Mbappe Helps PSG Go Top, Haaland Back among the Goals

Kylian Mbappe scores against AC Milan. FRANCK FIFE / AFP
Kylian Mbappe scores against AC Milan. FRANCK FIFE / AFP
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Mbappe Helps PSG Go Top, Haaland Back among the Goals

Kylian Mbappe scores against AC Milan. FRANCK FIFE / AFP
Kylian Mbappe scores against AC Milan. FRANCK FIFE / AFP

Kylian Mbappe helped Paris Saint-Germain move top of Champions League Group F with a 3-0 victory over AC Milan on Wednesday, while Newcastle slumped to a first defeat, 1-0 against Borussia Dortmund.

Erling Haaland was back on the scoresheet as Manchester City won 3-1 away to Young Boys, and fellow British side Celtic drew 2-2 in Glasgow against Atletico Madrid, said AFP.

Goals from Mbappe, Randal Kolo Muani and Kang-in Lee in Paris against Milan sent PSG top of the closely-contested Group F with six points.

The deadlock was broken just after the half-hour mark when Mbappe received the ball from Warren Zaire-Emery, unbalanced Fikayo Tomori and then wrong-footed compatriot Mike Maignan with a smart, low finish.

Ousmane Dembele thought he had doubled the hosts' advantage on 50 minutes only for a VAR check to disallow it for a foul in the build-up.

Kolo Muani, the third member of PSG's French front three, then did double the lead three minutes later with a close-range tap-in before Lee struck.

"We are very proud of our performance," Kolo Muani said to Canal Plus.

"Winning these games gives everyone confidence."

Newcastle came back to earth with a home defeat by Borussia Dortmund, which saw the Germans move above them into second place on head-to-head.

It was a tight encounter with Dortmund edging it thanks to a first-half goal from Felix Nmecha.

Nmecha gave Borussia a deserved lead on the stroke of half-time with a well-controlled finish following excellent defensive and then creative work by Nico Schlotterbeck.

Newcastle nearly claimed a point in the closing stages of the match when Callum Wilson's header struck the crossbar, before a later Anthony Gordon chance was deflected on to the woodwork.

Dortmund coach Edin Terzic told TNT: "With the first half we deserved to win and the second half we protected the win."

Haaland breaks duck
Manchester City made it three from three to top Group G, with Manuel Akanji's goal and a Haaland brace seeing off Young Boys in Switzerland.

Man City endured a frustrating first period on a plastic pitch in Bern, with Young Boys goalkeeper Anthony Racioppi producing several fine saves.

Immediately after half-time a stunning save from the Swiss 'keeper saw the ball rebound off the crossbar and fall straight to Akanji.

The hosts stunned the Champions League holders on 52 minutes when Meschack Elia broke clear of the defense and lobbed a finish over the advancing Ederson.

However, hopes of an upset were extinguished when Haaland broke his five-game goal drought in the competition with a penalty in the 67th minute.

After a Julian Alvarez goal was disallowed, the Norwegian striker produced a fine finish to round off a 3-1 win.

"I am sorry, but this guy will score goals all his life, with the chances he is an incredible threat," said City coach Pep Guardiola of Haaland.

In Germany, Leipzig created a five-point buffer for themselves in Group G's second position with a 3-1 win against Red Star Belgrade, thanks to David Raum, a second-half stunner from starlet Xavi Simons and Dani Olmo.

Topsy-turvy in Paradise
The points were shared between Celtic and Atletico in a lively draw, which saw the hosts pick up their first point of the campaign.

Celtic took the lead early when Kyogo Furuhashi lifted the ball beyond Jan Oblak in the fourth minute, completing a fine team move.

On 23 minutes, Joe Hart tipped an Antoine Griezmann penalty onto the post only for it to rebound perfectly to the Frenchman who made no mistake second time round.

The hosts sprang back immediately when a 27th-minute cross fell at the back stick to Luis Palma, who hammered the ball back across the unsighted Oblak.

Alvaro Morata got Atletico back into the tie on 53 minutes when he sent a perfectly judged header back across Hart and into the net.

Rodrigo De Paul picked up a late second yellow card, but the hosts were unable to turn their numerical advantage into a winner.

Feyenoord moved into top spot in Group E following a 3-1 victory against Lazio in the pool's early kick-off.

A Santiago Gimenez brace and first goal for summer signing Ramiz Zerrouki saw the Dutch home despite a late penalty converted by Pedro for Lazio, who dropped into third.

Barcelona saw out a win at home 2-1 against Shakhtar Donetsk thanks to first-half strikes from Ferran Torres and Fermin Lopez, making it three from three for the Group H leaders.

Porto came from behind in Belgium to beat Antwerp 4-1, with all their goals coming in the second half courtesy of an Evanilson hat-trick and Stephen Eustaquio.



Bayern's Diaz Sidelined with Hamstring Injury after Arsenal Draw

Bayern Munich's Colombian forward #14 Luis Diaz warms up prior to the UEFA Champions League football match between FC Bayern Munich and Arsenal FC in Munich, southern Germany on October 21, 2026. (Photo by Karl-Josef HILDENBRAND / AFP)
Bayern Munich's Colombian forward #14 Luis Diaz warms up prior to the UEFA Champions League football match between FC Bayern Munich and Arsenal FC in Munich, southern Germany on October 21, 2026. (Photo by Karl-Josef HILDENBRAND / AFP)
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Bayern's Diaz Sidelined with Hamstring Injury after Arsenal Draw

Bayern Munich's Colombian forward #14 Luis Diaz warms up prior to the UEFA Champions League football match between FC Bayern Munich and Arsenal FC in Munich, southern Germany on October 21, 2026. (Photo by Karl-Josef HILDENBRAND / AFP)
Bayern Munich's Colombian forward #14 Luis Diaz warms up prior to the UEFA Champions League football match between FC Bayern Munich and Arsenal FC in Munich, southern Germany on October 21, 2026. (Photo by Karl-Josef HILDENBRAND / AFP)

Bayern Munich forward Luis Diaz will be out of action for the "foreseeable future" after suffering a minor muscle tear in his left hamstring during Wednesday's 2-2 Champions League draw with visiting Arsenal, the Bundesliga club said on Thursday.

The 29-year-old Colombia international came on in the 68th minute at ⁠the Allianz Arena ⁠but was forced off in stoppage time after suffering the injury.

Examinations carried out by Bayern's medical staff confirmed the hamstring tear, the club said ⁠in a statement.

"The 29-year-old forward will therefore be sidelined for the time being," Reuters quoted Bayern as saying.

Diaz's injury is a setback for Bayern as they enter a busy stretch of the season, with the winger having been a key attacking option since joining the German ⁠champions.

Bayern ⁠and Arsenal shared the spoils in the league-phase encounter on Wednesday, with Declan Rice scoring a late equalizer for the visitors to earn a point.

Bundesliga leaders Bayern next visit third-placed Freiburg, who are a point behind the champions after six games, on Sunday.


ATP Blocks 234,000 Abusive Comments from Reaching Players, Fans

USA's Coco Gauff leaves the court after losing her women's singles match against Belgium's Elise Mertens at the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing on October 7, 2026. (Photo by Adek BERRY / AFP)
USA's Coco Gauff leaves the court after losing her women's singles match against Belgium's Elise Mertens at the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing on October 7, 2026. (Photo by Adek BERRY / AFP)
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ATP Blocks 234,000 Abusive Comments from Reaching Players, Fans

USA's Coco Gauff leaves the court after losing her women's singles match against Belgium's Elise Mertens at the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing on October 7, 2026. (Photo by Adek BERRY / AFP)
USA's Coco Gauff leaves the court after losing her women's singles match against Belgium's Elise Mertens at the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing on October 7, 2026. (Photo by Adek BERRY / AFP)

Social media abuse was directed at over 85% of men's tennis players attracting engagement online in the past year, with the ATP blocking some 234,000 comments from reaching them or fans, the governing body said on Thursday.

The ATP based the findings on an analysis of more than 3.7 million comments across ATP and player social media channels by its Safe Sport initiative, which uses AI-enabled moderation and specialist threat assessment.

It ⁠said more than ⁠284,000 abusive comments were identified, and over 82% of them were removed in real time. During its first year, the program identified and hid upwards of 162,000 comments containing "severe" abuse.

"Player welfare sits at the heart of the ATP's safeguarding work," Reuters quoted Andrew Azzopardi, the ATP director of safeguarding, as saying.

"Preventing more than 234,000 abusive comments from ⁠reaching players and fans demonstrates the tangible impact the program is having every day. Online abuse has no place in tennis.

"We will keep investing in the technology, expertise and partnerships that protect players, and we will continue working with the authorities to hold those responsible to account."

Tennis players, like many athletes, often have to deal with the wrath of anonymous abusers online, many of whom are bettors, with French player Gael Monfils humorously hitting back at some of them following an early defeat in ⁠Stuttgart last year.

Monfils, ⁠40, said at the time he was surprised people still put money on him to win against much younger opponents.

Online abuse is not confined to angry gamblers, with American Coco Gauff saying earlier this month she received an "insane" amount of racist abuse at the China Open, prompting condemnation from the United Nations Human Rights Office.

World Tennis, the WTA, the All England Club and the United States Tennis Association have launched monitoring services that use a combination of artificial intelligence and open-source data to help protect players.

The French Open has also made AI-powered software available for players to block online harassment and hate speech.


More LaLiga Clubs Join Pact to Cap Ticket Prices for Away Fans

Soccer Football - LaLiga - Real Madrid v Sevilla - Estadio Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain - October 18, 2026 Real Madrid's Dean Huijsen and Sevilla's Kike Salas embrace after the match REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura
Soccer Football - LaLiga - Real Madrid v Sevilla - Estadio Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain - October 18, 2026 Real Madrid's Dean Huijsen and Sevilla's Kike Salas embrace after the match REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura
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More LaLiga Clubs Join Pact to Cap Ticket Prices for Away Fans

Soccer Football - LaLiga - Real Madrid v Sevilla - Estadio Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain - October 18, 2026 Real Madrid's Dean Huijsen and Sevilla's Kike Salas embrace after the match REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura
Soccer Football - LaLiga - Real Madrid v Sevilla - Estadio Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain - October 18, 2026 Real Madrid's Dean Huijsen and Sevilla's Kike Salas embrace after the match REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura

Three more clubs in Spain's top division have joined an agreement to cap away ticket prices at a maximum of €30 ($34), a spokesperson for LaLiga told Reuters on Thursday, meaning 17 clubs in the 20-team league now participate.

LaLiga is strengthening the reciprocal agreement between clubs as ⁠AC Milan fans ⁠boycott their visit to Udinese over away ticket prices of €65 ($73).

The agreement, in place since the 2023-24 season, also ensures a minimum of 300 tickets ⁠are made available to travelling fans.

Away ticket sales have increased by 33% per game on average, according to LaLiga data.

England's Premier League has a cap of £30 pounds ($40) for away fans.

German's Bundesliga guarantees 10% of available capacity for away support, with their ⁠tickets ⁠matched to home prices.

European governing body UEFA's regulations require 5% of stadium capacity to be allocated for away fans with a price cap of €50 ($56,20) in the Champions League.

The LaLiga spokesperson did not name the three additional Spanish teams joining the price cap scheme.