Sports News Roundup: Soccer-Dortmund beat Gladbach 5-2 to keep alive title hopes; Soccer-Guardiola backs Haaland to fire when Man City host Real and more

Sundowns host the return leg in Pretoria next weekend but will be without midfielder Neo Maema, who will be suspended after being dismissed on Saturday for a clumsy studs-high challenge three minutes before halftime. Soccer-Asensio gives depleted Real narrow win over Getafe Marco Asensio's late goal earned Real Madrid a 1-0 victory over lowly Getafe in LaLiga on Saturday as they rested key players ahead of their Champions League semi-final against Manchester City.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Soccer-Dortmund beat Gladbach 5-2 to keep alive title hopes

Borussia Dortmund scored four goals in a dazzling 32-minute first-half spell to ease past Borussia Moenchengladbach 5-2 on Saturday and stay in the title hunt with two matches left in the Bundesliga season. Dortmund are on 67 points in second place, one behind leaders Bayern Munich, 6-0 winners over Schalke 04 earlier on Saturday. Dortmund travel to Augsburg next weekend while Bayern face Champions League hopefuls RB Leipzig.

Soccer-Guardiola backs Haaland to fire when Man City host Real

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has backed striker Erling Haaland to rediscover his best form when they host Real Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final after the Norwegian failed to find the net at the Santiago Bernabeu. Haaland has scored a record 51 goals in all competitions in the current campaign but was kept quiet by Real defender Antonio Rudiger in the 1-1 first-leg draw last Tuesday.

Real Madrid lose $440 million sponsorship battle with Abu Dhabi fund

Spanish soccer's Real Madrid have lost a $440 million court battle with Abu Dhabi sovereign investor Mubadala over the proposed sponsorship of its stadium in Madrid, sources with knowledge of the case told Reuters. Real Madrid had claimed 400 million euros ($440 million) from Mubadala because it said the Abu Dhabi sovereign investor failed to honour a sponsorship deal under which it would acquire rights to name the Santiago Bernabeu stadium for 20 years.

Basketball-Griner plays in WNBA for first time since Russia detention

Brittney Griner played with her Phoenix Mercury for the first time since 2021 on Friday, taking the court far sooner than she expected for their preseason game against the Los Angeles Sparks, after nearly 10 months of detention in Russia. The two-time Olympic gold medalist was released from a Russian penal colony in a high-profile prisoner exchange with the United States late last year after she was arrested in February 2022 on drug charges.

Soccer-Holders Wydad Casablanca held at home in Champions League semi-final

South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns held out for a goalless away draw against holders Wydad Casablanca in Saturday’s first leg of their African Champions League semi-final despite playing most of the match down to 10 men and finishing with nine. Sundowns host the return leg in Pretoria next weekend but will be without midfielder Neo Maema, who will be suspended after being dismissed on Saturday for a clumsy studs-high challenge three minutes before halftime.

Soccer-Asensio gives depleted Real narrow win over Getafe

Marco Asensio's late goal earned Real Madrid a 1-0 victory over lowly Getafe in LaLiga on Saturday as they rested key players ahead of their Champions League semi-final against Manchester City. The win lifted Real on to 71 points, two ahead of local rivals Atletico who play at bottom side Elche on Sunday.

Soccer-PSG close in on French title as AC Ajaccio go down

Paris St Germain edged closer to a record 11th French title when they beat AC Ajaccio 5-0 at home on Saturday, sending the Corsican side into Ligue 2 as Lionel Messi faced the wrath of the Parc des Princes. Messi, who started after a club-imposed suspension for missing training last month, was booed by the fans before and during a one-sided encounter that took PSG to 81 points with three games left, thanks to goals by Fabian Ruiz, Achraf Hakimi, a double by Kylian Mbappe and Mohamed Youssouf's own goal.

Basketball-Toronto rolls out welcome mat for WNBA's first Canada game

The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) held a game in Canada for the first time on Saturday in what amounted to a celebration of women's basketball while perhaps planting the seeds for an expansion franchise. The sold-out pre-season game played at the home of the NBA's Toronto Raptors offered the latest sign that there is a growing appetite in Canada's biggest city and financial capital for professional women's basketball.

Tennis-Alcaraz powers to victory over Ramos-Vinolas on Rome debut

World number two Carlos Alcaraz marked his Italian Open debut by shaking off a sluggish start to emerge with an efficient 6-4 6-1 second-round win over unseeded Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas on a rain-affected Saturday in Rome. Barcelona and Madrid champion Alcaraz, who is chasing his fifth title of 2023 and fourth on clay ahead of Roland Garros, overcame an early loss of serve amid heavy conditions at the Foro Italico to level up the opening set at 2-2.

Soccer-Newcastle drop points in top-four race, Southampton down

Newcastle United suffered more jitters in their quest to finish in the Premier League's top four as they drew 2-2 at relegation-threatened Leeds United but Southampton's agony is over after being relegated on Saturday. Leeds defender Rasmus Kristensen's second-half equaliser denied Newcastle the victory that would have all but assured them a place in next season's Champions League.

(With inputs from agencies.)