ISTANBUL—Billions of dollars have been spent and many tears shed on Manchester City’s journey to the summit of European soccer. The mission was completed in Istanbul’s Ataturk Olimpiyat Stadium on Saturday as the Abu Dhabi-backed club won the Champions League title for the first time and perhaps heralded the start of a new era of…

MILAN—The Milan clubs are set to meet again in another Champions League semifinal a decade after their last encounter in the final four of Europe’s elite club competition. Inter Milan drew 3–3 against Benfica on Wednesday, April 19, to complete a 5–3 aggregate victory over the Portuguese team. That came a day after AC Milan…

LIVERPOOL, England—Liverpool’s Joel Matip headed in an 89th-minute winner as last season’s runners-up left it late to beat Ajax Amsterdam 2–1 in their Champions League Group A match at Anfield on Tuesday. Juergen Klopp’s side had lost their opening game in the group 4–1 at Napoli and were heading for another disappointing result until the…

PARIS—Chaotic scenes at the French national stadium before and during Saturday night’s Champions League final were branded a national embarrassment, while French ministers blamed Liverpool fans for the trouble. The final between Liverpool and Real Madrid kicked off with a 35-minute delay after police tried to hold back people attempting to force their way into…

In the first leg of the round-of-16 of the Champions League, Kylian Mbappe scored in the final minute to give Paris Saint Germaine (PSG) the 1–0 win over 13 time UCL winners Real Madrid, at Parc des Princes stadium in Paris on Feb. 15; and a one-goal advantage as they head to the second leg…

GENEVA—Liverpool and Ajax extended their perfect winning records in the Champions League on Wednesday to advance into the round of 16—which is starting to take a 1970s throwback look. Liverpool cruised past Atlético Madrid 2–0 at Anfield and Ajax hit 10-man Borussia Dortmund with late goals in a 3–1 come-from-behind win in Germany. The four…

Commentary For weeks the football world has been exposed to the enthralling story of Kylian Mbappe, a 22-year-old French wunderkind who plays for Paris Saint Germain (PSG), a prestigious club in the top tier Ligue 1 soccer competition in France. The club is owned by Qatari interests and, hence, is extremely moneyed. It has been…

PARIS—Lionel Messi said on Wednesday he wanted to power Paris St Germain to their first Champions League trophy, putting the tearful farewell he bade to Barcelona behind him after signing a two-year contract with the deep-pocketed French soccer powerhouse. Messi joined the star-studded PSG as a free agent after Barcelona, where he begun and always…

LONDON—The Super League collapsed before a ball was kicked in the European breakaway competition after being abandoned by the six English clubs, leaving the Spanish and Italian participants stranded. Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City, and Tottenham throughout Tuesday evening deserted the proposal to launch a largely-closed midweek competition amid an escalating backlash from…

MANCHESTER, England—Twelve of Europe’s top football clubs launched a breakaway Super League on Sunday, launching what is certain to be a bitter battle for control of the game and its lucrative revenue. The move sets up a rival to UEFA’s established Champions League competition and was condemned by football authorities and political leaders. Manchester United,…