Author name: Omar Rodríguez

Real Madrid squandered a two-goal lead and ended up needing extra time to salvage a game that was slipping through their fingers. What seemed like a straightforward match for Real Madrid turned into a nail-biter in the final minutes against Celta Vigo in the Round of 16 of the Copa del Rey. The Merengues came dangerously close to being eliminated and had to rely on extra time to seal the victory. Real Madrid Dominated for Most of the Match The game at the Santiago Bernabéu unfolded favorably for the home team. For 80 minutes, the Galácticos controlled the match, although early on, controversy arose in the Madrid penalty area. Williot Swedberg made a deep run into the box, with Lunin rushing out to intervene. Swedberg pushed the ball forward, and the Madrid goalkeeper made slight contact with the attacker’s foot with his glove, causing him to fall. However, neither the referee nor VAR deemed the play worthy of a penalty. Following this, Real Madrid’s dominance translated into the opening goal. Kylian Mbappé struck in the 37th minute after Dani Ceballos delivered a pass from near his own area to midfield. The Frenchman picked up the ball, drove down the left wing, entered the box, and unleashed a powerful near-post shot from a tight angle that rippled the net. In the second half, at the 48th minute, Mbappé set up Brahim Díaz from midfield. Díaz then sent a through ball to Vinícius, who connected with it near the penalty spot to score the 2-0. Madrid Collapsed in Just 10 Minutes While Real Madrid maintained control for much of the second half, even scoring another goal that was disallowed for offside, their troubles began in the 83rd minute. Celta Vigo launched an attack, and Jonathan Bamba capitalized on a cross from Pablo Durán, heading it into the net after poor defensive marking. Lunin was left rooted as the score became 2-1. Then, in stoppage time (90+1’), Marcos Alonso converted a penalty kick following a foul by Raúl Asencio on Bamba, leveling the game at 2-2. Madrid Sealed the Deal in Extra Time In extra time, Endrick came to the rescue for the hosts. In the 108th minute, he received a pass from Arda Güler at the edge of the box. The Brazilian turned masterfully and unleashed a curling shot to the far post, an unstoppable strike that made it 3-2. Shortly after, in the 112th minute, Federico Valverde scored another stunner. After receiving a deflected ball from a corner kick, the Uruguayan fired a rocket from outside the box that found the top corner, extending the lead to 4-2. Finally, in the 119th minute, chaos in Celta’s defense during a corner allowed Endrick to receive the ball in the six-yard box. Though he fumbled with it briefly, the Brazilian improvised brilliantly, finishing with a backheel while facing away from goal to net his second of the match and secure a definitive 5-2 victory. Real Madrid narrowly avoided a humiliating exit from the Copa del Rey.

Pumas have made official their second reinforcement for the Clausura 2025 tournament: Panamanian player Adalberto “Coco” Carrasquilla, who joins Alex Padilla as a new addition to the club. It has been a busy month for the Pumas of UNAM. After confirming the departure of César Huerta to Anderlecht in Belgium to fulfill his European dream, the club has found its new “Chino” to fill the gap in their attack. Pumas Bring in a Panamanian Star Adalberto “Coco” Carrasquilla, a key player for the Panamanian national team and named the best player in CONCACAF for the 2023-2024 season, is the new addition. Carrasquilla arrives from Major League Soccer in the United States, specifically from the Houston Dynamo, with whom he won the 2023 US Open Cup. Pumas announced his signing through their social media platforms, though they did not disclose the exact duration of his contract. In a press release, the club stated only that it was a “long-term” deal, and the fee paid by the team from Ciudad Universitaria (CU) for the player was not revealed either. Carrasquilla Brings European Experience The Panamanian forward has experience in European football. In 2019, he left his home country to join Spanish football, playing in the Primera Federación, equivalent to Spain’s third division, with FC Cartagena. He later helped the team secure promotion to the Segunda División. Additionally, during his time with his first club, Tauro FC from Panama City, he won the Clausura 2017 and Apertura 2018 championships. Carrasquilla, the Second Signing to Excite the Auriazules With this move, Carrasquilla becomes the second signing for the Universitarios in this winter transfer window for the Clausura 2025, which kicked off last weekend. Pumas started the tournament with a 2-1 victory against Necaxa. Carrasquilla joins Mexican goalkeeper Alex Padilla, who came from Athletic Bilbao and joined the squad in Pedregal last week but has yet to make his debut in the current competition. While Adalberto’s addition to the Pumas’ attack looks promising, time will tell if the departure of “Chino” Huerta will weigh on the team during crucial matches. On many occasions, Huerta was a key player and often went above and beyond for the team. Though “Coco” appears to have the qualities to win over the fans, it remains to be seen if he can become a decisive player on the pitch.

Chelsea and Manchester City will be looking to continue scoring points, Fulham will be looking to climb up the table and Liverpool and Nottingham Forest will go head to head in a match between two Premier League contenders. After a round of FA Cup, the Premier League teams return to action in the English top flight today, where we will have very interesting games of teams that seek to remain in the top positions in England. Chelsea and City seek to assert their greatness Starting at 1:30 p.m., Mexico Central Time, Chelsea, currently fourth in the table, will have a difficult task when they face Bournemouth, a team that is in seventh place, two points away from being able to climb to fifth place. Although Chelsea has its home advantage, they will have to be very wary of their opponents, as Bournemouth knows very well what it is like to face a big team in England this season, having wins against Arsenal, Tottenham and the two Manchester teams, having only two defeats, against Liverpool and Chelsea in the first half of the Premier League, so we can expect a very interesting game to watch at Stamford Bridge. At the same time, Manchester City will visit Brentford, a team that occupies the middle of the table and that City needs to win to continue its recovery from the bad streak at the end of the year that made them fall to the places outside European competition, so the “Cityzens” will have to repeat what they did in the first game of this season against the “Bees”, when they won 2-1. Another game at 1:30 p.m. is Fulham vs. West Ham, where the “Cottagers” will be looking for points to try to get to the edge of the European places, since with their current ninth place, they have the possibility of reaching the seventh position. Meanwhile, the “Hammers” are closer to the relegation places than to fight to get into the first places, so they cannot let points go either. Liverpool vs Forest, the highlight of the day But, although these first three matches attract attention, the most interesting clash of the day will be at 2:00 p.m., Central Mexican time, when Liverpool, the leader of the competition, visits Nottingham Forest, third in the competition, with the same points as Arsenal, but with a lower goal difference. Nottingham are having an excellent season, being on a par with the English giants and showing great soccer in their matches, where, in addition, Forest have handed Liverpool their only defeat so far this season, when on September 14 last year, they beat the Reds by the minimum; since then, Liverpool have not lost again in the league. This is a direct confrontation between two contenders to win the Premier League, where victory is fundamental for both, making this game the must-see of the day.