European Super Football

What has been the best England World Cup qualifier? Let's explore some memorable moments from this stage of the competition. Author | Mark Lee England's recent qualifier against Andorra wasn't exactly a classic Of course, qualifying for the World Cup should be the absolute minimum for England. However, there have been some classic moments along the way. Italy 0 - 0 England | Qualification is secured England only needed a point from their final match to qualify for the following summer's World Cup. Easier said than done when that final match is Italy away.  A battling and sometimes heroic display from the Three Lions earned them a 0-0 draw and qualification was secured. Not a lot of flair from the attacking players but the point was well deserved. Watch some of the highlights from the game in the video below. Germany 1 - 5 England | Even Heskey scored Germany had beaten England at the start of the end of the qualifying campaign. A disappointing end to the reign of ...

Argentina  3 - 3 France (Argentina won 4-2 on penalties) Lionel Messi finally achieved his World Cup dream  Argentina won their third crown on penalties in one of the greatest finals in the tournament's history. Argentina won the shootout 4-2 after a spectacular game which developed into the much-anticipated confrontation between the 35-year-old maestro Messi and his France opposite number Kylian Mbappe. France's own superstar scored a hat-trick but still ended up on the losing side in Qatar. Photo credit -  Joseph Hollick | Flickr   Messi looked to be securing the one major honour missing from his glittering collection in comfort as Argentina were cruising with a two-goal lead. There was then an explosive intervention from Mbappe, who scored two goals inside two minutes late on. Messi had given Argentina the lead from the penalty spot in the 23rd minute following Ousmane Dembele's foul on Angel di Maria. It made him the first player in World Cup history to score...

This article will preview the 2022 FIFA World Cup Final We'll also explore what has been a remarkable few The 2022 World Cup in Qatar has flown by. Wedged into the middle of the European club season, it has had to. It's hard to believe that the tournament began 26 days ago, yet so much has transpired in that time, including reducing down a field of 32 to just France and Argentina, who will meet in the final. Many would have expected France to be here. Argentina having suffered an upset to Saudi Arabia in their opening game so their rally to reach a second World Cup final in eight years is more of a surprise. However, when you have Lionel Messi, can you ever really be surprised to be in contention for a major trophy? Messi v Mbappe This is maybe the greatest individual matchup we have ever had in a World Cup final. Two world-class superstars. The fact they are club teammates at PSG as well only adds to the drama.  For Messi, it would be the perfect fairy-tale ending for a World ...

 England 1 - 2 France Football won't be coming home for Christmas England are out of a World Cup but, this time, it was in a desperately agonising quarter-final defeat. This time, more than any other time, and against the world champions France, it felt very different. They were not outplayed. They did not retreat. Instead they lost a tie which they should have won, which they deserved to win and which will sear into Harry Kane - Harry Kane of all people - who missed the penalty kick that would have forced extra-time; Kane missed the penalty that would have confirmed him as England’s all-time record scorer, with 54 goals, one ahead of Wayne Rooney.  History beckoned but for Kane but it wasn't to be. At the end Gareth Southgate wrapped his arms around Kane but he was in another place, staring into the distance. It felt incredibly sad after a fine performance laced with controversy. It was another player that was key for France The pre-match debate centred on how England could s...

This World Cup has seen another dramatic moment Morocco 0 - 0 Spain (Morocco win 3-0 on penalties) Achraf Hakimi made himself a hero with a cheeky chipped winning penalty as his country stunned Spain in a shootout after a goalless draw to reach their first-ever World Cup quarter-finals.  The two teams played out a dramatic draw after two hours of football and Spain failed to convert any of their three penalties. Morocco fans had been making themselves heard all game but the atmosphere in the stands did not match the battle on the pitch. What a moment for them. Let's explore how it all happened.     Spain kept the ball well and Morocco sat back plugging the gaps and there was very few clear-cut chances being created. Luis Enrique's side came closest to breaking the deadlock courtesy of Dani Olmo, who struck an arrowed drive from the angle which Bounou pushed away, and the goalkeeper also did brilliantly well to keep out Olmo's dangerous free kick late on. MOROCCO KNOCK...

Let's explore some of the best stories from the last 16 of the World Cup England ease to next round despite nervy start Gareth Southgate's side survived a nervy opening in which goalkeeper Jordan Pickford made an outstanding save from Boulaye Dia to run out convincing winners with a powerful display of attacking strength. Jude Bellingham was England's star man, setting up the first goal for Jordan Henderson with a perfect cross after 38 minutes then having a hand in the second on the stroke of half-time, combining with Phil Foden as captain Harry Kane powered home his first of the tournament. This all leaves the Spurs striker just one behind Wayne Rooney's all-time record of 53 England goals and he now has the perfect stage here in Qatar to write a fresh page in the history books. World Cup: England send Wales home (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) Foden was the creator once more as England wrapped the game up in the 57th minute, crossing for Bukayo Saka to show fant...

Wales 0-3 England Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden star for England Rashford and Foden capitalised on their starting roles to help England knock Wales out of the World Cup with a 3-0 win which also secured the top spot in Group B, setting up a last-16 tie with Senegal. England boss Gareth Southgate had been criticised since the disappointing goalless draw with USA about Foden's lack of game time in the tournament so far and the Manchester City forward showed what he can bring to this stage at the start of the second half. After a dull first 45 minutes, any hope Wales had of qualifying for the last 16 was wiped out as England scored twice within six minutes of the restart. Rashford fired a free-kick past Danny Ward following Ethan Ampadu's foul on Phil Foden after 50 minutes, with the Manchester City midfielder then marking his return to England's team moments later by turning in Harry Kane's cross at the far post. Wales were outclassed as they knew they were on the way ...

 Netherlands 2 - 0 Qatar How far can Netherlands go? In-form Cody Gakpo scored again as the Netherlands finished top of Group A, ending Qatar's involvement at their home World Cup with a third consecutive defeat. ▶ The Netherlands have never been eliminated from the group stages of a World Cup (nine tournaments and counting...) 🇳🇱 1974, 1978, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2022... #Qatar2022 #FIFAWorldCup #QAT #NED pic.twitter.com/vYZcVKszvs — playmakerstats (@playmaker_EN) November 29, 2022 Qatar's dismal showing means they became the first host nation to exit the tournament with three group-stage losses, finishing bottom with no points. PSV Eindhoven winger Gakpo has now scored the opening goal in all three of the Netherlands' group games, driving forward and rasping a finish into the bottom corner on this occasion. Highlights from  BBC Sport - YouTube Qatar looked to hit back immediately but Ismaeel Mohammad's shot on the stretch from outside the ...

 England 0 - 0 USA England edged closer to a place in the World Cup knockout rounds with a lacklustre draw with the USA. They will have to wait until their final group game with Wales on Tuesday to seal a last-16 spot. Only a defeat to Wales by four goals or more would prevent Group B leaders England from making the next stage. However, Southgate will have to field questions about the big drop-off in his team's performance and how they can rediscover form for the business phase of this competition. World Cup: England thrash Iran (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) Christian Pulisic crashed a first-half shot against the bar. Harry Maguire then had to head away a series of corners as the Americans put the pressure on in the second half. USA did enough to recalibrate perceptions about England's prospects. They have also boosted their own chances of progressing. Picture credit -  Football Pictures | Flickr The concern about this England performance from the travelling support was c...

 Wales 0 - 2 Iran Wales' first World Cup for 64 years looks set to end at the first hurdle after a last-ditch defeat by Iran in Qatar. Roozbeh Cheshmi struck from 20 yards nine minutes into stoppage time, before Ramin Rezaeian finished off a counter-attack to seal victory for an Iran side that who have renewed hope of reaching the knockout stages for the first time in their history. More World Cup news can be found by clicking here>>> These were the decisive blows to Welsh prospects of victory. They had all but vanished when goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey was sent off with four minutes of normal time remaining.  As they did in their opening draw with the United States, Wales started poorly and had the video assistant referee (VAR) to thank for disallowing a goal from Iran's Ali Gholizadeh for offside. Highlights from  ITV Sport - YouTube Welsh reaction One Wales fan tweeted: "Doha, Qatar. World Cup 2022. What an experience. Back home now, and doubtful we’ll return....

It has been a remarkable and controversial tournament already. Let's explore some of the recent headlines. Germany shocked by Japan in 2-1 defeat A stunning comeback saw Japan shock four-time winners Germany in their opening World Cup game in Qatar.  The Germans dominated a frenetic match for large spells but failed to capitalise on their pressure - before Japan caused the Khalifa International Stadium to erupt into a mix of celebration and surprise. Substitute Takuma Asano squeezed in a strike from a tight angle to make it 2-1 to Japan and ran over to the photographers in the corner of the stadium in sheer delight. There was a collective pause in the arena as the ball rolled down from the roof of the net before supporters realised it had gone in. Japan held out in what will be remembered as a famous win. You can watch the highlights in the video below. Video from  ITV Sport - YouTube Are the Germany side in danger of an early exit from another tournament? How do they improve ...

England 6 - 2 Iran England's World Cup campaign opened in a thoroughly convincing fashion as they outclassed Iran during an incident-packed match in Doha. Brief match report Gareth Southgate's side strolled to victory, with Iran's hopeless plight made worse by the early loss of goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand to concussion after a clash of heads with team-mate Majid Hosseini. Jude Bellingham got England off the mark in this World Cup with a soaring header from Luke Shaw's cross 10 minutes before the break and the game was wrapped up before half-time thanks to Bukayo Saka's fine strike and Raheem Sterling's classy volley with the outside of his foot from Harry Kane's cross. A few weeks ago, we asked whether Jude Bellingham could shine for England? It's starting to look like he can. How far can he and England go in Qatar? World Cup preview: Could Jude Bellingham shine for England? (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) Saka got his second before Iran's support...

Let's explore a World Cup icon.  Nobby Stiles played for England for five years, winning 28 caps and scoring one goal.  He played every minute of England's 1966 FIFA World Cup campaign.  The last and only time they won a major tournament. Can they repeat the fate in 2022? You certainly won't see any players like Stiles this winter. In the semi-final of the 1966 World Cup against Portugal, he was given the job of marking Eusébio. His incredible performance resulted in Eusébio being nullified for most of game. Stiles then played in the final, which England won 4–2 against West Germany.  His post-match jig and dance at Wembley, holding the famous World Cup trophy in one hand and his false teeth in the other, was widely broadcast. It has also been referenced in a fairly popular song. Stiles spent the majority of his club career for Manchester United , spending 11 years at Old Trafford, where he became renowned for his tough tackling and ball-winning qualities. He w...

It's time to explore some iconic World Cup moments. First up, it's a flashback to the 1998 final Background to the final  The 32 teams competed in a group stage, from which 16 teams qualified for the knockout stage. En route to the final, Brazil finished first in Group A, with two wins and one defeat, after which they beat Chile in the round of 16, Denmark in the quarter-finals and the Netherlands in a penalty shoot-out in the semi-finals. France finished top of Group C with three wins, before defeating Paraguay in the round of 16, Italy in the quarter-final, and Croatia in the semi-final.  The match itself The final took place in front of 75,000 supporters, with an estimated 1.7 billion watching on television, and was refereed by Said Belqola from Morocco. Before the match, speculation surrounded the fitness of striker Ronaldo, who was originally left out of Brazil's starting line-up, only to be restored to the team before kick-off.  Frnce dominate the early stages ...

Is it coming home for England or will Qatar mean more years of hurt? They were so close in both World Cup 2018 and the Euro 2020/2021 tournaments. They lost out to Croatia in the last World Cup, this was followed by a devastating penalty loss to Italy last year in the Euro 2020 final. Their female counterparts brought football home this summer by beating Germany in the final of Euro 2022. A repeat of that success will be crucial for the men's team. There is no doubt that the squad is talented and motivated. They just need to make the final step and get the trophy. Read a report on how England's female football talent won a major trophy -  Women's Euro 2022: England win after dramatic final (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) The final squad has been announced after a lot of debate. Do you agree with the England manager's picks? Video credit -  The Telegraph - YouTube Reaction to the squad announcement Before we explore England's chances, let's explore the reacti...

Could Jude Bellingham shine for England at the World Cup? Let's explore He represented England at under-15, under-16, under-17 and under-21 levels. He made his first appearance for the senior team in November 2020. He represented the senior team at UEFA Euro 2020 but it's the upcoming World Cup where he could shine. A quick summary of his career so far Bellingham began a two-year scholarship with Birmingham City in July 2019. The following month, he started the EFL Cup first-round trip to Portsmouth and became Birmingham City's youngest-ever first-team player.  He made his first Football League appearance 19 days later, as a second-half substitute in a 3–0 defeat away to Swansea City and his home debut on 31 August against Stoke City. Replacing the injured Jefferson Montero after half an hour, Bellingham scored the winner – albeit via a generous deflection – as Birmingham came back from 1–0 down to beat Stoke 2–1, and thus became their youngest-ever goalscorer, aged 16 ye...

England are off to next year's World Cup in Qatar. They have qualified for their seventh consecutive World Cup, their longest ever run of reaching successive World Cup tournaments.  Six goals in the first-half that included four from Harry Kane made the prospect of double figures possible and the England players obliged. One fan who was in San Marino for the match has just told us: "Job done. A lovely trip and nice to see score us a few goals. Is football coming home in time for Christmas 2022?" Watch below to see a video of the 10th goal that England scored on the night. Making it 🔟 @TrentAA 🤜🤛 @BukayoSaka87 pic.twitter.com/6eWRSuaZV0 — England (@England) November 15, 2021 Harry Kane told ITV Sport: "Fantastic. It came to the last game and we were expected to win tonight but we've done a good job. Fantastic to go through." "Every time I wear an England shirt I am proud and when I score goals it is one of the nicest feelings I can have in my ca...

Wales celebrated Gareth Bale's 100th cap with a fantastic victory over Belarus to move to second place in their World Cup qualifying group. Aaron Ramsey put Wales ahead in the second minute before Bale set up Neco Williams to score with a low shot which Belarus keeper Sergei Chernik should have saved. Bale was taken off at half-time as he made his first appearance after two months out injured. Ramsey extended the hosts' lead with a second-half penalty. Ben Davies then scored his first international goal and, after Artem Kontsevoi whipped in a superb 20-yard strike for Belarus, Connor Roberts flicked in from a free-kick for Wales' fifth. Highlights You can watch the highlights of the match in the video below More reaction The interim Wales manager Rob Page spoke with great pride about Gareth Bale: “He is so humble, he appreciates his teammates and I thought that was a real touch of class. In the changing room, the boys acknowledged [his achievement] with a round of appla...

Let's have a look at all the reaction from a busy night of international football as England and Scotland both won Moldova 0 - 2 Scotland Scotland clinched a  play-off place with a match to spare thanks to a fairly comfortable win away in Moldova. Nathan Patterson calmed Scottish nerves with his first Scotland goal. He then teed up Che Adams to make it 2-0. Scotland head coach Steve Clarke told Sky Sports: "It was a good performance, aggressive going forward and trying to create chances. "A lot of shots but only two goals. The penalty could have made it nervy but when you need him, Craig [Gordon] is always there. All focus is Denmark now." England 5 - 0 Albania England now require only a point from their final match against minnows San Marino to confirm their place at the 2022 World Cup.  Harry Kane led the romp with a first-half hat-trick as England made light work of Albania. Harry Maguire and Jordan Henderson scored the others. England's Kyle Walker tweeted:...

A quick preview of the upcoming international break. Who needs what to qualify for the Qatar World Cup? England are close England will be looking to confirm their World Cup place this month. They could qualify on Friday if they beat Albania, but they would also need second-placed Poland to fail to beat minnows Andorra. This is unlikely. More realistically, they need four points from the Albania game and then San Marino away three days later. It would be up there with the greatest shocks in England's history if they didn't qualify from this position. Arsenal's Emily Smith Rowe could potentially get first cap for the national side. He said to the media: "I'm always proud to wear the shirt, no matter what age group, and I'm happy to be here." "I'm always proud to wear the shirt, no matter what age group, and I'm happy to be here." 🦁 Love that, @emilesmithrowe 🙌 pic.twitter.com/XHWqfq5yq9 — England (@England) November 10, 2021 Cli...