Cristiano Ronaldo was rested Wednesday but Saudi Arabia's Al-Nassr kicked off its Asian campaign with a 5-0 victory over Istiklol of Tajikistan.

Lionel Messi had a goal and an assist as Inter Miami beat Seattle 3-1 on Tuesday night just over two weeks after losing to the Sounders in the Leagues Cup final.

Lamine Yamal will not play in Barcelona's Champions League opener at Newcastle on Thursday because of an injury.

Benfica fired coach Bruno Lage after the team's home loss to Qarabag in the Champions League on Tuesday, and José Mourinho was quickly touted as the top candidate to replace him.

Real Madrid defender Trent Alexander-Arnold is expected to be sidelined for several weeks because of a hamstring injury sustained in Madrid's 2-1 win over Marseille in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Alexander-Arnold had to be substituted five minutes into the match at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. Madrid said tests carried out on Wednesday showed that the England international has a "muscle injury to the biceps femoris in his left leg."

European champion Paris Saint-Germain won't be as short-handed as initially feared when it begins the defense of its Champions League title.

Arsenal winger Max Dowman could become the youngest player in Champions League history if he features at Athletic Bilbao when the new-look format returns on Tuesday.

Dowman, who became the second youngest Premier League player last month, is 15 years, 259 days.

The Champions League final is going back to Atletico Madrid's Metropolitano Stadium in 2027.

A tradition-busting plan to play domestic league games for Barcelona in the United States and AC Milan in Australia failed to make key progress Thursday with fans promised more say in the decision.

The UEFA executive committee said it needed more time to weigh proposals by the Spanish and Italian leagues and talk more with fan groups. Fans overwhelmingly oppose taking competitive games outside Europe which soccer's world body FIFA previously blocked.

Former English Premier League stars could make the difference in the Asian Champions League that begins Monday. Ivan Toney, Jesse Lingard, Riyad Mahrez and Darwin Nunez all have a chance of winning Asian soccer's premier club tournament.

Saudi clubs dominated last season, providing three of the semifinalists before Al-Ahli won the final in front of 60,000 spectators at Jeddah in May. Al-Ittihad and Al-Hilal are also back and expected to challenge again for the title.