By TRAVIS CLARK
One the second day of Champions League playoff first legs, Bundesliga side Werder Bremen took the advantage with a strong second half performance, scoring three times en route to a 3-1 win over Serie A club Sampdoria.
Belgian club Anderlecht was also in action, traveling to Belgrade and notching two away goals in a 2-2 draw with FK Partizan. U.S. midfielder Sacha Kljestan didn't make the 18 for Anderlecht. Hapoel Tel Aviv was another away side to enjoy success, defeating Red Bull Salzburg 3-2 in Austria.
In Wednesday's other two playoffs, Braga beat Sevilla 1-0 in Portugal, while Swiss club FC Basel beat Sheriff Tiraspol 1-0. Basel missed a 90th minute penalty that would have doubled their advantage heading into next week's second leg.
Here are a few other stories for this evening:
FULHAM SIGNS DEMBELE
After going scoreless during the first weekend of Premier League action, Mark Hughes has made a move to bolster his attacked, signing AZ Alkmaar forward Moussa Dembele for a reported fee of £5 million.
The 23-year-old Belgian had been linked to a move to England with either West Ham or Birmingham City, but instead heads to Craven Cottage where he'll compete for playing time with attackers Bobby Zamora, Clint Dempsey and Andy Johnson.
Dembele moves to the Premier League after four seasons with Alkmaar in the Eredivisie, where he scored 24 goals in 118 games. He has also earned 28 caps for Belgium, making his international debut back in 2006.
EARTHQUAKES DEFENDER HERNANDEZ EARNS TWO-GAME SUSPENSION
San Jose's already thin defense suffered another blow today, with news that defender Jason Hernandez would get an extra game suspension after being red carded against the Kansas City Wizards on Saturday. Hernandez was sent off in the 88th minute for an elbow to Wizards forward Teal Bunbury, and will miss the next two games for the Earthquakes — this Saturday against Los Angeles, and next week versus New York.
MARSEILLE MOVE FOR REMY
Shortly after losing forward Mamadou Niang to Turkish club Fenerbahçe, Olympique Marseille are close to securing the services of Nice's Loic Remy for a reported 15 million euros. The 23-year-old has been linked with several clubs during this summer's transfer window, including English clubs Tottenham, Liverpool, Stoke City and West Ham.
Along with losing Niang, Marseille are likely to lose attacker Hatem Ben Arfa, who is eying a move to Newcastle United, and are desperate to sign reinforcements. The defending champions have lost their first two games in Ligue 1.
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What did you think of the Champions League results? Surprised to see Fulham sign another forward? Did Hernandez deserve a two-game suspension? Can Remy help Marseille?
Share your thoughts below.