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Championship: Leeds and Pompey play out opening day classic

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Leeds United 3 - 3 Portsmouth Brenden Aaronson salvaged a dramatic late point for Leeds United on their opening day, as they were pushed to the limit by Championship newcomers Portsmouth. Leeds took the lead when Pascal Struijk coolly converted a penalty after Daniel James was brought down. However, Pompey equalised through Elias Sorensen. Portsmouth then seized the advantage just before half-time with a stunning long-range strike from Callum Lang, but Leeds responded almost immediately after the break, with Willy Gnonto slotting in an equaliser. The drama intensified in stoppage time when Portsmouth were awarded a penalty after Jayden Bogle’s challenge on Christian Saydee. Lang calmly converted the 92nd-minute spot-kick, giving Pompey what seemed to be a late victory. But Aaronson had other ideas, firing in a low shot to ensure Leeds claimed a point. MOT: More Leeds United news and stories A closer look at what happened For Portsmouth, it was a tough return to the Championship af

Premier League: Wolves and Man United play out a classic

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 Wolves 3 - 4 Manchester United Kobbie Mainoo secured a dramatic victory for Manchester United, sealing a 4-3 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers in a match that will be remembered as a Premier League classic. Mainoo elegantly curled in his maiden Premier League goal, slipping it past Jose Sa just moments after Pedro Neto seemed to have salvaged a draw for Wolves. Despite being 2-0 down at halftime and 3-1 behind on 85 minutes, Wolves managed to pull level. However, Manchester United clinched the three points thanks to 18-year-old Mainoo. He collected the ball on the left, skillfully nutmegged Max Kilman, cut inside, and beautifully bent the ball into the bottom corner. The scoring began with Marcus Rashford, who, five minutes into his return for United after missing the FA Cup win over Newport County , opened the scoring. Rasmus Hojlund then doubled the lead. Pablo Sarabia pulled one back from the penalty spot, and Scott McTominay seemingly made it secure for the visitors by heading

Championship: A Friday night classic in Coventry

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Coventry City 3 - 2 Oxford United Coventry City's striker Haji Wright secured the Sky Blues' first three Championship points of the season with a dramatic 96th-minute winner against newly promoted Oxford United. Oxford, who had won both of their opening league and cup fixtures, twice came from behind, leaving them hopeful of extending their unbeaten start to the season. After Wright’s initial headed goal, Oxford responded swiftly with an equaliser from Ciaron Brown. When Milan van Ewijk restored Coventry’s lead before half-time, Mark Harris brought Oxford level again with a close-range finish in the 55th minute. However, the match took a final twist when Wright, making his first start following an injury-disrupted pre-season, capitalised on Will Vaulks' misplaced backpass. He rounded the goalkeeper to secure Coventry's first home win since early April. A closer look at what happened Coventry initially took the lead when Van Ewijk and Tatsuhiro Sakamoto combined bril

UCL: Final preview

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It has been another dramatic season in the Champions League. In the final, Real Madrid faces Borussia Dortmund. Which side will come out on top? How did Real Madrid reach the final? The recently crowned Spanish champions snatched an incredible semi-final victory, scoring late goals to beat Bayern Munich and set up this Champions League final with Borussia Dortmund at Wembley. UCL: Real Madrid progress after astonishing drama (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) In a previous round, Madrid had knocked Manchester City out on penalties. They beat City in a dramatic quarter-final at the Etihad Stadium, ending the 2023 winners' hold on the Champions League.  After Antonio Rudiger's penalty secured the victory for Real Madrid, City's players slumped in despair, while what seemed like dozens of Real players and officials headed off to their supporters tucked in the far corner of Etihad Stadium. After this match, Francis, a Real Madrid fan, told us: "I am so happy that we progre

UCL: Bayern and United play out a classic

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 Bayern Munich 4 - 3 Manchester United Bayern Munich and Manchester United played out a classic Champions League encounter in Munich. Harry Kane was heavily involved.  This was not Kane's best game, with him floating in and out of it, but he did what was required. His neat set-up enabled the opener and he made no mistake with a typically ruthless penalty. No better way to start our @ChampionsLeague campaign at home 🙌 #MiaSanMia pic.twitter.com/kYeMuhkbAK — Harry Kane (@HKane) September 20, 2023 Following a VAR review, the England captain scored a penalty at the Allianz Arena, taking his tally of goals in all competitions this season to five in five games. Kane's goal came just after Rasmus Hojland's first United goal made it 2-1 early in the second half and gave his side some hope of a result. The Champions League is back! Earlier, in the 28th minute, goalkeeper Andre Onana had undone a disciplined start by allowing Leroy Sane's drive to slip under him and into

Premier League: United and Liverpool play out another chaotic classic

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 Manchester United 2 - 2 Liverpool "I genuinely feared that we'd be beaten heavily by Liverpool again. I was pleasantly surprised by the result, especially after the first 45 minutes." Those words were sent to us by Liam, a Manchester United Season Ticket holder . He was in the Stretford End as United drew with Liverpool for the second time in the Premier League this season.  How did the drama unfold? Liverpool missed the chance to climb to the top of the Premier League in another thrilling match at Old Trafford. Manager Jurgen Klopp and his players will be left wondering how they failed to avenge the FA Cup quarter-final loss last month. The Anfield side missed numerous chances and were dominating the hosts for long periods. The away side only had a Luis Diaz strike to show for almost total first-half superiority in which they had 15 shots to none from United. The United boss Erik Ten Hag would have been thankful for the visitors' wastefulness and saves from keeper

Premier League: Classic match at the Amex Stadium

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 Brighton and Hove Albion 3 - 3 Brentford Brighton and Brentford played out one of the games of the season as both clubs chase European qualification.  Brighton settled into an early rhythm, keeping the ball well, and looking to get Solly March and Mitoma involved from wide areas. The returning Jansson was stepping out of defence to shadow Argentina’s World Cup winner, Mac Allister, wherever he went. That left space in the right centre-back position which Brighton tried to exploit. A brilliant Pinnock challenge was the only thing that stopped Mitoma from opening the scoring on six minutes - the Japanese winger racing down that channel and in on goal from Moises Caicedo’s through ball. From the resulting corner, Mathias Jensen got his body in the way of March’s close-range effort.Joel Veltman had Brighton’s next opening, again from a corner, before Brentford took the lead with their first real foray forward. After sending everyone up for a long throw, Jensen went short before receiv

Euro 2024: Spain reach final after classic match

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Spain 2 - 1 France Lamine Yamal's breathtaking goal helped Spain secure a 2-1 victory over France in the Euro 2024 semi-final.  Dani Olmo netted Spain's second goal after Randal Kolo Muani initially put France in the lead. A closer look at what happened Yamal became the youngest player to score at a European Championship or World Cup, surpassing the record previously held by Brazilian legend Pelé. His remarkable goal came when he shifted the ball onto his left foot and curled a stunning shot in off the post from 25 yards out during an electrifying first half. Earlier in the match, France took the lead with Randal Kolo Muani heading in a superb cross from Kylian Mbappé , who played without a mask after recovering from a broken nose sustained earlier in the tournament. Yamal's brilliant strike shifted the momentum in Spain's favour, and the comeback was complete soon after when Dani Olmo fired a low shot into the net off defender Jules Koundé, following excellent cont

Icons: Roy Keane

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Roy Keane is another football icon. He is someone that won a number of team and individual honours during a hugely successful playing career. Read about more icons A brief overview He is the joint most successful Irish footballer of all time, having won 19 major trophies in his club career, 17 of which came during his time at Manchester United. Many regard him as one of the best midfielders of his generation. In 2004. he was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players.  In his 18-year playing career, Keane played for Cobh Ramblers, Nottingham Forest, and Manchester United before ending his career at Celtic. He was a dominating box-to-box midfielder noted for his aggressive and highly competitive style of play. This was an attitude that helped him excel as captain of Manchester United from 1997 until his departure in 2005. Keane helped United achieve sustained success during his 12 years at the club. He then signed for Celtic, where he won a domesti

UEL: Arsenal close to securing qualification

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Bodo/Glimt 0-1 Arsenal The Gunners  overcame testing conditions in the Arctic to claim a dogged 1-0 win and maintain their perfect record in this season's Europa League. Bukayo Saka’s first half goal proved enough to take the points, and although it was by no means a classic performance, Mikel Arteta will be happy with the points after making seven changes to the starting line-up. And to put the result into perspective, the Norwegian champions had won each of their last 14 home games in European competition prior to this, including a 6-1 win over Roma this time last year. It edges The Gunners closer to qualification from the group stage, with three matches left. Arsenal fans praised for making trip Despite the long and difficult trip, a number of Arsenal fans from the UK went to the match. One of them told us: "It was an expensive trip bit nothing beats following your team in Europe." Another added: "We have a great chance of winning this competition now. I really h

FA Cup: United and Liverpool play out a classic

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 Manchester United 4 - 3 Liverpool Manchester United secured their spot in the FA Cup semi-final after a dramatic 4-3 victory over Liverpool at Old Trafford. Before the game, everyone was talking about how strong Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool team was, but from the start, it was United who came out swinging with some serious attacking moves. Just 10 minutes in, Alejandro Garnacho took a shot that got deflected, Caoimhin Kelleher tried to save it, but it ended up right in the path of Scott McTominay. Old Trafford erupted.  Liverpool fought back hard , and just before halftime, they managed to sneak in a couple of goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Mohamed Salah, putting them at half-time. The second half was tense, with both teams hunting for that next crucial goal. It wasn't until the home side made some attacking changes, thanks to Ten Hag's tactical moves, that the home side started to put some pressure. They finally found the equaliser. Antony, coming off the bench, save

From the archives: Real Madrid 2 - 6 Barcelona. 2009

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Let's have a look at a time when Barcelona went to Real Madrid and scored six This was a key moment in one of the greatest campaigns in the club's history What happened then? Gonzalo Higuain had actually headed Real ahead but Thierry Henry curled an equaliser and Carles Puyol then nodded Barca in front. Lionel Messi slotted past Iker Casillas and, after Sergio Ramos replied with a glancing header, Henry clipped into an empty net and Messi rolled in another. Gerard Pique later tapped in the sixth Barcelona goal of a remarkable match. Then Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola said the following after the match:  "It is not easy to win at the Bernabeu and this is one of the happiest days of my footballing life, as we have made a lot of people happy." "We have taken a very big step towards winning the title. We wanted to kill it, to kill the league here. It's a very sweet night winning at this stadium and in front of these fans. "It is not going to hurt ahead

Community Shield: Some of the best ever matches

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More than a pre-season friendly? As we look forward to Saturday's Community Shield, this article will look back on some of the most memorable clashes between some of the country's top sides in what is the English football season's traditional curtain raiser.  Wembley awaits Leeds United vs Liverpool - 1992 In a thrilling match, champions Leeds defeated Liverpool 4-3 with a hat-trick from French forward and Premier League icon, Eric Cantona . However, by the end of the season, Cantona had joined Manchester United and helped them win the league title. The game was filled with compelling goals and high drama, setting the stage for the twists and turns of the following season. Manchester United v Newcastle United 1996 Fresh off a Premier League season that saw United narrowly edge past the Magpies to clinch the title, this match was full of tension from the very first whistle. Manchester United were too powerful on the day.  The match was a sign of United's ability t

Premier League: United boost Champions League hopes

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 Manchester United 1 - 0 Brentford Marcus Rashford scored his 28th goal of the season as Manchester United defeated Brentford with a controlled win at Old Trafford. Our write up on just a second defeat in 17 Premier League games ⤵ #MUNBRE | #BrentfordFC — Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) April 5, 2023 The Bees stunned Erik ten Hag's side back in August, storming to a 4-0 win. Who remembers that incredible match back in August. Premier League: A new low for Manchester United (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) However, there was no sign of a repeat on a rain-soaked night in Manchester, as United's three-game scoreless run was broken expertly by Rashford. The striker latched onto Marcel Sabitzer's knockdown in the 27th minute. He volleyed emphatically beyond David Raya from close range to secure a vital three points for his side.  Brentford were surprisingly passive after being engaged in a 3-3 thriller with Brighton only four days prior and such an exertion was evident in Thom

From the archives: Portugal 3 - 0 Bulgaria. 1966

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Whilst Wembley Stadium was hosting the England games during their victorious World Cup campaign, various other grounds across the country hosted matches.  Old Trafford hosted this match between Portugal and Bulgaria and it featured one of the greatest players of all time, Eusébio. Head to Greater Manchester Football to read the original story. Some wider context In the North West of England, Old Trafford and Goodison Park played host to Group 3 of the 66 World Cup. It was a group that contained some of the best players around at the time.  The group saw the two-time defending champions Brazil finish in third place behind Portugal and Hungary, be eliminated along with Bulgaria. Brazil were beaten 3–1 by Hungary in a classic encounter before falling by the same scoreline to Portugal in a controversial game.  Click here to read more from the archives The Portugal side contained Eusébio and they appearing in the finals for the first time, and made quite an impact.  They won all three of

UCL: Madrid and City play out a classic

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Real Madrid 3 - 3 Manchester City There was a quite incredible night of football in Real Madrid. Let's explore what happened.  This video below is from the official Real Madrid YouTube account. The current Champions League holders Manchester City took took the lead in the second minute when Bernardo Silva intelligently placed a 25 yard free-kick round the wall and past goalkeeper Andriy Lunin. This lead was quickly overturned. Deflected strikes from Eduardo Camavinga and Rodrygo helped 14-time European champions Real overturn the deficit at the Bernabeu. A lot of fans and pundits were saying that City were lacking quality in the final third. This was until Phil Foden, who had been on the periphery of the game, found some space outside the area to turn and fire into the top corner to pull last year's Treble winners level. 2-2 quickly became 2-3 which then became 3-3 Only a few moments later, Josko Gvardiol cut in and found the far corner with a superb right-foot shot to scor

Icons: Patrice Evra

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 It's time to explore another football icon. This time it's Patrice Evra A brief summary He is a French football coach and former professional player. Originally a forward, he mainly played as a left-back.Evra served as captain for both Manchester United and the France national team. His former manager Sir Alex Ferguson praised Evra for his leadership, also describing him as one of the best left-backs in Europe. <Click here to read about more icons> The start of Evra's career Evra was born in Senegal and arrived in Europe when he was a year old. Evra started his career with the Italian club Marsala. The following season, he joined Monza but returned to France a year later to play for Nice where he was converted into a full-back. In 2002, he joined Monaco and was part of the team that reached the 2004 UEFA Champions League Final.  Becoming a Manchester United legend Evra's performances for Monaco culminated in a move to English club Manchester United in January

Premier League: City and Arsenal cancel each other out

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 Manchester City 0 - 0 Arsenal  Manchester City and Arsenal played out a goalless draw, giving Liverpool the advantage in the Premier League title race. Liverpool are now at the top of the table, two points ahead of Arsenal and three ahead of City . They came from behind to beat Brighton at Anfield, and their delight increased even more when their two closest rivals cancelled each other out. This game failed to live up to its billing as a potential classic, as Arsenal's defensive tactics shut down City while the Gunners had limited chances.  Nathan Ake came close with a header early on but it was saved by Arsenal keeper David Raya. City striker Gabriel Jesus posed an occasional threat for the away side. He nearly scored but failed to connect with Bukayo Saka's cross.  The best reaction Lewis, a Chelsea fan, gave us the perspective of a neutral fan: "Manchester City will remain confident in their ability to retain their Premier League title, but their manager, Pep Gua

Women's FA Cup: United win trophy for the first time

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 Manchester United 4 - 0 Tottenham Hotspur Manchester United clinched their first  Women’s  FA Cup trophy in an impressive display, comfortably overcoming first-time finalists Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium. Ella Toone, an England international, delivered a breathtaking goal just before half-time, setting the tone for the match. Spurs struggled to recover, and United further solidified their lead in the second half with goals from Rachel Williams and Lucia Garcia. This victory marked  United's  second consecutive appearance in the final, demonstrating their resilience after last  year's  disappointing loss to Chelsea.  The triumph  not only  brings home their first  major   women's  trophy  but also  marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for the club. A history of women's football (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) Before kick-off, the team received a personal message from Sir Jim Ratcliffe, chairman of Ineos, a minority shareholder in Manchester Unite

WSL: United and Spurs play out a classic

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Manchester United Women 2 - 2 Tottenham Hotspur Women In a thrilling showdown that served as a preview for next month's FA Cup final, Maya le Tissier came to the rescue for Manchester United, denying Spurs their first-ever victory over the Reds. Le Tissier, fresh from signing a new contract, nodded in a dramatic stoppage-time equaliser amidst a crowded penalty area, capitalising after Rachel Williams rattled the crossbar. Spurs seemed destined for a historic win after quickfire goals from Bethany England and Jessica Naz overturned Melvine Malard's opener for United at Leigh Sports Village. At the end of the match, Le Tissier's timely intervention salvaged a point for United.  Click here for women's football news and stories Malard broke the deadlock by meeting Gemma Evans' lofted free-kick with a powerful header, but England's equaliser, although disputed, and Naz's clinical finish threatened to steal the show for Spurs. Tottenham boss Robert Vilahamn wa