Champions League

MILAN — Liverpool FC's planned victory parade on Sunday has stirred unease for a representative of victims of the Heysel stadium disaster as it coincides with the 37th anniversary of the tragedy.

Liverpool, who play Real Madrid in the Champions League final on Saturday, plan a celebration in their home city after a season in which they have already won the two main domestic cup competitions in England and finished runners-up in the Premier League.

Catarina Macario made history on Saturday when she became the first American to score in a UEFA Champions League final. Macario and her club Lyon faced Spanish powerhouse and defending champions Barcelona in Turin, Italy, and had a sensational first half.

With Lyon leading 2-0, Macario netted the third goal in the 33rd minute with a poacher’s finish at the far post. Lyon went on to win 3-1.

Two Champions League spots will go to associations with the best collective performance by their clubs in the previous season from 2024-25 onwards after UEFA's Executive Committee approved the final format and access list for European club competitions.

UEFA also changed the criteria to qualify for Europe's premier club competition, removing access based on club coefficient, denying teams who did historically well a chance to qualify even if they did not finish in qualifying positions.

The final format was approved in Vienna on Tuesday.

Manchester City won't be glad to hear it, but Real Madrid's absurd comeback over City in last Wednesday's Champions League semifinal is breaking records as the most watched in U.S. television history. 

MADRID - Rafa Nadal saved four match points to beat Belgian David Goffin 6-3 5-7 7-6(9) in an absorbing match on Thursday and move into the Madrid Open quarterfinals.

Just as his beloved Real Madrid came back from the brink to reach the Champions League soccer final on Wednesday, 35-year-old Nadal found extra energy in reserve to win a lengthy tiebreak.

The victory was the 1,050th win of his career as he moved into a Masters 1000 quarterfinal for the 99th time and he was lifted by Real's dramatic 3-1 win over Manchester City achieved with the help of two last-gasp goals.

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah said they have a "score to settle" with Real Madrid after the Spanish side set up a repeat of their 2018 Champions League final by securing a comeback win against Manchester City on Wednesday.

Salah left the field in tears in the final four years ago following a heavy fall under a challenge by Sergio Ramos, with Real going on to clinch the title with a 3-1 victory.

"We have a score to settle," Salah posted on social media after Real eliminated City 6-5 on aggregate.

There’s no sequence of words that can accurately describe and recap the magical events that took place at the Santiago Bernabéu on Wednesday. What is certain is that Real Madrid’s miraculous comeback to win 6-5 on aggregate against Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League semifinal would never have happened without Ferland Mendy’s heroic defensive actions in the 87th minute.