عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Sports

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)
TT
TT

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.

Most Viewed

 
 
Sports

Bayern Are in Driving Seat, but Wounded Real Could Be Dangerous, Says Neuer

14 April 2026, Bavaria, Munich: Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer in action during a training session at the training facility on Saebener Strasse ahead of Wednesday's UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg match against Real Madrid. (dpa)
14 April 2026, Bavaria, Munich: Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer in action during a training session at the training facility on Saebener Strasse ahead of Wednesday's UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg match against Real Madrid. (dpa)
TT
TT

Bayern Are in Driving Seat, but Wounded Real Could Be Dangerous, Says Neuer

14 April 2026, Bavaria, Munich: Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer in action during a training session at the training facility on Saebener Strasse ahead of Wednesday's UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg match against Real Madrid. (dpa)
14 April 2026, Bavaria, Munich: Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer in action during a training session at the training facility on Saebener Strasse ahead of Wednesday's UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg match against Real Madrid. (dpa)

Treble-chasing Bayern Munich ‌are in control of their Champions League quarter-final tie against Real Madrid after a 2-1 first-leg win but the Spanish giants, struggling for form, could prove dangerous with their backs to the wall, Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer said on Tuesday.

The Bavarians host Real in the return leg on Wednesday, hoping to book a semi-final spot to go along with their German Cup semi-final place and a 12-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga.

Real, out of Spain's ‌Copa del Rey ‌and second in La Liga, nine points ‌behind ⁠Barcelona, have only ⁠one realistic shot at a trophy.

"Yes, it is a big chance for Real to improve things," Neuer told a press conference. "It is a really difficult period for a club like Real at the moment. We have experienced it ourselves in the past."

"When you are with your back to ⁠the wall you can move mountains," Neuer ‌said.

But the Spaniards will be ‌facing a Bayern team in stellar form. On Saturday they set ‌a new Bundesliga all-time goal record, with their 5-0 ‌demolition of St Pauli, to take their season tally to 105 goals with five games still remaining. The previous best mark was 101 goals in the 1971-72 campaign.

"We are in a flow ‌right now. We are still in all competitions and it's in our own hands," ⁠Neuer said. "We ⁠are sitting in the driver's seat."

Bayern can potentially secure the league title as early as this weekend if Dortmund slip up on Saturday against Hoffenheim. They also face Bayer Leverkusen in the German Cup semi-final on April 22.

"We won the first match, but there is only one goal difference," the 40-year-old Neuer said. "We know the fight we have to deliver. But we have that one goal advantage."

"Our motivation is sky high so the starting point is good, but we cannot overestimate it," he said. "We have experienced how Real can hit back but we are confident."

Sports

Swiatek Banks on Nadal's Former Coach to Reignite her Season

FILED - 28 June 2025, Hesse, Bad Homburg: Polish tennis player Iga Swiatek in action against US Jessica Pegula during their women's singles final match of the Bad Homburg Open Tennis Tournament. Photo: Arne Dedert/dpa
FILED - 28 June 2025, Hesse, Bad Homburg: Polish tennis player Iga Swiatek in action against US Jessica Pegula during their women's singles final match of the Bad Homburg Open Tennis Tournament. Photo: Arne Dedert/dpa
TT
TT

Swiatek Banks on Nadal's Former Coach to Reignite her Season

FILED - 28 June 2025, Hesse, Bad Homburg: Polish tennis player Iga Swiatek in action against US Jessica Pegula during their women's singles final match of the Bad Homburg Open Tennis Tournament. Photo: Arne Dedert/dpa
FILED - 28 June 2025, Hesse, Bad Homburg: Polish tennis player Iga Swiatek in action against US Jessica Pegula during their women's singles final match of the Bad Homburg Open Tennis Tournament. Photo: Arne Dedert/dpa

Iga Swiatek is hoping to benefit from new coach Francisco Roig's experience and technical expertise when the world number four begins her claycourt season at the Stuttgart Open this week after a disappointing start to the year.

The Polish six-times Grand Slam champion lost in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open and tournaments in Doha and Indian Wells before a shock second-round defeat by Magda Linette in the Miami Open last month.

That prompted Swiatek ⁠to part ways ⁠with her coach Wim Fissette and hire Roig, who worked with her idol Rafa Nadal from 2005-22 and more recently with Briton Emma Raducanu.

"I'm really happy to start with Francis," Swiatek told a press conference in Stuttgart, according to Reuters.

"I was basically looking for someone with a good eye, really technical, but also a ⁠person that is experienced enough to help me through some different kind of situations. I feel Francisco has lived through everything on tour.

"It's going really amazing ... I was able to find a new coach pretty fast, which is a positive thing because when you do that in the middle of the season, it's nice to have some security in that."

Swiatek, who has won four French Open titles on her favored clay courts, began preparations for the Grand Slam that begins on May ⁠24 with ⁠a training block at Nadal's academy in Mallorca under the watchful eyes of the Spaniard.

"I asked if it would be possible for him to come and maybe be some kind of inspiration, also hear some feedback from him," Swiatek said.

"It was a privilege to have him on court. I honestly didn't have many expectations because I know he's super busy and he has a lot of stuff to do, even though he always has different projects and everything.

"Now I'll continue with Francisco. He'll be the person that takes care of the whole process. That's the plan for now."

Sports

Iraq Coach Arnold Undecided on Future Beyond World Cup

Football - FIFA World Cup - Inter-Confederation Playoffs - Final - Iraq v Bolivia - Estadio Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico - March 31, 2026 Iraq coach Graham Arnold before the match. (Reuters)
Football - FIFA World Cup - Inter-Confederation Playoffs - Final - Iraq v Bolivia - Estadio Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico - March 31, 2026 Iraq coach Graham Arnold before the match. (Reuters)
TT
TT

Iraq Coach Arnold Undecided on Future Beyond World Cup

Football - FIFA World Cup - Inter-Confederation Playoffs - Final - Iraq v Bolivia - Estadio Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico - March 31, 2026 Iraq coach Graham Arnold before the match. (Reuters)
Football - FIFA World Cup - Inter-Confederation Playoffs - Final - Iraq v Bolivia - Estadio Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico - March 31, 2026 Iraq coach Graham Arnold before the match. (Reuters)

Iraq coach Graham Arnold said ‌his future beyond the World Cup remains undecided as his contract ends after the tournament and no formal talks have yet taken place, though retirement is not on his mind.

The 62-year-old Australian, who took charge of Iraq in May of last year, said he was keeping his options open and wanted to focus fully on the World Cup, where the team will make its first appearance in 40 years.

"The book is ‌open. My ‌contract finishes straight after the World ‌Cup. ⁠There has been ⁠talk about them wanting me to stay on, but I haven't had anything formal yet," Arnold told AAP.

"I really don't want anything formal yet. I want to go to the World Cup and enjoy it and after that I've got to make a decision whether ⁠to stay on or move on."

Arnold, ‌who guided his native Australia ‌to the round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup ‌in Qatar, said the prospect of leading teams ‌that have struggled to reach major tournaments continues to motivate him.

"There's some nations that I look at and I think to myself, they haven't qualified for a long time, I'd ‌like to do it again," he said.

"I've obviously had the experience throughout Asia, ⁠but I'm ⁠nowhere near ready to retire."

Iraq qualified for the World Cup by beating Bolivia 2-1 in Mexico in their inter-confederation playoff earlier this month.

Arnold said Iraq's qualification campaign had reinforced his belief that the team could trouble more-established sides on the global stage.

"We're going out there with nothing to lose and everything to gain, and with the chance to shock the world," he said.

"We'll be the underdog. We'll be fighters. If no one is giving us a chance, we can go there and achieve something special."