European Super Football

Switzerland 2 - 0 Italy Switzerland delivered an impressive performance, defeating Italy 2-0 in Berlin and knocking the defending champions out of Euro 2024. Luciano Spalletti had made six changes to the Italian starting line-up in search of a winning formula, but it was clear from the start that Switzerland were the superior team. Breel Embolo nearly broke the deadlock before Remo Freuler opened the scoring. Switzerland dominated possession, having over 60% of the ball and creating eight of the first nine shots on goal. Their persistence eventually paid off when Ruben Vargas set up Freuler, who became the sixth different scorer for Switzerland in the tournament. Just 27 seconds into the second half, it got even better. Vargas found the back of the net with a stunning strike. Italy lost possession from the kick-off, and Vargas curled his shot past PSG's Gianluigi Donnarumma into the top corner. Italy struggled to respond, their best chance coming when Fabian Schar headed agains

Hungary 1 - 3 Switzerland Switzerland fought hard to secure a victory over Hungary, marking a successful start to their Euro 2024 campaign in Cologne.  Kwadwo Duah, a surprise inclusion by manager Murat Yakin, scored his first international goal, followed by Michel Aebischer doubling the lead just before half-time. Hungary's Barnabas Varga gave his team hope with 30 minutes remaining, expertly converting Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai's perfectly weighted cross past Yann Sommer. Substitute Breel Embolo sealed the win in stoppage time with a delightful lob over Peter Gulacsi. A closer look at what happened From the outset, Yakin's team controlled possession, leaving Hungary with little to show in attack during the first half. London-born Duah, having played only 45 minutes for Switzerland before this match, was brilliantly set up by Aebischer and finished neatly past Gulacsi in the 12th minute. Just before the break, left wing-back Aebischer cut in on his right

Switzerland 1 - 1 Germany Substitute Niclas Füllkrug saved the day for Germany with a late equaliser, ensuring a 1-1 draw with Switzerland and securing the top spot in Group A. Switzerland looked set to progress to the last 16 as group winners after Dan Ndoye's early strike, but Füllkrug's header changed the narrative. The goal ignited celebrations among the German fans behind the goal, as their team preserved their unbeaten record in Euro 2024. For Switzerland, it was a heartbreaking turn of events after they had defended valiantly for over 90 minutes. Nevertheless, they advance to the knockout stages. Murat Yakin's side knew a win would see them surpass Germany, and they almost achieved this feat in Frankfurt, only to succumb to the relentless pressure in stoppage time. Germany had largely frustrated their home supporters with a lacklustre performance, but a late surge of opportunities finally bore fruit. Earlier, Swiss fans were jubilant, celebrating Ndoye’s superb f

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

 The Women's World Cup has started! There has been some great action on display already, let's explore some of the interesting stories that are already developing. Before the tournament started, we published this preview:  Women's World Cup: Preview (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) Spain 3 - 0 Costa Rica Spain dominated Costa Rica in their Women's World Cup opener in Wellington. They took the lead through Valeria del Campo's own goal, followed by Aitana Bonmati's second goal two minutes later. After Jennifer Hermoso headed against the crossbar, Esther Gonzalez added a third after Daniela Solera saved a penalty. Spain scored three goals despite several fine saves from Solera and Olga Carmona.Their dominance was evident in the match stats, as they attempted 46 shots at goal, including 12 on target, while Costa Rica, ranked 36th in the world, only attempted one shot. You can find more Spanish football news here Additionally, Spain had 80% possession and 22 corner

England 2 - 1 Switzerland Harry Kane is now level with Sir Bobby Charlton on 49 England goals as England came from behind to beat Switzerland in a friendly at Wembley. The home side were grateful for the excellence of goalkeeper Jordan Pickford in the first half but they still fell behind when Breel Embolo's England were second best to the confident Swiss but were handed a route back into the game when Fabian Frei's error ended with Luke Shaw providing an emphatic finish for England's equaliser in first-half stoppage time. Marc Guehi, Kyle Walker-Peters and Tyrick Mitchell all made their debuts as England completed the turnaround with 12 minutes left when Kane scored from the spot after VAR adjudged that Steven Zuber had  handled from a corner. Kane scored with his usual expertise and now stands just four goals behind England's record marksman Wayne Rooney. Reaction England manager Gareth Southgate told Sky Sports: "Really good test, we know they are a very g

Let's have a look at all the reaction from a busy night of international football as England and Scotland both won Moldova 0 - 2 Scotland Scotland clinched a  play-off place with a match to spare thanks to a fairly comfortable win away in Moldova. Nathan Patterson calmed Scottish nerves with his first Scotland goal. He then teed up Che Adams to make it 2-0. Scotland head coach Steve Clarke told Sky Sports: "It was a good performance, aggressive going forward and trying to create chances. "A lot of shots but only two goals. The penalty could have made it nervy but when you need him, Craig [Gordon] is always there. All focus is Denmark now." England 5 - 0 Albania England now require only a point from their final match against minnows San Marino to confirm their place at the 2022 World Cup.  Harry Kane led the romp with a first-half hat-trick as England made light work of Albania. Harry Maguire and Jordan Henderson scored the others. England's Kyle Walker tweeted:

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

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

Germany 2 - 0 Hungary Jamal Musiala was on form again as Germany continued their strong start to Euro 2024 with a win over Hungary, securing their spot in the knockout stages in the process. There was a fantastic atmosphere pre match in Stuggart.  The Bayern Munich forward was impressive throughout the match, scoring midway through the first half and nearly netting another with a powerful shot that just missed the post. He received a standing ovation when he was substituted late in the second half. Hungary were unhappy with the opening goal, claiming Ilkay Gundogan fouled defender Willi Orban before setting up Musiala to score . However, a video assistant referee (VAR) review upheld the decision, allowing Musiala and his teammates to celebrate in front of the Hungarian supporters. Hungary thought they had equalised just before half-time, but Roland Sallai’s header from a rebound was ruled offside. Germany extended their lead in the second half when former Manchester City player Gu

 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

 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

Germany 2 - 0 Denmark Euro 2024 hosts Germany advanced to the quarter-finals by defeating Denmark.  The game at Borussia Dortmund's Westfalenstadion was dramatically interrupted for about 20 minutes towards the end of the first half due to a spectacular storm, with lightning illuminating the sky and hail and heavy rain drenching the pitch. Current scenes in Dortmund. #EURO2024 https://t.co/gJjIQ72CSW pic.twitter.com/ZrhJuu9ukM — European Super Football (@ESFootballNews) June 29, 2024 Several crucial video assistant referee (VAR) decisions were to have a huge impact on what happened next. Germany's Nico Schlotterbeck had previously had a header ruled out by VAR, and Denmark saw Joachim Andersen’s goal disallowed in the second half due to Thomas Delaney being marginally offside. Germany celebrated when another VAR decision went in their favour, leading to referee Michael Oliver awarding a penalty for handball against the unfortunate Andersen. You'd have to argue that it p

There will be some international football this summer Let's look ahead to UEFA Women's Euro 2022 The 2022 UEFA European Women's Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Women's Euro 2022, will be the 13th edition of the UEFA Women's Championship, the quadrennial international football championship organised by UEFA for the women's national teams of Europe. It will be the second edition since the number of teams increased to 16.  𝗛𝗔𝗟𝗙 𝗔 𝗠𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗞𝗘𝗧𝗦 𝗦𝗢𝗟𝗗 🎟️ 🎉 Record-breaking sales 🎉 More than double #WEURO2017 🎉 Purchasers across 99 countries Don't miss out - get yours now! 👇 #WEURO2022 — UEFA Women's EURO 2022 (@WEURO2022) July 1, 2022 The final tournament will be hosted by England and was originally scheduled to take place from 7 July to 1 August 2021. England last hosted the tournament in 2005. The  Netherlands will be the defending champions, and Northern Ireland will participate in a UEFA Women's Eu

Let's look at some of the best matches and moments of 2021. England v Italy - Euro 2020 final It was so close to coming home. England had a superb tournament but came unstuck in a penalty shootout in the final. The gradual return of crowds throughout the competition meant a special atmosphere.  Italy's triumph was perhaps unexpected despite their wonderful run of form throughout recent history, Southgate and England went one better than their semi-final spot in the 2018 World Cup. Can they finally win their first trophy since 1966 in Qatar 2022? Another notable mention from the tournament was France 3-3 Switzerland. The 2018 World Cup winners were knocked out after an enthralling match. Chelsea v Manchester City - Champions League final Another all English final. Manchester City were desperate to win their first Champions League title but it never really happened for them on the night. Back in May, Greater Manchester took a detailed look at some of the best reaction from th

England  1 - 0 Haiti In their opening Women's World Cup game against Haiti, England did what they needed to do - win. The European champions were lacklustre and wasteful in their 1-0 victory, struggling to put away the chances they created while looking occasionally sloppy in defence. Haiti proved why they are in Australia among the 32 best teams in the world with a fearless performance that tested Sarina Wiegman's side. Georgia Stanway's penalty gave England a crucial three points - and it was just the third time in six World Cup appearances they had won their first match. Women's World Cup: Spain and Switzerland start with a win (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) Women's World Cup: Preview (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) Their most recent matches were against Portugal and Australia, and they did little to generate momentum against Haiti. There were 44,000 people in attendance, including many ex-pats living in Brisbane, supporting the English team, but Haiti did

 Croatia 1 - 1 Italy Mattia Zaccagni scored in the final minute of stoppage time, ensuring that Italy progresses to the last 16 of Euro 2024 with a late equaliser against Croatia. Amazing pre match atmosphere before Italy and Croatia went to battle Luka Modric thought he had secured a victory for Croatia as he scored early in the second half. This came after he had a penalty saved, but Croatia's swift response to that setback appeared to be enough for them. However, Italy levelled in stoppage time when Zaccagni scored in the 98th minute, securing their spot in the last 16 alongside group winners Spain. The result was heartbreaking for Croatia, who had been minutes away from progressing. It is now unlikely that their two points will be enough to secure a place as one of the best third-placed teams. As a result of all this drama, Italy will face Switzerland in the last 16 on Saturday, 29th June. Croatia’s players collapsed to the ground at the final whistle, while their fans sto

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

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

Eduardo Camavinga is a midfielder that currently plays for Real Madrid and the French national team.  Like all the players in our Young and European series, Camavinga is a player well thought of across the continent. Can he also play a key part in the Qatar World Cup? Young and European: The up and coming stars looking to impress in Qatar (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) Development at Rennes 👶 Youngest player for Rennes 👶 Youngest player for France since 1914 👶 Youngest goalscorer for France since 1914 Eduardo Camavinga turns 18 today 🎂 pic.twitter.com/CcC5jnBzK6 — GOAL (@goal) November 10, 2020 Camavinga joined the Rennes' youth system aged 11. He signed his first professional contract on 14 December 2018, at the age of 16 years and one month and became the youngest ever professional for the club. His professional debut for Rennes in a 3–3 Ligue 1 tie with Angers in April 2019. A few months later, he was awarded the man of the match award in a 2–1 win against Paris Saint