Argentina's U-20 team beats Brazil 6-0 in South American championship

Argentina's under-20 soccer team has humbled archrival Brazil 6-0 in their first match in the South American championship's Group B. Manchester City signing Claudio Echeverri scored two goals and led his team at the Misael Delgado Stadium in Venezuela. South America's U-20 championship will give the top four teams a place in the age category's World Cup in September in Chile.

Late free kick goal rescues draw for 10-man Las Palmas against Osasuna

Former Manchester United winger Adnan Januzaj has scored a sensational late free kick for 10-man Las Palmas to draw at home with Osasuna 1-1 in La Liga. Osasuna opened the scoring eight minutes into the second half and it looked set for a first league win since Nov. 2 when Las Palmas midfielder Dário Essugo was shown a red card in the 72nd minute. However, Januzaj's deflected free kick rolled into the net in the eighth minute of stoppage time. Las Palmas is 14th on the table and Osasuna climbs to ninth.

Auxerre shares points with Saint-Etienne in entertaining Ligue 1 draw

Auxerre's Hamed Traorè has scored for the eighth time this season to draw at home with Saint-Etienne in Ligue 1. The on-loan Bournemouth striker put Auxerre ahead in the 26th minute on Friday. Lucas Stassin secured a share of the spoils for the visitor with a header on the stroke of halftime. The point lifts St-Etienne two places to 14th. Auxerre remains 11th.

Double from Scotland striker Adams gets Torino back to winning ways over Cagliari

Scotland striker Che Adams has scored in each half for Torino to win over Cagliari 2-0 in Serie A. The former Southampton and Birmingham forward scored after six minutes and again 16 minutes into the second half to cap a match-winning performance on Friday. It was only the second win since October for the Turin side and leaves it 11th. Cagliari is 14th.

Holsten Kiel strikes late to grab point at Wolfsburg and end road losing streak

Holsten Kiel has scored a late goal to grab a point at Wolfsburg and snap a five-game losing streak on the road in the Bundesliga. The team in second-to-last place went ahead after 13 minutes but two quick goals after the break from Patrick Wimmer and Jacob Wind put Wolfsburg in the driving seat on Friday. However, substitute Steven Skrzybski scored in the 80th minute to give Kiel a share of the points. The result sees Wolfsburg rise one place into sixth; Kiel remains second from bottom.

Greece great Mimis Domazos, who captained Panathinaikos in the 1971 European Cup final, dies at 83

Greece soccer great Mimis Domazos, who captained the Panathinaikos team at the 1971 European Cup final, has died at age 83. The club announced his death on Friday. Greek media report Domazos was taken to a hospital on his 83rd birthday on Wednesday after suffering cardiac arrest. Panathinaikos says "the emblematic 'General' of our club has passed to eternity." Domazos played 20 seasons for Panathinaikos and won nine league titles. The team coached by Ferenc Puskás lost to a Johan Cruyff-inspired Ajax 2-0 at Wembley Stadium in London in the 1971 final.

Sports on TV for Jan. 25 - 26

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Wrexham's celebrity owners will have to wait to see their team playing in Europe

Wrexham competes in English soccer's league system but the Welsh soccer club owned by Hollywood celebrities Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney was hoping to be allowed to participate in the Welsh League Cup. That's because the competition has been granted a qualification spot for the UEFA Conference League. The Football Association of Wales made a proposal to the English FA on behalf of Wrexham, Cardiff, Swansea and Newport, the four Welsh teams playing in English soccer. That was rejected on Friday. The FA says if the four clubs "choose to participate in the English system they must do so on the same basis as the English clubs which participate in that system." Reynolds and McElhenney bought the club for $2.5 million in 2021.

Father knows best? Liverpool winning but manager's dad wants more action

Arne Slot's dad wasn't impressed with Liverpool's midweek win over Lille in the Champions League. The Liverpool manager mentioned his dad's reaction when discussing how difficult it is to break down defensive-minded opponents. The Premier League leaders will host relegation-threatened Ipswich on Saturday. Slot told reporters Friday that "When I called him after the (Lille) game, he can also say 'it wasn't as exciting as other games of Liverpool.'" Liverpool is past the halfway point of what's turning into a dream first season under Slot. The Reds lead both the Premier League and Champions League, and they are alive in the FA Cup and League Cup.

The new Champions League format appears to be leveling the playing field. Just ask Man City

A bold new vision for the Champions League was launched this season. It has involved more games and more money for European soccer's elite in a rebuttal to the threat of a controversial breakaway super league. The new-look format was intended to be about more than just further enriching the sport's wealthiest clubs. It was intended to deliver more drama, more competition and more entertainment to fans than in its previous guise, which was widely deemed to have become stale as the same teams routinely advanced beyond the old group stage. The introduction of a 36-team league phase of the competition has provided shock results and left some of Europe's giants in danger of early elimination.

FIFA refuses to extend Chinese ban on 2022 World Cup player Son Jun-ho for alleged match-fixing

The lifetime ban on former South Korean international Son Jun-ho, imposed in China last year after charges of match-fixing, has not been extended to the rest of the world. The Korea Football Association announced the news on Friday. FIFA informed Korean soccer officials it had rejected the Chinese Football Association's request that its punishment be universally applied on the former Korean league MVP who played in three games at the 2022 World Cup. He had denied the charges. It is unusual for a player found guilty of match-fixing to be allowed to continue a career elsewhere, though FIFA's rules allow for requests to be denied.

Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann extends contract through Euro 2028

Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann has extended his contract with the national team by another two years through the European Championship in 2028. Nagelsmann had been under contract until next year's World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The former Bayern Munich coach took charge of the German national team in September 2023 on what was initially meant to be a short-term basis through last year's European Championship.

Frenchman Rudi Garcia hired as Belgium coach in his 1st national team job

Rudi Garcia has been hired as Belgium's new coach. The 60-year-old Garcia, who coached several big clubs including Napoli, Marseille and Roma in his much traveled career, has never managed a national side. He was appointed as a replacement for Domenico Tedesco, who was fired last week after he failed to revive the team during a relatively short tenure. Garcia has signed a deal until the end of the 2026 World Cup. Garcia's arrival could pave the way for the return of Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who had clashed with Tedesco.