Spain defeated Norway 3-0 at La Rosaleda stadium in Malaga on Saturday night in the opening game of their UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying campaign. This was the first game for new Spain coach Luis de la Fuente, who took the reigns from Luis Enrique following La Furia Roja’s Round of 16 exit from the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Dani Olmo handed the home team and took the lead in the 13th minute, sending the ball into the bottom corner of the goal after being set up by left-back Alejandro Balde. Without the strike power of Erling Haaland, Norway attempted to respond two minutes later when martin Odegaard’s shot on goal was blocked by center-back Nacho, who returns to the national squad after a five-year absence.

While the two sides continued to exchange chances, it was only in the 83rd minute that Spain managed to double their lead. 32-year-old striker Joselu scored with a header just three minutes after coming onto the field, thereby sealing a dream international debut for himself. The Espanyol forward struck again just two minutes later to extend his team’s lead to three goals.

“I have to thank [the coach] for the faith he’s shown in me in his first match in charge. I tried to give my all to reward him,” Joselu commented after the game.

The post Joselu Scores Twice In Spain Euro Debut appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The European Super League competition has been dealt another blow as its claim that UEFA’s governance of European football constitutes an illegal monopoly under EU competition law was rejected by the European Court of Justice’s Advocate General.

Advocate General Athanasios Rantos ruled that the EU competition law “did not prohibit FIFA, UEFA, their member federations or their national leagues from issuing threats of sanctions against clubs affiliated to those federations when those clubs participate in a project to set up a new competition.”

While the European Super League Company is free to establish a competition that is not affiliated with UEFA or FIFA, it along with participating teams could not have any involvement in UEFA and FIFA competitions at the same time without authorization from those bodies.

Because of this ruling, the European Super League Company and participating clubs would need to break away from the existing soccer ecosystem in Europe in its entirety in order to pursue its project.

Plans for the proposed European Super League were launched on April 18, 2021, when an announcement of the competition and the participation of 12 of Europe’s top clubs was made. Following a barrage of public criticism, however, the project was halted.

The post EU Court Rules Against Super League’s Claim Of “UEFA Monopoly” appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The beginning of the season for European soccer clubs is just around the corner! With the Premier League and France’s Ligue 1 getting underway this weekend, with La Liga, Bundesliga, and Serie A to follow next weekend, fans will soon get their first glimpse at their favorite clubs on the pitch.

It won’t be long until the European competitions get underway, either. Champions League and Europa League action kicks off next month, with the continent’s top clubs looking to claim the crowns as Europe’s best sides.

After Liverpool took home the 2018-19 edition of the Champions League, there are plenty of contenders for the crown this season. Here’s a look at the top five favorites to hoist this year’s trophy.

5. Paris Saint-Germain

The French side, as always, is stocked with talent. Even if Neymar does leave (which looks unlikely at this point), PSG has a stable of stars including soccer’s brightest young star in Kylian Mbappe. They have an edge on their other CL competition, as they are forced to pay much less attention to their domestic league than other competitors from more competitive leagues. Will this be the year that the talent finally meshes and PSG makes it deep in the Champions League?

4. Liverpool

The Reds will probably take exception to come in fourth on the list after winning last year’s trophy, but it’s not easy to repeat. Jürgen Klopp still has his top stars from last season, including Mo Salah and Sadio Mané, but they’re a year older and will have plenty of teams looking to take them down. Could they win back to back crowns? It certainly isn’t out of the realm of possibility, but it won’t be easy.

3. Juventus

Juventus bowed out early in last year’s Champions League despite the addition of five-time CL winner Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese star was reportedly furious at the team’s shock exit at the hands of Ajax, so you can bet that he’ll be trying harder than ever to win the trophy this season. The amount of talent on their squad got even better with the summer addition of center back Matthijs de Ligt, and they’ll be considered one of the favorites this year.

2. Barcelona

Few could believe it when Barcelona blew a 3-0 first-leg advantage to bow out of the Champions League last season at the hands of the eventual champions in Liverpool. A team with talents such as Leo Messi, Luis Suarez, and Gerard Pique had to have been better than that, right? Well, even if they weren’t, they’re certainly one of the top favorites to take home this year’s crown after retaining their core and adding Antoine Griezmann and Frenkie de Jong. This is a team to reckon with, but can it get over the hump?

1. Manchester City

Pep Guardiola has won everything at Manchester City, including the past two Premier League crowns, except for the Champions League. 2019-20 looks to be the year that this could change. The dizzying talent contained in its roster combined with one of the best coaches in world soccer makes Man City the top favorite to take home the upcoming edition of the Champions League. Now it’s time for them to go out on the pitch and prove that they deserve to be considered the top dog.

The post Breaking Down the Top Favorites for the 2019-20 Champions League Crown appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Spain defeated Norway 3-0 at La Rosaleda stadium in Malaga on Saturday night in the opening game of their UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying campaign. This was the first game for new Spain coach Luis de la Fuente, who took the reigns from Luis Enrique following La Furia Roja’s Round of 16 exit from the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Dani Olmo handed the home team and took the lead in the 13th minute, sending the ball into the bottom corner of the goal after being set up by left-back Alejandro Balde. Without the strike power of Erling Haaland, Norway attempted to respond two minutes later when martin Odegaard’s shot on goal was blocked by center-back Nacho, who returns to the national squad after a five-year absence.

While the two sides continued to exchange chances, it was only in the 83rd minute that Spain managed to double their lead. 32-year-old striker Joselu scored with a header just three minutes after coming onto the field, thereby sealing a dream international debut for himself. The Espanyol forward struck again just two minutes later to extend his team’s lead to three goals.

“I have to thank [the coach] for the faith he’s shown in me in his first match in charge. I tried to give my all to reward him,” Joselu commented after the game.

The post Joselu Scores Twice In Spain Euro Debut appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The European Super League competition has been dealt another blow as its claim that UEFA’s governance of European football constitutes an illegal monopoly under EU competition law was rejected by the European Court of Justice’s Advocate General.

Advocate General Athanasios Rantos ruled that the EU competition law “did not prohibit FIFA, UEFA, their member federations or their national leagues from issuing threats of sanctions against clubs affiliated to those federations when those clubs participate in a project to set up a new competition.”

While the European Super League Company is free to establish a competition that is not affiliated with UEFA or FIFA, it along with participating teams could not have any involvement in UEFA and FIFA competitions at the same time without authorization from those bodies.

Because of this ruling, the European Super League Company and participating clubs would need to break away from the existing soccer ecosystem in Europe in its entirety in order to pursue its project.

Plans for the proposed European Super League were launched on April 18, 2021, when an announcement of the competition and the participation of 12 of Europe’s top clubs was made. Following a barrage of public criticism, however, the project was halted.

The post EU Court Rules Against Super League’s Claim Of “UEFA Monopoly” appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The beginning of the season for European soccer clubs is just around the corner! With the Premier League and France’s Ligue 1 getting underway this weekend, with La Liga, Bundesliga, and Serie A to follow next weekend, fans will soon get their first glimpse at their favorite clubs on the pitch.

It won’t be long until the European competitions get underway, either. Champions League and Europa League action kicks off next month, with the continent’s top clubs looking to claim the crowns as Europe’s best sides.

After Liverpool took home the 2018-19 edition of the Champions League, there are plenty of contenders for the crown this season. Here’s a look at the top five favorites to hoist this year’s trophy.

5. Paris Saint-Germain

The French side, as always, is stocked with talent. Even if Neymar does leave (which looks unlikely at this point), PSG has a stable of stars including soccer’s brightest young star in Kylian Mbappe. They have an edge on their other CL competition, as they are forced to pay much less attention to their domestic league than other competitors from more competitive leagues. Will this be the year that the talent finally meshes and PSG makes it deep in the Champions League?

4. Liverpool

The Reds will probably take exception to come in fourth on the list after winning last year’s trophy, but it’s not easy to repeat. Jürgen Klopp still has his top stars from last season, including Mo Salah and Sadio Mané, but they’re a year older and will have plenty of teams looking to take them down. Could they win back to back crowns? It certainly isn’t out of the realm of possibility, but it won’t be easy.

3. Juventus

Juventus bowed out early in last year’s Champions League despite the addition of five-time CL winner Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese star was reportedly furious at the team’s shock exit at the hands of Ajax, so you can bet that he’ll be trying harder than ever to win the trophy this season. The amount of talent on their squad got even better with the summer addition of center back Matthijs de Ligt, and they’ll be considered one of the favorites this year.

2. Barcelona

Few could believe it when Barcelona blew a 3-0 first-leg advantage to bow out of the Champions League last season at the hands of the eventual champions in Liverpool. A team with talents such as Leo Messi, Luis Suarez, and Gerard Pique had to have been better than that, right? Well, even if they weren’t, they’re certainly one of the top favorites to take home this year’s crown after retaining their core and adding Antoine Griezmann and Frenkie de Jong. This is a team to reckon with, but can it get over the hump?

1. Manchester City

Pep Guardiola has won everything at Manchester City, including the past two Premier League crowns, except for the Champions League. 2019-20 looks to be the year that this could change. The dizzying talent contained in its roster combined with one of the best coaches in world soccer makes Man City the top favorite to take home the upcoming edition of the Champions League. Now it’s time for them to go out on the pitch and prove that they deserve to be considered the top dog.

The post Breaking Down the Top Favorites for the 2019-20 Champions League Crown appeared first on SportzBonanza.