UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League Week 1
🏆 Selected Champions League Highlights
Real Madrid vs Inter Milan
Barcelona vs Feyenoord
Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid
Sporting CP vs Galatasaray
PSG vs Bratislava
Manchester United vs Sabah
All Goals of Week 1
Source: 3nul.com
Images: GETTY, CBS Golazo, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Sporting CP, Paris Saint Germain, Manchester United
Can anyone stop PSG?
🏆 The Champions League Preview You've Been Waiting For
The Champions League is back — and the biggest question hanging over European football this autumn is whether anyone can finally stop Paris Saint-Germain from making it three consecutive European titles.
Dotun Adebayo and Tim Vickery are joined by football writer and author Miguel Pereira for a wide-ranging, sharp and thoroughly entertaining preview of the new Champions League season. The central debate is one that every supporter of every major club wants answered: is PSG simply too good, too deep and too well-coached to be caught — or is the chasing pack finally ready?
Arsenal, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich all come under the microscope. Kylian Mbappé's desperate need for a Champions League title of his own — the one trophy his extraordinary career still lacks — is examined with the seriousness it deserves. Harry Kane's European ambitions get their moment. And the panel tackles one of the most compelling structural questions in club football: does the relentless physical and emotional demands of the Premier League actually make it harder for English clubs to conquer Europe?
There is plenty more. UEFA's new 36-team league format. The troubling decline of Serie A. The disappearance of traditional defending from elite European football. Como's remarkable rise under Cesc FĂ bregas. The outsiders worth watching.
And then comes the opening week — Real Madrid vs Inter, Porto vs Manchester City, Napoli vs Arsenal and Liverpool vs Atlético Madrid. Four fixtures, any one of which could define an entire campaign before October arrives.
The Champions League has never looked more open — or more unpredictable.
Source: 3nul.com
Images: GETTY, Paris Saint Germain
History Maker
🏆 Yaya Touré Becomes First African Manager to Reach UEFA Champions League
Ivorian football legend Yaya Touré has etched his name into European football history by becoming the first African head coach to guide a team into the league phase of the UEFA Champions League. Touré achieved this monumental feat on Wednesday night after his club, Slovan Bratislava, defeated Slovenian side NK Celje 2–1 in extra time, securing a 3–2 victory on aggregate in the final play-off round.
This landmark accomplishment marks an extraordinary start to Touré’s senior head-coaching career. Appointed as the manager of the Slovak champions in June 2026 on a three-year contract, the 43-year-old was handed the reins of a dominant domestic team and immediately tasked with navigating the high-pressure waters of European qualification. He has met that challenge flawlessly, remaining unbeaten in his first 10 competitive matches in charge, which includes a perfect four-win start in the Slovak league.
The deciding match against NK Celje was filled with tactical drama. Following a 1–1 draw in the first leg, Slovan Bratislava took an early lead through AndraĹľ Ĺ porar in the 18th minute, only for Celje to equalise via a 34th-minute penalty from Svit Ĺ ešlar. With the tie deadlocked on aggregate, Touré’s side showed great resilience in extra time, culminating in a spectacular 100th-minute winner from Cristian MartĂnez to book their place among Europe's elite 36 clubs.
Touré’s achievement breaks a significant glass ceiling for African coaches operating at the highest levels of European football. While Nigerian tactician Ndubuisi Egbo made history in 2020 by managing Albanian club KF Tirana during the Champions League qualifying phases, his team ultimately fell short of the tournament proper. Touré becomes the first from the continent to take a club directly into the main tournament phase.
The achievement adds another illustrious chapter to Touré's storied football legacy. As a player, he was widely regarded as one of the most dominant midfielders of his generation, winning the UEFA Champions League with Barcelona in 2009 before lifting three Premier League titles with Manchester City and captaining the Ivory Coast to Africa Cup of Nations glory in 2015. After retiring, he meticulously built his coaching credentials through assistant roles at Standard Liège and the Saudi Arabia national team, alongside a spell running Tottenham Hotspur's U16 academy.
Now holding a UEFA Pro Coaching License, Touré has seamlessly transitioned his elite football intelligence from the pitch to the touchline. As Slovan Bratislava awaits the league phase draw, the football world will be watching to see how far the Ivorian pioneer can lead his team against Europe's absolute heaviest hitters.
Yaya Toure's first interview with Slovan Bratislava
Source: 3nul.com
Images: GETTY, Paris Saint Germain
ICI C'EST PARIS
🏆 PSG Seal Back-to-Back Super Cups
Paris Saint-Germain successfully defended their continental crown by defeating Aston Villa 2-1 to lift the 2026 UEFA Super Cup.
The thrilling match, played on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, at the Red Bull Arena in Salzburg, Austria, saw Luis Enrique's Champions League winners hold off a resilient effort from Unai Emery’s Europa League holders. With this victory, PSG joined an elite group—alongside AC Milan and Real Madrid—as one of the few clubs to win back-to-back Super Cup titles.
Kvaratskhelia Ignites the Match
PSG dominated early proceedings with their trademark possession football. Their pressure paid off in the 20th minute when Georgian star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia latched onto an opportunity and drilled a powerfully struck low effort past Villa goalkeeper Marco Bizot.
Teenage Sensation Makes History
Despite the setback, Aston Villa grew into the match and created several dangerous chances. Right on the stroke of halftime, 17-year-old striker Brian Madjo volleyed home a spectacular equaliser from a John McGinn assist.
Madjo's goal was a fairytale moment; the teenager had only been cleared to play days prior following a registration dispute between Villa and FIFA. With his strike, Madjo broke Patrick Kluivert's long-standing record to become the youngest goalscorer in UEFA Super Cup history.
Doué Strikes the Winner After VAR Drama
Luis Enrique adjusted his tactics at halftime, introducing Ousmane Dembélé to inject pace into the attack. The tactical shift yielded immediate results in the 61st minute. Dembélé slipped a precise pass through to Désiré Doué, who calmly curled the ball into the far corner.
Though the assistant referee initially raised his flag for offside, a lengthy VAR review overturned the decision, confirming that Villa right-back Matty Cash had marginally played Doué onside.
Historic Night in Salzburg
The match was also notable for structural football history. Somali official Omar Artan took charge of the whistle, making history as the first non-European referee to officiate a UEFA Super Cup final.
Villa pushed aggressively for a second equaliser late in the half, coming close when substitute Tammy Abraham just missed a dangerous cut-back inside the six-yard box. However, PSG's backline held firm to claim the first of a possible six trophies available to them in the 2026/27 campaign.
Source: 3nul.com
Images: GETTY, Paris Saint Germain
