Analysis

Erling Haaland needed less than four minutes to score his first ever goal against Liverpool. Aged just 19 at the time, he had started on the bench for RB Salzburg's Champions League visit to Anfield in 2019, despite scoring a hat-trick on his competition debut against Genk. He was introduced by coach Jesse Marsch with his side in the middle of a comeback from three goals down and duly made it 3-3.

The Herons might miss the Uruguayan when they take on Nashville Saturday night, yet his absence could offer some answers as to how they function going forward

Sweden has a proud modern history of producing elite strikers, from Henrik Larsson and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, to Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres. If the hype is to be believed, then 16-year-old Kevin Filling is the latest sensation off that conveyor belt of talent, and the AIK prospect is already being linked with a transfer to one of the Premier League's big hitters.

It's been impossible to escape the storm surrounding the release of Mary Earps' new book this past week, with the former England No.1 making headlines aplenty for her comments on Sarina Wiegman and Hannah Hampton in particular - and not in a good way. Earps has since said she "never intentionally" meant to "hurt" anyone, but it's hard to imagine that Hampton has not been negatively impacted by everything that has unfolded over the course of the last seven days.

The 21-year-old striker's Newcastle career may be in the past, but Ohio State has provided a chance for a fresh start

The squad is missing some key names, forcing Mauricio Pochettino to shuffle the deck ahead of final two matches of 2025

Within the last week, Amad Diallo has pulled off the rather impressive feat of being seen as one of Manchester United's greatest weapons and yet also one of their most obvious weak points. The Ivory Coast international's incredible volley at Nottingham Forest last Saturday grabbed his side a point, while he was a few inches away from snatching the winner in added time. Yet while he was rightly hailed as a difference-maker in United's attack, a lot of the post-match analysis focused on his defensive shortcomings.

How on-pitch talent and behind-the-scenes support helped Cape Verde become the second smallest nation to reach the World Cup

From Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane to Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins, MLS has featured some high-octane duos

Joan Gaspart couldn't understand all of the fuss caused by Nico Williams' decision to turn down a move to Barcelona in favour of signing a lucrative new deal with Athletic Club. "The player has used us in a good way," the former Blaugrana president told EL 10 del Barca on August 3. "He's gotten a good contract, and I'm happy for him."

There was a lot to like about Arsenal's win over Leicester City on Sunday. Despite concluding last season by stunning Barcelona to win the Champions League, the Gunners have been nowhere near their best at the start of this new campaign, suffering four successive defeats in all competition for the first time since January 2022. Unconvincing but vital wins against Brighton and Benfica allowed them to fight back before the international break and their return to action at the weekend, in a 4-1 victory over the Foxes, was much-improved.

Portland Hearts of Pine's jerseys went global, but their debut season on the pitch has proved they're far more than just a cool kit

Mic'd Up: Shreeves discussed soccer in America, Premier League favorites, and who might win the Champions League

Five first-round series will come down to a decisive third game, including Messi and Miami being on the brink of another shock exit

EXCLUSIVE: GOAL sat down with the American teenager to discuss his soccer journey, career aspirations and unique flow

Messi was controlled for most of game 2, and there is an ominous sense that the Herons can be easily beaten in one-off matches

If there was an air of inevitability about Erling Haaland scoring Manchester City's first two goals against Bournemouth on Sunday, the same could not be said of the man who provided both of the assists. Rayan Cherki was making his first Premier League start in 10 weeks due to injury, but even before he picked up a thigh problem in August, there were many questions about his suitability to playing for Pep Guardiola.

The list of top goal-scorers through the early weeks of La Liga's season is full of familiar faces. Kylian Mbappe is well out in front having netted 13 times in just 11 games, while Julian Alvarez, Vinicius Jr and Ferran Torres are among the chasing pack. But in amongst those household names is a player in Karl Etta Eyong who has emerged from complete obscurity to being on the transfer radar of Europe's biggest clubs; the true personification of a Hidden Gem...

The conspiracy theorists were on it immediately. Less than 10 minutes into Real Madrid's Champions League opener against Marseille, Trent Alexander-Arnold went down holding his hamstring. He had that resigned look on his face, combined with the shake of the head, the pained expression and the acceptance that something wasn't right, nor could it be immediately fixed.

GOAL US unpacks the main weekend storylines from the Premier League, La Liga and other top competitions in The Euro XI

With the 2026 World Cup on the horizon, GOAL looks at how the U.S. squad might look in the upcoming November camp

The mood surrounding Bayern Munich heading into September was not one of great optimism. Vincent Kompany missed out on his two main transfer targets, Florian Wirtz and Nick Woltemade, and his side were given a huge scare by third-tier Wehen Wiesbaden in the first round of the DFB-Pokal, with an injury-time winner from Harry Kane ultimately sparing Bayern's blushes.

GOAL runs the rule over the British players earning a living away from their homeland, with plenty more stars deciding to leave their home comforts in search of a better footballing life elsewhere. The Premier League is still obviously one of the world's most entertaining divisions and the Championship can prove fantastic for development, but there are more options out there.

GOAL reviews the major takeaways from Americans playing in Europe, including consequential goals from Pepi and Adams

EXCLUSIVE: GOAL sat down with the 20-year-old fullback to discuss his career trajectory and World Cup ambitions

Shortly before the coronavirus pandemic forced the world into lockdown in December 2019, Tottenham recorded and released a video of their first-team players driving academy kids to training. Lucas Moura, still basking in the heroism of his Amsterdam miracle half a year earlier, surprised an 11-year-old boy with his presence as they took the car for a spin. Along the way, the Brazil international had some words of wisdom for the child.

After winning an unprecedented Champions League title back in May, expectations were high for this Arsenal side coming into the 2025-26 season. Could the Gunners use their European success as a springboard and really challenge for the Women's Super League title this time around? Could they finally end Chelsea's incredible dominance which has now seen them claim each of the last six league crowns, as well as 13 of the last 18 domestic honours?

Messi's message on MLS salary restrictions might be self-serving, but the larger point about change rings true

Emma Hayes' side had a bumpy start to the October camp, but finished off in style by overpowering New Zealand 6-0