Soccer

With goals from Valverde, Camavinga, Modric, and a brace from Arda Güler, Real Madrid cruised past Deportiva Minera to secure their spot in the Copa del Rey Round of 16. Real Madrid faced no significant challenges in this Round of 32 matchup against Deportiva Minera, a fourth-division Spanish side. The match concluded with a dominant 5-0 victory for Los Blancos, who registered 33 shots, 21 on target, compared to just four attempts and one shot on goal from their opponents. Madrid Dominates the Pitch The goals at Estadio Cartagonova came early and often. Federico Valverde opened the scoring just five minutes into the game, followed by Eduardo Camavinga’s strike in the 13th minute. Arda Güler shone with a brace, scoring in the 28th and 88th minutes, while Luka Modric added the fourth goal in the 55th minute. Notably, this match marked Modric’s first-ever goal in the Copa del Rey, a surprising milestone considering the Croatian midfielder’s more than a decade-long tenure with Real Madrid. Although Real Madrid started the match with a relatively rotated squad, stars like Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Jr. entered the pitch during the final stages. However, their presence was not crucial, as Deportiva Minera failed to threaten Madrid throughout the match. Spanish Super Cup: Madrid’s Next Target With this emphatic victory, Real Madrid advances to the Copa del Rey Round of 16 and now shifts focus to their next challenge: the Spanish Super Cup. On Thursday, January 9, they will face Mallorca in Saudi Arabia, aiming to secure a spot in the final and claim their first title of 2025.

AC Milan Stages Comeback Against Inter to Win 3-2 in Extra Time and Claim Their Eighth Italian Super Cup, Matching Inter’s Record An electrifying Derby della Madonnina unfolded as AC Milan overcame a 2-0 deficit to secure a 3-2 victory over Inter in extra time. With this triumph, the Rossoneri were crowned champions of the Italian Super Cup, claiming their eighth title to equal Inter’s tally. Inter Took Early Control The match at Al-Awwal Park began evenly, with both teams creating chances. However, Inter’s attacking threats appeared more dangerous as they pushed into AC Milan’s territory. This pressure paid off just before halftime. In the 45+1’, a play down the left flank culminated in a cross that reached the right side of the box, where Lautaro Martínez, assisted by Mehdi Taremi, cut inside to evade a defender. With the goal in sight, the Argentine fired a low shot into the near post to give Inter a 1-0 lead. Early in the second half, at the 47th minute, a long ball from Stefan de Vrij found Taremi, who anticipated the Milan defense and went one-on-one with goalkeeper Mike Maignan. The Iranian striker’s precise finish doubled Inter’s lead to 2-0. AC Milan’s Response When it seemed like Inter was poised to dominate the remainder of the match, AC Milan found a lifeline. In the 52nd minute, Theo Hernández executed a superb free kick from the edge of the box, driving a low, powerful shot into Yann Sommer’s near post. Despite his dive, the Inter keeper couldn’t stop the ball, reducing the deficit to 2-1. Buoyed by the goal, the Rossoneri surged forward in search of an equalizer, creating clear opportunities that were thwarted by Inter’s defense and Sommer’s saves. The equalizer finally came in the 80th minute. A move initiated by Milan’s goalkeeper reached Rafael Leão, who delivered a pinpoint through ball to Theo Hernández. The Frenchman advanced to the byline and sent in a precise cross that found Christian Pulisic. The American controlled the ball near the penalty spot with his back to the goal and, in a stunning half-turn, struck a powerful, angled shot past Sommer to level the score at 2-2. Abraham’s Decisive Goal With both teams pressing for a winner, Pulisic delivered a moment of brilliance. In the dying moments of extra time, he played a perfectly weighted pass from three-quarters of the field that broke through Inter’s defensive line. Leão latched onto the ball near the left corner of the six-yard box and whipped in a cross that Tammy Abraham slotted home with ease. Inter’s defense was caught flat-footed, helpless to stop the Englishman from sealing the 3-2 victory and snatching the Super Cup trophy from their grasp. AC Milan’s Eighth Super Cup Triumph This victory marked AC Milan’s eighth Italian Super Cup title, equaling Inter’s record and avenging their 2023 final loss, where Inter had defeated them 3-0. The Rossoneri now stand alongside their city rivals at the pinnacle of Italian Super Cup success.

Goalkeeper Alex Padilla arrived in Mexico City in the early hours of Tuesday morning to undergo medical tests with the Pumas team, in order to become the first reinforcement for the universitarios for the upcoming Clausura 2025 season. The goalkeeper, who comes from Athletic Club, with whom he recently renewed his contract until 2029, will arrive at the Pedregal team on loan for one season, where Padilla expressed his desire to play for UNAM in an interview with the media at the airport: “When I get the opportunity to defend Pumas, I don’t think about it,” said the Mexican goalkeeper. Although it is expected that, after the medical tests to be carried out today, the club will announce the signing between today and tomorrow, it seems complicated that Alex will make his debut this Sunday, January 12, when Pumas receives Necaxa, so it is very likely that the Auriazules will make their debut in this new tournament with a substitute in goal, hoping that Alex Padilla will join the CU team as soon as possible, this after having broken relations with their first two goalkeepers from last tournament, Julio Gonzales and Gil Alcala.

Liverpool and Manchester United shared points after a thrilling 2-2 draw in the English Derby. The “Reds” remain league leaders, while the “Red Devils” sit 13th. Liverpool and Manchester United delivered an intense and highly entertaining English Classic, resulting in a 2-2 draw. With this outcome, Liverpool stays at the top of the Premier League with 46 points, six points ahead of Arsenal, while Manchester United remains in 13th place with 23 points. Scoreless First Half Despite the lack of goals in the first 45 minutes at Anfield, the excitement was palpable as both teams created a couple of dangerous chances, setting the stage for a goal-filled second half. Manchester Struck First The second half kicked off with high energy, and in the 52nd minute, the visitors scored the opening goal. Following a long-ball clearance attempt by Trent Alexander-Arnold, Lisandro Martínez intercepted the ball, played it to Bruno Fernandes on the left wing, and continued his run. Fernandes returned the favor with a perfectly timed through ball, and Martínez unleashed a powerful shot that hit the crossbar and bounced into the net. Liverpool Turned the Tables In the 59th minute, Cody Gakpo equalized for Liverpool. After a cleared free kick, the Reds recovered possession and reignited their attack on the left flank. Gakpo took control at the edge of the box, cut inside, and unleashed a powerful shot into the far corner of the net, scoring a stunning goal. At the 70th minute, Liverpool’s star of the season, Mohamed Salah, stepped up. After a handball by De Ligt was confirmed via VAR, Salah confidently converted the penalty, marking his 18th goal of the season and putting Liverpool ahead 2-1. Manchester United Salvaged the Draw With just 10 minutes left, the “Red Devils” launched an attack down the left wing. Alejandro Garnacho sent in a cross before reaching the goal line, finding Amad Diallo in the center of the box, who slotted it home to secure a 2-2 draw.

With a solitary goal by Ousmane Dembélé at 90+2′, Paris Saint-Germain defeated Monaco in the Super Cup final. This game took place in Doha, Qatar, at the 974 Stadium, where although PSG was insisting with arrivals throughout the game, it was not until stoppage time that Fabian Ruiz sent a low cross from the left that ran through the large area, to the boots of Dembélé, who only pushed the ball into the open goal. With this victory, PSG won the French Super Cup for the third time and their thirteenth title of this kind, being the most winners of this tournament. You may be interested in: Arsenal drew with Brighton and dropped points Cover image: X (@tdc_qatar)

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)