Today's sports news: What you need to know

Latest - Holders Bayern Munich beat Atletico Madrid 4-0 in their Champions League opener to stretch their winning run in the competition to 12 games.

Liverpool beat Ajax Amsterdam 1-0 away with a fortunate own goal, riding their luck at times but still showing their title credentials.

Manchester City came from behind to make a winning start in their group opener with a 3-1 victory over Porto at the Etihad Stadium.

Shakhtar Donetsk pulled off the shock of the opening games with a 3-2 win over 13-times champions Real Madrid.

Strong ride by Bennett goes unrewarded

The New Zealand cyclist George Bennett put in the work for his Jumbo-Visma team but they just missed claiming the second stage of the Vuelta a Espana.

Bennett set the pace over the later part of the 151km hilly stage for his lead rider Primoz Roglic, however they were pipped by Spanish rider Marc Soler.

Roglic finished second to extend his overall lead to nine seconds.

Bennett finished 10th and is now eighth overall, 56 seconds behind Roglic.

Thursday's stage is a 166km hilly stage from Lodosa to La Laguna Negra - Vinuesa.

Meanwhile Australian Ben O'Connor won the 17th stage of the Giro d'Italia, a 203-km mountain trek from Bassano del Grappa as Joao Almeida retained the overall lead at the end of a quiet day for the top contenders.

-RNZ/Reuters

Langman retires from netball

Silver Ferns great Laura Langman has announced her retirement from netball.

34 year old Langman, who played 163 Tests retired from the international game in August and has extended that to all netball following the completion of the Australian Super League.

Her Sunshine Coast side were beaten in the play-offs.

During her career Langman won World Championship and Comonwealth Games titles, trans-Tasman and New Zealand ANZ Championship titles.

Langman's career spanned 18 years, playing for Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic (2003-2012), Northern Mystics (2013-2015), NSW Swifts (2016) and Sunshine Coast Lightning (2017,2019-2020).

Lions to play Japan

The British and Irish Lions will play Japan for the first time next year.

The Lions will host the Brave Blossoms in Edinburgh next June ahead of their tour of South Africa.

It will mark just the third time the Lions have played on home soil following games in Cardiff against Argentina in 2005 and a Rest of the World XV in 1986.

"We saw Japan play some excellent rugby during the World Cup and they will come to Edinburgh fully-motivated to win," Lions head coach Warren Gatland said.

Japan head coach Jamie Joseph said it was a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" for the players.

The Lions play South Africa in three tests in July-August.

-Reuters

Paget named high performance manager

Former Olympian and Badminton Horse Trial winner Jock Paget has been appointed as Equestrian Sport NZ's new high performance general manager.

The Taupo-based eventer who moved home from the United Kingdom four years ago is looking forward to what he is describing as an "exciting challenge and massive opportunity" to take up the role which will lead the equestrian high performance programme for ESNZ - a position formerly known as the high performance director.

Paget won a teams bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics and won Badminton in 2013.

Canterbury on top in Plunket Shield

Canterbury need just 120 runs with 10 wicktes in hand to beat Wellington on the last day of their Plunket Shield game at the Basin Reserve.

Will Williams and Daryl Mitchell took four wickets each as Wellington were dsmissed for 212 in their second innings.

The weather continues to hit the game in Hamilton with Northern Districts 145 for 2 in their first innings against central Districts... declarations will be needed on the final day to get any form of result.

On day two at Eden Park, Ben Horne scored 162 as Auckland declared on 369 for 9, a first innings lead of 186... Otago are 13 for 1 in their second turn at bat.

Wallabies would consider taking a knee

Australia fullback Dane Haylett-Petty says the Wallabies players would consider joining other athletes around the world by "taking a knee" before a test match.

The protest against racial injustice was popularised by NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick in 2016 and became a common sight at stadiums following the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis in May.

Speaking at the launch of a new Wallabies shirt with a design that pays tribute to the 14 indigenous Australians who have played test rugby, Haylett-Petty said the squad had not yet discussed the matter.

"I can't speak for everyone but it would be a great show of support. I think that would be a discussion to have as a group and we'd definitely consider it."

The Wallabies will wear the jersey, which was designed by indigenous Sydney artist Dennis Golding, in their Rugby Championship tests against New Zealand next week and Argentina in December.

-Reuters

Stroll confirms he tested positive

Canadian Formula One driver Lance Stroll says he tested positive for COVID-19 after the Oct. 11 Eifel Grand Prix but was now clear and ready to race in Portugal this weekend.

The 21-year-old missed the race at the Nuerburgring after feeling unwell and was replaced at short notice by Germany's Nico Hulkenberg at the Racing Point team.

The Silverstone-based outfit, owned by Stroll's father Lawrence and third in the contructors' standings, said at the time that he had felt unwell since the Russian Grand Prix on Sept. 27 but had tested negative.

Stroll is the second Formula One driver to contract the new coronavirus, the other being his Mexican team mate Sergio Perez who missed two races in August.

Formula One teams are operating in 'bubbles within bubbles', isolated from each other and separated into groups internally to limit the risk of contagion.

This weekend's race at the Algarve circuit near Portimao will be the 12th round of the season and first Portuguese Grand Prix in 24 years. It was added to the calendar after some other races were cancelled due to the pandemic.

-Reuters

Man U deny breakaway European League

Manchester United's executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has denied being involved in talks over a breakaway European Super League, but says the club have been in discussions over an expanded Champions League from 2024 onwards.

A report from Sky Sports UK said United, Liverpool and other top European clubs were working on a project to create a breakaway European league.

"I saw the reports on that and candidly don't know where that story came from. There isn't really anything for us to say," Woodward said.

Woodward said that the club was, as a member of the European Club Association, engaged in the formal talks with UEFA over the format for the Champions League from 2024.

Last week, United and Liverpool's proposals for changes to the structure and revenue distribution in English football were leaked and then rejected by Premier League clubs.

-Reuters