European Super Football

Nottingham Forest 3 - 0 Malmo Forest swept past Malmo in the Europa League to tighten their hold on a play-off spot. Author | Frank L Stadium | The City Ground Players and fans celebrate Goals from captain Ryan Yates, Arnaud Kalimuendo and Nikola Milenkovic completed a routine victory in a fixture that echoed the 1979 European Cup final, when Forest overcame the Swedish champions. It marked a third straight win for Forest, their best run since the turn of the year. A slump in form during the latter half of last season explains why they find themselves in the Europa League rather than the Champions League. Analysis  | Sean Dyche has steadied a turbulent situation since taking charge Nuno Espirito Santo departed the club after clashing with global sporting director Edu and owner Evangelos Marinakis, while Ange Postecoglou lasted only 39 days in the aftermath. Saturday’s 3-0 win at a struggling Liverpool moved Forest out of the Premier League relegation zone. Their latest success at ...

Aston Villa 2 - 1 Young Boys Donyell Malen struck twice as Aston Villa moved a step closer to securing automatic qualification for the Europa League knockout stage with a straightforward victory over Young Boys. Author | Jay Dean Stadium | Villa Park Villa try to score Both goals arrived in a first half overshadowed by disorder in the away section. Malen was struck by a plastic cup while celebrating his opener midway through the half, and further disruption followed when he added a second just before the interval. Play was paused for several minutes as seats were torn out in the visitors’ end and more objects were thrown towards the pitch. The contest settled after the break and Villa eased to a seventh consecutive home win, continuing a revival that has gathered pace after a difficult start to the campaign in which they failed to win any of their opening six matches. Malen has been central to the turnaround. He climbed to head in Youri Tielemans’ precise cross for the first goal, then...

Feyenoord 1 - 3 Celtic Celtic produced a stirring response in Rotterdam, overturning an early setback to secure a notable Europa League victory over Feyenoord. Author | Sean M Stadium | De Kuip Celtic corner It marked their first away success in European competition since November 2021, ending a run of 15 matches without a win on the road. Ayase Ueda had put the hosts in front with a composed finish, yet the Scottish champions recovered impressively as Yang Hyun jun and Reo Hatate struck before the interval. Benjamin Nygren added a powerful third late on to settle any lingering tension among the travelling support. The result offered a timely lift after their heavy defeat by Midtjylland in the previous round. Martin O'Neill’s side were forced to absorb pressure at times but held their shape well and made their chances count, strengthening their position as the Northern Irishman's interim spell edges towards its conclusion. Feyenoord have now been beaten in four of their five gr...

How many English sides will be in Europe next season? England and Germany are on track to secure the two additional Champions League places available for next season. Author | Josh T Champions League night | City v Leverkusen The competition expanded from 32 to 36 teams at the start of the 2024-25 campaign, prompting UEFA to introduce two extra qualifying spots for the nations with the strongest overall performance across European competitions in the previous season. UEFA determines this through association rankings, which allocate points for wins and draws in the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League. The two nations with the highest totals are each awarded an extra Champions League berth for the following season. Clubs collect two points for a win and one for a draw across the three competitions, with bonus points awarded for progressing through the rounds. Sides in the Champions League receive greater bonuses than those in the Europa League or Conference League. Po...

Olympiacos 3 - 4 Real Madrid Kylian Mbappé delivered a devastating four-goal display as Real Madrid edged past Olympiacos in a gripping Champions League contest. Author | Jack L Stadium | Stadio Georgios Karaiskáki The home side stunned Madrid with an early strike from Francisco Chiquinho, who drove in a crisp effort from 20 yards. That advantage lasted only until Mbappé seized control of the evening, scoring three times in seven minutes to register the second fastest hat-trick in the competition’s history. He began by racing on to Vinicius Junior’s measured through-ball and finishing with composure, before rising to meet Arda Güler’s cross with a firm header. His third came when he timed his run perfectly to latch on to Eduardo Camavinga’s pass and steer the ball beyond the goalkeeper. Vinicius briefly thought he had added another after being played in by Mbappé, yet the effort was ruled out for offside against the French forward. Aurélien Tchouaméni struck the bar as Real...

 PSG 5 - 3 Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur suffered their first Champions League loss of the season, twice surrendering the lead in a frantic contest against holders Paris St-Germain. Author | Greg S Stadium | Parc des Princes For an hour, Thomas Frank’s side offered a marked improvement on the listless performance that drew heavy criticism after the north London derby defeat by Arsenal , yet they still could not keep PSG at arm’s length. Richarlison put Spurs ahead with a close-range header after 35 minutes, only for PSG to level on the cusp of the interval when Vitinha arrowed a fine right-footed shot beyond Guglielmo Vicario. Randal Kolo Muani restored the advantage five minutes into the second half with a scrappy effort against his parent club, but that goal merely prompted PSG to unleash the kind of ruthless spell that swept aside Manchester City, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal in last season’s competition.  Three goals in 12 minutes turned the match on i...

Liverpool 1 - 4 PSV The bleak spell for Arne Slot showed no sign of easing as they slipped to a chastening home defeat against PSV. Author | William G Stadium | Anfield The hosts, disjointed from the outset, have now lost nine of their past 12 matches in all competitions and were comprehensively outplayed by the Dutch champions at Anfield. Arne Slot’s domestic struggles have been plain to see, arriving here on the back of successive three-goal defeats, but Europe had at least offered a measure of relief. Three wins in four, including an impressive victory over Real Madrid, had given Liverpool a foothold in the league phase. This setback, however, leaves Slot under increasing scrutiny, with questions mounting over the team’s direction and how he intends to arrest their alarming slide. READ MORE  |  Champions League news and stories PSV struck early after just six minutes when Virgil van Dijk raised an arm while appealing for a foul, only to concede a penalty for handball. I...