Welcome back to The Kickoff! 

There’s a lot to catch up on from the Winter, so let’s get straight into it. 

Firstly, the Africa Cup of Nations kicked off on Dec. 21, which Senegal won in dramatic fashion; Senegal’s coach even ordered his players to leave the pitch for 15 minutes after a bad penalty call. However, Morocco (and Real Madrid) midfielder Brahim Diaz missed the shot in the 24th(!!) minute of added time, ultimately costing his team the win!

In Spain, Real Madrid and Barcelona faced off in an electric Supercopa final on Jan. 11. The match saw Barcelona take the lead in the 36th minute with a goal from Raphinha, which was followed by two Real Madrid goals and an additional Barcelona goal; after being tied 2-2 Barcelona ultimately won the game in the 73rd minute, with Raphinha bringing the win home. 

In the Premier League, no.1 Arsenal experienced a disappointing string of results, including a 0-0 draw to Liverpool (I’m just glad we didn’t lose…), and a 3-2 loss to Manchester United. No. 2 Manchester City faced a similar unlucky streak, with three straight draws to Sunderland, Chelsea and Brighton, followed by back-to-back losses in the Premier League and Champions League. 

Speaking of the Champions League, the final matchday of the league phase saw Real Madrid concede a late header from Benfica’s goalkeeper, which cost them their top 8 spot. They will now have to go through the playoffs for the second year in a row. Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester City were all victorious, booking them top 8 spots.

Contact the editors responsible for this story: Finley Tipton and Katie McCabe