European Super Football

VAR: What is it good for? Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology has been a controversial addition to football matches since its introduction in the UK.  Those in favour of the technology believe that VAR has helped ensure fair play by reviewing crucial decisions like goals, penalties, and red card incidents. It was essentially brought in to reduce human error and increase the accuracy of refereeing decisions. However, critics often point out the disruptions caused by VAR reviews. They say this slows down the pace of the game and diminishes the spontaneity and emotional intensity of football. Many fans and players have expressed frustration with VAR's impact on the flow of matches and the subjective nature of some decisions. What is the debate focused on?  The debate has now been going on for four years. Back in 2020, then SkySports pundit Danny Murphy argued against it. The footage below is from the SkySports YouTube account. It has become an integral part of modern foo

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

Manchester United 1 - 0 Aston Villa Scott McTominay's early header proved enough for Manchester United to beat Aston Villa at Old Trafford. McTominay was allowed to run into the Villa six-yard box, where he met Fred's superb cross to steer the ball past Emiliano Martinez. This meant Villa boss and former Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard faced an unhappy return to Manchester, where he was baited by the home supporters. Some have argued that the result was harsh on Gerrard and his Villa side.  VAR controversy The controversial moment of the game came with an offside and VAR decision in the second-half.  Villa put the ball in the back of the net but what followed was a lengthy wait for the video assistant referee to ask Michael Oliver to make the final decision by consulting the screen. After a delay of several minutes, the referee eventually ruled Jacob Ramsey was offside, saying that he had impeded Edinson Cavani in the build-up. What did you think of the decision? Watch

Crystal Palace 0 - 0 Everton The FA Cup third round weekend started with a rather boring 0-0 draw between Palace and Everton. The game wasn't without controversy though. Everton have lodged an appeal against the red card given to Dominic Calvert-Lewin during their goalless draw against Crystal Palace in the FA Cup third-round.  If the appeal is unsuccessful, Calvert-Lewin could miss not only the third-round replay but also upcoming Premier League fixtures against Aston Villa and Fulham. The striker is facing a three-match ban due to his dismissal following a sliding challenge on Nathaniel Clyne, as determined by a VAR review during the second half. More VAR news and stories Referee Chris Kavanagh initially did not award a free-kick, but after reviewing the incident on the pitchside monitor, he deemed there was enough contact with Clyne's shin to warrant Calvert-Lewin's dismissal. Magic of the FA Cup: 2023/2024 (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) Calvert-Lewin, who hasn

Celtic 2 - 0 Hearts Celtic maintained their perfect start to the season as both sides faced contrasting outcomes with VAR for the champions and Hearts. Early in the match, the visitors were initially awarded a penalty in the first half after Lawrence Shankland's header struck Liam Scales' arm. However, the decision was overturned after a VAR review. In the second half, a cross from Nicolas Kuhn made contact with James Penrice's hand, leading to another VAR review. This time, the result was a penalty, and record signing Arne Engels scored his first goal for Celtic from the spot. To seal the victory, Luke McCowan also scored his first goal for Celtic with a late strike.  What about Hearts? Hearts find themselves one point behind at the bottom of the Scottish Premiership. This was an improved performance from the visitors, but the match ultimately ended in a seventh straight defeat in all competitions. Referee Colin Steven had been quick to point to the spot after the Sca

Croatia 2 - 1 Scotland Scotland's wait for a victory in their Nations League campaigns continues, as Croatia came from behind in Zagreb to extend Steve Clarke’s team’s 13-month drought in competitive matches. Author - Liam C Despite missing key players and having just one win in their last 14 games, Scotland put up a strong fight in a tense encounter. They thought they had secured a dramatic equaliser in the 95th minute when Kristijan Jakic scored an own goal, but it was ruled out for offside against Che Adams after a VAR review. The match had begun promisingly for Scotland, with Ryan Christie slotting in the opening goal after a cross from Ben Doak was inadvertently teed up by Luka Sucic. However, the lead was short-lived, as Igor Matanovic guided Ivan Perisic's cutback into the bottom corner just four minutes later, levelling the score before half-time. Croatia took control in the second half, and Scotland's defence finally gave way in the 70th minute. Craig Gordo

 Arsenal 1 - 1 Brentford What impact could this match have at the end of the season? Read on to reach your own conclusion Leandro Trossard scored his first goal for Arsenal but the Premier League leaders missed the chance to move eight points clear at the top as Ivan Toney earned resilient Brentford a deserved point. Mixed feelings... Proud to score my first as a Gunner but gutted with the draw 🔴⚪ @Arsenal pic.twitter.com/wdDsvlNXbg — Leandro Trossard (@LTrossard) February 11, 2023 After a goalless first half in which the Bees hit the woodwork through Toney, the home side took the lead when Trossard struck at the back post four minutes after coming off the bench. The Bees got the equaliser that they probably deserved when Ivan Toney nodded in Christian Norgaard's cross from close range. Has this dented Arsenal's title chances? Who knows? They didn't look at their best in this game and will be concerned that they didn't take the three points from this match. DJ, a

 Manchester United 0 - 0 Southampton Manchester United suffered a frustrating 0-0 draw against Southampton at Old Trafford, after Casemiro was sent off in the first half. The Brazilian midfielder was given his marching orders for a challenge on Carlos Alcaraz. Referee Anthony Taylor initially held up a yellow card, before a VAR check persuaded him it was serious foul play. The home side's best chance of the game fell to Bruno Fernandes. His curling effort forced Saints goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu to make a great save to force it onto the post. United Review: Reds held against Southampton  David De Gea’s heroics helped to keep the game goalless. He first denied Theo Walcott in the first half with an incredible reflex save from close range.  United started off with a series of quick counterattacks. The best of those came when Antony tried to find the run of Aaron Wan-Bissaka, but the right-back’s cross was easily dealt with by the opposition defence.  The away side managed to create

 Aston Villa 2 - 1 Brighton & Hove Albion Aston Villa beat Brighton at Park to secure a return to European football.  The home needed to win to finish seventh in the Premier League and earn a spot in the playoffs for the Europa Conference League. Villa flew out of the blocks and forged ahead when Douglas Luiz scored after eight minutes. Premier League news (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) The architect of the first goal, Jacob Ramsey played creator once again when he unselfishly teed up Ollie Watkins to make it 2-0 with 28 minutes played. As he did for the first goal, Jacob Ramsey played creator again. He unselfishly teed up Ollie Watkins to make it 2-0 with 28 minutes played. In the 38th minute, a VAR decision went Undav's way when he scored following a quickly taken free-kick by Pascal Gross. The assistant referee had initially flagged for offside, but this decision was overruled.  Click here to watch the highlights via the Aston Villa Facebook page.  The best reaction f

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

Brighton & Hove Albion 3 - 2 Tottenham Hotspur Brighton staged a stunning comeback, overturning a two-goal deficit to secure a thrilling victory over Tottenham in a gripping Premier League clash on the south coast. Spurs appeared to be cruising towards a sixth consecutive win in all competitions, having taken a well-earned 2-0 lead by the 37th minute. Brennan Johnson broke the deadlock with his sixth goal in six games, timing his run perfectly to latch onto Dominic Solanke’s through ball before calmly slotting it past Brighton keeper Bart Verbruggen. Verbruggen was then left frustrated as he failed to prevent James Maddison’s curled effort from nestling in the net, despite getting both hands to the low shot, doubling Spurs’ advantage. However, Brighton came out after the interval looking like a different team. They quickly clawed one back early in the second half when Destiny Udogie struggled to clear Kaoru Mitoma's cross, allowing Yankuba Minteh to pounce and score his f

 Rangers 0 - 1 Celtic Brendan Rodgers responded to questions about his second spell at Celtic with a statement win in what was a controversial Glasgow Derby.  Kyogo Furuhashi once again delivered the decisive moment, taking advantage of a poor defence just before half-time to score.  The winning goal goal came after a strike from Rabbi Matondo was disallowed for offside in the first minute.  Before the match, Michael Beale has stressed the importance of 'setting a milestone' after Wednesday's humiliating Champions League defeat at Eindhoven, but the pressure will now rest on the Ibrox boss, who has not only one win in six derbies.  Rangers fans created a memorable atmosphere at Ibrox in the build up to the match but they fell silent once they went 1-0 up.  UCL: PSV thrash Rangers Celtic's defence wasn't at full strength and included central defenders Lagerbielke and Liam Scales making their Old Firm debut. It wasn't pretty at times, but everyone associated w

Real Madrid 2 - 1 Bayern Munich Real Madrid won 3-2 on aggregate  The Spanish side and the Champions League are a match made in heaven. Let's explore what happened on another dramatic night in Madrid. The recently crowned Spanish champions snatched an incredible semi-final victory, scoringblate goals to beat Bayern Munich and set up a Champions League final with Borussia Dortmund at Wembley. Bayern Munich had looked to be heading to the final. They went into the lead after Alphonso Davies cut in and blasted past Andriy Lunin after England captain Harry Kane had found him with a superb pass. However, as they always do, Real Madrid found a way back into the game. Joselu grabbed an 88th-minute equaliser when he reacted quickest after Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who had been excellent up until then, fumbled an effort Vinicius Jr.  There was even more drama to come two minutes later when Joselu, scored again. The former Stoke City and Newcastle United player swept home from six

Manchester United 2 - 0 Brighton & Hove Albion There's no place quite like it ❤️ #MUFC | #PhotoOfTheDay pic.twitter.com/EUy93lvyt4 — Manchester United (@ManUtd) February 16, 2022 There was a massive sense of relief at Old Trafford as Manchester United battled to a much-needed win over Brighton.  The three points have their hopes of a top-four finish a huge boost. You can watch the highlights of the match in the video below. Footage from the Manchester United YouTube channel.  Manchester United - YouTube Key Talking Points United's goals came in the second half and were scored by Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes. Brighton's Lewis Dunk was sent off for denying a goal-scoring opportunity. Did VAR and the referee eventually get to the correct decision? Dermot Gallagher looks at the red card given to Brighton captain Lewis Dunk against Man Utd 👀 🎥 #RefWatch pic.twitter.com/6TbtDnwN6E — Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 16, 2022  One Twitte

 Brighton & Hove Albion 1 - 0 Manchester United Let's explore as Brighton sealed a late win over Manchester United at the Amex Stadium. Despite creating several chances, United probably didn't deserve the win . In all honesty, a draw would have been a fair result and it took a late VAR decision to give Brighton the victory. The match in context Despite the defeat, United are still in a prime position to reach the Champions League by finishing in the top four. However, the margin for error has been reduced, and they must hold their nerve after this dramatic defeat. This Brighton win followed a 6-0 thrashing of Wolves, and many fans believe performances like these will be critical in the chase for Europe. The tweet "Massive Win" from the official Brighton Twitter account probably summed up everything. Massive. Win. pic.twitter.com/UAbflVwkGt — Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) May 4, 2023   Looking back at United, they stay in 4th place and are 4 po

 China 1 - 6 England England won their group and qualified for the last 16 of the Women's World Cup as Lauren James delivered a sensational performance. The world was watching and will be concerned about England's display. It was a performance worthy of their status as European champions, and James once again starred with two goals and three assists. The 13,497 people in attendance on Friday were treated to a masterclass from Chelsea's James, who scored the match-winner against Denmark. Women's World Cup: England start with a win (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) More football news from across England James was on fire throughout this match. She helped England get off to the perfect start when she teed up Alessia Russo for the opener, and later slipped the ball through to Lauren Hemp to place it into the bottom corner. The game was largely one-way traffic as England dominated and overwhelmed. James struck first time and into the corner to make it 3-0 before a further

 Chelsea 2 - 1 Crystal Palace Noni Madueke secured a crucial victory for Chelsea with an 89th-minute penalty against Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League. The home team took the lead in the 13th minute after Malo Gusto's impressive play led to Mykhailo Mudryk slotting the ball home from close range. However, Palace equalized just before half-time when Michael Olise converted Jordan Ayew's cross into a bottom corner screamer. Despite numerous chances, Chelsea struggled to convert, raising concerns that their profligate finishing might haunt them for the second consecutive match under manager Mauricio Pochettino. In the 77th minute, Nicolas Jackson thought he had scored, only for VAR to rule him offside after poking in Thiago Silva's deep cross. In a tense finale, Chelsea finally got the breakthrough when VAR spotted a foul by Eberechi Eze on substitute Madueke inside the box. Madueke expertly converted the penalty, sending Palace keeper Dean Henderson

 Celtic 1 - 0 Rangers Celtic won the double and Rangers ended the season with nohing. Adam Idah emerged as  Celtic's  last-minute hero  under the bright Hampden sun. 🏆⬆️ Relive all the action as Adam Idah's late winner sparked incredible scenes in the @CelticFC end, with the Hoops lifting the @scottishgas Men's Scottish Cup at Hampden Park. This is your Story of the Final. #ScottishCup pic.twitter.com/JV0jpjtaFX — Scottish Gas Scottish Cup (@ScottishCup) May 27, 2024 With the Scottish  Cup's  fate hanging in the balance and the game deadlocked at 0-0, extra-time seemed inevitable. However, Paulo Bernardo, a substitute for Reo Hatate, took control.  As the  Rangers  defence hesitated, Bernardo unleashed a stunning 25-yard strike that baffled goalkeeper Jack Butland with its swerving path. Seizing the opportunity, Republic of Ireland forward Adam Idah sprinted at full speed to reach the deflected ball before Butland could recover. The Norwich City loanee was firs

 Crawley Town 2 - 0 Crewe Alexandra Crawley Town secured promotion to League One after a nine-year absence by defeating Crewe Alexandra 2-0 at Wembley. Despite being predicted by many to face relegation at the start of the season, Crawley defied expectations.  Their victory in the League Two play-off final  on Sunday means they will compete in the third tier for only the second time in their history, the first since 2015. Goals from Danilo Orsi and Liam  Kelly,  scored late in each half, were enough to secure the win in the sweltering London heat during  Crawley's  first-ever visit to Wembley in their 128-year history. "Relegation? Not a chance - Crawley Town are a REVELATION" 🎇 The Reds are a League One club again ❤ pic.twitter.com/9Q2v1B1Osv — Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) May 19, 2024 The first half was largely uneventful until a brilliant move in the closing stages allowed Crawley to open the scoring. Orsi capitalized on some excellent combination play

Celtic 4 - 0 Aberdeen An inspiring performance from Reo Hatate helped Celtic earn a dominant win over Aberdeen. Celtic TV Unique Angle | Celtic 4-0 Aberdeen | Celts dominate Dons in Paradise! - YouTube Callum McGregor opened the scoring inside two minutes before Hatate doubled the lead 11 minutes later in a scintillating first 45 minutes from Celtic. The Japanese midfielder would then add a third goal thanks to some sublime individual play with 14 minutes remaining before Liel Abada crashed home a fourth with a minute to play, rounding off a fine afternoon's work for Ange Postecoglou's side. A great start for Celtic Things couldn’t have got off to a better start for Celtic as inside the first two minutes, Callum McGregor gave the Hoops the lead. It was Greg Taylor’s initial cross which was headed clear by Aberdeen, but it only went as far as the skipper lurking on the edge of the box who smashed a low drive into the bottom left corner, despite the efforts of Jay Gorter in g