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Mbappe brace not enough as nine-man Madrid embarrassed

  1. Champions League power rankings GFXGOAL
    Power rankingsChampions League

    UCL Power Rankings: PSG & Real falter again ahead of knockouts

    The Champions League league phase ended in insanity, with Benfica nicking a place in the knockout stage from under the noses of Marseille with a last-gasp header from goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin. There was no such drama at the Emirates as Arsenal maintained their 100 percent record with a 3-2 win over Kairat Almaty, even if the Kazakhstani side gave a fine account of themselves, and Premier League strugglers Liverpool once again proved that they're a very different side in continental competition by routing Qarabag to finish third.

  3. Jorgen Strand Larsen Crystal Palace GFXGetty/GOAL
    AnalysisTransfers

    £50m is obscene for one-season-wonder Strand Larsen

    January is a notoriously bad time for buyers because nobody ever wants to sell top talent midway through the season. There are, however, exceptions to the rule. Some clubs need to raise funds to balance the books, while others can be left with not option but to unload an unhappy player who has made it clear that he wants to join a stronger side.

  4. UCL Team of the League Phase.jpgGetty/GOAL
    OpinionChampions League

    GOAL's Team of the Champions League league phase

    So there we have it! After a mammoth 144 games that included plenty of goals and drama, the curtain has been drawn on the league phase of the 2025-26 Champions League. Arsenal finished top of the table with a perfect record, while Manchester City secured automatic qualification to the round of 16 by the skin of their teeth. But three historic European giants have been eliminated already, in the form of Napoli, Marseille and Ajax.

  6. Joao Pedro Chelsea GFX GOAL/Getty
    Player ratingsChelsea

    Pedro & Palmer combine to seal Chelsea comeback win

    Joao Pedro scored two stunning goals as Chelsea beat Napoli 3-2 to seal their progress into the Champions League last 16 on Wednesday. The striker netted one brilliant long-range strike, as well as a cool finish while one-on-one, to add to Enzo Fernandez's early penalty as the Blues won a topsy-turvy encounter against former boss Antonio Conte.

  8. Liverpool Qarabag ratings GFXGOAL
    Player ratingsLiverpool

    Salah scores but Frimpong injury mars big Liverpool win

    Liverpool may be struggling in the Premier League but they're a very different side in the Champions League, as they underlined on Wednesday by storming straight into the last 16 of the competition by hammering Qarabag 6-0 at Anfield. With the Reds' defensive injury crisis having worsened in Saturday's shocking defeat at Bournemouth, the last thing head coach Arne Slot needed was Jeremie Frimpong hobbling off with what looked like his third hamstring injury of the season after just two minutes of play on Merseyside.

  9. Kai Havertz Arsenal Kairat Almaty 2025-26
    Player ratingsArsenal

    Havertz is back! German stars as Arsenal seal UCL top spot

    Kai Havertz marked his first start in almost a year with a goal and an assist as Arsenal made it eight wins from eight in the Champions League with a 3-2 success over Kairat Almaty to seal their spot as league phase winners. Havertz, whose last start came 357 days ago, showed the Gunners exactly what they had been missing when he set up Viktor Gyokeres for an early opener before adding a second himself with a fine run and finish after Jorginho had equalised for the visitors from the penalty spot.

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  1. Premier LeagueP. Guardiola

    Watch as Pep gives prickly reply after reporter sticks up for ref

    Pep Guardiola has insisted he has "never, ever" criticised referees in his 10 years in charge at Manchester City following his outburst at Premier League official Farai Hallam. The Spaniard has come under fire for comments made about Hallam after his refusal to award a penalty to City in their 2-0 win over Wolves, although Guardiola has gone on the defensive and, albeit issuing an apology, has doubled down on his assessment of the debutant ref's performance.

  4. Beast Mode On KSI YouTube thumbnailBeast Mode On
    CULTUREArsenal

    🎥 | KSI talks Arsenal, boxing & more in Beast Mode On Podcast

    In the latest episode of the Beast Mode On podcast, Adebayo Akinfenwa sits down with YouTube star KSI to discuss his incredible career so far, from success with the Sidemen to becoming a boxer and musician. The lifelong Arsenal fan also talks about his love for the Gunners as they attempt to finally end their Premier League title drought, and reveals what he really thinks about struggling striker Viktor Gyokeres.

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You will love this, we promise

  3. YAmal CopenhagenGETTY
    Player ratingsBarcelona

    Thank god for Yamal! Teen steps up as Barca survive scare

    Barcelona booked their place in the last 16 of the Champions League with a 4-1 over Copenhagen on Wednesday. While Hansi Flick's side would eventually run out comfortable winners thanks to second-half goals from Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Marcus Rashford, they suffered through a frustrating opening 45 minutes after they went behind to a fourth0minute goal from teenager Viktor Dadason.

  5. PSG vs Newcastle Player Ratings
    Player ratingsNewcastle United

    Willock nets but Barnes blunder costs Newcastle at PSG

    Joe Willock's powerful header on the stroke of half-time cancelled out Vitinha's opener as nothing could separate Newcastle and Paris-Saint Germain in a 1-1 draw on Wednesday. The result suited neither side as the Premier League outfit and their French counterparts dropped out of the top eight and into the play-off round in the Champions League.

  6. Tottenham Frankfurt GFXGOAL
    Player ratingsTottenham

    Kolo Muani & Solanke ease Spurs into UCL last 16

    Tottenham put their Premier League struggles to one side again as they beat Eintracht Frankfurt 2-0 on Wednesday, booking their spot in the last 16 of the Champions League. Spurs are in danger of being dragged into a relegation battle domestically but have secured an automatic place in the knockout stages of Europe's premier club competition.

  7. Arsenal FARGetty
    Player ratingsArsenal Women

    Russo bags brace as Arsenal ease into WCC final

    Arsenal thumped African Champions League holders AS FAR Rabat 6-0 in the semi-final of the inaugural Women's Champions Cup on Wednesday after a dominant performance that was capped by two goals from England striker Alessia Russo. The Gunners will now head into Sunday's final, at the Emirates Stadium, against Brazilian side Corinthians.

  8. Paul Pogba GFXGOAL
    AnalysisP. Pogba

    Inside Pogba's failure to relaunch his career at Monaco

    Paul Pogba could line up against his former club Juventus on Wednesday night for the first time since parting ways with the Italian giants under the cloud of a doping ban in 2024. If he's fit, that is, with his highly-anticipated comeback at Monaco - after more than two years out of competitive action - being hampered by niggling injuries. As his former employers come to town, Pogba finds himself at another crossroads.

  9. Antonio Conte Champions League GFXGOAL
    AnalysisChampions League

    Napoli on the brink: Why is Conte so bad in the Champions League?

    Juventus supporters inevitably revelled in getting one over on former boss Antonio Conte on Sunday night, as the Bianconeri swept Napoli aside in Turin. "Antonio Conte, jump with us!" the home fans began chanting in the dying minutes of their team's 3-0 win over the reigning Serie A champions. Unsurprisingly, Conte was in no mood to join in, as his injury-ravaged side suffered a devastating defeat that saw the Partenopei fall to fourth in the table.

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Icons in the making

  3. Kennet Eichhorn NXGN GFXGetty/GOAL
    Hertha BerlinK. Eichhorn

    Why Man Utd & more want Hertha's teenage Kroos regen

    Hertha Berlin fans haven't had much to cheer about in recent years. Their decade-long stay in the Bundesliga ended after the team slumped to an 18th-placed finish in the 2022-23 season, just four years on from Lars Windhorst's €224 million minority takeover that came with the billionaire's promise to build a "true ‘big-city club’, like those in London or Madrid."

  4. Yan Diomande NXGN GFXGOAL
    RB LeipzigY. Diomande

    Red Bull's best post-Haaland star on Liverpool & City's radar

    With all the data and all the video footage you could ever hope for, there really shouldn't be many secrets left in the world of youth football. Sure, progress isn't linear and some players' attributes translate better to the adult game than others, but for most teams, picking and finding the best young talent still feels like a bit of a lottery, at least from the outside looking in.

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Heroes of the past

  1. Terry controversial momentsGetty/GOAL
    AnalysisChelsea

    Captain, leader... legend? Terry's biggest Chelsea controversies

    For all his quality as a defender and his overflowing trophy cabinet, John Terry's near-19-year Chelsea career was punctuated by moments of significant controversy - from his early days at Stamford Bridge right through to his peak. His legacy is a complex one as a result, with many recognising him as one of the finest defenders England has ever produced while simultaneously asking serious questions of his character.

  2. Slot-SalahGetty/GOAL
    AnalysisLiverpool

    Salah vs Slot & the biggest player-coach bust-ups

    In a bombshell seven-and-a-half-minute interview after Liverpool's 3-3 draw with Leeds United last weekend, Mohamed Salah accused the club of throwing him "under the bus" and claimed he no longer has any relationship with head coach Arne Slot. The 'Egyptian King', who has scored 250 goals for Liverpool over the last eight years and was the driving force behind the 2024-25 Premier League title success under Slot, didn't see a single minute of action at Elland Road after being named on the bench for the third game in a row, and decided to go public with his grievances.

  3. City accidental bid Messi 16.9Getty/GOAL
    AnalysisManchester City

    Inside Man City's 'accidental' £70m bid for Messi

    Fifteen years ago, Manchester City were so enamoured with the all-conquering Barcelona that they sought to replicate the same structure. They began by hiring chief executive Ferran Soriano and sporting director Txiki Begiristain, before eventually landing Pep Guardiola to manage the team. All that was missing was Lionel Messi - though they nearly signed the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner at the very start of the Abu Dhabi-led project by mistake!

  4. Gerrard gangster terror GFXGetty/GOAL
    AnalysisS. Gerrard

    'Shoot him in the legs' - Gerrard's gangster terror

    Steven Heighway knew when Steven Gerrard was still only 14 years of age that the midfielder was going to "make it" as a footballer. The man himself, though, was less convinced of his quality - at least when he took his first tentative steps in the professional ranks. When Gerrard warmed up in front of the Kop for the first time ahead of his Liverpool debut on November 29, 1998, the nerve-racked teenager "could almost hear them saying, 'Who's this skinny tw*t?!'"

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