Sports
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 ❄️
📺 @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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LAS VEGAS – Danhausen’s curse may be real after all – just ask Stephen A. Smith and the New York Mets.
While the latter dropped their 10th game in a row, Smith got his share of the curse on Saturday night during Night 1 of WrestleMania 42. Smith was in attendance for WWE’s premier event of the year and heard massive boos from the crowd.
Stephen A. Smith attends WrestleMania 42: Night 1 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 18, 2026. (Andrew Timms/WWE)
Smith was sitting ringside to watch the action. The ESPN star appeared on the videoboard above the ring at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. He appeared to embrace the reaction and smiled through it.
The boos came after Danhausen appeared on “First Take” on Friday – much to the chagrin of the sports pundit. Smith appeared perplexed by Danhausen’s appearance. Smith said he heard about Danhausen and called him a “bad luck charm.”
Danhausen said Smith had been “rude” to him and put the dreaded “curse” on the commentator.
WWE STAR DANHAUSEN SAYS METS ‘CURSE’ ISN’T EXACTLY LIFTED AS TEAM DROPS NINTH STRAIGHT GAME
Stephen A. Smith attends WrestleMania 42: Night 1 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 18, 2026. (Andrew Timms/WWE)
Smith is far from the only one dealing with the effects of the “curse.”
Danhausen agreed to “un-curse” the Mets during their losing streak. However, he told Fox News Digital earlier this week that there was a reason why the curse’s removal didn’t take full effect.
“I did un-curse the Mets. But it didn’t work because, I believe it was Brian Gewirtz who did not pay Danhausen. He did not send me my money so it did not take full effect,” Danhausen said. “Once I have the money, perhaps it will actually work because right now it’s probably about a half of an un-cursing. It’s like a layaway situation.”
Danhausen enters the arena before his match against Kit Wilson during SmackDown at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on April 10, 2026. (Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
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On “Friday Night SmackDown,” WWE stars like The Miz and Kit Wilson were also targets of Danhausen’s curse.
It’s time to reveal memories, laughs and crazy times from Randy Rosenbloom’s 55 years as a TV/radio broadcaster in Los Angeles. He’s hopping in a car next Sunday with his wife, saying goodbye to a North Hollywood house that’s been in his family since 1952 and driving 3,300 miles to his new home in Greenville, S.C.
“When I walk out, I’ll probably break down,” he said.
He graduated from North Hollywood High in 1969. He got his first paid job in 1971 calling Hart basketball games for NBC Cable Newhall for $10 a game. It began an adventure of a lifetime.
“I never knew if I overachieved or underachieved. I just did what I loved,” he said.
Randy Rosenbloom (left) used to work with former UCLA coach John Wooden for TV games.
(Randy Rosenbloom)
John Wooden, Jerry Tarkanian and Jim Harrick were among his expert commentators when he did play by play for college basketball games. He called volleyball at the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games for NBC and rowing in 2004. He’s worked more than 100 championship high school events. He did play by play for the first and only Reebok Bowl at Angel Stadium in 1994 won by Bishop Amat over Sylmar, 35-14.
“There were about 5,000, 6,000 people there and I remember thinking nobody watched the game. We ended up with a 5.7 TV rating on Channel 13 in Los Angeles, which is higher than most Lakers games.”
He conducted interviews with NFL Hall of Famers Gale Sayers and Johnny Unitas and boxing greats Robert Duran, Thomas Hearn and Sugar Ray Leonard. He’s worked with baseball greats Steve Garvey and Doug DeCinces. He called games with former USC coach Rod Dedeaux. He was in the radio booth for Bret Saberhagen’s 1982 no-hitter in the City Section championship game at Dodger Stadium. He was a nightly sportscaster for KADY in Ventura.
Randy Rosenbloom, left, with his volleyball broadcast partners, Kirk Kilgour and Bill Walton.
(Randy Rosenbloom)
He was the voice of Fresno State football and basketball. He also did Nevada Las Vegas football and basketball games. He called bowl games and Little League games. He was a public address announcer for basketball at the 1984 Olympic Games with Michael Jordan the star and did the P.A. for Toluca Little League.
Nothing was too small or too big for him.
“I loved everything,” he said.
He called at least 10 East L.A. Classic football games between Garfield and Roosevelt. He was there when Narbonne and San Pedro tied 21-21 in the 2008 City championship game at the Coliseum on a San Pedro touchdown with one second left.
Probably his most notable tale came when he was doing radio play-by-play at a 1998 college bowl game in Montgomery, Ala.
“I look down and a giant tarantula is crawling up my pants,” he said. “My color man took all the press notes, wadded them up and hit the tarantula like swinging a bat.”
Did Rosenbloom tell the audience what was happening?
“I stayed calm,” he said.
Then there was the time he was in the press box at Sam Boyd Stadium and a bat flew in and attached itself to the wooden press box right next to him before flying away after he said, “UNLV wins.”
Recently, he’s been putting together high school TV packages for LA36 and calling travel ball basketball games. He’ll still keep doing a radio gambling show from his new home, but he’s cutting ties to Los Angeles to move closer to grandchildren.
“I’m retiring from Los Angeles. I’m leaving the market,” he said.
Hopefully he’ll continue via Zoom to do a weekly podcast with me for The Times.
He’s a true professional who’s versatility and work ethic made him a reliable hire from the age of 18 through his current age of 74.
He’s a member of the City Section Hall of Fame and the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. He once threw the shot put 51 feet, 7 1/2 inches, which is his claim to fame at North Hollywood High.
One time an ESPN graphic before a show spelled his name “Rosenbloom” then changed it to “Rosenblum” for postgame. It was worth a good laugh.
He always adjusts, improvises and ad-libs. He expects to enjoy his time in South Carolina, but he better watch out for tarantulas. They seem to like him.
Sports
Becky Lynch enters exclusive WWE club with Women’s Intercontinental Championship win at WrestleMania 42
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LAS VEGAS – Becky Lynch entered an atmosphere no other WWE women’s superstar has ever reached as she won the Women’s Intercontinental Championship over AJ Lee on Saturday night at WrestleMania 42.
Lynch became the first person to hold the Women’s Intercontinental Championship three times after she pinned Lee. She first won the title against Lyra Valkyria in June 2025 and then again against Maxxine Dupri in November.
Becky Lynch celebrates with the belt after defeating AJ Lee during their women’s Intercontinental Championship match at WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 18, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
She dropped the belt to Lee at the Elimination Chamber, sparking a monthslong feud with her.
Lee gave Lynch the chance at the title in the weeks prior to WrestleMania 42. But it appeared Lee played right into Lynch’s plans. Despite arguing with referee Jessica Carr for most of the match, Lynch was able to tactfully tear down a rope buckle and use it to her advantage.
Lynch hit Lee with a Manhandle Slam and pinned her for the win.
WWE STARS REVEAL WHAT MAKES WRESTLEMANIA SO SPECIAL: ‘IT’S THE SUPER BOWL OF PRO WRESTLING’
AJ Lee reacts after losing to Becky Lynch in their Women’s Intercontinental Championship match at WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on April 18, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
It’s the second straight year Lynch will leave Las Vegas as champion. She returned to WWE at WrestleMania 41, teaming with Valkyria, to win the women’s tag titles. She will now leave Allegiant Stadium as the women’s intercontinental champion.
Lynch is now a seven-time women’s champion, three-time women’s intercontinental champion and two-time tag team champion.
Becky Lynch withstands AJ Lee during their Women’s Intercontinental Championship match on night one of WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 18, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
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Lee’s reign as champion ended really before it could really begin. WrestleMania 42 was her first appearance at the event in 11 years. It’s unclear where Lee will go from here.
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