Browsing: Sports
Real Madrid forward Brahim Diaz maintained his goal-a-game record at the Africa Cup of Nations by scoring to take Morocco into the quarter-finals with a 1-0 victory over Tanzania in Rabat Sunday.Diaz scored once in each of three group matches and his 64th-minute strike against the Tanzanians created history as he became the first Moroccan to find the net in four consecutive AFCON matches.The goal came after Morocco squandered numerous scoring chances while stretching an unbeaten run in competitive and friendly matches to 23. Their last loss was to South Africa at the 2024 AFCON.Morocco will face South Africa or Cameroon, who meet later on Sunday at a different Rabat venue, in the quarter-finals on Friday.Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi, set up the last-16 winner for Diaz, while making his first start in the tournament after coming off the bench in a victory over Zambia last Monday.The 2025 African player of the year suffered a serious ankle injury playing for PSG against Bayern Munich in the Champions League two months ago.But Morocco lacked Azzedine Ounahi, who arrived at the stadium using crutches and wearing a medical boot on his left foot. Bilal El Khannouss took his place in midfield.Morocco were favourites for several reasons, including home advantage, the backing of close to 70,000 supporters, and lying 101 places above Tanzania in the world rankings.First chanceHowever, it was Tanzania who had the first chance in the third minute, but Saimon Msuva misconnected with a Selemani Mwalimu cross.Morocco had the ball in the net after 15 minutes as Ismael Saibari nodded a Abdessamad Ezzalzouli free-kick past goalkeeper Hussein Masaranga.The assistant referee immediately raised his flag for offside and a VAR review confirmed that the PSV striker had strayed too far forward.Ayoub El Kaabi was the next Moroccan to come close, heading over before being injured in a collision with Masaranga. Both players resumed after treatment.A Diaz shot was too high from the edge of the box and El Kaabi headed wide as the host nation continued their pursuit of the opening goal, but the first half ended goalless.In a lively start to the second period, Ezzalzouli and El Kaabi headed wide then, in a rare Tanzanian raid, Feisal ‘Fei Toto’ Salum fired over with only goalkeeper Yassine Bounou to beat.As Moroccan pressure mounted, Hakimi rifled a free-kick against the crossbar from just outside the box on the hour mark.A goal seemed inevitable given the relentless pressure from the host nation, and it came thanks to Hakimi and Diaz.The full-back passed to the forward, who beat Masaranga at his near post with an angled shot from close range. Related Story Source link
Bangladesh will not play their Twenty20 World Cup matches in India after Mustafizur Rahman was released by his Indian Premier League team amid growing tensions between the countries, Bangladesh’s cricket board (BCB) said Sunday. Kolkata Knight Riders said on Saturday they had released the Bangladesh bowler after being told to do so by India’s cricket board (BCCI). Bangladesh are scheduled to play three Twenty20 World Cup matches in Kolkata next month, with the February 7-March 8 tournament being co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, but the BCB said they are worried about their players’ safety. “Following a thorough assessment of the prevailing situation and the growing concerns regarding the safety and security of the Bangladesh contingent in India and considering the advice from the Bangladesh government, the Board of Directors resolved that the Bangladesh national team will not travel to India for the tournament under the current conditions,” the BCB said. “In light of this decision, the BCB has formally requested the International Cricket Council (ICC), as the event authority, to consider relocating all of Bangladesh’s matches to a venue outside India.” Earlier Sunday Ministry of Sports said Bangladesh would not travel to India. “We welcome this decision taken in the context of the extreme communal policy of India’s cricket board,” said Nazrul, who added that he had instructed the board to request Bangladesh’s World Cup games be held in Sri Lanka. Last month, hundreds protested near Bangladesh’s High Commission in New Delhi after Hindu factory worker Dipu Chandra Das was beaten and set on fire in Bangladesh’s Mymensingh district by a crowd that accused him of making derogatory remarks about Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). A total of 12 people were arrested in connection with his death. WORSENED RELATIONSThe incident worsened relations between India and its neighbour, with ties already strained after Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to New Delhi following protests against her. After Mustafizur’s release on Saturday, the BCB had held an emergency meeting before writing to the ICC to relocate their matches. “The board said that where a Bangladesh cricketer can’t play in India despite being contracted, the entire Bangladesh cricket team can’t feel safe to go to the World Cup,” Nazrul had said. Last year, the ICC allowed India to play Champions Trophy matches in the United Arab Emirates due to soured relations with hosts Pakistan. Sunday, cricket news site Cricbuzz reported that the BCB would ask the BCCI for a formal explanation regarding Mustafizur’s release. The ICC did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Bangladesh are due to play West Indies, England and Italy in Kolkata before ending the group stage against Nepal in Mumbai. Related Story Source link
Former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has posted on social media for the first time since a fatal car crash in Nigeria that killed two of his close friends. The 36-year-old British fighter was a passenger in a Lexus SUV that collided with a stationary truck on a busy highway linking Lagos and Ibadan in southwest Nigeria last Monday. Joshua’s backroom team members Latif Ayodele and Sina Ghami died in the crash, while the boxer sustained minor injuries. Joshua was taken to hospital before being discharged on Wednesday, later flying back to the UK ahead of the funerals of Ghami, his strength and conditioning coach, and Ayodele, his personal trainer. The former two-time unified world heavyweight champion posted two images on Instagram on Sunday, sitting alongside his mother and three other women, one of whom clutched a photograph of Ghami. He captioned the post ‘My Brothers Keeper’. Joshua’s social media activity comes after Nigerian police charged the driver of the vehicle, Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode, 46, with “dangerous driving causing death”. He is due to appear in court on January 20. Joshua, the 2012 Olympic champion, has family roots in Nigeria and was on holiday in the country following his win over Jake Paul in Miami on December 19. Related Story Source link
Former lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury said Sunday that he will come out of retirement this year for his first fight since losing to Oleksandr Usyk in December 2024. Fury announced his retirement after losing a rematch with Ukraine’s Usyk, who had won by split decision in their first bout to become the undisputed champion. Usyk is the only boxer to beat Fury in the Briton’s professional career, which includes 34 wins, two losses, and one draw. “2026 is that year. Return of the Mac. Been away for a while but I’m back now, 37 years old and still punching. Nothing better to do than punch men in the face & get paid for it,” Fury posted on Instagram. Fury, nicknamed ‘The Gypsy King’, had previously spent over two-and-a-half years away from the ring as he went through mental health struggles after his win over Wladimir Klitschko in 2015 to take the WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight titles. He returned to action in 2018, and knocked out Deontay Wilder to win the WBC heavyweight belt in February 2020. Fury again announced retirement in 2022, only to come back six months later. In the past, fellow Briton and former champion Anthony Joshua had called out Fury for a fight multiple times, including after last month’s knockout win over Jake Paul. “If Tyson Fury is as serious as he thinks he is… step in the ring with me next, if you’re a real bad boy. Don’t do all that talking, AJ this, AJ that. Let’s see you in the ring and talk with your fists,” Joshua had said last month. Joshua recently spent a few days in hospital after suffering minor injuries in a car crash in Nigeria that killed two of his friends. He was discharged from hospital on Thursday, a day before police charged his driver with dangerous driving over the fatal collision. Related Story Source link
Soccer Football – CAF Africa Cup of Nations – Morocco 2025 – Round of 16 – Senegal v Sudan – Tangier Grand Stadium, Tangier, Morocco -…
Bangladesh will request their matches at next month’s T20 World Cup be played in Sri Lanka, after India forced a Bangladeshi player to quit the Indian Premier League.”We will not accept any insult to Bangladeshi cricket, cricketers and Bangladesh under any circumstances,” said Asif Nazrul, Youth and Sports Adviser in the interim government, in a statement carried by the state-run BSS news agency Sunday.Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman was on Saturday released by the Kolkata Knight Riders after the IPL team were “advised” by Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to do so, following tensions between the neighbouring nations.”I have also instructed the board to request that Bangladesh’s World Cup matches should be held in Sri Lanka.” The T20 World Cup begins on February 7, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. Bangladesh are scheduled to play their four group matches in India. Pakistan will play all their matches in Sri Lanka, part of a deal that allows both India and Pakistan to play at neutral venues in multi-nation tournaments.On Friday, the BCB announced that India would go to Bangladesh for six white-ball matches in September. Bangladesh will hold its first elections since the uprising on February 12. Source link
Italian singer and songwriter Laura Pausini will be among the headline performers at the opening ceremony of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, organisers said .Pausini, one of Italy’s most internationally acclaimed artists, is credited with helping to bring the country’s music to a global audience.She has won a Grammy, five Latin Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe and earned an Oscar nomination during a career spanning more than three decades.The Milano Cortina Games opening ceremony will take place on February 6 at Milan’s San Siro Stadium.Created and produced by Balich Wonder Studio, the event will feature performances by international artists like American pop superstar Mariah Carey alongside elements celebrating Italian culture and innovation.Pausini “embodies the concept of Harmony”, the central theme of the ceremony, and her music represents a meeting point between tradition and modernity, between Italian roots and an international outlook, organisers said in a statement.The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will be staged across northern Italy, with events hosted in Milan, Cortina d’Ampezzo and other venues in Lombardy, Veneto and Trentino-Alto Adige.The Games will run from February 6 to 22. Source link
Saud al-Marri, runner-up in the first and second rounds, emerged as the winner of the third and penultimate round of Qatar Freestyle Championship.Rashed al-Banna secured his first podium finish of the season by taking second place, while Abdullah al-Qahtani, winner of the previous two rounds, settled for third place in this round. Ahmed al-Musned, who had finished third in the previous two rounds, missed out on the podium this time after finishing fourth, while fifth place went to competitor Ahmed al-Banna.The third and penultimate round of championship, held under the patronage of chairman of Qatar Racing Club (QRC) His Excellency Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad al-Thani, witnessed intense competition amid a large crowd that filled the grandstands. Registration and technical inspection were conducted last Thursday to ensure the cars’ readiness to compete in accordance with a number of criteria and conditions adopted by the championship’s organizing committee, which all competitors are required to meet. These included vehicle-related requirements such as equipping the car with a roll cage, securely fixing the battery, and having an effective safety belt, among other points, as well as competitor-related requirements centered on safety elements such as racing attire, helmet, and the like.According to the competition format, each competitor is given a single opportunity to enter the track and perform exhibition maneuvers, including drifting, reverse driving, the knot maneuver, and the “rios” maneuver, within a total time not exceeding four minutes. There is also a dedicated score for the overall style of the competitor’s performance.The championship will now enter a relatively long break before returning for its final round at the end of next April. Related Story Source link
Italy’s Emanuele Gaudiano won the CSI4 Faults & Time (1.45m) on Vasco 118. Saudi Arabia’s Abdullah Alsharbatly continued his dominant run at the inaugural HH The Father Amir’s Prix, adding two more victories Saturday after claiming two wins on the opening day, including the feature event at Al Shaqab. Alsharbatly secured top honours in the CSI4 Jump-Off (1.50m), delivering a faultless double-clear round aboard Boeckmanns Lord Pezi Junio. He topped a field of 33 starters, stopping the clock at 39.95 seconds in the jump-off to pocket the winner’s prize of €26,500. Austria’s Max Kuhner finished second on Eic Quantum Robin V after another clear jump-off in 40.73 seconds, earning €21,200, while Britain’s Sienna Charles completed the podium in third place aboard Stardust with a clear round in 41.04 seconds to take home €15,900. Britain’s Millie Allen topped the CSI2 Faults & Time (1.45m) on Quick…
Dacia Sandriders’ Qatari driver Nasser al-Attiyah and his Belgian co-driver Fabian Lurquin compete in the prologue stage of the 48th Dakar Rally in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia.…