WORLD SPORTS at 1330 GMT
TOP STORY:
SOC--PORTO-JUVENTUS
PORTO, Portugal - Unbeaten at home in almost a year, FC Porto hosts Italian champion Juventus in the first leg of the last of the Champions League. UPCOMING: 500 words by 2230 GMT.
NEW/DEVELOPING:
SOC--SEVILLA-LEICESTER
SEVILLE, Spain - Sevilla hosts Leicester in the first leg of the last 16 of the Champions League. The Spanish club is trying to reach the quarterfinals for the first time in nearly 60 years. UPCOMING: 500 words by 2230 GMT.
SOC--EUROPA LEAGUE
PARIS - Zlatan Ibrahimovic returns to France as Manchester United looks to secure a spot in the last 16 of the Europa League at Saint-Etienne after the former PSG star secured a 3-0 win in the first leg with a hat trick. Fenerbahce hosts Krasnodar while PAOK is at Schalke in Wednesday's other games. UPCOMING: 400 words by 2030 GMT.
BKN--LAKERS-FRONT OFFICE
UNDATED - With the Los Angeles Lakers mired in the worst years in franchise history, owner Jeanie Buss has turned to Magic Johnson to lead them back to championship contention. And she removed her own brother from his job to do it. By Greg Beacham. SENT: 1,270 words, photos.
OLY--ASIAN WINTER GAMES-TIMOR SKIER
SAPPORO, Japan - For Alpine skier Yohan Goutt Goncalves, the chance to be East Timor's sole representative at the Asian Winter Games was too good to pass up, even if it meant missing the world championships. By Jim Armstrong. SENT: 670 words, photos.
BBN--PIRATES-KANG
SEOUL, South Korea - Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Jung Ho Kang appeared in a South Korean court on Wednesday as judges heard arguments in a trial over charges that he fled the scene after slamming a car into a guardrail while driving under the influence of alcohol. By Kim Tong-Hyung. SENT: 340 words, photos.
FOOTBALL:
SOC--MAN CITY-MONACO
MANCHESTER, England - Manchester City and Monaco served up a spectacular Champions League match on Tuesday, a dizzying eight-goal thriller that had everything: stunning goals, woeful defending, exquisite build-up play, a missed penalty, refereeing controversies. City came out on top, scoring three late goals in an 11-minute span to win 5-3, but both coaches agreed that soccer was the real winner. By Steve Douglas. SENT: 640 words, photos.
SOC--ATLETICO MADRID-GAMEIRO
MADRID - Kevin Gameiro was playing so well for Atletico Madrid that even a teammate tried to keep him from being substituted. Gameiro helped Atletico to a convincing 4-2 win over Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League on Tuesday, and Antoine Griezmann looked in awe when he noticed the substitution board go up with Gameiro's number on it. By Tales Azzoni. SENT: 600 words, photos.
SOC--SPANISH ROUNDUP
MADRID - Real Madrid looks to open a four-point lead at the top of the Spanish league standings when it plays at Valencia in a game rescheduled from last year because of the Club World Cup. By Tales Azzoni. UPCOMING: 400 words by 2100 GMT.
Also:
- SOC--CHINA-FOOTBALL DEVELOPMENT - China plans for 50,000 football academies by 2025. SENT: 285 words, photos.
CRICKET:
CRI--NEW ZEALAND-SOUTH AFRICA
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand - Ross Taylor set a national record for most centuries in one-day international cricket with an unbeaten 102 that guided New Zealand to a tense, series-leveling six-run win over South Africa on Wednesday. SENT: 610 words, photos.
CRI--INDIA-AUSTRALIA
PUNE, India - India will take on Australia in the first match of the four test series starting on Thursday, the renewal of a rivalry that has seen some heated exchanges in the past. By Chetan Narula. SENT: 530 words, photos.
Other Stories:
- HKN--NHL CAPSULES - Blackhawks beat Western Conference-leading Minnesota. SENT: 1,070 words, photos.
- OLY--ASIAN WINTER GAMES ROUNDUP - South Korea dominates short track speedskating in Sapporo. SENT: 280 words, photos.
- BBO--HALL OF FAME-THE SIMPSONS - Baseball's Hall of Fame to honor 'The Simpsons' on May 27. SENT: 110 words.
YOUR QUERIES: Questions and story requests are welcome. Contact your local AP bureau or the AP International Sports Desk in London by telephone at +44 207-427-4224 or email lonsports@ap.org.
