Football/Soccer 3h Briefing
×Champions League Action
Alexander Sørloth espn.com scored a hat trick as Atlético Madrid secured their place in the last 16 of the Champions League with a 4-1 second-leg playoff win against Club Brugge. Johnny Cardoso espn.com said he had a "perfect" night after scoring his first UCL goal in the same match. Kylian Mbappé espn.com is unlikely to be fit for Real Madrid's Champions League playoff second leg with Benfica as he continues to struggle with a knee problem.
Domestic League Updates
Wrexham espn.com continued their push for a fourth successive promotion as they held on for a hard-fought 2-1 win over Portsmouth in the Sky Bet Championship. Girona's winning goal espn.com against Barcelona last week should have been disallowed, the Spanish Referee's Committee said on Tuesday.
Transfer Market News
The Vancouver Whitecaps have signed reigning MLS Defender of the Year Tristan Blackmon espn.com to a contract extension through the 2029-30 season, sources tell ESPN. Manchester United skysports.com have joined the chase for Morgan Gibbs-White according to Wednesday's newspapers. Borussia Dortmund's Felix Nmecha bbc.com is subject to interest from top Premier League clubs.
World Cup Concerns
Local officials representing World Cup host cities warned Congress on Tuesday that security concerns, coordination problems and inadequate federal funding are risking catastrophe with little more than a year until the tournament begins.