their last away win on the continent) came in 1997 when they triumphed over the Andorran club CE Principat with a staggering aggregate score of 17-0. Next Thursday, they will face Rapid Vienna in the third qualifying round. A closer analysis of what happened Backed by nearly 1,000 travelling supporters, United began brightly and ought to have gone ahead within three minutes, but Bert Esselink sent his header over the bar. Strassen, featuring in only their fourth European fi...

Shamrock ease to win over St Joseph's

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 St Joseph's 0 - 4 Shamrock Rovers Shamrock Rovers all but booked their place in the next round of the UEFA Conference League with a dominant first-leg victory over St Joseph’s in Gibraltar. Author | Sean M Stadium | Europa Point A great night in Europe for Shamrock Rovers. [image or embed] — Super News Affiliate ( @sup3rnew5affiliate.bsky.social ) 24 July 2025 at 21:26 A polished attacking display saw the League of Ireland champions dismantle their opponents, with three second-half goals in quick succession effectively ending the tie as a contest. Barring an unlikely turnaround in next week’s return leg, Stephen Bradley’s side will face either Floriana of Malta or Kosovo’s Ballkani in the third qualifying round. A closer look at what happened in Gibraltar Rory Gaffney opened the scoring in the 13th minute with a composed finish, latching on to Dylan Watts’ lofted pass before lifting the ball over goalkeeper Bradley Banda. Despite a few early scares, the visitors gradually took...

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 WrocĹ‚aw 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 RodrĂ­guez, 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...

Chelsea take control of Conference League tie

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FC Copenhagen 1 - 2 Chelsea Chelsea took a significant step towards the Europa Conference League quarter-finals with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Copenhagen in Denmark. Author - Lauren W Stadium - Parken Enzo Maresca’s side were uninspiring in the first half, failing to register a shot on target, but they burst into life immediately after the break. Marc Cucurella, introduced at half-time for the injured Malo Gusto, made an instant impact by surging down the left and cutting the ball back for captain Reece James, who lashed a superb low drive into the bottom corner from 30 yards out. Copenhagen came agonisingly close to an equaliser moments later when Viktor Claesson’s angled strike cannoned off the inside of the post and fell kindly into the hands of relieved Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez. The Blues made their hosts pay for that missed opportunity in the 65th minute. Cucurella, once again influential, won possession high up the pitch before Christopher Nkunku played in T...

Shamrock see European dreams end

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Shamrock Rovers 0 - 1 Molde (Finished 1-1 on aggregate) Molde won 5-4 on penalties Shamrock Rovers’ European adventure came to a cruel end at Tallaght Stadium as they suffered a 5-4 defeat on penalties to Molde in the play-off round of the UEFA Conference League. Author - Greg S The decisive moment came when Aaron Greene, taking Rovers’ third penalty, saw his effort saved – the only miss of the shootout. Molde, who had played the entirety of extra time with 10 men following Isak Amundsen’s red card, held their nerve from the spot to progress. Earlier, Magnus Wolff Eikrem had scored the only goal of the night, cancelling out Rovers’ slender 1-0 advantage from the first leg. Sixteen-year-old Michael Noonan had been the hero in Norway, but his strike ultimately wasn’t enough to carry the Irish side through. Rovers’ lead lasted just 10 minutes as a disastrous defensive mix-up gifted Molde an equaliser. A hopeful ball over the top was left to bounce, and hesitation between Lee Grace and goa...

Chelsea qualify for Conference League knockout stage

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Astana 1 - 3 Chelsea Former Barcelona player Marc Guiu made a big impression as Chelsea secured their spot in the UEFA Conference League knockout stage with a victory over Astana in freezing Kazakhstan. Author - Lauren W The Blues embarked on the 3,600-mile journey to Almaty, where they faced challenging conditions, including biting temperatures of -11°C. However, a heavily rotated Chelsea side showed their mettle, wrapping up the win with three first-half goals. Eighteen-year-old Spanish youth international Guiu was among several young players given an opportunity to shine, and he seized it. In the 14th minute, he opened the scoring with an impressive solo run, calmly finishing to put Chelsea ahead. Just four minutes later, Guiu's effort from Pedro Neto's cross was deflected in by Aleksandr Marochkin, doubling the lead and putting Chelsea firmly in control. Renato Veiga added a third just before half-time with a well-taken header – his second goal of the season. Spurs 3 - ...