Matías Soulé extended his scoring run in Roma’s 3–1 victory over Cremonese in Serie A matchday 12 at the Giovanni Zini Stadium.
The Argentine forward put Roma ahead in the 17th minute with a fantastic left-footed strike from outside the box.
With this latest goal, Soulé reached four goals in 12 Serie A matches this season, adding to those scored against Pisa, Hellas Verona and Fiorentina. He is a regular starter under Gian Piero Gasperini and shares the squad with Paulo Dybala, who is currently unavailable due to injury.
Soulé has also scored once in the UEFA Europa League, where he has appeared in four matches. In total, the Mar del Plata–born winger has five long-distance goals in 2025 across all competitions. According to Opta, he is tied with Villarreal’s Pape Gueye for the most goals from outside the box among players in Europe’s top five leagues this year.
Mateo Pellegrino continued his strong run and scored both goals in Parma’s 2-1 win over Hellas Verona in the Serie A matchday 12.
The Argentine forward opened the scoring in the 18th minute. Hellas Verona equalised through Brazilian Giovane Santana at the 65th minute, but Pellegrino sealed the result with his second goal at the 80th minute.
The Argentines Lautaro Valenti and Mariano Troilo started for Parma, while Nahuel Estévez entered from the bench. The victory was Parma’s second of the Serie A season, and moved the team to 15th place with 11 points from two wins, five draws and five losses.
The 24-year-old forward, born in Valencia and son of Mauricio Pellegrino, now has four Serie A goals in 12 matches. He also scored three times in the Coppa Italia, giving him seven goals in 14 official games this season. Since joining Parma from Vélez in February, Pellegrino has accumulated eight goals in 27 appearances for the Italian club.
Lanús defeated Atlético Mineiro in the 2025 Copa Sudamericana final after a 0-0 draw and a 5-4 result in the penalty shootout. The match took place in Asunción, with both teams unable to break the deadlock during regular time and extra time.
Goalkeeper Lautaro Morales Losada became the central figure of the match. The Lanús goalkeeper made three key saves in the first half, stopped a close-range attempt from Biel in extra time, and denied Hulk, Biel, and Vitor Hugo in the decisive penalty shootout. His contributions allowed Lanús to secure the second Sudamericana title in their history and gave veteran Lautaro Acosta relief after the forward missed his penalty during the series.
The final drew a large movement of Lanús supporters who traveled from Buenos Aires to Asunción by charter flights and buses. The team reached the final after eliminating Central Córdoba, Fluminense, Universidad de Chile, and Cruzeiro, consolidating a run that featured several strong performances away from home, including the win at the Maracaná.
Lanús continued a long period of growth that began decades ago. After a past in the lower divisions, including Primera C less than 50 years ago, the club now holds more than three decades in the top flight and has accumulated consistent international participation. Since 2013, Lanús have won a Sudamericana, reached a Copa Libertadores final, and made multiple deep runs in continental competitions.
In the 2025 final, Lanús approached the match with a structured plan under coach Mauricio Pellegrino. Carlos Izquierdoz and José Canale led the defensive line, while Matías Medina and Franco Cardozo worked in midfield to limit Atlético Mineiro’s progress. Eduardo Salvio, Leandro Díaz Moreno, Bautista Carrera, and Walter Castillo focused largely on tactical duties in the attacking zones, contributing to a collective effort that prevented clear chances for the Brazilian side.
Atlético Mineiro are coached by Jorge Sampaoli, with Fausto Vera and Renzo Saravia as the Argentine representatives in the squad.
Enzo Fernández scored for Chelsea in their 2–0 win over Burnley on Matchday 12 of the Premier League.
Enzo’s goal came in the 88th minute. Chelsea regained possession in the attacking half, and Pedro Neto advanced on the right before sending a low pass into the box. The Argentine midfielder arrived from behind and directed the ball into the net near the penalty spot to close the match at 2–0.
With this goal, Enzo now reaches 25 goal contributions in the Premier League, with 13 goals and 12 assists.
In an unprecedented move, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) and the Professional League (LPF) awarded Rosario Central the newly created “League Champion” trophy for finishing at the top of the 2025 Annual Table, despite the domestic season still being in progress and the distinction not being scheduled at the start of the year.
The recognition was delivered on Thursday at the league’s offices in Buenos Aires, where club president Gonzalo Belloso, head coach Ariel Holan, captain Jorge Broun, and club icon Ángel Di María received the award directly from league officials.
The LPF Executive Committee justified the move by highlighting the importance of reinstating a season-long champion, a format previously used in Argentine football but discontinued in recent years. Still, the timing raised eyebrows, given that the annual competition is technically ongoing and the playoffs of the Clausura will only begin this weekend.
“This plan has existed for several years — bringing back the annual champion,” Belloso said after the meeting. “From now on, this trophy will accompany the Apertura, Clausura, the Champions Trophy, and we will once again have the annual champion. It’s very well deserved for a club like ours. We were first from the opening match to the last, made more points than anyone, and lost only two games all year.”
Holan and Broun admitted they only learned about the award hours before the ceremony. “We found out last night,” Holan explained. “We even had to move training from the morning to the afternoon.” Broun added: “This is the star for the long tournament, for the Annual Table. It’s already ours.”
Belloso, surprised but pleased, also thanked AFA leadership for what he described as an unexpected recognition: “They brought us this surprise. We are very happy.”
Beyond symbolic value, the Annual Table leader earns a direct qualification to the 2026 Copa Libertadores, as well as a permanent place in the Supercopa Internacional, a competition that has been staged since 2023 in partnership with foreign venues. Recent editions were won by Racing (2023), Talleres (2025), and Vélez Sarsfield (2025).
Holan emphasized that this return to a season-long champion aligns with how many clubs prefer to measure consistency: “It’s a very fair recognition. The annual tournament is something Argentine football needed again.”
When asked whether the Annual Table should eventually expand to include matches against all teams, not just those within each zone, Holan deferred: “There are many models. The directors will choose the best one. We knew the format we were playing, and now another knockout tournament begins. This annual recognition is the result of effort throughout the year.”
The 2025 season was split into two tournaments — Apertura and Clausura — with teams competing against the same group of rivals in both semesters, switching home and away fields. Rosario Central played the clubs from Zone B and the interzonal clásico against Newell’s Old Boys.
Across 32 matches, Central collected 66 points, the highest total among all first-division clubs, securing both the Annual Table leadership and their Copa Libertadores spot for 2026.
The club celebrated on social media shortly after the ceremony, posting: “Central, 2025 League Champion! We are the best team of the year!”
After the Executive Committee meeting, the LPF released a statement confirming that the team finishing first in the Annual Table will officially be considered “League Champion” each season, in addition to receiving existing benefits such as qualification to international competitions.
Although Central now holds the annual crown, the Clausura playoffs are about to begin, and the tournament’s ultimate champion has yet to be crowned. This season’s Apertura champion was Platense, while Independiente Rivadavia claimed the Copa Argentina. The Clausura winner will be decided in the coming weeks.
