I can rise to toughest test yet, says Colm Murphy as he eyes full Euro title shot
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Scottish Sun
2 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
We beat the European Cup winners to put two stars above the Aberdeen badge, that's something special says Mark McGhee
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) IT'S European football's equivalent of the Charity Shield. But one look at Aberdeen's shirts shows how much the Uefa Super Cup matters to those involved. 3 Aberdeen players celebrate Super Cup triumph Credit: SNS 3 Mark McGhee celebrates scoring Aberdeen's second goal Credit: SNS 3 The Aberdeen legend has opened up on that famous night Credit: Kenny Ramsay As Champions League winners PSG prepare to take on Spurs in a battle to see who will be crowned undisputed Kings of Europe, the only Scots to have that title were the Dons back in 1983. Beating European Cup winners Hamburg over two legs, it's a triumph still celebrated at Pittodrie and sung about by the Red Army. Mark McGhee, scorer of the Dons' second goal against his future club in the 2-0 win, insists Fergie's players took landing the Euro bragging rights' title as seriously as any game. He said: 'It was something we took seriously, we wanted to win it once we were in it. 'A lot of the talk was that it's not as prestigious as the main competitions, which it isn't, of course. 'The best way to describe it, probably, is a bit like a European version of the Charity Shield in England. 'But you're not telling me the fans of Crystal Palace and Liverpool didn't enjoy that last weekend. 'It's a celebration of what you have already achieved and the opportunity to put the crowning glory on it. 'With us winning the Cup Winners' Cup, we relished pitting ourselves against the European Cup winners. 'If there was any doubt about the value of the trophy we won, we wanted to emphasise how good it was by winning this - so we were up for it. Kris Boyd drops a bombshell and reveals ABERDEEN tried to sign him before he joined Rangers 'The fact that Aberdeen have the two stars on the shirt to this day is a lasting reminder of how important it was. 'That sort of thing wasn't around in those days so it obviously didn't dawn on us at the time, but seeing the two stars now is something special.' McGhee scored the Dons' second on the night, after a goalless draw in Germany, following on from Neil Simpson's opener. But hitting the net is the only thing he can recall from the night. He said: 'As far as the game goes, I only really remember the goal. 'I'm like that with any game, some of the boys remember all the details - John Hewitt is great for that - but scoring is the only thing I can ever recall! 'Amongst the squad Neil Simpson and I have always claimed the fame of being the two goalscorers. 'We have always been a little team in a way because we scored - any time we meet up, we wind everyone up that we were the scorers.' Eric Black on the Gothenburg Greats, Sir Alex Ferguson & remembering Neale Cooper McGhee ended up signing for Hamburg the following season after German legend Gunter Netzer - their sporting director - turned up at his flat in Aberdeen. He said: 'That game definitely played a part in me getting to Hamburg. 'I'd scored against them before in the Uefa Cup, against Franz Beckenbauer, which is one I definitely remember clearly. 'I think Hamburg had remembered that goal as well. 'So they knew what I could do. 'Hamburg are a great club and going there had a lot going for it. 'When Gunter Netzer came to my house, my flat in Aberdeen, that's what swung it for me. 'We didn't get much notice he was coming but were still able to get a tray of open sandwiches ready for him!' Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
Scottish Sun
3 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
How Rangers' players rated as ‘sloppy' Gers get through to the Champions League play-off despite defeat in Plzen
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) RANGERS secured their place in the Champions League play-off round with a less than convincing performance against Viktoria Plzen. The Gers were in a commanding position being 3-0 up from the first leg but fell to a 2-1 defeat to Plzen on Tuesday. Sign up for the Rangers newsletter Sign up 3 Butland was once again Gers' best performer Credit: Willie Vass 3 Jefte needs to sharpen up Credit: Getty 3 Dessers hobbled off with a knee injury Credit: Willie Vass Nevertheless, they went through 4-2 on aggregate thanks to Lyall Cameron's second leg strike. Russell Martin was far from happy with the performance and says they must get better ahead of facing Club Brugge next Tuesday at Ibrox. Here's how the Rangers players rated after Tuesday's night display in the Czech Republic. JACK BUTLAND: Tried his best to calm the Gers team down amid Plzen pressure. Kicking was good and he made big saves in both halves as he kept up Euro form...8 JAMES TAVERNIER: Restored to the team for 100th European match at Rangers. Didn't get forward much and had difficult moments defensively but never panicked...6 NASSER DJIGA: Out to make amends for his red card against Dundee but this was a tricky night for the Wolves loan man. Booked and needs to be better on ball..5 JOHN SOUTTAR: Clever free-kick led to Rangers' goal as his quick thinking was rewarded. Couple of lapses when passing the ball and led inquest at Plzen winner...5 JEFTE: All over the place for the Plzen opener as Amar Memic raced in behind him too easily. Needs to sharpen up if he's going to be a regular...4 NICO RASKIN: Preferred to Joe Rothwell in midfield. Relished physical battle but struggled to gain control of the game in the first half. Much better after the break...7 MOHAMED DIOMANDE: Took a head knock early on but recovered and played a crucial role in the Rangers goal. Midfielder wasn't at his best but couldn't be faulted for application...6 Inside Rangers-themed barbers LYALL CAMERON: Midfielder was in the right place at the right time to steer in the equaliser. First Rangers goal and it was a huge one in the context of the tie...7 OLIVER ANTMAN: Bright on the ball early but starved of proper service down the right flank. Should have been used more but worked hard defensively for the team...6 CYRIEL DESSERS: Fluffed a volley early on and then had a penalty claim waved away after a barge in the box. Only lasted seven minutes of second half after knee injury...5 DJEIDI GASSAMA: Winger was the first-leg hero but never got into his stride in Plzen as they shackled him. Booked early on and didn't have any real impact in the final third...5 SUBS: DANILO (6) on for Dessers and claimed an assist for Cameron's goal. Link play was a lot better than the man he placed. JOE ROTHWELL (3) on for the tiring Diomande and lost Svetozar Markovic at goal. KIERAN DOWELL (3) replaced goal hero Cameron. OSCAR CORTES (2) final few minutes. NEDIM BAJRAMI (2) late runout. Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
Scotsman
3 hours ago
- Scotsman
Hibs in 'better' vow ahead of UEFA Conference League clash at Easter Road
David Gray's men hold 2-0 lead from win over Partizan in Belgrade Sign up to our Hibs football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Hibs boss David Gray admits his team will need to show a dramatic improvement if they're to avoid a UEFA Conference League shock at home to Partizan on Thursday night. But he has promised that his team 'WILL be better' after recovering from the blow of dropping Scottish Premiership points at home to Kilmarnock on Sunday. Gray's men were hugely impressive in Belgrade last week, staring down the bedlam of nearly 25,000 Serbian fans – nicknamed the Gravediggers – to bury Partizan on their home turf. Two unanswered goals from Martin Boyle, taking his overall total for Hibs to 101 not out, saw the Scots run out comfortable winners on a sweltering night in the Balkans. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Although they maintained a lot of that momentum from the outset against Killie at Easter Road on Sunday, roaring into a 2-0 lead with just over 25 minutes gone, they faded badly in a game that ended in a 2-2 draw. Gray knows that a repeat of that performance will put his team's hopes of reaching the UEFA Conference League play-offs at serious risk. 'I think we need to be better in terms of the concentration, in terms of the quality on the ball,' he admitted, the former club captain adding: 'But it's not something I've labelled the players at all for a long time now. 'We will be better. We know we need to improve from Sunday's performance. But I'll also be very quick to remind them of the first half performance and the quality within that as well. As I've just said, one positive, to be honest, is then you don't go and lose the game. Fans proved mettle amid Midtjylland heartache 'I'm not going to get too carried away. Yes, it's two points dropped, and it really feels that way just now from the position we put ourselves in. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'But, as the Premiership has obviously demonstrated, it's a difficult league. Anyone can beat anyone. So, we need to be at our very best for 90 minutes every week.' Thursday night's contest will be a second big European night of the season for Hibs, who pushed veteran UEFA campaigners Midtjylland all the way to extra time before suffering late, late heartache by dint of a world-class finish in the second leg of their Europa League second qualifying round tie. Easter Road is heading towards a sell-out again for this contest, made suddenly more interesting by Partizan racking up a 7-2 win on domestic business at the weekend. Gray said: 'Thursday is a brilliant one to look forward to. The crowd will be right there again. Full house at Easter Road. 'European nights, under the lights. So, it's a brilliant game to come next, off the back of how we were feeling after Kilmarnock.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad With a 2-0 aggregate lead, Hibs remain favourites to progress to the Conference League play-offs. That would almost certainly see them face Legia Warsaw, 4-1 down from the first leg of their Europa League third qualifying round tie against Cypriot side Larnaca. Assuming both matches go as expected, Hibs will welcome the Poles to Easter Road for the first leg on Thursday week, August 21, before travelling Warsaw for the return match a week later. The winners of that tie will progress to the competition proper – which would be the first time Hibs had qualified for group/league phase football since UEFA did away with straight knock-out format.
