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Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich battled past hosts Cologne 3-1 on Wednesday to record the best first half of a season in the league's history and maintain their 11-point lead at the top of the standings, Reuters reported. 

Bayern came from a goal down to earn their sixth league win in the last seven matches, and moved up to 47 points with a goal difference of +53. The previous best mark after 17 matches belonged to Pep Guardiola's Bayern from the 2013/14 season, also with 47 points but a goal difference of +35.

The Bavarians, who host Union Saint-Gilloise in the Champions League next week, have clear water between themselves and Borussia Dortmund in second place on 36 points, according to Reuters. 

Substitute Jefte Betancor scored twice as second-tier Albacete pulled off a dramatic 3-2 victory over Spanish giants Real Madrid on Wednesday, eliminating them from the Copa del Rey at the round-of-16 stage on Alvaro Arbeloa's managerial debut, Reuters reported. 

On a misty night at the Carlos Belmonte stadium, the energetic 17,000-strong crowd created an electric atmosphere as Albacete stunned the European powerhouses, who had sacked manager Xabi Alonsoearlier in the week.

Former Real defender Arbeloa, who was handed the reins in the wake of Alonso's dismissal, selected a largely second-string side and they struggled to impose themselves on their lowly opponents, while dense fog that shrouded large portions of the match added to the drama, according to Reuters. 

FIFA said on Tuesday it received more than 500 million ticket requests for the 2026 World Cup during a 33-day application window that closed this week, describing it as a new milestone in world sporting history, Reuters reported. 

The tournament, which will be co-hosted by the U.S., Mexico and Canada and feature 48 teams for the first time, attracted applications from fans in all 211 FIFA member countries and territories, the football governing body said in a statement.

Each application was validated by unique credit card data, with fans submitting an average of 15 million ticket requests per day, according to Reuters. 

Five people died and three others were injured when a cargo truck overturned in Bhokraha Narsingh Rural Municipality, Sunsari on Thursday. 

The truck (1Kha 4541), which was transporting marble from Biratnagar to Rajbiraj, lost control and overturned on the roadway, leading to the fatalities of five residents of Barju-1, as reported by the District Police Office, Sunsari. 

DSP Chandra Khadka said that the deceased have been identified as 32-year-old Birendra Gurung, 55-year-old Brahmadev Gurung, 50-year-old Tekbahadur Gurung, 28-year-old Nisu Gurung, and 55-year-old Chandra Bahadur Gurung of Barju-1. 

There were nine people in the truck: four in the front cab, including the driver, and five in the rear. 

The five individuals seated in the back were crushed by the marble and died.

The three injured persons in the cab are currently receiving treatment at Narsingh Home in Biratnagar. 

The driver fled the scene after the incident.