4:52 PM ET Angel Di Maria was the star of the show in Paris. IAN LANGSDON/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Angel Di Maria scored a first-half brace against his former team as Paris Saint-Germain comfortably beat a listless Real Madrid 2-0 in their Champions League Group A opener in Paris on Wednesday. In the absence of the formidable trio of
Clubs
Ale Moreno feels Atletico Madrid vs. Juventus will be the key UCL fixture from matchday 1 given Cristiano Ronaldo’s dominance vs. Atleti. Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo has said he deserves to end his career with more Ballon d’Or awards than Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and hopes to establish himself as the greatest player of all time.
4:54 PM ET Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund played to a draw in their Group F opener. Getty Lionel Messi made his season debut and Mar-Andre ter Stegen saved a penalty as Barcelona drew 0-0 at Borussia Dortmund in their Champions League Group F opener on Tuesday. – Champions League group stage: All you need to know–
Craig Burley slams Maurizio Sarri for blaming the temperature in Florence for Juventus’ lacklustre draw against Fiorentina. Juventus’ Gonzalo Higuain reacted furiously to being shown up in a training drill, by kicking the coach and taking his anger out on an advertisement board. Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone has called Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo a
This should be about the game. About a club, Paris Saint-Germain, taking yet another crack at winning the biggest prize in club football after three straight seasons of controversial exits by wafer-thin margins. And their visitors Real Madrid, the game’s ultimate blue-bloods, halfway in rebuild mode as they pursue their 14th European Cup as an
Craig Burley says Zlatan Ibrahimovic reminds him of Ruud Gullit late in his career and lays out how Zlatan would fare if he returned to Europe. Marcus Rashford converted an early penalty to help a depleted Manchester United side fend off Leicester City at Old Trafford. Alejandro Moreno feels the current version of Manchester United
Steve Nicol explains why Manchester City’s defence is likely to cost them more points this season without Aymeric Laporte. ESPN FC’s Don Hutchison breaks down Manchester City’s defensive struggles without Aymeric Laporte in their 3-2 loss at Norwich City. In the upset of the season so far, Norwich City delivered a shocking blow to Manchester
Two big questions were posed about the Premier League title race over the weekend: Can Liverpool maintain their incredible form, and just how far off the pace can Manchester City allow themselves to fall? If the answer to the first question is “yes,” then “not much further” would seem to be the obvious response to
There’s lots to talk about in this week’s Monday Musings following a wild weekend. Gab Marcotti is here to recap the big stories around soccer. Jump to: No crisis yet for Man City | End of Bayern’s dominance? | Fati masks Barca’s issues | Juventus get lucky | Neymar gets rude welcome | Arsenal woe
ESPN FC’s Sid Lowe analyzes how Eden Hazard changes the feel for Real Madrid and gives them creativity and speed. Shaka Hislop explains what he thinks would be the only scenario that Virgi van Dijk leaves Liverpool for a club like Barcelona or Real Madrid. Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Gareth Bale all miss out on
Barcelona wonderkid Ansu Fati is the name on everyone’s lips after the 16-year-old continued to write history in La Liga this weekend, following a start to the season that no one saw coming. The Bissau-born youngster has already broken records this season after stepping into an unexpectedly prominent role at Barca. He became the club’s
Roberto Pereyra’s converted penalty brought Watford back from their two-goal deficit, to force a 2-2 draw with Arsenal at Vicarage Road. Shaka Hislop slams Unai Emery for his lack of leadership and Arsenal for their calamitous play out of the back in their draw against Watford. The Toe Poke Daily is here every day to
ESPN FC’s Ale Moreno explains why Kylian Mbappe’s presence at PSG makes Neymar an expendable asset. Alejandro Moreno says that Real Madrid displayed their excellent ability along with their fragility in their nail-biting 3-2 win against Levante. Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid will be both play their Champions League Group A opener on Wednesday without
Alejandro Moreno feels the current version of Manchester United can only grind out wins and doesn’t intimidate other Premier League sides. The Premier League transfer window has closed, but the rest of Europe remains open for business until Monday. Plus, it’s never too late to look forward to January! Click here to view the latest
4:54 PM ET AC Milan’s Krzysztof Piatek returned to the starting lineup and converted the winner with a penalty in a hard-fought 1-0 victory at 10-man Hellas Verona in Serie A on Sunday. The Polish striker was dropped by coach Marco Giampaolo for the win over Brescia before the international break but led the line
ESPN FC’s Julien Laurens weighs in on 16 year old Ansu Fati’s impact at Barcelona so far with two goals in his first three matches. Sid Lowe explains the significance of Lionel Messi publicly commenting on Barcelona’s failed effort to bring back Neymar. Julien Laurens reads between the lines of Lionel Messi’s latest comments on
After Vincent Kompany lauded Virgil van Dijk as the Premier League’s best ever defender, Frank Leboeuf has a hard time choosing his all-time best. The Premier League transfer window has closed, but the rest of Europe remains open for business until Monday. Plus, it’s never too late to look forward to January! Click here to
Marcus Rashford converted an early penalty to help a depleted Manchester United side fend off Leicester City at Old Trafford. Alejandro Moreno feels the current version of Manchester United can only grind out wins and doesn’t intimidate other Premier League sides. Steve Nicol explains how much blame should be placed on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after
2:21 PM ET Manchester City fell five points behind Liverpool at the top of the table after a shock 3-2 defeat at Norwich. Kenny McLean gave Daniel Farke’s men a surprise lead before the hosts reached dreamland territory as Todd Cantwell added another. Sergio Aguero nodded in to reduce the deficit in first half stoppage
Alejandro Moreno feels the current version of Manchester United can only grind out wins and doesn’t intimidate other Premier League sides. Marcus Rashford converted an early penalty to help a depleted Manchester United side fend off Leicester City at Old Trafford. The Premier League transfer window has closed, but the rest of Europe remains open