World Sports News in Brief

Majestic Mbappe scores three as dominant PSG outclass Barcelona 4-1

Paris St Germain's Kylian Mbappe fired in a stunning hat-trick as his side overcame the absence of Neymar to thrash Barcelona 4-1 away in their Champions League last-16 first leg on Tuesday (Feb 16) to move within full view of the last eight.

Soccer Football - Champions League - Round of 16 First Leg - FC Barcelona v Paris St Germain - Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain - February 16, 2021 Paris St Germain's Kylian Mbappe scores their fourth goal to complete his hat-trick. (Photo: Reuters)
Soccer Football - Champions League - Round of 16 First Leg - FC Barcelona v Paris St Germain - Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain - February 16, 2021 Paris St Germain's Kylian Mbappe scores their fourth goal to complete his hat-trick. (Photo: Reuters)

Barca overcame a 4-0 defeat to PSG in a last-16 first leg in 2017 by winning the second leg at home 6-1 but the Catalans now face another daunting task in turning this tie around when they visit the Parc des Princes on March 10.

* Liverpool's Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane were on target to snap a three-match losing run as their side stunned RB Leipzig 2-0 in the Champions League Round of 16 first-leg on Tuesday.

* Canada's women's soccer team must rely on a patchwork roster for the SheBelieves Cup due to injuries and COVID-19 restrictions but that has opened the door for players to make their case for spots on the Olympic squad, coach Bev Priestman said on Tuesday.

* Four-time major winner Rory McIlroy was elected chairman of the Player Advisory Council (PAC) for 2021, the PGA Tour announced on Tuesday. The 31-year-old Northern Irishman beat American Kevin Streelman and Scotland's Russell Knox to claim the chairmanship.

* World number one Ash Barty's bid to become the first homegrown Australian Open champion since 1978 ended in a 1-6 6-3 6-2 quarter-final defeat to Karolina Muchova on Tuesday. The Czech 25th seed rallied after a lengthy medical timeout in the second set to secure a place in her first Grand Slam semi-final, where she will meet the winner of the later clash between Americans Jennifer Brady and Jessica Pegula.

* Marta Bassino shared an historic women's parallel gold with Austrian Katharina Liensberger at the Alpine skiing world championships on Tuesday, as hosts Italy celebrated their first medal since the competition began last Thursday. Mathieu Faivre won France a first gold of the championships in the men's event.

* Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and midfielder Allan could return from their injury layoffs for Wednesday's Premier League home game against Manchester City but striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin is still out, manager Carlo Ancelotti said on Tuesday.

* Reigning champion Novak Djokovic overcame some dips in form to beat Alexander Zverev 6-7(6) 6-2 6-4 7-6(6) and book his place in the Australian Open semi-finals on Tuesday. The Serbian world number one hit back strongly after losing a tight opening set on a tiebreak but trailed in both the third and fourth sets before turning them around.

* Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood has signed a new deal keeping him at the club until 2025 with an option for a further year, the Premier League side said on Tuesday. The 19-year-old academy graduate, who made his senior debut in March 2019, has played 82 times in all competitions for the Old Trafford team.

* Seven-times champions and holders Olympique Lyonnais will play Brondby in the last 16 of the Women's Champions League, while Chelsea will face Atletico Madrid following Tuesday's draw. Manchester City will meet Fiorentina, Barcelona entertain Fortuna Hjorring and Paris St Germain have been drawn against Sparta Prague.

* Serena Williams came through a huge test of her Australian Open title credentials to reach the last four at Melbourne Park for the ninth time with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Simona Halep in a high quality quarter-final on Tuesday.

* This year's cycling Women's Tour, scheduled to be held in Britain in June, has been postponed to October due to the COVID-19 pandemic, organisers said on Tuesday. The Women's Tour, part of the WorldTour calendar, was due to be held from June 7-12, but organisers have requested cycling's world governing body UCI to reschedule the event for Oct. 4-9.

* Aslan Karatsev continued his sensational run at the Australian Open into the semi-finals on Tuesday when he stunned Grigor Dimitrov 2-6 6-4 6-1 6-2 to become the fifth qualifier to reach the last four of a men's Grand Slam in the open era.

* The brute force of Naomi Osaka crushed the artistry of Hsieh Su-wei as the Japanese former champion charged into the Australian Open semi-finals with a 6-2 6-2 win on Tuesday.

Reuters