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Arsenal edged towards their first League Cup final since 2018 as they beat London rivals Chelsea 3-2 in the opening leg of their semi-final at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, Reuters reported. 

Mikel Arteta's side were dominant for long spells and goals by Ben White, Viktor Gyokeres and Martin Zubimendi should have virtually sewn up the tie.

But Chelsea showed plenty of fight in Liam Rosenior's first home game in charge and a double from substitute Alejandro Garnacho kept their hopes alive, according to Reuters. 

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.