Dortmund Scores 7 while Barcelona, Man City and Arsenal All Win in Champions League

Fans display flares during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Borussia Dortmund and Celtic Glasgow at the BVB Stadion in Dortmund, Germany, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024.  (Bernd Thissen/dpa via AP)
Fans display flares during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Borussia Dortmund and Celtic Glasgow at the BVB Stadion in Dortmund, Germany, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (Bernd Thissen/dpa via AP)
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Dortmund Scores 7 while Barcelona, Man City and Arsenal All Win in Champions League

Fans display flares during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Borussia Dortmund and Celtic Glasgow at the BVB Stadion in Dortmund, Germany, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024.  (Bernd Thissen/dpa via AP)
Fans display flares during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Borussia Dortmund and Celtic Glasgow at the BVB Stadion in Dortmund, Germany, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (Bernd Thissen/dpa via AP)

Karim Adeyemi starred as Borussia Dortmund ran riot against Celtic while Barcelona and Manchester City claimed their first wins in the restructured Champions League on Tuesday.
Adeyemi scored a first-half hat trick as Dortmund routed Celtic 7-1 at home. It was the second big win from a German team in the competition after Bayern Munich's 9-2 bashing of Dinamo Zagreb in the first matchday.
Robert Lewandowski got Barcelona off the mark as the Spanish giant eased to a 5-0 home win over Swiss team Young Boys, while his former teammate İlkay Gündoğan got City off to a 4-0 win at Slovan Bratislava. Erling Haaland scored his 42nd goal in his 41st Champions League game.
City was held 0-0 by Inter Milan in their opening game, while Barca responded to its 2-1 loss at Monaco, the team’s first defeat under new coach Hansi Flick.
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal outclassed his former team Paris Saint-Germain in a 2-0 win with Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka scoring in the first half for the Gunners. PSG coach Luis Enrique's gamble on leaving Ousmane Dembélé out did not pay off.
Arteta enjoyed a successful 18-month loan spell at PSG while still he was still a teenager at Barcelona.
Dortmund fans cry foul Though the Dortmund team appears to have adapted to the new competition format very well — last season's beaten finalist has 10 goals from two games after starting with a 3-0 win over Club Brugge — its fans made their opposition to the reforms clear with a huge tifo slamming UEFA.
This season UEFA changed the structure of Europe’s premier competition to add four more teams. The group stage was scrapped for a league system with each of the now 36 participating teams playing eight opponents once in a first phase of the competition.
UEFA claimed the changes would ensure more evenly matched games, but Tuesday's results — the big wins for Barca, City and Dortmund — appear to belie that claim.
There were more big wins Tuesday with Inter Milan defeating Red Star Belgrade 4-0, and tournament debutant Brest routing Salzburg 4-0 away for its second win in as many games in Europe’s premier competition, The Associated Press reported.
Iran forward Mehdi Taremi struck a penalty past Israel and Red Star goalkeeper Omri Glazer and set up two more goals for Inter hours after his country launched a barrage of missiles at Israel.
Senegalese forward Abdallah Sima netted twice for Brest to take his tally to three goals in two games after he scored in the French team’s tournament-opening 2-1 win over Austrian champion Sturm Graz.
Also Tuesday, Bayer Leverkusen defeated AC Milan 1-0 in Germany thanks a well-worked move finished by Victor Boniface.
Daniel Bragança scored late to earn Sporting Lisbon a 1-1 draw at PSV Eindhoven.
Kaan Kairinen’s brilliant free kick was enough for Prague to draw 1-1 at Stuttgart.
Stuttgart fans displayed a huge choreography saying “Back in Europe” behind one of the goals. It was the German team’s first Champions League match at home since a 1-1 draw with Barcelona in February 2010.



Crippa, Demise Claim Paris Marathon Victories

Athletics - Paris Marathon - Paris, France - April 12, 2026 Italy's Yemaneberhan Crippa and Ethiopia's Shure Demise celebrate on the podium after winning the men's and women's elite race respectively REUTERS/Tom Nicholson
Athletics - Paris Marathon - Paris, France - April 12, 2026 Italy's Yemaneberhan Crippa and Ethiopia's Shure Demise celebrate on the podium after winning the men's and women's elite race respectively REUTERS/Tom Nicholson
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Crippa, Demise Claim Paris Marathon Victories

Athletics - Paris Marathon - Paris, France - April 12, 2026 Italy's Yemaneberhan Crippa and Ethiopia's Shure Demise celebrate on the podium after winning the men's and women's elite race respectively REUTERS/Tom Nicholson
Athletics - Paris Marathon - Paris, France - April 12, 2026 Italy's Yemaneberhan Crippa and Ethiopia's Shure Demise celebrate on the podium after winning the men's and women's elite race respectively REUTERS/Tom Nicholson

Italy's Yemaneberhan Crippa won the Paris marathon on Sunday, while Ethiopia's Shure Demise claimed victory in the women's category in a new course record.

The Ethiopian-born Crippa, 29, clocked a personal best of 2hr 05min 16sec for the win in the French capital.

Bayelign Teshager of Ethiopia finished second, just five seconds off Crippa, with Kenya's Sila Kiptoo rounding off the podium (2:05:26).

The women's race saw 30-year-old Demise smash the course record by more than a minute.

She won in 2:18:33 ahead of compatriot Misgane Alemayehu (2:19:06) and Kenya's Magdalyne Masai (2:19:18).


Belgium Shock United States to Reach Billie Jean King Cup Finals

Czech Republic's Marie Bouzkova (R) and team captain Barbora Strycova celebrate winning their Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers round between Switzerland and Czech Republic in Biel, Switzerland, 11 April 2026. EPA/PETER SCHNEIDER
Czech Republic's Marie Bouzkova (R) and team captain Barbora Strycova celebrate winning their Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers round between Switzerland and Czech Republic in Biel, Switzerland, 11 April 2026. EPA/PETER SCHNEIDER
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Belgium Shock United States to Reach Billie Jean King Cup Finals

Czech Republic's Marie Bouzkova (R) and team captain Barbora Strycova celebrate winning their Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers round between Switzerland and Czech Republic in Biel, Switzerland, 11 April 2026. EPA/PETER SCHNEIDER
Czech Republic's Marie Bouzkova (R) and team captain Barbora Strycova celebrate winning their Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers round between Switzerland and Czech Republic in Biel, Switzerland, 11 April 2026. EPA/PETER SCHNEIDER

Belgium knocked out 18-times champions the US to qualify for the Billie Jean King Cup Finals on Saturday, as Britain, Italy, Kazakhstan, Spain, Ukraine and Czech Republic also secured places in the season-ending team event alongside hosts China.

Belgium sealed qualification in Ostend, where world number 149 Greet Minnen completed the upset with a 7-5 6-3 victory over Iva Jovic, sending her team back to the finals for the first time since 2022.

Britain booked their spot with a 3-1 win against Australia in Melbourne, wrapping up the tie with victory in the doubles after taking a commanding 2-0 lead from ⁠Friday’s singles matches.

Harriet ⁠Dart and Jodie Burrage sealed the contest with a 6-3 6-4 win over Storm Hunter and Ellen Perez, ending the Australian pair’s unbeaten doubles run in the Billie Jean King Cup dating back to November 2022.

Champions Italy also progressed after a 3-1 home win over Japan on clay in Velletri. Holding a 2-0 advantage overnight, Jasmine ⁠Paolini and Sara Errani clinched the tie by defeating Shuko Aoyama and Eri Hozumi 6-2 7-5 in the doubles, Reuters reported.

Ukraine booked a return to the finals for a second straight year with a dominant 4-0 victory over Poland in Gliwice.

Lyudmyla Kichenok and Nadiia Kichenok secured the decisive point with a 7-5 6-7(4) 6-3 win over Maja Chwalinska and Martyna Kubka, and then Oleksandra Oliynykova completed a perfect couple of days for Ukraine with a 6-4 6-1 win over Linda Klimovicova.

Spain took an unassailable 3-1 lead against Slovenia in Portoroz, with Aliona Bolsova ⁠and Sara ⁠Sorribes Tormo sealing qualification thanks to a 6-4 6-3 doubles win over Veronika Erjavec and Nika Radisic.

Kazakhstan advanced after Yulia Putintseva outlasted Canada’s Bianca Andreescu in a three-hour and 39-minute singles marathon in Astana.

Putintseva’s 7-6(5) 3-6 7-6(4) victory gave her side an unassailable 3-1 lead in the best-of-five tie.

Elsewhere, Czech Republic defeated Switzerland 3-2, with Marie Bouzkova sealing victory by defeating Viktorija Golubic 7-6(4) 6-3 in the deciding singles.

The Czechs forced a decider after Linda Noskova saved three match points to beat Belinda Bencic 6-3 3-6 7-6(9), before Bouzkova returned to the court to clinch the tie.

The Finals will be held in Shenzhen from September 22-27.


Al-Nassr Break Club Record with 14th Consecutive League Victory

It was Al-Nassr’s 14th straight victory. Photo: Al-Nassr website
It was Al-Nassr’s 14th straight victory. Photo: Al-Nassr website
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Al-Nassr Break Club Record with 14th Consecutive League Victory

It was Al-Nassr’s 14th straight victory. Photo: Al-Nassr website
It was Al-Nassr’s 14th straight victory. Photo: Al-Nassr website

Leaders Al-Nassr claimed their longest-ever Saudi Pro League winning streak with a 2-0 victory at Al-Akhdoud thanks to goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Joao Felix on Saturday.

Al-Nassr top the standings with 73 points from 28 ⁠games, five ahead ⁠of second-placed Al-Hilal with six games to go.

It was Al-Nassr’s 14th straight victory, which broke their previous ⁠record posted in the 2013-2014 season, the Pro League said on its website.

Ronaldo opened the scoring in the 15th minute with a close-range strike for his 24th goal of the season, three ⁠shy ⁠of Al-Ahli’s league top scorer Ivan Toney.

Joao Felix doubled their advantage two minutes into the second half from close range, capitalizing on a rebound after Kingsley Coman’s header hit the post.