European Super Football

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 ahead

Liverpool have reached an agreement to sign Netherlands forward Cody Gakpo from PSV Eindhoven. The deal is worth £35.4m-£44.3m and the Eredivisie club say it is a record transfer fee for them. Cody Gakpo: “I'm really excited to be at Liverpool, looking forward to start playing for this amazing club” 🔴 #LFC “This is a great club for me to come in and try to show what I can do and try to help the team to achieve more beautiful moments, it's also good to develop here”. pic.twitter.com/OqSKJKE2kH — Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 28, 2022 Gakpo will officially join Liverpool at the start of the January transfer window and his contract will run until the summer of 2028.His transfer is subject to a work permit and arrives following an impressive 2022 World Cup in which he scored three goals as he helped his side reach the quarter-finals. Many believe that Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has added Gakpo to his ranks with forwards Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota facing leng

Club football is well and truly back Newcastle United 1 - 0 Bournemouth Newcastle reached the last eight of the Carabao Cup with a hard-fought win over Bournemouth at St James' Park. Adam Smith's own goal proved decisive for the hosts. The defender inadvertently headed past Cherries goalkeeper Mark Travers from Kieran Trippier's superb delivery. This bit of fortune was no more than Eddie Howe's side deserved with the home team creating the bulk of the goalscoring chances. ⚫⚪ Newcastle 1x0 Bournemouth 🍒🔴 Analise do jogo 📉 pic.twitter.com/tjtaLsvio1 — 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 🇧🇷 (@InsiderCASTLE) December 21, 2022 Eddie Howe included goalkeeper Nick Pope, full-back Trippier and forward Callum Wilson, who were all part of England's World Cup squad in Qatar in the starting eleven. In front of a crowd of 50,000, Newcastle repeatedly pressed forward with Trippier, Schar, Miguel Almiron and Wilson all going close to breaking the deadlock in the first hal

Germany is preparing to host and take part in Euro 2024 How far can they go? They are aiming to win their first major title in a decade as they host Euro 2024. Their Group A opener against Scotland marks the beginning of what the country hopes will be a month-long celebration for the country Despite Germany's impressive history of four World Cups and three European Championships, their reputation has been somewhat marred by a string of failures since their 2014 World Cup victory in Brazil. The team is relying on a mix of exceptionally talented young players, such as Jamal Musiala and newly-crowned Bundesliga champion Florian Wirtz, alongside seasoned veterans like 2014 World Cup winners Manuel Neuer, Thomas Müller, and Toni Kroos. Challenges in the run-up Between March and September 2023, Germany lost four out of five games against mediocre opponents and failed to secure any wins. Hansi Flick, who also saw his team crash out of the group stages at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar,

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

The end of an era in French football  Olivier Giroud has announced his intention to step down from international duty with France after Euro 2024. The AC Milan striker is that nation's all-time top scorer, with 57 goals in 131 appearances and won the World Cup in 2018. The former Arsenal and Chelsea forward has been named in Didier Deschamps' provisional squad for the Euros, which start next month in Germany. A key player for this golden generation of French football? Despite playing 465 minutes at the 2018 World Cup, Giroud did not score or have a shot on target. However, many of those around him have spoken about the massive impact he had. He scored four at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. This included a late winner against England in the quarter-finals. France went on to reach the final, where they were beaten on penalties by Argentina. Giroud is out of contract at AC Milan next month and has agreed to join American Major League Soccer side Los Angeles FC after this summer&

England's path to the 2022 World Cup hit a stumbling block when they were held to a 1-1 draw against Hungary. In a slightly subdued atmosphere once order had been restored (more on that further down this story).  Hungary took the lead in the 24th minute when Luke Shaw fouled Loic Nego and Roland Sallai sent Jordan Pickford the wrong way from the penalty spot. England were level on 37 minutes afted John Stones turned in at the far post after Tyrone Mings and Declan Rice touched on Phil Foden's free-kick. More football news from around Europe can be found here.  Watch the highlights from the match in the video below Game marred by crowd violence Hungary fans fought with police in the opening minutes of their World Cup qualifier against England at Wembley. Almost 1,000 Hungary fans booed as the England players took the knee before kick-off. The Metropolitan Police said "minor disorder" broke out as they arrested a fan for "a racially aggravated public order offenc

This article will explore the best signings in the January Transfer Window. Is it a good time to sign players or not? Seamus Coleman There will be players on this list with a higher profile but very few that work out at better value for money than Coleman. Everton signed him from the Irish side Sligo Rovers in 2009. He has eclipsed 350 first-team appearances for the Merseysiders and has captained the team in recent times. The player has been an excellent servant for the Blues and has shown there is no shortage of talent across the top flight in Ireland. Patrice Evra In December 2005, French sources revealed that Manchester United was interested in signing Evra. Despite rumours that Monaco had reached a transfer agreement with Internazionale. On the 3rd of January 2006, Evra revealed he preferred to move to England to join Manchester United. He finally moved to Old Trafford a few days later. Despite a difficult start, Evra became a fan favourite with Manchester United supporters. Ne

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 O

 It's time to explore another football icon Mark Hughes is a Welsh football coach and former player of many clubs including Manchester United, Chelsea and Bayern Munich. He is the manager of Bradford City. From Old Trafford and then to Barca, Bayern and back During his playing career, he operated as a forward or midfielder. He had two spells at Manchester United. His first spell at Old Trafford came between 1980 and 1986 when he won the FA Cup in 1985. In 1986, he moved to Barcelona but this time wasn't a success for Hughes. It was during this time when had a loan spell with Bayern Munich.  In 1988, he returned to Old Trafford and had a very successful 7 years. He won the FA Cup twice, the Premier League twice, League Cup and a UEFA Cup Winners Cup. He finally left in 1995. Part of the reason for his departure was the development of the Class of 92 at Manchester United.The video below contains a good insight into his time at Old Trafford. For a period, he was up there as on

Crystal Palace 2 - 1 Stoke City Despite progressing in the cup, Crystal Palace boss Patrick Vieira told the media that his players' concentration was not good enough after seeing his side reach the quarter-finals. Jairo Riedewald scored a late winner as Palace delivered with their only two shots on target to beat the Championship team. Palace led when Jean-Philippe Mateta's deflected shot landed to Cheikhou Kouyate, who hammered the ball into the top corner from six yards out. Quarter-final bound 👊 #CPFC | #EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/xfu8uRvOuA — Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) March 1, 2022 Josh Tymon then levelled for Stoke a few minutes later after good play by Romaine Sawyers on his return from injury. Substitute Riedewald slotted in the winner after Jack Bonham punched away Conor Gallagher's cross. You can watch the highlights in the video below. Palace  handed a full debut to teenage Irish defender Tayo Adaramola and were made to work hard by Stoke in a clo

The shortlist for Ballon d'Or 2022  has been announced, and there have been some interesting developments. Let's take a look at some of the talking points. No Messi and Neymar! Lionel Messi and Neymar have not been included on the 30-man shortlist for the 2022 Ballon d'Or. The Argentina international has won the most Ballons d'Or in history with seven, but he did not make the list despite scoring 11 goals in 34 matches for Paris Saint-Germain last season. His team-mate Neymar is also not on the list. He played just 28 times for PSG last season in an injury-hit campaign. Kylian Mbappe does make the list. Recognition for the Lionesses  England's Euro 2022 success has been recognised. Millie Bright, Beth Mead and Lucy Bronze have been nominated for the women's Ballon d'Or, awarded to the best female footballer of 2022. Women's Euro 2022: England win after dramatic final (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) Who could win it? Real Madrid's Karim Benzema,

Despite the World Cup being in full swing, some domestic football has carried on across the United Kingdom Bristol Rovers 0 - 2 Bristol Rovers Boreham Wood continued their FA Cup exploits by beating League One side Bristol Rovers at the Memorial Stadium.  We bow out of the @EmiratesFACup . 🤝 Best of luck in the next round, @BOREHAM_WOODFC . #BristolRovers — Bristol Rovers (@Official_BRFC) November 27, 2022 They have now reached the third round for the third year running and took a grip on the game with goals by defenders Will Evans and David Stephens. Members of the Rovers squad had been affected by illness in the days leading up to the game and the hosts failed to produce a shot on target in the opening half. Although Joey Barton's team looked marginally better after the break, it was not until the 82nd minute that Wood keeper Nathan Ashmore made his first save of note, denying substitute Harvey Saunders, as the hosts suffered only their second defeat in 13 games. 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐒

Let's look at some of the best matches and moments of 2021. England v Italy - Euro 2020 final It was so close to coming home. England had a superb tournament but came unstuck in a penalty shootout in the final. The gradual return of crowds throughout the competition meant a special atmosphere.  Italy's triumph was perhaps unexpected despite their wonderful run of form throughout recent history, Southgate and England went one better than their semi-final spot in the 2018 World Cup. Can they finally win their first trophy since 1966 in Qatar 2022? Another notable mention from the tournament was France 3-3 Switzerland. The 2018 World Cup winners were knocked out after an enthralling match. Chelsea v Manchester City - Champions League final Another all English final. Manchester City were desperate to win their first Champions League title but it never really happened for them on the night. Back in May, Greater Manchester took a detailed look at some of the best reaction from th

Chelsea 0 - 0 Liverpool (Liverpool win 6-5 on penalties) Liverpool won their second trophy of the season and they keep their quadruple dream alive After a tense 120 minutes, Liverpool triumphed on penalties. They have won the FA Cup for the first time since 2006.  Before the drama of the penalties, it was a close fairly close game for the majority, even if Liverpool did have more shots. Chelsea did have their moments.  Both sides struggled to find that finishing touch and it finished 0-0. In the end, it was won on penalties.  Liverpool quickly gained the advantage in the shootout after César Azpilicueta hit the post with the second Blues spot-kick. Sadio Mané then wasted the chance to win it earlier with a weak fifth kick. Mason Mount then missed Chelsea’s seventh kick, allowing Tsimikas to slide in the winner. 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐊 𝐒𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐄𝐑 ❤ pic.twitter.com/2Dm3safuA3 — Liverpool FC (@LFC) May 14, 2022 More reaction Liverpool tweeted: "WE ARE THE #EmiratesFACup WINNERS!

Manchester United have announced that Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard will leave the club once their contracts expire Both players drew widespread attention as part of United's Youth Cup winning side of 2011. Pogba departs again.  A statement on United's website reads: "The club can announce that Paul Pogba will leave Manchester United at the end of June, upon the expiry of his contract." The Frenchman has enjoyed a long association with United, having joined the club's Academy from Le Havre at the age of just 16. Pogba quickly progressed through the ranks, first impressing in the Under-18s and then swiftly moving upwards to the Reserves. In the 2011/2012 season, he made a few appearances. However, in the summer of 2012, due to strong competition for places at Old Trafford, Pogba joined Italian giants Juventus. He quickly became a success at Juve as he helped them lift four consecutive Serie A titles and two Coppa Italias. However, in 2016, he made the emotion

Let's take a look at another football icon. This time it's Wayne Rooney. Early career Rooney joined the Everton youth team at the age of nine and made his professional debut for the club in 2002 at the age of 16. He spent two seasons at the Merseyside club, before moving to Manchester United. Move to Manchester United He cost the Old Trafford club£25.6 million in the 2004 summer transfer window. He would have a fantastic career at Manchester United. He won 16 trophies and became the only English player, alongside teammate Michael Carrick, to win the Premier League, FA Cup, UEFA Champions League, League Cup, UEFA Europa League, and FIFA Club World Cup. Rooney scored 253 goals for United in all competitions to make him their top goalscorer of all time, with 183 Premier League goals being the second-most scored by a player for any single club, behind Sergio Agüero Rooney's 208 Premier League goals make him the Premier League's second-top scorer of all time. He also has

Red Bull Salzburg 1 - 2 Chelsea Chelsea are through to the knockout stage of the Champions League Two wonderful finishes by Mateo Kovacic and Kai Havertz ended Red Bull Salzburg's 40-match unbeaten home record and saw the Blues join Premier League rivals Manchester City in the knockout stage. Dinamo Zagreb's 4-0 home defeat by AC Milan in the later game on Tuesday means Chelsea cannot be caught at the top of Group E. Good recovery from Chelsea After earning only a point from their first two matches in this season's competition, they have 10 points from five games in Group E, three ahead of second-placed AC Milan with one match to go. Salzburg have six points and Dinamo Zagreb have four. By finishing top of their group, Potter's side will be seeded for the last-16 draw on 7 November. Their final group game is at home to Dinamo Zagreb on 2 November. Potter keeps on improving the team They remain unbeaten in nine games under Potter, who is without the services of Franc

Manchester United 1 - 1 Middlesbrough (Boro win on penalties)  Boro caused a huge shock to knock Manchester United out of the Emirates FA Cup.     United crashed out of the cup as Middlesbrough came from behind at Old Trafford. They then emerged victorious in a penalty shootout. Young striker Anthony Elanga blasted his shot over the bar to give Chris Wilder's side a win that was celebrated exuberantly by fantastic away following United will complain about Middlesbrough's controversial equaliser, scored. What did you think? Let's have a look at the best reaction One United fan told us: "I'm gutted! This was probably our best chance to win a trophy this season." United interim manager Ralf Rangnick shared this disappointment : "We're really disappointed. The players, the staff, everybody. We should have killed off the game in the first half. We could easily have been 3-0 or 4-0.  We started well and played extremely well in the whole first half. Our mov

Spain have not won a major trophy since Euro 2012.  The players that have come through perhaps haven't been as good as some from the recent history of Spanish football.  This article will explore some of the players that could be at the forefront of the next Spanish revolution. Robert Navarro Roberto Navarro Muñoz is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Real Sociedad. He has only played a few times for the first team, featuring mainly for Real Sociedad B. An improvement in minutes on the pitch could see him start to catch the attention of the national team. Alejandro Francés Alejandro Francés Torrijo is a Spanish footballer who plays as a central defender for Real Zaragoza. He has started to impress at Zaragoza. Could a move to one of the biggest Spanish clubs be on the agenda in his future. European Super Football Pedri Pedri is everything you want and expect from a Barcelona player. In the mould of Andres Iniesta, he brings elite-level technical exc