European Super Football

 Croatia 1 - 1 Italy Mattia Zaccagni scored in the final minute of stoppage time, ensuring that Italy progresses to the last 16 of Euro 2024 with a late equaliser against Croatia. Amazing pre match atmosphere before Italy and Croatia went to battle Luka Modric thought he had secured a victory for Croatia as he scored early in the second half. This came after he had a penalty saved, but Croatia's swift response to that setback appeared to be enough for them. However, Italy levelled in stoppage time when Zaccagni scored in the 98th minute, securing their spot in the last 16 alongside group winners Spain. The result was heartbreaking for Croatia, who had been minutes away from progressing. It is now unlikely that their two points will be enough to secure a place as one of the best third-placed teams. As a result of all this drama, Italy will face Switzerland in the last 16 on Saturday, 29th June. Croatia’s players collapsed to the ground at the final whistle, while their fans sto

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,

Portugal 0 - 0 France France win 5-3 on penalties Theo Hernandez scored the decisive penalty for France after Portugal's Joao Felix hit the post in the shootout following a goalless draw, sending Didier Deschamps' team into the Euro 2024 semi-final against Spain. This time, there were no tears from Cristiano Ronaldo,  who had been overcome with emotion during Portugal's last-16 victory over Slovenia.  Despite converting his penalty, the 39-year-old's final Euros campaign ended in defeat. He was left to console his outstanding 41-year-old teammate Pepe at the end. Ronaldo was mostly on the periphery of what turned out to be a cautious match. Both teams had chances to win in the second half. France's Mike Maignan made sharp saves to deny Bruno Fernandes and Vitinha and then smothered Ronaldo's backheel attempt. At the other end, Randal Kolo Muani's shot was blocked by Ruben Dias, and Eduardo Camavinga missed from close range. Substitute Ousmane Dembele hit

Ahead of Euro 2024, we will start looking back at some iconic moments from previous competitions.  First up is a recap of the final of the last tournament.  You can watch the highlights of the match in the video below. What were your memories of that memorable night?  HIGHLIGHTS | More penalty pain for England as Italy win Euro 2020 (youtube.com) England's hopes of ending a 55-year wait for a major trophy were crushed heartbreakingly as they lost 3-2 on penalties to Italy in the final of Euro 2020 at Wembley.  On a night of incredible tension played in a feverish atmosphere, England looked on course for their most joyous day since the 1966 World Cup final when Luke Shaw gave them the dream start after only two minutes. Italy eventually edged their way back into the game and were level in the 67th minute when Leonardo Bonucci pounced after England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford turned Marco Verratti's header onto the post. More news from across Italy England look ahead to Euro

Georgia 2 - 0 Portugal Georgia made history by reaching their first major tournament knockout stage with a stunning victory over Portugal at Euro 2024. Portugal, having already secured the top spot in the group, were shocked early on when Khvicha Kvaratskhelia drilled a low shot past Diogo Costa just two minutes into the match. The goal came from a swift counter-attack after Georgia overturned possession, setting the tone for the rest of the night. Georgia didn’t dominate possession but made the most of their chances. Georges Mikautadze scored from the penalty spot in the second half, sealing Georgia's unexpected triumph. Georgia were happy to let Portugal control the ball, defending resolutely and closing down space to limit Portugal's opportunities. They waited patiently for counter-attacking chances. Euro 2024 news and stories  Portugal guarantee top spot  While Georgia had few chances, they also prevented Portugal from creating significant threats. The underdogs maintai

The UEFA Nations League is still a fairly new idea. It is a biennial international football competition contested by the member associations of UEFA. The last edition of the competition was won by France. You can read about it here. UEFA Nations League: Spain 1 - 2 France (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) Ahead of a busy year of international football, nations are now preparing for the next edition of the competition. Here are the UEFA Nations League groups in full. We have highlighted some of the more interesting groups. Group A1: Austria, Croatia, Denmark, France. Group A2: Czech Republic, Switzerland, Portugal, Spain. Group A3: Hungary, England, Germany, Italy. England have faced all of these sides in recent times. They beat Germany in a memorable Euro 2020 last-16 match before eventually losing to Italy in the final of the same competition. More recently, they beat Hungary in a World Cup qualifier. England manager Gareth Southgate believes that the tough Nations League group is

 Real Betis 0 - 1 Manchester United (Aggregate 1 - 5) After this clinical win, United will face another trip to Seville in the next round.  They cruised into the quarter-finals of the Europa League with a 5-1 aggregate win at Real Betis. After an open first half, Rashford put United ahead in the 55th minute with a thunderous long-range effort dipping into the bottom corner. The hosts had created plenty of chances before United opened the scoring as Betis' Joaquin saw his early curled effort hit the outside of the post. Erik ten Hag's side had done the hard work in Manchester last week and advanced as 5-1 winners on aggregate. UCL and UEL (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) Rashford shines again when it mattered Rashford's impressive form continues. Since he returned from the World Cup, he has scored 19 goals in 24 appearances. He is already in his most productive season in front of goal and remains the highest scorer in the Europa League with six goals from eight matches.

A cult hero is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as... a writer, musician, artist, or other public figure who is greatly admired by a relatively small audience or is influential despite limited commercial success. Diego Forlan is definitely a cult hero in the football world.  Forlan signs for Manchester United Forlán was signed for Manchester United by Sir Alex Ferguson for just under seven million pounds back in January 2002. He made his debut on 29 January as a 76th-minute substitute for Ole Gunnar Solskjær in a 4–0 away win at Bolton Wanderers.  He made his first start in 4–0 home victory over Tottenham Hotspur on 6 March. Forlán made 13 Premier League and five UEFA Champions League appearances in the 2001–02 season but did not score. Becoming a cult hero During a two month period in the 2002/2003 season, Forlan became a legend in the eyes of many Manchester United fans. On 1 December, he scored his first brace for the club with goals in the 64th and 67th minute of an away 2–1 Prem

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

 The much anticipated ninth FIFA Women’s World Cup is almost upon us. The tournament kicks off on July 20th and will debut an expanded 32-team format, resulting in a full month of top-flight international football. There is bound to be some world class on display from all the teams taking part. ☄️🇩🇪 Giulia Gwinn knows how to hit them! #FIFAWWC | #HBD pic.twitter.com/1X6uXyFfTw — FIFA Women's World Cup (@FIFAWWC) July 2, 2023 It will take place in two countries: Australia and New Zealand. The matches will be held at 10 stadiums in nine cities across these two nations. Only Sydney will offer two venues, the Sydney Football Stadium and Stadium Australia. The final will be held at Stadium Australia. A full list of the teams that have qualified Australia, China, Japan, Philippines, South Korea and Vietnam qualified to represent AFC (Asia). Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, and Zambia qualified from CAF (Africa). Canada, Costa Rica, Haiti, Jamaica, Panama and the USA represent CONCAC

Two Spanish sides progressed in the Champions League after an epic night full of drama Real Madrid 2 - 3 Chelsea (Agg 5-4) Chelsea's reign as champions of Europe came to an end despite beating Real Madrid on a night of high drama and tension at the Bernabeu Stadium. Mason Mount's finish and Antonio Rudiger's header had wiped out Real's 3-1 first-leg advantage. This brought the quarter-final tie level in Spain's capital. Thomas Tuchel's side were outstanding throughout and Timo Werner's clever finish from an angle put them ahead for the first time on aggregate. They were within sight of a place in the semi-finals. However, substitute Rodrygo - after a stunning pass by Luka Modric - forced extra time with a volleyed finish before Karim Benzema headed the decisive goal in the 96th minute to send Real through 5-4 on aggregate. This was the reaction of the Chelsea manager Bayern Munich 1 - 1 Villarreal Villarreal silenced a passionate Bayern Munich crowd to rea

Do you think this is a good permanent move Arsenal fans? The Gunners have activated the £27m option to permanently buy Brentford goalkeeper David Raya after his successful loan spell last season. Raya kept 16 Premier League clean sheets for the Gunners to win the Golden Glove, conceding just 16 league goals in the campaign. He did have an underwhelming start to the season. His lowest point came after making two errors in Arsenal's last-gasp 4-3 win over Luton in December. Arsenal already had a settled keeper in Aaron Ramsdale, who had played all 38 league matches the previous season, keeping 14 clean sheets. Still, boss Mikel Arteta opted for a new option. Click here for more Arsenal news and stories He missed only two league matches when he was ineligible to face his parent club Brentford. Raya was praised by Arteta for his passing out from the back ended any doubt about his position in March when he saved two penalties as Arsenal beat Porto in a shootout to reach the quarter-

Gibraltar 0 - 2 Scotland With the squad enduring a seven-game winless streak and grappling with injuries, it took Scotland until the 58th minute to break the deadlock against the world’s 203rd ranked team. Ryan Christie finally opened the scoring, lashing the ball home just before the hour mark in frustration. Che Adams added a decisive second goal late on, securing a much-needed, if uninspiring, win in Portugal. The 2,000 travelling Scotland fans shouldn’t have had to wait so long for their team to score, given the volume of chances created against their lowly opponents. Grant Hanley and James Forrest, in particular, squandered golden opportunities, while Christie and Kenny McLean also could have done better inside the box. Iconic Euros Moments: Throwback to England v Scotland (1996)  ECQ: Scotland shock Spain ECQ: Spain and Scotland qualify for Euro 2024 By half-time, Scotland had registered 20 shots, most from inside the penalty area, but hit the target only twice. Gibraltar, me

Japan 1 - 2 Sweden Another dramatic Women's World Cup encounter Sweden delivered an outstanding performance to secure a spot in the semi-finals against Spain, shattering Japan's hopes for success in the Women's World Cup. Japan were considered title contenders after advancing from the group stage and defeating Norway in the last 16. Women's World Cup: Sweden shock USA (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) 💫 @AmandaIlestedt 💫 pic.twitter.com/VfmjTxl8Ug — FIFA Women's World Cup (@FIFAWWC) August 11, 2023 In this match, Manchester City midfielder Filippa Angeldahl scored a penalty to double Sweden's lead. Japan were then awarded a controversial spot-kick. Riko Ueki's 76th-minute attempt hit the bar, before West Ham's Honoka Hayashi pulled a goal back in the 87th minute. That lifeline came moments after Aoba Fujino hit the woodwork from a free-kick, but Sweden saw the game out to make it into the last four. Arsenal defender Ilestedt has emerged as one of

It's time to decide the world's best footballer again The winner of the Men's Ballon d'Or will be decided on 29th November. Let's have a look at some of the contenders. Will we see a shock? Cesar Azpilicueta Chelsea's Cesar Azpilicueta is one of the more surprising names on the shortlist.The defender is something of an unsung hero, helped Chelsea to win the Champions League last season and also reached the Nations League final with Spain. Karim Benzema The French forward was overshadowed at Real Madrid for a long time but he's now getting the praise he deserves. He scored 30 goals in 46 matches in all competitions for Real Madrid and finished second in the La Liga Golden Boot race. He won the UEFA Nations League with France a few weeks ago. For all his goals, this was the only trophy he has picked up over the last 12 months. Erling Braut Haaland Unless things go drastically wrong for him, the Norwegian forward is going to feature on Ballon d'Or shortli

Switzerland 2 - 0 Italy Switzerland delivered an impressive performance, defeating Italy 2-0 in Berlin and knocking the defending champions out of Euro 2024. Luciano Spalletti had made six changes to the Italian starting line-up in search of a winning formula, but it was clear from the start that Switzerland were the superior team. Breel Embolo nearly broke the deadlock before Remo Freuler opened the scoring. Switzerland dominated possession, having over 60% of the ball and creating eight of the first nine shots on goal. Their persistence eventually paid off when Ruben Vargas set up Freuler, who became the sixth different scorer for Switzerland in the tournament. Just 27 seconds into the second half, it got even better. Vargas found the back of the net with a stunning strike. Italy lost possession from the kick-off, and Vargas curled his shot past PSG's Gianluigi Donnarumma into the top corner. Italy struggled to respond, their best chance coming when Fabian Schar headed agains

 Real Madrid 5 - 0 Deportivo Alavés Jude Bellingham scored his 19th La Liga goal as champions Real Madrid thrashed Alaves at the Santiago Bernabeu. You can watch the highlights of the match in the video below. The footage is from the official Real Madrid YouTube account. The England international Bellingham opened the scoring in Madrid's first game since securing the title when he guided Toni Kroos' 10th-minute cross over Jesus Owono. Bellingham's goal left him one goal behind Girona striker Artem Dovbyk in the race for the golden boot with two league matches remaining. Vinicius Jr doubled Real's lead in the 27th minute with a close-range finish after a fine pass from Eduardo Camavinga . Federico Valverde made it 3-0 just before half-time with a beautiful strike into the top corner, while Vinicius scored his second goal with a lovely effort.  Turkish teenager Arda Guler scored the final goal in the 81st minute with a calm finish into the bottom corner. Real Madrid a

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

 Sweden 0 - 0 USA (Sweden won 5-4 on penalties) USA are out of the Women's World Cup as they were stunned by Sweden on penalties in Melbourne. You can watch the highlights of the match in the YouTube video below.  Highlights: Sweden knock USA out after penalty shootout | Fifa Women's World Cup 2023 - YouTube The USA side dominated two hours of football but they were denied by a fantastic and inspired goalkeeping performance from Zecira Musovic as the match finished 0-0. The drama only increased in the shootout. Three USA players missed, including their footballing icon Megan Rapinoe on her last appearance on the world stage, before Sweden won in remarkable circumstances. USA keeper Alyssa Naeher appeared to have saved Lina Hurtig's effort at the second attempt, having pushed the initial effort up before clawing it out. After checking and consulting with VAR, referee Stephanie Frappart awarded the goal and sparked wild Sweden celebrations. 🌟 Our #SpotlightofTheDay sh

 Australia 1 - 3 England On a historic evening in Sydney, England spoiled co-hosts Australia's party by reaching the Women's World Cup final for the first time. A sell-out crowd at Stadium Australia was silenced by the Lionesses' 3-1 victory, making them the first English football team to reach a senior final since 1966. More news from the tournament can be found here: Latest Women's World Cup 2023 news and stories With this win, England, crowned European champions on home soil for the first time last year, showed their superiority and know-how against a team of Australia spurred on by a nation inspired by the Matildas' success after two sensational years under Sarina Wiegman. In this match, Ella Toone set the tone for England with this stunning strike. This made England fans start to dream. However, there was still a lot of time in the match.  📐 @EllaToone99 set the tone for England with a beautiful strike. @Xero | #FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/Jf3CwOsEuB — FIFA W