Kick Off: RM eliminated from the Copa del Rey; Gunners win away against Chelsea

Welcome to All Football's Kick Off, we bring you all important news in the past 24 hours. Make sure you do not miss out.

Top Headlines

Albacete 3-2 Real Madrid: Hosts stun Blancos in Copa del Rey on Arbeloa debut

Real Madrid fell to a shock 3-2 defeat in the Copa del Rey last 16 on Wednesday as Alvaro Arbeloa's debut as coach ended in humiliation by second-tier opposition.

Chelsea 2-3 Arsenal: Gyokeres & Garnacho shine as Gunners take 2nd leg advantage

Arsenal moved a step towards the Carabao Cup final after a 3-2 semi-final first-leg win over Chelsea, extending their unbeaten run to 10 games across all competitions and consigning Liam Rosenior to a defeat in his first home match in charge.

Match Reports

Nigeria 0-0 Morocco (2-4 on pens): The Atlas Lions into final to face Senegal

Tournament hosts Morocco remain on course for a first Africa Cup of Nations title in 50 years after edging to a nervy penalty shoot-out victory in the semi-finals over Nigeria in Rabat.

Inter 1-0 Lecce: Nerazzurri extend Serie A lead as Pio Esposito nets winner

Inter Milan have extended their lead atop the Serie A table to six points, following a narrow 1-0 victory at the San Siro, which came against a Lecce side who are now just three points clear of the relegation zone after a third successive loss.

Cologne 1-3 Bayern: Bavarians continue their unbeaten run as Gnabry and Karl net

Bayern Munich came from behind to maintain their 11-point advantage at the Bundesliga summit following a 3-1 victory over Koln at RheinEnergieSTADION on Wednesday.

Napoli 0-0 Parma: Hosts drop pts in a goalless draw, McTominay's goal disallowed

Napoli missed the chance to move up to second in Serie A after Conte’s men were held to a disappointing 0-0 draw at home to Parma.

Senegal 1-0 Egypt: Mane nets winner to send The Teranga Lions into AFCON final

In a repeat of the 2021 AFCON final, Senegal were triumphant again over Egypt as they beat the Pharaohs 1-0 to reach the final of the 2026 tournament, meaning the Lions of Teranga have now won 11 of their last 12 games against African opposition.

These Things Happen

OFFICIAL: Atletico Madrid midfielder Conor Gallagher joins Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham have completed the signing of England midfielder Conor Gallagher from Atletico Madrid for a fee of £34m.

Gary Neville's comments about Martinelli hit by flood of complaints to Ofcom

Gary Neville's criticism of Gabriel Martinelli's shove on the injured Conor Bradley during Arsenal's goalless draw with Liverpool led to a remarkable 576 complaints being made against the Sky Sports co-commentator with Ofcom.

Liam Rosenior grapples with Chelsea's discipline problem

Liam Rosenior was forced to immediately intervene as Chelsea captain for the evening Enzo Fernandez looked to get involved in a full-time spat with a number of Arsenal players after the Blues' 3-2 defeat on Wednesday evening.

Revealed: Why VAR check that ruled out Man City's goal against Newcastle

The PGMOL has confirmed that a failure in VAR's semi-automated offside technology contributed to the eyebrow-raising delay of over five minutes as officials scrambled to decide whether Antoine Semenyo's second goal for Man City against Newcastle should be chalked off.

Schira: Crystal Palace have reached an agreement with Angers forward Chérif

According to Schira, Crystal Palace have reached an agreement with Sidiki Chérif from Angers.

Team reporter: Juventus will try to sign Senesi in June

According to Juventu's team reporter, Juventus will try to sign Bournemouth's centre back Marcos Senesi in June.

Here we go! Romano: Malen to AS Roma with £2m loan fee, £25m buy clause

According to Romano, the deal of Donyell Malen to AS Roma is done.

Marca: Multiple EPL clubs interested in Abde; Barca retains partial ownership

Several teams are closely monitoring the Betis player, currently in the Africa Cup, and want to sign him during this transfer window.

Genoa turn to Man City keeper Ortega after Bento frustration

Genoa are seeking a new keeper signing this month, but have been frustrated in their attempts to prise Bento away from Al-Nassr.

Sports Mole: Man United's task for Carrick is Champions League qualification

Manchester United expect Michael Carrick to qualify for the Champions League, the latest report has claimed.

What They Say

Mané: This will be my final AFCON match

Sadio Mané has announced that the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final will be his last appearance in the tournament.

Arteta lavishes praise on Arsenal star who 'can do whatever he wants'

Mikel Arteta declared it ‘game on’ in Arsenal’s Carabao Cup semi-final showdown with Chelsea, as he hailed the ‘phenomenal’ Martin Zubimendi for making sure they will take a slender lead into the second leg at the Emirates Stadium.

Kompany: Bayern will start from zero despite landmark Koln victory

Vincent Kompany insisted Bayern Munich will start from zero once again despite making Bundesliga history in their 3-1 win over Koln on Wednesday. 

Gyokeres says he can do more after ending drought against Chelsea

Viktor Gyokeres recognised he must maintain high standards to retain his place as Arsenal's centre-forward, after ending a month-long goal drought in Wednesday's EFL Cup win at Chelsea.

Arbeloa: I’ve failed many times, I can only thank the players

Real Madrid coach Álvaro Arbeloa accepted full responsibility after his team’s shock Copa del Rey defeat at Albacete. He defended his squad, insisting he would make the same lineup decisions again.

Napoli lacking 'a bit of luck' and 'the right bounce' in Parma stalemate

Napoli were missing "a bit of luck" and "the right bounce" during their goalless draw with Parma, according to assistant coach Cristian Stellini.

Raphinha: I would have left Barcelona if Flick had not come

Raphinha revealed he would have left Barcelona if current head coach Hansi Flick had not joined the club.

'The comeback starts now' – Bradley confirms successful knee surgery

Liverpool right-back Conor Bradley has confirmed he has undergone successful knee surgery following his season-ending injury against Arsenal last Thursday.

'Fantastic' Alonso has great future despite Real Madrid exit, says Flick

Barcelona boss Hansi Flick believes Xabi Alonso has a great future in football despite his dismissal at Real Madrid after just seven months at the helm. 

Fixtures of the day

Copa del Rey

Racing Santander VS Barcelona 2026/1/15 20:00 UTC

Serie A

Como VS Milan 2026/1/15 19:45 UTC