All the latest updates from Thursday’s European actionLive scoreboard: the latest from all tonight’s gamesAnd you can contact Daniel by email or on TwitterPostecoglu sounds very confident in his players and says they’ve done well to work themselves bac…
After Escribá’s sacking where will Elche’s new owners take them now? | Sid Lowe
Fran Escribá was a consistent presence after Elche’s sale last year but after his sacking the owners – one of whom is a striker at the club – will have to show what their intentions arePissing off the boss is rarely a good plan and losing lots of footb…
Depay on spot as Xavi’s Barcelona era starts with win over Espanyol
This would have to do for now but cannot do for much longer. Twice as many people were at the Camp Nou than the last time Barcelona played here in La Liga, 74,000 fans hoping to witness a brave new world. Instead, they watched as their side needed a Me…
Xavi heading home to Barcelona in chronicle of a coaching job foretold | Sid Lowe
Club legend twice rejected offers but finally he is coming back as a defender of the faith and symbol of hope for the futureOn Xavi Hernández’s last night as a Barcelona player, he walked out of the Olimpiastadion in Berlin carrying the European Cup in…
Real Sociedad lead the way in Spain and get to enjoy moment of liberation | Sid Lowe
Was a last-gasp winner to beat Mallorca the mark of champions? Either way, la Real are unbeaten since opening dayJulen Lobete was on his knees crying again when his teammates sprinted towards him, hauled him to his feet and held him tight. One after an…
Inside No 9: no hexes yet for Giroud as Verona lose voice in Milan again | Nicky Bandini
The resilient comeback to win after trailing 2-0 felt significant with starters missing against improving opponentsFor almost an hour, it had seemed as though a curse was about to be broken. Hellas Verona have never won a game at San Siro: not even in …
Brutal Bayern show their rivals just how high the mountain is | Andy Brassell
Existential angst over competitiveness shouldn’t overshadow the fact we are looking at possibly the best team in EuropeWe’ve seen it before, but it’s still difficult to know exactly how it should be characterised. It was brilliant, beautiful, ugly, def…
Francesco Totti on turning down Real, visiting prisons and being shy
In an extract from his autobiography, the former Roma captain discusses his career choices and the fans’ adulationIn 2005, I was yet to turn 29, and it was the period in my career in which Roma were paying me the most: €5.8m a year and image rights tha…
Late Harder strike denies Wolfsburg and snatches point for Chelsea
A stoppage-time goal from forward Pernille Harder earned Chelsea a point against her former team Wolfsburg after a period of calamitous defending looked to have handed the German team victory in the Champions League.“They aren’t tactical problems, they…
Iñaki Williams: ‘My parents crossed the desert barefoot to get to Spain’ | Sid Lowe
The striker tells of his parents’ remarkable journey, rejecting Ghana and playing a record 203 league games in a row“We were at home one day in Bilbao watching the television when something came on – I can’t remember exactly what – and I asked her agai…