Dutch motorcyclist Edwin Straver has died after a crash at the Dakar Rally. Straver, 48, crashed 124 kilometres into stage 11 on 16 January and suffered a cardiac arrest before being to airlifted to hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. “The entire Dakar caravan would like to extend its sincere condolences to Edwin’s family and friends,” said organisers in a statement.
American teenager Coco Gauff stunned defending champion Naomi Osaka in straight sets to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open. The 15-year-old excelled at the Rod Laver Arena and eased to a 6-3 6-4 victory in 67 minutes. Osaka, the world number four, struggled with unforced errors throughout – making 30 compared to Gauff’s 17. “I don’t know where that came from,” the American said after the match. “Honestly, like, what is my life?” “Two years ago I lost in the first round in juniors and now I’m here,” Gauff added.
Former world number one Caroline Wozniacki saw her hugely impressive career come to a close as she went out in the Australian Open third round. Wozniacki, 29, revealed her intention to retire in November, fittingly calling time at the venue where she won her only Grand Slam title. Now ranked 36th, Wozniacki’s 15-year career ended with a 7-5 3-6 7-5 defeat by Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur.
Seven-time champion Serena Williams has been knocked out of the Australian Open, losing 6-4 6-7 (2-7) 7-5 to China’s Wang Qiang in the third round. The defeat means the 38-year-old American’s quest for a 24th Grand Slam singles title goes on. Wang served for the match at 5-4 in the second set but Williams broke her for the first time and then won a tie-break to level at one set all. The 27th seed recovered and sealed victory on her third match point.
Nigeria’s Women World Cup goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie has joined French club Paris FC Feminines but must return home to complete the necessary paperwork. The 19-year-old has sealed a one-and-a-half-year deal with the club from Nigerian giants Rivers Angels after impressing during last year’s World Cup. Nnadozie has had to return to Nigeria in order to finalise her residency and work permits, so will not be available to make her debut until the six-time French champions face Dijon on 8 February.
Victor Moses has signed for Inter Milan on a loan deal with an option to buy from Chelsea. Moses is reunited with former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte, who he played a starring role for in the 2016-17 Premier League winning season.
Lower-league Spanish club Lorca FC have raised eyebrows by launching a mobile app that will allow fans to have their say on team selection. The club, who play in Tercera División, the regionalised fourth tier of Spanish football, tweeted on Thursday: “We bring you the app that will give you the chance to test out your abilities as the coach of a REAL team, welcome to REAL FOOTBALL MANAGER.” ”
Debutants Nigeria are set to face England at the Under-19 cricket World Cup, but cricket is still very much a minority sport in the West African country. The players knelt down, praised God and some even cried after the winning runs were struck that saw Nigeria through to their first-ever cricket World Cup. Bowler Peter Aho, who had only just turned 16, scored the crucial runs in a closely fought victory over Sierra Leone at last year’s qualifying tournament in Namibia.
Either Cameroon or Ivory Coast will miss out on the 2022 World Cup in Qatar after the teams were drawn against each other in the second round of African qualifying. Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions have represented Africa at a record seven World Cups, while Ivory Coast have made three appearances. Two other groups feature two teams that have both played at football’s greatest global event in the past.
Egyptian Football Association (EFA) has announced the registration of what it believes is the oldest professional player in the world. Third-tier club 6th October have signed 75-year-old Eez Eldin Bahder.
Maria Sharapova is not sure if she will be at the Australian Open next year, with a first-round exit meaning she is set to drop out of the world’s top 350. The five-time Grand Slam champion, who won at Melbourne Park in 2008, lost 6-3 6-4 to Croatian 19th seed Donna Vekic. It was only the Russian’s second competitive outing since September’s US Open because of a shoulder injury.
Conor McGregor returned to the octagon in style at UFC 246 as he beat American fan favourite Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone in just 40 seconds in Las Vegas. Irishman McGregor, 31, came out on top after one of the most spectacular performances of his career. Two of UFC’s most popular fighters went toe to toe in the main event at the T-Mobile Arena.
Nigeria international Henry Onyekuru will finally be able to make his second debut for Turkish club Galatasaray this month after receiving a playing license. The 22-year-old returned for a second loan spell at the Super Lig champions two weeks ago from French club Monaco, but his quest to get in the thick of the action was hit by an administrative problem and a bout of malaria. Galatasaray, who could not obtain a playing license for Onyekuru due to its tax debt problem in Turkey, has finally registered the Nigerian.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp says moving the Africa Cup of Nations back to January is, for Liverpool, a catastrophe. The 2021 tournament has been moved from the summer because of unfavourable weather in host country Cameroon. And the Reds face losing Senegal forward Sadio Mane, Egypt winger Mohamed Salah and Guinea midfielder Naby Keita for a month in mid-season.
The 2021 Africa Cup of Nations will start on 9 January after its dates were moved, hosts Cameroon have announced. The tournament was scheduled to take place in June and July but was changed because of the unfavourable weather in the country at that time of year. It means a number of Premier League clubs could be without first-team players at a crucial stage of the season. The 2019 tournament in Egypt was the first one to be held in the summer. Before that, the Cup of Nations had been held in January and February, clashing with the European domestic season. June and July in Cameroon are during the country’s rainy season.
Xavi says he turned down the offer to manage his former club Barcelona last week because the opportunity came “too early” in his coaching career. The former Spain midfielder has been Al Sadd’s boss since his playing career ended with the Qatari club in May.
Former Chelsea and Juventus striker Eniola Aluko, who won more than 100 England caps, has retired. Aluko, 32, left Juventus in December after nearly 18 months with the Serie A champions and had been tipped to return to the Women’s Super League. She was also part of the Great Britain team at the London 2012 Olympics. “I made the decision about six months ago,” she said. “I’ve taken time out to see if I missed football and training – but that hasn’t been the case.”
Barcelona have sacked coach Ernesto Valverde and replaced him with former Real Betis coach Quique Setien. Valverde, 55, helped the club to two successive La Liga titles and lead on goal difference this season. However, the Catalan side have produced a series of unconvincing displays under his leadership and have failed to reach the Champions League final.
Badminton’s world number one Kento Momota has been injured in a fatal crash in Malaysia. Japan’s Momota, 25, was travelling in a van with three members of his support team when it collided with a truck. The driver of the van was killed but it is understood no-one else suffered serious injury.
The Kansas City Chiefs staged a thrilling comeback from 24-0 down to beat the Houston Texans 51-31 and advance to the AFC Championship game. Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes threw for four touchdowns in the second quarter to overhaul the Texans’ early lead. Kansas City scored 41 unanswered points and dominated the second half. The second seeds now host the Tennessee Titans, who beat the Baltimore Ravens in the other AFC divisional game, for a place at Super Bowl 54.
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