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Vinicius Junior scored an amazing solo goal for Real Madrid in their Supercopa de Espana final clash with Barcelona, snapping a long barren spell in the process. The Brazilian winger had not scored since October 10 heading into the Saudi showpiece, but showed he still has the magic in his boots with a wonderful run and finish against Real's arch-rivals. It wasn't enough to give his team the edge heading in at the break, though, as the Spanish giants shared four goals between them in a crazy first 45 minutes.

GOAL reviews the major takeaways from Americans playing in Europe, including concern over Pepi after an injury and Folarin Balogun getting on the scoresheet.

Darren Fletcher has hinted he will not be given the Manchester United job for the remainder of the season after his side were dumped out of the FA Cup in the third round by Brighton. The former United midfielder has failed to win either of his games since being named interim boss following Ruben Amorim's sacking on Monday, having overseen a 2-2 draw at relegation-threatened Burnley on Wednesday.

Manchester United triggered an extraordinary 111-year low after they were beaten by a Danny Welbeck-inspired Brighton and Hove Albion in the third round of the FA Cup on Sunday evening. The ex-Red Devils striker came back to haunt his former paymasters, who were reduced to ten men late on when academy graduate Shea Lacey was sent off at Old Trafford.

Manchester United wonderkid Shea Lacey picked up the first red card of his career in petulant circumstances as the Red Devils suffered more frustration against Brighton in the FA Cup. Old Trafford was left stunned by another abject performance from a star-studded cast, with teenage winger Lacey compounding their misery when he was dismissed in the final minute of the 90.

Bayern Munich enjoyed a perfect return to the Bundesliga as they crushed Wolfsburg 8-1 at the Allianz Arena on Sunday evening. Michael Olise scored two and set up another, with Luis Diaz, Raphael Guerreiro, Harry Kane and Leon Goretzka also finding the back of the net, as Vincent Kompany's side sparkled in their first match back following the winter break.

Ryan Reynolds was once again spotted picking grass from the Racecourse Ground pitch prior to Wrexham claiming a Premier League scalp in the 2025-26 FA Cup. The Red Dragons prevailed on penalties at the end of an epic third-round clash with Nottingham Forest, and one of their Hollywood co-owners made sure that he had a memento to take back to the United States.

Danny Welbeck haunted Manchester United yet again as Brighton became only the third team in 43 years to knock the Red Devils out of the FA Cup in the third round. Welbeck played his part in the Seagulls taking the lead at Old Trafford and then doubled their advantage with a second-half piledriver.

Mohamed Salah has reached an international goal milestone quicker than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The Liverpool superstar is currently on Africa Cup of Nations duty with Egypt. He has helped to fire them into the semi-finals of that competition. During a last-eight showdown with the Ivory Coast, Salah found the target and reached 100 goal contributions for his country.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s son Maximilian is reportedly in talks to leave AC Milan and join another one of his father’s former clubs. Ibrahimovic Snr was widely regarded as one of the greatest strikers of his generation, representing a host of Europe’s biggest clubs including Milan, Inter and Juventus in Serie A, as well as Premier League heavyweights Manchester United and La Liga champions Barcelona.

West Ham defender Konstantinos Mavropanos had to be stretchered from the field after suffering a worrying head injury in the Hammers’ FA Cup third-round clash with Queens Park Rangers. The former Arsenal centre-half formed part of a nasty collision late in the first half, leading to him requiring lengthy treatment on the field and urgent medical attention off it.

USMNT star Tim Weah has explained why he is embracing an “us against the world mentality” at Marseille. The United States international, who began his professional career with Paris Saint-Germain, returned to France in the summer of 2025. He is now turning out alongside ex-Manchester United star Mason Greenwood and enjoys filling the role of villains in Ligue 1.

Arsenal booked their place in the fourth round of the FA Cup with a 4-1 win over Championship side Portsmouth on Sunday afternoon. Gabriel Martinelli bagged an all-important hat-trick, while Andre Dozzell scored an own goal, as the Gunners survived an early scare to maintain their push for a first piece of silverware since winning the same competition six years ago.

Cristiano Ronaldo will face added competition for places at the 2026 World Cup, Portugal boss Roberto Martinez has revealed. Evergreen 40-year-old CR7 is heading to that tournament, with another birthday being passed along the way, but is not expected to play every minute of every game - despite being captain of his country. Martinez is planning to take three strikers with him to the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Manchester United director of football Jason Wilcox has told the squad a new target for the season following the recent sacking of head coach Ruben Amorim. The Red Devils currently sit seventh in the Premier League table but are now without a permanent manager, with Darren Fletcher acting as interim boss. Wilcox reportedly clashed with Amorim at the end of his reign and has now detailed a new primary aim for the remainder of 2025-26.

Lionel Messi remains “the best in the world” and will hold that title “until he retires”, claims the Argentine’s former Barcelona team-mate David Villa. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner is now 38 years of age, but he is showing no sign of slowing down and continues to enhance his standing as the most decorated player of all-time while turning out in the United States for Inter Miami.

Darren Fletcher, who has worked with JJ Gabriel at U18 level with Manchester United, has explained why the 15-year-old wonderkid is not being fast-tracked into the first-team fold at Old Trafford. The exciting youngster is eligible to feature in an FA Cup third-round clash with Brighton, as that competition uses different rules to the Premier League, but the decision has been made to hold him back.

Sandy Baltimore scored the pick of the goals and grabbed a second from the penalty spot as Chelsea swept aside West Ham 5-0 on Sunday to keep up the pace on Manchester City at the top of the Women's Super League table. The Blues led after just 46 seconds at Kingsmeadow and did not look back as they launched wave after wave of attack on their visitors, with Lauren James and Alyssa Thompson also grabbing first-half goals in a rampant display.

Manchester City maintained their six-point lead atop the Women's Super League table thanks to a dominant 2-0 victory over Everton on Sunday. Kerolin opened the scoring as she finished a brilliant solo run with a deflected finish in the first half, while Vivienne Miedema ended the game as a contest with a smart touch and finish from Khadija Shaw's clipped through-ball.

A big decision from Manchester United on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could impact Marcus Rashford’s future as a Red Devils player, claims Gary Pallister. England international Rashford is currently taking in a season-long loan at La Liga giants Barcelona. He could, however, be absorbed back into the fold at Old Trafford over the summer if a familiar face inherits the managerial reins.

Zinedine Zidane's son Luca was involved in a brawl at full-time after his Algeria side were defeated in the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals on Saturday. The 27-year-old Granada goalkeeper clashed with Nigeria ace Fisayo Dele-Bashiru following a 2-0 victory for the Super Eagles, who will meet hosts Morocco in the last four. But the incident after the full-time whistle saw a sour end to proceedings as Zidane's side were eliminated.

Liverpool have confirmed that Conor Bradley suffered “a significant knee injury” during their Premier League clash with Arsenal. The Northern Ireland international was stretchered from the field at Emirates Stadium and is now facing up to a lengthy spell on the sidelines. It is being suggested that the 22-year-old full-back has seen his 2025-26 campaign brought to a close.

Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni admits to holding a private meeting with Lionel Messi, with the topics of discussion during that chat being revealed. The Albiceleste are busy piecing together plans for their World Cup title defence. Having captured a global crown at Qatar 2022, the intention is to go back-to-back in 2026. All-time great Messi is expected to form part of that trophy bid.

Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly rejected a loan bid from Roma for centre-back Radu Dragusin, who recently returned from nearly a year out with an ACL injury and had been targeted for a return to Serie A. The 23-year-old has been included in Thomas Frank's last six matchday squads despite coming off the bench just once, and the club may decide to keep him around this January after knocking back Roma's approach.

Cristiano Ronaldo is reportedly ready to abandon his “dream” retirement villa, despite spending around £30 million ($40m) on the stunning property. The mansion features eight bedrooms and an infinity pool, but could soon be on the market. It may form part of Ronaldo’s lavish wedding to long-time partner Georgina Rodriguez, but they will not be making it their permanent base.

Arsenal have hired former Liverpool throw-in coach Thomas Gronnemark as the club aim to strengthen their bid to win the Premier League title. The Gunners have considerable set-piece prowess, and have now recruited another expert in the field.

Ruben Amorim returned to his native Portugal on Saturday just five days after his sacking as Manchester United head coach, with the 40-year-old spotted grinning after touching down in his homeland. United parted ways with the former Sporting CP boss on Monday after 14 months in charge at Old Trafford, with Darren Fletcher taking over as interim head coach and Amorim's future path very much undecided.

Bruno Fernandes' Manchester United team-mates 'fear' the Portuguese has had enough of the turmoil going on at Old Trafford and will quit the Red Devils for pastures new after the World Cup this summer. The 31-year-old previously claimed he was "hurt" and "sad" that the club were willing to sell him last year and team-mates reportedly would not blame him if he were to move on at the end of the season.

Jorrel Hato has praised new Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior, after the Blues thumped Charlton 5-1 in the 3rd round of the FA Cup. The young Dutchman opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time as he powered home a bouncing ball on the edge of the Addicks' area with a fierce left-footed strike. Speaking after the game, the left back said he felt Rosenior's style "suits" this Chelsea squad.