SPORTS

Moscow, Russia | AFP | Jose Mourinho backed Romelu Lukaku to ignore the hype about his superb start at Manchester United after the Belgian’s brace set up a 4-1 victory over CSKA Moscow. Lukaku, 24, scored twice at the VEB Arena on Wednesday to take his tally to 10 goals in …

Paris, France | AFP | Kylian Mbappe was singled out for praise despite being the only member of Paris Saint-Germain’s superstar attack who didn’t score in Wednesday’s big Champions League win over German giants Bayern Munich. Dani Alves, Edinson Cavani and Neymar netted as PSG eased to a 3-0 victory at …

Madrid, Spain | AFP | Michy Batshuayi struck a dramatic winner with the last kick of the game as Chelsea inflicted Atletico Madrid’s first defeat at their new Wanda Metropolitano home on Wednesday with a hugely impressive 2-1 Champions League victory. Substitute Batshuayi’s late intervention was just rewards for a dominant …

Paris, France | AFP | Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said he will field a strong side for Thursday’s Europa League visit to BATE Borisov, despite a 4000km round trip in the middle of a spell of three games in seven days. The second round of group-stage matches also sees AC Milan …

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | AFP | Lewis Hamilton says he is “loving” his world championship battle with Sebastian Vettel so much that he has banished any thoughts of retirement as he heads into Sunday’s last-ever Malaysian Grand Prix. At Sepang a year ago Hamilton thought the world was against him, spouting …

Dortmund, Germany | AFP | Zinedine Zidane praised goal-scorers Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo, who netted twice in a 3-1 victory as Real Madrid finally claimed a Champions League win at Borussia Dortmund. Ronaldo marked his 150th European game with second-half goals after Bale’s stunning early volley gave Real the lead …

Paris, France | AFP | Paris Saint-Germain coach Unai Emery believes it reflects well on his team that Europe’s traditional powerhouses now see the French club as “enemies” after their unprecedented close-season spending spree. PSG spent a world-record 222 million euros ($264 million) to sign Neymar from Barcelona and also welcomed …

Berlin, Germany | AFP | Bayern Munich play Paris Saint-Germain away in a blockbuster Champions League clash on Wednesday with the old ‘FC Hollywood’ nickname having returned to haunt the Bavarian giants. In the 1990s, Bayern earned the ‘FC Hollywood’ tag when the off-field antics of stars like Lothar Matthaeus and …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Arsene Wenger has criticised the gruelling schedule that forces Arsenal to play three games in the space of just seven days. Wenger’s side eased to a 2-0 win over West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League on Monday thanks to Alexandre Lacazette’s brace at the …

Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump denied stoking racial tensions Monday, insisting his charged comments that prompted a wave of symbolic protests by NFL players were about patriotism not race. After a volley of verbal attacks on black athletes led players across the country to kneel during …