European Super Football

Slovakia 1 - 2 Ukraine Roman Yaremchuk scored a decisive goal for Ukraine, securing a comeback victory against Slovakia, keeping their Euro 2024 hopes alive.  The Valencia striker found the net just 13 minutes after coming on, deftly controlling Mykola Shaparenko’s pass and slipping the ball past Slovakia’s keeper, Martin Dubravka, into the bottom corner. Slovakia initially took the lead in the 17th minute through Ivan Schranz, who netted his second goal in consecutive games. However, Ukraine equalised in the 54th minute when Shaparenko converted Oleksandr Zinchenko’s cross. Yaremchuk then clinched the victory ten minutes before full-time, marking Ukraine’s first comeback win at the Euros since 2012 . Ukraine’s performance was a game of two halves. Despite a shaky start, the team created numerous chances. Goalkeeper Anatolii Trubin, stepping in for Andriy Lunin , made several crucial saves early on, denying Lukas Haraslin and Schranz. He also managed to keep out David Hancko’...

England 2 - 1 Slovakia Jude Bellingham saved England from an early exit in Euro 2024 against Slovakia on Sunday with a breathtaking equaliser in the 95th minute.  Harry Kane then secured their place in the quarterfinals with a winner early in extra time, sealing a 2-1 victory. Slovakia started the match much brighter and gave England several warnings before Ivan Schranz skillfully placed the ball past goalkeeper Jordan Pickford in the 25th minute. England, who will next face Switzerland, had a history of comebacks in their last three Euro matches where they conceded first, including the previous tournament's semifinal. They thought they had equalised shortly after the break, but Phil Foden was clearly offside before he tapped the ball into the net. Kane, unusually, headed a Foden free kick wide, and Declan Rice hit the post as Slovakia were pushed deep into their own half. However, England seemed to lack confidence, and their fans grew increasingly frustrated. Bellingham, cele...

Northern Ireland 2 - 0 Slovakia Northern Ireland moved level at the top of their World Cup qualifying group after a thoroughly deserved win over Slovakia. Author | Mark Lee Stadium | Windsor Park An own goal from Patrik Hrehovsky put them ahead in the first half, before Trai Hume sealed the result with his first international goal late in the second half. Ultimately, Slovakia didn't deserve anything; Northern Ireland were streets ahead of them. Closer analysis of what happened The hosts began brightly, though clear chances were at a premium until Conor Bradley and Ethan Galbraith combined neatly down the right. Galbraith’s low cross was diverted into his own net by Hrosovsky, giving Northern Ireland a deserved lead. Jamie Reid should have doubled it shortly before half-time but blazed over from close range on his weaker foot. Slovakia were largely subdued and had to wait until the 52nd minute for a real sight of goal, with Bailey Peacock-Farrell reacting sharply to push away Ma...

Belgium 2 - 0 Romania Kevin De Bruyne led Belgium to a crucial Euro 2024 victory with an exceptional performance in a thrilling match against Romania in Cologne. Belgium, under pressure in Group E after losing their first game to Slovakia, delivered an outstanding attacking display, proving why they are among the favourites in Germany. In a vibrant and colourful atmosphere, Youri Tielemans' low shot put Belgium ahead just 73 seconds into the game, setting the stage for numerous scoring opportunities. Belgium and De Bruyne were unstoppable. The Manchester City midfielder secured the victory with a close-range goal after 79 minutes, leaving Group E finely balanced with all four teams on three points each. Romelu Lukaku was unlucky to have a goal disallowed by the  Video Assistant Referee,  who ruled him offside from De Bruyne’s perfect pass. After the disappointing defeat to Slovakia, Belgium responded impressively in a lively and action-packed encounter on Saturday. Tiele...

Ukraine 0 -  0 Belgium Belgium advanced to the knockout stages of Euro 2024 as group runners-up, while Ukraine bowed out of the competition after a goalless draw in Stuttgart. All four teams in Group E began the evening on equal points, each with a shot at progressing. Ukraine's chances were hampered by an inferior goal difference, meaning their fate hinged on the outcome of Slovakia's match against Romania, which ended 1-1. Despite limiting Belgium to few chances, Ukraine struggled to mount a consistent attacking threat until the latter stages of the game. Leicester City's Wout Faes stood out in Belgium's defence, making two crucial blocks late on to deny Artem Dovbyk a shot at goalkeeper Koen Casteels. With Chelsea forward Mykhailo Mudryk injured, Roman Yaremchuk served as Ukraine's sporadic attacking outlet, while Ruslan Malinovskyi almost curled a corner past Casteels and inside the near post. Manchester City's Kevin de Bruyne added a touch of class for Bel...

Germany 3 - 1 Northern Ireland Northern Ireland produced a determined display but could not prevent Germany from claiming a first win in their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign. Author | Ed Stadium | RheinEnergieSTADION The under-pressure hosts took an early lead in the seventh minute through Serge Gnabry, but on a tense night in Cologne, Isaac Price's volley 11 minutes before half-time brought Northern Ireland back on level terms against Julian Nagelsmann's side. Northern Ireland held firm until the 69th minute, when Nadiem Amiri took advantage of a rare lapse at the back before a curling free-kick from Liverpool's Florian Wirtz made it 3-1. Closer analysis of what happened Coming off three successive defeats, including Thursday's 2-0 loss in Slovakia to begin their Group A campaign, Germany could hardly have hoped for a stronger start. A heavy touch from centre-back Eoin Toal allowed Newcastle United's new signing Nick Woltemade to nip in and steal the ball, ...

Czech Republic 1 - 3 England Harvey Elliott set England Under-21s on course for a winning start as the reigning champions opened their European Championship defence with a composed victory over the Czech Republic in Slovakia. Author | George B Stadium | MOL Aréna Despite a string of withdrawals in the lead-up to the tournament, head coach Lee Carsley named an adventurous line-up for the Young Lions’ opener. England broke the deadlock six minutes before half-time. Tino Livramento, a lively presence down the left, saw his cross deflected into the box where captain James McAtee laid it off for Elliott, who finished with a crisp low drive. Livramento was central again for the second, gliding past his marker before delivering a low ball that brushed Jonathan Rowe en route to beating goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek. The Czechs responded swiftly through Daniel Fila, who nodded in Vaclav Sejk’s chipped cross just moments later. But England reasserted control and sealed the result 14 minutes from...

Luxembourg 1 - 3 Northern Ireland Northern Ireland began their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign with a win over Luxembourg. Author | Alan White Stadium | Stade de Luxembourg Jamie Reid gave the visitors the lead in the eighth minute, but Luxembourg deservedly equalised through Aiman Dardari after half an hour. Michael O'Neill 's side were much improved after the break and earned victory thanks to first international goals from Shea Charles and Justin Devenny with Luxembourg's Seid Korac shown a second yellow in between. This was a hard-fought three points and gives Northern Ireland a positive start to their campaign on a night where Slovakia beat Germany and potentially gave O'Neill's side more hopes of qualifying.  A closer look at what happened Northern Ireland started on the front foot and twice tested goalkeeper Anthony Moris in the opening three minutes. It was in the build-up to the second opportunity, when Reid was through on goal, that ref...

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 ...

Belgium 4 - 3 Wales Wales produced a stirring fightback in Brussels, recovering from three goals down to draw level with Belgium, only for Kevin De Bruyne to strike late and hand Craig Bellamy his first defeat as manager Author | Mark Milward Stadium | Stade Roi Baudouin Belgium raced into a 3-0 lead inside the opening half-hour, with Romelu Lukaku converting from the penalty spot before Youri Tielemans capped a sweeping move and Jeremy Doku added a dazzling third, cutting inside and drilling into the bottom corner. For Wales, it threatened to be a repeat of the 4-0 defeat by Slovakia a year ago that brought an end to Rob Page’s tenure.  But this team, under Bellamy, has shown greater resolve. A penalty from Harry Wilson shortly before the break gave them a foothold, and the comeback gathered pace in the second half. READ MORE | World Cup Qualifying match reports READ MORE | Stories from across Belgium Wilson turned provider to set up Sorba Thomas, who finished coolly for ...

England 1 - 2 Spain It just wasn't meant to be for England. England's hopes of ending 58 years of pain and disappointment were dashed as they lost to Spain in the Euro 2024 final at Berlin's Olympiastadion. Gareth Southgate's team suffered heartbreak once again, falling to a late goal by Mikel Oyarzabal, which left them unable to end the long wait for success for the men's team in a second consecutive European Championship final. Spain took the lead just two minutes into the second half when Lamine Yamal set up Nico Williams, who beat England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford with a powerful low shot. England's captain, Harry Kane, struggled to find form and was substituted after an hour. Cole Palmer, who came on for Kobbie Mainoo, briefly revived hopes of a comeback with a composed left-footed strike in the 73rd minute. However, Spain ultimately clinched victory, as Oyarzabal converted Marc Cucurella' s cross four minutes from time, leaving England once again...

Luxembourg v Northern Ireland preview Northern Ireland will begin another World Cup qualifying campaign with an away game in Luxembourg. Author | Mark Lee Stadium | Stade de Luxembourg The 2026 World Cup will arrive 40 years after Northern Ireland last graced football’s biggest stage, and a decade since their memorable run at Euro 2016 . In the years since, progress has been limited, but the introduction of younger players and a recent Nations League group victory have injected fresh belief. Qualification rules may also work in their favour, with Nations League winners who do not finish in the top two of their groups handed another route into the finals. READ MORE |  Wales resume their attempt to reach the World Cup Michael O’Neill’s side have taken seven wins from their last 15 matches, including a 1-0 friendly victory over Iceland in June, a sign of steady progress under the manager who guided them to France in 2016. While qualifying began for most of Europe back in March,...

England 1 - 1 Switzerland England win 5-3 on penalties Trent Alexander-Arnold fired home the winning penalty after Cole Palmer, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, and Ivan Toney had all kept their composure.  Jordan Pickford had previously set the tone by saving Switzerland's first penalty from Akanji, securing a tense shoot-out victory. England, who will now face the Netherlands in the semi-finals on Wednesday, had been at risk of a premature exit from the tournament in normal time. Breel Embolo had put Switzerland ahead in the 75th minute, sneaking past Kyle Walker to tap in Dan Ndoye's deflected cross from close range. Saka equalised shortly afterwards with a superb curling finish in off the post from outside the box, marking England's first shot on target. Gareth Southgate's side struggled during extra-time, enduring nerve-wracking moments as Xherdan Shaqiri hit the woodwork directly from a corner and Zeki Amdouni's shot was parried. The Three Lions find a way ag...

Various nations have discovered their opponents for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers following a draw in Zurich. Are you happy with the draw? Author - Mark Lee England, now led by new head coach Thomas Tuchel, will face Serbia, Albania, Latvia, and Andorra in their group. Wales find themselves up against familiar rivals Belgium, alongside North Macedonia, Kazakhstan, and Liechtenstein. Scotland’s group includes Greece, Belarus, and the loser of the Portugal v Denmark Nations League quarter-final, while Northern Ireland will take on Slovakia, Luxembourg, and the winner of the Germany v Italy Nations League clash. Matches will take place over five international breaks from March to November 2025. Group winners will secure automatic qualification for the World Cup, hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico, with runners-up heading into play-offs. Scotland and Northern Ireland, drawn in smaller four-team groups, will start their campaigns in September. Meanwhile, Scotland also face Greece in ...

Walsall 0 - 3 Aston Villa Two first-half goals from Morgan Rogers helped Aston Villa open their pre-season schedule with a 3-0 victory at Walsall. Rogers scored in the 21st minute after receiving a quick free-kick from summer signing Ross Barkley and calmly finishing. He then doubled his tally with a tidy finish on the turn from a corner shortly after the half-hour mark. This put Villa in control against the Saddlers. The Villa boss Unai Emery changed the entire team at the interval . New arrivals Kosta Nedeljković, Samuel Iling Jr and Enzo Barrenechea were all introduced. A host of youngsters featured throughout at the Poundland Bescot Stadium. It took Villa time to get going again in the second half on the front foot and Walsall created several half-chances. Villa eventually started to pose a threat at the other end. It was one of those youngsters in Louie Barry who converted a third for the visitors from close range in the 90th minute from Iling Jr’s low cross. Aston Villa c...