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Luxury has its price, and lately, that price is a broken window. It’s open season on Hollywood royalty, and this time, Brad Pitt has become the latest target in a spree of audacious celebrity home burglaries haunting Los Angeles. On the night of June 25, the F1 actor’s Los Feliz mansion was broken into by three suspects who scaled a fence and shattered a front window to gain entry.

The 61-year-old actor, thankfully, wasn’t home during the incursion. Law enforcement confirmed an “unknown amount” of property was stolen, as the thieves made a swift escape. This high-profile heist follows eerily similar break-ins at the homes of Nicole Kidman, yes, Tom Cruise’s ex-wife, who was also victimized while away.

So what’s driving this surge in celebrity-targeted thefts?

Brad Pitt’s LA home robbed in ongoing celebrity burglary spree Brad Pitt in F1 (2025) | Credits: Apple Studios/Warner Bros. Pictures...

Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban‘s Los Angeles-area home was reportedly “ransacked” by a burglar during a home invasion last Friday, according to reports.

A security guard at the Beverly Hills gated community told responding police officers that an unknown suspect had smashed a glass door to gain entry to the multi-million dollar residence and burglarized the home before fleeing, according to The Los Angeles Times.

Luckily, the Australian couple — who married in 2006 — and their two daughters, Sunday and Faith, were not at home. It’s unclear if the intruder...

Nicole Kidman and husband, Keith Urban’s home in Beverly Hills was broken into on Friday, multiple reports have confirmed.

“Officers responded to a burglary report at 8 p.m. Friday on Lime Orchard Road. Officers learned from a security guard that a burglar had smashed the glass door of the residence, ransacked the home and fled,” a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department told the Los Angeles Times.

Kidman and Urban have been married since 2006 and share two daughters, Sunday and Faith. The family was not home at the time of the incident. It’s “unknown whether any items were taken,” the Los Angeles Times reported.

Their California neighborhood reportedly includes other stars like Penélope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lawrence, Adele and Katy Perry. The Los Angeles Times reported on additional burglaries that happened in the area recently, such as French soccer player Olivier Giroud, who lost $500,000 worth of belongings earlier this month.

Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban’s Los Angeles home was broken into and ransacked on Valentine’s Day, police confirmed to Ktla. The LAPD responded to a break-in at the A-list couple’s home on Feb. 14 at around 8 p.m. local time.

As reported by Ktla: “A security guard told investigators that the intruder had smashed a glass door to gain entry and ransacked the home before fleeing the property in the Beverly Crest neighborhood of L.A. Kidman nor Urban were reportedly there when the break-in occurred. It’s unknown what, if anything, was taken from the celebrity power couple’s residence.”

Kidman and Urban have been married since 2006. They have two children together. According to the Los Angeles Times, the couple’s L.A. home was located in Beverly Hills’ Hidden Valley gated community, which is full of celebrity residents such as “Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lawrence,...

Paramount+ today announced a December 9 premiere date for the original docuseries Pulisic, which will be presented by Michelob Ultra. Produced by CBS Sports, the series is a behind-the-scenes look at American soccer star Christian Pulisic.

The first episode of Pulisic will premiere in December, while episodes two and three will premiere in January. Subsequent seasons will air later in 2025.

The series provides unprecedented access to Pulisic’s life and growing celebrity in Italy as he competes in UEFA Champions League and Serie A competitions. Cameras capture Pulisic’s journey in meeting the demands of global stardom while he prepares for the biggest moment of his career – the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup on home soil.

The series looks back at the life and career of Pulisic, from his beginnings in Hershey, Pennsylvania to European standout and American hero. From representing the U.S. Men’s National Team to suiting up...

Rome, Sep 2 (Ians) Olivier Giroud’s penalty and Rafael Leao’s stunner helped 10-man AC Milan beat Roma 2-1 away in a highly-anticipated Serie A fixture.

Milan managed two wins out of two in the new Serie A season while the capital-based team just picked up one point. Jose Mourinho returned to Roma’s sideline after a two-match ban while new signing Romelu Lukaku who joined from Chelsea on loan started the game from the bench, reports Xinhua.

The away side broke the deadlock just nine minutes into the game as Ruben Loftus-Cheek was tripped down by goalkeeper Rui Patricio in the box, the referee awarded them a penalty after a Var check, and Giroud kept his cool to convert it. It was the Frenchman’s third consecutive game on target.

The Rossoneri doubled the lead straight after the break in a spectacular fashion when Davide Calabria rolled across from the right,...

Rome, Aug 27 (Ians) AC Milan managed two wins in as many matches in the new Serie A season as they conquered Torino 4-1 at San Siro, while Hellas Verona sank Roma 2-1.

Milan got off their new season with a 2-0 win in the opening round through Olivier Giroud and Christian Pulisic’s goals, and the duo continued their fearsome conditions on Saturday’s game, reports Xinhua.

The home side broke the deadlock in the 33rd minute when Giroud failed to get on the end of Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s pass, but it went for Pulisic to slot into an empty net.

Despite Perr Schuurs’ equaliser three minutes later, the Rossoneri quickly restored the lead in the 43rd minute with Giroud converting a penalty, before Theo Hernandez looped it over an on-rushing goalkeeper from a tight angle on the stroke of halftime.

Milan sealed the win in the 64th minute when...

Rome, Aug 22 (Ians) AC Milan’s fresh new signings, Tijjani Reijnders and Christian Pulisic, made an immediate impact, contributing to Milan’s 2-0 victory over Bologna in their 2023/24 Serie A season opener.

The Rossoneri parted ways with cornerstone player Sandro Tonali, who transitioned to Newcastle United this summer. However, Milan didn’t shy away from investing significantly, ushering in several new talents. Reijnders, Pulisic, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek were all in the starting lineup for the inaugural match on Monday.

The visitors didn’t take long to assert their dominance. Just 11 minutes in, a well-placed cross from Pulisic found Reijnders, who set it up perfectly from the by-line for Olivier Giroud to finish with precision, Xinhua reports.

The lead was doubled shortly after, a mere 10 minutes later. Pulisic and Giroud exhibited excellent synergy, with the latter’s astute pass setting up the American for a powerful finish, cementing the win.

In other matches,...

Rome, June 5 (Ians) AC Milan closed their 2022-2023 Serie A season with a 3-1 win over Hellas Verona, while Atalanta and Roma secured Europa League places following victories.

Milan had already clinched fourth place before Sunday’s match, and they held a ceremony for Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who decided to retire after the season. The Swedish player, hampered by injuries this season, only played four times, mostly in brief appearances, reports Xinhua.

The Rossoneri broke the deadlock before halftime when Brahim Diaz drew a penalty, which Olivier Giroud successfully converted.

Verona equalized in the 72nd minute when Marco Davide Faraoni found the net with a header at the back post.

Milan reclaimed the lead in the 85th minute, with Rafael Leao, who recently inked a new deal, demonstrating his worth with a low strike from outside the box.

In stoppage time, Leao rounded off the win by outmaneuvering the goalkeeper.

In other matches,...

Rome, May 29 (Ians) Seasoned veteran Olivier Giroud reaffirmed his crucial role as his decisive header guided AC Milan to a 1-0 victory over Juventus, securing a Champions League spot for the Rossoneri for the upcoming season.

This game was a head-to-head battle for the coveted Champions League place. Milan only required one point to lock in their position, while Juventus, grappling with a 10-point deduction, was desperate for a win to maintain their shot at a top-four finish, reports Xinhua.

The match’s lone goal came in the 40th minute when Davide Calabria whipped in a cross from the right. Giroud rose above Federico Gatti, landing a towering header beyond the reach of an overstretched Wojciech Szczesny.

With one round remaining, AC Milan, along with Napoli, Lazio, and Inter Milan, will participate in the next season’s Champions League. Roma, however, could still join them should they triumph over Sevilla...

Naples, April 19 (Ians) Seven-time winners AC Milan are back in the last four of the UEFA Champions League for the first time since 2007 after a 1-1 draw with Napoli secured their progress.

After a narrow win in the first leg, a battling 1-1 draw in Naples saw Milan making the final four of Europe’s elite competition for the first time in 16 years. They joined Juventus as the Italian team with most number of appearances at this stage of the competition (seven)

The match got underway with Napoli piling on the pressure and AC Milan looking to counter on the break. They threatened through Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (9′) and Politano’s two attempts from the edge of the area.

The best chance to break the deadlock came from the spot as Mario Rui brought down Rafa Leao in the box after good link-up play with Theo Hernandez, but Olivier Giroud found the gloves of Meret,...

Rome, April 8 (Ians) Inter Milan’s long-awaited victory was ruined by Antonio Candreva as the ex-Inter player’s stunner in the dying minutes helped Salernitana draw the Nerazzurri 1-1 in Serie A.

Inter conceded three consecutive league defeats before Friday’s game and were winless in their previous five fixtures, reports Xinhua.

The away side broke the deadlock in the opening minutes when a long ball nodded by Romelu Lukaku went into the path of Robin Gosens, who hit in a first-time volley.

Inter were utterly dominant but wasteful for the rest of the game, as Nicolo Barella and Lukaku saw their attempts rattle the woodwork, while Salernitana punished them before the whistle when Candreva’s seeming cross from the right flank looped over Andre Onana.

Inter remain fourth but could fall out of the Champions League zone after this weekend.

AC Milan were stalled by Empoli to a goalless tie.

Rome, March 19 (Ians) Zlatan Ibrahimovic chalked up another record on Saturday, becoming the oldest goalscorer in Serie A, but it was not enough as AC Milan capitulated to Udinese 3-1 away.

The Rossoneri were in dire need of a boost after only snatching one point from the previous two rounds. Olivier Giroud sat out, so Ibrahimovic got his first start this season on late Saturday night.

The home side took a good start just nine minutes into the game, when Milan defender Ismael Bennacer’s wayward pass sparked their counter-attack. Lazar Samardzic charged forward and assisted Roberto Pereyra to finish with a low strike, a Xinhua report said.

The moment came in the 45th minute, when Ibrahimovic converted a retaken penalty, which made him the oldest goalscorer aged 41 years and 166 days. The previous record was set by another Milan legend Alessandro Costacurta who also scored against Udinese through a spot-kick...

Rome, March 14 (Ians) AC Milan were rusty at San Siro as they managed 24 attempts but had to settle for a 1-1 draw with Salernitana in Serie A.

After having eliminated Tottenham Hotspur in the UEFA Champions League last week, the Rossoneri entered Monday’s game without any Italian players in their starting line-up.

The home side were aggressive from the beginning and strung together a run of plays, but couldn’t break the deadlock until the 45th minute, when Olivier Giroud headed home from Ismael Bennacer’s corner.

Salernitana got back on level terms on the hour mark when Domagoj Bradaric rolled across from the left, with Antonio Candreva’s smart run drawing out defender Pierre Kalulu to allow an unmarked Boulaye Dia to drill home from close range.

Bennacer thought he had won a penalty for Milan afterwards, but it was overruled by Var.

Milan still had chances to restore their lead,...

Qatar, Dec 19 (Ians) France manager Didier Deschamps said his players suffered from a “lack of energy” in the team’s penalty shootout defeat to Argentina in the World Cup final here on Sunday.

Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria struck first-half goals to give Argentina a 2-0 lead at Lusail Stadium but two late goals from Kylian Mbappe forced the match into extra time. Messi restored Argentina’s advantage in the 108th minute before Mbappe scored a late penalty as the game went to a penalty shootout.

Aurelien Tchouameni and Kingsley Coman failed to convert shootout attempts for France as Argentina lifted the trophy for the first time since 1986.

“We were facing a strong opponent and also lacked a bit of energy from some of our key players,” Deschamps was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency. “But some of our younger players came on and brought freshness and quality.

After a thrilling final saw Argentina beat France on penalties, the awards for the 2022 World Cup were also announced with some of the biggest names in football were recognized, with Lionel Messi from Argentina was confirmed as the best player at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

The Argentinian forward won the Adidas Golden Ball, which is awarded to the best player by the FIFA Technical Study Group (Tsg).

Kylian Mbappe from France and Luka Modric from Croatia came second and third respectively.

Golden Ball – Lionel Messi (Argentina)

This was Messi’s World Cup – and that was rubber-stamped as he was named the player of the tournament.

The 35-year-old finally got his hands on football’s biggest prize, scoring seven goals enroute to hoisting the trophy high into the Qatar night.

He became the first man to score in the last 16, quarter-final, semi-final and final of the same edition and wins...

Doha (Qatar), Dec 13 (Ians) France go into their World Cup semifinals against Morocco as the favourites to repeat their place in the final from 2018, when they also won the title.

The French also reached the final of the 2016 European Championship, where they ended up as runners-up, so Didier Deschamps’s men have the semifinal experience they need to go into Wednesday’s match at Al Bayt with confidence.

Not only do the French have a great record in the semifinals, but this World Cup has seen four players set records to highlight the challenge they pose to rivals.

The first of those is striker Olivier Giroud: The AC Milan forward, who is a clear candidate for this year’s Golden Boot, scored twice against Australia to go level with Thierry Henry’s record of 51 goals for France. He then broke the record with the opening goal against Poland and...

Doha, Dec 12 (Ians) The semifinals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which will see Croatia take on Argentina and France play Morocco, look as if they will be a triumph of pragmatism over brilliance and emblematic of hard work on the pitch.

Croatia reached the semifinals for the second time in four years after a nerve-shredding penalty shootout against Brazil that left the pre-tournament favorites in tears.

The never-say-die spirit of the Croatians, coupled with the excellence of veteran midfielder Luka Modric and defender Dejan Lovren, saw a fine defensive display and shows that a side that has taken many ties in knockout stages of recent major tournaments to extra time, does not know how to give up, reports Xinhua news agency.

Nearly every team in the last four has a standout player, and for Argentina, of course, it is Lionel Messi, with the 35-year-old playing in what is almost certainly his last World Cup,...

Doha, Dec 11 (Ians) England midfielder Jordan Henderson defended captain Harry Kane who missed a late penalty in the Qatar World Cup quarterfinal against France here.

Defending champions France edged England 2-1 to reach the semifinal against Morocco.

Harry Kane scored one penalty for England, but blazed another over the bar in the 83rd minute what would have taken the match into extra time after Aurelien Tchouameni and Olivier Giroud scored for France, reports Xinhua news agency.

“We know how many penalties Harry has scored for us, how many goals he has contributed to even get us here. He will be stronger for this in the future. He is a world-class striker and our captain, he will bounce back,” said Henderson, who believed England were real candidates to win the World Cup.

“We felt good, the performances were really good, the focus and hunger has been really good. But you have...

Doha, Dec 11 (Ians) England coach Gareth Southgate was non-committal over his future following his side’s exit from the quarterfinals of the World Cup after a narrow 2-1 defeat to France.

England had more chances than France in the game, but were undone by a 25-meter drive from Aurelien Tchouameni and a header from Olivier Giroud.

Although capitain Harry Kane levelled once from the penalty spot, he fired a second penalty over the bar seven minutes from time.

“After every tournament we’ve reviewed and reflected. We need a little bit of time to make sure that everyone makes the right decisions,” Southgate — who has a contract until 2024 — was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.

Southgate admitted his frustration at the defeat that sends his side home.

“We were here to try to win the tournament. We had the belief that we could, and we showed in our performance tonight against the reigning champions,...

Doha, Dec 11 (Ians) France coach Didier Deschamps refused to look beyond next week’s World Cup semifinal with Morocco when asked about his future.

Speaking to the press after France’s 2-1 win against England in a thrilling quarterfinal, the coach, whose contract is up at the end of the tournament said: “I will be manager for the semifinal and after that we will see. I don’t know everything in advance. We will tackle that later.”

He gave a lot of merit to his side’s win, which came thanks to a first half shot from Aurelien Tchouameni and a second half header from Olivier Giroud, while Harry Kane scored one penalty and then missed another that would have taken the game into extra time.

“England have a very, very good team. We put up a good fight. I regret we gave them a penalty and then gave them another penalty,...

In the much-anticipated matchup between two European soccer superpowers, France held off England 2-1 to advance to the semifinals of the FIFA World Cup. The victory marked France’s first-ever World Cup win against their across-the-Channel rival.

France drew first blood in the first half when Aurélien Tchouaméni scored at the 17th minute to make the score 1-0, which it would remain until halftime. After the break and at the 54th minute, England forward Harry Kane knotted the score 1-1 on a penalty kick. However, 20 minutes later, France’s Olivier Giroud...

With another winning performance at the World Cup, this time defeating Poland in the round of 16, the French national football team also led broadcaster TF1 to yet another ratings record for the year. An average 14.3 million viewers tuned in to see Les Bleus notch a 3-1 victory on Sunday, from the 4pm hour local time. This is the best score for all channels across 2022 and since July 2021. The audience share was 68.9.

There was a peak of 17.4 million viewers during the match that saw Olivier Giroud become France’s all-time leading goal scorer with 52 in 117 appearances (overtaking Thierry Henry’s record). Striker wunderkind Kylian Mbappé lifted his career World Cup marks to nine, including five already in this tournament.

The numbers for TF1 were well above those of the previous France matches in Qatar. And, by comparison, in 2018, when France went on to win the tournament, its round of 16 defeat of Argentina drew 12.6 million viewers,...

New Delhi, Dec 5 (Ians) In the ongoing FIFA World Cup in Qatar, defending champions France on Sunday secured a convincing 3-1 victory over Poland in their round of 16 clash at the Al-Thumama Stadium.

Star forward Kylian Mbappe scored a brace of goals in the match to help France set-up a quarter-final clash against England. With goals in the 74th and 91st minutes of the match, Mbappe also moved to the top of the goal scorers list this World Cup with five goals.

Now, former England footballer Sol Campbell believes Mbappe has a solid chance of winning the Golden Boot in FIFA World Cup 2022 if he continues his good form against the Harry Kane-led side in the quarter-final.

“If he keeps on going that way, he has a very good chance of being at the top. He gave assists, scored some goals. So, he is adding a lot to his game.

On Sunday at the Al Thumama Stadium, a brace from Kylian Mbappe and a record-breaking goal from Olivier Giroud helped Didier Deschamps’ team’s cause.

Poland’s Robert Lewandowski managed to get a consolation strike in injury stoppage time from the penalty spot.

Giroud (44th minute) scored just before half-time to open the door, and Mbappe (74 and 90’+1) marched through it with two scorchers in the second half. Lewandowski (90+9) scored in the ninth minute of stoppage time to salvage some pride.

Poland, in the knockout stage for the first time since 1986 and looking for a first quarterfinal appearance since 1982, was the better team in the first half but could not convert their chances in the first while France managed to latch on to the chance to score with a minute left for the first half.

France’s goal-scoring move started with Dayot Upamecano, who gave the ball to Mbappe, 25 yards out in the inside-left channel.

Doha (Qatar), Dec 3 (Ians) The second day of matches in the last-16 sees England play Senegal while France play Poland. Here are some things to look out for on Sunday in Qatar.

1. France back and firing on all cylinders

France rested almost their entire first-choice side for their last group match after having already secured their place in the knockout stage, with their big players such as Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann only coming on in the closing minutes as they chased the game against Tunisia.

Coach Didier Deschamps will have his strongest line-up out against Poland on Sunday, with Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Olivier Giroud in attack, Griezmann in the hole behind them and Adrien Rabiot in the middle. They should be fresh and they should have few problems in reaching the quarterfinals.

2. Poland need a change of attitude

It’s not usual to see a side celebrate a defeat,...

Khazri’s goal went in vain as the Socceroos’ made it at the expense of the North Africans from Group D after defeating Denmark at the Janoub Stadium and made it to the knockout stage from the group along with France.

France started the World Cup in fine fashion, picking up six points from their first two games and scoring six goals in the process but finished as group leaders ahead of Australia. France, who had already qualified for the knock-out stage with two wins, ended up top despite making nine changes and producing a poor performance.

Both Australia and France finished with six points from two wins, while Tunisia took the third spot with four points from one win and one draw against Denmark, which finished at the bottom with one point.

Australia join already qualified teams France, Portugal, Brazil, Senegal and The Netherlands and will take on winners of Group C,...

Khazrei’s goal went in vain as the Socceroos’ made it at the expense of the North Africans from Group D.

At the Janoub Stadium, Australia defeated Denmark 1-0 and made it to the knockout stage from the group along with France.

France started the World Cup in fine fashion, picking up six points from their first two games and scoring six goals in the process and inspite of Wednesday’s loss to Tunisia finished as group leaders ahead of Australia.

Both Australia and France finished with six points from two wins, while Tunisia took the third spot with four points from one win and one draw against Denmark, which finished at the bottom with one point.

Australia join already qualified teams France, Portugal, Brazil, Senegal and The Netherlands and will take on winners of Group C, which consists of Argentina, Poland, Mexico and Saudi Arabia.

On Wednesday, two other...

Doha (Qatar), Nov 25 (Ians) France striker Olivier Giroud is likely to be the centre of attention when France face Denmark in a Group D match on Saturday looking to book their passage into the tournament’s last 16.

Giroud now has 51 goals for his country and another will see him overtake Thierry Henry as France’s all-time top scorer.

The big striker scored twice as France kicked off their World Cup title defense with a comfortable 4-1 win against Australia, becoming the first reigning champions to begin the following tournament with a win since Brazil in 2006.

That win, coupled with the 0-0 draw between Denmark and Tunisia, means another French triumph in Stadium 974 will see them into the next round.

The Australia game saw another addition to France’s long injury list, with Lucas Hernandez suffering a season-ending cruciate ligament injury in the opening minutes.

Lucas joins an injury list containing Karim Benzema,...

Despite being plagued by injuries that knocked out some key players in past weeks, France entered the World Cup with a bang on Tuesday — and scored a ratings victory for TF1 at the same time. At home, an average 12.53 million viewers tuned in from 8 Pm local time to watch Les Bleus defeat Australia’s Socceroos 4-1.

That gave the leading broadcaster, and all of French television, the biggest audience of the year and the best since June 2021. Market share averaged 48.1. BeIn Sport, which is also showing the matches, does not communicate viewing figures.

The strong turnout is despite earlier polls which indicated that 54 of French people said they would not be watching the tournament due to the controversy surrounding host country Qatar. Several major cities and towns are not showing matches on giant outdoor screens or organizing fan zones as would normally be custom.

Tuesday night’s audience score is...

Doha (Qatar), Nov 23 (Ians) A brace by Olivier Giroud and a goal each by Adrien Rabiot, and Kylian Mbappe helped defending champions France to carve out an emphatic 4-1 win over Australia in their Group D match at Janoub Stadium on Tuesday evening.

The World Cup holders bounced back from early scare when Craig Goodwin gave Socceroos shock lead in the 9th minute but goals by Rabiot (27th minute), Giroud (32nd and 74th) and Mbappe (68) paved the way for full points for manager Didier Deschamps side.

France next face Denmark on November 26, who earlier in the day shared points with Tunisia in a goalless draw at Education City Stadium and wind up their group engagements against Tunisia on November 30.

Australia on the other hand take on Tunisia in the next round match on November 26 and end their group fixtures with a match against Denmark four days later.

The two teams...

Doha, Nov 19 (Ians) It could well be a history-defining FIFA World Cup for France as Didier Deschamps and his boys aim to become only the third country ever to win successive FIFA World Cup titles after Italy and Brazil.

Being the defending champions, there will be a lot of hope from France who will be making their 16th appearance in the World Cup, a competition they have won in 1998, 2018. Barring Denmark, there is little to suggest they would be troubled much by the likes of Australia and Tunisia — the other teams in Group D — as they seek a knockout berth.

As the French national team looks to defend its title, there’ll be a bit of similarity as the group they are in is weirdly familiar to the one they won in Russia in 2018.

They have Australia and Denmark again, with Tunisia replacing Peru this time around. The Danes, though,...

Madrid, Nov 3 (Ians) AC Milan reached the Champions League knock-out stage for the first time in nine years on Wednesday with a 4-0 victory over Salzburg, while Rb Leipzig also qualified by thrashing Shakhtar Donetsk.

Paris Saint-Germain will be the team group winners want to avoid in Monday’s last-16 draw after missing out on top spot in Group H despite a 2-1 win at Juventus, as Benfica hammered Maccabi Haifa 6-1 to snatch first place on total away goals.

Manchester City teenager Rico Lewis marked his first senior start with his maiden goal for the club as City came from behind to complete its commanding Champions League group stage with a 3-1 defeat of Sevilla on Wednesday.

With the prolific Erling Haaland absent again, Argentine striker Julian Alvarez and Riyad Mahrez also impressed as it got on the scoresheet but the night belonged to Lewis.

City were already confirmed...

Berlin, Sep 23 (Ians) Kylian Mbappe added another fine solo goal in France’s 2-0 victory against Austria, while the Netherlands, Belgium and Croatia all claimed wins in the UEFA Nations League late on Thursday.

Mbappe and Olivier Giroud scored in the second half in France’s convincing victory. Mbappe now has 28 goals in 58 games for France and is level with Youri Djorkaeff in 10th place on Les Bleus’ all-time scoring list.

Meanwhile, Giroud, who is about to turn 36, became France’s oldest goalscorer, and sits only two goals behind Thierry Henry’s all-time scoring record of 51 for Les Bleus, reports Xinhua. With the win, world champions France move up to third place in Group 1, with Austria sitting bottom of the group.

World Cup runners-up Croatia took over the lead in Group 1 with a 2-1 win over Denmark.

Borna Sosa put Croatia ahead in the second half, before Christian Eriksen levelled the score for Denmark.

Bucharest, Feb 24 (Ians) Chelsea beat Atletico Madrid 1-0 in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League last 16 tie to take a big step towards the quarterfinals of the tournament.

What was Atletico's home leg had to be played in Bucharest due to a ban on flights from Britain to Spain to try and stop the spread of coronavirus variants.

Although that is a clear disadvantage for the Spanish side, the result only serves to highlight a drop of form which has seen them lose two and draw one of their last three games in all competitions, Xinhua reported.

Atletico coach Diego Simeone fielded a side that on paper looked to be attacking minded, with Luis Suarez, Joao Felix, and Angel Correa in attack, and Koke and Marcos Llorente in midfield, the reality was something different as the La Liga leaders were content to sit deep and defend for much of the first half.

Who says the United States men's national team can't entertain us this summer? Despite not being in the upcoming World Cup, they're still going at it hard -- and headfirst -- against France Saturday in a friendly . Unfortunately, that headfirst idea resulted in a bloody mess on the pitch. About 55 minutes into the match and with USA holding a surprising 1-0 lead, France had a corner kick that led to America's Matt Miazga and France's...

Tom Brady, Serena Williams, Simone Biles and LeBron James are among the top athletes nominated for a 2017 Espy Award.

Related: Michael Phelps to Race Against a Great White Shark In Shark Week's 'Phelps vs. Shark'

The complete list of nominees for the sports award show was revealed on Wednesday, and fans can now vote online for their favorite athletes.

Hosted by former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning, the 25th Espy Awards will take place on...

Andrew Matthews/Empics Sport

Watford star striker Troy Deeney could be heading to the Emirates, according to a report from the Daily Star.

Arsenal, despite sitting top of the table, have suffered from their (seemingly annual) injury woes, and it’s clear that Arsene Wenger finds himself short of attacking options. Olivier Giroud seems to be approaching top form this season, notching a hat-trick in a Champions League group game against Olympiakos, but the Gunners lack a similarly physically imposing backup.

Deeney would certainly fit the bill in terms of physicality, although it remains to be seen whether he’d be able to replicate his current form for a top four side. The Star have reported that Wenger would need to splash out with a bid of around £20 million, given the striker’s recently-signed five year contract.

Although lagging behind fellow frontman Odion Ighalo in the goalscoring charts, Deeney has...

© Ina Fassbender/Reuters/Corbis

Arsene Wenger has been uncharacteristically open about his approach to transfers this winter. Perhaps because he’s currently sitting on top of the Premier League (with only one realistic competitor for the title in Man City), the Frenchman has openly admitted that Arsenal will be looking for “quality rather than quantity” with a “maximum of two” players in mind now that the window is open.

One of those two will presumably be Fc Basel midfielder Mohamed Elneny, who Sky Sports claimed was “on the verge” of signing for Arsenal yesterday, but the other won’t be former Man Utd striker Javier Hernandez if his current boss has anything to do with it.

Rudi Voller, now sporting director at Bayer Leverkusen has spoken out to Sky in Germany on Hernandez’s situation and the club’s need to do any business.

“Chicharito has played a big part in our success so far,...

Owen Humphreys/Pa Wire

Aleksandar Mitrovic’s introduction to St James’ Park life has been a harsh one – and it was his 16th-minute red card that ultimately forced Newcastle United on to the defensive and an eventual 1-0 loss against Arsenal.

Despite a magnificent defensive display from the Magpies – their second in succession – they succumbed to an unfortunate Fabricio Coloccini own goal, with an Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain cross-shot deflecting in off the unfortunate Toon skipper.

Left with 10 men following Mitrovic’s stamp on Francis Coquelin – which, although a tad harsh, was deserved because it was reckless and added to his two yellow cards earlier in the season – Newcastle fought bravely but simply could not hold out against an Arsenal side desperate to get their title challenge back on track.

Steve McClaren’s side have failed to win any of their opening four Barclays Premier League games, they have not scored in either of the last two,...

Massimo Pinca/AP/Press Association Images

Fernando Llorente’s agent travelled to London yesterday to discuss a 8.5 million move to Arsenal, according to Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport.

Arsene Wenger is looking to sign a new striker and the 30-year-old Juventus forward would bring world class ability to the Emirates.

The Spanish International who is currently being chased by Barcelona and Real Madrid offers a fantastic aerial presence and at 6ft 5 he will give any top side a genuinely gifted target man. He would also ease the pressure on Olivier Giroud who suffered from fatigue last season.

During his two years in Turin Llorente scored a respectable 23 league goals but the player would have wanted more

Arsenal had been linked to Real Madrid star Karim Benzema in recent days but any potential deal looks very unlikely.

Llorente who has 23 caps for Spain is also being linked with a move to...