GENEVA: Lionel Messi and Neymar put on separate masterclasses in the Champions League on Wednesday, while Mohamed Salah lacked the spark to lift Liverpool.
Messi scored twice, helped create two more with perfect passes, and had two shots strike a post in Barcelona’s 4-2 win over Tottenham at Wembley Stadium.
Neymar went one better with three goals in PSG’s 6-1 rout of overmatched Red Star Belgrade. The French champion’s other superstar forward, Kylian Mbappe, also scored.
Salah was the star of Liverpool’s run to the final last season but has made a slow start this time, and the entire team failed to get a single shot on target in a 1-0 loss at Napoli. The winning goal came in the 90th-minute from Lorenzo Insigne.
Barcelona’s impressive display extended the team’s perfect record at England’s national stadium — four wins spread across 26 years, including the Messi-inspired 2011 Champions League final victory.
Messi now has five goals after two group games while Cristiano Ronaldo has yet to score for Juventus.
Antoine Griezmann scored twice in Atletico Madrid’s 3-1 win over Belgian champion Club Brugge.
Wembley wonders
Barcelona has a love affair with Wembley. Its first European Cup was won there in 1992, against Sampdoria, and so was the fourth of its five European titles in 2011, against Manchester United.
Now both North London rivals, Arsenal and Tottenham, have been beaten there by Barcelona in Champions League group-stage games.
It took just 92 seconds for Philippe Coutinho to open the scoring past Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, who returned from a five-week injury absence. Ivan Rakitic added a stunning volley in the 28th.
Messi hit the post before Harry Kane halved the deficit in the 52th, but the Argentine forward restored the two-goal advantage within four minutes with a deft shot. Tottenham hit back through Messi’s Argentina teammate Erik Lamela.
In the 90th minute, Messi was set up by Luis Suarez’s smart decision to let the ball roll past him, and extended his record against English clubs to 22 goals in 29 games.
The game was played on a field that was far from a typically pristine Wembley surface. Two weeks after the venue hosted boxer Anthony Joshua’s defense of his world heavyweight title, the center of the field had patches of brown grass.
In a stellar week for Argentina forward, Mauro Icardi scored the decider in Inter Milan’s 2-1 win at PSV Eindhoven.
Inter’s second straight comeback win, after beating Tottenham 2-1 two weeks ago, was fueled by Radja Nainggolan’s leveler early in the second half.
Group B co-leaders Barcelona and Inter next face each other in back-to-back games, in Spain on Oct. 24 and Italy on Nov. 6.
Star power
Neymar followed Paulo Dybala of Juventus and Roma’s Edin Dzeko in scoring a Champions League hat trick this week.
The Brazilian’s star turn on home turf at Parc des Princes served as a riposte to critics of his lackluster performance when PSG lost 3-2 at Liverpool two weeks ago.
Neymar started and finished the 6-1 rout with stunning free kicks, in the 20th and 81st minutes, and also scored in the 22nd.
Red Star is a shadow of the club that was the 1991 European champion, and could hardly resist PSG’s star-studded attacking quartet.
Edinson Cavani netted with a deflected shot in the 37th, Angel Di Maria made it 4-0 just before halftime, and Kylian Mbappe tapped in a fifth goal in the 70th.
Liverpool’s high energy style against PSG was missing in Naples, and Dries Mertens almost won it with a shot that struck the crossbar minutes before Insigne struck.
“We never lost control,” Napoli coach Carlo Ancelotti said. “We were always very focused, above all when defending and allowed Liverpool practically nothing.”
Napoli leads Group C with four points and goes to Paris next.
An American in Moscow
Midfielder Weston McKennie picked a good time to score his first goal for Schalke — an 88th-minute header to give the German club a 1-0 win over Lokomotiv Moscow.
The 20-year-old Texan leapt unmarked at the far post to connect with Yevhen Konoplyanka’s corner. It spoiled the Russian title holder’s first home Champions League game since 2003.
Also in Group D, Porto joined Schalke on four points by beating visiting Galatasaray 1-0 with Moussa Marega’s 49th minute goal.
Atletico’s quest
Atletico Madrid played its first home game in this season’s Champions League that ends with the final in the same Metropolitano Stadium on June 1.
Antoine Griezmann twice gave Atletico the lead in a 3-1 win, though Brugge’s leveler in the 39th, a curling long-range shot by Arnaut “Danjuma” Groeneveld was the standout goal.
Atletico next travels to Borussia Dortmund on Oct. 24 for a meeting of two teams with six points.
Dortmund eased past Monaco 3-0 with second-half goals from Jacob Bruun Larsen, Paco Alcacer and Marco Reus. Alcacer scored minutes after missing a penalty kick which struck the crossbar.
Messi masterful as Barcelona renew love affair with Wembley
Messi masterful as Barcelona renew love affair with Wembley
- Messi scored twice and helped create two more with perfect passes, and had two shots strike a post
- Barcelona’s impressive display extended the team’s perfect record at England’s national stadium
Saudi taekwondo athlete Donia Abu Taleb wins Best Arab Achievement Award
- Taleb, the first Saudi athlete to directly qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics, receives honor from Egyptian sports minister
- Saudi Taekwondo Federation named Best Arab Federation in recognition of its achievements both locally and internationally
RIYADH: Saudi taekwondo standout Donia Abu Taleb has been honored with the Best Arab Achievement Award at a ceremony in Cairo celebrating the achievements of Arab athletes.
About 40 athletes from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, Tunisia, Jordan, Algeria, Qatar and Morocco were honored, along with businessmen from various Arab countries.
Egypt’s Minister of Youths and Sports, Ashraf Subhi, handed the recognition to Taleb, the first Saudi athlete to directly qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The Saudi Taekwondo Federation was also awarded the Best Arab Federation in recognition of its achievements both locally and internationally, particularly Taleb’s qualification for the Paris Olympics.
Mohammed Al-Shehri, executive director of the federation, accepted the award on behalf of the sports group.
Japan beats Uzbekistan in stoppage time in U23 Asian Cup final
- Substitute Fuki Yamada broke the deadlock in the first minute of stoppage time
AL-RAYYAN, Qatar: Japan left it late to win its second Under-23 Asian Cup after beating Uzbekistan 1-0 in the final on Friday.
Substitute Fuki Yamada broke the deadlock in the first minute of stoppage time at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium and Japan goalkeeper Leo Kokubo saved a penalty to preserve the lead.
Uzbekistan, the 2018 champion, almost took an incredible lead just before halftime. Ruslanbek Jiyanov, just inside the Japanese half, tried to send a long cross into the area but, instead, the flight of the ball deceived Kokubo and bounced off the crossbar.
For the goal, Ryotaro Araki backheeled the ball to Yamada just outside the area, and he fired low into the left corner.
Just five minutes later, Uzbekistan was awarded a penalty after a VAR review when Hiroki Sekine handled in the area. Kokubo made a diving save to his right to push out Umarali Rakhmonaliev’s powerful shot.
Both finalists and third-placed Iran also qualified for Paris Olympics men’s football. Fourth-placed Indonesia has one more chance to make it to a first Olympics since 1956 with a playoff against Guinea next Thursday.
Munoz leads LIV Golf Singapore, Fireballs and Smash share team lead
- Colombian’s 6-under 65 at Sentosa Golf Club’s Serapong course gives him a 1-shot advantage over a group of 6 players
SINGAPORE: After suffering a “little low point” a week ago in Australia, Torque GC’s Sebastian Munoz produced his best round of the 2024 season on Friday to take the first-round lead at LIV Golf Singapore.
Munoz’s 6-under 65 at Sentosa Golf Club’s Serapong course gives him a one-shot advantage over a group of six players: Smash GC captain Brooks Koepka, Cleeks GC captain Martin Kaymer, Iron Heads GC captain Kevin Na, RangeGoats GC’s Thomas Pieters, HyFlyers GC’s Cameron Tringale and Fireballs GC’s Abraham Ancer.
Another eight players are two shots back, including Munoz’s captain Joaquin Niemann, the current Individual points leader.
The team leaderboard is just as crowded. Fireballs and Smash share the lead at 11 under, with three teams just one shot back: Cleeks, RangeGoats and Stinger GC.
For Munoz, Friday’s round was a welcome relief after his struggles in the first round in Adelaide. He suffered five bogeys, including three straight, in his final 10 holes to shoot a one-over 72. It was his fourth over-par score in five rounds to that point.
“(It) kind of hit me hard,” Munoz recalled. But his Torque teammates gathered together after the round to offer support. “We kind of had a deep talk,” he said. “Just having good, solid teammates can help you a lot.”
Munoz bounced back with two solid rounds to finish up in Adelaide, then fed off that momentum on Friday in Singapore, setting the tone with birdies on two of his first three holes.
Munoz added: “(I’m) really happy where the game is right now and kind of trending.”
Koepka, who was celebrating his 34th birthday on Friday, found his putting stroke that had been mostly absent this season. He opened with five birdies in his first seven holes, and then saved par with a 12-footer after his birdie attempt had rolled off the green. A three-putt on the par-4 16th was his only blemish.
“I thought I putted OK,” Koepka said. “Speed was off, but the ones that I needed to make, I felt like I made.”
Pieters has found his form recently with a tie for ninth in Miami and a tie for 14th in Adelaide. His bogey-free 66, including an eagle at the par-5 18th, was his sixth consecutive sub-par round.
He said: “I’ve been putting a lot of work into it over the last few months. I just had a rough time last year personally, and I finally found the time and the focus to kind of refocus on my game. I’ve been working on every aspect, and it’s kind of showing now.”
Ancer also continued his hot stretch that included his first LIV Golf individual win two months ago in Hong Kong. He suffered an early bogey, but then found his rhythm the rest of the way, including a stretch of three consecutive birdies to finish up his first nine holes.
After finishing 47th out of 48 players in Singapore last year, Ancer was happy with the strong start to this week.
He said: “I was not in the same spot with my swing last year. (I was) not playing confident at the time. I feel a lot better today. Big difference.”
Kaymer was coming off his best LIV round, an 8-under 64 on Sunday in Adelaide, and continued to show positive signs with his 66. Na, like Munoz, played well in the last two rounds in Adelaide after a tough start and was bogey-free for his first 15 holes on Friday.
Standings and counting scores for Friday’s opening round of the team competition at LIV Golf Singapore. The three best scores from each team count in the first two rounds while all four scores count in the final round. The team with the lowest cumulative score after three rounds wins the team title.
T1. FIREBALLS GC -11 (Ancer 66, Chacarra 67, Garcia 69)
T1. SMASH GC -11 (Koepka 66, Gooch 68, McDowell 68)
T3. RANGEGOATS GC -10 (Pieters 66, Wolff 68, Uihlein 69)
T3. CLEEKS GC -10 (Kaymer 66, Meronk 67, Bland 70)
T3. STINGER GC -10 (Burmester 67, Oosthuizen 67, Grace 69)
6. TORQUE GC -9 (Muñoz 65, Niemann 67, Ortiz 72)
T7. RIPPER GC -8 (Herbert 67, Leishman 67, Smith 71)
T7. LEGION XIII -8 (Hatton 68, Vincent 68, Rahm 69)
9. HYFLYERS GC -7 (Tringale 66, Steele 68, Mickelson 72)
10. IRON HEADS GC -5 (Na 66, Vincent 70, Lee 72)
11. 4ACES GC -4 (Johnson 67, Reed 71, Varner III 71)
T12. CRUSHERS GC -1 (Casey 69, Lahiri 70, DeChambeau 73)
T12. MAJESTICKS GC -1 (Poulter 70, Horsfield 71, Westwood 71)
Luton gains valuable point from home draw with Everton
- Luton remained third to last
LUTON, England: Luton got a valuable point in its fight to avoid relegation after a hard-fought 1-1 draw with visiting Everton in the English Premier League on Friday.
Luton remained third to last, below 17th-placed Nottingham Forest only on goal difference. Luton has two games left. Everton has already guaranteed its survival.
Everton took the initiative when Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored from the penalty spot after 24 minutes.
A video review ruled Teden Mengi held Jarrad Branthwaite, and Calvert-Lewin notched his fourth goal in his last five appearances.
Luton bounced back quickly thanks to Elijan Adebayo. The striker scored five in five games before he was injured in February, and almost three months out did not seem to have affected his eye for goal. In his first start since returning, Adebayo collected his 10th goal of the season.
Luton substitute Andros Townsend saw his shot blocked on the line in the dying seconds.
Mitchell Starc shows class as Kolkata Knight Riders notch IPL win in Mumbai
- Kolkata's first win at the Wankhede ground in 12 years and seventh from 10 games this season
MUMBAI: Mitchell Starc picked up four wickets as a disciplined bowling performance helped Kolkata Knight Riders seal a 24-run victory over Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League on Friday.
Chasing a below-par 170, Mumbai lost wickets at regular intervals to be bowled out for 145 off 18.5 overs at the Wankhede Stadium.
Suryakumar Yadav raised hopes with a 35-ball 56 but his dismissal in the 16th over tilted the scales in favour of Kolkata.
This was Kolkata's first win at the Wankhede ground in 12 years and seventh from 10 games this season.
Mumbai slumped to ninth position in the 10-team competition after their eighth loss in 11 games.
Kolkata are placed second and well poised to make it to the play-offs.
"Obviously we couldn't form partnerships and kept losing wickets," said Mumbai skipper Hardik Pandya.
"There are a lot of questions that will take time to answer. But for now, not much to say."
Mumbai were off to a shaky start, with Starc flattening the leg-stump of Ishan Kishan (13) and Varun Chakravarthy sending back Naman Dhir (11).
The home team got another big jolt when Rohit Sharma, who came in as an impact sub, miscued a shot to be caught off Sunil Narine for 11.
Pandya's poor run of form continued as he was out for one, much to the disappointment of the strong home crowd.
Yadav hit his third half-century of the season and Tim David chipped in with 24 but Kolkata did well to rein in the five-time champions.
Earlier, Kolkata lost five quick wickets including that of the prolific Phil Salt (five) and skipper Shreyas Iyer (six) after being put in to bat.
Tottering at 57-5, Venkatesh Iyer (70) and impact sub Manish Pandey (42) steadied Kolkata with an 83-run stand and ensured a respectable total on the board.
Iyer, who hit a century at the same ground last season, hit three sixes and six fours in his fighting 52-ball knock.
"It's an extremely good feeling, because we haven't won at Wankhede for 12 years," said Kolkata's Varun Chakravarthy.
"This is a very special win because we were down and out in the first innings. The way Venkatesh and Manish pulled it back was great."
Jasprit Bumrah and Sri Lanka's Nuwan Thushara were the pick of the bowlers, taking three wickets each and troubling the batsmen with their line and length on a lively wicket.
