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
Christian Pulisic wasn’t happy about false reports of him seeking a summer departure from AC Milan and spoke publicly about the situation on Thursday.
Fans of Pulisic know that the American star is rather reserved when it comes to speaking out, so to see him so openly refute reports was surprising.
MADRID — Spain's High Court has found former soccer federation boss Luis Rubiales guilty of sexual assault for kissing player Jenni Hermoso without her consent and fined him over 10,000 euros ($10,434) in a case which caused a nationwide furore.
It acquitted him of a charge of coercion, the court said on Thursday in a ruling seen by Reuters. Rubiales told Reuters he would appeal, saying: "I am going to keep fighting."
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.
The headline of this story might be one of the more unique ones I’ve written in my five years with The18. An American striker scored a key goal at the same time a squirrel was invading the pitch.
Sargent’s squirrely goal took place during Norwich City’s 1-1 draw against Hull City on Saturday in the EFL Championship. In the 47th minute Norwich left back Kellen Fisher was running stride for stride with a furry rodent on the near sideline.
Despite the excellent run made by Hammy from “Over the Hedge” Fisher elected to swing the ball into the box toward Sargent.
LEICESTER — Midfielder Mikel Merino scored two late goals to keep Arsenal's Premier League title hopes alive with a 2-0 victory at Leicester City on Saturday, after the Spaniard was thrust into a makeshift center-forward role by his club’s injury crisis up front.
Arsenal move to 53 points from their 25 matches, four behind leaders Liverpool having played a game more, while Leicester remain in the relegation zone with 17 points from their 25 fixtures this season.
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
LONDON — Australia women's soccer captain Sam Kerr was on Tuesday found not guilty of racially abusing a British police officer after a dispute with a cab driver.
Kerr, who has Indian ancestry, called officer Stephen Lovell "stupid and white" after police were called following a drunken dispute with a cab driver in the early hours of January 30, 2023.
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.