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Newcastle Hosts Man City in League Cup. Madrid Looks to Bounce Back against Las Palmas

24 September 2023, United Kingdom, Sheffield: Newcastle United's Bruno Guimaraes celebrates with team-mate Anthony Gordon after scoring his side's seventh goal during the English Premier League match between Sheffield United and Newcastle United at Bramall Lane. (dpa)
24 September 2023, United Kingdom, Sheffield: Newcastle United's Bruno Guimaraes celebrates with team-mate Anthony Gordon after scoring his side's seventh goal during the English Premier League match between Sheffield United and Newcastle United at Bramall Lane. (dpa)
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Newcastle Hosts Man City in League Cup. Madrid Looks to Bounce Back against Las Palmas

24 September 2023, United Kingdom, Sheffield: Newcastle United's Bruno Guimaraes celebrates with team-mate Anthony Gordon after scoring his side's seventh goal during the English Premier League match between Sheffield United and Newcastle United at Bramall Lane. (dpa)
24 September 2023, United Kingdom, Sheffield: Newcastle United's Bruno Guimaraes celebrates with team-mate Anthony Gordon after scoring his side's seventh goal during the English Premier League match between Sheffield United and Newcastle United at Bramall Lane. (dpa)

A look at what’s happening in European soccer on Wednesday:

ENGLAND

Newcastle hosts Manchester City in the third round of the English League Cup on Wednesday. City has made a 100% start to the season, while Newcastle routed Sheffield United 8-0 on Sunday. Newcastle was beaten by Manchester United in last season’s final and is still waiting for its first major trophy since 1969. City won everything but the League Cup last season when it completed a trophy treble of the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup. Other all-Premier League clashes include Aston Villa vs. Everton, Brentford vs. Arsenal and Chelsea vs. Brighton. Liverpool hosts Leicester.

SPAIN

Real Madrid looks to rebound from its first loss of the season when it hosts promoted Las Palmas in the Spanish league. Madrid had won its first five league games before losing 3-1 at city rival Atletico Madrid on Sunday. Vinícius Júnior is expected to make his return after missing the match against Atletico because of a stomach illness. The Brazil forward had been out before that with a hamstring issue. Las Palmas defeated Granada in the previous round for its first win of the season. Girona, which entered the midweek games tied at the top with Barcelona, visits Villarreal looking for its six straight victory. In other matches, Athletic Bilbao hosts Getafe, Rayo Vallecano visits Cadiz and Real Sociedad is at Valencia.

ITALY

Inter Milan will be looking to continue its perfect start to the Serie A season when it hosts Sassuolo. Inter has won all five of its Italian league matches, conceding just one goal in the process. However, it found it harder than perhaps expected before winning 1-0 at bottom club Empoli at the weekend and faces a Sassuolo team full of confidence after a 4-2 victory over Juventus. AC Milan is just three points behind its city rival and hosts Claudio Ranieri’s Cagliari, which is still seeking its first win back in Serie A. Udinese and Salernitana are also winless and play defending champion Napoli and Empoli respectively. Last season’s runner-up Lazio is surprisingly struggling and it hosts Torino, while Atalanta travels to Hellas Verona.

GERMANY

Two-time champion Leipzig begins its German Cup defense at Wehen Wiesbaden, which has lost its last two games and failed to win any of its last four in the second division. Leipzig has made a fine start to season, winning its last four Bundesliga games after an opening defeat at Bayer Leverkusen. Wiesbaden will be hoping the visitors are distracted by their upcoming league game against Bayern Munich on Saturday.

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Liverpool Leverage Set-piece Dominance in 5-2 Win over West Ham

28 February 2026, United Kingdom, Liverpool: Liverpool's Cody Gakpo celebrates scoring his sides fourth goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and West Ham United at Anfield. Photo: Peter Byrne/PA Wire/dpa
28 February 2026, United Kingdom, Liverpool: Liverpool's Cody Gakpo celebrates scoring his sides fourth goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and West Ham United at Anfield. Photo: Peter Byrne/PA Wire/dpa
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Liverpool Leverage Set-piece Dominance in 5-2 Win over West Ham

28 February 2026, United Kingdom, Liverpool: Liverpool's Cody Gakpo celebrates scoring his sides fourth goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and West Ham United at Anfield. Photo: Peter Byrne/PA Wire/dpa
28 February 2026, United Kingdom, Liverpool: Liverpool's Cody Gakpo celebrates scoring his sides fourth goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and West Ham United at Anfield. Photo: Peter Byrne/PA Wire/dpa

Liverpool exploited West Ham United's weakness at set pieces to secure a 5-2 win in their Premier League clash at Anfield on Saturday, but the hosts did not have it all their own way as they struggled to shake off the relegation-threatened Londoners.

The win takes the Merseysiders up to fifth, level on 48 points with fourth-placed Manchester United, who play on Sunday. West Ham stay 18th on 25 points, two points off Nottingham Forest in the safety zone and having played a game more.

All three of Liverpool’s first-half goals – Hugo Ekitike’s opener after five minutes, Virgil van Dijk’s header 19 ⁠minutes later and ⁠Alexis Mac Allister’s volley just before the break – came from West Ham’s inability to deal with corners effectively.

However, despite their handsome lead, Liverpool looked shaky in defense and disaster almost struck on the half-hour mark.

Goalkeeper Alisson played the ball straight to Jarrod Bowen as he played out from the back but the West Ham midfielder could not control it and it rolled back to the keeper who cleared.

Things began to ⁠unravel when Tomas Soucek pulled a goal back for West Ham early in the second half and the home side's nerves were apparent when Cody Gakpo missed a sitter in the 54th.

However, the Dutchman made amends after 70 minutes, cutting in from the left and driving a shot into the net at the foot of the far post to make it 4-1.

That should have killed the game off, but West Ham finally got a corner to work in their favor in the 75th as the ball sailed over the Liverpool defense, leaving Valentin Castellanos with the simple task of heading into the net to make it 4-2.

That was as ⁠close as West ⁠Ham got though and the visitors ran out of luck shortly afterwards when Liverpool substitute Jeremie Frimpong drove the ball in from the right-hand side of the box and Axel Disasi steered it into his own net.

Liverpool's Gakpo brushed off his side's struggles against a team who are now 13 places below them in the table and welcomed the home side's set-piece effectiveness.

"Step by step, we're getting a better team. We had a difficult moment during the season, but hopefully these last few games are the start of something beautiful," he told Sky Sports.

"There is a lot to play for. Hopefully, we can keep the momentum we have and end the season in a good way ... when the game is stuck and you know you can score from a set piece, we lacked that earlier in the season."

Sports

First Yamal Hat-trick Helps Liga Leaders Barcelona Beat Villarreal

Barcelona's Lamine Yamal, left, celebrates scoring his side's opening goal with teammate Fermin Lopez during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Villareal in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
Barcelona's Lamine Yamal, left, celebrates scoring his side's opening goal with teammate Fermin Lopez during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Villareal in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
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First Yamal Hat-trick Helps Liga Leaders Barcelona Beat Villarreal

Barcelona's Lamine Yamal, left, celebrates scoring his side's opening goal with teammate Fermin Lopez during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Villareal in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
Barcelona's Lamine Yamal, left, celebrates scoring his side's opening goal with teammate Fermin Lopez during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Villareal in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

Barcelona's teenage star Lamine Yamal scored the first hat-trick of his career in a 4-1 win over Villarreal on Saturday that took the Catalan giants four points clear at the top of La Liga.

The Spain international struck twice in the first half and, after Pape Gueye pulled one back for the visitors at Camp Nou, stroked in a third for Hansi Flick's side.

Robert Lewandowski rounded off Barca's triumph with a late tap-in as they extend their lead on Real Madrid, who host Getafe on Monday, and third-place Villarreal who now trail the champions by 13 points, AFP reported.

Yamal, who seems to have fully recovered from a groin issue which bothered him for several weeks earlier in the campaign, was at his effervescent best.

The winger became the youngest player to score a hat-trick in La Liga in the 21st century at 18 years and 230 days old.

Yamal has now equaled his tally of 18 goals last season across all competitions, becoming the team's top goalscorer and raising the one area of his game which called for improvement.

Barcelona might have taken the lead through Jules Kounde early on but the French defender screwed a shot across the face of goal when well placed.

Yamal tested Villarreal goalkeeper Luiz Junior from distance, offering a brief glimpse of what was soon to follow.

Barca took the lead when Fermin Lopez won the ball high up the pitch and fed Yamal, who curled home after 28 minutes.

Yamal's second followed nine minutes later, a stunning individual goal after he drove in from the right.

The teenager left Sergi Cardona and Alberto Moleiro for dead and then whipped a strike into the far top corner.

Luiz Junior saved Raphinha's free-kick as Barca sought a third before the interval. Kounde flicked home but was offside and Yamal might have completed his hat-trick but fired over.

Dani Olmo wasted a good chance early in the second half and soon paid the price as Villarreal pulled one back.

Gueye turned home from close range after a scramble in the box as Barca failed to clear a corner.

The Yellow Submarine nearly had a second when Joan Garcia came flying out of his goal to try and beat Ayoze Perez to a ball in behind Barca's defense.

The goalkeeper did not win it cleanly and after Perez recovered possession the Canary Islander fired just wide with Garcia stranded in no man's land.

Yamal bent another shot agonizingly wide from the edge of the box as he chased his first ever treble, which eventually came after substitute Pedri played him in with an inch-perfect pass.

The teenager beat Luiz Junior with a clinical finish and was given an ovation when Flick brought him off shortly afterwards.

Lewandowski netted Barca's fourth after good work from Pedri and Kounde, who had one of his best games of the season.

Scoring four goals -- at least -- is what Barca need to do on Wednesday, as they host Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey semi-final second leg, aiming to overcome a 4-0 deficit.

Sports

FIFA Watching Iran Developments as World Cup Nears

FIFA's logo is seen in front of its headquarters during a foggy autumn day in Zurich, Switzerland November 18, 2020. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann
FIFA's logo is seen in front of its headquarters during a foggy autumn day in Zurich, Switzerland November 18, 2020. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann
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FIFA Watching Iran Developments as World Cup Nears

FIFA's logo is seen in front of its headquarters during a foggy autumn day in Zurich, Switzerland November 18, 2020. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann
FIFA's logo is seen in front of its headquarters during a foggy autumn day in Zurich, Switzerland November 18, 2020. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann

FIFA said Saturday it is keeping an eye on events in Iran after the United States launched a military strike on the nation.

The action comes just months before the start of World Cup play in June, with matches to be played in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Iran qualified for the tournament through its participation in the Asian Football Conference.

Iran is scheduled to play Belgium, New Zealand and Egypt in Group G. Two of the games are set for Los Angeles, one in Seattle.

FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom said the organization is monitoring what happens.

"I read the news (about Iran) this morning the same way you did," Grafstrom said at the International Football Association Board's annual general meeting in Cardiff, Wales, per ESPN.

"We had a meeting today and it is premature to comment in detail, but we will monitor developments around all issues around the world."

The World Cup draw took place in Washington, D.C., in December, with Iran represented.

"We will continue to communicate as we always do with three (host) governments as we always do in any case. Everybody will be safe," Grafstrom said.