European Super Football

Bayer Leverkusen 2 - 7 PSG Holders Paris St-Germain delivered a devastating attacking performance to crush Bayer Leverkusen and maintain their perfect start in the Champions League. Author | Sophie T Stadium | BayArena Fantastic atmosphere from both sets of fans Desire Doue struck twice, with Willian Pacho and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia also on target in a rampant first half that saw PSG lead 4-1 at the break. Nuno Mendes, Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele, and Vitinha added further gloss to the scoreline after the interval. Pacho opened the scoring after just seven minutes, meeting Mendes’ teasing in-swinging cross with a firm header. Leverkusen had a chance to level when Illia Zabarnyi fouled Claudio Echeverri in the area, but Alejandro Grimaldo struck the post from the spot. Moments later, captain Robert Andrich saw a yellow card upgraded to red after VAR spotted an elbow on Doue. PSG’s man advantage was short-lived. Zabarnyi was dismissed soon after for hauling down Christian K...

Liverpool 0 - 2 (PSG won 4-0 on aggregate) Ousmane Dembele scored twice as Paris Saint-Germain overcame Liverpool to secure a place in the Champions League semi-finals Author | William G Stadium | Anfield PSG arrived at Anfield with a two-goal cushion but were pushed hard in a raucous atmosphere before Dembele struck in the 72nd minute with a superb left-footed finish. He added a second in stoppage time to seal the tie. Driven on by the crowd, Liverpool searched for another famous European comeback, but Arne Slot’s side could not find a way past the reigning European champions and, for the second successive season, were eliminated by PSG. Liverpool's players couldn't take advantage of a raucous Anfield atmosphere After a subdued display in Paris, where they lost 2-0, Liverpool were much improved at Anfield and posed more of a threat, though ultimately fell short. Slot handed Alexander Isak his first start since December and again left Mohamed Salah on the bench. Salah was intro...

France 2 - 0 Belgium France picked up their first victory of their Nations League campaign with a comfortable win over Belgium.  After losing 3-1 to Italy in their first League A Group 2 match and they faced a tough challenge against Belgium.  Kylian Mbappe, the France captain, started on the bench for this game as he had played the full 90 minutes against Italy.  France's coach, Didier Deschamps, decided to change the entire forward line for this match. Belgium had a bright start but fell behind just before the half-hour mark when Kolo Muani scored his sixth goal for France after pouncing on a loose ball.  Ousmane Dembele, Muani's teammate at Paris St-Germain, made it 2-0 after the break with a well-struck shot. Mbappe came on in the second half and had two good chances but was unable to score. Click here for more news and stories from across France What next for Belgium? They opened their Nations League campaign with a 3-1 win against Israel - with De Bruyn...

France 1 - 1 Poland A masked Kylian Mbappe scored his first Euro 2024 goal, but France were held to a draw by an already-eliminated Poland, resulting in a second-place finish in Group D. Stadium - Signal Iduna Park France needed a win to secure the top spot, but Robert Lewandowski's penalty in the 79th minute cancelled out Mbappe’s earlier goal, scored from a penalty 11 minutes into the second half. Ralf Rangnick's Austria put on a brilliant performance to beat the Netherlands 3-2, topping the group, while the Dutch finished third. France, now in the same half of the draw as Portugal, Spain, and Germany , will face the runner-up in Group E. Mbappe, returning to the starting line-up with a protective mask after breaking his nose, finally scored his first European Championship goal to put France ahead. Ousmane Dembele was fouled in the area by Poland and Arsenal defender Jakub Kiwior, allowing Mbappe to score from the spot. However, France seemed to relax after the goal, and ...

Arsenal 0 - 1 PSG Arsenal must come from behind if they are to reach the Champions League final, after Ousmane Dembele's early goal gave Paris Saint-Germain a first-leg advantage at the Emirates Stadium. Author -  DJ Stadium - Emirates Stadium Dembele struck just four minutes in, sweeping a low finish past David Raya after being picked out by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. The goal capped a dominant opening spell from the visitors, who pressed high and carved out further chances, including a strong effort from teenager Desire Doue that Raya did well to stop. Once again, PSG were indebted to Gianluigi Donnarumma. The Italian goalkeeper, who produced key performances in earlier rounds against Liverpool and Aston Villa, was in commanding form, denying Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard with sharp saves either side of half-time. Arsenal grew into the contest and thought they had equalised when Mikel Merino headed in from a Declan Rice free-kick, but a lengthy VAR review ruled the goal...

PSG 4 - 0 Real Madrid Paris St-Germain cruised into the Fifa Club World Cup final with a commanding win over Real Madrid, setting up a showdown with Chelsea on Sunday. Author | Peter Grainger Stadium | MetLife Stadium The semi-final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey was effectively settled within the opening 25 minutes, as the European champions tore through a surprisingly fragile Madrid side. Fabian Ruiz opened the scoring in the sixth minute after Raul Asencio failed to clear under pressure, with the referee allowing play to continue despite Thibaut Courtois bringing down Ousmane Dembele moments earlier. Dembele, a constant menace, doubled the lead soon after when he pounced on a miscued clearance from Antonio Rudiger and calmly slotted past Courtois. READ MORE |  Club World Cup news and stories The third arrived before the half-hour mark, Ruiz finishing neatly after an intricate exchange between Achraf Hakimi and Dembele carved open the defence. Real, without the injured...

PSG 5 - 4 Bayern Munich Paris Saint-Germain edged a nine-goal thriller against Bayern Munich in Paris to take a narrow advantage in their Champions League semi-final. Author | Jack L Stadium |  Parc des Princes Five goals arrived in a breathless first half and the drama continued after the interval as the holders stretched into a three-goal lead. Bayern, already crowned Bundesliga champions and chasing a Treble, reduced the deficit to one to leave the tie finely poised ahead of the second leg in Munich. With the competition’s two most prolific sides meeting, it felt appropriate that a lively crowd witnessed such a high-quality, attack-minded contest. A closer analysis of what happened Having fallen behind to Harry Kane’s penalty after Luis Diaz was fouled by William Pacho, PSG responded with authority. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia cut in from the left and guided a fine effort into the far corner before Joao Neves headed the hosts in front. Bayern replied through a moment of individual br...

Chelsea 3 - 0 PSG Cole Palmer inspired a stunning Chelsea performance as they downed European champions PSG to win the Club World Cup. Author | Lauren W Stadium | MetLife Stadium The England attacking midfielder scored twice and set up a brilliant third goal for new signing Joao Pedro in a comprehensive 3-0 win over in-form PSG at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Palmer placed a low shot past goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma in the 22nd minute after Malo Gusto ran in behind Nuno Mendes, adding a second with a neat dummy and identical shot from the edge of the box just eight minutes later. His defence-splitting pass allowed Joao Pedro to lob Donnarumma just before half-time to stun a team branded the best in the world by Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca before kick-off. READ MORE | Visit London Super News for more reaction READ MORE | Full story of the controversial competition from Super News Affiliate   In the second half Khvicha Kvaratskhelia immediately tested Blues goalke...

Linares Deportivo 1 - 2 Barcelona: Copa Del Rey Barcelona survived a scare against lower league Linares as Dani Alves eventually marked his first Barca appearance in more than five years with a win.  Alves made his long-awaited second debut, having had to wait for the registration window to open following his signing a few months ago. La Liga news: Barcelona re-sign Dani Alves  The Spanish minnows took a shock half-time lead through a goal Hugo Diaz. It wasn't the best performance from Barcelona but goals from Ousmane Dembele and Ferran Jutgla spared them the shock and embarrassment of an exit in the early stages of the competition.  They started with a second-string line-up against a side 14th in the Primera Division Group 2, but boss Xavi had to make changes at the break. He brought on Dembele, Gerard Pique and Frenkie de Jong, to help turn the tie around. Reaction  This is how Xavi responded to the win. 🎙 Xavi's first reaction to the win #LinaresBarça ...

Another day and another lot of football gossip. As always, there's a lot going on. Premier League rumours Many reports indicate that Anthony Martial wants to leave Manchester United but he does not want to go out on loan to another English club. Barcelona, Sevilla and Juventus are three options for a January move. What legacy will Martial leave at Manchester if he does leave? Manchester United are reportedly targeting Aston Villa and Scotland midfielder John McGinn in the summer transfer window. They are also leading Juventus and Inter Milan in the race to sign Serbia midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic from Lazio, but the Serie A club will demand at least £66.8m. Newcastle United have offered a fee of around £25.1m for Atalanta striker Duvan Zapata. Another player linked with a move to Newcastle is Eden Hazard. He wants to leave Real Madrid, but is not interested in joining Newcastle, who have had a £41.3m bid for the 31-year-old accepted by the Spanish club.  Wolves winger Ada...

It will be Paris St-Germain v Liverpool in the Champions League last 16. The first of the two-legged tie will be the first time Liverpool have faced PSG since 2018-19. Author - William G The winners of that tie will face Aston Villa or Club Brugge in the quarter-finals. At one point, the French Champions looked to be heading out of the competition before a late run of form saw them finish 15th in the league phase.  They were defeated by Arsenal before a 4-2 victory over Manchester City set up an all-France knockout phase play-off with Brest which they won 10-0 on aggregate. The first leg will take place in Paris Liverpool will need a plan to deal with Ousmane Dembele. The former Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona forward is one of the in-form goalscorers in Europe right now, with six goals in this season's Champions League. Interestingly, Liverpool have not won any of their past five away games against French clubs, since a Champions League victory against Marseille in 2008. Click...

 PSG 0 - 1 Borussia Dortmund  Very few people would have predicted that Dortmund would reach the 2024 Champions League final.  You can watch the highlights of the match in the video below. Footage from TNT Sports YouTube account.  A closer look at what happened on the night Borussia Dortmund produced a sensational away performance to beat Paris St-Germain and reach their first Champions League final in over a decade. They held a 1-0 advantage following the first leg of the semi-final and doubled this lead when Mats Hummels headed in from Julian Brandt's left-wing corner. That goal came just after PSG has wasted a number of glorious chances. On one occasion, Warren Zaire-Emery volleyed against the post from close range early in the second half. The French champions hit the upright twice in the opening match in Germany and, after falling 2-0 behind on aggregate, again struck the post through Nuno Mendes. A potential lifeline was taken away from PSG They had been ...

Four years after the penalty shootout heartbreak against Argentina in the final in Qatar... Les Bleus look intent on putting that disappointment behind them and going all the way this time. Author | Jack L They squandered a host of chances against Sweden, finishing with 25 attempts on goal, their highest tally in a World Cup match since 1998. Even so, France have scored 13 goals in four matches in the United States and their attacking numbers are on another level. Watch | Highlights of France v Sweden on BBC Football Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele has been involved in six goals, scoring four and providing two assists, while Michael Olise has five assists and struck the post with a spectacular acrobatic effort. One player will be key again But in Kylian Mbappe they have a player at the peak of his powers, producing the kind of ruthless finishing that underlines why he is regarded as one of the world's finest forwards. The Real Madrid forward is level in the race for the Gold...

  Barcelona 1 - 4 PSG (Aggregate: 4-6) Kylian Mbappe scored twice as his Paris St-Germain side thrashed Barcelona to turn around a first-leg deficit and reach the semi-finals of the Champions League. You can watch the highlights of the match in the video below . Footage from the TNT Sports YouTube account. The French side had trailed 3-2 after the first leg but they reached the last four for the first time since 2021 after what can only be considered a chaotic encounter in Spain. PSG will face Borussia Dortmund in the semi-final after they beat Atletico Madrid 5-4 on aggregate in what was another thrilling encounter. Where did it go wrong for Barca? It was actually the Catalan side who struck first when Lamine Yamal drove down the pitch, beating Nuno Mendes and clipping over for former Leeds United star Raphinha to score. The Barcelona fans and players assumed it was all going according to plan. Things were to go very wrong in the second-half. Things started t...

Portugal 0 - 0 France France win 5-3 on penalties Theo Hernandez scored the decisive penalty for France after Portugal's Joao Felix hit the post in the shootout following a goalless draw, sending Didier Deschamps' team into the Euro 2024 semi-final against Spain. This time, there were no tears from Cristiano Ronaldo,  who had been overcome with emotion during Portugal's last-16 victory over Slovenia.  Despite converting his penalty, the 39-year-old's final Euros campaign ended in defeat. He was left to console his outstanding 41-year-old teammate Pepe at the end. Ronaldo was mostly on the periphery of what turned out to be a cautious match. Both teams had chances to win in the second half. France's Mike Maignan made sharp saves to deny Bruno Fernandes and Vitinha and then smothered Ronaldo's backheel attempt. At the other end, Randal Kolo Muani's shot was blocked by Ruben Dias, and Eduardo Camavinga missed from close range. Substitute Ousmane Dembele hit...

Just how good are the 2018 winners? France look increasingly like a side that will take something extraordinary to prevent them reaching a third consecutive World Cup final. Author | Jack L Les Bleus have negotiated a two-hour storm delay in Philadelphia, Didier Deschamps' absence for one match after he returned to France following the death of his mother, and Paraguay's disruptive tactics to book their place in the last eight. They have been one of the outstanding teams of the tournament, none more so than in their last 32 victory over Sweden, when they produced 25 attempts on goal. The ominous prospect for the rest of the field is that they still appear capable of raising their level even further. It is not simply about Kylian Mbappe, Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembele, who have combined for 20 goal involvements. France have not trailed at any stage of the competition. They have conceded only twice in five matches, once after opening up a 3-0 lead against Senegal and again whe...

The January transfer window is approaching.  As expected, the number of rumours about the latest transfers have exploded. Let's have a look at the best of them. Bundesliga Borussia Dortmund will look to put together a deal to try to persuade Norway striker Erling Braut Haaland to stay with them. The 21-year-old's future at the club set to be decided by the end of February.  Bayern Munich are interested in signing Leeds United's Raphinha. Despite rumours suggesting otherwise, it has been reported that no agreement has yet been made and he could easily end up signing for Liverpool. Premier League Newcastle United hope to complete a deal to bring in Atletico Madrid and England right-back Kieran Trippier next week and, after an injury to Callum Wilson, they will also try to sign a forward over the next few weeks.  Chelsea have asked about the availability of France left-back Theo Hernandez, who AC Milan will not consider selling for less than 60m euros. Wolfsburg's Max...

Bayern Munich 1 - 1 PSG (PSG won 6-5 on aggregate) Paris Saint-Germain set up a Champions League Final meeting with Arsenal after overcoming Bayern Munich Author | Ed Stadium | Allianz Arena The second leg of the semi-final did not reach the extraordinary heights of the first encounter in Paris, when Luis Enrique's holders established a 5-4 advantage before travelling to Munich. Harry Kane scored his 55th goal of the season deep into stoppage time for Bayern, but it offered little comfort on a night of deep frustration for Vincent Kompany's side. Replicating the breathtaking standards of the first leg was always likely to prove impossible, yet the contest still carried quality, intensity and chances at both ends. Watch | Highlights from PSG YouTube account PSG struck with their first meaningful attack After only three minutes, Georgian forward Khvicha Kvaratskhelia produced a brilliant run and cross for Ousmane Dembele to finish emphatically . Roared on by a fierce atmosphere, ...

Argentina  3 - 3 France (Argentina won 4-2 on penalties) Lionel Messi finally achieved his World Cup dream  Argentina won their third crown on penalties in one of the greatest finals in the tournament's history. Argentina won the shootout 4-2 after a spectacular game which developed into the much-anticipated confrontation between the 35-year-old maestro Messi and his France opposite number Kylian Mbappe. France's own superstar scored a hat-trick but still ended up on the losing side in Qatar. Photo credit -  Joseph Hollick | Flickr   Messi looked to be securing the one major honour missing from his glittering collection in comfort as Argentina were cruising with a two-goal lead. There was then an explosive intervention from Mbappe, who scored two goals inside two minutes late on. Messi had given Argentina the lead from the penalty spot in the 23rd minute following Ousmane Dembele's foul on Angel di Maria. It made him the first player in World Cup history to score...

It was a hard-fought win for France against Senegal Senegal famously beat Les Bleus in the opening match of the 2002 World Cup, with the late Papa Bouba Diop scoring the only goal in one of the greatest upsets in the tournament's history. Author | Jack L For long periods, the Lions of Teranga looked capable of producing another memorable result against the two-time champions, whose star-studded attacking quartet of Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue and Michael Olise struggled to find their rhythm before the interval. France managed only three touches inside the Senegal penalty area in the first half, while Mbappe found it difficult to influence proceedings. Didier Deschamps' side emerged with far greater intensity after the break. Doue dragged a shot wide within moments of the restart, while Olise and Mbappe were both denied by Edouard Mendy when sent clean through on goal. However, the former Chelsea goalkeeper could do little to stop Mbappe, 27, from taking centre s...