European Super Football

 Wales 0 - 2 Iran Wales' first World Cup for 64 years looks set to end at the first hurdle after a last-ditch defeat by Iran in Qatar. Roozbeh Cheshmi struck from 20 yards nine minutes into stoppage time, before Ramin Rezaeian finished off a counter-attack to seal victory for an Iran side that who have renewed hope of reaching the knockout stages for the first time in their history. More World Cup news can be found by clicking here>>> These were the decisive blows to Welsh prospects of victory. They had all but vanished when goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey was sent off with four minutes of normal time remaining.  As they did in their opening draw with the United States, Wales started poorly and had the video assistant referee (VAR) to thank for disallowing a goal from Iran's Ali Gholizadeh for offside. Highlights from  ITV Sport - YouTube Welsh reaction One Wales fan tweeted: "Doha, Qatar. World Cup 2022. What an experience. Back home now, and doubtful we’ll return.

 It has been reported that Chelsea have opened preliminary talks with Leandro Trossard. Those stories have suggested that Chelsea made the Brighton attacker a top target ahead of his Brighton contract expiring next summer. Brighton are allegedly not willing to sell the Belgian international in January but they could face losing him on a free transfer next summer. He was in outstanding form before the World Cup break, with his 14 Premier League matches seeing him score seven goals and made three assists. He has earned 22 Belgium caps and scored five goals for his country and made his first World Cup appearance off the bench against Canada. Reaction from the internet One Chelsea fan said on Twitter: "Not sure about him, he’s not creative and not a dribbler, so exactly the opposite of what we need right now, maybe if the price is decent it’s okay. If we spend more than 20 million and think he can improve us then we are going nowhere with this board." https://t.co/7s63UB1

It has been a remarkable and controversial tournament already. Let's explore some of the recent headlines. Germany shocked by Japan in 2-1 defeat A stunning comeback saw Japan shock four-time winners Germany in their opening World Cup game in Qatar.  The Germans dominated a frenetic match for large spells but failed to capitalise on their pressure - before Japan caused the Khalifa International Stadium to erupt into a mix of celebration and surprise. Substitute Takuma Asano squeezed in a strike from a tight angle to make it 2-1 to Japan and ran over to the photographers in the corner of the stadium in sheer delight. There was a collective pause in the arena as the ball rolled down from the roof of the net before supporters realised it had gone in. Japan held out in what will be remembered as a famous win. You can watch the highlights in the video below. Video from  ITV Sport - YouTube Are the Germany side in danger of an early exit from another tournament? How do they improve ahead

England 6 - 2 Iran England's World Cup campaign opened in a thoroughly convincing fashion as they outclassed Iran during an incident-packed match in Doha. Brief match report Gareth Southgate's side strolled to victory, with Iran's hopeless plight made worse by the early loss of goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand to concussion after a clash of heads with team-mate Majid Hosseini. Jude Bellingham got England off the mark in this World Cup with a soaring header from Luke Shaw's cross 10 minutes before the break and the game was wrapped up before half-time thanks to Bukayo Saka's fine strike and Raheem Sterling's classy volley with the outside of his foot from Harry Kane's cross. A few weeks ago, we asked whether Jude Bellingham could shine for England? It's starting to look like he can. How far can he and England go in Qatar? World Cup preview: Could Jude Bellingham shine for England? (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) Saka got his second before Iran's support

Let's explore a World Cup icon.  Nobby Stiles played for England for five years, winning 28 caps and scoring one goal.  He played every minute of England's 1966 FIFA World Cup campaign.  The last and only time they won a major tournament. Can they repeat the fate in 2022? You certainly won't see any players like Stiles this winter. In the semi-final of the 1966 World Cup against Portugal, he was given the job of marking Eusébio. His incredible performance resulted in Eusébio being nullified for most of game. Stiles then played in the final, which England won 4–2 against West Germany.  His post-match jig and dance at Wembley, holding the famous World Cup trophy in one hand and his false teeth in the other, was widely broadcast. It has also been referenced in a fairly popular song. Stiles spent the majority of his club career for Manchester United , spending 11 years at Old Trafford, where he became renowned for his tough tackling and ball-winning qualities. He was cruc

It's time to explore some iconic World Cup moments. First up, it's a flashback to the 1998 final Background to the final  The 32 teams competed in a group stage, from which 16 teams qualified for the knockout stage. En route to the final, Brazil finished first in Group A, with two wins and one defeat, after which they beat Chile in the round of 16, Denmark in the quarter-finals and the Netherlands in a penalty shoot-out in the semi-finals. France finished top of Group C with three wins, before defeating Paraguay in the round of 16, Italy in the quarter-final, and Croatia in the semi-final.  The match itself The final took place in front of 75,000 supporters, with an estimated 1.7 billion watching on television, and was refereed by Said Belqola from Morocco. Before the match, speculation surrounded the fitness of striker Ronaldo, who was originally left out of Brazil's starting line-up, only to be restored to the team before kick-off.  Frnce dominate the early stages

Could Northern Premier League side Ashton United really sign Erling Haaland on loan? This is a story that has captured the attention of media across the world Ashton United have submitted a 28-day loan approach to #ManCity for @ErlingHaaland , the club have confirmed in an official statement. @AshtonUnitedFC are yet to receive any response from @ManCity . — City Xtra (@City_Xtra) November 14, 2022 The Robins said in a statement: 'Ashton United can confirm that the club has submitted a 28-day loan approach for Manchester City striker Erling Haaland." Ashton United are currently in 11th place, eight points off league leaders and local rivals Hyde United, with two sides to be promoted to the sixth-tier National League North at the end of the season. They play at the Hurst Cross stadium has a capacity of 4,500 people. Many more might squeeze in if they do manage to sign Haaland. BREAKING: Ashton United have submitted a 28-day loan approach to Manchester City for @Erling