Soccer

Arsenal, Newcastle, and Liverpool Advance to the Carabao Cup Semifinals, Manchester United or Tottenham will battle for the final spot as the fourth qualifier. Football action in England continues non-stop, and yesterday, three of the four Carabao Cup quarterfinal matches took place. Arsenal, Newcastle, and Liverpool emerged victorious, securing their places in the semifinals of the historic competition. Gabriel Jesus: Arsenal’s Hero The Gunners booked their spot in the semifinals with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Crystal Palace. Brazilian forward Gabriel Jesus stole the show with a hat-trick, scoring at the 54th, 73rd, and 81st minutes to overturn an early deficit. Crystal Palace had taken the lead in the 4th minute through Jean-Philippe Mateta, and although Eddie Nketiah added a second goal for Palace in the 85th minute, it wasn’t enough to prevent Arsenal from claiming the win. A Comfortable Match for Newcastle Newcastle had no trouble in their clash against Brentford, dominating the match from start to finish with a 3-1 victory. Sandro Tonali netted a brace with goals in the 9th and 43rd minutes, while Fabian Schär added another in the 69th minute to secure their semifinal berth. Brentford’s only goal came from Yoane Wissa in stoppage time (90+1’). The League Leaders March On Premier League leaders Liverpool maintained their excellent form, ensuring they’ll fight for both the league title and the Carabao Cup. They defeated Southampton 2-1 in their quarterfinal match. Darwin Núñez opened the scoring in the 24th minute, followed by a second goal from Harvey Elliott in the 32nd. Southampton managed a consolation goal through Cameron Archer in the 59th minute. These three teams now await the fourth and final semifinalist, which will be determined in the match between Manchester United and Tottenham Spurs.

FIFA has announced the winners of the 2024 The Best Awards, celebrating the year’s finest achievements in football. Among the highlights were the victories of Vinícius Jr., Aitana Bonmatí, Carlo Ancelotti, Emma Hayes, and the goals scored by Marta and Alejandro Garnacho, which were recognized as the best of the year. Vinícius Jr. and Real Madrid Shine The Brazilian star finally earned individual recognition, winning his first The Best award for his performance as a footballer. This accolade adds to his successes with Real Madrid. Notably, Vinícius surpassed Rodri, the recent Ballon d’Or winner, who took second place in The Best voting. In addition to Vinícius, Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham was honored as the third-best player of the year. These two, along with teammates Toni Kroos and Antonio Rüdiger, were also named to The Best XI for 2024.   Bonmatí Dominates Women’s Football On the women’s side, Aitana Bonmatí of Barcelona secured her place as the year’s best female player. This marks her second consecutive The Best award, joining the elite ranks of players like Alexia Putellas, Lionel Messi, and Robert Lewandowski, who have achieved this feat. Bonmatí’s stellar year included winning a historic quadruple with Barcelona and claiming the Nations League title with Spain. She also received the Ballon d’Or just weeks before this award ceremony. Ancelotti and Hayes: The Best Strategists In the managerial category, Carlo Ancelotti of Real Madrid was named The Best Coach of 2024 in men’s football, while Emma Hayes, who coached Chelsea and the U.S. national team this year, earned the honor in women’s football. Dibu and Naeher: The Walls of 2024 In goalkeeping, Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez was named the Best Men’s Goalkeeper of the year, while Alyssa Naeher, the U.S. national team’s standout, took the women’s honor, adding to her Olympic medal from Paris 2024. Marta and Garnacho: Authors of Masterpieces The Best Goal awards showcased breathtaking artistry. Brazilian legend Marta received the inaugural Best Women’s Goal award for a stunning strike against Jamaica on June 1, 2024. After collecting a deflection, she dribbled past a defender with a mesmerizing step-over, cut to her left, and unleashed a perfectly placed shot into the top corner. On the men’s side, Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho claimed the honor for his acrobatic bicycle kick against Everton on November 26, 2023. Calculating the trajectory of a cross from the right, Garnacho launched himself into the air just outside the penalty arc, connecting with precision. The ball soared gracefully into the opposite corner, etching his goal as a true masterpiece.

Chelsea’s great season has just been stained by a doping test that showed positive in one of its players. It is the Ukrainian star Mykhailo Mudryk, as reported by the English team, which, in turn, was notified of this irregularity by the English Federation (FA). The FA reported that an irregularity was detected in a urine test they had, before this, Mudryk stated that he has no idea how a banned substance could enter his body, and assured that he has done nothing wrong and hopes to return to the field soon. Chelsea reported that both they, and their player, will respect the FA’s decision when further tests are conducted and a final conclusion is reached, but for the time being, Mudryk is banned from the team and, should the final tests corroborate doping, he could receive up to 4 years out of professional soccer as punishment. Cover image: X (@ChleseaFC)

UEFA has raised the total prize pool for Euro Women 2025 to 41 million euros, a 156% increase. Teams will receive a fixed 1.8 million euros, with additional prizes based on performance and victories. Women’s football continues to grow worldwide, and UEFA’s announcement of the monetary prize increase for the upcoming Euro Women 2025 is a testament to this growth. The total prize pool for the tournament has been increased to 41 million euros, which will be distributed among the 16 teams competing.   How much will teams earn for participating in the Euro? During a meeting of the UEFA Executive Committee in Lausanne, Switzerland, it was agreed to increase the investment for the tournament to be held in 2025 by 156% compared to the 2022 edition, which had a prize pool of only 16 million euros. Teams participating in the tournament will receive a fixed 1.8 million euros, equivalent to 70% of the total prize pool. The remaining 30% is reserved for performance, with 50,000 euros awarded for draws and 100,000 euros for each victory achieved. These amounts increase in the knockout stages, with 550,000 euros going to the winners of the quarter-finals and 700,000 euros to the teams that reach the final. The bigger prizes! The grand prize for the European champions has also seen a significant improvement compared to the previous edition, as winning all their matches could yield a total of 5.1 million euros, which is a better prize compared to the 2.085 million euros of Euro 2022, though still far from the prizes in men’s football. Finally, the consolation prize for the runners-up will be 850,000 euros, bringing the total sum of 41 million euros invested in the tournament.

Major League Baseball teams are already starting to think about the next MLB season. That is why teams have already started to sign promising players and great elements already consolidated in baseball. Such is the case of the Baltimore Orioles, who bet on the experienced Japanese pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano. One of the most important players during 12 seasons in the Japanese Professional Baseball League, star of Japan’s most historic team, the Yomiuri Giants. According to information from ESPN, the right-handed pitcher and the Orioles agreed on a one-year, $13 million deal. You may be interested in: Freddie Freeman’s grand slam ball was auctioned off Cover image: X (@Orioles)

Bayern Munich’s unbeaten streak of 13 Bundesliga matches was cut short when Mainz 05 surprised the Bavarian giants at the MEWA ARENA this weekend with a 2-1 win, with a brace from Lee Jae-sung, while the visitors’ goal was scored by Leroy Sané. With this defeat, Bayern still remain in first place in Germany, with 33 points and four points behind second-placed Bayer Leverkusen. For their part, Mainz moved closer to the European competition places, being one point behind Stuttgart, who are sixth in the Conference League zone. You may be interested in: In two minutes, Manchester United turned City around and won the Derby Cover image: X (@Beyern)

Manchester City continues its slump. This time, they lost a game in just two minutes, as Manchester United came from behind to win 2-1 in the Manchester Derby. Manchester City keeps dropping crucial points, and this time they let a game slip away in just two minutes after the 90th minute. Against all odds, Manchester United overturned a 1-0 deficit that had held for 52 minutes, clinching a dramatic 2-1 victory in the Manchester Derby. The match at the Etihad Stadium started evenly, with both teams creating some dangerous opportunities but lacking precision in their final attempts. It took 36 minutes of play before the first goal brought some joy to the game. Gvardiol puts City ahead In a set-piece play from a corner kick, Kevin De Bruyne delivered a powerful cross that Josko Gvardiol headed into the net, beating the defenders and sending a precise shot across goal to make it 1-0. After that, the match remained competitive, with both teams pushing for more goals. However, a combination of wayward shots and strong goalkeeper performances kept the score unchanged for most of the game. Two minutes were enough for United to turn the game around In the final minutes, disaster struck for City. In the 88th minute, Matheus Nunes made a double mistake. While attempting a controlled exit, he played a weak back pass to Ederson, which Amad Diallo intercepted. Inside the box, Nunes tried to recover but ended up fouling Diallo with a reckless tackle, conceding a penalty. Bruno Fernandes stepped up to take the penalty and converted it confidently. Just two minutes later, Lisandro Martínez launched a long ball that caught City’s defense off guard. Diallo made an excellent first touch, chipped the ball over Ederson, and without letting it bounce, volleyed it into the net. The shot slipped through Gvardiol’s legs and into the goal, sealing United’s remarkable comeback. The result impacts the table With this defeat, Manchester City drops to fifth place, nine points behind the league leaders. Meanwhile, Manchester United climbs to 13th place with 22 points.

Liverpool salvaged a 2-2 draw against Fulham at Anfield, overcoming the early dismissal of Andrew Robertson in the 17th minute. Goals from Cody Gakpo and Diogo Jota allowed the “Reds” to rescue a crucial point and maintain their Premier League lead with 36 points. Fulham Takes the Early Advantage What looked like a golden opportunity for Fulham turned into a hard-fought draw for Liverpool. The game took a challenging turn for the Reds when Robertson received a red card in the 17th minute, leaving them a man down and trailing 1-0 after Andreas Pereira’s goal in the 11th minute. Liverpool Shows Resilience Manager Arne Slot made a bold choice, opting not to sacrifice an attacker for a defensive substitution after the red card. Instead, he adjusted Liverpool’s defensive line to maintain offensive pressure. The strategy paid off. Although Fulham occasionally threatened with the extra space created by the numerical advantage, Liverpool managed to dominate the rest of the first half. Despite their relentless attacks, the equalizer eluded them until the second half.   Gakpo’s Diving Header Brings Liverpool Level The breakthrough came just two minutes into the second half. Mohamed Salah delivered a pinpoint curling cross that Cody Gakpo met with a diving header, leveling the score at 1-1 in spectacular fashion. Fulham Strikes Again Liverpool’s 10-man resilience began to show cracks in the 76th minute. Fulham regained the lead when Alex Iwobi played a precise through ball to Antonee Robinson, who, despite losing his balance, managed to deliver a cross for Rodrigo Muniz. The forward connected awkwardly but effectively to make it 2-1 for the visitors. Jota Saves the Day As the clock ticked down, Liverpool found the equalizer in the 86th minute. Darwin Núñez set up Diogo Jota, who capitalized on Fulham’s disorganized defense. The Portuguese forward unleashed a powerful strike to secure the 2-2 draw. Premier League Standings The result keeps Liverpool atop the Premier League with 36 points, while Fulham sits in ninth, just three points behind fifth-placed Manchester City, who occupy a Europa League spot.

Real Madrid has the chance to overtake Barcelona in LaLiga standings with a win against Rayo Vallecano, potentially reaching 39 points compared to the “Blaugranas” 38. With one game in hand, “Los Blancos” have a significant opportunity to strengthen their title ambitions. A Key Opportunity for the Top Spot Today, Real Madrid can climb above Barcelona for the first time this season. Recent struggles have seen the Catalans drop crucial points, eroding the early lead they held at the top of the table. With just a two-point gap, Madrid could secure 39 points if they win against Rayo Vallecano, pushing Barcelona into second place with 38 points. However, this shift would only last until tomorrow, when Barcelona faces Leganés. Madrid’s Game in Hand It’s worth noting that Real Madrid has a game in hand, scheduled for January 3. If both teams maintain a perfect run, Madrid will still have an extra chance to secure the top spot in the coming weeks. Despite their star-studded squad, injuries have plagued Real Madrid this season, posing challenges in key positions. This could open the door for a surprise from Rayo Vallecano, making today’s match far from a foregone conclusion. The match kicks off at 2:00 p.m. Mexico City time, giving Real Madrid an excellent opportunity to take the lead in the race for the LaLiga title.

Faced with Manchester City’s demanding schedule, Pep Guardiola is considering the idea of having a squad of 45 to 50 players to ease the burden on his team. Manchester City has struggled to deliver the expected results in recent months across all competitions. With just one win in their last 10 matches, the team is clearly in crisis. To address this, head coach Pep Guardiola sees the possibility of a larger squad as a viable solution. The Calendar Is the Problem In a press conference, Guardiola highlighted the packed schedule faced by the “Sky Blues” as a major factor contributing to players being more prone to injuries. He pointed to the absence of Rodri, the newly crowned Ballon d’Or winner, as a significant setback for his tactical plans. Guardiola explained that a larger squad would help mitigate the impact of such injuries and the grueling schedule. The team sometimes plays up to three matches in the span of seven days, juggling commitments in the Premier League, Champions League, and domestic cup competitions. You may be interested in: Movements in the overall Champions League table after Matchday 6 City’s Struggles Are Not Due to Poor Performance Guardiola also praised his current players, emphasizing that they’ve achieved incredible things despite their limited numbers. He attributed the team’s current struggles to injuries and fixture congestion rather than poor performance or lack of effort. This weekend, City will face their cross-town rivals in the Manchester Derby, a must-win game given its symbolic importance. Meanwhile, fans are watching closely to see if Guardiola will expand his squad during the winter transfer window. The relentless schedule continues even through the holiday season, with matches set for December 26 and 29, just after Christmas and days before the New Year.