Soccer

After a frantic last round of action Wednesday, the inaugural 36-team league phase in Champions League history is over.

At a time when Aston Villa's strikers are in high demand, another of the team's attackers now has a Champions League scoring feat for which Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo or Erling Haaland would be proud.

LEVERKUSEN, Germany (AP) — Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso said Wednesday that Nigerian striker Victor Boniface is set to stay at the club following reports of a possible transfer to Saudi Arabia.

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Pep Guardiola kicked out at a drinks cooler in a moment of unbridled relief as Manchester City avoided a stunning early exit from the Champions League on Wednesday.

LILLE, France (AP) — When Lille lost its opening Champions League match in September, only a few bold gamblers would have bet on the Ligue 1 side to qualify for the last 16 of European club soccer's elite tournament.

EINDHOVEN, Netherlands (AP) — Amara Nallo will certainly remember his senior debut for Liverpool — all four minutes of it.

GENEVA (AP) — Manchester City stayed in the Champions League , barely. Paris Saint-Germain saved its elite status in style. Both had risked embarrassing exits before winning on Wednesday, grateful to be among the 24 teams in the knockout stage.

MADRID (AP) — Rodrygo added to his scoring streak with Real Madrid on Wednesday but the Spanish powerhouse didn't get all the goals it needed to finish high enough in the league phase of the Champions League and avoid a possible encounter with Manche

MILAN (AP) — Lautaro Martínez became Inter Milan’s top scorer in Europe’s elite competition as he netted a hat trick against 10-man Monaco in the Champions League on Wednesday.

York United FC has officially added 17-year-old striker Marsel Bibishkov to its roster, signing the former Juventus under-17 player to a two-year contract with club options for 2027 and 2028.