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Leipzig Seal Champions League Berth in Bundesliga

Xaver Schlager of Leipzig in action during the German Bundesliga soccer match between RB Leipzig and FC St. Pauli in Leipzig, Germany, 09 May 2026. EPA/MARTIN DIVISEK
Xaver Schlager of Leipzig in action during the German Bundesliga soccer match between RB Leipzig and FC St. Pauli in Leipzig, Germany, 09 May 2026. EPA/MARTIN DIVISEK
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Leipzig Seal Champions League Berth in Bundesliga

Xaver Schlager of Leipzig in action during the German Bundesliga soccer match between RB Leipzig and FC St. Pauli in Leipzig, Germany, 09 May 2026. EPA/MARTIN DIVISEK
Xaver Schlager of Leipzig in action during the German Bundesliga soccer match between RB Leipzig and FC St. Pauli in Leipzig, Germany, 09 May 2026. EPA/MARTIN DIVISEK

RB Leipzig sealed Champions League qualification with a comfortable 2-1 win over St. Pauli on Saturday on a dramatic day in the Bundesliga's race for Europe.

Goals from Xaver Schlager and Willi Orban saw Leipzig secure third place with a game to spare and plunge St. Pauli deeper into the relegation mire.

"We were under a lot of pressure this season, but we are a great group and we rose to it," Leipzig's captain David Raum said in a speech in front of the fans.

"We have achieved our goal now, so let's all have a drink and party all night long," he added, according to AFP.

The Hamburg side had scored just four goals in their previous eight games, and they were left to rue missed chances yet again in Leipzig.

The visitors squandered several chances on the counter-attack before Schlager hooked the ball in at a corner to give Leipzig the lead just before half time.

Orban doubled the lead with a brilliant header after the break, before Abdoulie Ceesay grabbed a late consolation for the visitors.

Defeat keeps St. Pauli second from bottom, setting up a winner-takes-all clash with fellow strugglers Wolfsburg on the final day of the season next weekend.

"We have to go about the last game like it's a war," St. Pauli's Louis Oppie told DAZN.

While Leipzig are now certain to finish third behind Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, Stuttgart lead the race for the fourth and final Champions League spot after landing a crucial 3-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen.

Stuttgart bounced back after a nightmare start, as Leverkusen took the lead with a smash-and-grab goal after just 34 seconds.

Centre-back Ramon Hendriks lost the ball on the halfway line, providing the visitors with a free run at goal and Aleix Garcia with an easy tap-in.

The hosts levelled the scores just five minutes later, however, Ermedin Demirovic smashing the ball in after a smart passing move in the box.

Demirovic was then tripped in the box on the stroke of half-time and Maximilian Mittelstädt put Stuttgart in front with a cool chipped penalty.

Stuttgart took control after the break, Deniz Undav sealing the win with an artistic finish after Demirovic had a goal ruled out for offside.

The result leaves Leverkusen three points adrift of the Champions League spots in sixth behind Stuttgart and Hoffenheim.

Hoffenheim remain level on points with Stuttgart in fifth after they beat ten-man Werder Bremen 1-0.

Bremen's Yukinari Sugawara was sent off early on for a dangerous challenge on Bazoumana Toure, who scored Hoffenheim's winner 20 minutes later.

Elsewhere, Augsburg kept their hopes of European qualification alive with a 3-1 win over Borussia Moenchengladbach.

A brace for Michael Gregoritsch and a rare goal for defender Robin Fellhauer saw Augsburg take a 3-0 lead before Rocco Reitz pulled one back for Gladbach late in the game.

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Sports

It’s Time to Really Start Judging Maresca and New-Look Man City After $600M Refresh

Football - Premier League - Crystal Palace v Manchester City - Selhurst Park, London, Britain - August 28, 2026 Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca and Ruben Dias celebrate after the match. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Crystal Palace v Manchester City - Selhurst Park, London, Britain - August 28, 2026 Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca and Ruben Dias celebrate after the match. (Reuters)
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It’s Time to Really Start Judging Maresca and New-Look Man City After $600M Refresh

Football - Premier League - Crystal Palace v Manchester City - Selhurst Park, London, Britain - August 28, 2026 Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca and Ruben Dias celebrate after the match. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Crystal Palace v Manchester City - Selhurst Park, London, Britain - August 28, 2026 Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca and Ruben Dias celebrate after the match. (Reuters)

Any concerns over Manchester City's capacity to challenge Arsenal for the Premier League title early in the post-Pep Guardiola era might have disappeared.

That's what back-to-back wins and spending $400 million on new players in two weeks can do for a team.

City is back in a good place, it seems, at the end of a transfer window where the club had a bigger expenditure than anyone else in Europe. Deadline-day signings of Enzo Fernandez and Iliman Ndiaye took its overall summer outlay to more than $600 million.

Over the past week, City has also bought Morocco midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi and Brazilian winger Allan — for a combined cost of $160 million — essentially as backups.

It leaves City manager Enzo Maresca suddenly with a strong, deep squad and therefore plenty of selection dilemmas for the home match against Coventry on Saturday.

Maresca started the season playing Marc Guehi — a center back — in center midfield, such were his shortage of options there after City sold or released a slew of midfielders such as Rodri, Bernardo Silva and Tijjani Reijnders and hadn't replaced them.

Now he has to pick two of Elliot Anderson, Fernandez or Bouaddi to play behind in-form playmaker Rayan Cherki. And on the wing, Ndiaye and Allan will provide competition for senior players Phil Foden, Antoine Semenyo and Jeremy Doku.

You fear for Coventry, a promoted team which has already traveled to Arsenal and was fortunate to lose only 3-0.

City has opened the season with a 2-1 win over Bournemouth and a 4-1 win at Crystal Palace. The first couple of weeks might have been the best time to play City with its incomplete squad, new manager settling in and players not fully fit after the World Cup. Let's not forget the Community Shield, where City's performance was tepid in a 3-0 loss to Arsenal.

This weekend onward is the time to really start judging Maresca and this refurbished City team.

Key matchups

The standout fixture sees defending champion Arsenal host Chelsea on Sunday in a match between two of the four teams on a maximum six points. Arsenal has looked typically stingy at the back — it has yet to concede a goal — while Chelsea is the joint top scorer with seven goals, so something has to give.

Aside from City, promoted Hull is the other team with two wins from two and next hosts Aston Villa, which has zero points.

After back-to-back draws, Liverpool will look for its first win of the season at promoted Ipswich on Friday.

Players to watch

This is the first chance to see some of the top signings in the transfer window in action.

Among them is Bradley Barcola, who could make his debut — possibly off the bench — for Liverpool after his $166 million move from Paris Saint-Germain. He hadn't made an appearance for PSG this season with uncertainty over his future.

Jack Grealish is back on loan at Everton and might be thrown straight in against Manchester United with Ndiaye no longer around.

Off the field

Watch out for possible protesting by Everton fans unhappy at the American-owned club's activity in the summer transfer market that saw not only its best attacker, Ndiaye, leave but also its backup striker Beto depart without being replaced.

With deadline-day bids for Folarin Balogun and Joshua Zirkzee failing, Everton has been left with just one senior striker — Thierno Barry.

Everton's fan advisory board issued a statement to reflect the “serious concerns” expressed by supporters regarding the club's handling of the transfer window and argue the squad is in a weaker state than it was at the start.

“The gap between ambition and execution is now impossible to ignore, and it has damaged confidence in the planning, leadership and alignment of football operations,” the fan group said. “Supporters deserve clarity, accountability and evidence that lessons have been learned before further trust can be rebuilt.”

The Texas-based Friedkin Group is starting its second full season as Everton's owner.

Sports

Heading for Ferrari’s Home Race, Leclerc Still Dreams of World Title

Scuderia Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc of Monaco walks in the paddock of the Formula One Grand Prix of Italy, in Monza, Italy, 3 September 2026. (EPA)
Scuderia Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc of Monaco walks in the paddock of the Formula One Grand Prix of Italy, in Monza, Italy, 3 September 2026. (EPA)
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Heading for Ferrari’s Home Race, Leclerc Still Dreams of World Title

Scuderia Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc of Monaco walks in the paddock of the Formula One Grand Prix of Italy, in Monza, Italy, 3 September 2026. (EPA)
Scuderia Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc of Monaco walks in the paddock of the Formula One Grand Prix of Italy, in Monza, Italy, 3 September 2026. (EPA)

In his eight years at Ferrari, Charles Leclerc has established himself as a popular and talented Monegasque prince of the Formula One grid, yet being crowned his sport's king remains just a dream.

The 28-year-old said in an interview in August that it "is still possible" for him to become world champion in 2027, although it will be "surely a difficult goal to achieve".

He has flashed his talent again this season, winning at Silverstone and stepping onto the podium after three other races.

Yet, ahead of the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, a race he has won twice, he sits fifth in the drivers' standings, 87 points behind leader Kimi Antonelli and also trailing team-mate Lewis Hamilton.

Ferrari signed Leclerc, fresh from an impressive rookie F1 campaign with Sauber, ahead of the 2019 season.

He has since racked up nine victories, including one on home soil in Monaco and two at Monza and finished a distant second behind Max Verstappen in the 2022 world championship and third in 2024.

In June, Leclerc signed a contract extension with Ferrari until the end of 2028.

At the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort in August, he talked of his love for the team.

Leclerc -- a wealthy driver and a star of the press and social media who has released pop records -- presents himself as a mature and clear-headed leader of the Scuderia, despite the pressure this year from Hamilton, who, at 41, is aiming for an eighth world title.

"I've changed a lot, because through experiences -- good and bad -- you mature enormously as a driver and as a person," said the recently-married Leclerc, who is smiling but often reserved in front of the press, in contrast to his aggressive approach on the track.

"I grew up in Italy with karting and absorbed a lot of Italian passion and emotion. But over the years, I've managed to handle those emotions better when things are going very well or very badly," says Leclerc, who recently admitted to being affected by what he calls "negative stories" surrounding his inconsistent performances.

- Ferrari frustration -

Leclerc's inability to turn pace and potential into domination mirrors the frustrating recent history of the Scuderia.

Ferrari, historically the sport's most successful team, won their last constructors' title in 2008. The last driver crowned world champion in a red single-seater was Finn Kimi Raikkonen the year before.

"The passion within Ferrari is an incredible force, and when things aren't going as they should, we work tirelessly to turn the tide," said Leclerc.

"But it can hurt too. When things aren't going well, people feel it very deeply."

He says the arrival of Frenchman Fred Vasseur as team principal ahead of the 2023 season improved Ferrari's team culture.

"Fred has really brought that calm, that cool-headedness needed to make the environment less prone to emotional outbursts," said Leclerc.

This weekend, Leclerc said he expects to be swept up by the "immense enthusiasm" that grips the tifosi, the Monza circuit and nearby Milan the week before the Grand Prix.

"My love for Ferrari and for this sport is the same as it was on the very first day," said Leclerc.

Sports

Aryna Sabalenka Powers Her Way into the Third Round of the US Open in Just 53 Minutes

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in action against Polina Iatcentko of Russia during their second round Women’s Singles match at the US Open Tennis Championships in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, 02 September 2026. EPA/BRIAN HIRSCHFELD
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in action against Polina Iatcentko of Russia during their second round Women’s Singles match at the US Open Tennis Championships in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, 02 September 2026. EPA/BRIAN HIRSCHFELD
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Aryna Sabalenka Powers Her Way into the Third Round of the US Open in Just 53 Minutes

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in action against Polina Iatcentko of Russia during their second round Women’s Singles match at the US Open Tennis Championships in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, 02 September 2026. EPA/BRIAN HIRSCHFELD
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in action against Polina Iatcentko of Russia during their second round Women’s Singles match at the US Open Tennis Championships in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, 02 September 2026. EPA/BRIAN HIRSCHFELD

Aryna Sabalenka came to the US Open struggling and in danger of losing the No. 1 ranking.

She heads to the third round looking every bit ready for a three-peat.

The top-seeded Sabalenka overwhelmed Polina Iatcenko 6-1, 6-1 in 53 minutes on Wednesday night, putting on a power-hitting display that made it seem her recent problems are in the past, The Associated Press said.

“Happy with the level I played today, happy with the focus and happy to be through this match,” Sabalenka said.

A number of players have only finished one match.

Another rainy afternoon in New York suspended play for a time on outside courts, allowing action only under the roofs in Arthur Ashe Stadium and Louis Armstrong Stadium to continue uninterrupted. So the players scheduled there avoided the starts and stops that others faced.

Carlos Alcaraz was one, following Sabalenka with a 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-2 victory over Jaime Faria. The defending champion rebounded after dropping a set, which he didn't do until last year's final, by winning the next eight games to seize control.

Jessica Pegula needed only 56 minutes to defeat Sofia Kenin 6-3, 6-1. Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion, beat Venus Williams in her first match.

“To be out of there in under an hour, it doesn’t always happen,” Pegula said. “So I think I’m just going to take that one and run, I guess, until the next round.”

No. 8 seed Ben Shelton followed Pegula on Ashe and beat Hubert Hurkacz 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (3), 7-5, while No. 7 Daniil Medvedev raced past Sebastian Gorzny — except for a brief delay to protest the chair umpire’s decision to replay a point when two birds sat on the net — 6-3, 6-3, 7-5.

Sabalenka says she was struggling but now feels better

Sabalenka is trying to become the first player to win three in a row in Flushing Meadows since Serena Williams from 2012-14, but arrived after losing in the fourth round of her past three tournaments. She needs help to stay atop the WTA rankings even if she wins the title.

She won 15 of 16 points on first serve in the first set and only dropped off a little in the second, finishing 21 for 28 in the match, against an opponent who is playing in her first Grand Slam tournament.

“I think I struggled a little bit in the middle of the season. Once again, I’m not going to defend myself or explain why, what happened, but I’m happy with my level,” Sabalenka said. “I can definitely say that mentally I’m way stronger than I was in the middle of the season, and physically I also feel stronger. So I feel like I’m on my level of play.”

A three-day first round stretches into a fourth

When the US Open switched to a Sunday start last year, it spread out the first round over the first three days, so Wednesday would have arrived with everyone playing in the second round had the weather cooperated.

It didn't.

Alex de Minaur, the No. 6 seed from Australia, said with all the juggling his match was moved twice from the court where he was originally scheduled. He finally started his US Open on Wednesday on Court 11 and beat Italy's Andrea Guerrieri 6-2, 6-2, 6-4.

“It’s been a couple tough days. But I mean, these tournaments, it's all about adapting and that’s the name of the game,” de Minaur said. “There’s too much to play for to let something like this affect you.”

Paula Badosa said she didn't even know how to prepare for the resumption of her match against Daria Kasatkina, which was halted Tuesday with her one game from winning to set up a second-round match against No. 4 Coco Gauff.

“I didn’t know if I was going to play just two points or six, or I don’t know how much, how many I play or one more set,” the Spaniard said Wednesday after finishing off her 6-1, 6-4 victory.

“So I knew that if I was winning this match, I’m playing the next day. So, yeah, it was everything a bit different. I was very nervous that I even couldn’t eat, so a lot of different stuff I did today, but sometimes it is how it is, and I tried to play with the things I had there.”

At least she got through. No. 12 Rafael Jodar, the 19-year-old from Spain who came in after a strong summer, was routed 6-2, 6-1, 6-1 by Bu Yunchaokete of China when his first-round match was finally completed.

“I knew it wasn’t going to be easy because I was waiting a lot yesterday and today as well, but it is what it is,” Jodar said. “We cannot control the rain, so it’s difficult for both players.”

The first round was finally completed late Wednesday, a day when 25 men’s singles matches were scheduled to get the tournament back on track.

Alex Michelsen pulled off an upset in one of them by ousting fellow American Brandon Nakashima, the No. 16 seed, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. No. 11 Frances Tiafoe beat Japanese qualifier Rei Sakamoto in straight sets, and Argentina's Mariano Navone backed up his upset of Novak Djokovic by beating Matteo Berrettini 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (4).

Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova and runner-up Karolina Muchova advanced to the third round, while No. 11 Marta Kostyuk got past 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens 6-1, 7-5. No. 31 seed Leylah Fernandez set up a matchup of past US Open runners-up against Pegula, with the winner to meet either No. 16 Sorana Cirstea or No. 19 Jasmine Paolini.