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Champions League briefing: Has Vinicius Jr sealed the Ballon d’Or? Plus a Pulisic olimpico

Published

1 year ago

October 24, 2024

Champions League briefing: Has Vinicius Jr sealed the Ballon d’Or? Plus a Pulisic olimpico

It was a night of notable goals by notable goalscorers as the Champions League returned for matchweek three.

Vinicius Junior’s second-half hat-trick at the Bernabeu completed yet another Real Madrid European comeback as visitors Borussia Dortmund went from two goals up after an hour to 5-2 down by the final whistle, the Brazilian making a timely statement ahead of next Monday’s Ballon d’Or ceremony.

But there was also an unusual goal from Christian Pulisic, while Viktor Gyokeres and Jhon Duran maintained their hot streaks, the latter helping Aston Villa go clear at the top of the league-phase table.

These are the big talking points from Tuesday’s action.

Is Vinicius nailed on for the Ballon d’Or?

At half-time in Madrid, Dortmund were dreaming of their first ever victory at the Bernabeu, 2-0 up and flying.

Defending European champions Real, having been beaten 1-0 away by France’s Lille on matchweek two, were in danger not only of losing their 14-match unbeaten home record in the competition, but also putting their qualification hopes in jeopardy with a second defeat in three games.

Enter Vinicius Jr. A blistering second-half hat-trick from the Brazilian settled this rematch of last season’s final in style. Dortmund must be sick of the sight of him.

His first was a mere tap-in, but the second was a gallivanting 60-yard run on the counter-attack that ended with a bullet of a drive into the corner.

Vinicius gets his second goal (Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

His third, meanwhile, was a mazy run past three players before blasting above goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.

Vinicius completes his hat trick (Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

Vinicius Jr was absolutely brilliant in the second half and Dortmund were helpless as to how to stop him. Accolades and praise will continue to fall the way of the mercurial 24-year-old — and on Monday, he may well be named as the world’s best player this year when the latest Ballon d’Or winner is announced.

GO DEEPER

How is the Ballon d’Or 2024 winner decided?

He is the runaway favourite for the prize — awarded by a jury of journalists from the countries represented in the top 100 of the FIFA world rankings, and based on last season’s performances — when the ceremony takes place in Paris. Only Rodri, the Manchester City and Spain midfielder, seems to be considered a serious contender.

Vinicius Jr’s hat trick also took the shine of the night for a young talent who will hope to emulate him in the near future.

Jamie Gittens’ star continues to rise, and he became the youngest Englishman to score against Madrid, aged just 20 years and 75 days (beating Alan Smith’s record when he was with Leeds United in 2001), when he put Dortmund two up after 34 minutes .

Gittens’ time in the spotlight may come soon, but for now the stage belongs to Vinicius Jr.

Pulisic’s Olympic

What do Thierry Henry, David Beckham, Megan Rapinoe and now Pulisic have in common?

They’re all right-footed? They’ve all played either in MLS or for the United States? Well, yes, but the answer we’re looking for is they’ve all scored an olimpico.

In football parlance, that’s a goal scored directly from a corner kick. It’s a very rare feat and it certainly isn’t easy to achieve, as Lionel Messi will tell you. One of the greatest players to ever kick a ball has never stuck one in straight from a corner, but it hasn’t been for the want of trying, as our Felipe Cardenas detailed earlier this year .

But Pulisic joined the club in the first half of AC Milan’s crucial 3-1 home win against Club Bruges.

Video for UK readers

Straight in from the corner 🎯
Pulisic gets the opener in San Siro with a direct corner into the back of the net 😅
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/u5oUNrWfZZ
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 22, 2024

Video for US readers

🚨 CHRISTIAN PULISIC #UCL OLIMPICO!!! 🚨 pic.twitter.com/NSgfJMunLu
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) October 22, 2024

Did he mean it? Well, with Bruges’ ex-Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet dawdling off his line and leaving a yawning gap at the near post for him to target, we should give Pulisic the benefit of the doubt.

The olimpico should have been the inspiration Milan needed to take charge of a must-win game, with the Italians having already lost to Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen. They made a massive meal of it though, with Bruges equalizing despite going down to 10 men when Raphael Onyedika was sent off.

When Milan’s star man Rafael Leao was surprisingly subbed off on the hour, the San Siro crowd loudly voiced their displeasure at manager Paulo Fonseca. But just 29 seconds later, with Leao still trudging around the pitch back to the bench, one of Fonseca’s substitutes Noah Okafor set up Tijjani Reijnders to make it 2-1.

Ten minutes later another sub, Samuel Chukwueze, assisted Reijnders to seal a huge victory – and serve up vindication for Fonseca.

Can Villa’s fairytale continue?

OK, we know Unai Emery is good, but come on, this is getting silly now.

Who had Aston Villa down as potential Champions League leaders after three matches? Well, Emery’s team are sitting proudly at the top of the table, making up for lost time after four decades away from Europe’s premier competition.

Wins over Young Boys, Bayern Munich and now Bologna, all without conceding a goal, perhaps placing Villa in the dark horse category of this season’s competition. Emery certainly knows how to win a European trophy, after four Europa League triumphs in seven years with Sevilla (three) and Villarreal from 2014 to 2021…

Villa are top of the Champions League – can they stay there? (Darren Staples/AFP via Getty Images)

Villa didn’t have it easy at home against a stubborn Bologna side, but second-half goals from John McGinn (whose crossed free kick from out wide bounced through a crowd of players) and a seventh goal of the season from Jhon Duran (who was subbed immediately afterwards and, well, took that quite badly) were enough.

With Villa, Monaco and Sporting Lisbon in first, second and third, the early table has an unpredictable look to it.

It was just a shame Villa Park wasn’t full for the occasion, with some fans put off by the Birmingham club charging among the highest ticket prices in the competition .

Giants are wobbling

Domestic leagues such as the Premier League and Serie A are only just settling down after eight matches… but how long before the Champions League’s first ever league-phase table does?

Halfway through matchweek three, there are plenty of big guns who haven’t started to cement their spots in the top eight yet, which will mean they advance straight to the round of 16, and poor results for Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday have opened up the automatic qualification race even further.

Juventus may be unbeaten in the Italian top flight but in the Champions League they have conceded five goals in three games, and they were deservedly beaten by Stuttgart in Turin tonight.

The Germans mashed 22 shots (10 on target) to Juventus’ seven (one on target) but left it late to take the points, El Bilal Toure brilliantly finishing a well-worked move in stoppage time, Enzo Millot having missed a penalty a few minutes earlier.

Juventus react to their poor home defeat to Stuttgart (Marco Bertorello/AFP via Getty Images)

Meanwhile, PSG’s iffy Champions League form continues. They needed a stoppage-time howler from Girona goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga to win in matchweek one, then lost to Arsenal, and have now labored to a 1-1 draw with Dutch visitors PSV Eindhoven.

Ousmane Dembele spurned two relatively simple chances as Luis Enrique’s profligate team scored just once from 26 attempts, with the French side grateful for another goalkeeping mistake when Walter Benitez allowed Achraf Hakimi’s long-range shot through his legs.

The outlook doesn’t look great for PSG, who have to face Atletico Madrid, Bayern, Manchester City and Juventus’ conquerors Stuttgart over their remaining five matches.

PSG only have four points from three games (Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images)

Gyokeres’ hot streak continues

If Viktor Gyokeres played in the Premier League, La Liga or Bundesliga and scored as often as he is right now, he’d be a superstar of European football.

The fact he plies his trade for Sporting in the lower-profile Portuguese league means the 26-year-old Swede still probably goes under the radar, but there is a case for calling him one of the hottest strikers in the game right now.

The numbers are eye-popping. Gyokeres has played 11 matches in the Primeira Liga and Champions League this season and scored 13 times, and then there’s the four goals and three assists from four Swedish appearances.

Last season, he scored 43 in 50 in all competitions for Sporting, and you wonder how many clubs regret not challenging Sporting for his signature when Coventry City, of England’s second-tier Championship, sold him in 2022.

His latest, which helped secure a 2-0 away win against Austria’s Sturm Graz, was majestic.

Video for UK readers

Ridiculous from Viktor Gyökeres! 😱
Strength and composure combined in one ❄️
Advertisement

📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/4M5YKmdjxo
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 22, 2024

Video for US readers

VIKTOR GYÖKERES GLIDES THROUGH THE DEFENSE ALONE TO SCORE 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/ojw2cebbVF
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) October 22, 2024

Gyokeres recently stated that his release clause of €100million (£83m/$108m) might be a tad high, but if he keeps this form up there will undoubtedly be clubs prepared to pay it.

Tuesday’s results

AC Milan 3 Club Brugge 1
Monaco 5 Red Star Belgrade 1
Arsenal 1 Shakhtar Donetsk 0
Aston Villa 2 Bologna 0
Girona 2 Slovan Bratislava 0
Juventus 0 Stuttgart 1
Paris Saint-Germain 1 PSV Eindhoven 1
Real Madrid 5 Borussia Dortmund 2
Sturm Graz 0 Sporting Lisbon 2

What’s next?

The remaining nine fixtures for matchweek three of the eight-round league phase take place on Wednesday.

Atalanta vs Celtic (5.45pm BST/12.45pm ET)
Brest vs Bayer Leverkusen (5.45pm BST/12.45pm ET)
Atletico Madrid vs Lille (8pm BST/3pm ET)
Barcelona vs Bayern Munich (8pm BST/3pm ET)
Benfica vs Feyenoord (8pm BST/3pm ET)
Manchester City vs Sparta Prague (8pm BST/3pm ET)
RB Leipzig vs Liverpool (8pm BST/3pm ET)
Red Bull Salzburg vs Dinamo Zagreb (8pm BST/3pm ET)
Young Boys vs Inter Milan (8pm BST/3pm ET)

(Top photos: Vinicius Junior and Christian Pulisic; Getty Images)

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Sports

Pro Football Hall of Famer Troy Aikman critiques NIL landscape, transfer rules and Lane Kiffin’s LSU move

Published

7 hours ago

December 9, 2025

Press Room

Pro Football Hall of Famer Troy Aikman critiques NIL landscape, transfer rules and Lane Kiffin’s LSU move

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For the past couple of decades, former NFL star quarterback and Pro Football Hall of Famer Troy Aikman has shared his thoughts on what he’s seen during whichever game he and his longtime broadcast partner are calling.

The three-time Super Bowl winner is currently part of the “Monday Night Football” broadcast crew. Aikman has routinely given his take on a variety of football-related topics, from the state of NFL officiating to college football.

Some of Aikman’s latest thoughts about the college game centered on the growing number of players who have taken advantage of the transfer portal in today’s polarizing NIL landscape.

The former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and many others have referred to the state of today’s sport at the collegiate level as the “Wild West.”

Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman stands with his Monday Night Football Broadcast announcer Joe Buck before a game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants at Acrisure Stadium. (Barry Reeger/Imagn Images)

“College football has become the Wild West, as everybody knows. Forget about Lane Kiffin for a minute, but starting with NIL, there just has been no guardrails. I’m on the National Football Foundation Board, so I hear firsthand from a lot of the commissioners and athletic directors and the people involved in all of that. It’s gotta get cleaned up, first and foremost,” Aikman told The Athletic.

When asked about student-athletes’ mobility in today’s world, Aikman reflected on his personal choices during his time competing at the NCAA level.

NFL GREAT TROY AIKMAN FIRES BACK AT JERRY JONES’ TRADE PLAN AMID LOSING EFFORT: ‘HE MAY WANT TO CANCEL’

“I was a transfer. I went from Oklahoma to UCLA, and I’ve always felt that if a coach is able to pick up and leave, that a player should have the same opportunity if a coach leaves,” he continued.

UCLA quarterback Troy Aikman (8) runs the ball during a college football game against Arizona on Oct. 2, 1988, at Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Ariz. (Mike Powell/Allsport/Getty Images)

“What’s happened obviously over the years since I got out of college football is that in recent years with NIL, there’s been no accountability on the players,” Aikman continued. “So the players pick up and now they’re leaving all the time whereas before it was typically the coach. The player used to have to sit out a year. Now, the players can up and go regardless of whether or not they’ve been paid. It’s every man for himself.”

Aikman then dived into another college football hot topic – Lane Kiffin’s decision to leave Ole Miss in favor of LSU. The NFL analyst gave his best guess on what fueled Kiffin to make the leap.

“Lane Kiffin’s motivation? Is it his thoughts that it’s a better opportunity for him at LSU? Possibly. Is it money? Possibly. Is it lifestyle? Possibly. I can’t answer any of those questions.”

Then-Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin throws a football before the game against the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on Oct. 25, 2025. (Kevin Jairaj/Imagn Images)

“But whatever his motivation is, he feels like LSU is the right place for him. So I don’t fault him for that at all. I know there’s always hard feelings. Ole Miss did not want to lose Lane Kiffin,” he said. “Once he made the decision to leave, now he’s a pariah. Let’s get this guy just as far away from us as we can. I understand that as well. Everybody gets a little bit jaded.”

Aikman concluded that those in positions of power should ultimately take charge and focus on getting things in order. “Where I’m at is I think there’s gotta be some leadership at the very top that kind of cleans all of this up. Starting with players that accept money, there’s gotta be some accountability and responsibility on their behalf to have to stick with a program. I gave money to a kid. I won’t mention who. I’ve done it one time at UCLA. Never met the young man. He was there a year, he left after the year. I wrote a sizable check, and he went to another school. I didn’t even get so much as a thank you note.”

Aikman is scheduled to be on the call for a Week 15 matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins on Dec. 15.

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Chantz Martin is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.

Sports

Take a swing? Two Buss brothers consider investing in baseball’s Athletics

Published

8 hours ago

December 9, 2025

Press Room

Take a swing? Two Buss brothers consider investing in baseball’s Athletics

Could two members of the Buss family add some green and gold to their purple and gold?

Joey and Jesse Buss, fired last month as Lakers executives, have explored pursuing an ownership stake in baseball’s Athletics, according to two people familiar with the discussions but not authorized to speak publicly about them.

The discussions were described as preliminary, and it is unclear whether they might result in a deal. Jesse Buss did not reply to a message seeking comment.

In September, Joey and Jesse – sons of legendary Lakers owner Jerry Buss – announced the launch of Buss Sports Capital “to pursue high-impact investment opportunities across the global sports ecosystem.” The announcement said Buss Sports Capital would aim “to partner with forward-thinking professionals to unlock new opportunities in professional sports.”

Joey and Jesse Buss retain their stakes of Lakers ownership. In October, Dodgers owner Mark Walter closed his purchase of majority ownership in the Lakers, in a deal that valued the Lakers at $10 billion. Walter tasked Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and former general manager Farhan Zaidi to assess the Lakers’ front office operations.

Last month, Joey Buss was dismissed as vice president of research and development and Jesse Buss as assistant general manager.

The A’s left Oakland after the 2024 season. They plan to move from their temporary Sacramento home to Las Vegas in 2028, and construction there is underway on an enclosed 30,000-seat stadium originally estimated to cost $1.5 billion. In July, team owner John Fisher told the Nevada Independent the cost had risen into “the $2 billion range.”

Fisher obtained $380 million in public funding. He is responsible for the balance of construction costs. In 2023, The Times first reported that Fisher hoped to generate $500 million toward stadium costs by valuing the A’s at $2 billion and selling 25% of the team to minority investors.

Fisher has since used a higher valuation in soliciting investors. CNBC last year estimated the A’s franchise value at $2 billion, Forbes at $1.8 billion, and Sportico at $1.6 billion.

The A’s have posted four consecutive losing seasons. They say they are rebuilding toward their planned 2028 arrival in Las Vegas, and they have an impressive core of position players, including first baseman Nick Kurtz — the American League rookie of the year — shortstop Jacob Wilson, catcher Shea Langeliers, designated hitter Brent Rooker, and outfielders Lawrence Butler and Tyler Soderstrom.

Times staff writer Broderick Turner contributed to this report.

Sports

Browns to start Shedeur Sanders at quarterback for remainder of 2025 season

Published

19 hours ago

December 9, 2025

Press Room

Browns to start Shedeur Sanders at quarterback for remainder of 2025 season

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There will be no more quarterback moves for the Cleveland Browns for the remainder of the 2025 season, as Shedeur Sanders will stay as the team’s starter for the next four games.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters that he’s seen Sanders “constantly and consistently gotten better in each of these games,” as he’s started the last three contests after fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel suffered a concussion in Week 11 against the Baltimore Ravens.

“He’s been working very hard. I feel good about where his development is heading,” Stefanski said of Sanders. “He knows there are always gonna be plays that he could be better and those types of things, but he’s very intentional about getting better each and every game he’s out there.”

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Cleveland Browns’ Shedeur Sanders (12) and Teven Jenkins (74) celebrate a touchdown in the first half of an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans in Cleveland, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Sanders became the first Browns quarterback to win his first-ever start in the league after helping take down the Las Vegas Raiders for Cleveland’s third win of the season.

And while Sanders completed a season-high 64% of his passes against the San Francisco 49ers in his first start at home, the Browns weren’t able to see the same victory on their record at the end of that contest.

BROWNS COACH DRAWS FURY AS SHEDEUR SANDERS SITS DURING CRUCIAL 2-POINT TRY

Sanders made his third start in a row on Sunday in sloppy conditions in Cleveland against a lowly Tennessee Titans team that beat them, 31-29, to capture just their second win of the year.

During the game, Stefanski drew the ire of Sanders fans when the quarterback was off the field for a two-point conversion try despite throwing a touchdown pass to tight end Harold Fannin Jr. Stefanski, instead, tried for a wildcat play with rookie running back Quinshon Judkins leading the way. The play ultimately didn’t work out, and fans wondered what could’ve been if Sanders was in the game.

Shedeur Sanders of the Cleveland Browns stands for the national anthem prior to a NFL Preseason 2025 game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on Aug. 8, 2025, in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Logan Bowles/Getty Images)

“Browns removing Shedeur constantly on goal 2 go situations and going wildcat needs 2 be studied,” Shannon Sharpe wrote on X. “He’s on the SL. That’s bulljive.”

Skip Bayless even called for the removal of Stefanski after seeing what transpired at the end of the game.

“SHEDEUR TO FANNIN FOR THE CLUTCH TD — THEN STEFANSKI TAKES SHEDEUR OUT FOR THE WILDCAT — DISASTER. STEFANSKI BLOWS ANOTHER GAME. HE JUST COULDN’T STAND SEEING SHEDEUR TIE THE GAME WITH A 2-POINT CONVERSION AFTER SUCH A GREAT LONG TD DRIVE. FIRE STEFANSKI!”

Sanders was impressive despite the losing result, going 23-of-42 for 364 yards passing with three touchdowns and his first career rushing score.

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The Browns will travel to the Windy City to face the Chicago Bears in Week 15, followed by games against the Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers and finishing the season against the Cincinnati Bengals.

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Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.