TOP STORY:
SOC--CHAMPIONS LEAGUE ROUNDUP
GENEVA — As four teams advanced to the Champions League knockout round Wednesday, last season's runner-up Liverpool edged closer to an early exit. A 2-1 loss at Paris Saint-Germain in the night's marquee match was Liverpool's fifth straight away defeat in the competition, and sparked wild celebrations in Parc des Princes. By Graham Dunbar. SENT: 750 words, photos.
WITH: Separate reports on each game.
SOCCER:
SOC--PSG-LIVERPOOL
PARIS — With its Champions League campaign in danger, Paris Saint-Germain finally showed the grit and fighting spirit that is supposedly the hallmark of a proud English side like Liverpool. PSG beat Liverpool 2-1 in a tense match on Wednesday to move above the five-time European champion and into second place behind Napoli in a hard-fought Group C. By Jerome Pugmire. SENT: 750 words, photos.
SOC--PSV-BARCELONA
EINDHOVEN, Netherlands — PSV Eindhoven did all it could to stifle Lionel Messi. It wasn't enough. Messi scored one goal after a trademark dribble and set up another from a free kick as Barcelona beat PSV 2-1 Wednesday to secure top spot in Champions League Group B with one match left to play. By Mike Corder. SENT: 600 words, photos.
SOC--TOTTENHAM-INTER MILAN
LONDON — Christian Eriksen kept Tottenham's Champions League campaign alive by coming off the bench to clinch a 1-0 win over Inter Milan on Wednesday, leaving the progress of both teams uncertain heading into the final round in Group B. By Rob Harris. SENT: 600 words, photos.
SOC--UKRAINE-EUROPA LEAGUE
POLTAVA, Ukraine — A day before it's due to play Arsenal in the Europa League, Ukrainian club Vorskla Poltava said it can't guarantee the game will go ahead as planned. UEFA moved the Europa League game from Poltava to the capital on Tuesday after the Ukrainian parliament voted to introduce martial law in parts of the country, not including either city. SENT: 500 words.
SOC--CHELSEA-SARRI
LONDON — Chelsea coach Maurizio Sarri will persist with playing N'Golo Kante in an unfamiliar advanced position in midfield despite acknowledging the France international has yet to settle in his new role. Kante, widely considered the world's best holding midfielder, has a slightly more attacking role in Chelsea's team this season as Sarri looks to accommodate a more creative deep-lying playmaker in new signing Jorginho. SENT: 300 words, photos.
DOPING:
OLY--RUSSIAN-DOPING-WADA
MOSCOW — A delegation from the World Anti-Doping Agency visited the Moscow laboratory at the center of Russia's doping cover-ups on Wednesday, seeking data which could lead to more bans for the country's top athletes. By James Ellingworth. SENT: 650 words, photos.
OLY--RUSSIAN DOPING-RUSADA
MOSCOW — In Russia's long-running feud with global anti-doping bosses, its own drug testers are caught in the crossfire. When the Russian anti-doping agency, known as RUSADA, was reinstated by the World Anti-Doping Agency in September, it caused an outcry from international campaigners who saw the move as forgiveness for Russia, whose political leaders have not directly admitted that widespread doping in the country was state-sponsored. By James Ellingworth. SENT: 500 words, photos.
GOLF:
GLF--WORLD CHALLENGE
NASSAU, Bahamas — Justin Thomas is paired with Tiger Woods in the Hero World Challenge for the second straight year, and just like last time, he has an idea what to expect from him. By now, so does everyone else. By Doug Ferguson. SENT: 700 words, photos.
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