Unai Emery’s dominance of the UEFA Europa League has been accompanied by an equally striking struggle in the UEFA Super Cup, with his latest defeat against Paris Saint-Germain extending a perfect losing record in the competition.

Emery’s Aston Villa were beaten 2-1 by PSG in Salzburg on Wednesday, despite Brian Madjo’s historic equaliser, leaving the Spanish manager with four defeats from four UEFA Super Cup appearances.

The latest setback came just months after Emery guided Villa to their first major European trophy since 1982, beating Freiburg 3-0 in the Europa League final to claim a record-extending fifth Europa League title.

UEFA describes Emery as the competition’s most successful manager, having won it three times with Sevilla, once with Villarreal and now with Villa.

Yet the Super Cup has repeatedly proved to be his stumbling block.

His first appearance came in 2014, when Sevilla were beaten 2-0 by Real Madrid.

A year later, Sevilla suffered another defeat, losing 5-4 to Barcelona after extra time in one of the competition’s most memorable finals.

UEFA’s official records confirm both results.

Emery returned to the competition in 2021 with Villarreal after winning the Europa League. His side drew 1-1 with Chelsea after extra time before losing 6-5 on penalties.

Five years later, his fourth opportunity ended in another defeat.

PSG took the lead before Villa teenager Madjo levelled shortly before half-time, becoming the youngest scorer in Super Cup history.

Désiré Doué then restored PSG’s lead after the break to secure another European trophy for the French club.

The contrast with Emery’s Europa League record could hardly be sharper.

His five triumphs came in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2021 and 2026, while he has also reached six finals in the competition.

For Villa, however, the defeat does not erase what Emery has achieved. His Europa League success against Freiburg ended the club’s 30-year wait for silverware and restored its status as a major force in European football.

But for Emery personally, the Super Cup remains the one European trophy occasion that continues to elude him — four appearances, four defeats.

FULL LIST: Emery’s four Super Cup defeats

2014: Real Madrid 2-0 Sevilla

2015: Barcelona 5-4 Sevilla (after extra time)

2021: Chelsea 1-1 Villarreal (Chelsea won 6-5 on penalties)

2026: PSG 2-1 Aston Villa

Source: punchng.com

FOLLOW US ON:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

TIKTOK

YOUTUBE

LINKEDIN

INSTAGRAM

Barcelona are set to return with a third proposal for Manchester City midfielder Rodri as negotiations between the two clubs continue.

The Catalan giants have already seen offers worth €50 million and €60 million rejected, but they remain confident of reaching an agreement for the Spain international.

In a post on X on Friday, Fabrizio Romano wrote, “Barcelona are returning with a third proposal for Rodri to Manchester City.”

After €50m and €60m packages both rejected, direct club-to-club talks to continue halfway between €60m last bid and €80m fee requested.

Barça remain confident and optimistic.”

Direct talks between Barcelona and Manchester City are expected to continue, with the next proposal likely to fall somewhere between Barcelona’s latest €60 million offer and City’s reported €80 million asking price.

Barcelona remain optimistic about their chances of completing the deal and are prepared to push forward with negotiations rather than walk away.

The coming days could prove decisive, with both clubs continuing discussions in an effort to find a compromise over Rodri’s valuation.

Source: punchng.com

FOLLOW US ON:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

TIKTOK

YOUTUBE

LINKEDIN

INSTAGRAM

Super Falcons’ hopes of qualifying for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil ended on Thursday after they lost 2-1 to South Africa in the Confederation of African Football play-off match at the 2026 WAFCON in Morocco, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The Falcons had missed out on an automatic World Cup ticket after their quarter-final defeat by Cameroon on Sunday.

The defeat to Cameroon also ended Nigeria’s run of reaching at least the semi-finals at every previous edition of the WAFCON and handed the 10-time African champions their worst-ever finish in the competition.

However, Nigeria had another opportunity to revive their hopes of maintaining their record of featuring at every edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, but the Falcons were unable to overcome South Africa.

After a goalless first half, Thembi Kgatlana broke the deadlock in the 56th minute before Refiloe Jane doubled South Africa’s advantage in the 77th minute.

Nigeria mounted a late rally after a VAR review awarded the Falcons a penalty and resulted in Jane being sent off.

Christy Ucheibe converted from the spot in added time to give Nigeria hope, but the Falcons could not find an equaliser as Banyana Banyana held on for victory.

The defeat means Nigeria will miss the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

South Africa, meanwhile, will advance to the intercontinental play-off tournament scheduled for November and December, where three teams will claim the remaining African tickets to the 2027 Women’s World Cup.

The 2026 tournament will be one to forget in a hurry for Nigeria, who came to Morocco off the back of a record-extending 10th triumph last year.

This year, Justine Madugu’s team began the tournament badly, losing 3-2 to WAFCON debutants Malawi on July 28.

The Falcons recovered to beat Zambia 1-0 and Egypt 3-0, reaching the quarter-finals via a dramatic permutation but the 1-0 quarter-final defeat by Cameroon ended their title defence.

Source: punchng.com

FOLLOW US ON:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

TIKTOK

YOUTUBE

LINKEDIN

INSTAGRAM