* Manchester United were held 1-1 at Club Brugge and Getafe pulled off a surprise 2-0 home win over last year's Champions League semi-finalists Ajax in other round-of-32, first-leg ties.
* Japanese midfielder Daichi Kamada hit a 40-minute hat-trick on Thursday (Feb 20) to propel Eintracht Frankfurt to a 4-1 home victory over Salzburg in a Europa League last 32 first-leg tie.
* Barcelona have signed Denmark striker Martin Braithwaite from fellow La Liga side Leganes for €18 million (US$19.43 million) after receiving permission from the league's organising body to acquire a player outside the transfer window.
* Spain's six times MotoGP champion Marc Marquez has signed a four-year contract extension with Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) through to the end of 2024, the team said on Thursday.
* Former FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke and the chairman of Qatar-based media group BeIN Sports, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, have been have been indicted in Switzerland for alleged corruption in the attribution of broadcasting rights for the World Cup and Confederations Cup, Swiss prosecutors said on Thursday.
* Top seed Simona Halep had to come from behind for a second straight day on Thursday (Feb 20), overhauling Aryna Sabalenka 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 to reach the Dubai Championships semi-finals. Next up for the Romanian star is Jennifer Brady, who dispatched ninth seed Garbine Muguruza, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-4 to book her last-four spot.
* Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina produced another upset by beating second seed Karolina Pliskova 7-6(1) 6-3 at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Thursday to move into the semi-finals. Rybakina will face Petra Martic in the semis after the Croatian beat Anett Kontaveit 7-6(4) 6-1.
* Roger Federer has undergone surgery to resolve a longstanding knee problem and said on Thursday (Feb 20) he would be out of action until after the French Open while his rivals backed the 38-year-old to return as strong as ever.
* The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) unveiled a statue of Pele at its headquarters on Thursday (Feb 20), the first of a series of events to commemorate June’s 50th anniversary of the team's third World Cup triumph.
