Borussia reaches Champions League final

Borussia Dortmund needed every bit of its first-leg advantage to stave off a comeback attempt by Real Madrid and reach the Champions League final for the first time since 1997.

Karim Benzema scored in the 83rd minute and Sergio Ramos in the 88th, putting Real Madrid in position to advance with one more goal. But Dortmund held on for a 4-3 aggregate win with a 2-0 loss Tuesday night at Madrid.

Bundesliga champion Bayern Munich has a four-goal advantage on Barcelona ahead of Wednesday’s game. The Champions League final is May 25 at London’s Wembley Stadium, setting up the possibility of the first all-German final in soccer’s top club competition.

Madrid, which has not reached the final since winning its record ninth title in 2002, was eliminated in the semifinals for the third straight year under Coach Jose Mourinho.

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Labeled “clumsy” for his part in one of soccer’s biggest corruption scandals, FIFA President Sepp Blatter was cleared of any criminal wrongdoing or ethics violations in a case involving millions of dollars in bribes for World Cup contracts.

Blatter’s predecessor as FIFA president, Joao Havelange, was forced to step down as honorary president because of his involvement in the case.

FIFA made the announcement Tuesday, saying the 96-year-old Brazilian, who led soccer from 1974-98, had resigned on April 18.

ETC.

Stanton expects to sit out about a month

Miami Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton expects to be sidelined for about a month because of a strained right hamstring.

Stanton underwent an MRI exam Tuesday and said the diagnosis was a Grade 2 strain on the 1-to-3 scale for the injury. He was hurt trying to beat out a grounder in Monday’s 15-inning victory over the New York Mets, and was put on the 15-day disabled list.

The injury occurred just as last year’s NL slugging leader showed signs of emerging from a prolonged slump to start the season. He hit his first home run Saturday and two more Sunday.

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Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg might have irritated a nerve in his right arm using an electrical stimulation machine.

The machines are used by athletes to build strength and are attached with adhesive electrodes. Manager Davey Johnson said the device could have been placed too close to a nerve in Strasburg’s pitching arm, leading to discomfort in Monday night’s start against the Atlanta Braves.

Johnson said the Nationals do not expect Strasburg to have continued problems with the irritated nerve but it was too early to determine whether Strasburg will make his next scheduled start Saturday at Pittsburgh.

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The NFL suspended Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Justin Blackmon for the first four games of the 2013 regular season for a violation of the league’s substance abuse policies.

The league said that Blackmon may participate in the preseason and will be eligible to return to the active roster Sept. 30.

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NASCAR suspended the two Richard Childress Racing crew members arrested for fighting with Nelson Piquet Jr. at Richmond, Va.

Thomas Costello and Michael Searce were suspended for four Nationwide Series races and fined $15,000 each. They were also put on probation until the end of the year for the altercation in the motorhome lot after Friday night’s race.

Henrico County police charged Searce with two counts of misdemeanor assault, and Costello with one count of misdemeanor assault.

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A cross-border bid for San Diego and Tijuana to host the 2024 Summer Olympics appeared dead before arrival when the U.S. Olympic Committee said international rules don’t allow two countries to mount a joint candidacy.

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Tickets for “United 4 Wrestling” — an international wrestling competition May 19 at the Sports Arena pitting the United States against Iran — go on sale at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the arena box office, all Ticketmaster outlets, online at ticketmaster.com, and by phone at 1-800-745-3000.