AC MILAN ARE THE SUPER CUP CHAMPIONS

 

Image Credit- AC Milan.

Defending Super Cup Champions Inter Milan were facing their Arch-rivals AC Milan in the finals of the Supercoppa Italiana. Despite the fact that the game took place in Saudi Arabia, the stadium was abuzz because it was the Milan Derby. Therefore, nobody wanted to miss this incredibly thrilling contest. 

Both teams got off to a strong start. They persisted in attacking their opponents, but they were unable to overcome one another's defense. Lautaro Martinez eventually scored the game's first goal in the 45th minute, giving Milan a 1-0 lead shortly before halftime. In the 47th minute, Taremi scored a fantastic goal to double the lead. It looked that Inter will successfully defend their title. But, this is when AC Milan scripted one of the greatest comebacks. 

In the 52nd minute of the game Theo Hernandez scored a brilliant free kick and brought down the goal deficit to one. The Men in Red continued their attack and eventually in the 80th minute levelled the score. Pulisic scored the equalizer for AC Milan and the match was wide open now. 5 minutes later Inter created a brilliant chance but was denied by the Milan Keeper. However, in the 92nd minute of the game, Tammy Abraham came from nowhere and scored the winner for the men in red. The stadium erupted in joy as AC Milan secured the Super Cup Title after a tough battle against their city rivals. 

It was truly one of the greatest games in the recent AC Milan History.

To watch the Highlights of the Final, Click Here. 

THE RISE OF NOTTINGHAM FOREST

 

Image Credit- BBC.

Football and underdog stories is a match made in heaven. Every now and then we see a club who comes from nowhere and shocks the mighty on the biggest of stage. Today we will be discussing about one such club who has taken the Premier League by storm. Yes you guessed it right. We will be talking about the 2024-25 campaign of Nottingham Forest. 

At the end of 21 games, Nottingham Forest is currently placed 3rd in the table with 41 points. They are just 2 points behind Arsenal and 6 behind Liverpool. So, it can be said that they are very much a title contender in this stage of the Premier League. Interestingly the League Leaders Liverpool have been defeated only once in this Premier League Campaign till now and it came against Nottingham Forest in Anfield. Furthermore they again failed to win their game against Nottingham when they faced them in an away encounter last week. Hence, it can be said that the men from Nottingham have dominated upon those who are currently ruling both England and Europe. 

Will they win a silverware or not is something only time can tell us. But, currently it is all good in Nottingham. One will only hope that they continue their merry run and end up playing Champions League next season. Nottingham Forest in Champions League? Why not. Afterall they are 2 Times European Cup Champions. 

BARCELONA ARE THE SUPER CUP CHAMPIONS

 

Image Credit- FC Barcelona.

Defending Champions Real Madrid were facing Arch-Rivals F.C. Barcelona in the finals of the Spanish Super Cup at Jeddah. The Galacticos were determined to defend their title, whereas the Blaugrana were eager to reclaim the lost throne. As a result, everyone was expecting an exciting contest between the two powerhouses of Spanish as well as European Football. 

The Galacticos took an early lead in the game as Mbappe scored a brilliant solo goal. However, what followed next was something truly unbelievable. F.C. Barcelona just blew away the Madrid defense as they went on to score 5 goals in the game. Yes. You read it right. 5 goals in a cup final. It appeared that boys were playing against men.  Furthermore, it is also pertinent to note that despite being a man down, the men from Barcelona ended up winning 5-2. Madrid did get a consolation goal in the 60th minute, but the damage was beyond repair for the men in white. 

To be honest it was literally a carnage. No one expected that Madrid can lose so badly. But this is football. Anything can happen on a particular day. 

THIS IS FOOTBALL HERITAGE

 

Image Credit- The Himalayan Times.

On 5th January 2025, Manchester United faced Arch-Rivals Liverpool in Anfield. Even though the Red Devils were not in their best of forms. But still this was regarded as the biggest game of the season. Afterall the rivalry between the two teams is now a century old. And Boy! What a game we had in Anfield. It was simply a blockbuster.  Both the teams gave their heart and soul to this important match. The Home Side started as favorites and were on an attacking mode straight from the first minute. However, the United defense was equally strong who stopped every Liverpool attack. In between even the men in white gave some scare to the Liverpool defense.  However, at the end of 45 minutes the scorecard read 0-0. 

Interestingly in the beginning of the second half, Manchester United started playing more attacking football. It looked that they have put all their worries behind and are now going for the ultimate glory. Eventually in the 52nd minute of the game, Martinez scored the opening goal of the game for Manchester United. The Away Crowd just went berserk when the Visitors took the lead. However, the home side made a comeback and at the end of 70 minutes the scorecard read- Liverpool 2- 1 Manchester United.  Cody Gakpo scored a stunner whereas Salah made no mistake while taking the penalty. It seemed that Liverpool will now take 3 points home. However, this is when Amad came from nowhere and equalized in the 80th minute of the game. The match was well and truly alive. 

Both the teams in the last few minutes played their finest football but failed to break each other's defense. United did have a chance in the 95th minute of the game, but Maguire missed it on big time as he hit above the bar. The final whistle was blown and the match ended 2-2. Even though we did not have a clear winner, but it was surely the game of the season. Both the legendary clubs gave their best and made the world stop for 90 minutes. 

The match was pure cinema. 

This is Football Heritage. 

 To watch the highlights of the match, Click Here. 

To explore more of the game, Click Here. 

MANCHESTER CITY IS BACK

 

Image Credit- Manchester City 

The last couple of months have been one of the worst months in the recent history of Manchester City. They went on losing games after games. It seamed that they have forgotten how to play football. It is hard to believe that Manchester City failed to win a single game in the entire month of November.  Even in the first half of December their performance was far from satisfactory. However, post Christmas we saw some recovery. Even though they drew against Everton at Home, but throughout the game they dominated their opponents. It was unlucky that Haaland missed his penalty. However, they did gain some confidence after the match which in turn proved useful against Leicester. 

In a hard fought away game they won 2-0. The Champions were thus back to the winning ways. Yesterday they blew away West Ham in old style. So, it can be said that Manchester City are back in the business. Will they defend their title? The answer lies in the womb of time. But, this is for sure that they will fight till the very last moment. 

THE RACE IS ON

 

Image Credit- FC Bayern Munich 

FC Bayern Munich is one of the biggest Football Clubs of our time. Be it Domestic Tournaments or the European Cups, they have won it all. Furthermore their dominance in these years have been such that whenever they lose a game in Germany it becomes a headline. From 2012 to 2023 they won 11 Bundesliga titles on a trot. However, in 2024 the Champions were dethroned and Leverkusen won their maiden Bundesliga Title. Everyone was in shock. Afterall the impossible had happened. FC Bayern Munich have failed to defend their league title. 

However, the club looked determined to reclaim their throne next season. And Boy! At the end of 15 games they are leading the Bundesliga table by 4 points. It is interesting to note that out of the 15 games played, they have won 11 and drawn 3. Furthermore their attacking style of football has impressed everyone.

However, as we enter the second half of the Bundesliga Season, everyone is excited. Afterall anything can happen now. Interestingly in the DFB Pokal Tournament, Champions Leverkusen knocked out Munich in the most dramatic manner. Hence, we can never underestimate Xabi and his men who are just 4 points behind them. The Title Race will surely heat up after every single weekend. However, whatever the result may be. It is the fans who will be the ultimate winners. 

A GAME TO REMEMBER

 

Image Credit- The Guardian. 

League Leaders F.C. Barcelona were facing Atlético Madrid in an important La Liga encounter. The fixture would decide who will remain at the top of the table on the Christmas Eve. As, a result both the teams wanted to win this game.  Atlético Madrid were in a better form as compared to Blaugranes, but since the game was to be played in Barcelona everyone felt the Hosts to be the favorite. Using a classic 4-3-3 formation, Barçelona's wingers played wide and high to stretch Atletico's defense. They also passed the ball quickly through the lines to find Raphinha and Fermín López isolated against the full-backs, who could send crosses into the box or find players through the middle to create chances.

Additionally, the visitors were compelled to concede the ball quickly due to the intensity of the out-of-possession play, which allowed Barça to play its best half of football in a long time. From the first whistle, the Colchoneros were under siege from the home team and had to contend with a lot of shots. The Blaugrana were fierce, focused, and effective both with and without the ball. Pedri's incredible solo run down the left channel, his fantastic one-two with Gavi at the edge of the box, and his beautiful goal into the far corner put the home team ahead. Atlético's excellent defensive structure held up pretty well for a half hour before a moment of individual brilliance finally unlocked them.

The visitors attempted to rally after falling behind, but they were unable to overcome Barça's offside trap. In the few times that Atleti posed a threat, Iñigo Martínez and Pau Cubarsí made excellent saves. Throughout that time, the Catalans were really at ease in the rear, and when the final whistle blew, they still had a clean sheet. At the end of 45 minutes the Hosts were 1-0 up and were looking for a comfortable win.

Fermín missed an easy one-on-one with Jan Oblak, and Raphinha was extremely unlucky when his attempted lob over the keeper struck the crossbar and missed. Barça continued to dominate the first half of the final period, creating two incredible chances to double their lead before the hour mark and causing plenty of problems with their high pressing. Soon after the hosts failed to capitalize on those chances, Atletico launched a counterattack, and Marc Casadó's clumsy attempt to clear a cross by Julián Álvarez put the ball right in the path of Rodrigo De Paul, who found the bottom corner and equalized against the run of play to put Atleti back in the game.

Oblak came to life as Barça dominated Atletico in the closing minutes and generated numerous chances. The goalie produced incredible save after incredible save to keep his club alive, including two one-on-ones against Raphinha and Pedri. Atlético went on the attack in the 96th minute, Nahuel Molina timed his move perfectly to break the offside trap, and he provided a great cross to find Sorloth, who won it with a brilliant goal. Despite their best efforts, the Catalans lost in the final minute of the game. The Players went down on the pitch. The crowd went silent. The impossible had happened. Atlético Madrid has won a game in Barcelona. 

To be honest it reminded us all of the 2017 Messi's winner against Real Madrid in Santiago Bernabéu. The game was evenly poised there, but the individual brilliance of Sergio Roberto and Lionel Messi produced a winning result in the final kick of the game.  

Similar happened today after 7 years. This Game was indeed a classic and will be remembered for ages to come. Despite dominating game for most of the period, Barcelona lost in the harshest possible manner. I believe this is what football is all about.

To watch the Highlights of the Game, Click Here. 

References-  Barcelona vs Atlético Madrid, La Liga: Final Score 1-2, Barça finish 2024 with heartbreaking defeat - Barca Blaugranes