Soccer

Real Madrid squandered a two-goal lead and ended up needing extra time to salvage a game that was slipping through their fingers. What seemed like a straightforward match for Real Madrid turned into a nail-biter in the final minutes against Celta Vigo in the Round of 16 of the Copa del Rey. The Merengues came dangerously close to being eliminated and had to rely on extra time to seal the victory. Real Madrid Dominated for Most of the Match The game at the Santiago Bernabéu unfolded favorably for the home team. For 80 minutes, the Galácticos controlled the match, although early on, controversy arose in the Madrid penalty area. Williot Swedberg made a deep run into the box, with Lunin rushing out to intervene. Swedberg pushed the ball forward, and the Madrid goalkeeper made slight contact with the attacker’s foot with his glove, causing him to fall. However, neither the referee nor VAR deemed the play worthy of a penalty. Following this, Real Madrid’s dominance translated into the opening goal. Kylian Mbappé struck in the 37th minute after Dani Ceballos delivered a pass from near his own area to midfield. The Frenchman picked up the ball, drove down the left wing, entered the box, and unleashed a powerful near-post shot from a tight angle that rippled the net. In the second half, at the 48th minute, Mbappé set up Brahim Díaz from midfield. Díaz then sent a through ball to Vinícius, who connected with it near the penalty spot to score the 2-0. Madrid Collapsed in Just 10 Minutes While Real Madrid maintained control for much of the second half, even scoring another goal that was disallowed for offside, their troubles began in the 83rd minute. Celta Vigo launched an attack, and Jonathan Bamba capitalized on a cross from Pablo Durán, heading it into the net after poor defensive marking. Lunin was left rooted as the score became 2-1. Then, in stoppage time (90+1’), Marcos Alonso converted a penalty kick following a foul by Raúl Asencio on Bamba, leveling the game at 2-2. Madrid Sealed the Deal in Extra Time In extra time, Endrick came to the rescue for the hosts. In the 108th minute, he received a pass from Arda Güler at the edge of the box. The Brazilian turned masterfully and unleashed a curling shot to the far post, an unstoppable strike that made it 3-2. Shortly after, in the 112th minute, Federico Valverde scored another stunner. After receiving a deflected ball from a corner kick, the Uruguayan fired a rocket from outside the box that found the top corner, extending the lead to 4-2. Finally, in the 119th minute, chaos in Celta’s defense during a corner allowed Endrick to receive the ball in the six-yard box. Though he fumbled with it briefly, the Brazilian improvised brilliantly, finishing with a backheel while facing away from goal to net his second of the match and secure a definitive 5-2 victory. Real Madrid narrowly avoided a humiliating exit from the Copa del Rey.

Pumas have made official their second reinforcement for the Clausura 2025 tournament: Panamanian player Adalberto “Coco” Carrasquilla, who joins Alex Padilla as a new addition to the club. It has been a busy month for the Pumas of UNAM. After confirming the departure of César Huerta to Anderlecht in Belgium to fulfill his European dream, the club has found its new “Chino” to fill the gap in their attack. Pumas Bring in a Panamanian Star Adalberto “Coco” Carrasquilla, a key player for the Panamanian national team and named the best player in CONCACAF for the 2023-2024 season, is the new addition. Carrasquilla arrives from Major League Soccer in the United States, specifically from the Houston Dynamo, with whom he won the 2023 US Open Cup. Pumas announced his signing through their social media platforms, though they did not disclose the exact duration of his contract. In a press release, the club stated only that it was a “long-term” deal, and the fee paid by the team from Ciudad Universitaria (CU) for the player was not revealed either. Carrasquilla Brings European Experience The Panamanian forward has experience in European football. In 2019, he left his home country to join Spanish football, playing in the Primera Federación, equivalent to Spain’s third division, with FC Cartagena. He later helped the team secure promotion to the Segunda División. Additionally, during his time with his first club, Tauro FC from Panama City, he won the Clausura 2017 and Apertura 2018 championships. Carrasquilla, the Second Signing to Excite the Auriazules With this move, Carrasquilla becomes the second signing for the Universitarios in this winter transfer window for the Clausura 2025, which kicked off last weekend. Pumas started the tournament with a 2-1 victory against Necaxa. Carrasquilla joins Mexican goalkeeper Alex Padilla, who came from Athletic Bilbao and joined the squad in Pedregal last week but has yet to make his debut in the current competition. While Adalberto’s addition to the Pumas’ attack looks promising, time will tell if the departure of “Chino” Huerta will weigh on the team during crucial matches. On many occasions, Huerta was a key player and often went above and beyond for the team. Though “Coco” appears to have the qualities to win over the fans, it remains to be seen if he can become a decisive player on the pitch.

The former leader of Cruz Azul 🏆, Guillermo ‘Billy’ Álvarez, was captured 💀 this Thursday by agents of the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) 📚 in the south of Mexico City 🌆. The arrest of the former executive of Cooperativa La Cruz Azul ⚖️ marks a turning point in the case that has been pursuing him for several years. HE WAS A FUGITIVE FOR YEARS 💥 Since 2020, Billy Álvarez had been on the run from justice 🕵️‍♂️ after being accused of a series of financial crimes 💰, including tax fraud 📅, money laundering 💳, and organized crime 🛡️. According to official reports, his accounts contained 1.1 billion pesos 💵 without justification, which triggered an intense investigation by the authorities. ARRESTED BY THE AIC 👮‍♂️ The capture of Guillermo Álvarez Cuevas was carried out by the Criminal Investigation Agency (AIC) 🔒, in compliance with an arrest warrant issued by a judge of the Federal Criminal Justice Center 🏛️ at the Altiplano prison, in the State of Mexico 🇪🇸. HE REAPPEARED IN 2022 👀 In May 2022, the former Cruz Azul ⚽ executive reappeared in a video shared on social media 🎥, where he expressed concern about the cooperative’s situation ⚖️ and claimed he had not been able to share his side of the story. However, the investigations against him continued progressing until culminating in his arrest 🔧. DETAILS OF HIS ARREST 🕵️‍♂️ According to the report from the Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC) 🔒, Billy Álvarez was arrested at exactly 1:06 PM ⏰. At the time, the former executive was wearing blue pants, a black sweatshirt, and black sneakers 👕. His physical description indicates that he is 1.70 meters tall, has a slim build, light complexion, and thinning gray hair 👤. REQUESTS HOUSE ARREST 👵️ According to Adrián Esparza, journalist for TUDN 📰, Billy Álvarez will request the possibility of house arrest 🏡 if he is formally charged. So far, he has not been presented before a judge ⚖️, nor has it been confirmed whether he will be transferred to a penitentiary center 🚶‍♂️. THE FUTURE OF BILLY ÁLVAREZ 🌀 With his arrest, the authorities may finally bring him to justice for the crimes he is accused of ⚖️. Meanwhile, Cooperativa La Cruz Azul continues its restructuring process 🌟 after the leadership of Billy Álvarez, who was at the helm for more than 30 years ⏳. The case is still developing, and more details about his legal status are expected to be revealed in the coming hours 📄.

Nottingham Forest secured a 1-1 draw against Liverpool at the City Ground, cementing their status as this season’s surprise team in the Premier League. Chris Wood opened the scoring for the home side in the 8th minute with his 13th goal of the season. However, Diogo Jota leveled the match in the 66th minute, just 22 seconds after coming off the bench. Liverpool created several clear chances, including a Mohamed Salah shot cleared off the line in the 88th minute, but Arne Slot’s men lacked precision in front of goal, leaving their fans with a bittersweet result. Liverpool leads the table with 47 points, six ahead of Nottingham, who now await the Arsenal vs. Tottenham result to determine if they stay second or drop to third. You might also like: Brentford secured a last-minute draw against Manchester City   Cover image: X(@LFC)

Brentford earned a dramatic 2-2 draw against Manchester City at the Gtech Community Stadium during Matchday 21 of the Premier League. Phil Foden gave the visitors the lead with a brace, scoring in the 66th minute with a powerful strike and again in the 77th after a rebound from the goalkeeper. However, Yoane Wissa cut the deficit in the 82nd minute with a brilliant play inside the box, and Christian Norgaard sealed the draw in stoppage time with a header that beat the keeper. City remain in seventh place with 35 points, while Brentford climbed to 28 points, temporarily sitting in tenth.   You might also like: United beat Arsenal in penalties in the FA Cup Cover image: X(@BrentfordFC)

Chelsea and Manchester City will be looking to continue scoring points, Fulham will be looking to climb up the table and Liverpool and Nottingham Forest will go head to head in a match between two Premier League contenders. After a round of FA Cup, the Premier League teams return to action in the English top flight today, where we will have very interesting games of teams that seek to remain in the top positions in England. Chelsea and City seek to assert their greatness Starting at 1:30 p.m., Mexico Central Time, Chelsea, currently fourth in the table, will have a difficult task when they face Bournemouth, a team that is in seventh place, two points away from being able to climb to fifth place. Although Chelsea has its home advantage, they will have to be very wary of their opponents, as Bournemouth knows very well what it is like to face a big team in England this season, having wins against Arsenal, Tottenham and the two Manchester teams, having only two defeats, against Liverpool and Chelsea in the first half of the Premier League, so we can expect a very interesting game to watch at Stamford Bridge. At the same time, Manchester City will visit Brentford, a team that occupies the middle of the table and that City needs to win to continue its recovery from the bad streak at the end of the year that made them fall to the places outside European competition, so the “Cityzens” will have to repeat what they did in the first game of this season against the “Bees”, when they won 2-1. Another game at 1:30 p.m. is Fulham vs. West Ham, where the “Cottagers” will be looking for points to try to get to the edge of the European places, since with their current ninth place, they have the possibility of reaching the seventh position. Meanwhile, the “Hammers” are closer to the relegation places than to fight to get into the first places, so they cannot let points go either. Liverpool vs Forest, the highlight of the day But, although these first three matches attract attention, the most interesting clash of the day will be at 2:00 p.m., Central Mexican time, when Liverpool, the leader of the competition, visits Nottingham Forest, third in the competition, with the same points as Arsenal, but with a lower goal difference. Nottingham are having an excellent season, being on a par with the English giants and showing great soccer in their matches, where, in addition, Forest have handed Liverpool their only defeat so far this season, when on September 14 last year, they beat the Reds by the minimum; since then, Liverpool have not lost again in the league. This is a direct confrontation between two contenders to win the Premier League, where victory is fundamental for both, making this game the must-see of the day.

Manchester United achieved an agonizing victory over Arsenal in the third round of the FA Cup. In a game where the “Gunners” suffocated the “Red Devils”, the United team, who were away, managed to take the lead at 52′, with a goal by Bruno Fernandes. But the game got even more complicated for United when Diogo Dalot was sent off at 61′, and two minutes later, Gabriel Magalhaes tied the game. With the score at 1-1, the match had to go to extra time, where both teams had opportunities to settle the match, but were unable to score the winning goal, so penalties were inevitable. There, in the penalty shootout, the goalkeeper Altay Bayindir of Manchester became the hero, because after having already saved a penalty in regular time, Bayindir saved the second shot by Kai Havetz, the other goalkeepers of both teams scored effectively, so the penalty saved by the goalkeeper directly influenced the victory of his team. You may be interested in: A round full of goals in the FA Cup Cover image: X (@ManUtd)

With a great performance by Barcelona’s star players, Los Culés beat Real Madrid 5-2 in the final of the Spanish Super Cup to win their 15th title in this competition. We have the new champion of the Spanish Super Cup, Barcelona beat Real Madrid 5-2 to win the first trophy of the year and the first Clasico of this 2025. In a match where the Blaugranas’ stars stood out to win their fifteenth Supercopa title. Madrid got off to a winning start The match at the King Abdullah Sports City had a start that led to speculation of a very different result than the final one, as just 5 minutes into the game, Kylian Mbappé took the ball in midfield and went on a run, faced the central defense and with a bicycle kick got rid of his marker to enter the box and take a shot that beat Wojciech Szczesny’s save and scored the 1-0 for Madrid, who were playing at home in Saudi Arabia. Barcelona responded with goals Los Blancos’ lead did not last long, as at 22′, Barcelona set up a very good triangulation that started with Jules Koundé, who with a long pass set up Robert Lewandowski, who assisted Lamine Yamal with a filtered pass, Yamal finished the play like the greats, cutting back to the center and giving a pass to the net, as his shot was precise, without much power, to the lower left corner of Thiabaut Courtois’ goal. In the 36th minute, Barça let go of the reins and went on the attack, and in a disputed ball in the air, Gavi jumped to connect with his head, but Camavinga did not see the Spanish player and ended up kicking him in the thigh, inside the area, so the play had to be reviewed in the VAR and subsequently a penalty was scored for Lewandowski to convert the 1-2 and start the scoring. Three minutes later, at 39′, Ronald Araújo headed a clearance in midfield and Koundé took the ball in three-quarters of the field and from there, sent a very good cross into the area, where Raphinha arrived to connect with a strong header, low to the right of the goal, to score the 1-3. Before the end of the first half, at 45+9, Real Madrid lost a ball in attack and Lamine Yamal started a counterattack that passed through the feet of Raphinha thanks to a filtered pass from Yamal, the Brazilian managed to assist Alejandro Balde who arrived at his back to finally enter the area and shot against the exit of Courtois, who could do little before the good definition of the winger, who put the 1-4. At the start of the second half, at 48′, Marc Casadó projected the ball forward, where Raphinha arrived from the left flank at speed, the striker closed towards the center and entering the area, with a cut back to the outside of his marker and took the shot that put things 1-5 on the board. A red card was not enough for Madrid At 56′, it seemed that a glimmer of hope shone for the Galacticos, as in a run at speed that Mbappé was making, Szczesny came out of his area to try to cost the play, but the Frenchman advanced the ball and the goalkeeper only contacted with Kylian’s foot and after reviewing it in the VAR, the Barcelona goalkeeper was sent off. Just after the free kick, Rodrygo took a powerful shot to the goalkeeper’s post, now being Iñaki Peña; the force of the shot made the contact that Peña made with his goalkeeper useless, as the shot ended up inside the net, making the score 2-5. Despite the absence of a player, Real Madrid could no longer score another goal to try a miracle, although they had a great chance to score the third goal, but Iñaki prevented this with a great save from a shot by Mbappé.

Bayern Munich suffered more than they should have in their visit to Borussia Park, where they faced Mönchengladbach, because although they had all the statistics of the match in their favor, finishing with 23 shots, 10 of them on target, over the five shots of their rivals (none on goal), they could only manage to secure their victory with a penalty goal scored by Harry Kane in a good way at 68′. Thus, this fair victory, but ultimately a win, gave them 3 valuable points that put them back within four points of Bayer Leverkusen, who are second with 35 points, while Bayern remain as absolute leaders with 39 points. Cover image: X (@FCBayern)

The third round of the FA Cup had some notable goals: Leicester beat QPR 6-2, Liverpool 4-0 at Accrington, Chelsea 5-0 at Morecambe, and Manchester City swept aside Salford 8-0 to advance comfortably. Saturday’s FA Cup third round matchday on January 11 saw Premier League teams thrash their English lower league counterparts. Leicester beat QPR Starting with Leicester City, the “Foxes” beat Queens Park Rangers, a team from England’s second division, 6-2, with James Justin scoring a brace and Stephy Mivididi, Facundo Buonanotte, Jamie Vardy and Wout Faes scoring one goal each. Liverpool and Chelsea had no problems On the other hand, Liverpool defeated Accrington from England’s fourth division 4-0, with goals from Diogo Jota, a great goal from Trent Alexander-Arnold, a goal from Jayden Danns and Federico Chiesa’s first goal as a “Red”. Also, the Stamford Bridge team crushed their English fourth division counterparts, Morecambe, by a score of 5-0, where Tosin Adarabioyo and Joe Felix shone in the game, both for scoring a brace, the remaining goal was scored by Christopher Nkunku. Manchester City scored eight goals Moving on to the most scandalous goal, Manchester City unleashed their fury on Salford, a team also from England’s fourth division, as the match ended with a scandalous 8-0 victory for the “Citizens”. The goals were scored by Jérémy Doku with a brace, Divin Mubama, Nico O’Reilly, Jack Grealish and a hat-trick by James McAtee. Thus, the Premiership teams fulfilled their task and advanced to the next round of the FA Cup.