Soccer

Tottenham Hotspur are experiencing one of their worst moments in the Premier League. The member of the so-called “Big Six” of England lost 1-2 at home against Leicester City, in a match where they started winning at 33′ with a goal by Richarlison, to end up losing it in four minutes, with goals by Jamie Vardy at 46′ and Bilal El Khannous at 50′. Tottenham, closer to relegation than to the top places This defeat not only meant dropping three points at home, but also fundamental points to climb positions in the overall table of the Premier League, as they are currently fifteenth with 24 points, being only 8 points away from the relegation places, while the European places are 16 points away, which is undoubtedly a serious crisis for the club. Tottenham have only managed a single point in their last seven league games, their last victory in England being against Southampton on December 15 last year, more than a month ago. Cover photo: X (@SpursOfficial) 

AC Milan secured a thrilling 3-2 victory over Parma in an electrifying match at San Siro. In the first half, Matteo Cancellieri gave Parma the lead in the 24th minute, but Christian Pulisic equalized before halftime with a penalty in the 38th minute. In the second half, Enrico Del Prato restored Parma’s lead in the 80th minute, putting Milan in a difficult position. However, the home team pulled off a stunning comeback in the final minutes: Tijjani Reijnders scored the equalizer in the 90th minute, and Samuel Chukwueze clinched the victory in the 95th.  With this win, Milan climbs to seventh place with 34 points, while Parma remains in 16th with 20 points.   You might also like: Manchester City Back on the Winning Track   Cover image: X(@acmilan)

Manchester City overcame Chelsea with a 3-1 victory after a midweek Champions League defeat. Gvardiol, Haaland, and Foden scored. With 41 points, City is fourth, while Chelsea remains sixth with 40.  Manchester City is going through one of its biggest sporting crises in recent years. However, after falling midweek in the Champions League against Paris Saint-Germain, Pep Guardiola’s team managed to recover from this tough blow and defeated Chelsea 3-1 at the Etihad Stadium.  This is how Manchester City achieved victory   For this match, Guardiola decided to debut Omar Marmoush and Abdukodir Khusanov as starters, who joined during this winter transfer window from Eintracht Frankfurt and Racing Club de Lens, respectively.   With the added pressure of playing with new pieces, the match began frantically, with both teams trying to dominate possession. Two minutes into the game, the debutant Khusanov made his first mistake of the match when, trying to pass the ball back to goalkeeper Ederson, he ended up gifting the ball to Nicolas Jackson. Jackson passed it to Noni Madueke, who scored with ease to make it 0-1.   You may also like: A chapter closes at City, Walker departs After the opening goal, the game became an end-to-end battle, with both teams creating clear scoring chances but failing to capitalize on them. That was until the 41st minute, when Joško Gvardiol took advantage of a rebound to make it 1-1, which held until halftime.   In the second half, the match continued in the same vein, with both teams attacking relentlessly. These frantic moments worked in City’s favor as, in the 67th minute, Erling Haaland took advantage of Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sánchez’s position to make a high shot that resulted in a 2-1 lead.   After City’s second goal, Chelsea pushed forward in search of more offensive opportunities, pressing high. However, this backfired, as a long pass found Haaland, who made a subtle touch to set up Phil Foden. Foden scored brilliantly to seal the 3-1 win.   With this result, Manchester City reached 41 points, securing fourth place in the table, 12 points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool. Chelsea, on the other hand, remains with 40 points, currently sitting in sixth place and out of European competition spots.

Kyle Walker bids farewell to Manchester City after an illustrious eight-year stint and 319 matches, heading to AC Milan on loan with an option to buy. During his time with the “Sky Blues,” the English fullback amassed 17 trophies, including the Champions League and the historic treble. Loan Deal with a Purchase Option On Friday, Manchester City confirmed an agreement with AC Milan to loan Walker for the remainder of the 2024/25 season. The deal includes an option for the “Rossoneri” to make the transfer permanent in the summer. Although Walker is under contract with Manchester City until 2026, there is no obstacle preventing Milan from securing the 33-year-old defender on a long-term basis. Reports suggest a potential contract with the Italian club could extend until 2027. A Manchester City Legend Departs Walker leaves England for Italy after 319 appearances that saw him become a cornerstone of City’s defensive line and one of the team’s captains. Signed in 2017, he enjoyed a remarkable tenure filled with success and silverware. In an emotional farewell message, Walker reflected on his journey with City, stating his pride in being part of the club’s history. He highlighted the 17 trophies won, including the Champions League and the famed treble, and expressed heartfelt gratitude to the coaching staff, team personnel, teammates, and fans. “This club and its supporters motivated me to always give my best,” Walker said in his parting words, marking the end of an era in Manchester and the beginning of a new chapter in Milan. Cover photo: X (@kylewalker2)

With only one matchday left to play, the fight for direct qualification to the Round of 16 and playoff spots is heating up, involving 28 teams. Matchday 7 of the UEFA Europa League has concluded, leaving the overall standings extremely tight ahead of the final round. These standings mean that 28 teams still have a chance to secure either direct advancement to the Round of 16 or a playoff berth. The Top Eight Lazio currently leads the competition with 19 points, guaranteeing their place in the Round of 16 with direct qualification. Eintracht Frankfurt sits in second with 16 points and a goal difference of +6. However, their 14 goals scored give them the edge over Athletic Club, which also has 16 points and a +6 goal difference but has scored only 12 goals, placing them in third. In fourth is Manchester United with 15 points. Below them, four teams are tied at 14 points, but their rankings are determined by goals scored: Olympique Lyonnais in fifth, Tottenham Hotspur in sixth, Anderlecht in seventh, and FCSB in eighth. The Race for Direct Qualification Galatasaray and Bodø/Glimt have the best chance of breaking into the top eight. With 13 points, they are ninth and tenth, respectively. Close behind them are Viktoria Plzeň and Olympiacos, each with 12 points, making the final matchday crucial for their chances at direct qualification. With slimmer chances but still mathematically in contention, Rangers, AZ Alkmaar, and Union Saint-Gilloise sit at 11 points. While direct qualification seems unlikely, these teams are in strong positions to secure playoff spots with a win in the final round. The Battle for Playoff Spots Teams ranked 16th through 20th—Ajax, PAOK, Real Sociedad, Midtjylland, and Elfsborg—each have 10 points. Although they cannot reach the top eight, they are focused on ensuring their place in the playoff round leading to the Round of 16. Further down, the teams currently occupying the remaining playoff positions (20th to 24th)—Roma, Ferencváros, Fenerbahçe, and Beşiktaş—all have 9 points. These clubs must secure victories in their final matches to avoid any surprises and lock in their playoff berths. Porto, sitting just behind them with 8 points, remains a serious contender for one of the playoff spots, looking to avoid a disappointing campaign. With 7 points each, Twente and Braga, in 26th and 27th places, still have slim but realistic chances of making the playoffs. Behind them, Hoffenheim and Maccabi Tel-Aviv, with 6 points each, are mathematically alive but face daunting odds in 28th and 29th places. The Eliminated Teams With no chance of advancing, Riga FS, Slavia Prague, Malmö, Ludogorets, Qarabağ, Nice, and Dynamo Kyiv round out the bottom of the table among the competition’s 36 teams.

With 25 teams still in the fight, the seventh matchday of the UEFA Champions League has left the table fascinating heading into the final round of the tournament. Matchday 7 of the Champions League is now in the books, and 25 out of 36 teams are still waiting to discover their fate in this new tournament format, with each team having played eight games. This matchday brought expected results, surprises, and most importantly, epic moments of football. The top eight direct qualifiers Liverpool leads Europe as the only team to have won all seven of their games, accumulating 21 points. Behind them is Barcelona, who, with a stunning comeback against Benfica, secured 18 points. Both teams have already secured direct qualification to the knockout stages, regardless of the result in their final group match. In third place, Arsenal holds 16 points, with a goal difference of +12, which gives them a significant advantage to stay among the top eight. While mathematically not yet guaranteed direct qualification, it seems unlikely they won’t make it into the elite group of teams advancing to the next round. Next in the table, Inter is fourth with the same 16 points, while Atlético Madrid and AC Milan follow in fifth and sixth place, respectively, both with 15 points. Atalanta is seventh with 14 points, and Bayer Leverkusen is eighth with 13 points and a +6 goal difference. A fierce battle for direct qualification to the knockout stage Excitement picks up from ninth to eighteenth place, as these teams have secured their playoff spots. However, Aston Villa, Monaco, Feyenoord, LOSC Lille, and Brest, with 13 points; Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Juventus, and Celtic, all with 12 points, still have a great chance to secure a top-eight spot with a win. This section of the table promises to be a thrilling spectacle as we see who can earn direct qualification and who will have to settle for a playoff spot in the final matchday. Teams fighting for playoffs PSV and Club Brugge, with 11 points in 19th and 20th place, respectively, still have a chance to make it into the top eight, but it looks very difficult for them to achieve this feat. A win, however, would almost guarantee their place in the playoffs. Benfica, PSG, Sporting Club, and Stuttgart, each with 10 points, are next and will only be focused on securing their playoff spot in their final match. Meanwhile, Manchester City in 25th, Dinamo Zagreb in 26th, both with 8 points, and Shakhtar in 27th with 7 points, must win at all costs and hope for favorable results from the teams above them to have a chance at the playoffs. Eliminated teams Finally, the teams already eliminated, ranked 28th to 36th, are Bologna, Sparta Prague, RB Leipzig, Girona, Red Star Belgrade, Sturm, RB Salzburg, Slovan Bratislava, and Young Boys.

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)