Champions League

BARCELONA — Raphinha scored twice and Lamine Yamal netted with a stunning strike as a superb Barcelona dismantled Benfica 3-1 in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Tuesday, advancing to the quarter-finals with a 4-1 aggregate victory.

It was an inspired evening for teenager Yamal who was virtually unplayable running up and down the right channel, creating most of Barca's scoring chances.

Lamine Yamal goal vs Benfica

PARIS — Liverpool substitute Harvey Elliott scored a last-gasp winner less than a minute after coming on to earn a fortunate 1-0 win against Paris St Germain who dominated their visitors during Wednesday's Champions League last-16 first leg match.

Elliott slotted the ball home in the 87th minute against the run of play after a layoff from fellow substitute Darwin Nunez for a scarcely-deserved victory in Paris.

MADRID — Real Madrid's Brahim Diaz scored a second-half winner as the hosts edged out neighbors Atletico Madrid 2-1 in a scrappy first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie on Tuesday after Julian Alvarez had cancelled out Rodrygo's opener.

Real started on fire when Rodrygo scored a fine opener four minutes after kick-off but Atletico slowly got into the game and Alvarez equalized with a stunning strike in the 32nd minute.

Julian Alvarez goal vs Real Madrid

The Champions League last-16 draw threw up some mouth-watering matches with holders Real Madrid playing local rivals Atletico Madrid while Bayern Munich were drawn against Bundesliga title challengers Bayer Leverkusen on Friday.

Champions League draw bracket

Real Madrid dispatched Manchester City 3-1 with a Kylian Mbappé hat-trick on Wednesday in their Champions League playoff second leg at a raucous Santiago Bernabeu stadium, earning them a 6-3 aggregate victory and a place in the last 16.

Last year's champions will face either Bayer Leverkusen or city rivals Atletico Madrid, depending on Friday's draw, as they seek a record-extending 16th title.

Mbappé scored his second goal in the 33rd minute with a close-range strike after a humiliating cutback that left defender Josko Gvardiol on the floor.

Watch out, Super Bowl...

In a major development that could revolutionize European soccer's global reach, UEFA and the European Club Association (ECA) have reportedly entered into negotiations with Relevent Sports, an American-based sports agency, to secure global commercial rights for Europe’s top men's club competitions for the coming years, according to The Independent.

Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham struck a last-gasp goal to give the holders a 3-2 first-leg victory over Manchester City in an edge-of-your-seat Champions League knockout phase playoff on Tuesday.

Kylian Mbappé and Brahim Diaz also struck for Real, to cancel out a double from City's Erling Haaland.

England international Bellingham scored the winner in the 92nd minute when Vinicius looped the ball over from the left and the Englishman got in front of John Stones to tap home.

Bellingham goal vs Man City

In a surprising move, FIFA has significantly slashed ticket prices for this summer’s inaugural 2025 Club World Cup in the United States.

2025 Club World Cup ticket price drop: FIFA 'panicking' amid low fan interest

Reports from Mail Sport indicate that the cost of the cheapest seats for matches at the last-16 stage and beyond has been reduced by as much as $385, with some tickets for the semi-finals plummeting from an eye-watering $526 to just $140.

Defending champions Real Madrid will renew their Champions League rivalry with 2023 winners Manchester City in a blockbuster knockout phase playoff tie after the two teams were pitted against each other in the draw held in Nyon on Friday.

Both Real and City failed to advance automatically to the last 16 as one of the top eight sides after they finished 11th and 22nd, respectively, in the new league-phase format.

Teams that finished ninth to 24th will compete in a two-legged playoff to advance to the last 16.

UCL playoff draw

A superb Gio Reyna backheel assist vs. Shakhtar Donetsk helped Borussia Dortmund secure a 3-1 victory in the Champions League and once against made USMNT fans wonder why he doesn’t get more time.

Reyna was once again on the bench for Dortmund as he’s only started three games across all competitions this season for the German giants. 

The 22-year-old American was brought on as a substitute in the 64th minute and produced a lovely piece of skill just 15 minutes later.