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.



Iran Continuing World Cup Preparations but Will Not Play in US, Says Football Chief

President of Iran Football Federation Mehdi Taj and Mayor of Tehran Alireza Zakani stand next to the FIFA World Cup Trophy during an unveiling ceremony in Tehran, Iran September 1, 2022. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
President of Iran Football Federation Mehdi Taj and Mayor of Tehran Alireza Zakani stand next to the FIFA World Cup Trophy during an unveiling ceremony in Tehran, Iran September 1, 2022. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
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Iran Continuing World Cup Preparations but Will Not Play in US, Says Football Chief

President of Iran Football Federation Mehdi Taj and Mayor of Tehran Alireza Zakani stand next to the FIFA World Cup Trophy during an unveiling ceremony in Tehran, Iran September 1, 2022. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
President of Iran Football Federation Mehdi Taj and Mayor of Tehran Alireza Zakani stand next to the FIFA World Cup Trophy during an unveiling ceremony in Tehran, Iran September 1, 2022. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters

The Iranian national team are continuing to prepare for the World Cup finals and have no intention of pulling out of the tournament even if they will not travel to the United States, soccer chief Mehdi Taj said on Wednesday.

Iran were one of the first nations to qualify for the finals, but their participation has been in doubt since the conflict between the country and the United States began in late February.

The tournament runs from June 11 to July 19 and is being staged in the US, Mexico and Canada.

Team Melli are scheduled to play all three of their ‌opening-round group matches ‌in the US but Taj said on Monday the Iranian FA (FFIRI) ‌was ⁠negotiating with FIFA ⁠to have them moved to Mexico.

Iran will play Nigeria on March 27 and Costa Rica four days later in Antalya as part of a four-nation invitational tournament that had to be moved from Jordan because of the conflict in the Middle East.

"The national team is holding a training camp in Türkiye, and we will also play two friendly matches there," FFIRI President Taj was quoted as saying by the Fars News Agency on Wednesday. "We will boycott America, but we ⁠will not boycott the World Cup."

Taj was speaking on Wednesday as he ‌welcomed the players from the women's national team back ‌to Iran at the border crossing from Türkiye after their protracted journey from Australia.

All of the ‌delegation, who were in Australia for the Women's Asian Cup, were offered asylum by the ‌host nation because of fears for their safety in Iran. While seven accepted, only two ended up staying.

US President Donald Trump had urged Australia to offer the players asylum and later said that while the Iranian men were welcome to play in the US, it might not be appropriate for their "life ‌and safety".

Trump later stressed any threat to the players would not come from the United States, but Taj -- a former member of ⁠Iran's hardline Revolutionary ⁠Guard -- used the president's statement as grounds for demanding the venue switch.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Tuesday that her country would be open to hosting Iran's World Cup matches against New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt in June, but the final say on any venue switch would be FIFA's.

Football's world governing body said it was in contact with FFIRI but was "looking forward to all participating teams competing as per the match schedule announced on 6 December 2025".

Beau Busch, the Asia-Pacific president of football players' union FIFPRO, said it was FIFA's duty to ensure the safety of everyone involved at the World Cup.

"FIFA have an institutional responsibility to protect human rights," the Australian told Reuters.

"What's critical is that FIFA undertake a really comprehensive human rights impact assessment, and they assess to ensure that every single participant at the World Cup, every player, every fan, can be safe, and that any risks are identified and mitigated effectively."


Galatasaray Midfielder Lang to Undergo Surgery after Freak Thumb Injury

Galatasaray's Dutch forward #77 Noa Lang receives medical attention after cutting his thumb during the UEFA Champions League, round of 16 second leg football match between Liverpool and Galatasaray at Anfield in Liverpool, north-west England on March 18, 2026. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP)
Galatasaray's Dutch forward #77 Noa Lang receives medical attention after cutting his thumb during the UEFA Champions League, round of 16 second leg football match between Liverpool and Galatasaray at Anfield in Liverpool, north-west England on March 18, 2026. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP)
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Galatasaray Midfielder Lang to Undergo Surgery after Freak Thumb Injury

Galatasaray's Dutch forward #77 Noa Lang receives medical attention after cutting his thumb during the UEFA Champions League, round of 16 second leg football match between Liverpool and Galatasaray at Anfield in Liverpool, north-west England on March 18, 2026. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP)
Galatasaray's Dutch forward #77 Noa Lang receives medical attention after cutting his thumb during the UEFA Champions League, round of 16 second leg football match between Liverpool and Galatasaray at Anfield in Liverpool, north-west England on March 18, 2026. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP)

Galatasaray midfielder Noa Lang will undergo surgery on his right thumb after he sustained a serious injury following a collision with the advertising hoardings in Wednesday's 4-0 Champions League defeat by Liverpool, ⁠the Turkish club said.

The ⁠26-year-old clutched his hand in pain as blood flowed from the injury. He was taken ⁠off on a stretcher before being transported to hospital.

Galatasaray also confirmed that striker Victor Osimhen suffered a fracture to his right forearm in the first half. The club said on ⁠Thursday ⁠a decision on whether he will require surgery would be made in the coming days.

Liverpool advanced to the Champions League quarter-finals with a 4-1 aggregate win.


Full Day of Play Cancelled at Miami Open Due to Rain

Mar 18, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; A worker dries Butch Buchholz Court during a rain delay on day 2 of the 2026 Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Mar 18, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; A worker dries Butch Buchholz Court during a rain delay on day 2 of the 2026 Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
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Full Day of Play Cancelled at Miami Open Due to Rain

Mar 18, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; A worker dries Butch Buchholz Court during a rain delay on day 2 of the 2026 Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Mar 18, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; A worker dries Butch Buchholz Court during a rain delay on day 2 of the 2026 Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

All first-round matches at the Miami Open scheduled for Wednesday were cancelled due to rain in South Florida and will be rescheduled, the tournament said.

Organizers had hoped the weather might improve to ⁠allow for a night ⁠session featuring American Venus Williams and Britain's Francesca Jones followed by Italy's Matteo Berrettini facing Frenchman ⁠Alexandre Muller, but the ocean-blue Grandstand court was rendered unplayable due to the relentless downpour.

World number one Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus and 13th-ranked Jakub Mensik of the Czech Republic are the defending ⁠champions ⁠at the WTA 1000 and ATP Masters 1000 event, the second leg of the "Sunshine Double" that comes on the heels of the Indian Wells tournament in the Southern California desert.