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Colombia Edges Defending Champion Argentina 2-1 in South American World Cup Qualifiers 

Soccer Football - World Cup - South American Qualifiers - Colombia v Argentina - Estadio Metropolitano, Barranquilla, Colombia - September 10, 2024 Colombia's James Rodríguez celebrates after Yerson Mosquera scores their first goal. (Reuters)
Soccer Football - World Cup - South American Qualifiers - Colombia v Argentina - Estadio Metropolitano, Barranquilla, Colombia - September 10, 2024 Colombia's James Rodríguez celebrates after Yerson Mosquera scores their first goal. (Reuters)
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Colombia Edges Defending Champion Argentina 2-1 in South American World Cup Qualifiers 

Soccer Football - World Cup - South American Qualifiers - Colombia v Argentina - Estadio Metropolitano, Barranquilla, Colombia - September 10, 2024 Colombia's James Rodríguez celebrates after Yerson Mosquera scores their first goal. (Reuters)
Soccer Football - World Cup - South American Qualifiers - Colombia v Argentina - Estadio Metropolitano, Barranquilla, Colombia - September 10, 2024 Colombia's James Rodríguez celebrates after Yerson Mosquera scores their first goal. (Reuters)

James Rodríguez scored from the penalty spot and had an assist to help Colombia edge defending champion Argentina 2-1 on Tuesday in a South American World Cup qualifier.

The Argentina attack missed Lionel Messi, who was sidelined because of injury for the between the teams since the Copa America final.

Yerson Mosquera opened the scoring in the 25th minute but Argentina equalized in the 48th when Nico Gonzalez capitalized on a defensive blunder from the Colombians. Rodríguez’ 60th-minute penalty, which was awarded after a video review, secured the win at the Metropolitano Stadium.

"It is a great win against an Argentina team that has won it all," Rodríguez said. "The weather was tough, it was so hot, but we had an excellent match. It is a fair win."

World Cup champion Argentina lifted the Copa America trophy after a 1-0 overtime victory over Colombia in July.

Colombia, which hadn't triumphed over Argentina since 2019, is still unbeaten in South American World Cup qualifying.

Also on Tuesday, Bolivia upset Chile 2-1 at Santiago; Ecuador beat Peru 1-0, and Venezuela drew 0-0 with Uruguay.

Paraguay vs. Brazil were still to play.

Argentina leads the round-robin competition with 18 points after eight matches, two points clear of Colombia. Uruguay is in third position with 15 points, followed by Ecuador with 14.

The top six teams in South American qualifying will get automatic spots at the 2026 World Cup.

Colombia once again had the 33-year-old Rodríguez to thank after he gave a perfect cross for Mosquera to nod in and opening the scoring. That equalized Carlos Valderrama's record of 11 assists in South American World Cup qualifying.

A mistake by Rodríguez allowed Argentina to equalize, with Nico González stealing the ball from him and shooting past goalkeeper Camilo Vargas.

But Rodríguez made amends when he beat Dibu Martínez, a prolific penalty stopper, and equalized Falcao García's mark of 13 goals in World Cup qualifying.

Argentina's strikers Lautaro Martínez and Julián Álvarez failed to offer as much danger as they do when veteran Messi is there to create opportunities for them.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said the heat had an impact on the match.

"The heat is the same for both, but it is evident that there were not good conditions for us to see a spectacle," the coach said.

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Rodrygo Scrapes Real Madrid Win at Alaves

Real Madrid's Brazilian forward Rodrygo secured the visitors a much-needed victory at Alaves. ANDER GILLENEA / AFP
Real Madrid's Brazilian forward Rodrygo secured the visitors a much-needed victory at Alaves. ANDER GILLENEA / AFP
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Rodrygo Scrapes Real Madrid Win at Alaves

Real Madrid's Brazilian forward Rodrygo secured the visitors a much-needed victory at Alaves. ANDER GILLENEA / AFP
Real Madrid's Brazilian forward Rodrygo secured the visitors a much-needed victory at Alaves. ANDER GILLENEA / AFP

Kylian Mbappe and Rodrygo Goes's goals earned Real Madrid a tense 2-1 win at Alaves in La Liga on Sunday to potentially keep coach Xabi Alonso in his job.

Second-placed Madrid trimmed league leaders Barcelona's advantage back to four points and recorded only their third victory in the last nine games across all competitions.

After a home defeat by Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday, Spanish media reported that anything but a victory would cost Alonso his position, AFP said.

After Mbappe's superb opener, Carlos Vicente pulled Alaves level in the second half, but Rodrygo secured the visitors a much-needed victory at Mendizorroza stadium.

"It was a hard-fought game, we competed well, got in front and then lost a bit of control," Alonso told reporters.

"Alaves play with a lot of intensity, it's hard to dominate throughout. We came here to win and we got the three points."

The coach said, as he did after the City game, that he has the support of his squad.

"We're all together in this. One game isn't enough to change the dynamic," he said.

"Now before the winter break we have a cup game on Wednesday, and a game at home (in La Liga to come)."

Alonso was able to bring his key player, Mbappe, back into the side after he could only watch the defeat by City from the bench because of a painful knee.

The coach also handed a debut to Victor Valdepenas at left-back, with both Alvaro Carreras and Fran Garcia suspended, and Ferland Mendy one of several players out injured.

Mbappe appeared to be feeling his knee and also hobbling in the first few minutes but, despite that, was the game's most influential player.

The forward had a shot deflected wide and then fired narrowly over as Alaves sat deep and tried to keep the 15-time European champions at bay.

By the time Mbappe opened the scoring in the 25th minute, his discomfort seemed to have cleared up.

Released by Jude Bellingham, Mbappe drove towards goal at full tilt and whipped a shot into the top right corner for his 17th league goal of the campaign.

England international Bellingham then blasted home from close range but his strike was ruled out for handball.

Needing to fight back, Alaves moved on to the front foot and took control of the game before the break, almost pulling level.

Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made a fine save with his head, even if he knew little about it, to deny Pablo Ibanez from close range.

Tight battle

Los Blancos were dangerous again soon after the interval, with Alaves goalkeeper Antonio Sivera saving well from Mbappe and then Vinicius Junior.

Real came to rue those misses when Vicente pulled Alaves level after 68 minutes.

The forward got in behind Antonio Rudiger, controlled former Madrid midfielder Antonio Blanco's chipped pass and whipped a shot past Courtois.

Eduardo Coudet's side almost took the lead when Vicente's low cross from the right was nudged wide by Toni Martinez, who was nudged off-balance by Raul Asencio's pressure.

Instead, Madrid pulled back in front, with Vinicius breaking in down the left and crossing for Rodrygo to finish from six yards out.

It was the Brazilian's second goal in two games after going the previous 32 matches without finding the net, and a tense Alonso celebrated wildly, knowing that his future could depend on it.

Vinicius had appeals for a penalty turned down as he fell under a challenge from Nahuel Tenaglia, and Bellingham came close in stoppage time as Madrid tried in vain to ease their nerves by putting the game to bed.

"I thought it was a clear penalty, Vini was going very fast, there was contact... it surprises me that it didn't go to VAR," said Alonso.

Third-place Villarreal's visit to Levante was postponed because of a weather warning in the Valencia region.

Real Oviedo, 19th, sacked coach Luis Carrion after a 4-0 hammering at Sevilla.

On Saturday, champions Barcelona beat Osasuna 2-0 to win a seventh straight La Liga game and ensure that they will lead the table into 2026, regardless of what happens in the final round of fixtures before the winter break.

Sports

Bayern Goalkeeper Neuer Set to Miss Last Game of Year with Hamstring Injury 

14 December 2025, Bavaria, Munich: Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer warms up ahead of the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayern Munich and FSV Mainz 05 at the Allianz Arena. (dpa)
14 December 2025, Bavaria, Munich: Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer warms up ahead of the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayern Munich and FSV Mainz 05 at the Allianz Arena. (dpa)
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Bayern Goalkeeper Neuer Set to Miss Last Game of Year with Hamstring Injury 

14 December 2025, Bavaria, Munich: Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer warms up ahead of the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayern Munich and FSV Mainz 05 at the Allianz Arena. (dpa)
14 December 2025, Bavaria, Munich: Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer warms up ahead of the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayern Munich and FSV Mainz 05 at the Allianz Arena. (dpa)

Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer could miss his team's last game of the year because of a hamstring tear.

The club said on Monday that the injury to Neuer's right hamstring was confirmed by a medical examination after the 39-year-old club captain played the entirety of Sunday's 2-2 draw with Mainz. That was a rare case of the unbeaten Bundesliga leader Bayern dropping points.

Bayern said Neuer would be unavailable “for the time being,” without giving further information on the severity of the injury.

The visit to Heidenheim in the Bundesliga on Sunday is the club's last before the winter break.

The German champion is next in action on Jan. 11 against Wolfsburg.

Sports

Mbeumo Faces Double Cameroon Challenge at AFCON 

Football - Premier League - Wolverhampton Wanderers v Manchester United - Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton, Britain - December 8, 2025 Manchester United's Bryan Mbeumo reacts. (Action Images via Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Wolverhampton Wanderers v Manchester United - Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton, Britain - December 8, 2025 Manchester United's Bryan Mbeumo reacts. (Action Images via Reuters)
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Mbeumo Faces Double Cameroon Challenge at AFCON 

Football - Premier League - Wolverhampton Wanderers v Manchester United - Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton, Britain - December 8, 2025 Manchester United's Bryan Mbeumo reacts. (Action Images via Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Wolverhampton Wanderers v Manchester United - Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton, Britain - December 8, 2025 Manchester United's Bryan Mbeumo reacts. (Action Images via Reuters)

Manchester United star Bryan Mbeumo must handle the twin challenges of scoring and captaincy when playing for Cameroon at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco this month.

With veteran striker Vincent Aboubakar surprisingly axed, the responsibility for scoring falls heavily on the 26-year-old who moved to Old Trafford from Brentford last July.

Goals have been hard to come by for the Indomitable Lions lately as they failed to find the net in two crucial 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Needing maximum points at home against Angola two months ago to have any hope of automatic qualification, Cameroon managed only a 0-0 draw.

Given a second chance to qualify a month later as one of the best four African group runners-up, Cameroon fell 1-0 to the Democratic Republic of Congo in a play-off and were eliminated.

For Cameroon supporters, recalling the past exploits of star strikers like Roger Milla, Patrick Mboma and Samuel Eto'o, consecutive blanks were difficult to accept.

Mbeumo started in both matches, but poor service from midfield and tight marking meant scoring opportunities were scarce.

Aboubakar was the eight-goal leading scorer in the 2022 AFCON as hosts Cameroon finished third behind Senegal and Egypt.

It was an outstanding performance in the modern era of the premier African football tournament, finishing just one goal shy of matching the 1974 record of Congolese Ndaye Mulamba.

But Mbeumo was left without a potentially key partner in attack when new Cameroon coach David Pagou omitted Aboubakar from the Morocco-bound squad.

- Low morale -

"We wanted to do things differently. They are good players, but we set our sights on others to create a different mindset," said Pagou, referring to Aboubakar and goalkeeper Andre Onana.

While Mbeumo seeks goals in Group F against Gabon, title-holders Ivory Coast and Mozambique, he must also shoulder the additional responsibility of succeeding Aboubakar as captain.

He must lift a team whose morale is low after their failure to qualify for the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Cameroon hold the African record for World Cup appearances with eight. Losing out to Group D winners Cape Verde, a west African archipelago with a population of just 525,000, was a bitter blow.

Mbeumo was born in eastern France to a Cameroonian father and a French mother, making him eligible to represent either country.

He played underage football for France before switching his international allegiance to Cameroon. His highlight so far with the Indomitable Lions was competing at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

At club level, he spent one season with Troyes in France, then six with Brentford, helping the London club gain promotion to the Premier League.

He formed a dynamic attacking partnership with Democratic Republic of Congo winger Yoane Wissa at the Bees -- both scored in the same match six times last season.

It was a feat matched only by Liverpool pair Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo in the 2024-25 Premier League.

His six goals this season for United include a brace in a 4-2 home victory over Brighton.