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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...

Ahead of the transfer window closing, GOAL grades the USMNT-related deals completed during January.

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.

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.

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.

Liverpool are in a mess all of their own making. The Reds knew that they were short on senior centre-backs last summer and had ample time to address the problem before the close of the transfer window - yet they waited until deadline day to finalise a move for Marc Guehi. So, when Crystal Palace pulled the plug on the deal at the 11th hour, Liverpool were left in the very, very precarious position of needing Ibrahima Konate to continue performing at a high level, Joe Gomez to stay fit and teenage summer signing Giovanni Leoni to make an immediate impact at Anfield.

Gabriel Jesus' virtuoso display secured Arsenal a top-two spot in the league phase of the Champions League as they earned an impressive 3-1 win at Inter. The Brazil forward stole the show in Italy to stake his claim to be the Gunners' starting striker going forward, only for substitute Viktor Gyokeres to fire in a timely reminder to Mikel Arteta as his side maintained their 100 per cent record in Europe this season.

Vinicius Jr was back to his brilliant best and Kylian Mbappe bagged a brace as Real Madrid battered Monaco, 6-1, on Tuesday. Vinicius provided three assists, scored a wonderful goal and was a constant menace. Mbappe opened the scoring with two goals of hisown, while an unfortunate own goal from Thilo Kehrer and a smooth strike from Jude Bellingham rounded off a memorable night in Alvaro Arbeloa's first Champions League game in charge.

Tottenham eased the pressure on under-fire head coach Thomas Frank with a 2-0 win at home to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Tuesday. Spurs edged closer to qualification for the last 16 with a performance which showcased the energy and spirit they've been missing for most of the season.

GOAL Convo: Tillman looks forward to an important 2026 after shining for an ambitious LAFC side and getting a rare chance with the USMNT last year.