European Super Football

Liechtenstein 1 - 3 San Marino San Marino, the world's lowest-ranked football team, made history with their first-ever away win, securing promotion to the third tier of the Nations League by defeating Liechtenstein. Author - Andy T It was a night of firsts for the tiny nation. Not only was this their inaugural away victory, but it was also the first time they scored more than once in a competitive match and the first time they netted three goals in a single game. Remarkably, San Marino's only previous wins also came against Liechtenstein—a 1-0 friendly triumph in 2004 and a narrow Nations League victory by the same scoreline in September, both on home soil. Ranked 210th in the FIFA rankings, San Marino’s footballing history has been one of struggles, with 199 defeats in their 211 matches and seven games where they’ve conceded 10 or more goals. However, under head coach Roberto Cevoli, who took charge last year after managing in Italy's lower leagues, progress has been mad

San Marino 1 - 0 Liechtenstein San Marino made history by securing their first-ever competitive win, defeating Liechtenstein in the Nations League. With this victory, the world’s lowest-ranked team in FIFA's rankings ended football’s longest winless streak, which stretched over two decades and 140 matches.  For two small countries, the match has now gained a lot of attention across the world. San Marino were even trending on Twitter/X and other social media websites at one point. The video below is from the Esir Sports YouTube account. Their last triumph was a friendly in 2004, also against Liechtenstein and with the same scoreline.This marks only their second win in history. The decisive goal was scored by 19-year-old Nicko Sensoli, who plays in Italy’s fourth division. The teenager, who wasn’t even born when San Marino last tasted victory, found the net in the 53rd minute, lofting the ball over goalkeeper Benjamin Buchel and sparking wild celebrations from his teammates. San

The relationship between English football fans and international football can be mixed.  Some see it as a refreshing change, offering a chance to follow their national team and watch players from different clubs come together to represent their country.  Author - Liam C Others view it as an unwelcome interruption to what they care about most, causing frustration and even outright disdain. In many ways, it’s a love-hate relationship that has become a regular feature of the footballing calendar. More disruption Some fans of the big Premier League clubs might be annoyed that this current break is the 2nd one in an already-packed schedule. Some teams such as Nottingham Forest have started to build momentum. A break for these fans could feel like a real mood-killer. That same level of passion doesn’t always translate to the international stage, especially outside major tournaments.  Another major point of contention has been the risk of injuries. A couple of injuries at this stage of th

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

 It seems like only yesterday that the 2021/2022 Champions League final took place. However, the draw for the preliminary round of the 2022/2023 has already happened.  Let's have a look at who will be playing who. 21 June: Preliminary round semi-finals Levadia Tallinn (Estonia) vs Víkingur Reykjavík (Iceland) La Fiorita (San Marino) vs Inter Club d'Escaldes (Andorra) 24 June: Preliminary round final La Fiorita/Inter Club d'Escaldes vs Levadia/Víkingur Further information taken from the UEFA website UEFA Champions League preliminary round draw | UEFA Champions League | UEFA.com How the draw worked The champions of Estonia, San Marino, Andorra and Iceland entered the preliminary round in accordance with their ranking in the 2022/23 access list. The two clubs with the highest club coefficients were seeded for the semi-final draw: Levadia Tallinn (EST) and La Fiorita (SMR). The first draw determined the two semi-finals; the first team drawn in each tie is considered th

It's time for another big discussion. What's the point of the UEFA Nations League? Launched in 2018, this was UEFA’s bold attempt to revitalise international football in Europe.  Author - Sean M Picture of the Nations League logo uploaded by  Nazionale Calcio | Flickr With an aim to replace often tedious friendlies with competitive matches, the competition promised more meaningful games, chances for national glory, and an innovative league structure.  Opinions remain divided on whether the competition has truly improved international football. This big discussion article will examine strengths and weaknesses.  Strengths of the competition  Competitive games not friendlies One of the primary reasons for launching the Nations League was to eliminate the ‘friendly fatigue’ plaguing international football. Traditional friendlies often failed to engage fans, lacking the intensity and consequence that competitive fixtures provide. In contrast, the Nations League gives each game a t

Ahead of England's upcoming World Cup qualifiers, let's take a look at some of England's most memorable moments at this stage of the competition. This article was originally posted on News Ball UK. Click here to read. Italy 0 - 0 England - Qualification for France 98 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 Kevin Keegan and an awful way to say goodbye to the old Wembley Stadium. England gained their revenge though. Before this game,

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

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:

Netherlands 1 - 1 Hungary Virgil van Dijk was sent off as the Netherlands secured a Nations League draw in Hungary. Author - William G The home side took the lead with Roland Sallai’s well-placed volley in the first half. However, Liverpool defender Van Dijk saw red after picking up two yellow cards within just three minutes. The first came for dissent, and the second followed after he fouled Kevin Csoboth on the wing. It was Van Dijk’s first red card for the Netherlands, in what was his 77th international appearance.  Despite being down to 10 men, the Dutch quickly equalised, with Denzel Dumfries heading in from Cody Gakpo’s free-kick. UEFA Nations League (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) What do you think of the international break? (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) Before his sending-off, Van Dijk had completed an impressive 145 out of 152 passes, nearly matching Hungary’s entire team, who managed 173 passes in total. Following the dismissal, the Netherlands confirmed on Saturday

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