PSG Sinks Barcelona with Late Winner in Champions League and Man City Held by Monaco

Paris Saint Germain's Goncalo Ramos celebrates scoring the 1-2 goal during the UEFA Champions League league phase soccer match between FC Barcelona and PSG, in Barcelona, Spain, 01 October 2025. EPA/Siu Wu
Paris Saint Germain's Goncalo Ramos celebrates scoring the 1-2 goal during the UEFA Champions League league phase soccer match between FC Barcelona and PSG, in Barcelona, Spain, 01 October 2025. EPA/Siu Wu
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PSG Sinks Barcelona with Late Winner in Champions League and Man City Held by Monaco

Paris Saint Germain's Goncalo Ramos celebrates scoring the 1-2 goal during the UEFA Champions League league phase soccer match between FC Barcelona and PSG, in Barcelona, Spain, 01 October 2025. EPA/Siu Wu
Paris Saint Germain's Goncalo Ramos celebrates scoring the 1-2 goal during the UEFA Champions League league phase soccer match between FC Barcelona and PSG, in Barcelona, Spain, 01 October 2025. EPA/Siu Wu

Goncalo Ramos struck a 90th-minute winner as Paris Saint-Germain sealed a statement win over Barcelona in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Trailing 1-0 at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys and without injured star forwards Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, defending champion PSG fought back for a 2-1 victory against one of the favorites to lift the trophy in May.

“It doesn’t matter which of our players are in the team. When they are wearing our shirt, carrying our badge on their shirt, then the amount of attitude and effort is non-negotiable," PSG coach Luis Enrique said.

Manchester City had to settle for a 2-2 draw with Monaco after Eric Dier scored a 90th-minute penalty for the hosts.

Villarreal and Juventus also ended 2-2 after Renato Veiga's late equalizer.
Arsenal beat Olympiakos 2-0, The Associated Press reported.

PSG is still the team to beat PSG's trip to Barcelona was always seen as the standout clash of matchday two. Both teams are expected to go far, with PSG aiming to join Real Madrid as the only other club to successfully defend the trophy in the Champions League era. Barcelona, a semifinalist last campaign, is intent on turning last season's domestic dominance into European triumph.

But despite the anticipation, neither team was at the height of its powers, with so many players missing.

While PSG was without the attacking trio that fired it to victory last term, Barcelona was also missing the injured Raphinha, while Robert Lewandowski was on the bench.

Lamine Yamal was available, but it was Ferran Torres who gave the home team the lead in the 19th minute.

Senny Mayulu leveled the game in the 38th and substitute Lee Kang-in came close to a winner by hitting the post late on.

But there was still more drama to come when Achraf Hakimi squared the ball beyond Barca's defense and Ramos slid in the winner.

It's now two wins from two for PSG at the start of its defense of the title and an early statement against one of its main rivals.

“We lost today, and I don’t like that. We have to accept this defeat and admit that Paris are so good," Barca coach Hansi Flick said. "We are disappointed, the fans are disappointed. We have to accept that we were beaten, but work on getting better.”

Haaland scores 2 but Man City held Erling Haaland did what Erling Haaland does with two more goals in the Champions League, but it wasn't enough to seal victory in Monaco.

Having become the quickest player to reach 50 goals in the competition last month, the Norwegian looks certain to become the quickest to reach 60. Lionel Messi managed it in 80 appearances. Haaland is on 52 after 50 games.

But that will be of little comfort to Pep Guardiola, who watched his team squander two points by conceding a late penalty that Dier converted to seal the draw.

“It isn’t good enough," Haaland said. "We have to try to win the next game. It is the only thing we can do.”

Hot shot Hojlund Discarded by Manchester United, Rasmus Hojlund is showing the type of form that earned him an $82 million move to Old Trafford in the first place.

He struck twice to earn Napoli a 2-1 win over Sporting Lisbon. That’s three goals in five appearances — after having scored two in his last 13 games for United.

It certainly helps when he can feed off the kind of service Kevin De Bruyne can deliver and the former Man City playmaker was provider of both of Hojlund’s goals.

Borussia Dortmund routed Athletic Bilbao 4-1 and Bayer Leverkusen was held 1-1 at home by PSV Eindhoven.

Perfect Arsenal Another win for Arsenal and another clean sheet.

The 2-0 victory over Olympiakos was its sixth shutout in nine games this season.

Goals from Gabriel Martinelli in the first half and Bukayo Saka in stoppage time maintained Arsenal’s 100% start in the competition.

Another team with a perfect record so far is Qarabag after its 2-0 win over Copenhagen. Abdellah Zoubir and Emmanuel Addai were on target for the Azerbaijani team.

Woltemade scores again Nick Woltemade is doing his best to make Newcastle fans forget about Alexander Isak.

The club-record $93 million signing scored his third goal in four starts for Newcastle to set up the 4-0 rout of Union Saint-Gilloise.

The Germany international was signed to fill the sizable void left by Isak's contentious move to Liverpool. And he has made an instant impact.

His 17th-minute goal at Lotto Park might not have been the prettiest — diverting Sandro Tonali's goalbound shot past Kjell Scherpen — but it got Newcastle off to the perfect start. It also highlighted his useful knack of being in the right place at the right time.

Woltemade has now scored in back-to-back games after his goal against Arsenal on Sunday. He still has some way to go to prove he can replace Isak, who scored 54 goals in 78 Premier League starts for Newcastle, but the early signs are promising after his move from Stuttgart.

Anthony Gordon struck twice from the penalty spot — scoring either side of halftime to put Newcastle in control and substitute Harvey Barnes added a fourth.

More thrills for Juve Last time out, Juventus was involved in an eight-goal thriller against Dortmund that ended in a 4-4 draw with all the goals coming in the second half.

By those standards, the 2-2 at Villarreal was relatively mild. But there was still a late twist as Veiga, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Juve, came up with the equalizer.



Man United Stuns Man City 2-0 in Michael Carrick's 1st Game in Charge

Soccer Football - Premier League - Manchester United v Manchester City - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - January 17, 2026 Manchester United interim manager Michael Carrick and Matheus Cunha celebrate after the match REUTERS/Phil Noble
Soccer Football - Premier League - Manchester United v Manchester City - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - January 17, 2026 Manchester United interim manager Michael Carrick and Matheus Cunha celebrate after the match REUTERS/Phil Noble
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Man United Stuns Man City 2-0 in Michael Carrick's 1st Game in Charge

Soccer Football - Premier League - Manchester United v Manchester City - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - January 17, 2026 Manchester United interim manager Michael Carrick and Matheus Cunha celebrate after the match REUTERS/Phil Noble
Soccer Football - Premier League - Manchester United v Manchester City - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - January 17, 2026 Manchester United interim manager Michael Carrick and Matheus Cunha celebrate after the match REUTERS/Phil Noble

Manchester United's latest reboot is off to a flying start.

In his first game in charge, Michael Carrick saw his team pull off a stunning 2-0 win against Manchester City in the Premier League on Saturday to lift the gloom hanging over Old Trafford.

“It’s a great start, there’s no getting away from that,” Carrick said after goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu sealed victory in the 198th Manchester derby.

The job now is to keep the good times going.

“That’s the challenge ultimately, and I think it needs to be a version of normal,” said Carrick, who was appointed head coach this week.

The former United midfielder has only signed a contract until the end of the season and has 17 games to convince the club's hierarchy to give him the job on a permanent basis after Ruben Amorim became the sixth permanent manager or head coach to be dismissed since club great Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.

He could not have made a better first impression with a dominant performance against all-conquering City manager Pep Guardiola, who could do nothing but congratulate his opponent after the game.

“The better team won. There’s nothing more to say,” The Associated Press quoted Guardiola as saying. “When a team is better you have to accept it. They had an energy we didn’t have. Congratulations.”

Victory had United fans singing in full voice inside Old Trafford and drowning out their fierce cross-city rivals.

“The supporters were incredible and I said yesterday that this could be a magical place,” Carrick said. “To get that feeling is exactly what we want. Hopefully it’s just the start and something that we need to build on.”

The win could have been even more emphatic, with United twice hitting the frame of the goal, forcing a string of saves from City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and having three goals ruled out for offside.

Not only did victory give United local bragging rights and boost its chances of Champions League qualification, but it also delivered another blow to City's title challenge. Defeat extended City's recent winless run in the league to four games.

United dominated the chances before and after halftime.

Harry Maguire headed against the bar inside three minutes and United saw two goals chalked off by VAR for offside before the break.

In the second half Donnarumma denied Amad Diallo, Casemiro and Mbeumo before the deadlock was finally broken in the 65th minute.

It came from another swift United attack with Bruno Fernandes leading the breakaway after a City free kick came to nothing.

Racing into the City half Fernandes slipped a pass into the run of Mbeumo and the Cameroon forward unleashed a first-time left footed shot low into the far corner.

Old Trafford erupted with chants of “United!”

It was the least Carrick’s team deserved after a performance full of attacking intent.

Dorgu doubled the lead in the 76th, converting from close range after beating Rico Lewis to substitute Matheus Cunha’s cross.

Amad then hit the post as United looked to press the advantage and there was still time for another substitute, Mason Mount, to find the back of the net with his first touch in the 89th, only for it to be deemed offside.

By that point, it mattered little. The day belonged to United and Carrick, who had a beaming smile on his face as he congratulated his players after the final whistle.

Up in the stands, watching on was managerial great Alex Ferguson, whose smile was as broad as anyone's inside Old Trafford.


Fiorentina Owner Rocco Commisso Dies at 76

FILE - Fiorentina President Rocco Commisso gestures to club fans from the field ahead of the Conference League Final soccer match between Olympiacos FC and ACF Fiorentina at OPAP Arena in Athens, Greece, on May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File)
FILE - Fiorentina President Rocco Commisso gestures to club fans from the field ahead of the Conference League Final soccer match between Olympiacos FC and ACF Fiorentina at OPAP Arena in Athens, Greece, on May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File)
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Fiorentina Owner Rocco Commisso Dies at 76

FILE - Fiorentina President Rocco Commisso gestures to club fans from the field ahead of the Conference League Final soccer match between Olympiacos FC and ACF Fiorentina at OPAP Arena in Athens, Greece, on May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File)
FILE - Fiorentina President Rocco Commisso gestures to club fans from the field ahead of the Conference League Final soccer match between Olympiacos FC and ACF Fiorentina at OPAP Arena in Athens, Greece, on May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File)

Rocco Commisso, the outspoken owner of Italian soccer club Fiorentina and chairman of New York-based Mediacom Communications, has died. He was 76.

Both Fiorentina and Mediacom announced Commisso’s death early Saturday without providing a cause.

“After a prolonged period of medical treatment, our beloved president has left us, and today we all mourn his passing,” Fiorentina said. “His love for Fiorentina was the greatest gift he gave himself.”

After making Mediacom into one of the United States’ biggest cable television companies, Commisso purchased Fiorentina in 2019 and became known for speaking out against Italy’s bureaucracy and inability to build new stadiums.

Commisso was born in Calabria and immigrated to the United States at the age of 12.

He also owned the New York Cosmos, and played soccer at Columbia University, the Ivy League school that he continued to support philanthropically. The university’s soccer stadium is named for him.

According to The Associated Press, the Cosmos called Commisso “a passionate leader who dedicated his life to the game of soccer and to the future of the sport in this country.

“Rocco fought for what is best for American soccer, believing in the growth of the game, the importance of community, and the power of clubs to inspire the next generation,” the New York club said on X.

At Fiorentina, Commisso celebrated reaching the Conference League final in 2023 and 2024.

But the team has struggled this season and is currently in Serie A’s relegation zone.

Commisso is survived by his wife, Catherine, and two children, Giuseppe and Marisa.


Jeddah to Host Opening Round of UIM E1 World Championship

Hosting the season premiere aligns with Saudi Vision 2030 goals to diversify the economy and promote sports tourism. SPA
Hosting the season premiere aligns with Saudi Vision 2030 goals to diversify the economy and promote sports tourism. SPA
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Jeddah to Host Opening Round of UIM E1 World Championship

Hosting the season premiere aligns with Saudi Vision 2030 goals to diversify the economy and promote sports tourism. SPA
Hosting the season premiere aligns with Saudi Vision 2030 goals to diversify the economy and promote sports tourism. SPA

Jeddah is set to host the opening round of the third season of the E1 Series, the world's first all electric raceboat championship, on January 23 and 24.

Organized by the Saudi Water Sports and Diving Federation in partnership with the Public Investment Fund and the UIM, the event underscores Saudi Arabia’s commitment to modern sports and environmental sustainability.

The 2026 season features eight international rounds. Following the Jeddah opener, the series will travel to Lake Como (Italy), Dubrovnik (Croatia), and Monaco, followed by a second unannounced European round. The championship then heads to Lagos (Nigeria) and Miami (US), before reaching its grand finale in the Bahamas.

Hosting the season premiere aligns with Saudi Vision 2030 goals to diversify the economy and promote sports tourism. As Jeddah's shores transform into a global hub for advanced electric marine racing, the event solidifies the Kingdom's status as a leading destination for major international sporting competitions.