By Samindra Kunti in Helsinki
August 11 – In imperious form, Real Madrid kick-started the European club season with a routine 2-0 victory against Eintracht Frankfurt to clinch a fifth continental Super Cup and make a statement ahead of the Champions League.
By Samindra Kunti in Helsinki
August 10 – For the first time since 1960 and the European Cup Final that the Spanish club won in a 7-3 spectacular at Hampden Park in Glasgow, Real Madrid and Eintracht Frankfurt meet again in a competitive match with the Super Cup at stake in the curtain-raiser for the European season.
August 10 – Despite their country being ripped apart by the Russian invasion and flattened by heavy artillery, Dynamo Kyiv are moving towards the group stage of Champions League following an extra-time 2-1 win over Austria’s Sturm Graz in the third qualifying round on Tuesday for a 3-1 aggregate victory.
August 10 – In a move that could revolutionise the game in terms of key on-field calls, semi-automated technology (SAOT) to speed up the time taken to reach offside decisions will be used in European club competition for the first time at the UEFA Super Cup tonight.
August 9 – Former Manchester United star Ryan Giggs, worshipped by fans throughout a 24-year career, has a more “sinister” side to his character, prosecutors said Monday, as he went on trial on charges of assault and use of coercive behaviour against an ex-girlfriend and her sister.
August 9 – Roma manager Jose Mourinho says Olympic sprint champion Marcell Jacobs would have made a great footballer in another life after jokingly pretending to sign the 100m king.
August 8 – Fenerbahce have been handed a one-game partial stadium closure by UEFA, suspended for two years, after their fans chanted Russian President Vladimir Putin’s name in a Champions League qualifier against Dynamo Kyiv.
August 8 – Debt-ridden Barcelona have suffered a massive pre-season blow after being blocked by LaLiga from registering their five summer signings ahead of the new Spanish season.
August 8 – The Confederation of African Football (CAF) have condemned the comments of Napoli chairman Aurelio De Laurentiis (pictured) over the signing of African players and has asked UEFA to open a disciplinary investigation against him.
August 5 – Bayern Munich kick off their Bundesliga title defence against Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt tonight hoping that a close-season spending spree, notably including Sadio Mane from Liverpool, will offset the loss of star striker Robert Lewandowski.
August 3 – England’s Lionesses have written an open letter to the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom – Rishi Sunak or Liz Truss – calling for more girls’ football in schools, but there are fears that the new government will neglect the legacy of the new European champions.
August 3 – In the latest attempt to improve marginal VAR decisions and improve accuracy, UEFA has announced that for the first time it will use semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) to detect when players are offside in the Champions League this season.
August 3 – The controversial and notoriously outspoken president of Italian top-flight club Napoli, Aurelio de Laurentiis, has hit out at the timing of the African Cup of Nations and says the club will stop signing any more African players unless they agree not to play in the tournament.
August 3 – The impact of England’s women’s Euro 2022 success has been followed by a surge in ticket interest in the country’s Women’s Super League.
By Samindra Kunti in Leuven
Leuven – On a raucous night at Den Dreef, Belgium’s Union Saint-Gilloise upset Glasgow Rangers 2-0 in the third round of Champions League qualifying, with Teddy Teuma and Dante Vanzeir getting the goals either side of the half.