Real Madrid Beaten in Champions League as Villa Shock Bayern

Jonathan David (C) scored a penalty as Lille recorded a famous win over Real Madrid (FRANCK FIFE) (FRANCK FIFE/AFP/AFP)
Jonathan David (C) scored a penalty as Lille recorded a famous win over Real Madrid (FRANCK FIFE) (FRANCK FIFE/AFP/AFP)
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Real Madrid Beaten in Champions League as Villa Shock Bayern

Jonathan David (C) scored a penalty as Lille recorded a famous win over Real Madrid (FRANCK FIFE) (FRANCK FIFE/AFP/AFP)
Jonathan David (C) scored a penalty as Lille recorded a famous win over Real Madrid (FRANCK FIFE) (FRANCK FIFE/AFP/AFP)

Holders Real Madrid suffered a shock 1-0 loss to Lille in the Champions League on Wednesday, while Aston Villa defeated Bayern Munich 1-0 in a repeat of the 1982 European Cup final.

Liverpool continued their flying start under new boss Arne Slot with a 2-0 victory at home to Bologna to secure a second successive win over Italian opposition this season.

Kylian Mbappe made his return from injury for Madrid in France as a substitute but he was upstaged by Jonathan David, whose penalty condemned Carlo Ancelotti's side to a first loss in all competitions since January -- a run spanning 36 matches.

"It hasn't been a very good night for us, we shouldn't look for excuses," said Ancelotti.

"We could have equalised at the end but it wouldn't have been deserved."

Canada international David, scorer of a hat-trick in Ligue 1 at the weekend, buried his spot-kick at the end of the first half after Eduardo Camavinga used his arm to block a strike from Edon Zhegrova.

According to AFP, Lille goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier produced a string of late saves as the French club clung on for a famous win over the record 15-time European champions.

Villa also enjoyed a night to remember as a brilliant goal from in-form Colombian forward Jhon Duran lifted the hosts past Bayern.

Duran's majestic lob in the 79th minute caught Manuel Neuer well out of position and earned Villa their second win in a row in the club's first appearance in Europe's top competition in 41 years.

Harry Kane almost snatched a last-gasp equaliser but Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez pulled off a superb stop to deny the England captain.

"It's unreal to be fair. This is the loudest Villa Park that I've heard since I joined the club, that's for sure, it was hurting my ears at some point," Martinez told TNT Sports.

"It's a statement, there's still a lot to play. We want to qualify in the first eight, in the top eight, it's one step at a time."

At Anfield, Alexis Mac Allister prodded in from close range after meeting Mohamed Salah's cross to give Liverpool an early lead.

Dan Ndoye hit the post for Champions League debutants Bologna, but Salah made the game safe with a terrific curling effort in the final quarter of an hour.

Slot is the first Liverpool manager to win eight of his opening nine matches, surpassing even the likes of Jurgen Klopp, Kenny Dalglish, Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley.

"It's hardly impossible to do something special at this club. It says a lot about how we started how players bought into it, the effort put in," said Slot.

- Juventus resilient as Atletico flop -

Juventus won 3-2 in a thrilling encounter against RB Leipzig in Germany despite having goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio sent off for handling outside his area.

Leipzig led twice through goals from Benjamin Sesko but Juventus replied both times through Dusan Vlahovic, his magnificent second coming just after Di Gregorio saw red on the hour.

Francisco Conceicao's fine solo effort late on won it for Juventus, who are one of seven teams with maximum points in the new 36-team league phase.

Atletico Madrid fell to a humiliating 4-0 loss at Benfica.

The Portuguese team went ahead through Kerem Aturkoglu, with Angel Di Maria extending the lead from the penalty spot.

Alexander Bah headed home the third and Orkun Kokcu completed the rout with another penalty.

Monaco rallied from two goals down on a sodden pitch to salvage a 2-2 draw away to Dinamo Zagreb.

Goals from Petar Sucic and Martin Baturina had Dinamo on course for victory, but Mohammed Salisu halved the deficit for Monaco before Dennis Zakaria equalized from the spot in the final minute.

Champions League newcomers Girona slid to a second straight defeat after scoring two own goals in a 3-2 home loss to Feyenoord.

David Lopez put Girona ahead before Yangel Herrera turned into his own net and Antoni Milambo then gave Feyenoord the lead.

Donny van de Beek equalised in the second half but Ladislav Krejci's own goal sank Girona as both sides also missed a penalty.

Atalanta strolled to a 3-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk in Gelsenkirchen with goals from Berat Djimsiti, Ademola Lookman and Raoul Bellanova.

Club Brugge picked up their first points courtesy of Christos Tzolis' goal in a 1-0 win at Sturm Graz.



Late Guirassy Goal Seals Win as Dortmund Cuts Bayern’s Bundesliga Lead to 3 Points

07 February 2026, Lower Saxony, Wolfsburg: Borussia Dortmund's Serhou Guirassy celebrates scoring his side's second goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between VfL Wolfsburg and Borussia Dortmund at Volkswagen Arena. (dpa)
07 February 2026, Lower Saxony, Wolfsburg: Borussia Dortmund's Serhou Guirassy celebrates scoring his side's second goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between VfL Wolfsburg and Borussia Dortmund at Volkswagen Arena. (dpa)
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Late Guirassy Goal Seals Win as Dortmund Cuts Bayern’s Bundesliga Lead to 3 Points

07 February 2026, Lower Saxony, Wolfsburg: Borussia Dortmund's Serhou Guirassy celebrates scoring his side's second goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between VfL Wolfsburg and Borussia Dortmund at Volkswagen Arena. (dpa)
07 February 2026, Lower Saxony, Wolfsburg: Borussia Dortmund's Serhou Guirassy celebrates scoring his side's second goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between VfL Wolfsburg and Borussia Dortmund at Volkswagen Arena. (dpa)

Serhou Guirassy scored late for Borussia Dortmund to cut Bayern Munich’s Bundesliga lead to three points on Saturday with a 2-1 win at Wolfsburg.

Wolfsburg dominated the second half with Mohamed Amoura missing several good chances and Maximilian Arnold striking the crossbar.

Dortmund’s Maximilian Beier hit the underside of the bar with a deflected shot in the first half, when Julian Brandt opened the scoring with a header from Julian Ryerson’s corner in the 38th for the visitors.

Konstantinos Koulierakis replied in similar fashion after the break with a header from Arnold’s free kick, but Wolfsburg was to rue not taking its chances to score more.

Guirassy pounced for the winner in the 87th after good play between Fábio Silva and Felix Nmecha.

“That’s part of football,” Dortmund coach Niko Kovač said of his team’s scrappy win. “But then to decide it with one action is also a quality.”

Eighteen-year-old Italian defender Luca Reggiani went on late for Dortmund for his Bundesliga debut.

American winger Kevin Paredes made his first Wolfsburg start since April 25 after recovering from two operations on his right foot.

Bayern, which failed to win its last two games, can restore its six-point lead with a win over high-flying Hoffenheim on Sunday.

Borussia Mönchengladbach was hosting Bayer Leverkusen later.

Bremen loses on coach's debut

Werder Bremen’s coaching change did little to alter its fortunes as the team lost 1-0 in Freiburg on Daniel Thioune’s debut.

Jan-Niklas Beste let fly and found the top far corner in the 13th for Freiburg, which had Johan Manzambi sent off early in the second half for a foul on Bremen’s Olivier Deman.

Thioune’s team was unable to capitalize on the extra player and is now 11 league games without a win. Bremen faces a visit from Bayern next weekend.

Welcome win for St. Pauli

St. Pauli boosted its survival hopes with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Stuttgart.

The Hamburg-based team remained second-from-bottom, but it opened a four-point gap on bottom side Heidenheim, which lost 2-0 at home to Hamburger SV. Bremen's defeat means St. Pauli is just two points from the relegation playoff place.

Mainz keeps winning

Nadiem Amiri scored two penalties, one in each half, for Mainz to beat Augsburg 2-0 for its third straight win.

Amiri ripped off his distinctive carnival-inspired jersey as he celebrated the second one to seal the win. The thoughtful Lee Jae-sung picked it up so he could resume when the celebrations died down.

Mainz next visits Dortmund.


Man United Wins Again to Make It Four in a Row for New Coach Michael Carrick

Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United scores the 2-0 goal during the English Premier League match between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, in Manchester, Britain, 07 February 2026. (EPA)
Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United scores the 2-0 goal during the English Premier League match between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, in Manchester, Britain, 07 February 2026. (EPA)
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Man United Wins Again to Make It Four in a Row for New Coach Michael Carrick

Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United scores the 2-0 goal during the English Premier League match between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, in Manchester, Britain, 07 February 2026. (EPA)
Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United scores the 2-0 goal during the English Premier League match between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, in Manchester, Britain, 07 February 2026. (EPA)

It's four Premier League wins in a row for Manchester United under Michael Carrick and a season that was unraveling just weeks ago now looks full of promise.

A 2-0 victory against Tottenham on Saturday extended Carrick's 100% start as head coach and will further strengthen his case to be given the job on a long-term basis.

“Michael has won everything here and he knows what it means for these fans, what it means for the club to win and how much is needed to win in this football. I think that adds something special to the team,” United captain Bruno Fernandes told TNT Sports.

It was the first time in two years that United has won four straight league games and boosted its hopes of a return to the lucrative Champions League after missing out for the last two years.

Bryan Mbeumo and Fernandes scored in each half at Old Trafford in a game that saw Spurs reduced to 10 men after captain Cristian Romero was sent off in the 29th minute.

Carrick has transformed United's fortunes since he was parachuted in to replace the fired Ruben Amorim last month. Initially given a contract until the end of the season — having previously had a three-game interim spell in 2021 — his impressive impact will likely put him in serious contention to keep the job as the club's hierarchy consider its long-term plans.

“I think Michael came in with the right ideas of giving the players the responsibility, but some freedom to take the responsibility on the pitch, doing the decisions that were needed,” said Fernandes. “He's very good with the words.

“I think he still remembers what I told him the last time he was our manager for our last game. I was sure that Michael could be a great manager, and he’s just showing it.”

United is fourth and after moving up to 44 points, the 20-time English champion has already exceeded last season's total of 42 points for the entire campaign.

Fernandes’ goal, with a controlled finish off his shin in the 81st, was his 200th goal involvement since joining United in 2020.

It sealed victory after Mbeumo had given United the lead in the 38th when firing low from a corner to score his 10th goal of his debut season at the club.

While United's captain was inspirational, Tottenham's Romero did his team no favors with his sending off in the first half.

Having described as “disgraceful” the fact that Spurs were reduced to 11 fit players for the draw with Manchester City last weekend, Romero hardly helped his team’s cause with his red card for a dangerous tackle on Casemiro.

The league's stats partner Opta said it was Romero's sixth sending off since joining the club in 2021 — more than any other Premier League player in that time.


Protesters in Milan Denounce Impact of Games on Environment

 A protester sets off fireworks during a protest against the environmental, economic and social impact of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, near the Olympic Village in Milan, Italy, February 7, 2026. (Reuters)
A protester sets off fireworks during a protest against the environmental, economic and social impact of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, near the Olympic Village in Milan, Italy, February 7, 2026. (Reuters)
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Protesters in Milan Denounce Impact of Games on Environment

 A protester sets off fireworks during a protest against the environmental, economic and social impact of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, near the Olympic Village in Milan, Italy, February 7, 2026. (Reuters)
A protester sets off fireworks during a protest against the environmental, economic and social impact of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, near the Olympic Village in Milan, Italy, February 7, 2026. (Reuters)

Thousands of people took to the streets of Milan on Saturday in a protest over housing costs and environmental concerns on the first full day of the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.

The march, organized by grassroots unions, housing-rights groups and social center community activists, is seeking to highlight what activists call an increasingly unsustainable city model marked by soaring rents and deepening inequality.

The Olympics cap a decade in which Milan has seen a property boom following the 2015 World Expo, with locals ‌squeezed by soaring ‌living costs as an Italian tax scheme for ‌wealthy ⁠new residents, ‌alongside Brexit, draws professionals to the financial capital.

Some groups also argue that the Olympics are a waste of public money and resources pointing to infrastructure projects they say have damaged the environment in mountain communities.

A banner stretched across the street read: "Let's take back the cities, let's free the mountains."

CARDBOARD TREES SYMBOLIZE DESTRUCTION

"I’m here because these Olympics are unsustainable — economically, socially, and environmentally," said 71-year-old Stefano Nutini, standing beneath a Communist ⁠Refoundation Party flag.

He argued that Olympic infrastructure had placed a heavy burden on mountain towns hosting events ‌in the first widely dispersed edition of the Winter ‍Games.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) points out ‍that the Games are largely using existing facilities, making them more sustainable.

At ‍the head of the procession, about 50 people carried stylized cardboard trees to represent the larches they said were felled to build a new bobsleigh track in Cortina d'Ampezzo.

"Century-old trees, survivors of two wars...sacrificed for 90 seconds of competition on a bobsleigh track costing 124 million (euros)," read another banner.

MARCH TAKES PLACE UNDER TIGHT SECURITY

According to police estimates, more than 5,000 people were taking part in the ⁠march.

Protesters set off from the Medaglie d'Oro central square to cover nearly four kilometers (2.5 miles) to end in Milan's south-eastern quadrant of Corvetto, a historically working-class district.

A rally last weekend by the hard-left in the city of Turin turned violent, with more than 100 police officers injured and nearly 30 protesters arrested, according to an interior ministry tally.

Saturday's protest follows a series of actions in the run-up to the Games, including rallies on the eve of the opening ceremony that denounced the presence in Italy of US ICE agents and what activists describe as the social and economic burdens of the Olympic project.

The march is taking place under tight security ‌as Milan hosts world leaders, athletes and thousands of visitors for the global sport event, including US Vice President JD Vance.