Daily Archives: October 20, 2026

Villarreal’s Iñigo Pérez ready to meet Iraola again in test of old bond

“On Iñigo Pérez’s first day as a head coach he took a call from Andoni Iraola, just as he had every day for months. They had known each other for 22 years, lived in the same residency, come through the same academy and played in the same team; they had worked side by side, manager and assistant, and embarked on an adventure together. Now, though, Pérez was having to go it alone. At 36, he had become what his friend thought he would be from the moment they met, just not so soon. …”
Guardian

Rio Ngumoha rips up Liverpool’s Champions League record books and overwhelms Villarreal

“This was the night Rio Ngumoha announced himself on the Champions League stage Liverpool’s prodigiously gifted 18-year-old was excellent in the 6-3 win over LASK last week but against sterner opposition in the form of Villarreal he delivered a display that had Merseyside — and, indeed, the whole of Europe — salivating. He produced two assists to write his name into Liverpool’s record books, becoming the youngest player to assist a goal in the Champions League, and helped Andoni Iraola’s side overcome a dreadful start which saw them fall 2-0 behind after 29 minutes but ultimately win 4-3 thanks to two goals from Alexis Mac Allister, and strikes by Ronald Araujo and Florian Wirtz. Our experts analyse the big talking points. …”
NYT/ATH
YouTube: Liverpool vs. Villarreal: Extended Highlights, Manchester City vs. AEK Athens, PSG vs Barcelona, Napoli vs. Bodø/Glimt, Sabah vs. Borussia Dortmund, Roma vs. Slovan Bratislava,

Our League: Brighton are logically illogical – and very, very good

“This season, The Athletic is running a series called Our League, where we will attempt to tell some of the stories of the richest and most watched football league in the world, taking in the brilliance, talent, glitz, controversy, grift, venality and jamboree. Perhaps we will follow the controversies, perhaps we will find an issue to dissect, or perhaps we will go in search of meaning. Maybe we will pick a fun-looking game, just for the hell of it. It might be serious or frivolous, but, over the course of the season, we promise to write about every club and try to explain how it feels to actually be there. No filter. …”
NYT/ATH