Ronaldo sets milestone, Kane dazzles for Spurs

Real Madrid's forward from Portugal Cristiano Ronaldo scores during the UEFA Champions League Group H football match BVB Borussia Dortmund vs. Real Madrid in Dortmund, western Germany, on Tuesday. (AFP)
Updated 27 September 2017
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Ronaldo sets milestone, Kane dazzles for Spurs

PARIS: Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice on his 400th Real Madrid appearance as the Champions League holders defeated Borussia Dortmund 3-1, while Harry Kane grabbed a hat trick in Tottenham Hotspur’s 3-0 win at APOEL Nicosia on Tuesday.
Gareth Bale struck an exquisite volley as the record 12-time European champions secured an 18th-minute lead at Signal Iduna Park, with the Welshman supplying Ronaldo for Real’s second just after halftime.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang poked in Gonzalo Castro’s cross to give Dortmund hope, but Ronaldo rifled past Roman Burki to cement a second straight win for Real in Group H and leave the Germans still without a point.
It was the first time Dortmund have lost at home to Real in seven European games while holders Madrid have now scored in 38 successive Champions League games.
Ronaldo, without a goal in his last two outings following his return from a five-match domestic ban, took his Real haul to 411 on what was also his 150th career appearance in Europe.
“I’m delighted for Ronaldo and Bale,” said Real coach Zinedine Zidane.
“It is difficult to play in this stadium, we have never won here, so this victory was important to us, and the whole game was good for us from start to finish.”
England striker Kane notched his sixth hat-trick of the year — and made it 11 goals for club and country in September — as Spurs backed up their opening victory over Dortmund with a comfortable win in Cyprus.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side survived an early scare when Igor De Camargo rattled the crossbar, but Kane’s clinical finish six minutes before the interval settled the visitors down.
Kane converted his second on 62 minutes and sealed his treble with a terrific header five minutes later to leave Spurs level on six points alongside Real ahead of their doubleheader with Zidane’s team.
“There were some good performances from players who are not regulars and a hat trick for Harry Kane, it was a fantastic performance,” said Pochettino.
Kevin De Bruyne curled in a sublime 25-yard strike as Manchester City overcame spirited resistance from Shakhtar Donestk, with Raheem Sterling completing a 2-0 victory at Eastlands.
Pep Guardiola’s men top Group F after back-to-back wins to start the campaign, and the Premier League leaders could even afford a missed penalty from Sergio Aguero whose effort was turned away by Andriy Pyatov.
Lorenzo Insigne, Dries Mertens and Jose Callejon hit the target as Napoli registered their first win by beating a hapless Feyenoord 3-1 in Italy.
Napoli goalkeeper Pepe Reina kept out Jens Toornstra’s second-half penalty, as Sofyan Amrabat’s stoppage-time goal was scant consolation for the Dutch champions who remain pointless.
Liverpool were held to a 1-1 draw away to Spartak Moscow despite a sparkling strike from Philippe Coutinho.
Coutinho linked up superbly with Sadio Mane to cancel out Fernando’s free-kick in the 31st minute, but Liverpool were unable to claim a winner as they recorded a second straight draw in Group E.
“In the Champions League group stage, the only target is to go through to the next round. That’s now possible for us. There were a lot of good things tonight,” said a positive-thinking Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp.
Wissam Ben Yedder fueled Sevilla to a 3-0 victory over Maribor of Slovenia.
Joaquin Correa’s dazzling run left the French striker with a simple tap-in for the opening goal after 27 minutes in Spain.
Ben Yedder then tucked away a second before the break and rounded out his hat-trick from the penalty spot late on as Sevilla moved top of the section on four points.
Porto stunned French champions Monaco with a 3-0 win in the principality in a repeat outcome of the 2004 final.
Vincent Aboubakar marked his return from suspension with goals in either half before Miguel Layun pounced on some slapstick defending in the closing moments as Porto bounced back from a home loss to Besiktas.
The Turkish champions top Group G with maximum points following a 2-0 success at home to newcomers RB Leipzig despite an 11-minute stoppage for floodlight failure in Istanbul.
Ryan Babel slotted home after fine work from Cenk Tosun and Talisca headed in a sublime cross from Ricardo Quaresma as Besiktas picked up their first win at home in the competition since November 2007.


Real Madrid, Zalgiris headline adidas NextGen EuroLeague in Abu Dhabi

The finals in May will be staged alongside the EuroLeague Final Four in the Greek capital. Supplied
Updated 26 February 2026
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Real Madrid, Zalgiris headline adidas NextGen EuroLeague in Abu Dhabi

  • 8 top under-18 teams compete for place in Athens final in May
  • Tournament is at city’s Space42 Arena from Feb. 27 to March 1

RIYADH: Abu Dhabi will have Europe’s brightest young basketball talent this week at the adidas NextGen EuroLeague tournament. 

Eight of the continent’s leading under-18 teams will compete from Feb. 27 to March 1 at Space42 Arena, with a place at the finals in Athens on the line. The finals in May will be staged alongside the EuroLeague Final Four in the Greek capital.

Defending continental champions Zalgiris Kaunas and five-time title holders Real Madrid headline the Abu Dhabi qualifier, which forms part of the 2025–26 adidas NextGen EuroLeague season.

The eight teams have been divided into two groups of four and will play in a round-robin format. The winners of each group will advance to Sunday’s championship game, while placement fixtures will determine the remaining standings.

The Abu Dhabi event follows the Ulm qualifier, won by U18 Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana, who have already secured their place in Athens. The winners of upcoming tournaments in Bologna (March 13–15) and Belgrade (March 20–22) will complete the finals lineup.

Group A features Real Madrid alongside U18 Aris Thessaloniki, U18 Dubai Basketball and U18 AS Monaco.

Aris enter their third season in the competition, having finished seventh at the Munich qualifier last year with a 2–2 record after placing sixth in Abu Dhabi the previous campaign.

Dubai Basketball are also competing in their third NextGen season. The UAE side finished eighth in Ulm last year with a 0–4 record but claimed a notable win over U18 Mega Super Belgrade at the NextGen Finals. 

However, they missed another victory against U18 EA7 Emporio Armani Milan to finish 1–2 overall. Dubai previously hosted a 2024 qualifier, ending with a 1–3 record.

Monaco make their second appearance after an eighth-place finish in Paris in 2024. 

Real Madrid, meanwhile, will be aiming to reassert their dominance after an uncharacteristic third-place finish at last season’s Munich qualifier ended a streak of 11 consecutive qualifying tournament victories. 

The Spanish powerhouse had also won 19 straight NextGen games dating back to the 2022 finals in Belgrade before falling to Zalgiris in the group stage last year.

Real are the competition’s most successful club with five continental titles (2015, 2019, 2021, 2023 and 2024) and are competing in their 19th consecutive season since 2007–08.

Group B has reigning champions Zalgiris Kaunas take on U18 London Lions, U18 Next Gen Team Abu Dhabi and U18 Valencia Basket. London Lions make their tournament debut as the club continues to expand their European presence.

The Next Gen Team Abu Dhabi compete in their fifth season and second under head coach Dogus Balbay, a two-time EuroLeague champion. He is assisted by former Italian international Massimo Bulleri and Kheeryoung Rhee.

Valencia Basket are making their 10th appearance in the competition and their eighth in succession. The Spanish side have twice reached the finals, in Vitoria-Gasteiz in 2019 and as hosts in 2021, and finished runners-up in Munich last season after three consecutive fifth-place finishes. 

Zalgiris, one of the most storied names in the tournament’s history, are appearing in their 24th edition — having featured in every NextGen season since its inception.

The Lithuanian club won the inaugural event in 2003, added another title in 2007 and lifted the trophy again last summer in Abu Dhabi. They also reached the championship game in 2005, 2006 and 2011, underlining their pedigree at youth level.