NEWCASTLE ROMPS PAST PSG
Newcastle capped a stellar day for Saudi Arabia’s soccer project with a 4-1 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Wednesday that left Kylian Mbappé a picture of despair.
Hours before kickoff at Newcastle, which was struggling when bought by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund just two years ago, the kingdom became the strong favorite to host the 2034 World Cup in a fast-track bidding contest opened by FIFA.
On the field, a Newcastle team fueled by the fervor of its passionate fans swept aside Mbappé and a PSG team bought by Saudi neighbor Qatar 12 years ago after it was picked as 2022 World Cup host.
Newcastle, hosting its first Champions League game in more than 20 years, has raced to the top of the tough Group F where seventime European champion AC Milan drew 0-0 at Borussia Dortmund, the 1997 title winner.
Manchester City further restored Premier League pride one day after Arsenal and Manchester United both lost their games in the second round of the group stage.
City won 3-1 at Leipzig and the Abu Dhabi-backed defending champion already looks comfortable atop the Group G standings with lower-ranked Red Star Belgrade and Young Boys drawing 2-2.
Barcelona also earned a second straight win, 1-0 at Porto where the Spanish team’s starlet Lamine Yamal became the youngest player to start a European Cup game in the 68-year history of the competition at 16 years, 83 days.
Lazio scored a stoppagetime winning goal at Celtic in a 2-1 victory to join Atletico Madrid on four points in Group E. Atletico trailed twice before outlasting Feyenoord in a 3-2 win.
Shakhtar Donetsk also won 3-2 after trailing at Royal Antwerp, which wasted a 2-0 lead at halftime and missed a penalty in stoppage time.
FIFA eases Russia ban
FIFA approved the possible reintegration of Russian youth teams into its competitions and eased a total ban on the country in international soccer amid the war in Ukraine.
The decision by the FIFA Council followed eight days after European soccer body UEFA provoked a rare split among its own executive committee and member federations by welcoming back Russian national teams for boys and girls into its competitions.
FIFA’s decision means Russian teams can play in its Under-17 World Cups, but only if they advance through UEFA-run qualifying formats. Any Russian youth team in its competitions would play under the name “Football Union of Russia” rather than “Russia,” FIFA said.
Scoreless draw for Loyal
A last-second shot by Xavi Gnaulati was saved by goalkeeper Benny Diaz and the San Diego Loyal had to settle for a 0-0 road draw against the El Paso Locomotive. The Loyal (14-9-9), which already has qualified for the postseason, remained in third place in the USL Championship West with two matches left.