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Kylian Mbappe scored two and Real Madrid were solid defensively in a relatively uneventful 2-0 win over Villarreal. Los Blancos were far from brilliant, but they were effective, and grabbed two second-half goals to secure a victory that sent them top of La Liga for at least 24 hours, ahead of rivals Barcelona playing Oviedo on Sunday afternoon, with the chance to put themselves back at the summit.

Liverpool's defensive frailties were their undoing once again after Arne Slot's side lost with the last kick of the match, beaten 3-2 in dramatic fashion by Bournemouth at a rain-soaked Vitality Stadium. The Red were behind midway through the first-half after captain Virgil van Dijk failed to deal with a long pass into the box and the hosts' lead was doubled moments later. The Reds battled back into the match, but were sunk in the last second as Amine Adli stabbed the ball home to send the Cherries fans delirious.

Trinity Rodman became the highest-paid women’s soccer player in the world by staying in the NWSL. GOAL breaks down what that decision means - and the challenges that came with it.

Manchester City strolled to their first Premier League victory of 2026 as Omar Marmoush and Antoine Semenyo fired Pep Guardiola's side to a 2-0 win at home to Wolves. Erling Haaland was the most eye-catching absentee from the starting XI as Guardiola made six changes from the side who were battered 3-1 by Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League, while Marc Guehi made an impressive debut.

Arsenal were imperious at Chelsea in Saturday's lunchtime kick-off as second-half goals from Beth Mead and Mariona Caldentey saw the Gunners claim a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge. They moved to within one point of their capital rivals in the Women's Super League table as Renee Slegers' side returned to north London with a huge three points in tow.

Chelsea were handed a major blow to their hopes of retaining the Women's Super League title as they were beaten 2-0 at Stamford Bridge by London rivals Arsenal on Saturday. The visiting Gunners struck twice in the second half through Beth Mead and Mariona Caldentey, with the Blues failing to come up with a response. They are now in danger of the current gap to leaders Manchester City increasing to nine points by the end of the weekend.

Three years on from his seismic arrival at Chelsea after one of the most dramatic transfer sagas in recent memory, Enzo Fernandez is facing an uncertain future at Stamford Bridge. Supposedly growing disillusioned with life under BlueCo, the midfielder has been linked with some of Europe's biggest clubs - and his current employers are said to be willing to do business.

Michael Carrick’s first game back in charge of Manchester United was a euphoric occasion, with his side’s dominant win over Manchester City bringing a smile to every person present at Old Trafford. Well, almost every person. Benjamin Sesko did not get on the pitch during the 2-0 win, raising questions about his place in Carrick’s thoughts and his team for the rest of the season.

The USMNT Transfer Notebook tracks American player movements, with the latest developments for those in the U.S. national team pool

Trinity Rodman returns to club and country roster, Gisele Thompson has a chance to solidify herself as an outside back, goalkeeper pool gets clearer, and five keys for the USWNT as they take on Paraguay to open up play in the new year.

GOAL looks at the biggest storylines among Americans Abroad, including two big matches for Pulisic's Milan and McKennie's Juventus.

It was not long ago that it looked like Casemiro would be leaving Manchester United in disgrace, ushered out the back door and out of European football for good, consigned to history as one of the club's worst transfer errors. Instead, he is set to leave with his head held high, showing that, contrary to Jamie Carragher's brutal assessment, the football never left him after all.

Kazakhstan isn't a nation known for its love of football. That doesn't mean it's non-existent, however, and with a new teenage sensation emerging as one of the country's best players already, the nation sandwiched between Europe and Asia could be on the verge of a golden generation.

Arsenal are enjoying their best season in 22 years under Mikel Arteta, having established a seven-point lead at the Premier League summit while also winning all of their seven Champions League fixtures to top the league phase table. The Gunners also have one foot in the final of the Carabao Cup, and will be expected to reach the latter stages of the FA Cup.

Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes has a very cold, analytical approach to his role - so much so, in fact, that he was once described as "robot" by an agent who had dealt with him. Of course, being devoid of emotion probably wouldn't be such a bad thing for Hughes, given the nature of his job and the potential for being adversely affected by the wildly differing views on the work he's doing at Anfield.

The American star hasn’t always been valued, but his recent uptick in form has been impossible to ignore.

Baribo enjoyed two successful years in Philadelphia, but insists he is ready to be the focal point of a club - something D.C. guaranteed the prolific striker

GOAL continues its Meet the USMNT series by examining Richards' path to becoming a USMNT leader.

Pep Guardiola has never been one to mince his words, but his tone after Manchester City were ripped to shreds by tiny Bodo/Glimt on Tuesday was almost apocalyptic. While he did point out that his side were missing 11 players for their trip to the Arctic Circle and was hugely complimentary of their victors, he laid out the state his team are in right now in no uncertain terms.

From humiliation to redemption, from doubt to eternal glory - this is the story of how Zinedine Zidane rose from the shadows to lead France to their greatest triumph. At the 1998 World Cup, the shy playmaker from Marseille became the face of a new nation, turning pain into pride and silence into legend. This is ICONS - a GOAL podcast and feature series that revisits the last 10 World Cups from unique perspectives, bringing the spirit of the tournament back to life...

Mohamed Salah may have made his long-awaited return to action for Liverpool on Wednesday, but it was Dominik Szoboszlai who stole the show as Arne Slot's side took a massive step towards automatic qualification for the last 16 of the Champions League with a massive 3-0 win in Marseille. While all eyes were on Salah on his first start for the Reds since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations - not to mention his stunning attack on Slot back in December - the Egyptian had a pretty poor game.

Newcastle made light work of PSV on Wednesday as goals from Yoane Wissa, Anthony Gordon and Harvey Barnes wrapped up a 3-0 victory at St. James' Park. The Magpies needed a win to keep their Champions League last-16 hopes alive heading into the final league phase matchday, and duly delivered on a huge night on Tyneside.

Barcelona recovered from a nightmare start to beat Slavia Prague 4-2 in the Champions League on Wednesday night. Fermin Lopez scored twice in the first half, while Dani Olmo and Robert Lewandowski were also on target for Hansi Flick's side to keep their hopes of a top-eight finish - and automatic qualification to the knockout stages of the tournament - alive going into the final round of group fixtures.

Moises Caicedo stepped up to keep Chelsea's hopes of earning an automatic place in the Champions League's last 16 alive as they battled to a 1-0 win over Pafos on Wednesday. The Blues dominated throughout in west London but struggled to find a way past goalkeeper Jay Gorter before Caicedo eventually broke the deadlock with 12 minutes left on the clock.

GOAL spoke to several of the USMNT's key MLS-based stars about how they approached time off knowing what was to come.

The 2026 World Cup will be unlike any before it - bigger in size and scope, without a clear favorite, and staged in some of the most iconic venues in world sport. Here’s everything worth knowing.

Even though they had waited three years to beat Manchester City at Old Trafford and far longer to do so with such authority, Manchester United's emphatic victory in last weekend's derby was the easy part. Any team, especially one with a new manager who is steeped in the club's glorious history, can get up for a match with their biggest rivals and win it.

Mason Greenwood is preparing for arguably the most high-profile match of his Marseille career so far as Premier League champions Liverpool arrive on the south coast of France. But while the Champions League clash will be talked up as an audition for England's World Cup squad in some grubby corners of the internet, the reality is that the damage done to Greenwood's reputation in his homeland is irreparable - regardless of his exploits at Stade Velodrome.

The boos that greeted the full-time whistle at Anfield on Saturday were both loud and clear - albeit not to Arne Slot. "In my head," the Liverpool manager said, "it wasn't a boo." And maybe he's right. Maybe the visiting fans were saying 'Boo-urnley'?! Of course, this is no time for clumsy references or silly jokes. The situation at Liverpool is undeniably absurd (has a 12-game undefeated run ever been so poorly received?!), but it's no laughing matter as far as the supporters are concerned.