European Super Football

Japan 1 - 2 Sweden Another dramatic Women's World Cup encounter Sweden delivered an outstanding performance to secure a spot in the semi-finals against Spain, shattering Japan's hopes for success in the Women's World Cup. Japan were considered title contenders after advancing from the group stage and defeating Norway in the last 16. Women's World Cup: Sweden shock USA (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) 💫 @AmandaIlestedt 💫 pic.twitter.com/VfmjTxl8Ug — FIFA Women's World Cup (@FIFAWWC) August 11, 2023 In this match, Manchester City midfielder Filippa Angeldahl scored a penalty to double Sweden's lead. Japan were then awarded a controversial spot-kick. Riko Ueki's 76th-minute attempt hit the bar, before West Ham's Honoka Hayashi pulled a goal back in the 87th minute. That lifeline came moments after Aoba Fujino hit the woodwork from a free-kick, but Sweden saw the game out to make it into the last four. Arsenal defender Ilestedt has emerged as one of ...

 Sweden 0 - 0 USA (Sweden won 5-4 on penalties) USA are out of the Women's World Cup as they were stunned by Sweden on penalties in Melbourne. You can watch the highlights of the match in the YouTube video below.  Highlights: Sweden knock USA out after penalty shootout | Fifa Women's World Cup 2023 - YouTube The USA side dominated two hours of football but they were denied by a fantastic and inspired goalkeeping performance from Zecira Musovic as the match finished 0-0. The drama only increased in the shootout. Three USA players missed, including their footballing icon Megan Rapinoe on her last appearance on the world stage, before Sweden won in remarkable circumstances. USA keeper Alyssa Naeher appeared to have saved Lina Hurtig's effort at the second attempt, having pushed the initial effort up before clawing it out. After checking and consulting with VAR, referee Stephanie Frappart awarded the goal and sparked wild Sweden celebrations. 🌟 Our #SpotlightofTheDay sh...

Netherlands 1 - 1 Sweden The Netherlands and Sweden could not be separated as the two sides played out an entertaining draw in front of over 20,000 fans. This clash between two of the world's best teams always looked like being a tight affair and so it proved. Sweden pegged back by second-half Netherlands fightback https://t.co/2YMzMds2lx pic.twitter.com/FymZMW6LXf — My First Agent (@MyFirstAgent) July 10, 2022 The Netherlands, not helped by injuries to their first-choice goalkeeper Sari van Veenendaal and defender Aniek Nouwen, looked cagey and occasionally nervous in the opening 45 minutes. Sweden gave their opponents very few opportunities to attack while creating chances of their own. Check out the highlights in the video below. Footage from the BBC Sport YouTube account . They deservedly took the lead just before half-time when Kosovare Asllani's ball across the box found the unmarked Jonna Andersson, who fired across the goalkeeper and into the net. But the Nether...

Sweden 5 - 1 Northern Ireland Newcastle United forward Alexander Isak delivered a standout performance, scoring one goal and setting up another as Sweden cruised to a 5-1 victory over a young Northern Ireland side in Stockholm. Author - Paul Woods Stadium - Strawberry Arena Isak teed up Emil Holm for the opener in the seventh minute before Benjamin Nygren doubled the lead midway through the first half. Northern Ireland showed more fight after the break, but Sweden struck again when Ken Sema smashed in a rebound after Nygren’s flicked effort came back off the post. Isak then added his name to the scoresheet with a stunning strike from 25 yards into the top corner, before substitute Anthony Elanga tucked home a fifth at the back post. Northern Ireland did manage a late consolation when Isaac Price’s deflected strike from the edge of the box found the top corner, but it was little more than that. Attention now turns to June’s double-header before World Cup qualifying begins in Septemb...

England 4 - 0 Sweden A few words 24 hours after an amazing night in Sheffield. England reached their first major women's tournament final since 2009 in emphatic fashion as they put four past Olympic finalists Sweden at Euro 2022 in Sheffield. The Lionesses extended their unbeaten run to 19 games under manager Sarina Wiegman. It was a senstational match from start to finish in Sheffield as Sweden piled on the pressure in the opening 25 minutes. England quickly dismantled them with ruthless finishing and a touch of class. Substitute Alessia Russo once again produced a moment of magic when her instinctive backheel made it 3-0 to England only 11 minutes after her introduction. Check out some of the best reaction to that backheel: One fan told us: "That was amazing. The best moment of the tournament so far. Another tweeted: "Did that just happen? This Twitter user added: "Still not over the AUDACITY of this. Think women can’t play football? How about a backheel nutmeg...

 Spain 1 - 0 England The wait for England to win its first Women's World Cup title continues after Spain won the final in Sydney. In a game full of flair and creativity, the Spanish team outplayed the Lionesses, looking to become the first England senior team to win a World Cup since 1966. After a final corner kick was dealt with by Spain in the 14th minute of nerve-wracking stoppage time, England players fell to their knees in tears at the final whistle. In the first half, Spain's Olga Carmona scored the winning goal after England's Lucy Bronze lost possession in midfield. Women's World Cup 2023 news and stories After losing two consecutive World Cup finals, Sarina Wiegman introduced Lauren James and Chloe Kelly at half-time, but Spain maintained control. Earps, who won the Golden Glove award as best goalkeeper at the tournament, made several stunning saves, none better than from the penalty spot to deny Jenni Hermoso in the second half. She moved early to her left...

England 0 - 0 Nigeria England won 4-2 on penalties Despite a red card from Lauren James, England made it to the quarterfinals of the Women's World Cup. Georgia Stanway fired wide with the opening penalty but Nigeria missed their next two efforts and the European champions secured their spot in the last eight when Chloe Kelly smashed in the winning kick. After losing possession, James stamped on Michelle Alozie's back in the 87th minute and was rightfully shown a red card by the video assistant referee (VAR). England were given an almighty scare but face Colombia or Jamaica next on Saturday. England stumble over the line but ultimately succeed England stumbled to the end of normal time lacking the fluidity they showed in abundance in the impressive display against China and held on to seal the deal in a shootout. Only 24 hours earlier, back-to-back champions the USA were knocked out of the competition, and England were forced to show resilience to overcome arguably the most ...

 England 2 - 1 Colombia As they came from behind against a dangerous Colombia side, England set up a  Women's World Cup semi-final with co-hosts Australia. Despite not playing their best football in the tournament, the European champions showed a much more rounded performance in Sydney in front of a hostile crowd. After goalkeeper Mary Earps had been beaten by a quick-thinking lob in the first half, the Lionesses capitalised on two slices of luck after being composed in defence and hard-working in attack. After Colombia goalkeeper Catalina Perez spilled a routine gather in the six-yard area under pressure from Alessia Russo, Lauren Hemp poked in the equalizer just seven minutes after Leicy Santos had caught out Earps. Russo, who had only scored once in four World Cup matches before Saturday's quarter-final, worked tirelessly out of possession, pounced on a kind deflection to score England's second goal. As Colombia's attacking line-up included Real Madrid's tee...

 England 2 - 1 Germany (After Extra Time) This was the day when football came home. Let's look back at a dramatic day in London. Match report England created history by winning their first major women's tournament in a dramatic Euro 2022 final against old rivals and eight-time champions Germany at Wembley. Substitute Chloe Kelly got what proved to be the winner after she poked home a loose ball from a corner to send the record crowd of 87,192 wild with ten minutes of extra time remaining. There was a short wait before a VAR check confirmed the goal. She then off her shirt and waved it around her head while being lifted by her teammates in a moment of pure elation. Sarina Wiegman's side showed they were equal to anything a physical German team threw at them. Earlier on the day, Toone had come off the bench to score the opener in normal time before Germany's Lina Magull set up a nervous ending when she equalised. There were scenes of jubilation in the stands. There wa...

 England 2 - 1 Spain Is it coming home? England are through to the semi-finals of the European Women's Championship after coming from behind to beat pre-tournament favourites Spain in extra time. Georgia Stanway sent the Amex Stadium crazy when she thumped in the winner after Sarina Wiegman's side had trailed up until the 84th minute of normal time. Football's Coming Home broke out in the stands as Stanway sprinted over to the corner to celebrate, with England leading for the first time after 95 minutes. Watch the highlights of the match in the video below. Footage from BBC Sport  Highlights: England into semis after extra-time win over Spain | BBC Sport - YouTube Substitute Ella Toone had volleyed in Manchester United team-mate Alessia Russo's flick-on to cancel out Esther Gonzalez's opener, setting up a nervous ending in stoppage time. England had momentum on their side and capitalised as the crowd in Brighton were on their feet, while Spain continued to threa...

It's time to explore another football icon. Henrik Larsson is a Swedish professional football coach and former player, formerly an assistant manager of Barcelona.  Larsson celebrating a goal for Celtic in 2005. The start of a wonderful career. Playing as a striker, Larsson began his career with Högaborgs BK. In 1992, he moved to Helsingborg IF where in his first season his partnership up front with Mats Magnusson helped the club win promotion  after over 20 seasons in the lower tiers.  He moved to Feyenoord in November 1993, staying for four years before leaving in 1997. During his time in the Dutch Eredivisie, he won two KNVB Cups with Feyenoord. Trevor Stolk told us: "He should have stayed with us for much longer. Look at what he did for Celtic. He could have achieved that with us if he'd stayed longer." Larsson also broke into the Swedish national football team and helped them finish in third place at the 1994 World Cup. He was gaining a lot of fans but whe...

In the middle of some great football action across Europe, let's have a look at some of the latest gossip. West Ham United manager David Moyes is set to make a final bid to sign Burnley defender James Tarkowski with the 29-year-old English centre-back due to become a free agent in the summer. West Ham will be determined to keep growing their squad as they continue in their quest to join the Premier League elite.  Manchester City's Spain forward Ferran Torres, 21, has submitted a transfer request with Barcelona interested. Barca have also been linked with Raheem Sterling in recent days. Fiorentina have put a £55m price tag on Serbia striker Dusan Vlahovic in a bid to hold off interest from Manchester United - but the 21-year-old is not expected to make any move in January. Would the Serbian be a good signing for the Old Trafford club? Alexandre Lacazette has said his agents are considering variety of options. The 30-year-old France striker's contract expires at Arsenal in ...

More transfer news from Old Trafford and Goodison Park Everton have turned down a second offer from Manchester United, this time around £45m, for their defender Jarrad Branthwaite . Last month, the Toffees also rejected a £35m bid from United for the 22-year-old England international. It's believed that United's revised offer included potential additional payments if certain targets were achieved. This still falls short of Everton's valuation. Branthwaite has shone as a left-sided central defender at Goodison Park, playing a crucial role in helping the Merseyside club avoid relegation last season despite two points deductions for breaching financial loss rules. United are eager to bolster their central defence options and have been in talks over Bayern Munich's Matthijs de Ligt , who is currently representing the Netherlands at Euro 2024. With Raphael Varane having left the club, there has been no confirmation yet of a new one-year deal for veteran Northern Ireland ...

Iceland 1 - 1 France Iceland saw their Euro 2022 tournament come to an end, despite snatching a late draw against France as Belgium won in the other group game to claim second place in Group D. Dagny Brynjarsdottir converted a penalty in the 12th minute of stoppage time after a spot kick was awarded by the Video Assistant Referee following a tangle inside the area. However, Belgium's 1-0 win against Italy meant it counted for nothing as Iceland finished a point behind them in third place. You can watch highlights in the video below. Footage from BBC Sport.  BBC Sport - YouTube   A much-changed France side made the perfect start in this game as they took the lead after just 46 seconds when Melvine Malard struck, stroking home from Clara Mateo's pass. That scoreline was still enough to see Iceland go through, provided the other game ended goalless, but that hope was extinguished when Tine de Caigny gave Belgium victory against Italy.  A disappointing end to the tourname...

The shortlist for Ballon d'Or 2022  has been announced, and there have been some interesting developments. Let's take a look at some of the talking points. No Messi and Neymar! Lionel Messi and Neymar have not been included on the 30-man shortlist for the 2022 Ballon d'Or. The Argentina international has won the most Ballons d'Or in history with seven, but he did not make the list despite scoring 11 goals in 34 matches for Paris Saint-Germain last season. His team-mate Neymar is also not on the list. He played just 28 times for PSG last season in an injury-hit campaign. Kylian Mbappe does make the list. Recognition for the Lionesses  England's Euro 2022 success has been recognised. Millie Bright, Beth Mead and Lucy Bronze have been nominated for the women's Ballon d'Or, awarded to the best female footballer of 2022. Women's Euro 2022: England win after dramatic final (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) Who could win it? Real Madrid's Karim Benzema, ...

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 ...

Manchester United's plans for the new season appear to be going well. The Red Devils have signed French defender Leny Yoro from Lille on a contract until 2029.  The deal is valued at €62 million (£52.18m), with an additional €8 million (£6.73m) in potential add-ons. The 18-year-old centre-back has committed to a five-year stay at Old Trafford, with an option to extend for another 12 months. Yoro, who debuted for Lille at 16, had attracted interest from Real Madrid, Paris St-Germain, and Liverpool. Last season, he made 32 league appearances, scored two goals, and was instrumental in helping Lille secure fourth place in Ligue 1 . His performances earned him a spot in the Ligue 1 Team of the Season. In total, Yoro played 44 matches across all competitions for Lille, reaching the quarter-finals of the Europa Conference League, where they were narrowly defeated on penalties by Aston Villa. Yoro's signing follows Manchester United's recent acquisition of forward Joshua Zirkz...

 The much anticipated ninth FIFA Women’s World Cup is almost upon us. The tournament kicks off on July 20th and will debut an expanded 32-team format, resulting in a full month of top-flight international football. There is bound to be some world class on display from all the teams taking part. ☄️🇩🇪 Giulia Gwinn knows how to hit them! #FIFAWWC | #HBD pic.twitter.com/1X6uXyFfTw — FIFA Women's World Cup (@FIFAWWC) July 2, 2023 It will take place in two countries: Australia and New Zealand. The matches will be held at 10 stadiums in nine cities across these two nations. Only Sydney will offer two venues, the Sydney Football Stadium and Stadium Australia. The final will be held at Stadium Australia. A full list of the teams that have qualified Australia, China, Japan, Philippines, South Korea and Vietnam qualified to represent AFC (Asia). Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, and Zambia qualified from CAF (Africa). Canada, Costa Rica, Haiti, Jamaica, Panama and the USA represent CONCAC...

Zlatan Ibrahimović is a former professional footballer who recently played as a striker for Serie A club AC Milan and the Sweden national team.  He is widely regarded as one of the greatest strikers of all time. Ibrahimović is one of the most decorated active footballers in the world, having won 31 trophies in his career.  He has scored over 570 career goals, including more than 500 club goals, and has scored in each of the last four decades. Let's take a look at his career. The start of a decorated career Ibrahimović began his career at Malmö FF in 1999, and signed for Ajax two years later. At Ajax, he gained a reputation as one of the most promising forwards in Europe, and departed two years later to sign for Juventus.  Shining in Italy He excelled in Serie A in a strike partnership with David Trezeguet, before joining domestic rivals Inter Milan in 2006, where he won was Serie A top scorer in 2008–09 and won three consecutive Serie A titles.  An interesting se...

England 8 - 0 Norway England produced an incredible performance against rivals Norway as they progressed to the knockout stages of the European Women's Championship. Brighton was treated to an amazing night as England broke their own tournament record to win 8-0 in what was originally perceived to be their biggest test of the group stages. Norway were outplayed, outclassed and completely stunned by an England team oozing confidence. It was some performance against a side ranked 11th in the world. After an underwhelming opening victory over Austria, England started in slightly cagey fashion but, after Georgia Stanway slotted in a 12th-minute penalty, there was only one winner. Reaction England manager Sarina Wiegman told the media: "We kept playing the way we did in the second half when we were already up 6-0. I’m just really happy with the performance of the whole team." England forward Alessia Russo spoke with BBC Two. She added: "Tonight was really special. Maybe...