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Fernando Ortiz has been announced as the new head coach of Santos Laguna for the Clausura 2025, following the departure of Ignacio “Nacho” Ambriz. Santos finished in last place in the Apertura 2024 with just 10 points, leading to Ambriz’s dismissal. This announcement marks Ortiz’s return to Mexican football after stints with Rayados and América, where he posted strong results but was unable to win titles. It also signifies the return of the Argentine coach to Santos, where he played between 2007 and 2009, and was part of the team that won the league title in Clausura 2008.  You might also like: Chivas announces the dismissal of coach Arturo Ortega after elimination from the Play-In Liverpool líder Premier League

Liverpool gained an eight-point lead in the Premier League after coming from behind to beat Southampton 3-2, with a brace from Mohamed Salah, while Manchester City suffered a 4-0 loss to Tottenham, widening the gap at the top of the table. For the first time in a long while, the Premier League leader has a “cushion” over its closest competitor. This is due to Liverpool’s comeback victory against Southampton by 3-2, combined with Manchester City’s 4-0 defeat to Tottenham, creating an eight-point gap between the two teams. Liverpool now has 31 points, while Manchester City remains at 23. Southampton surprised the leaders At St Mary’s Stadium, the Premier League’s bottom team caused significant trouble for the league leaders. The first goal of the match came from Dominik Szoboszlai, who put Liverpool ahead in the 30th minute. With high pressing, the “Reds” recovered the ball following a defensive error by Southampton. Szoboszlai capitalized on the opportunity and shot into an unguarded goal, as both the defenders and the goalkeeper were caught out of position.     Following this, the home side woke up and imposed themselves on the match. In the 42nd minute, Adam Armstrong took a penalty. While Liverpool’s goalkeeper initially saved the shot, fortune favored the “Saints,” as the rebound fell perfectly for Armstrong, who made no mistake the second time. In the second half, at the 56th minute, a quick attack by Southampton ended in a “moving penalty” for Mateus Fernandes, who unleashed a powerful shot to the bottom right corner of the net, leaving the “Reds” goalkeeper motionless. You may be interested in: Crisis at City? They already have five consecutive defeats Mohamed Salah was the hero for the “Reds” In the 64th minute, the “Pharaoh” began his show. After receiving a through ball and with an overly aggressive challenge from the rival goalkeeper, Liverpool’s number 11 simply redirected the ball, which slowly rolled into the unguarded net to level the game.     Liverpool kept pushing for the winning goal. It wasn’t until the 83rd minute that a penalty was awarded to the visitors after a handball by Yukinari Sugawara. Mohamed Salah took the penalty with perfection. Although the goalkeeper guessed the direction of Salah’s shot, the Egyptian’s superb strike ensured Liverpool’s comeback and eventual victory. Cover photo: X (@LFC)  

Italy became Davis Cup champions for the second consecutive year by defeating the Netherlands with singles victories from Berrettini and Sinner. The latter, team leader and world number one, shone in a season full of successes. The Italian Davis Cup team clinched the title Italy secured the championship by beating the Netherlands in both singles matches, automatically earning the 2023 and now 2024 crown. Undoubtedly, the main figure of this tournament was world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, who led his team to the trophy.     Berrettini struck the first blow In the first match of the final, Matteo Berrettini faced Botic van de Zandschulp. The Italian displayed determination throughout the two sets and comfortably defeated Zandschulp 6-4, 6-2. With this win, Berrettini set the stage for Sinner to seal the coveted title. Moreover, Matteo completed the tournament undefeated, with victories in two singles matches and one doubles. Related article: https://titansports.mx/se-acabo-rafael-nadal-disputo-su-ultimo-partido-como-profesional/ Sinner’s racket sealed Italy’s triumph With Italy leading 1-0, the outcome hinged on the match between Jannik Sinner and Tallon Griekspoor. It would determine whether Italy would become two-time champions or if the Netherlands, the dark horse that had previously eliminated Spain and Germany, could pull off another upset. Unfortunately for the Netherlands, Jannik left nothing to chance and demonstrated why he is the best player in the world this year. In straight sets, Sinner defeated Griekspoor 7-6 (7-2 in the tiebreak) and 6-2.     Thus, Sinner and Italy were crowned champions. The 23-year-old wrapped up an incredible year with 73 wins in 79 matches, eight titles (including two Grand Slams), and a Davis Cup title, along with an 18-match winning streak. Cover photo: X (@janniksin)  

Real Madrid achieved an important victory against Leganés by a score of 3-0. Thanks to this victory, Los Merengues shortened the gap between themselves and first place Barcelona. Thanks to these three points and the draw of Los Blaugranas against Celta de Vigo, Madrid has 30 points and one game less, while Barcelona has 34 points with all its games played so far. Thus, it looks very likely that for the second round of LaLiga, we will have a very exciting title race. You may be interested in: El Celta rescató el empate ante el Barcelona In the game, goals were scored by Kylian Mbappé at 43′, Federico Valverde 66′ and Judge Bellingham at 85′. Cover Photo: X (@realmadrid)