European Super Football

Scotland 1 - 1 Switzerland Scotland entered this match with one aim: to avoid being sent home with regrets.  A loss in Cologne would have left them needing unlikely help from other groups, even if they managed to beat Hungary in Stuttgart on Sunday. Now, Scotland know a win against Hungary would bring them to a four-point total, likely enough to secure a coveted spot in the tournament knockout stages for the first time. The Scots bounced back admirably from their 5-1 thrashing by Germany. However, as the dust settles on this thrilling encounter, they may felt they deserved more. Just 102 seconds in, John McGinn won Scotland a corner, showing more attacking intent than in their painful loss in Munich on Friday. Scott McTominay took the set-piece, but it was deflected by a defender. Euro 2024 news and stories  Scotland's breakthrough came from a Swiss corner. The Swiss hesitated after taking it short, allowing Scotland to counter. Billy Gilmour, back in the starting lineup, calml

 Liverpool 0 - 1 Crystal Palace  Crystal Palace have done it against Liverpool again.  Older fans of the London club would have been taken back to the 1990 FA Cup semi-final. Younger fans would have been remembering that stunning comeback from 3-0 down in 2014 that wrecked their title chances. What is it about Palace and destroying Liverpool's trophy dreams? The reaction to the final whistle suggested that this was a hugely damaging week for Liverpool. Jürgen Klopp congratulated his opponent on a Crystal Palace victory that has reverberated at both ends of the table before puffing out his cheeks and shaking his head in despair.  At the end of the match, Andy Robertson looked like he was in a trance. The home fans filed out of Anfield in total silence. In a title race with the tightest margins, Liverpool have blinked first.  Arsenal, would of course, blink later on in the day. This ultimately makes it advantage for Manchester City. It's starting to look like the pressure is

 Scotland 1 - 3 England In a raucous Hampden Park friendly, England continued their modern-day superiority over Scotland.  Scots last won this fixture in 1999, but hopes of a 42nd win appeared ominously faint as Phil Foden's opener silenced the stadium before Jude Bellingham added a second. A shaken Scotland eventually awoke the home crowd as Harry Maguire sent Andy Robertson's cross screeching beyond Aaron Ramsdale. A mesmerizing Bellingham assist enabled Harry Kane to score England's third as a result of England's classy play and intricate movement. Top of their European Championship qualifying group with five wins from five and facing an England team held by Ukraine on Saturday , Steve Clarke spoke before the match about the desire to see how much his team had narrowed the gap between themselves and England. An almost ruthless first half from Gareth Southgate's team offered a sobering reply. After a slick, composed and controlled performance, the visitors des

West Ham United 2 - 2 Liverpool  Liverpool's title hopes were dented again after Michail Antonio scored to rescue a point for West Ham at the London Stadium. Jarrod Bowen opened the scoring just before the break when he rose highest to meet Mohammed Kudus' cross. At this point, Liverpool were showing little evidence that their Merseyside derby loss in midweek had done much in the way of spurring them on. Klopp's side were much improved in the second half and Andy Robertson equalised when he scored from Luis Diaz's low pass into the penalty area. Liverpool were then rewarded again for their pressure when Cody Gakpo's effort from a corner deflected off Angelo Ogbonna, Tomas Soucek and Alphonse Areola before finding the back of the net. Antonio's fine header put the Hammers back on level terms two minutes before Liverpool brought on Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian couldn't win the game for Liverpool and appeared to have fallen out with the manager.  You can w

A later winner from Scott McTominay sparked incredible scenes at Hampden Park to keep Scotland on course for the World Cup qualifying play-offs. The Manchester United midfielder bundled in his first goal for his national team after Eran Zahavi's free-kick and a Munas Dabbur finish twice had the visitors ahead in a thrilling contest. You can watch the highlights in the video below. What did Steve Clarke say? The Scotland manager told media outlets: "I told them at half-time - if you do want to lose the game, you're doing it in the perfect fashion. "The talk at half-time was really just - we have to play it our way. We have to play with more tempo, a little bit more ambition, control the game better and we did that from the start of the second half more or less to the 96th minute. We got our reward." The Hampden roar The scenes in the ground after the winning goal were incredible and many Scotland fans celebrated like they had won the World Cup. Who can blame th

Scotland 0 - 0 Portugal Author - Sean M Scotland put on a determined defensive performance to hold Portugal to a 0-0 draw, earning their first point in the Nations League A campaign. Scott McTominay had a golden opportunity early on but missed, and from there, the Scots saw little of the ball as Portugal pressed hard for a breakthrough. Cristiano Ronaldo, making his 200th international appearance, was left frustrated in his pursuit of a 134th goal for Portugal, as Scotland’s goalkeeper Craig Gordon and his defence stood their ground. While the result means Steve Clarke’s team have now won just one of their last 16 matches, they avoided the unwanted record of becoming the first Scotland side to lose five consecutive games. A more detailed look at what happened in Glasgow After a tough time at the Euros and a difficult Nations League campaign so far , Scotland needed to lift the Hampden crowd, and they nearly did just that within the first four minutes. Ben Doak made a surging run do

Scotland 0 - 1 Hungary Scotland had needed a win to secure a spot in the knockout stage of a major tournament for the first time. Hungary kept their hopes alive with a win. The match had seemed destined to end in a frustrating, goalless draw until Hungary scored a 100th-minute winner. Frankly, neither team looked deserving of a place in the last 16 based on their performances. Scotland struggled to make an impact. Hungary's attacks usually fizzled out 25 yards from goal until stoppage time, when the game took on a frenetic pace.  Steve Clarke and the Tartan Army would have been left gutted by the outcome, but the harsh truth is that over the three games, they fell short of the required standard. Scotland had vowed to have learned from their Euros experience three years ago. They fell just short again. There are now bigger, more longer-term questions and problems that need solving by the Scottish FA. A closer look at what happened in Stuggart Despite the nerve-wracking tens

Let's explore a dramatic final day in the Premier League title race This video from ESPN UK explores everything that went on across the league.  ESPN UK - YouTube Manchester City 3 - 2 Aston Villa  Manchester City staged a late comeback with three goals in five minutes to beat Aston Villa and win the Premier League. Pep Guardiola's side needed a win to secure their fourth title in five seasons, but were facing the prospect of ending the season empty-handed as goals either side of the interval from Matty Cash and Philippe Coutinho put Villa 2-0 ahead and in control. It looked as if Villa manager Steven Gerrard might help his former club Liverpool secure the title, until City turned the game on its head in an atmosphere bordering on hysteria. Ilkay Gundogan gave City hope with a far-post header in the 76th minute. Etihad Stadium was a wall of noise when Rodri drove a low finish past Villa keeper Robin Olsen two minutes later. The highlights of the match can be found in the vide

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

Scotland 2 - 3 Poland Scotland's tough 2024 continued in heartbreaking fashion as Poland were awarded a stoppage-time penalty, crushing a spirited Nations League comeback at Hampden. Billy Gilmour and Scott McTominay scored second-half goals to revive Scotland after Sebastian Szymanski's long-range strike and Robert Lewandowski's expertly-taken penalty put the visitors ahead. However, as Steve Clarke's men pushed for a late winner , Nicola Zalewski was brought down by a reckless challenge from Grant Hanley. Zalewski, who had also won the earlier penalty, stepped up to slot home the decisive goal in the 97th minute. Scotland, who made a tame exit from this summer's Euros with just one point from three group games, now face a daunting trip to Portugal on Sunday. They have managed only one win in 13 matches in 2024, suffering five defeats. The manner in which this game ended was hard to believe, especially given Scotland’s poor first-half performance.  Clarke'

Arsenal 2 - 2 Liverpool Mohamed Salah’s late equaliser salvaged a point for Liverpool in a lively clash against Premier League title rivals Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. Author - Peter Grainger from GMCR Football Arsenal took the lead twice but were hampered by injuries to key defenders Gabriel and Jurrien Timber in the second half, already missing the suspended William Saliba. These setbacks opened the door for Liverpool to push back and claim a point, allowing Manchester City to remain at the top of the table, with Arsenal now trailing the relentless champions by five points. A closer look at what happened Arsenal’s strong start to this enthralling encounter paid off on the 9th minute when Bukayo Saka left Andy Robertson floundering, netting his 50th Premier League goal in the process. However, the lead was short-lived. Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk drew them level in the 18th minute, heading in from close range after Luis Díaz flicked on Trent Alexander-Arnold’s near-pos

"Yes sir, I can boogie..." Can Scotland achieve what they've never done before by advancing from the group stage in a major tournament? After successfully qualifying from a challenging group that included Spain and Norway, hopes were high for such an achievement. However, Steve Clarke’s team then endured a run of seven games without a win (before a hard-fought victory against Gibraltar). While defeats to France, England, the Netherlands, and Spain were expected, losing to Northern Ireland was more concerning. For the first time in a while, the team appeared deflated. This dip in confidence might not be entirely detrimental. Overconfident Scots often struggle. In 1978, the team left for the World Cup amid great fanfare but failed to deliver. Clarke has assembled a capable side that should believe they can finish above Hungary and Switzerland, though they still lag behind the group’s standout team, Germany, in terms of overall ability. ECQ: Scotland shock Spain (eur