Soccer

With a double by Erling Haaland, a goal by Phil Foden and an own goal, Manchester City starts to recover from the bad streak they experienced at the end of 2024. Manchester City defeated Wets Ham by a score of 4-1 and everything seems to indicate that the team led by Pep Guardiola left behind the bad moment they experienced in the last months of last year, where they could only obtain two victories from October to December. An own goal opened the scoring The actions at the Etihad Stadium started very well for the home team, as just 10 minutes into the game, the first goal was scored for the “Cityzens”. Savinho’s cross from the left flank was brushed by Vladimír Coufal’s studs, which produced a deflection towards the near post, where the goalkeeper had already thrown himself in the middle of the small area trying to stop the shot, but he was left out of the play and the score was 1-0. Haaland’s double to extend the lead City continued to insist, in search of more goals, but good interventions by Areola prevented his goal from falling almost the entire first half. It was not until the 42′, when the Norwegian striker Erling Haaland made his presence felt; in a very good play by Savinho, the Brazilian sent a precise cross from the left, the ball covered the goalkeeper and two defenders for Haaland to simply give a slight jump, which with his 1.94 m height was enough to push the ball into the net with his head. In the second half, Manchester City’s attack did not cease and at 55′, the “Android” again made his name on the scoreboard, in a filtered pass again from Savinho, the Norwegian drove the ball in the big area and before the mark of a defender, and the exit of Areola, Haaland showed quality and chopped the ball to avoid the attempted save and make it cross the goal line almost in a slow face. Foden closed City’s account Three minutes later, at 58′, West Ham made a mistake at the start, the defense of the London team gave the ball to Kevin De Bruyne almost in the big area, the Belgian set up Phil Foden who only shot at goal before a save from the goalkeeper that was not enough to prevent the 4-0. Füllkrug scored the goal of honor Finally, in the 71st minute, Wets Ham’s consolation goal came in the form of a cross from the left by Tomas Soucek, which Niclas Füllkrug connected with to make it 4-1. City must continue their quest for the top places With this result, Manchester City is sixth in the Premier League, with 34 points, but three points away from being third in the league, so the “Sky Blue” team must continue to add victories and leave behind the bad moment they experienced at the end of the year. Cover photo: X (@ManCity)

The Arsenal team was surprised by Brighton, who rescued a draw against the “Gunners” to make them stumble in their race for the title, because with this 1-1 draw, they reached 40 points, being 5 points behind Liverpool, who in case of winning their match against Manchester United, would be 8 points ahead. The game at Brighton Stadium started with a goal for the visitors in the 16th minute, with a great run down the right flank by Ethan Nwaneri, who went straight into the box and took a shot that beat the goalkeeper to make it 0-1. You may be interested in: In freezing weather, Liverpool and Manchester United will face each other But after this, Brighton reacted and it was in the second half, at 61′, when Joao Pedro tied the game through a penalty, in a foul committed on him, in a clash of heads with a defender inside the area, where the striker connected first with the ball and then the clash of heads took place. Cover photo: X (@Arsenal)

Despite the inclement weather, Liverpool and Manchester United will play another edition of the English soccer derby. Yesterday, the English Derby was at risk of not being played due to a yellow alert issued by local authorities due to heavy snowfall in the city of the same name as the Anfield team. Finally, Liverpool announced that it is preparing its stadium and clearing it of snow so that another match of the biggest rivalry in English soccer can take place. The game will take place at 10:30 a.m. Central Mexican Time. Liverpool has the chance to increase its lead in the first place by 8 points, and with their great season they are doing, they arrive as the favorites; while Manchester United urgently needs to win, because what they need now more than ever are points, as currently, with 22 points, they are closer to the relegation places than to the European competitions. Cover image: X (@LFC)

With significant challenges, Real Madrid managed to overturn a 1-0 deficit to secure a 1-2 victory against Valencia, thanks to goals from Luka Modric and Jude Bellingham, despite playing with 10 men. Real Madrid was on the brink of losing their grip on the La Liga leadership during their match against Valencia, currently second-to-last in the standings. Trailing for nearly 70 minutes, it was in the final five minutes of regulation time, plus stoppage time, that Madrid turned the game around, with Jude Bellingham scoring the decisive goal to propel his team to the top of the table. Valencia Takes Madrid by Surprise The match at the Mestalla began positively for the hosts, who created two early chances that forced Thibaut Courtois into action. It wasn’t until the 27th minute that Valencia capitalized on a counterattack. Dimitri Foulquier sent a cross from the right flank, which Javi Guerra struck first-time, hitting the post. The rebound fell into the center of the six-yard box, where Hugo Duro finished it off to give Valencia a 1-0 lead. Madrid Faces Further Setbacks In the second half, Real Madrid’s struggles intensified. In the 55th minute, Jude Bellingham had the chance to equalize from the penalty spot following a foul on Kylian Mbappé in the box. However, his shot hit the left post, missing the opportunity to level the score. Four minutes later, a potential goal from Mbappé was disallowed due to an offside call. Then, in the 79th minute, Vinícius Jr. received a red card for striking Valencia’s goalkeeper in the neck. The incident occurred after Vinícius was pulled up by the goalkeeper following a challenge in the area, which led to the heated exchange and subsequent dismissal. Modric and Bellingham Deliver the Comeback Despite being a man down, Real Madrid continued their offensive push. In the 85th minute, a well-executed attacking play resulted in Luka Modric receiving a through ball, leaving him one-on-one with the goalkeeper. The Croatian veteran calmly slotted the ball into the net, equalizing the score. In stoppage time, at 90+6 minutes, Valencia’s defense faltered. A careless turnover in their defensive line allowed Bellingham to recover the ball near the edge of the box. Facing the goalkeeper, the Englishman placed a precise shot into the net, completing the dramatic comeback and sealing the 1-2 victory for Real Madrid. New La Liga Leader With this win, Real Madrid now leads La Liga with 43 points, surpassing Atlético Madrid, who sit at 41 points but have a game in hand. Barcelona remains in third place with 38 points and will need to improve their form to stay in contention for the top spot.

One of the most fruitful relationships in soccer in recent years is on the rocks. It is about Liverpool and Mohamed Salah, where despite the player is having an incredible season, scoring 20 goals and providing 17 assists in his 26 played in this first half, the Egyptian mentioned in an interview with Sky Sports that, as of today, he believes that this will be his last season with Liverpool. All this because the talks to renew his contract, which ends in June 2025, are at a standstill. Because of this, the “Pharaoh” shared that, should it be his last season with the club, he would like to do something special, like winning the Premier League. Cover image: X (@MoSalah)

There is no rest for Arsenal, as just 3 days after moving up to second place, the “Gunners” will play again today, when they visit Brighton. In this game, Mikel Arteta’s team will be looking to close the gap with first place Liverpool, because if they get the three points, they would be just one more win away from reaching the “Reds”, but only if Liverpool plays tomorrow’s game against Manchester United and loses. This game will start at 11:30 a.m., Central Mexican Time. Cover image: www.arsenal.com

With a brace from Denzel Dumfries, who scored two fantastic goals, Inter secured victory against Atalanta, advancing to the final where they await the winner of Juventus vs. AC Milan. Inter Milan became the first finalist of the Italian Super Cup. Demonstrating clear football superiority in the semifinals, they defeated Atalanta—a victory that also carried symbolic weight in relation to Serie A, as the two teams are vying for the top spot. Atalanta currently leads with 41 points, while Inter sits in third with 40. The match took place at Al-Awwal Park in Saudi Arabia. Inter started strong, applying constant pressure and creating dangerous opportunities, pinning Atalanta in their half. Meanwhile, Atalanta’s defense, supported by key saves from their goalkeeper and a few counterattacks, managed to keep the game scoreless until halftime. Dumfries Shines in the Second Half Just four minutes into the second half, the breakthrough came. Following a corner kick, the ball remained active in Atalanta’s penalty area after a header from Yann Aurel Bisseck. Denzel Dumfries controlled the ball with his head and executed a spectacular combination of a scissor kick and bicycle kick, sending the ball past the helpless goalkeeper for the opening goal. In the 61st minute, Dumfries struck again. Inter launched a counterattack that the Dutch defender supported all the way from his own penalty area to the edge of Atalanta’s box. There, he unleashed a first-time shot that took a slight deflection off a defender attempting to block the effort. The powerful strike hit the crossbar and bounced into the net, sealing his brace in style. Inter Awaits Their Final Opponent The match concluded 2-0 in favor of Inter, securing their spot in the Super Cup final. They now await the winner of the semifinal clash between Juventus and AC Milan. Regardless of the outcome, the final promises to be an exciting showdown, with Inter poised and ready for the challenge.

Crucial match in LaLiga that may result in a new momentary leader of Spain. This is the pending match between Valencia and Real Madrid on date 12; this game had to be postponed until today, January 3, due to the meteorological phenomenon known as “DANA” that hit the region of Valencia at the end of October. Undoubtedly, this is an unbeatable opportunity for the “Galacticos” to raise their hand in search of the league title, since with 40 points in second place, they aspire to reach 43 units, surpassing Atletico Madrid, which remains first with 41 points. It is worth mentioning that “Atleti” still has one game in hand (18 games), so Real Madrid would be two points ahead with their 19 corresponding games, if they win their match against the “Murciélagos” of Valencia. The game is scheduled for today at 2 p.m. CST. Imagen portada: X (@realmadrid)

FC Barcelona faces the potential loss of Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor due to registration issues. In Olmo’s case, the club risks losing a €48 million investment because of a release clause. Olmo and Pau Víctor, Unregistered for LaLiga Barcelona’s year began with challenges, as unresolved legal issues from late 2024 escalated on January 1, 2025. Both Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor lost their registration with LaLiga, rendering them ineligible to play during the second half of the 2024-25 season. Dani Olmo: A Loss Beyond the Pitch The situation with the Euro-winning midfielder is especially concerning. Barcelona invested €48 million to acquire Olmo, but a release clause in his contract allows him to leave as a free agent. While Olmo has expressed his desire to remain with the club, failure to resolve this issue could force his departure, with Premier League clubs already showing interest in signing him for free. According to the Spanish Football Federation, Barcelona has until January 3 to restore the players’ registration. Despite this, the club has remained silent on the matter. Olmo attended training as usual on January 1, but his official status in LaLiga remains unresolved. To address the financial requirements for Olmo’s registration, Barcelona has expedited payments for the VIP suites at the new Spotify Camp Nou. The funds, gathered by January 3, aim to provide LaLiga with a financial guarantee. However, the case’s resolution depends on its legal interpretation. Pau Víctor’s Future Unlike Olmo, Pau Víctor is expected to remain with Barcelona but may not play in LaLiga until the issue is resolved. The club’s best option appears to be loaning him out for the remainder of the season. This complicated start to 2025 highlights Barcelona’s ongoing financial and regulatory challenges, raising questions about the club’s management and future.