Alex Connor

Football Journalist

Explore a featured selection of my favourite topics within football

The Assist: FotMob's weekly newsletter •

England vs. Spain, Xavi vs. Klopp, and Zizou's return

To catch all the scores for the games we’ve mentioned in this newsletter, we suggest taking some time to ‘Follow’ any tournaments you want to keep track of. This can all be sorted out in the Leagues tab where you can use the edit feature to fully customise your feed.

To catch all the scores for the games we’ve mentioned in this newsletter, we suggest taking some time to ‘Follow’ any tournaments you want to keep track of. This can all be sorted out in the Leagues tab where you can use the edit f...
The Assist: FotMob's weekly newsletter •

Manchester Derby, Goal crazy Barcelona, the Old Firm, and more

Lastly, Genk vs. Gent is always one of our favourite sound-alike oddities in the match feed, but this time it has the added bonus of having some impact on the top of the table in Belgium, with Gent starting the weekend two points clear after five games.

Lastly, Genk vs. Gent is always one of our favourite sound-alike oddities in the match feed, but this time it has the added bonus of having some impact on the top of the table in Belgium, with Gent starting the weekend two points clear after fiv...
The Assist: FotMob's weekly newsletter •

The Champions League returns

Enzo Maresca’s Manchester City are also in action tonight as they prepare to face Porto at the Estádio do Dragão, while Liverpool host Atlético Madrid on Wednesday and Manchester United play their first Champions League fixture since 2023 as they entertain Azerbaijani outfit Sabah FK at Old Trafford on Thursday. This trio of previous English winners within the last 20 years are all expected to comfortably finish in the top 24 of the league phase this time around.This is something that gives you...
The Assist: FotMob's weekly newsletter •

Arsenal vs Chelsea, old school Serie A classics, and Aubameyang on song

Elsewhere on Sunday, early leaders Barcelona – just ahead of their arch-rivals on goal difference – head down the coast to Valencia, who are winless in 2026/27 but did triumph 3-1 in this very fixture on the final weekend of last season. Raphinha will be looking to keep up his record of scoring in every game so far this term for Barca.And on Sunday, Juventus and Milan put their perfect starts on the line in Turin. Neutrals should be braced for a low-scoring affair – four of the last six meetings...
The Assist: FotMob's World Cup Newsletter •

Spain masterclass knocks out France

The result means that Spain are the first team in the competition’s history to keep six clean sheets at a single World Cup, while the 0.3 xG France accumulated against them is the lowest tally for a nation in a semi-final in the tournament since Sweden versus Brazil in 1994 (0.1). Oyarzabal doesn’t necessarily garner the headlines by default, given he isn’t the most skilful, powerful or eye-catching forward but you simply cannot argue with his output, and he will undoubtedly be one of the first...
The Assist: FotMob's World Cup Newsletter •

Super sub Mikel Merino does it again as Spain down Belgium

If Spain need a goal, Luis de la Fuente knows who to turn to. For the second knockout match running, Mikel Merino was introduced off the bench and found the decisive goal, with his late strike handing the European champions a dramatic 2-1 victory over Belgium in their quarter-final clash.Post-match, de la Fuente described the Arsenal man as “world class”, and it’s easy to see why – Merino’s physicality and attacking instinct provide Spain with a different dimension in the box. His productive for...
The Assist: FotMob's World Cup Newsletter •

Mbappé breaks Morocco's resistance

Kylian Mbappé’s uncharacteristic penalty miss in the first half - only his second failure from 16 spot kicks he’s taken for France - offered Morocco a lifeline. Still, the Real Madrid frontman wouldn’t afford Mohamed Ouahbi’s men the same mercy after the break, curling in a sumptuous effort right into the corner on the hour mark to deservedly give France the lead, moving him level with Lionel Messi on eight goals in the 2026 Golden Boot race.Just six minutes later, the result was put beyond any...
The Assist: FotMob's World Cup Newsletter •

England claim famous Azteca win and Norway beat the boys from Brazil

Neymar was in tears after the full-time whistle on what was his 15th and final World Cup appearance for Brazil, while Haaland led Norway’s already iconic Viking Row by banging the drum to dictate the celebration. Safe to say, it’s the greatest result in Norwegian football history, and with their formidable goal-scoring machine up top, anything is possible for the Scandinavians.Jarrel Quansah’s red card left England fans fearing the worst, but Harry Kane’s clinical penalty – his sixth goal of the...
The Assist: FotMob's World Cup Newsletter •

Argentina scrape through, Egypt and Colombia keep their dreams alive

Nevertheless, the Blue Sharks handed the reigning world champions their toughest test of the tournament so far in an epic battle as Argentina needed an 111th-minute own goal from Diney Borges to progress into the last 16.Once again, the minnows found another equaliser as Sidny Cabral curled in one of the goals of the tournament into the top corner. But Argentina’s blushes were spared when Cristian Romero’s header deflected off Borges, with the South Americans just about clinging onto the victory...
The Assist: FotMob's World Cup Newsletter •

Spain's dominance continues, Ronaldo scores for Portugal, and Switzerland progress

Much of the spotlight is rightfully on Yamine Lamal, who was dazzling at the SoFi Stadium, but Mikel Oyarzabal starred, with his two clinical first-time finishes - both from Marc Cucurella crosses - helping the reigning European champions to a well-deserved win. The Real Sociedad striker now has 17 goals in his last 16 starts for the national team, and his brace saw him become the first Spaniard to score more than once in a World Cup knockout fixture since Emilion Butragueno bagged four against...
The Assist: FotMob's World Cup Newsletter •

Co-hosts Canada march on as knockout stages start in earnest

However, after recovering from a hamstring injury, Canada’s most famous player strolled onto the pitch in the 75th minute, donned the captain’s armband, and instantly lifted the team’s attacking quality in what was his first appearance for his country since March 2025.Bombito hadn’t started a game for Canada for over a year and had to come off injured against Uzbekistan in a friendly just before the tournament, but commendably brushed off any worries regarding his sharpness, playing the full mat...
The Assist: FotMob's World Cup Newsletter •

England battle on, Messi scores again, and Algeria and Austria entertain

Thomas Tuchel’s side struggled for attacking invention in the first half until Bellingham’s instinctive close-range volley from Bukayo Saka’s corner opened the scoring just after the hour. It means that the Real Madrid midfielder is now the youngest England player on record to score and assist in a World Cup match (22 years 363 days).In a game with plenty of chances, it was a captivating fight for first place, and Colombia thought they had won it in second-half stoppage time, when Davinson Sánch...
The Assist: FotMob's World Cup Newsletter •

Scenes for Ecuador as the Round of 32 begins to take shape

Germany, who had already locked off top spot, swiftly went in front thanks to Leroy Sane’s composed finish, before Ecuador’s Nilson Angulo equalised with a powerful effort from outside the box. Needing three points, Sebastian Beccacece’s men pushed forward and eventually found a winner in the 77th minute through Gonzalo Plata’s close-range prod into the roof of the net. Despite only registering 39% possession, Ecuador accumulated a far higher xG (1.51 to Germany’s 0.65%) and played like a side i...
FotMob •

FC Supra du Quebec ready for historic Canadian Premier League debut

In September 2025, it was announced that Québec would welcome its first-ever CPL club ahead of the 2026 season. Supra was born, and they’ll make their much-awaited debut on Saturday 11th April, when they play Pacific FC in British Columbia. Supra have ripped up the script in North America and adopted LaLiga side Athletic Club’s ‘Cantera’ policy, a non-negotiable practice where only players born or trained in the Basque Country can be selected. Supra will apply this...
FotMob •

Hajduk Split’s journey against the odds

Disappointment and agonisingly fine margins have become a familiar tale for Hajduk. A previously successful force has become Croatia’s perennial bridesmaid. Since their previous league title win, Hajduk have finished either HNL runners-up or in third place a combined 14 times. In the last three campaigns, they’ve placed second once and third twice. In the 2023/24 season, Hajduk were top at the winter break, but lost four consecutive games in the spring, inclu...
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