Europe

Giovanni Reyna was given an early birthday present on Saturday when he was handed the ball to take a penalty for Borussia Dortmund during the team’s 3-0 victory vs. Bochum.

Reyna isn’t Dortmund’s usual penalty taker, but the American teenager — who turns 20 on Nov. 3 — confidently stepped up and scored from the spot in the 12th minute to give his side a 2-0 lead.

The goal was his eighth Bundesliga goal and his 12th in all competitions for Dortmund.

Prior to the penalty Donyell Malen was tackled in the box after a clever spin.

Saturday’s stunning early action between Leeds and Bournemouth at Elland Road saw the home crowd’s halftime boos turn to bliss in the second half as Jesse Marsch’s side snatched a 4-3 win from the jaws of defeat. 

It was another memorable UEFA Champions League group stage with England, Germany and Portugal flexing their collective might while Spain suffered some historically bad performances. The Champions League last 16 draw date is now set for Monday, Nov.

To prepare you for the tournament, The18 has launched team-by-team previews for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Here’s the Denmark World Cup preview who’ll play in Group D against France, Australia and Tunisia.

Denmark World Cup Preview 2022

World Cup Appearances: 6th

Best Finish: Quarterfinals (1998)

Heading into the final matches of the Champions League group stage, there was no set of games as appealing as the action in Group D. Tottenham entered Tuesday on top with eight points, but Sporting (seven), Eintracht Frankfurt (seven) and Marseille (six) all had a clear path to the round of 16.

Spurs had a difficult task, traveling to the Vélodrome in southern France but needing only a draw to go through. They also had to do it without manager Antonio Conte on the touchline because of a one-match ban.  

France midfielder Paul Pogba will miss their World Cup title defense after failing to recover from knee surgery in time for next month's tournament in Qatar, his agent said on Monday.

Pogba had an operation on a damaged meniscus in September but his agent said that, following a medical review, he would not be able to return to the Juventus squad or join up with France before the Nov. 20-Dec. 18 World Cup.

To prepare you for the tournament, The18 has launched team-by-team previews for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Here’s the France World Cup preview — they’ll play in Group D against Denmark, Tunisia and Australia.

France World Cup 2022 Preview

World Cup Appearances: 16th

Best Finish: Champions (1998, 2018)

There's more unfortunate news for the USMNT midfield with just 22 days to go until lining up against Wales: Weston McKennie, after coming off injured at the start of the second half during Juventus' 1-0 win over Lecce on Saturday, has been diagnosed with a thigh injury that'll keep him out for over two weeks.