PSG Fight Back to Beat Strasbourg After Dembele Penalty Miss

 Paris Saint-Germain's Ukrainian defender #06 Illia Zabarnyi applauds at the end of the French L1 football match between RC Strasbourg Alsace and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) at the Stade de la Meinau in Strasbourg, eastern France, on October 17, 2026. (AFP)
Paris Saint-Germain's Ukrainian defender #06 Illia Zabarnyi applauds at the end of the French L1 football match between RC Strasbourg Alsace and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) at the Stade de la Meinau in Strasbourg, eastern France, on October 17, 2026. (AFP)
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PSG Fight Back to Beat Strasbourg After Dembele Penalty Miss

 Paris Saint-Germain's Ukrainian defender #06 Illia Zabarnyi applauds at the end of the French L1 football match between RC Strasbourg Alsace and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) at the Stade de la Meinau in Strasbourg, eastern France, on October 17, 2026. (AFP)
Paris Saint-Germain's Ukrainian defender #06 Illia Zabarnyi applauds at the end of the French L1 football match between RC Strasbourg Alsace and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) at the Stade de la Meinau in Strasbourg, eastern France, on October 17, 2026. (AFP)

Ousmane Dembele missed a penalty but later scored as Paris Saint-Germain produced a fightback to win 3-1 away at Strasbourg on Saturday and go to the top of the French Ligue 1 table.

PSG were trailing to an early goal by United States star Giovanni Reyna for Strasbourg at the Stade de la Meinau, and last year's Ballon d'Or winner Dembele came off the bench before he put a penalty wide in the 72nd minute.

But Dembele made amends in style, first by setting up Illia Zabarnyi to equalize in the 78th minute and then by putting the reigning French and European champions ahead with five minutes to go.

He then played a part in setting up Desire Doue for PSG's third in stoppage time, as Luis Enrique's men made it four straight Ligue 1 wins, and six on the bounce including the Champions League.

"I told him: 'If you play for 25 minutes and you give an assist and score a goal, you don't need to play any longer. That is enough'," Luis Enrique said of Dembele, one of a host of PSG players rested from the starting line-up in between key European games against Manchester City and Barcelona.

"Ousmane and the other players are not machines and they will not always be at their best. There are games over the course of a season where you are not at your best level because that is normal," added Luis Enrique.

After failing to win any of their first three domestic league matches this season, PSG are up to 14 points from seven games and are therefore top of the standings on goals scored from Lille as well as Monaco, before the principality club visit Lorient on Sunday.

Lille drew 1-1 with Brest, while Rennes, Paris FC and Lyon all have the opportunity to go back above PSG when they play on Sunday.

This game, one of PSG's toughest domestic tests of the season, fell awkwardly just three days after their 4-2 Champions League victory at City and three days before they host Barcelona.

- Spot-kick woe -

True to form, Luis Enrique therefore made sweeping changes with eight in total from the City game. Dembele was one of those relegated to the bench here with an eye on the meeting with Barcelona, his former side.

Strasbourg sought to take advantage and went in front on 17 minutes when Reyna received a Gessime Yassine pass just inside the area, turned and beat Matvey Safonov low at the goalkeeper's near post.

The visitors were grateful to Safonov for a superb save to deny Conrad Harder just after half-time, before Luis Enrique sent on some of the cavalry, including Dembele and Doue.

They won a penalty after a VAR check confirmed that a Doue shot had hit the arm of Pape Demba Diop, but Dembele -- who scored a penalty in May's Champions League final win over Arsenal -- put his spot-kick wide. Three different PSG players have now missed penalties in their last three games.

"We have lots of players who can take them but it is true that we don't have one specialist," said Luis Enrique.

However, Dembele crossed from the right for Ukraine defender Zabarnyi to equalize with a cushioned close-range finish, and then controlled on the edge of the box before firing in to make it 2-1.

That was his first Ligue 1 goal this season to go with three in the Champions League, and Dembele -- who is nominated again for this year's Ballon d'Or -- then brought down a long Safonov kick before finding Ferran Torres who set up Doue to seal the win.

Lille were looking to bounce back from a 3-0 Champions League loss at Arsenal when they entertained Brest, but they needed a penalty from 40-year-old Olivier Giroud to get a 1-1 draw.

Lens, France's other Champions League representative, won 3-1 away at Troyes.



Alcaraz Reaches First Paris Masters Final, Will Face Shelton

Carlos Alcaraz of Spain celebrates after winning his match against Casper Ruud of Norway in the semi final of the ATP Paris Masters tennis tournament in Nanterre, near Paris, France, 07 November 2026. EPA/CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON
Carlos Alcaraz of Spain celebrates after winning his match against Casper Ruud of Norway in the semi final of the ATP Paris Masters tennis tournament in Nanterre, near Paris, France, 07 November 2026. EPA/CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON
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Alcaraz Reaches First Paris Masters Final, Will Face Shelton

Carlos Alcaraz of Spain celebrates after winning his match against Casper Ruud of Norway in the semi final of the ATP Paris Masters tennis tournament in Nanterre, near Paris, France, 07 November 2026. EPA/CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON
Carlos Alcaraz of Spain celebrates after winning his match against Casper Ruud of Norway in the semi final of the ATP Paris Masters tennis tournament in Nanterre, near Paris, France, 07 November 2026. EPA/CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON

World number three Carlos Alcaraz edged past Casper Ruud 6-4 6-4 on Saturday to reach his first Paris Masters final, where he will face Ben Shelton, who shook off a slow start to beat local favourite Luca Van Assche 5-7 6-3 6-4.

The Spaniard, who saved two match points in the quarter-final, has now reached the final at seven of the nine ATP Masters 1000 events on the calendar.

According to Reuters, Alcaraz started his first Paris semi-final with few unforced errors before getting sharper and more aggressive.

He broke on ⁠his third opportunity ⁠to lead 4-3, and closed out the first set with an ace and a hold to love.

In the second set, Ruud netted a forehand, giving Alcaraz the chance to serve for the match. The 23-year-old did not waste the opportunity, sealing victory with another ace.

The seven-times Grand Slam champion is the first Spaniard to reach the Paris Masters final since David Ferrer in ⁠2013, and he aims to lift his first ATP Masters 1000 trophy of the season after losing his only final to Jannik Sinner in Monte Carlo.

He will face world number four Shelton, who reached the third ATP 1000 final of his career after beating Van Assche.

US Open finalist Shelton netted twice from the baseline and hit a forehand wide as Van Assche, ranked 47th in the world, took the only break in the first set to go 6-5 up amid raucous support from his hometown crowd.

But the third seed, who was undone by his 17 unforced ⁠errors in the ⁠first set, found his rhythm in the second. He dragged the 22-year-old Frenchman into long rallies to force mistakes and broke to go 4-2 up, a lead that secured the set.

Shelton looked shaky early in the third set, landing wide twice as Van Assche took a 3-1 lead with a break. But the American turned the tide back in his favour, winning the next four games as Van Assche struggled with double faults and netted forehands.

The 24-year-old is the first American to reach the Paris Masters final since Jack Sock won the title in 2017. Shelton will hope to clinch his third ATP 1000 title on Sunday, having won the Canadian Open twice.


Japan Great 'King Kazu' Miura Sets Oldest Appearance Record at 59

Japan's soccer player Kazuyoshi Miura, known as 'King Kazu', poses for a photograph during his first news conference after joining Fukushima United in the J-League third division in Tokyo, Japan January 9, 2026, in this photo taken by Kyodo. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS/File Photo
Japan's soccer player Kazuyoshi Miura, known as 'King Kazu', poses for a photograph during his first news conference after joining Fukushima United in the J-League third division in Tokyo, Japan January 9, 2026, in this photo taken by Kyodo. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS/File Photo
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Japan Great 'King Kazu' Miura Sets Oldest Appearance Record at 59

Japan's soccer player Kazuyoshi Miura, known as 'King Kazu', poses for a photograph during his first news conference after joining Fukushima United in the J-League third division in Tokyo, Japan January 9, 2026, in this photo taken by Kyodo. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS/File Photo
Japan's soccer player Kazuyoshi Miura, known as 'King Kazu', poses for a photograph during his first news conference after joining Fukushima United in the J-League third division in Tokyo, Japan January 9, 2026, in this photo taken by Kyodo. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS/File Photo

Former Japan international Kazuyoshi Miura became the oldest player to appear in Japan's third-tier league on Saturday when the 59-year-old came off the bench in Fukushima United's 4-1 home win over FC Ryukyu.

Miura, affectionately known as "King Kazu", was introduced in second-half stoppage time at ⁠the age of ⁠59 years, 8 months and 12 days, increasing his own J.League record in a career that has entered its 42nd season, Reuters reported.

The striker's ⁠appearance was his first in a league match since 2021, when he played once in Japan's top flight for parent club Yokohama FC.

Miura also made six appearances in a shortened special tournament held under the split-season format last season, ⁠although ⁠those matches were not classified as official league games.

The former Japan forward, who has continued playing professionally across five decades, also ended a near four-year wait for a competitive goal when he scored in the Emperor's Cup in July.


Formula One Extends Sao Paulo Contract to 2035

British Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari takes part in free practice for the 2026 Formula One Sao Paulo Grand Prix at the Interlagos Circuit in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 07 November 2026.  EPA/ANDRE COELHO
British Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari takes part in free practice for the 2026 Formula One Sao Paulo Grand Prix at the Interlagos Circuit in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 07 November 2026. EPA/ANDRE COELHO
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Formula One Extends Sao Paulo Contract to 2035

British Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari takes part in free practice for the 2026 Formula One Sao Paulo Grand Prix at the Interlagos Circuit in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 07 November 2026.  EPA/ANDRE COELHO
British Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari takes part in free practice for the 2026 Formula One Sao Paulo Grand Prix at the Interlagos Circuit in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 07 November 2026. EPA/ANDRE COELHO

Formula One will continue to race at Sao Paulo's Interlagos circuit until 2035 after announcing a five-year contract extension on Saturday.

The existing contract, under an extension agreed in 2023, had beendue to run until 2030.

Interlagos, officially named the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace after Brazil's 1975 race winner, first hosted a world championship grand prix in 1973. It is currently the only South American round of the championship.

The atmospheric circuit has witnessed some major milestones in the sport's history, including the late triple champion Ayrton Senna’s emotional home win in 1991, Kimi Raikkonen winning the 2007 title for Ferrari ⁠and Lewis Hamilton's ⁠first with McLaren in 2008.

"Brazil is an important part of Formula One’s history and our future, and I am delighted that this five-year extension will see us continue racing in Sao Paulo until 2035," Reuters quoted Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali as saying.

"The passion of our Brazilian fans is extraordinary and every time we return to Interlagos we feel their energy in the grandstands and in the city of Sao Paulo."

The announcement came as ⁠neighboring Argentina pushes for a return to the calendar, with Buenos Aires' Oscar y Juan Galvez Autodrome undergoing renovations aimed at achieving FIA Grade One status.

Buenos Aires Mayor Jorge Macri, who was at Interlagos this weekend, said on social media that he had met Domenicali and presented a proposal for the sport's return to the Argentine capital, which last hosted a race in 1998.

"We have mayors from other cities around the world visiting the circuit here but they will not leave with a contract for their cities," Sao Paulo Mayor Ricardo Nunes told reporters.

"What they will take home is very nice memories of a great spectacle that we will hold here this ⁠week in Sao ⁠Paulo."

Formula One said the new contract involved "significant investments" by the city to improve the fan experience.

Nunes said the race generated a "major economic and financial gain" for Sao Paulo, estimating that this week's event would move around 2.3 billion reais ($417.78 million) through the local economy.

He said hotels, restaurants, taxi drivers and ride-hailing services were benefiting from the influx of visitors. The mayor added that tickets had sold out quickly despite organizers increasing capacity by 7,000 seats compared with last year.

Brazilian fans have extra reason to celebrate this weekend, with the country having two Formula One drivers on the grid for the first time in a decade.

Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto has been joined by Haas rookie Rafael Camara, who replaced Esteban Ocon, while Argentina is represented by Alpine's Franco Colapinto.