Soccer

Real Madrid secured a 5-1 victory against RB Salzburg in the penultimate matchday of the UEFA Champions League league phase, strengthening their position for the preliminary round while maintaining hopes of direct qualification to the round of 16. Rodrygo scored in the 22nd and 33rd minutes, assisted by Jude Bellingham, leaving the score at 2-0 by halftime. Kylian Mbappé extended the lead in the 48th minute after a defensive error, and Vinicius Jr. sealed the win with goals in the 55th and 77th minutes, assisted by Luka Modrić and Federico Valverde. Mads Bidstrup pulled one back in the 85th minute, but it didn’t dampen the celebrations at Santiago Bernabéu. With this result, Carlo Ancelotti’s side reached 12 points, just one behind Aston Villa, the last team currently holding a direct qualification spot.   You may also like: Manchester City on the brink of Champions League elimination after loss to PSG Cover image: X(@realmadrid) 

Manchester City is on the brink of elimination from the UEFA Champions League after falling 4-2 to Paris Saint-Germain, despite initially taking a two-goal lead early in the second half with goals from Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland. PSG staged a remarkable comeback with goals from Ousmane Dembélé, Bradley Barcola, João Neves, and Gonçalo Ramos. Currently ranked 25th in the 36-team standings, City must defeat Club Brugge in the final matchday to secure advancement. Meanwhile, PSG sits in 22nd place and will aim to confirm their spot in the next round when they face Stuttgart.   You may also like: Barcelona pulled off a spectacular comeback against Benfica   Cover image: X(@PSG_espanol) 

Liverpool extended their perfect Champions League streak by beating Lille 2-1 at Anfield, marking their seventh consecutive win and becoming the first team to qualify for the Round of 16. In the first half, Mohamed Salah opened the scoring in the 34th minute. Early in the second half, Aïssa Mandi was sent off in the 59th minute, leaving the visitors with ten men. However, Jonathan David managed to equalize for Lille in the 62nd minute. Just five minutes later, Harvey Elliott scored the winning goal with a brilliant long-range strike. Despite an outstanding performance by Lille goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier, the French team couldn’t avoid defeat. Lille, who saw their 21-match unbeaten streak come to an end, remains in contention for the play-off round before the Round of 16.   You may also like: Barcelona achieves a spectacular comeback against Benfica   Cover image: X(@LFC) 

On Matchday 7 of the UEFA Champions League, FC Barcelona triumphed over Benfica in a thrilling match at Estadio da Luz.   Vangelis Pavlidis opened the scoring just two minutes in, with Robert Lewandowski equalizing from the penalty spot in the 13th minute. Pavlidis capitalized on a goalkeeper error to score again and completed his hat trick with another penalty before halftime.   In the second half, a mistake by the home goalkeeper allowed Raphinha to score Barcelona’s second, but shortly after, a Ronald Araújo own goal extended Benfica’s lead to 4-2. At minute 78, Lewandowski converted another penalty to close the gap.   Eric García equalized in the 86th minute, and Raphinha secured the victory in the 96th minute with a dramatic 5-4 scoreline. This result guarantees Barcelona a spot in the Round of 16, as they hold second place in their group with 15 points.   You may also like: Real Madrid, the best in Spain   Cover image: X(@FCBarcelona_es) 

The Champions League is back in action this January thanks to the new format featuring eight matches per team. Today, the tournament resumes with the fixtures of Matchday 7. Midday Action Kicks Things Off Under UEFA’s new Champions League format, implemented this season, each team now plays eight matches—four at home and four away—adding two extra matchdays compared to the previous group-stage format with four teams per group. As a result, Matchday 7 begins today at 11:45 a.m. (Central Mexico Time) with two early games: Monaco vs. Aston Villa and Atalanta vs. Sturm Graz. Big Showdowns in the Afternoon The prime-time slot kicks off at 2:00 p.m. (Central Mexico Time), with seven matches scheduled to take place simultaneously. The headline clash of the day is undoubtedly Atlético Madrid vs. Bayer Leverkusen, as both teams battle for a top spot in the overall standings. Atlético currently sits in 11th place with 12 points, while Leverkusen occupies 4th, holding a slim one-point advantage. Meanwhile, Benfica will face the second-place team, Barcelona, who are on 15 points and determined to prevent any slip-ups that could allow their rivals to overtake them. Benfica, on the other hand, aims to secure their playoff spot with a strong performance. Elsewhere, the league leaders and only undefeated team in the competition, Liverpool, will host LOSC Lille, a surprise contender sitting in 8th place and within the automatic qualification zone. The Reds boast a perfect record, holding a three-point cushion over the second-placed Barcelona. Despite this, they’ll undoubtedly aim to maintain their dominance with another win. In the other fixtures, PSV Eindhoven will look to stay in the playoff race against Red Star Belgrade; Juventus and Club Brugge will engage in a direct battle to climb the playoff standings; Stuttgart, needing a win to keep their playoff hopes alive, will face already-eliminated Slovan Bratislava; and finally, Borussia Dortmund seeks to return to the automatic qualification spots as they take on Bologna, a team clinging to slim mathematical chances of making the playoffs.

With a brace from Mbappé and additional goals from Brahim Díaz and Rodrygo, Real Madrid won their match against Las Palmas, a game they started losing in the very first minute. Real Madrid positioned itself as the best team in Spain after defeating U.D. Las Palmas with a commanding victory and benefitting from Atlético Madrid’s surprising loss to Leganés. Thanks to these results, Madrid is now at the top with 46 points, Atlético has 44, and Barcelona is falling behind with 39 points. A bitter start for Madrid At the Santiago Bernabéu, things didn’t begin well for the home team. Just 30 seconds after kickoff, Las Palmas launched an attack, with the ball reaching Sandro Ramírez on the right edge of the attacking area. From there, he delivered a precise cross that bypassed Madrid’s defense, allowing Fábio Silva to get ahead and send the ball into the net. Real Madrid wakes up It seemed like Madrid might miss the chance to claim the top spot after the early goal. However, in the 18th minute, Kylian Mbappé equalized with a penalty after a foul on Rodrygo. After this, Real Madrid launched an aggressive attack to complete the comeback, which came in the 33rd minute. Mbappé fired a shot from outside the area, which the Las Palmas goalkeeper saved, but the rebound fell to Lucas Vázquez. With no defender marking him, Vázquez had time to assist Brahim Díaz, who also found himself unmarked and easily tapped the ball into the goal, making it 2-1. Before the first half ended, Mbappé scored again, this time with a first-touch strike off a pass from Rodrygo near the penalty spot. His shot found the lower left corner of the goal, completing a brilliant finish and securing his brace, putting Madrid ahead 3-1. Madrid closes the game In the second half, at the 57th minute, Rodrygo completed the scoring for Real Madrid. Fran García sent in a delayed cross, which Rodrygo converted with great precision. Real Madrid finished the match with a 4-1 win, even having three goals disallowed by VAR.

Erling Haaland and Manchester City have reached a historic agreement, with the footballer signing a new contract to remain at the club until 2034. Manchester City and Norwegian striker Erling Haaland have agreed to a groundbreaking new contract, securing the “Android” as part of the Citizens for another nine and a half years, until 2034. Prior to this agreement, Haaland’s contract was set to expire in 2027. With this deal, City has ensured that one of football’s current stars will stay with the team for the long term. Haaland Will Be Among the Highest Paid Although the Manchester club did not disclose the financial terms of the new nine-year deal, it is estimated to be an enormous sum due to the lengthy duration of the contract. When Haaland joined Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund, the English club paid €60 million for him, even though his market value at the time was €150 million. Given Haaland’s stellar performance as the Cityzen forward, it’s reasonable to assume that the new figures are equal to or likely exceed the previous ones. Haaland’s decision wasn’t solely driven by the lucrative salary he will enjoy for nearly the next decade but also by his deep affection for the club. After signing the contract, the Norwegian expressed his happiness, pride, and eagerness to stay with the team for many more years. “It was an easy decision,” Haaland said. A Player Worth Every Penny While the cost may seem exorbitant, it’s clear that Manchester City was willing to invest heavily to retain their star striker. Since joining City, Erling Haaland has scored an incredible 111 goals in 126 matches. He has won the Premier League Golden Boot twice and has contributed to City’s triumphs in two Premier League titles, one Champions League, one FA Cup, one UEFA Super Cup, and one Club World Cup.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, the 23-year-old Georgian forward, has officially transferred from Napoli to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) after signing a contract that ties him to the French champions until 2029. According to *L’Equipe*, the deal was worth €70 million. The player expressed his pride in joining PSG, sharing high expectations for his new chapter. Nicknamed “Kvaradona” by Napoli fans in honor of Maradona, Kvaratskhelia played a pivotal role in securing Napoli’s 2022-2023 Serie A title. After requesting a move, he now arrives at PSG to fill the void left by Kylian Mbappé, who joined Real Madrid last summer.   You may also like: Real Madrid narrowly escapes Copa del Rey elimination Cover image: X(@PSG_espanol)

Necaxa surprised the Rebaño Sagrado, coming from behind to win at home and hand Chivas their first defeat of the Clausura 2025. As Matchday 2 of the Clausura 2025 arrived, it seemed that Chivas de Guadalajara had a chance to continue their strong start after last week’s victory against Santos. With their visit to Necaxa, a team that debuted with a loss against Pumas, Chivas looked poised to secure another three points. However, the result ended up being quite the opposite. Chivas Took the Lead After a goalless first half at the Estadio Victoria, which saw good chances from both sides, fans had to wait until the second half to witness the first goal. Guadalajara opened the scoring in the 51st minute. Following a set-piece play from a corner kick, a secondary cross from the Rebaño Sagrado caused the ball to land near a Necaxa defender. However, Gilberto Sepúlveda anticipated the attempted clearance, sliding in to connect with the ball and push it over the goal line for the 0-1. Necaxa Shattered Chivas’ Hopes It seemed that the Rojiblancos, wearing dark blue as the visiting team, were on their way to a second consecutive win. However, Necaxa responded in the 62nd minute. José Paradela delivered an excellent cross, and Pavel Pérez headed it down into the net to make it 1-1. The home team gained momentum after their equalizer and began to trouble the visitors with dangerous plays. In the 77th minute, Agustín Palavecino sent a precise through ball to the left edge of the box. There, Kevin Rosero got behind the defense and delivered a cross that Tomás Badolini finished with a well-executed sliding effort. The Guadalajara defense was overwhelmed by the speed of Necaxa’s attack and couldn’t prevent the 2-1. In the 87th minute, Necaxa kept up the pressure. Following a well-rehearsed corner kick, the ball bounced around the penalty spot before falling to Ricardo Monreal. With his back to goal, Monreal showed excellent technical skill. He trapped the ball with his right foot, moved it behind him to his left, and fired a left-footed shot into the near post to make it 3-1. Chivas’ Response Came Too Late Chivas’ attempt to level the score came far too late. In the 90+8th minute, “Piojo” Alvarado converted a penalty awarded for a handball in the box. Unfortunately for the Chiverío, it wasn’t enough to avoid their first loss of the tournament, falling 3-2.