History in Malta and dancing on the streets of Andorra

Bigger Cup is up and running, baby, as we officially wave goodbye to “last season” and welcome “this season”. The question of when we enter a new campaign is eternally asked; it’s like the quandary of where the north of England starts (anything above Bristol Stoke, if you were wondering), and Football Daily is happy to provide the definitive answer of … roundabout now. Tuesday’s first qualifying round second legs brought the drama Uefa desperately needs to make the competition entertaining before the drudge of matches from September to January. Unfortunately for the suits in Switzerland, almost certainly none of the teams currently playing in the qualifying rounds will reach the league stage but we should let Hamrun Spartans, Lincoln Red Imps and Drita dream … for a bit. At the same time, the prospect of facing Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool and FC Basel is over for another year for the likes of The New Saints, Differdange 03 and Virtus, who will have to wipe away the tears, pull their socks up and go again in Tin Pot.

Permanent Welsh champions TNS went down to a 116th-minute own goal against Macedonia’s Shkendija to lose 2-1 on the night and on aggregate. Football Daily might even have watched it on S4C due to our commitment to the underdog and love of Welsh commentary. “There is one thing everyone can be proud of through the club, it’s that everyone gave everything that they had,” chirped manager Craig Harrison. “No one could give anything more and sometimes that’s all you can ask.” There was greater cruelty for Lithuania’s Zalgaris, who last won a two-legged Big Cup tie in 2000, as they were sent packing by Malta’s mighty Hamrun Spartans 11-10 on penalties after 28 spot-kicks. It is the first time a Maltese side have made it beyond this round, becoming part of football history in the process.

Even in defeat there can be triumph. Andorra’s national team are ranked 173rd in the world, therefore when their best and brightest, Inter Club d’Escaldes, drew Romanian giants FCSB, who won the competition back in the 1986 by beating Barcelona, when they were known as Steaua, no one gave them a chance. Inter Club d’Escaldes obviously lost over two legs because FCSB possess the former Tottenham defender Vlad Chiriches and ex-Port Vale man Dennis Politic. Respectfully beaten 3-1 in the Romanian capital, a lesser team would have given up and gone through the motions. But Inter Club could not let down the 509 fans inside the Nou Estadi Encamp and ran out 2-1 winners, exiting by a single-goal margin. The names of Sascha Andreu and Alexandre Llovet will be sung on the streets of Escaldes–Engordany for years to come.

Dynamo Kyiv, Slovan Bratislava and CrvenaZvezda enter in the next round, readying themselves to bring their lesser-known rivals back down to earth and restore the natural order at the top of the second qualifying round tree. Come May, the ending will doubtless be the same given that the biggest clubs win the biggest prizes, but the summer months provide a reminder that football is more than just millionaires battling for trinkets and there is still glory to be had for those other professionals who can say they are Bigger Cup players. The evolution of the football season is well and truly under way.

Join Sarah Rendell from 8pm BST for Euro 2025 quarter-final MBM coverage of Norway 2-1 Italy.

“As you may be aware, other clubs seem to go through much more protracted disputes with less severe outcomes. Many believe that this process has been opaque and disproportionately punitive. We hope you will take this matter seriously and act to uphold the principles of fairness, accountability, and integrity in sport” – part of the contents of a letter from seven Liberal Democrat MPs to culture secretary Lisa Nandy, urging her to intervene over Crystal Palace’s demotion from Bigger Vase, following a fan protest on the streets of south London on Tuesday.

Apropos the article on Puma’s deal with Manchester City (yesterday’s Football Daily), a shout out please for their retro-inspired 2025-26 strips produced for Port Vale’s 150th anniversary. Pleasingly sponsor-free and designed by supporters (OK, the boss’s son) rather than some PR wonk, they are the absolute business” – Rob Ford.

Re: yesterday’s Football Daily letters. For the last 30 years I’ve lived roughly a Rory Delap throw-in away from the Auld Triangle/Plimsoll in Finsbury Park. On a visit to the Irish Emigration Musuem in Dublin a few years ago, my daughter was surprised to see a faithful reproduction of the pre-gastro incarnation set up as an example of the type of pub that the Irish diaspora has created around the world. I’ve no idea if it is still an exhibit there, but possibly worth a trip for anyone who misses the old days. I don’t think they have a replica Robbie doing the quiz, mind” – Brendan Mackinney.

If you have any, please send letters to [email protected]. Today’s winner of our prizeless letter o’ the day is … Rob Ford. Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we run them, can be viewed here. 

Back to Crystal Palace, albeit indirectly, after their former goalkeeper and troublesome dinner guest Wayne Hennessey called time on his playing career. “I have amazing memories playing for both club and country,” declared the Welshman, who won 109 caps but also managed to get a David Squires cartoon based on his off-field actions. “From my early days at Wolves, loans at Stockport and Yeovil, and my time with Palace, Burnley and Nottingham Forest, each club shaped me both on and off the field. Having been born and raised in north Wales, it was always my dream to play at the highest level. It was a privilege to play in the Premier League and for my country over 100 times.”

It will be clubmate v clubmate when England face Sweden in the last eight of Euro 2025, but Arsenal’s Leah Williamson is looking forward to colliding with Stina Blackstenius. “It’s rare that I get to play against Stina in this setting. I enjoy it, I like Stina,” she grinned. “It’s tough to remove all of that to just go at it, you don’t want to focus on it too much … but I think I’ve known Stina long enough now that I know who she is and it’s time to focus on us.”

Technical problems with Fifa’s online Mr/Mrs 15% exam have prevented candidates from completing the test, with many told they will have to wait 12 months and try again. “Lots of people have put loads of time and effort into revising and to not be able to take the exam is really unfair. It’s a shambles,” whispered a source.

Manchester United want Bryan Mbeumo. Big Sir Jim Ratcliffe isn’t keen on going north of £65m. Brentford want nearer £70m. On it goes.

Ethan Nwaneri, one of Arsenal’s breakout tyros from last season, is poised to commit his future to the club and sign a lucrative new contract.

Leicester have plumped for former QPR boss Martí Cifuentes as the best option to succeed Ruud van Nistelrooy. “This is a fantastic club with a proud history and it’s a privilege to me to be asked to help write the next chapter,” cheered Cifuentes.

And Australia winger Nestory Irankunda hopes a move from Bayern to Watford can reboot his flamin’ international career in time for the World Cup. “I have to be playing minutes and I wasn’t playing,” he sighed. “The Championship’s also a world-class league. The best thing for me was to go somewhere else.”

Wing, Back. Utaka. The Knowledge looks at players whose names are similar to their positions, the hottest English match on record and plenty more.

Will the Norway of Hegerberg, Graham Hansen, Reiten et al finally fulfil their potential at Euro 2025? Tom Garry previews their quarter-final with Italy.

Euro 2025 is shaping up to be a great success, reckons Suzanne Wrack, but we could still do with an upset or two. Suzanne also shines the spotlight on the importance of England’s game-finishing “clique”.

And with half the Scottish Premiership now under US ownership, Graham Ruthven analyses the growing American investor interest in fitba.

Touching their hero, children from the Sacred Heart primary school, which adjoined the Middlesbrough’s training ground, mob new signing Juninho after he completed his first full training session with the team in October 1995.