Europe

Chelsea defeated Swedish opposition Malmö in the Champions League on Wednesday 4-0 in the pouring London rain but suffered a pair of injuries as Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner both left the game early. The Lukaku and Werner injuries took place in the first half.

Lukaku was substituted out after his ankle was caught in a challenge by a Malmö defender. Later on, Werner was sprinting for a ball over the top and pulled up grabbing at his hamstring.

It was always going to be Cristiano Ronaldo. With Atalanta’s depleted squad running on fumes at Old Trafford, Harry Maguire’s 75th-minute equalizer set the stage for the inevitable: Cristiano Ronaldo hanging in the air, posterizing José Luis Palomino and directing a downward header inside the post for the win. 

It was Ronaldo’s 300th appearance across all competitions for Manchester United, and he’ll remember it fondly after completing the Red Devils’ improbable second half comeback. 

Bayern Munich has been blowing out competition this season, scoring three or more goals in 11 of 12 matches coming into Wednesday, including eight in two Champions League games. But through 70 minutes on Wednesday, the German giants were scoreless. That is, until the Leroy Sané free kick vs Benfica. 

Sané blasted a marvelous free kick to break the deadlock and open the floodgates as Bayern poured it on late in a 4-0 win on Wednesday at the Estádio da Luz. Sané scored the first and fourth goals after his club had two goals denied by the VAR.

It’s El Clasico 2021 time! After years spent in the clutches of beIN SPORTS, the world’s greatest rivalry finally gets the grand American audience it deserves over on ESPN. Unfortunately, El Clasico will be behind the paywall of ESPN+, but that was always going to be the case after the network dropped $1.4 billion on an eight-year deal for LaLiga broadcast rights.

They need to recoup that money, beginning Sunday with $6.99 from you (there’s no free trial but you can cancel at anytime). 

Newcastle United have urged fans to refrain from wearing traditional Arabic attire or Middle East-inspired head coverings at games, the Premier League club said in a statement on Wednesday.

Newcastle were acquired by a Saudi Arabia-led consortium earlier this month.

A number of supporters turned up in robes and head coverings for the home clash against Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend, the first game since the takeover.

AC Milan sits bottom of the Group B table after Porto’s Mehdi Taremi set up the game’s only goal from his bottom. The Porto goal vs Milan was awkward and fluky but no less than the home side deserved at the Estádio do Dragão. 

Naby Keïta drilled a scorching volley to put Liverpool up two inside 13 minutes. He followed that up with defense so bad he was given the hook at halftime.

Antoine Griezmann scored twice in the first half and nearly had more. He followed that up by inadvertently kicked Roberto Firmino in the face and was sent off early in the second half. 

Liverpool blew a two-goal lead before pulling out a 3-2 win over 10-man Atlético Madrid thanks to a Mohamed Salah penalty on Tuesday in thrilling Champions League action in the Spanish capital. 

If European football wasn’t as familiar with American manager Jesse Marsch as it should’ve been, it sure as hell is now. On Tuesday, the RB Leipzig boss masterminded a stirring performance at the Parc des Princes that had the German side deservedly ahead 2-1 with just over 20 minutes to play. 

But a terrible mistake from American midfielder Tyler Adams allowed Lionel Messi to equalize before a rash challenge in the area gifted PSG another from the spot.