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Borussia Dortmund suspended Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for partying in Italy before a game

They scored without him.

Alex Grimm/Getty Images

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Borussia Dortmund had an interesting wrench thrown in their season this week when star player Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang decided to go AWOL to party in Italy. He showed up late to a team meeting on Tuesday and when manager Thomas Tuchel found out why, he suspended Aubameyang for Wednesday’s Champions League game, which Dortmund won against Sporting Lisbon. Aubemayang’s replacement, Adrian Ramos, scored the winner.

Taking a trip to another country to party is a bad look on its own, but it’s especially curious given that Dortmund hasn’t won in their last four league games. Aubameyang has been linked to Real Madrid for a while, and Dortmund might be a little less hesitant to sell after this incident.

Goal of the day

Gareth Bale’s screamer a minute in against Legia Warsaw. (r/soccer)

In the news

Brian Schmetzer is now the full-time head coach of the Seattle Sounders. (MLS)

Young American Ben Lederman is returning to Barcelona after obtaining a Polish passport. (ESPN FC)

Speaking of things Barcelona got in trouble for, they’re under investigation for defrauding some people. (Marca)

Kasper Schmeichel is out a month with a broken hand, but he finished Wednesday’s game with the injury. (BBC)

Some guys tried to rob Andy Carroll at gunpoint, but he sped away from them as they chased him for 20 minutes. (Guardian)

Leonardo Bonucci got hurt against Lyon, so he’s a big doubt for Italy’s upcoming games. (Football Italia)

American execs are split on whether to bid for the World Cup alone or as joint-hosts with their North American neighbors. (SI)

You should be reading

Gaby Kirschner on Backyard Soccer, which was an inclusive game 15 years before FIFA got with the times. (Howler)

Kieron O’Connor on Stoke City’s finances. (Swiss Ramble)

Iain McIntosh on Tottenham’s supposed crisis, which is not a crisis. (ESPN FC)

What happened on Wednesday

You can find all the Champions League scores and tables here. (UEFA)

What to watch on Thursday (click for listings, all times ET)

Europa League: 24 games (from 12 p.m.) — Just one bad game in the early slot. We recommend Fenerbahce vs, Manchester United at 2 p.m. and Ajax vs. Celta Vigo at 4 p.m.

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