Inter reaches Champions League QF after 0-0 draw at Porto

Inter Milan has reached the Champions League quarterfinals for the first time in more than a decade as it managed a 0-0 draw at Porto to progress 1-0 on aggregate. Porto almost snatched the late goal that would have taken the match to extra time but hit the post and the crossbar in the space of a minute in stoppage time. There were few other chances at the Estádio do Dragão as Inter did enough to ensure it advanced to the final eight for the first time since going out at that stage as the defending champion in 2011. AC Milan advanced to the quarterfinals last week. Napoli could become the third Italian team in the last eight when it plays Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday.

Haaland hits 5, Pep reveals Julia Roberts disappointment

Erling Haaland scored five goals in a record-setting performance to fire Manchester City into the Champions League quarterfinals. The Norway striker became the fastest player and youngest to reach 30 goals in the competition in City's 7-0 win over Leipzig. His record-equaling five goals in a Champions League match follows in the footsteps of Lionel Messi and Luiz Adriano. City advanced to the final eight with a 8-1 aggregate win after a 1-1 draw in the first leg of the round-of-16 matchup. Haaland says, "I'm blurry in my head. I remember shooting but not thinking."

Haaland scores 5 goals, breaks Champions League records

Erling Haaland scored a record-equaling five goals in a Champions League match as Manchester City advanced to the quarterfinals. Lionel Messi and Luiz Adriano are the only other players to have scored five goals in a match in European club soccer's elite competition. Haaland also became the fastest player to hit 30 goals in the Champions League when putting the City 2-0 up in their 7-0 rout of RB Leipzig in the round-of-16 second leg at Etihad Stadium. He needed just 25 games to reach that figure. At 22 years, 236 days old, he is also the youngest player to reach that landmark, surpassing Kylian Mbappé, who was 22 years, 352 days when he scored his 30th Champions League goal.

Morocco joining Spain and Portugal in 2030 World Cup bid

Morocco says it will join Spain and Portugal in a bid to host the 2030 World Cup. The announcement was made through a statement signed by King Mohammed VI and read at a meeting of the Confederation of African Football. The 2030 World Cup hosts are expected to be picked in September next year. Uruguay, Argentina, Chile and Paraguay are part of a bid from South America. Spain and Portugal had been joined last October in their longstanding European candidacy by Ukraine which is not likely to remain in the bid. The Spanish soccer federation did not immediately confirm Morocco in the bid, saying the federations from the three nations would meet Wednesday in Rwanda before announcing any possible changes.

US to play Mexico in April 19 exhibition without top players

The U.S. men's soccer team will play Mexico in an exhibition on April 19 at Glendale, Arizona. The match is not on a FIFA fixture date, meaning many if not all Europe-based players will not be available, a group that includes most starters from last year's World Cup roster. The U.S., with its full player pool available, has CONCACAF Nations League matches at Grenada on March 24 and against El Salvador three days later at Orlando, Florida. Mexico is at Suriname on March 23 and home against Jamaica three days later.

Zendejas will represent US long-term instead of Mexico

Alejandro Zendejas says he is committing to the U.S. national team over Mexico. The 25-year-old forward made his U.S. debut in a Jan. 25 exhibition against Serbia but remained eligible to ask FIFA for a one-time switch of affiliation to Mexico. Zendejas started three matches for the U.S. at the 2015 Under-17 World Cup, then played for Mexico in friendlies against Ecuador in October 2021 and Guatemala last April plus three under-23 matches for El Tri. Mexico was ordered to forfeit all five matches and fined by FIFA for using Zendejas while he was affiliated with the U.S.

Bundesliga's longest serving coach keeps going at Freiburg

The Bundesliga's longest serving coach is nowhere near finished yet. Freiburg says Christian Streich and his coaching team have extended their contracts with the club. It did not give the length of the new deals. But Streich has traditionally extended his contract by only a year every season since he took over the modest club from the southwest of Germany in December 2011. Streich has already overseen more Bundesliga games in charge of Freiburg than any other. His team faces Juventus in the Europa League on Thursday.

Man gets 3-year banning order for racially abusing Toney

A man who racially abused Brentford striker Ivan Toney on social media has been banned from every soccer stadium in Britain for three years in what police described as a "landmark ruling." Antonio Neill sent a racist message to Toney on Instagram after the striker scored two goals against Brighton in a Premier League match on Oct. 14. Police started an investigation after Toney shared a picture of the abuse and the message was traced to the 24-year-old Neill. Neill pleaded guilty in January to sending an offensive message. He has been handed a three-year soccer banning order. It's the first to be issued under a government act which became law in 2022.

Madrid tries to avoid Liverpool comeback in Champions League

Real Madrid got used to pulling off dramatic comebacks in the Champions League last season. Now it needs to avoid one to keep its title defense going. It will be Liverpool needing to do something magical at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium on Wednesday to reverse a 5-2 loss from the first leg in the round of 16. No away team has ever erased a three-goal loss from the first leg in the Champions League. Only five times the team that lost at home rallied in the second leg. Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp says, "Even if there's only a 1% chance, we have to give it a try."