Christian Burgess couldn’t quite believe what he had just seen. His side, Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, were trailing 2-0 and down to 10 men against RFC Seraing. Rather than try to limit the damage, manager Felice Mazzu made an attacking substitution at half-time that changed everything. Kaoru Mitoma came on and turned the game on its head with a stunning hat-trick to complete an incredible comeback. A 4-2 win sent the…
‘Phenomenon’. ‘One-off’. ‘Freak of nature’. You name it and Erling Haaland has probably been called it as his prolific debut season in English football continues to destroy Premier League goalscoring records. Any questions about how the Norway striker would fit in Manchester City’s system this season were soon answered when he netted 14 goals in his first eight Premier League games, including back-to-back hat-tricks against Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest.…
Tottenham’s board has rejected claims by the club’s Supporters’ Trust that it has not invested enough in the team. The Trust wrote to the board last month highlighting concerns in a number of areas, including recruitment. In its reply, the board said more than £500m had been spent on players since the club’s new stadium opened in 2019. “It’s important that we deal with facts – our spend levels quite…
Russell Martin says he will not walk away from Swansea City but believes the club must change the way they work in the transfer market. Martin thought the Championship club would strengthen for a play-off push during the January window but they did not sign a player. However, Swansea’s head coach insists transfer failings will not affect his commitment to the club. “I’ve never walked away from anything in my…
Midfielder Rachel Furness has left Women’s Super League side Liverpool by mutual consent. The Northern Ireland international, 34, spent three seasons at the club after joining from Reading in 2019, scoring 19 goals in 64 appearances. Furness was vice-captain at Liverpool, helping the club win promotion to the WSL in 2022. BBC Sport understands she is set to join Championship side Bristol City. “It’s always tough when you lose senior…
When Liam Gilbert set out his goals for Oxford United Women last summer, he knew they were a few pieces away from something special. The 33-year-old manager spent the off-season talking to his staff via group chat and video calls to figure out what they needed to make a serious promotion run, and how they were going to achieve it. “We needed a bit of a rebuild because we lost…
“I got a call from one of our coaches, who was panicking. Sixty new people had turned up, never kicked a ball before, but they had all watched the Lionesses.” The day after Georgia Stanway put England into the European Championship semi-finals, Manchester Laces’ open training session provided the best kind of problem for Helen Hardy, who founded the inclusive women’s football club in 2021. “How many women felt empowered…
Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka, Chelsea’s Raheem Sterling and Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford have been named on a list of the most influential black people in British football. The annual Football Black List recognises the efforts of black figures working in various areas of the game. Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira and Burnley boss Vincent Kompany are included in the coaching category. Pundit and ex-England player Lianne Sanderson is also on this…
France and Manchester United centre-back Raphael Varane has announced his retirement from international football. The 29-year-old, who won the World Cup in 2018, scored five goals in 93 appearances for his country after making his debut in 2013. The last of his caps was won in the 2022 World Cup final, in which France were beaten by Argentina on penalties. “Representing our great country for a decade has been one…
Until now, the identity of Barcelona’s first manager has been shrouded in mystery. The club’s official records refer to him only as ‘B. Barren’,external-link noting that he was an Englishman who was in charge for a brief period in 1912. New research has revealed the truth about this footballing pioneer, with a story that goes back to the coalfields of Durham and the first ‘World Cup’. Here is the tale…