Titleholders Real Madrid and English Premier League winners Leicester must both wait to take their place in the last 16 of the Champions League after they could only manage draws on Wednesday on a night which saw just Dortmund advance.

After beating the ‘best team in the world’, playing lowly Middlesbrough on a November afternoon in the north of England should bring Premier League leaders Manchester City nicely back to earth.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino says his plan to expand the World Cup soccer finals is less drastic than his critics suggest, and would create more excitement for fans, broadcasters and sponsors.

The short-handed Boston Celtics avenged last week’s loss to the previously undefeated Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers spoiled the perfect record of the high-flying Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday.

Ending America’s longest sports title drought in dramatic fashion, the Chicago Cubs captured their first World Series since 1908 by defeating the Cleveland Indians 8-7 in a 10-inning thriller that concluded yesterday morning.

Masters champion Danny Willett produced a roller-coaster round as George Coetzee made the most of his “lucky” opportunity to lead after day one of the $7mn Turkish Airlines Open yesterday.

Canadian teenager Lance Stroll will make his Formula One race debut with former world champions Williams next season, the team announced yesterday.

Umm Qarn and trainer Alban de Mieulle notched up a one-two in the Al Hamla Cup, a race for three-year-old Purebred Arabians, with Samaa winning on her debut at the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club yesterday.

Al Sadd skipper Xavi (R) celebrates scoring against Shahania in the QSL yesterday.

El Jaish went back to the top of the Qatar Stars League table after beating second from bottom Al Sailiya in a ten goal thriller at the Hamad Bin Khalifa Stadium which finished 6-4 to The Soldiers.

Qatar Stars League defending championships Al Rayyan relied on a brace from star striker Rodrigo Tabata to beat Al Ahli 2-1 at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium yesterday.

India’s most capped player and all-time leading scorer Sunil Chhetri believes he can reignite his special bond with Qatar, as he seeks to script Indian footballing history with his club, Bengaluru FC, in the AFC Cup final in the “appropriate setting” of Doha.