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Messi Scores Two More as Miami Win 4-1 at New England

Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez of Inter Miami were on the scoresheet in a 4-1 win at the New England Revolution on Saturday. Maddie Meyer / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez of Inter Miami were on the scoresheet in a 4-1 win at the New England Revolution on Saturday. Maddie Meyer / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
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Messi Scores Two More as Miami Win 4-1 at New England

Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez of Inter Miami were on the scoresheet in a 4-1 win at the New England Revolution on Saturday. Maddie Meyer / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez of Inter Miami were on the scoresheet in a 4-1 win at the New England Revolution on Saturday. Maddie Meyer / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP

Lionel Messi continued his rich vein of scoring in MLS, finding the target twice as league leaders Inter Miami came from behind for a 4-1 win at the New England Revolution on Saturday.
With his brace Messi, the top scorer in MLS, took his tally to nine goals from seven appearances this season, AFP said.
A crowd over 65,612 turned up at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, the stadium the Revolution share with the NFL's New England Patriots, to see the Argentine World Cup winner.
New England, who had been hit by a virus in the build-up to the game and bottom of the Eastern Conference, delighted the bumper home crowd after just 40 seconds through an Argentine of their own -- Tomas Chancalay.
Miami defender Nicolas Freire gave the ball away to Spanish midfielder Carles Gil who clipped a ball over the top to Chancalay, who spotted Drake Callender well off his line and chipped it over the stranded Miami keeper for the opening goal.
Messi got Miami back on level terms in the 32nd minute when he was found by Robert Taylor's through pass and the 36-year-old made no mistake, slotting home.
The eight-times Ballon d'Or winner struck again to put Miami ahead in the 68th minute when he collected a superb defence-splitting pass from his former Barcelona team-mate Sergio Busquets and finished with his usual ease.
Miami added two more in the final stages -- both created by Messi.
Substitute Benjamin Cremaschi made it 3-1 in the 83rd minute, pouncing after a Messi shot was parried out. Luis Suarez completed the scoring, finding the top corner after a pass inside from Messi.
Miami have won three straight games since their exit from the CONCACAF Champions Cup at the hands of Mexican club Monterrey with Messi scoring five times in that run which includes wins at Kansas City and at home to Nashville.
Coach Gerardo Martino said the team were starting to come together as he had hoped.
"The Kansas City game was a key for us, because we had just been eliminated by Monterrey and the team showed their character. Now we have three wins in a row and it is getting more solid every time," he said.
Martino said the rest of his players had now got used to playing in front of the large crowds that Messi is drawing.
"We've handled it well. That was a learning curve last season and now we are dealing with it well," he added.
New England coach Caleb Porter said he was disappointed that his defenders had allowed Messi the space for his goals but said the Argentine had shown his class in making them pay.
'That's Messi'
"You have to look at both those moments because I thought they were able to find two goals when we felt pretty good about the way we were limiting their effectiveness in creating clear chances," he said.
"But you know, that's Messi, he finds two goals out of nowhere and it exposes the detail in those moments from us.
"I don't think he had a ton of touches and effectiveness early in the game but, you know, that's kind of him -- he lulls you....we can't allow a ball to be popped through the back four and find him twice," he added.
Elsewhere, Christian Benteke scored twice for D.C. United as they enjoyed a 2-1 win at home to the Seattle Sounders.
The Sounders led 1-0 through a Leo Chu goal but had goalkeeper Stefan Frei sent off in the 28th minute after he brought down Jared Stroud in the box,
Benteke put away the penalty and then won the game with a trademark header at the back post on the stroke of half-time.
Real Salt Lake take over at the top of the Western Conference after handing the Philadelphia Union their first loss of the season with a 2-1 win in Pennsylvania.
RSL move above the Los Angeles Galaxy who fell to a 2-0 defeat at Austin while defending MLS champions Columbus Crew were held to a goalless draw at home to Montreal.
Crew coach Wilfried Nancy rotated his line-up ahead of Wednesday's CONCACAF Champions Cup semi-final second leg at Monterrey.

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Isak Injury Leaves Slot Counting Cost of Liverpool Win at Spurs

Liverpool's Alexander Isak reacts after sustaining an injury during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham and Liverpool in London, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (AP)
Liverpool's Alexander Isak reacts after sustaining an injury during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham and Liverpool in London, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (AP)
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Isak Injury Leaves Slot Counting Cost of Liverpool Win at Spurs

Liverpool's Alexander Isak reacts after sustaining an injury during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham and Liverpool in London, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (AP)
Liverpool's Alexander Isak reacts after sustaining an injury during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham and Liverpool in London, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (AP)

Arne Slot was left to count the cost of Liverpool's chaotic 2-1 win at nine-man Tottenham after Alexander Isak's rare goal was followed by a potentially damaging injury.

Isak fired Liverpool into a second-half lead in north London with a clinical finish, only to limp off moments later after being injured by Micky van de Ven's failed attempt to stop him scoring.

The Sweden striker's third goal for Liverpool since his British record £125 million ($166 million) move from Newcastle on transfer deadline day had offered hope that he was finally set to live up to his hefty price tag.

Instead, Reds boss Slot now faces an anxious wait to determine how long the 26-year-old will be sidelined with his ankle problem.

Slot would only say that Isak's injury was "not a good thing".

It could not have come at a worse time for fifth-placed Liverpool after Egypt forward Mohamed Salah's departure to the Africa Cup of Nations and an injury to Dutch winger Cody Gakpo.

Adding to Slot's fitness issues, Isak only came off the bench at half-time after right-back Conor Bradley was injured.

Although Liverpool are unbeaten in their last six games in all competitions -- winning three in a row -- the brief flicker of promise engendered by the sight of Hugo Ekitike, Florian Wirtz and Isak combining for the opening goal was quickly snuffed out.

The trio cost around £300 million to bring to Anfield in the close-season, with only Ekitike, the least expensive of the group, living up to the hype during the Premier League champions' troubled first half of the season.

French striker Ekitike maintained his strong start to life with Liverpool by heading their second goal against Tottenham.

But even then, Liverpool made heavy weather of it as Tottenham, already down to 10 men after Xavi Simons' first-half dismissal for a crude foul on Virgil van Dijk, pulled one back through Richarlison in the closing stages.

Tottenham captain Cristian Romero's stoppage-time dismissal for a needless second booking after he kicked Ibrahima Konate let Liverpool off the hook just as they looked set to blow the lead in a frenzied finale.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Slot said: "A good goal (for Isak), assisted by Florian Wirtz, and I said last week already players are getting better, the team is getting better.

"I thought to be honest with nine, we will probably be able then to keep them away from our goal, but it looked as if we were down to nine and they were on 11 because it was attack after attack after attack.

"Again, it wasn't perfect, especially not in the last 10 minutes but in the meantime, we pick up points and I see the team developing in a way I like to see."

Meanwhile, under-fire Tottenham boss Thomas Frank blasted referee John Brooks.

Frank was furious with Simons' red card -- which was upgraded from a booking after a VAR review -- and the failure to disallow Ekitike's goal for a push on Romero.

"I don't like this as a red card. I think the game is probably too big to say gone, but for me it's not reckless and it's not exceptional force," said Frank, whose side are languishing in 13th place.

"He is chasing Van Dijk. He is trying to put pressure and then he changes direction. Unfortunately, his foot is on Achilles. You can say 'Ah, you need to be smarter, don't do it and all that' but so are we not allowed to have physical contact anymore?

"The second goal is a mistake from the referee. There are two hands in the back. I don't understand how you can do that.

"I think that was the biggest mistake in my opinion and from VAR but apparently that was not enough."

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Mbappe Levels Ronaldo Calendar Year Real Madrid Goal Record

Real Madrid's French forward #10 Kylian Mbappe celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the Spanish league football match between Real Madrid CF and Sevilla FC at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid on December 20, 2025. (AFP)
Real Madrid's French forward #10 Kylian Mbappe celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the Spanish league football match between Real Madrid CF and Sevilla FC at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid on December 20, 2025. (AFP)
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Mbappe Levels Ronaldo Calendar Year Real Madrid Goal Record

Real Madrid's French forward #10 Kylian Mbappe celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the Spanish league football match between Real Madrid CF and Sevilla FC at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid on December 20, 2025. (AFP)
Real Madrid's French forward #10 Kylian Mbappe celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the Spanish league football match between Real Madrid CF and Sevilla FC at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid on December 20, 2025. (AFP)

French superstar Kylian Mbappe equaled Cristiano Ronaldo's record of 59 Real Madrid goals in a calendar year by scoring on Saturday against Sevilla in La Liga.

Mbappe, on his 27th birthday, tucked home an 86th-minute penalty to match Ronaldo's club record set in 2013 and send his team 2-0 up at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The striker won the European Golden Shoe and La Liga's top scorer award last season and leads the Spanish standings again in the current campaign with 18 strikes.

Xabi Alonso's Real Madrid side have struggled this season, but Mbappe has been their key player, boasting 29 goals in 24 games across all competitions.

Mbappe has admitted he had posters of Ronaldo on his bedroom walls as a child and that it was a dream to sign for Madrid when he arrived in the summer of 2024 from Paris Saint-Germain.

After a few months searching for confidence and his top level, by the time 2025 began Mbappe was back to his lethal best.

Portugal international Ronaldo scored 450 goals in 438 matches for Real Madrid to become their all-time top goalscorer, with Mbappe now on 73 in 83 games.

Sports

Juve Beat Roma to Close in on Serie a Leaders Inter

Juventus' Daniele Rugani, Manuel Locatelli and goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio celebrate the team's victory during the Serie A match between Juventus and Roma at the Allianz Stadium, in Turin, Italy, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)
Juventus' Daniele Rugani, Manuel Locatelli and goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio celebrate the team's victory during the Serie A match between Juventus and Roma at the Allianz Stadium, in Turin, Italy, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)
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Juve Beat Roma to Close in on Serie a Leaders Inter

Juventus' Daniele Rugani, Manuel Locatelli and goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio celebrate the team's victory during the Serie A match between Juventus and Roma at the Allianz Stadium, in Turin, Italy, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)
Juventus' Daniele Rugani, Manuel Locatelli and goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio celebrate the team's victory during the Serie A match between Juventus and Roma at the Allianz Stadium, in Turin, Italy, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)

Juventus are creeping back into the Serie A title discussion after deservedly beating Roma 2-1 on Saturday and moving four points behind league leaders Inter Milan.

Francisco Conceicao and Lois Openda scored the goals which decided an engaging encounter in Turin as Juve claimed a second big win in as many matches after beating Bologna last weekend.

Juve stay fifth on 29 points but are only one point behind fourth-paced Roma who sit in the last Champions League spot and suffered a sixth league defeat of the season.

"I think we deserved to win, we knew that today's match was important and we did what we set out to do -- we won," said Conceicao.

"We're up there after winning these two important matches but we need to get our heads straight onto the next one."

Luciano Spalletti's Juve have played a game more than Inter, champions Napoli and AC Milan who occupy the top three places and will play their matches from this round of fixtures next month, due to the Italian Super Cup which is being held in Saudi Arabia.

Roma created very little at the Allianz Stadium beyond Tommaso Baldanzi's tap-in 15 minutes from the end, and the capital city outfit have now lost three of their last four matches in Italy's top flight.

"We were lacking in accuracy when it came to the final pass, but I'd like to focus on some of the performances today," said Roma coach Gian Piero Gasperini who remained upbeat.

"It's not easy to play here but this is a good team with a strong base, I'm convinced that we can do good things."

Roma have narrowly lost to Juve, the Milan clubs and Napoli this season, suggesting that they are not ready to fight for the Scudetto even if they are only three points from the summit.

"We're at the beginning and we have a strong club behind us, and the squad has a base of players who showed they were of the level required in all of those big matches," added Gasperini.

"I think we can build something on what we have now."

Conceicao fired a warning shot moments before he gave Juve the lead when he shot straight at Mile Svilar with the goal at his mercy after good work from Kenan Yildiz on the left.

That was the first real chance of the game and Conceicao was more clinical a minute before the break, the Portugal forward lashing home with his left foot after collecting Andrea Cambiaso's neat flick.

Svilar was Roma's best player for most of the match, but he couldn't stop Openda from bundling in Juve's second in 70th minute after pulling off a superb stop to keep out Weston McKennie's header.

That goal looked to have sealed the points from Juve, but substitute Baldanzi quickly halved the deficit after Michele Di Gregorio palmed away Evan Ferguson's low drive.

However, it was Juve who went closest to scoring again in the 80th minute when Yildiz stroked a beautiful shot onto the post, and the hosts held out to claim a big three points.

Earlier Lazio were held to a goalless draw by Cremonese in Rome.