Europe

Spain women's coach Jorge Vilda on Wednesday defended his depleted squad as the best he wants and bristled at questions about a revolt that has seen 15 players frozen out of the national setup for nearly five months.

The Spanish FA in September said the 15 had threatened to quit the team if Vilda was not fired and they would not be welcomed back until they recognized their mistake and asked for forgiveness.

AC Milan marked their long-awaited return to the UEFA Champions League knockout stages with an important 1-0 victory vs. Tottenham at the San Siro on Tuesday in leg one of the Round of 16 matchup.

The game-winning goal came as early as the seventh minute when Brahim Díaz bundled the ball into Spurs’ net.

With Hugo Lloris out with a knee injury Fraser Forster filled in between the posts for Tottenham. Moments before the Milan goal the 34-year-old keeper produced an incredible double-save.

LIVERPOOL, England - Liverpool's Cody Gakpo scored his first goal for the club as they halted a dismal run by beating relegation-threatened city rivals Everton 2-0 at Anfield in the Premier League on Monday.

Mohamed Salah opened the scoring in the 36th minute, linking up with Darwin Núñez on the counter-attack just after Everton missed a glorious double chance to take the lead, with Dwight McNeil going close and James Tarkowski hitting the post.

WHAT A COUNTER ATTACK BY LIVERPOOL!

Czech Republic international Jakub Jankto announced on Monday that he is gay, saying he wants to live his life “in freedom.”

Jankto, who plays for Sparta Prague on loan from LaLiga side Getafe, made his international debut in 2017.

The 27-year-old, who has 45 caps, is the highest profile current male footballer to publicly come out as gay.

PARIS - Kylian Mbappé was included in Paris St Germain's squad for Tuesday's Champions League last-16 first leg against Bayern Munich at the Parc des Princes after taking part in training although his participation in the clash was still in doubt.

The France forward, who had initially been ruled out for three weeks with a hamstring injury he sustained on Feb. 1, was on the pitch with his teammates on Sunday and Monday.

LONDON - Qatari investors are preparing to make a bid to buy Premier League club Manchester United in the coming days, Bloomberg reported on Monday, citing sources familiar with the deal.

The report added that the consortium will submit an initial bid for the club by the end of the week, and that officials from Qatar Investment Authority are helping with preparations for the bid.