4:52 PM ET Angel Di Maria was the star of the show in Paris. IAN LANGSDON/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Angel Di Maria scored a first-half brace against his former team as Paris Saint-Germain comfortably beat a listless Real Madrid 2-0 in their Champions League Group A opener in Paris on Wednesday. In the absence of the formidable trio of
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PSG forward Kylian Mbappe with the Coupe de la Ligue trophy in 2018. The French football league says it’s ending the League Cup competition after this season’s edition. The decision comes as the European Club Association pushes for cuts in national fixture schedules to create more space for an expanded Champions League in 2024. The
Ale Moreno feels Atletico Madrid vs. Juventus will be the key UCL fixture from matchday 1 given Cristiano Ronaldo’s dominance vs. Atleti. Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo has said he deserves to end his career with more Ballon d’Or awards than Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and hopes to establish himself as the greatest player of all time.
4:54 PM ET Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund played to a draw in their Group F opener. Getty Lionel Messi made his season debut and Mar-Andre ter Stegen saved a penalty as Barcelona drew 0-0 at Borussia Dortmund in their Champions League Group F opener on Tuesday. – Champions League group stage: All you need to know–
The FC crew debate what exactly Ross Barkley’s Chelsea teammates were telling him before his missed penalty against Valencia in the Champions League. ESPN’s Alexis Nunes and Julien Laurens discuss the positive impacts Chelsea’s transfer ban has had on the club. Tammy Abraham scored three times, as Chelsea put up five to down Wolverhampton 5-2
Craig Burley slams Maurizio Sarri for blaming the temperature in Florence for Juventus’ lacklustre draw against Fiorentina. Juventus’ Gonzalo Higuain reacted furiously to being shown up in a training drill, by kicking the coach and taking his anger out on an advertisement board. Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone has called Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo a
Mike Petke was fired in August from his job as Real Salt Lake manager. Former Real Salt Lake manager Mike Petke has filed a lawsuit against the club alleging breach of contract. The lawsuit, filed in Utah’s Third Judicial District for Salt Lake County, seeks to have RSL pay Petke the remaining $687,500 on his
This should be about the game. About a club, Paris Saint-Germain, taking yet another crack at winning the biggest prize in club football after three straight seasons of controversial exits by wafer-thin margins. And their visitors Real Madrid, the game’s ultimate blue-bloods, halfway in rebuild mode as they pursue their 14th European Cup as an
3:00 PM ET Substitute Nicolo Barella scored a stoppage-time equaliser on his Champions League debut to rescue a dramatic 1-1 draw for Inter Milan at home to Slavia Prague in their opening Champions League group game on Tuesday. The Czech champions, beaten on all six previous visits to Italy, took a shock lead through Peter
Craig Burley says Zlatan Ibrahimovic reminds him of Ruud Gullit late in his career and lays out how Zlatan would fare if he returned to Europe. Marcus Rashford converted an early penalty to help a depleted Manchester United side fend off Leicester City at Old Trafford. Alejandro Moreno feels the current version of Manchester United
Valencia players were upset by the decision to fire Marcelino. Valencia players are on a self-imposed silence heading into Tuesday’s Champions League opener at Chelsea as a sign of protest over the sacking of coach Marcelino. Marcelino was dismissed last week despite winning the Copa del Rey and securing Champions League football last season, a
Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola insists he will continue to back his players after they believed in him during his first season in charge. ESPN’s Alexis Nunes and Julien Laurens discuss the factors that will make or break Liverpool’s Premier League title hopes. Steve Nicol explains why Manchester City’s defence is likely to cost them more
Andrew Robertson’s silly penalty led to Liverpool’s loss at Napoli. European champions Liverpool were unable to get their Champions League campaign off to a bright start as they fell to a 2-0 loss at Napoli on Tuesday. Dries Mertens scored from the penalty spot following a poor Andrew Robertson challenge, with Fernando Llorente sealing the
Gab Marcotti recommends closed-door games to punish fans following the racist chants directed at Romelu Lukaku during Inter’s win over Cagliari. ESPN FC’s Gab Marcotti gives reasons why Inter Milan have yet to condemn their own ultras’ statement of support of Cagliari’s racist chants towards Romelu Lukaku. Serie A club Cagliari again escaped sanctions over
There’s lots to talk about in this week’s Monday Musings following a wild weekend. Gab Marcotti is here to recap the big stories around soccer. Jump to: No crisis yet for Man City | End of Bayern’s dominance? | Fati masks Barca’s issues | Juventus get lucky | Neymar gets rude welcome | Arsenal woe
ESPN FC’s Alejandro Moreno joins Ross Dyer to react to Chelsea’s thumping 5-2 win at Wolves which included a hat trick from Tammy Abraham. Brian McBride feels Mason Mount’s time with Frank Lampard at Derby has given him an early advantage over Christian Pulisic. Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount speaks to the media ahead of England’s
Barcelona wonderkid Ansu Fati is the name on everyone’s lips after the 16-year-old continued to write history in La Liga this weekend, following a start to the season that no one saw coming. The Bissau-born youngster has already broken records this season after stepping into an unexpectedly prominent role at Barca. He became the club’s
ESPN FC’s Julien Laurens weighs in on 16-year-old Ansu Fati’s impact at Barcelona so far with two goals in his first three matches. Lionel Messi is in Barcelona’s squad to face Dortmund despite missing the first four matches in La Liga. Should Ernesto Valverde risk playing him? Exactly a year ago Wednesday, on Sept. 18,
Roberto Pereyra’s converted penalty brought Watford back from their two-goal deficit, to force a 2-2 draw with Arsenal at Vicarage Road. Shaka Hislop slams Unai Emery for his lack of leadership and Arsenal for their calamitous play out of the back in their draw against Watford. The Toe Poke Daily is here every day to
ESPN FC’s Sid Lowe analyzes how Eden Hazard changes the feel for Real Madrid and gives them creativity and speed. Shaka Hislop explains what he thinks would be the only scenario that Virgi van Dijk leaves Liverpool for a club like Barcelona or Real Madrid. Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Gareth Bale all miss out on