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.

Real Madrid central midfielder Toni Kroos expressed his support for the ongoing plans to launch the breakaway European Super League (ESL) competition. This comes after the ESL announced its plan to launch a new competition that could include up to 80 teams.

While the prospect of the ESL has been on the receiving end of widespread backlash, Kroos believes that this criticism is largely unfounded, stating that UEFA is “by no means a great Samaritan for football fans.”

“It is a sports competition, an open tournament, but managed by the clubs and not by UEFA, because these clubs believe that they do not need UEFA for that. I think this deserves at least one chance,” Kroos said of the new competition.

Kroos furthermore believes that this tournament will eventually come to fruition. Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Juventus, all of whom were among the 12 clubs to announce a breakaway competition in April 2021, have continued to push for its establishment, even as other former members have abandoned the project.

Kroos went on to say that too much attention has been given to UEFA’s argument and not enough to the ESL’s. He also referred to the establishment of the UEFA Nations League, which, in his opinion, “no one needs”.

The post Real Madrid’s Toni Kroos Supportive of ESL, Hits Out at UEFA appeared first on SportzBonanza.

A new European Super League proposal was announced on Thursday by chief executive Bernd Reichart of A22 Sports Management, the company formed to sponsor and establish the breakaway soccer competition. According to Reichart, the organization held preliminary talks with 50 European clubs and stakeholders of football.

Reichart insists that the vast majority of those who A22 Sports Management spoke with support the idea of the breakaway European competition, going so far as to say that respondents feel that “the very foundation of European football is under threat.”

“Feedback suggests a European football league that is open, based solely on sporting merit, multidivisional with 60-80 clubs and a minimum of 14 guaranteed European matches per club,” the chief executive explained.

In April 2021, the European Super League first set out to announce its formation, with Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Juventus all part of the 12 founding clubs. Following widespread backlash by fans and players, the competition was put on hold.

Currently, there is an ongoing court case to determine the legitimacy of this competition. The question is whether UEFA and FIFA statutes allow them to legally block the formation of rival tournaments.

The post European Super League Releases New 80-Team Proposal appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Ajax parted ways with manager Alfred Schreuder following the Dutch champions’ 1-1 draw with Volendam on Thursday; the team’s seventh consecutive league game without a win.

The draw sees Ajax slip 18 points behind Eredivisie leaders Feyenoord, with the fifth-placed side looking increasingly less likely to pull off the turnaround they need in order to revive their title hopes.

Schreuder arrived at Ajax following the departure of previous head coach Erik ten Hag, who parted ways with the Amsterdam-based club in pursuit of the managerial position at Premier League team Manchester United.

“This is a painful decision, but it’s necessary,” Ajax chief executive Edwin van der Sar commented in a statement. “Regardless of the good start to the season, we lost a lot of unnecessary points. The football itself was precarious too.”

While Ajax managed to get their season off to a strong start, the team’s performances soon started to slide, with their last league winning coming against RKC Waalwijk on October 23. Van der Sar further explained that while the club decided to give Schreuder an opportunity to use the 2022 World Cup break as well as the winter break to turn things around, it soon became evident that he was incapable of doing so.

The post Ajax Fires Schreuder as Winless Run Continues appeared first on SportzBonanza.

FC Barcelona President Joan Laporta revealed that he believes that the breakaway European Super League competition could become a reality as UEFA awaits the court verdict on whether the organization’s attempts to prevent the European Super League’s launch will prevail.

The European Court of Justice is currently evaluating whether UEFA’s case against the breakaway tournament breaches European competition law. Last month, the European Court of Justice’s Advocate General rejected the Super League’s claim that UEFA’s governance of European football is an illegal monopoly. Such claims arose when the Super League filed a lawsuit in April 2021 to protect its 12 founding member clubs from UEFA penalties.

“This Spring we’ll have the verdict on the Super League. For clubs, it will be like what the Bosman ruling [which allowed footballers to move on a free transfer at the end of their contracts] meant for players,” Laporta commented on Thursday. “If the decision is favourable, the Super League could be a reality by 2025. If it isn’t, the steps we decide to take will depend on what the verdict says. The degree of the victory will dictate what we can do with the Super League.”

Of the 12 founding clubs, only Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Juventus are still advocating for the formation of the tournament.

The post Barcelona President Says That Super League Could Be a Reality 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 Tottenham Hotspurs’ game against French side Stade Rennes ended in a 2-2 draw during their opening group game of the inaugural UEFA Conference League. While the Premier League team was fortunate enough to rescue a point during the final 15 minutes of play, they will no doubt feel the pressure of multiple injury concerns.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side suffered two injury setbacks on the night, with attacking midfielders Steven Bergwijn and Lucas Moura both picking up minor knocks. After half an hour of play, Bergwijn had to be replaced by Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, the midfielder who scored Spurs’ second goal. Right-winger Moura was injured during the early stages of the second half after finding himself on the receiving end of a hard tackle. He had to be replaced by Dane Scarlett moments later.

Following his team’s hard-fought draw at Roazhon Park, manager Nuno Espirito Santo acknowledged the difficulties that his team faces as they return to Premier League action this weekend. “It’s been terrible, I must be honest. Let’s not hide behind anything. After the Watford game, everything that has happened has not been very good for us. But this is football. And we know it’s a moment we have to overcome.”

The post Tottenham May Have Multiple Injury Concerns appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Cristiano Ronaldo handed Portugal a 2-1 victory over the Republic of Ireland during their 2022 World Cup Qualifying game on Wednesday night. His two goals pushed the 36-year-old legend’s goal tally for Portugal to 111, meaning that Ronaldo has broken the previous international goalscoring record held by Iran’s Ali Daei.

Ronaldo’s evening got off to a rocky start, as the Portugal captain saw his penalty saved by Gavin Bazunu in the 15th minute after Bruno Fernandes was brought down in the box by Jeff Hendrick. On the stroke of halftime, things went from bad to worse for Portugal as the Republic of Ireland broke the deadlock with a John Egan header.

Just as it looked as if Portugal would fail to break down the resolute Irish defence, Ronaldo put his team on the scoresheet with a towering header in the 89th minute. Then, in true dramatic fashion, the forward rocketed home yet another header to win the match for Portugal in the sixth minute of stoppage time.

In what has been a record-breaking summer, Ronaldo also scored 5 goals at Euro 2020 to become the tournament’s all-time leading scorer.

As a result of the victory, Portugal now sit at the top of Group A with 10 points after four games.

The post Ronaldo Break Record in Portugal Win appeared first on SportzBonanza.

UEFA reportedly came up with a plan to resume the Champions League and Europa League, two main European club competitions. According to ESPN, both competitions could wrap up as “mini-tournaments” held over two weeks on one location.

The standard format of away and home games present in European club competitions isn’t considered a viable option anymore due to restrictions caused by the coronavirus. This is why UEFA came up with a plan to have a centralized competition, described by BILD as a “World Cup-style” tournament in order to crown a champion. The competitions would resume from round-of-16, with later stages assuming knock-out format.  

This year’s UEFA Champions League finale was set to take place in Istanbul, but the city reportedly isn’t in consideration due to restrictions imposed by the Turkish government. Instead, Lisbon, Frankfurt, and Moscow emerged as the main options to host the tournament.

Lisbon is viewed as a favorite among the three cities, as it offers two stadiums and complexes in Benfica’s Estadio da Luz and Sporting CP’s Estadio Jose Alvalade. The stadiums are also just a few miles within each other, giving UEFA more scheduling options.

The Eintracht Frankfurt’s Commerzbank Arena in Germany is also an appealing option for UEFA, due to travel benefits and the stadium’s high-end facilities.

The final decisions about the Champions League and Europa League will most likely be made in late June when all other details should be revealed.

The post UEFA Considers Resuming Champions League and Europa League appeared first on SportzBonanza.

In the midst of the current coronavirus virus that is wreaking havoc on sports all over the globe, Europe’s soccer organizing body has made the decision to put the Champions League and Europa League finals on hold indefinitely.

UEFA announced that the competitions would be put on hold in the midst of the Round of 16 ties in the Champions League and the Europa League.

Now, with no end to the pandemic in sight, UEFA has had to put the finals of both of the tournaments on hold until the situation improves.

The Champions League Final, a title for which 12 teams are still vying, was originally scheduled to be held at Istanbul’s Ataturk Olympic Stadium on Saturday, May 30th.

The Europa League Final, which was also put on hold, was scheduled to be held in Poland at Gdansk’s Stadion Energa Gdańsk on Wednesday, May 27th.

For now, teams are simply in “wait and see” mode when it comes to both domestic and continental competitions. All European soccer leagues (with the exception of the Belarussian Premier League) have been suspended until further notice.

UEFA hopes to play the finals for both competitions at some point in the summer, but that looks far from a certainty at this point.

The post UEFA Champions League, Europa League Finals Postponed Indefinitely 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.

Real Madrid central midfielder Toni Kroos expressed his support for the ongoing plans to launch the breakaway European Super League (ESL) competition. This comes after the ESL announced its plan to launch a new competition that could include up to 80 teams.

While the prospect of the ESL has been on the receiving end of widespread backlash, Kroos believes that this criticism is largely unfounded, stating that UEFA is “by no means a great Samaritan for football fans.”

“It is a sports competition, an open tournament, but managed by the clubs and not by UEFA, because these clubs believe that they do not need UEFA for that. I think this deserves at least one chance,” Kroos said of the new competition.

Kroos furthermore believes that this tournament will eventually come to fruition. Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Juventus, all of whom were among the 12 clubs to announce a breakaway competition in April 2021, have continued to push for its establishment, even as other former members have abandoned the project.

Kroos went on to say that too much attention has been given to UEFA’s argument and not enough to the ESL’s. He also referred to the establishment of the UEFA Nations League, which, in his opinion, “no one needs”.

The post Real Madrid’s Toni Kroos Supportive of ESL, Hits Out at UEFA appeared first on SportzBonanza.

A new European Super League proposal was announced on Thursday by chief executive Bernd Reichart of A22 Sports Management, the company formed to sponsor and establish the breakaway soccer competition. According to Reichart, the organization held preliminary talks with 50 European clubs and stakeholders of football.

Reichart insists that the vast majority of those who A22 Sports Management spoke with support the idea of the breakaway European competition, going so far as to say that respondents feel that “the very foundation of European football is under threat.”

“Feedback suggests a European football league that is open, based solely on sporting merit, multidivisional with 60-80 clubs and a minimum of 14 guaranteed European matches per club,” the chief executive explained.

In April 2021, the European Super League first set out to announce its formation, with Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Juventus all part of the 12 founding clubs. Following widespread backlash by fans and players, the competition was put on hold.

Currently, there is an ongoing court case to determine the legitimacy of this competition. The question is whether UEFA and FIFA statutes allow them to legally block the formation of rival tournaments.

The post European Super League Releases New 80-Team Proposal appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Ajax parted ways with manager Alfred Schreuder following the Dutch champions’ 1-1 draw with Volendam on Thursday; the team’s seventh consecutive league game without a win.

The draw sees Ajax slip 18 points behind Eredivisie leaders Feyenoord, with the fifth-placed side looking increasingly less likely to pull off the turnaround they need in order to revive their title hopes.

Schreuder arrived at Ajax following the departure of previous head coach Erik ten Hag, who parted ways with the Amsterdam-based club in pursuit of the managerial position at Premier League team Manchester United.

“This is a painful decision, but it’s necessary,” Ajax chief executive Edwin van der Sar commented in a statement. “Regardless of the good start to the season, we lost a lot of unnecessary points. The football itself was precarious too.”

While Ajax managed to get their season off to a strong start, the team’s performances soon started to slide, with their last league winning coming against RKC Waalwijk on October 23. Van der Sar further explained that while the club decided to give Schreuder an opportunity to use the 2022 World Cup break as well as the winter break to turn things around, it soon became evident that he was incapable of doing so.

The post Ajax Fires Schreuder as Winless Run Continues appeared first on SportzBonanza.

FC Barcelona President Joan Laporta revealed that he believes that the breakaway European Super League competition could become a reality as UEFA awaits the court verdict on whether the organization’s attempts to prevent the European Super League’s launch will prevail.

The European Court of Justice is currently evaluating whether UEFA’s case against the breakaway tournament breaches European competition law. Last month, the European Court of Justice’s Advocate General rejected the Super League’s claim that UEFA’s governance of European football is an illegal monopoly. Such claims arose when the Super League filed a lawsuit in April 2021 to protect its 12 founding member clubs from UEFA penalties.

“This Spring we’ll have the verdict on the Super League. For clubs, it will be like what the Bosman ruling [which allowed footballers to move on a free transfer at the end of their contracts] meant for players,” Laporta commented on Thursday. “If the decision is favourable, the Super League could be a reality by 2025. If it isn’t, the steps we decide to take will depend on what the verdict says. The degree of the victory will dictate what we can do with the Super League.”

Of the 12 founding clubs, only Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Juventus are still advocating for the formation of the tournament.

The post Barcelona President Says That Super League Could Be a Reality 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 Tottenham Hotspurs’ game against French side Stade Rennes ended in a 2-2 draw during their opening group game of the inaugural UEFA Conference League. While the Premier League team was fortunate enough to rescue a point during the final 15 minutes of play, they will no doubt feel the pressure of multiple injury concerns.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side suffered two injury setbacks on the night, with attacking midfielders Steven Bergwijn and Lucas Moura both picking up minor knocks. After half an hour of play, Bergwijn had to be replaced by Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, the midfielder who scored Spurs’ second goal. Right-winger Moura was injured during the early stages of the second half after finding himself on the receiving end of a hard tackle. He had to be replaced by Dane Scarlett moments later.

Following his team’s hard-fought draw at Roazhon Park, manager Nuno Espirito Santo acknowledged the difficulties that his team faces as they return to Premier League action this weekend. “It’s been terrible, I must be honest. Let’s not hide behind anything. After the Watford game, everything that has happened has not been very good for us. But this is football. And we know it’s a moment we have to overcome.”

The post Tottenham May Have Multiple Injury Concerns appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Cristiano Ronaldo handed Portugal a 2-1 victory over the Republic of Ireland during their 2022 World Cup Qualifying game on Wednesday night. His two goals pushed the 36-year-old legend’s goal tally for Portugal to 111, meaning that Ronaldo has broken the previous international goalscoring record held by Iran’s Ali Daei.

Ronaldo’s evening got off to a rocky start, as the Portugal captain saw his penalty saved by Gavin Bazunu in the 15th minute after Bruno Fernandes was brought down in the box by Jeff Hendrick. On the stroke of halftime, things went from bad to worse for Portugal as the Republic of Ireland broke the deadlock with a John Egan header.

Just as it looked as if Portugal would fail to break down the resolute Irish defence, Ronaldo put his team on the scoresheet with a towering header in the 89th minute. Then, in true dramatic fashion, the forward rocketed home yet another header to win the match for Portugal in the sixth minute of stoppage time.

In what has been a record-breaking summer, Ronaldo also scored 5 goals at Euro 2020 to become the tournament’s all-time leading scorer.

As a result of the victory, Portugal now sit at the top of Group A with 10 points after four games.

The post Ronaldo Break Record in Portugal Win appeared first on SportzBonanza.

UEFA reportedly came up with a plan to resume the Champions League and Europa League, two main European club competitions. According to ESPN, both competitions could wrap up as “mini-tournaments” held over two weeks on one location.

The standard format of away and home games present in European club competitions isn’t considered a viable option anymore due to restrictions caused by the coronavirus. This is why UEFA came up with a plan to have a centralized competition, described by BILD as a “World Cup-style” tournament in order to crown a champion. The competitions would resume from round-of-16, with later stages assuming knock-out format.  

This year’s UEFA Champions League finale was set to take place in Istanbul, but the city reportedly isn’t in consideration due to restrictions imposed by the Turkish government. Instead, Lisbon, Frankfurt, and Moscow emerged as the main options to host the tournament.

Lisbon is viewed as a favorite among the three cities, as it offers two stadiums and complexes in Benfica’s Estadio da Luz and Sporting CP’s Estadio Jose Alvalade. The stadiums are also just a few miles within each other, giving UEFA more scheduling options.

The Eintracht Frankfurt’s Commerzbank Arena in Germany is also an appealing option for UEFA, due to travel benefits and the stadium’s high-end facilities.

The final decisions about the Champions League and Europa League will most likely be made in late June when all other details should be revealed.

The post UEFA Considers Resuming Champions League and Europa League appeared first on SportzBonanza.

In the midst of the current coronavirus virus that is wreaking havoc on sports all over the globe, Europe’s soccer organizing body has made the decision to put the Champions League and Europa League finals on hold indefinitely.

UEFA announced that the competitions would be put on hold in the midst of the Round of 16 ties in the Champions League and the Europa League.

Now, with no end to the pandemic in sight, UEFA has had to put the finals of both of the tournaments on hold until the situation improves.

The Champions League Final, a title for which 12 teams are still vying, was originally scheduled to be held at Istanbul’s Ataturk Olympic Stadium on Saturday, May 30th.

The Europa League Final, which was also put on hold, was scheduled to be held in Poland at Gdansk’s Stadion Energa Gdańsk on Wednesday, May 27th.

For now, teams are simply in “wait and see” mode when it comes to both domestic and continental competitions. All European soccer leagues (with the exception of the Belarussian Premier League) have been suspended until further notice.

UEFA hopes to play the finals for both competitions at some point in the summer, but that looks far from a certainty at this point.

The post UEFA Champions League, Europa League Finals Postponed Indefinitely appeared first on SportzBonanza.