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It’s Arsenal-Lyon and Bayern-Barcelona in the Women’s Champions League semifinals

By The Associated Press

BERLIN (AP) — Trophy-holder Arsenal faces eight-time champion Lyon and Barcelona is bidding to reach the Women’s Champions League final for the sixth straight year.

Bayern Munich is the only semifinalist that hasn’t appeared in a final, but it seems only a matter of time before it does after the German powerhouse wrapped up a fourth successive Bundesliga title on Wednesday after an almost flawless domestic campaign.

Bayern hosts Barcelona on Saturday in the first leg of their semifinal and will hope to make amends after the Catalan club romped to a 7-1 win in their last meeting in the league phase.

Here is a closer look at this weekend’s semifinal first legs:

Bayern-Barcelona on Saturday

Barcelona is on a quest to win its fourth title after losing the final to Arsenal last year. The team’s form looks ominous for Bayern after losing just once across all competitions this season, a league defeat in November at Real Sociedad. Barcelona reached the semifinals after a 12-2 aggregate win over old rival Real Madrid, while also beating Madrid 3-0 away between the quarterfinal legs.

Barcelona has 10 more goals, 32 in total, than any other team, and has conceded five, the fewest. Ewa Pajor has scored seven and Alexia Putellas has chipped in five while setting up another seven.

Barcelona has also won its last 19 two-legged ties in the competition.

Arsenal-Lyon on Sunday

This is a repeat of last year’s semifinal and another reunion of teams that met in the opening round, where Lyon rallied to win 2-1 in London.

The French champion has won on each of its five previous visits.

Last season, Arsenal rallied to beat Lyon 4-1 away in the second leg of their semifinal after losing the first leg 2-1.

Lyon’s Melchie Dumornay and Arsenal’s Mariona Caldentey scored in both legs of that tie.

Lyon’s 1-0 defeat at Wolfsburg in the quarterfinals was its first loss of the season. It bounced back in the second leg to win in extra time 4-0.

Arsenal’s form has been mixed. It prevailed over Chelsea by a 3-2 aggregate but lost the second leg 1-0 and followed with a 2-0 loss at home to Brighton & Hove Albion in the FA Cup last weekend.

The return matches will be in May. The final will be in Oslo on May 23.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

NYPD says dozens rescued from human trafficking during World Cup

By WTOP Staff
▶ Watch Video: Inside look at security preparations for World Cup Forty-three people, including seven minors, were rescued from human traffickers during the World Cup matches in the New York City area, according to the New York City Police Department's Special Victims Unit.The rescue operations were carried out between June 11 and July 19 by specialized NYPD detectives who arrested 89 individuals."The surprise was really the outpouring of support behind the mission and the collaboration with all our partners," said Inspector Gary Marcus, commanding officer of the Special Victims Unit.Those rescued, largely the victims of sex trafficking, are now being supported with an array of social services for the victims, including food, housing and counseling.The 87 operations carried out during the World Cup have generated new leads, officials said, and law enforcement agencies are building more cases based on the investigations already underway."We have ongoing investigations now as a result of these operations," an NYPD official told CBS News.Major sporting events are known to law enforcement as hotbeds of human trafficking.Years in advance, the NYPD devoted significant resources to preparing for the World Cup. Eight matches were played at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium, including the final on Sunday."When we talk about the outreach and the prep we do, a large part of that involved visiting the known sex offenders, particularly the known human traffickers, in our registry," Marcus said. "Whether they're on parole or probation for human trafficking, we visited them to make sure they're compliant with the terms of their release, and secondly, to let them know that the NYPD is watching."The matches were held in multiple cities around the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Preparations to secure those games and prepare for crimes like human trafficking were coordinated between local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.Police departments in many locations that hosted World Cup matches have made arrests and rescues connected to human trafficking, including in Georgia, New England and Missouri. Nationally, there were more than 673 arrests on human-trafficking charges made during the World Cup, and 61 adults and 13 minors rescued, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
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