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Perfect Al-Hilal Beat Al-Shorta to Book Asian Champions League Last-16 Spot 

Al-Hilal players celebrate a goal scored during Tuesday's match. (SPA)
Al-Hilal players celebrate a goal scored during Tuesday's match. (SPA)
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Perfect Al-Hilal Beat Al-Shorta to Book Asian Champions League Last-16 Spot 

Al-Hilal players celebrate a goal scored during Tuesday's match. (SPA)
Al-Hilal players celebrate a goal scored during Tuesday's match. (SPA)

Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal won 4-0 against Iraq's Al-Shorta in Riyadh on Tuesday to book their place in the knockout rounds of the Asian Champions League Elite with a fifth win in a row as Al-Wahda from the UAE also confirmed their progress.

Marcos Leonardo scored twice to move Simone Inzaghi's side on to a maximum 15 points from the opening five matches in the 12-team western league phase and qualify for the last 16.

The Brazilian opened the scoring in first-half stoppage time with a bullet header past Hasan Ahmed while Ahmed Yahia's 61st-minute sending off for a second bookable offence left Al-Shorta with what proved to be an insurmountable task.

Goalkeeper Ahmed allowed Sergej Milinkovic-Savic's header to slip through his hands as Al-Hilal doubled their lead two minutes later, while Leonardo nodded in the third with 18 minutes left and Cancelo hit the fourth in added time.

The top eight finishers in both the western and eastern league phases advance to March's Round of 16, with the quarter-finals, semis and final to be played on a centralized basis in Saudi Arabia in April.

Dusan Tadic inspired Al-Wahda to come back from a goal down in the first half to defeat Qatar's Al-Sadd 3-1 in Abu Dhabi and also confirm the Emirati outfit's place in the knockout rounds.

Brazilian striker Claudinho had given Al-Sadd, under new manager Roberto Mancini, the lead from the penalty spot in the third minute of first-half stoppage time but Tadic levelled 10 minutes after the restart.

The former Southampton playmaker showed his class with a strike on the turn that flew into the top corner before hitting his team's second with another emphatic finish 11 minutes later.

Tadic then turned provider with three minutes left to allow Caio Canedo to net their third, sealing the win and confirming Al-Wahda's progress with 13 points from five matches.

"When we don't give our opponents the initiative we are much better and this is the way Al-Wahda should play," said Tadic. "This is how we win the game.

"In the first half I believe we gave them too much space and then everyone can play football. In the second half we didn't give them space and we showed we're a better team than them."

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Sports

African Players in Europe: Ouattara Fires Another Winner for Bees

Football - Premier League - Newcastle United v Brentford - St James' Park, Newcastle, Britain - February 7, 2026 Brentford's Dango Ouattara celebrates scoring their third goal with Brentford's Rico Henry. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Newcastle United v Brentford - St James' Park, Newcastle, Britain - February 7, 2026 Brentford's Dango Ouattara celebrates scoring their third goal with Brentford's Rico Henry. (Reuters)
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African Players in Europe: Ouattara Fires Another Winner for Bees

Football - Premier League - Newcastle United v Brentford - St James' Park, Newcastle, Britain - February 7, 2026 Brentford's Dango Ouattara celebrates scoring their third goal with Brentford's Rico Henry. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Newcastle United v Brentford - St James' Park, Newcastle, Britain - February 7, 2026 Brentford's Dango Ouattara celebrates scoring their third goal with Brentford's Rico Henry. (Reuters)

Burkina Faso striker Dango Ouattara was the Brentford match-winner for the second straight weekend when they triumphed 3-2 at Newcastle United.

The 23-year-old struck in the 85th minute of a seesaw Premier League struggle in northeast England. The Bees trailed and led before securing three points to go seventh in the table.

Last weekend, Ouattara dented the title hopes of third-placed Aston Villa by scoring the only goal at Villa Park.

AFP Sport highlights African headline-makers in the major European leagues:

ENGLAND

DANGO OUATTARA (Brentford)

With the match at Newcastle locked at 2-2, the Burkinabe sealed victory for the visitors at St James' Park by driving a left-footed shot past Magpies goalkeeper Nick Pope to give the Bees a first win on Tyneside since 1934. Ouattara also provided the cross that led to Vitaly Janelt's headed equalizer after Brentford had fallen 1-0 behind.

BRYAN MBEUMO (Manchester Utd)

The Cameroon forward helped the Red Devils extend their perfect record under caretaker manager Michael Carrick to four games by scoring the opening goal in a 2-0 win over Tottenham after Spurs had been reduced to 10 men by captain Cristian Romero's red card.

ISMAILA SARR (Crystal Palace)

The Eagles ended their 12-match winless run with a 1-0 victory at bitter rivals Brighton thanks to Senegal international Sarr's 61st-minute goal when played in by substitute Evann Guessand, the Ivory Coast forward making an immediate impact on his Palace debut after joining on loan from Aston Villa during the January transfer window.

ITALY

LAMECK BANDA (Lecce)

Banda scored direct from a 90th-minute free-kick outside the area to give lowly Leece a precious 2-1 Serie A victory at home against mid-table Udinese. It was the third league goal this season for the 25-year-old Zambia winger. Leece lie 17th, one place and three points above the relegation zone.

GERMANY

SERHOU GUIRASSY (Borussia Dortmund)

Guirassy produced a moment of quality just when Dortmund needed it against Wolfsburg. Felix Nmecha's silky exchange with Fabio Silva allowed the Guinean to sweep in an 87th-minute winner for his ninth Bundesliga goal of the season. The 29-year-old has scored or assisted in four of his last five games.

RANSFORD KOENIGSDOERFFER (Hamburg)

A first-half thunderbolt from Ghana striker Koenigsdoerffer put Hamburg on track for a 2-0 victory at Heidenheim. It was their first away win of the season. Nigerian winger Philip Otele, making his Hamburg debut, split the defense with a clever pass to Koenigsdoerffer, who hit a shot low and hard to open the scoring in first-half stoppage time.

FRANCE

ISSA SOUMARE (Le Havre)

An opportunist goal by Soumare on 54 minutes gave Le Havre a 2-1 home win over Strasbourg in Ligue 1. The Senegalese received the ball just inside the area and stroked it into the far corner of the net as he fell.

Sports

Olympic Town Warms up as Climate Change Puts Winter Games on Thin Ice

Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics - Alpine Skiing - Men's Team Combined Downhill - Stelvio Ski Centre, Bormio, Italy - February 09, 2026. Alexis Monney of Switzerland in action during the Men's Team Combined Downhill. (Reuters)
Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics - Alpine Skiing - Men's Team Combined Downhill - Stelvio Ski Centre, Bormio, Italy - February 09, 2026. Alexis Monney of Switzerland in action during the Men's Team Combined Downhill. (Reuters)
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Olympic Town Warms up as Climate Change Puts Winter Games on Thin Ice

Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics - Alpine Skiing - Men's Team Combined Downhill - Stelvio Ski Centre, Bormio, Italy - February 09, 2026. Alexis Monney of Switzerland in action during the Men's Team Combined Downhill. (Reuters)
Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics - Alpine Skiing - Men's Team Combined Downhill - Stelvio Ski Centre, Bormio, Italy - February 09, 2026. Alexis Monney of Switzerland in action during the Men's Team Combined Downhill. (Reuters)

Olympic fans came to Cortina with heavy winter coats and gloves. Those coats were unzipped Sunday and gloves pocketed as snow melted from rooftops — signs of a warming world.

“I definitely thought we’d be wearing all the layers,” said Jay Tucker, who came from Virginia to cheer on Team USA and bought hand warmers and heated socks in preparation. “I don’t even have gloves on.”

The timing of winter, the amount of snowfall and temperatures are all less reliable and less predictable because Earth is warming at a record rate, said Shel Winkley, a Climate Central meteorologist. This poses a growing and significant challenge for organizers of winter sports; The International Olympic Committee said last week it could move up the start date for future Winter Games to January from February because of rising temperatures.

While the beginning of the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Cortina truly had a wintry feel, as the town was blanketed in heavy snow, the temperature reached about 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4.5 degrees Celsius) Sunday afternoon. It felt hotter in the sun.

This type of February “warmth” for Cortina is made at least three times more likely due to climate change, Winkley said. In the 70 years since Cortina first held the Winter Games, February temperatures there have climbed 6.4 degrees Fahrenheit (3.6 degrees Celsius), he added.

For the Milan Cortina Games, there's an added layer of complexity. It’s the most spread-out Winter Games in history, so Olympic venues are in localities with very different weather conditions. Bormio and Livigno, for example, are less than an hour apart by car, but they are separated by a high mountain pass that can divide the two places climatically.

The organizing committee is working closely with four regional and provincial public weather agencies. It has positioned weather sensors at strategic points for the competitions, including close to the ski jumping ramps, along the Alpine skiing tracks and at the biathlon shooting range.

Where automatic stations cannot collect everything of interest, the committee has observers — “scientists of the snow”— from the agencies ready to collect data, according to Matteo Pasotti, a weather specialist for the organizing committee.

The hope? Clear skies, light winds and low temperatures on race days to ensure good visibility and preserve the snow layer.

The reality: “It’s actually pretty warm out. We expected it to be a lot colder,” said Karli Poliziani, an American who lives in Milan. Poliziani was in Cortina with her father, who considered going out Sunday in just a sweatshirt.

And forecasts indicate that more days with above-average temperatures lie ahead for the Olympic competitions, Pasotti said.

Weather plays a critical role in the smooth running and safety of winter sports competitions, according to Filippo Bazzanella, head of sport services and planning for the organizing committee. High temperatures can impact the snow layer on Alpine skiing courses and visibility is essential. Humidity and high temperatures can affect the quality of the ice at indoor arenas and sliding centers, too.

Visibility and wind are the two factors most likely to cause changes to the competition schedule, Bazzanella added. Wind can be a safety issue or a fairness one, such as in the biathlon where slight variations can disrupt the athletes' precise shooting.

American alpine skier Jackie Wiles said many races this year have been challenging because of the weather.

“I feel like we’re pretty good about keeping our heads in the game because a lot of people are going to get taken out by that immediately,” she said at a team press conference last week. “Having that mindset of: it’s going to be what it’s going to be, and we still have to go out there and fight like hell regardless.”

Sports

Real Madrid Beat Valencia to Stay on Barcelona’s Heels

Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe, left, celebrates with Alvaro Carreras, right, and Brahim Diaz after scoring his side's second goal during the Spanish LaLiga match between Valencia and Real Madrid in Valencia, Spain, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP)
Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe, left, celebrates with Alvaro Carreras, right, and Brahim Diaz after scoring his side's second goal during the Spanish LaLiga match between Valencia and Real Madrid in Valencia, Spain, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP)
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Real Madrid Beat Valencia to Stay on Barcelona’s Heels

Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe, left, celebrates with Alvaro Carreras, right, and Brahim Diaz after scoring his side's second goal during the Spanish LaLiga match between Valencia and Real Madrid in Valencia, Spain, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP)
Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe, left, celebrates with Alvaro Carreras, right, and Brahim Diaz after scoring his side's second goal during the Spanish LaLiga match between Valencia and Real Madrid in Valencia, Spain, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP)

Real Madrid stayed within one point of LaLiga leaders Barcelona with a 2-0 win at Valencia on Sunday as second-half goals by Alvaro Carreras and Kylian Mbappe settled a largely uneventful contest.

Real dominated possession but found chances hard to come by, with Valencia keeper Stole Dimitrievski rarely called into action as the visitors struggled to turn control into threat.

It took them until the 65th minute to break the deadlock through Carreras before Mbappe wrapped up the points in stoppage time.

Barcelona lead the table on 58 points, with Real second on 57. Valencia are 17th, a point above the relegation zone.

Mbappe offered the main outlet with sporadic ‌runs down the ‌left but clear openings were limited.

Real coach Alvaro ‌Arbeloa ⁠was forced ‌to improvise, missing suspended winger Vinicius Jr and injured trio Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo and Eder Militao.

The absences opened the door for academy players Raul Asensio, David Jimenez and Gonzalo Garcia to start, with Mbappe providing the lone spark for an uninspiring Real side.

The deadlock was broken through fullback Carreras in a fortunate turn of events.

Making an ambitious run into the box, Carreras was dispossessed by Valencia's defenders, but ⁠the attempted clearance ricocheted back off him and fortuitously fell at his feet.

The 22-year-old was quickest ‌to react, sweeping a low shot into the bottom-left ‍corner.

Valencia offered little in response and ‍Real sealed the points in added time. Substitute Brahim Diaz launched a ‍counter-attack down the left and slid a low cross into the area for Mbappe, who finished first time from close range.

It was the France forward's 23rd league goal, leaving him eight goals clear at the top of the scoring charts.

“Playing at Valencia is always like going to the dentist," Arbeloa told reporters.

"We knew how difficult the match would be, how demanding they would be. ⁠It was a very serious and committed match. I'm happy.

"We can certainly raise our game in terms of brilliance. We have a lot of room for improvement. But a team is built on solidity and commitment. (Thibaut) Courtois didn't make a single save today. Dedication, commitment, sacrifice. Madrid demonstrated those values once again today."

Elsewhere on Sunday, Atletico Madrid slipped further adrift in the title race after a 1-0 home loss to Real Betis.

Antony struck in the 28th minute with a fierce effort from the edge of the box, earning Manuel Pellegrini's side a valuable victory as they bolstered their push for European qualification.

Atletico are a distant third ‌in the table on 45 points, three points ahead of fourth-placed Villarreal, who have two games in hand. Betis sit fifth on 38 points.