European Super Football

Watching live football on TV is going to get mor expensive US media group Paramount has secured the rights to broadcast Champions League football in the UK for four years from 2027. Author | Josh T Pre match at Atletico Madrid 5 - 1 Eintracht Frankfurt It has been reported that the company will pay well above the near £1bn deal currently held by TNT Sports. Amazon Prime is set to continue screening one match each Tuesday in the UK between 2027 and 2031. Paramount’s agreement follows the joint UC3 initiative involving UEFA, European Football Clubs (formerly the European Club Association) and commercial rights partner Relevent. The company has collaborated with UEFA on the elaborate films shown during the Champions League draw over the past two seasons. READ MORE | Champions League news and stories Industry sources suggest the move may be viewed positively by the Premier League, as it brings another major broadcaster into the football rights landscape and is unlikely to shrink the ov...

Can Arsenal’s defence lead them to glory? Their formidable defensive run finally came to an end at the Stadium of Light after 812 minutes without conceding.  Author |  DJ The newly promoted side were the side to pierce their resistance, finding the net twice and showing the rest of the league what had seemed impossible over the past eight matches in all competitions. That  2-2 draw may have applied slight pressure to Arsenal’s title ambitions, yet their position at the top remains underpinned by a defence that has been close to flawless. Their eight successive clean sheets matched a club record set in 1903, a reminder of how rare such consistency is across generations. It also mirrored the achievements of Preston in 1889 and Liverpool in 1920, who each put together similar streaks of shutouts. As Mikel Arteta’s side prepare to welcome Tottenham on Sunday, confidence is growing that a first league title since the Invincibles season could be within reach. They have con...

Wales 7 - 1 North Macedonia  A Harry Wilson hat-trick propelled Wales to a resounding win over North Macedonia, capping their World Cup qualifying group with a display as fluent as it was ruthless. Author |  Stephen Chad Stadium |  Cardiff City Stadium Automatic qualification had already slipped from their grasp, but a more inviting play-off draw remained on offer. Craig Bellamy’s side rose to the occasion with their most complete performance under the head coach. Wilson, wearing the armband for the evening, opened the scoring from the spot after David Brooks was brought down. Moments later, Brooks added a composed first-time finish from Brennan Johnson’s cross. Wales briefly wavered when a defensive lapse allowed Bojan Miovski to pounce for the visitors, but Johnson quickly reasserted control with a fierce 20-yard strike that glanced off a defender on its way into the top corner. In just 19 first-half minutes, North Macedonia conceded as many goals as they had across...

Scotland 4 - 2 Denmark A remarkable night in Glasgow.  Author |  Sean M Stadium |  Hampden Park A pair of injury time goals from Kieran Tierney and Kenny McLean handed Scotland a dramatic victory over Denmark and sealed their return to the World Cup for the first time since 1998. Scott McTominay set the tone at Hampden Park with a superb bicycle kick after only three minutes, although Rasmus Hojlund soon pulled Denmark level to stall the early surge of optimism. Scotland needed all three points to finish top of Group C and claim an automatic place at the finals. Lawrence Shankland and Patrick Dorgu exchanged goals after the break, but Tierney and McLean produced two remarkable late strikes that sent the home support into raptures as Scott Clarke’s side held their nerve.  A closer analysis of what happened   Inside three minutes, Scott McTominay rose astonishingly high to steer the ball beyond Kasper Schmeichel with an audacious overhead finish. Hampden e...

Northern Ireland 1 - 0 Luxembourg Jamie Donley’s first international goal proved decisive as Northern Ireland closed their World Cup qualifying campaign with a narrow victory over Luxembourg in Belfast. Author |  Mark Lee Stadium |  Windsor Park The Tottenham forward, who previously featured for England at youth level, was making only his second senior start. In a match with little riding on it, he settled the contest from the penalty spot on the stroke of half-time. A closer analysis of what happened Michael O’Neill’s side had already secured a place in next summer’s play-off semi-finals through their Nations League performance and were unable to finish above third in Group A. The manager responded by making six changes from the side beaten 1-0 by Slovakia in Kosice, a result that had ended any faint hopes of a top-two finish. Donley was among those recalled and thought he had broken the deadlock inside 20 minutes with a tidy finish into the bottom corner, only for t...

Barcelona are set for a long-awaited return to the Nou Camp this weekend This is more than two years after leaving their historic home for extensive redevelopment works.  Author |  Jack L The La Liga match with Athletic Club on Saturday 22 November will mark the first fixture at the ground since May 2023. The stadium reopens with a temporary capacity of 45,401 following the latest phase of its renovation. Barcelona last played there in an official match on 28 May 2023 against Real Mallorca, before the site was shut down to begin a project aimed at transforming the arena into a modern venue fit for the future. Work began in June 2023 with a budget of about £1.1bn and an ambition to raise the capacity to 105,000, placing it among the largest stadiums in world football. The club had hoped to return in November 2024 to align with their 125th anniversary, but a series of delays pushed that target back. During the redevelopment, they shifted most of their fixtures to the Olympic...

Albania 0 - 2 England Harry Kane struck twice after the interval as England rounded off their World Cup qualifying campaign with a perfect record of eight wins from eight. Author | Lauren W Stadium | Arena Kombëtare With top spot in the group already secured, Thomas Tuchel rotated heavily, making seven changes from the side that beat Serbia at Wembley on Thursday. He also adjusted the shape, asking John Stones to step into midfield when England had the ball, but despite the scoreline this was far from a commanding display. Kane, who has now scored 78 goals for his country, broke the deadlock in the 74th minute, forcing the ball over the line from close range after Bukayo Saka’s corner caused problems in the Albania box. He added a second eight minutes later with a deft header from Marcus Rashford’s fine delivery. England had created openings before Kane’s late intervention, with Jude Bellingham, Jarrod Bowen and Saka all threatening the breakthrough. Albania, unbeaten in their...