Football

Sam Marsden, Barcelona correspondentOct 25, 2024, 04:00 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Hansi Flick has been involved in some of the biggest games in football as a player, assistant coach and manager, but Saturday’s trip to Real Madrid — his first Clásico as Barcelona boss — may end up topping the lot. Those who have

Open Extended Reactions Can the ultimate team player ever hope to win the Ballon d’Or, the most prized individual award in football? That is the question being asked of Rodri, the Manchester City and Spain midfielder, and he will discover the answer when the 2024 winner is announced at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris

Jeff Kassouf Oct 24, 2024, 09:39 PM ET Open Extended Reactions AUSTIN, Texas — Alyssa Thompson scored her first goal for the United States women’s national team, and Jaedyn Shaw and Sophia Smith scored late on Thursday at Q2 Stadium as the Americans defeated Iceland 3-1 in their first match since winning a fifth Olympic

Oct 24, 2024, 11:22 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Borussia Dortmund‘s capitulation at the hands of Real Madrid in the Spanish capital on Tuesday somehow seems in keeping with the wildly out-of-balance nature of the Schwarzgelben in their current guise. It was a reunion on multiple levels: a meeting with the team that defeated them

Alex Kirkland Sam Marsden Oct 24, 2024, 05:00 AM ET Open Extended Reactions The stage is perfectly set for the first Clásico of the season at the Santiago Bernabéu on Saturday (stream LIVE at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN+). LaLiga leaders Barcelona head to the Spanish capital with a three-point advantage over second-placed Real Madrid.

Sam Marsden, Barcelona correspondentOct 23, 2024, 07:26 PM ET Open Extended Reactions BARCELONA, Spain — There is often something iconic about a celebration spilling on to the running track behind the goal, as Raphinha‘s did at the Olympic Stadium on Wednesday after he sealed Barcelona‘s emphatic 4-1 UEFA Champions League win over Bayern Munich with

Oct 23, 2024, 09:45 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Welcome back to matchday three of the 2024-25 Champions League season! Europe’s premier club competition returns in its new format with nine matches across the continent on Wednesday, providing exciting matchups, top talent and drama. Enjoy the play-by-play from all the games as Barcelona host Bayern

Alex Kirkland, ESPN FCOct 23, 2024, 08:00 AM ET Open Extended Reactions It was half-time during Real Madrid‘s first LaLiga game of the season vs. Real Mallorca, and midfielder Jude Bellingham had some feedback for forwards Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior and Rodrygo Goes: “You three, finish the attacks!” As the four players waited in the

Alex Kirkland, ESPN FCOct 22, 2024, 06:12 PM ET Open Extended Reactions MADRID — “Our crown, our trophy,” read the banner, held up by fans behind the Santiago Bernabeu’s south goal before kickoff. Real Madrid are the reigning European champions, the 15-time UEFA Champions League winners, and, of course, the comeback kings, as they showed

Oct 22, 2024, 11:29 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Welcome to matchday three of the 2024-25 Champions League season! Europe’s premier club competition returns in its new format with nine matches across the continent on Tuesday, providing exciting matchups, top talent and drama. Enjoy the play-by-play from all the games with a repeat of last

Graham Hunter, Spain writerOct 22, 2024, 09:42 AM ET Close Graham Hunter is a Barcelona-based freelance writer for ESPN.com who specializes in La Liga and the Spanish national team. Open Extended Reactions The rarified atmosphere around Barcelona which encompasses their often myopic, hysterical media, their downtrodden and traumatised fans, plus a directorate which has spent

Adam Brown Oct 21, 2024, 06:45 PM ET Open Extended Reactions The winter transfer window won’t reopen in Europe for a while yet, but there are plenty of moves in the works and gossip swirling around. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings, goings and, of course, done deals! TOP STORY:

Gabriele Marcotti, Senior Writer, ESPN FCOct 21, 2024, 10:38 AM ET Open Extended Reactions The European soccer weekend has passed, but it’s left us with a ton of things to talk about across the major leagues. In the Premier League, Liverpool edged past Chelsea in a game that honestly showed the best of both sides,

Open Extended Reactions Video Assistant Referee causes controversy every week in the Premier League, but how are decisions made, and are they correct? After each weekend we take a look at the major incidents, to examine and explain the process both in terms of VAR protocol and the Laws of the Game. In this week’s

Oct 20, 2024, 07:12 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Another topsy-turvy weekend of football is in the books and some of Europe’s top clubs are beginning to look ominous. Liverpool and Manchester City both eked out important, closely fought wins to steal a march on title-rivals Arsenal in the Premier League, while Real Madrid and

Oct 20, 2024, 01:35 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Manchester City‘s contentious last-minute winner against Wolves in the Premier League on Sunday was both correctly ruled and deserved reward for his players’ patience, manager Pep Guardiola said. With City seemingly heading to a frustrating 1-1 draw at Molineux despite their dominance of possession, John Stones

Lizzy Becherano Oct 19, 2024, 08:14 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Lionel Messi scored a stunning 11-minute hat trick to help Inter Miami break the Major League Soccer record for most points in a single season, after defeating the New England Revolution 6-2 Saturday at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Miami concluded the MLS

Adam Brown Oct 19, 2024, 03:13 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Arsenal suffered their first loss of the season on Saturday as they fell 2-0 to Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium. The Gunners had control of the game until the 30th minute, when Leandro Trossard‘s careless pass left William Saliba in trouble before earning red