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Newcastle saw their Champions League dreams ended at the last 16 stage by a rampant Barcelona on Wednesday. Two goals from Anthony Elanga in the first half had given the Magpies hope of pulling off a famous result, but Eddie Howe's side fell apart in the second half to eventually lose 7-2 on a tough night in Catalunya.

Barcelona eventually cruised into the quarter-finals of the Champions League as they ran riot in the second half against Newcastle to win the second leg of their last-16 tie 7-2, earning an 8-3 aggregate victory. Raphinha was heavily involved in six of the goals, scoring two himself, while Robert Lewandowski also netted a brace, with Marc Bernal, Lamine Yamal and Fermin Lopez all on the scoresheet to boot.

GOAL breaks down the status of the USMNT stars that were left off the March roster due to injury

The World Cup has brought all sorts of political and logistical problems, but those involved in planning remain committed to putting on a show.

With less than three months to go until the World Cup, Mauricio Pochettino has picked a squad that would seem to be geared towards competing in June.

Hardly any other player embodies VfB Stuttgart’s meteoric rise under manager Sebastian Hoeneß – from relegation candidates to a top-flight club – more than Maximilian Mittelstädt. Yet this summer, the success story faces a bittersweet conclusion.

Pep Guardiola insisted through gritted teeth that Manchester City's defeat and elimination at the hands of Real Madrid was not his last stand in the Champions League. Which is just as well, because this was not a fitting way for him to say goodbye to a competition that he took to a whole new level with Barcelona and has won three times in total, only trailing Carlo Ancelotti.

Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain have a rather unique cross-border rivalry. Its roots stem way back into the 2010s, long before their summer 2025 meeting in the Club World Cup final, but that served to only intensify the dislike between these current sets of players. In the United States, the Blues crowned themselves as 'champions of the world', but it's a title that looks more and more hollow as we distance ourselves from that tournament.

Less than two years ago, Khiara Keating appeared to have the world at her feet. Aged 19, she emerged as Manchester City's starting goalkeeper, won her first senior England call-up and, at the end of the 2023-24 season, became the youngest player ever to win the Women's Super League Golden Glove. And yet, on Sunday, she made just her third league appearance of the current season, having been left out of the Lionesses senior squad last month due to a lack of game time.

Bernardo Silva was sent off for the first time in his career in what may prove to be a nightmare farewell to the Champions League with Manchester City as Pep Guardiola's side lost 2-1 at home to Real Madrid to exit the competition 5-1 on aggregate in the last 16. Bernardo was given a double punishment for handballing Vinicius Jr's shot on the line as the Brazilian scored from the penalty spot to give City an almost impossible task.

Vinicius Jr returned to form at the right time for Real Madrid, bagging twice as Los Blancos got the job done against Manchester City to secure a spot in the Champions League quarter-finals. Madrid arrived in England defending a 3-0 lead after the first leg, and ensured that there was no 'remontada' at the Etihad Stadium, winning 2-1 win on the night after a rather frantic contest.

Eberechi Eze and Declan Rice fired Arsenal into the Champions League quarter-finals in sensational style with stunning goals as the Gunners saw off a stubborn Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 at Emirates Stadium to seal a 3-1 aggregate victory over the Bundesliga outfit. Eze's thunderous first-half strike sent Mikel Arteta's on their way and Rice put the seal on the victory with an excellent second after the interval to set up a meeting with Sporting CP in the final eight.

Chelsea's Champions League campaign came to an end with a whimper after losing 3-0 to Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of their last-16 tie, falling to an 8-2 defeat across 180 minutes of action. The aggregate defeat is the Blues' heaviest in their history of competing in the knockout stages of the European Cup, equalling their 7-1 hammering by Bayern Munich in 2020.

There were a few surprises, along with plenty of injury worries, as Mauricio Pochettino announced a squad that might look close to his World Cup group this June

First day of the league season: Vålerenga’s Gabriel Larsen Rajkovic comes on as a substitute in the closing stages and breaks Ødegaard’s record

In a GOAL exclusive, Timo Werner explains his move to San Jose, his evolving role beyond goals, and why MLS came at the right time.

When Newcastle beat Bayern Munich to the signing of towering Stuttgart frontman Nick Woltemade in August, it was seen as major coup on the back of their qualification for the 2025-26 Champions League. Indeed, Eddie Howe was delighted to see the club-record, £65 million ($88m) deal pushed through late in the summer transfer window, with the German snapped up as a replacement for Liverpool-bound Alexander Isak.