Author: Xoxo

 Paris Saint-Germain blew a two-goal lead as in-form Brest staged an impressive comeback to hold the French champions to a 2-2 draw in Ligue 1 on Sunday.

Marco Asensio, making his first league start since September, volleyed PSG ahead at the Parc des Princes late in the first half before Randal Kolo Muani tapped in a second for the hosts before the break.

An own goal by Danilo on 55 minutes offered Brest a way back into the match and Mathias Pereira Lage put an end to the visitors’ run of 14 successive defeats by PSG with a clever back-heel flick to equalise.

PSG had Bradley Barcola, who played a key part in both of his team’s goals, sent off after he picked up two yellow cards in stoppage time.

“It’s a great evening for us,” said Brest coach Eric Roy.

“Being 2-0 down at the Parc des Princes can turn into a nightmare, but this team has always believed in itself. Lots of teams would have crumbled at half-time.”

Luis Enrique’s side saw their lead at the top shaved to six points following Nice’s 1-0 victory over Metz on Saturday. Brest, now unbeaten in eight games, remain nine points adrift of the leaders.

The two sides meet again in Paris in the last 16 of the French Cup on February 7. Brest have not beaten PSG in the last 27 meetings, a run stretching back to 1985.

“The cup match is going to be very difficult,” said Luis Enrique. “If it’s anything like the second half we could be in trouble.”

Chasing an 11th win in 12 outings, PSG were made to be patient before a moment of inspiration from Barcola unlocked the Brest defence.

After being restricted to Kylian Mbappe’s shot that was turned away by Brest goalkeeper Marco Bizot, Barcola picked out Asensio’s dart into the box with a delightful chipped pass the Spaniard steered first-time inside the far post.

Barcola and Asensio combined again minutes later to leave Kolo Muani with a tap-in, the France striker reacting quickest after Bizot got a hand to Asensio’s effort.

Mbappe was booked for reacting angrily to being tossed to the ground by Kenny Lala, and not long after Brest cut the deficit in half.

Romain Del Castillo worked his way into the area and found Mahdi Camara, whose effort struck Danilo and trickled past a wrong-footed Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Brest were rewarded for their persistence with 10 minutes left as Martin Satriano set up Pereira Lage to flick home, the latest highlight in a remarkable season for the modest Brittany club which has never finished higher than eighth.

Ghana’s Andre Ayew scored twice on his return from the Africa Cup of Nations, popping up with a stoppage-time equaliser for Le Havre in a 3-3 draw at bottom side Lorient.

Lens won 2-0 at Toulouse while Clermont against Strasbourg ended 1-1.

Tino Kadewere missed a penalty for Nantes in a 0-0 draw at Reims, while Montpellier were held at home by 10-man Lille in another goalless stalemate.

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 Cape Verde won an Africa Cup of Nations knockout tie for the first time in their history on Monday as a late Ryan Mendes penalty gave them a 1-0 victory over Mauritania in the last 16.

The match at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium in Abidjan was drifting towards extra time when Cape Verde won a spot-kick and captain Mendes converted with just two minutes of the 90 remaining to break Mauritania’s resistance.

The Blue Sharks then held on through 10 added minutes to advance to a quarter-final on Saturday in Yamoussoukro against either Morocco or South Africa, who meet in the last 16 on Tuesday.

The tiny Atlantic Ocean island nation had got out of their group in two of their three previous appearances at the AFCON, but had never before won a knockout tie.

Mauritania had been hoping to extend their fine run in Ivory Coast, after they won a Cup of Nations match for the first time in nine attempts in their last group game, beating Algeria to eliminate one of the continent’s powerhouses.

But a side coached by Amir Abdou, who took tiny Comoros to the last 16 in Cameroon two years ago, will go no further after failing to find a way past Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha.

The Chinguetti Lions will look back with regret at one fine chance just before the hour mark, when Souleymane Anne was played into a great position inside the box only to put his shot over.

Cape Verde looked the more likely team as the minutes ticked down, and Mendes came very close to scoring with a header from a corner that was well saved by Mauritania goalkeeper Babacar Niasse.

They were then awarded a penalty when substitute Gilson Tavares Benchimol was brought down in the box by Niasse after intercepting a poor header back from Mauritania defender Yassin El Welly.

The Egyptian referee pointed to the spot, and Mendes, of Turkish side Fatih Karagumruk, smashed home the penalty, his second goal of the tournament making history for his country.

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 Teenage Russian skater Kamila Valieva received a four-year ban from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Monday for failing a doping test prior to the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Valieva was found to have “committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) under Clause 4.1 of the All-Russian Anti-Doping Rules of 24 June 2021,” said the three-member panel in sport’s highest court.

“A period of four years ineligibility is imposed on Ms Valieva, starting on 25 December 2021.

“All competitive results of Ms Valieva from 25 December 2021 are disqualified, with all the resulting consequences (including forfeiture of any titles, awards, medals, profits, prizes, and appearance money),” CAS added.

Valieva was just 15 when she tested positive raising questions not just about her guilt and the Russian Olympic system after the Sochi Winter Games of 2014 but how she was treated as a minor, the way the test was conducted and the value of the drug involved for enhancing performance.

The case came to CAS following Valieva’s exoneration by Russia’s anti-doping agency (RUSADA).

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the International Skating Union (ISU) then appealed RUSADA’s ruling, as did RUSADA itself.

Three CAS judges met in Lausanne in September to hear the case with Valieva and some of the experts and witnesses taking part via videoconference.

In Beijing in February 2022, Valieva became the first female skater to land a quadruple jump in Olympic competition, helping Russia secure gold in the team event.

The next day, she was told she had tested positive before the Games for trimetazidine, a drug used to treat angina but banned for athletes.

Under the pressure of suspicion and attention, Valieva cracked in the individual event in Beijing, stumbling four times in the long programme and finishing in tears as she tumbled from first to fourth.

At the end of the year, RUSADA ruled that Valieva bore “no fault or negligence” for the positive test.

From the start, the case has presented a dilemma. Valieva’s age, 15 at the time, should have guaranteed her confidentiality under WADA rules for “protected persons” younger than 16.

But Valieva’s display in the team event in the Olympic arena had already drawn worldwide attention.

The ISU is raising the lower age limit for its senior category from 15 to 17 from this year, citing the “physical, mental and emotional health” of competitors.

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 Bronny James, the son of Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James suffered a cardiac arrest in July during a workout; the younger James was found to have a congenital heart defect that was treatable; the 19-year-old will have a final evaluation with USC staff this week

Bronny James has been cleared by doctors for a full return to basketball four months after suffering a cardiac arrest, and the Southern California freshman is expected to make his collegiate debut soon. 

A James family spokesperson said in a statement Thursday that the 19-year-old will have a final evaluation with USC staff this week and resume practice next week. He will be able to play in games “soon after,” it said.

“What soon means, I don’t know,” coach Andy Enfield said after USC’s win over Eastern Washington on Wednesday night. “It’s not my decision.”

James did not participate in pregame warm-ups and he didn’t join his team-mates on the bench until late in the first half of their 106-78 rout. He joked and smiled with the other reserves and he stood at the rear of the huddles during timeouts.

The Trojans (5-2) play No. 11 Gonzaga in Las Vegas on Saturday. Their next home game is December 10 against Long Beach State before they begin a stretch of four straight road games.

USC fell out of the AP Top 25 poll this week after a two-point loss to Oklahoma last week.

“We didn’t anticipate half our team being hurt for the first two to three weeks of the season,” Enfield said, citing injuries to Boogie Ellis and Kobe Johnson. “Bronny’s been out and we have no guards left, we have very limited guards.”

While James will be a welcome addition to USC’s rotation, he will need time to acclimate to game action. He has been on the court for pregame warmups twice in recent weeks, doing some rebounding and taking shots but also watching his team-mates. He’s also been at practices.

The son of Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James was found to have a congenital heart defect that was treatable.

The younger James suffered a cardiac arrest in July during a workout at Galen Center.

James was a McDonald’s All-American just like his father. The 6-foot-3 guard played at Sierra Canyon School in the Chatsworth section of Los Angeles and chose to stay close to home in picking USC.

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 Tobi Amusan has added the African indoor record to her rich collection of track and field records after the 26-year-old broke Glory Alozie’s 7.82 best at the opening leg of the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Saturday.

The reigning world 100m hurdles record holder at 12.12 first showed flashes of what is to come after storming home in her semifinal heat in 7.91 seconds.

She improved to 7.77 seconds to win the event ahead of 2019 World outdoor champion Nia Ali (7.89) and Irish girl, Sarah Lavin who ran 7.91 to come third.

The time has placed Amusan second on the world top list for the season behind Devynne Charlton of the Bahamas who ran 7.75 last week at the Corky Classics in Lubbock, Texas.

Amusan has also moved up to number 20 on the world all-time list and the reigning Commonwealth Games champion has now broken all three African records held by Alozie.

She first broke her predecessor’s African Games record of 12.74 set in 1999 when she ran 12.68 to win 10 years later (2019).

Amusan followed up by breaking Alozie’s 12.44 African record when she ran 12.42 seconds on her way to winning her first Diamond League title.

The sprint hurdler now owns the Nigeria, Nigerian Championships, African, African Games, African indoor, Commonwealth Games, World Championships, and world records.

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 Only a few months after lifting the Spanish title, Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez dramatically announced he would walk away from the club at the end of the season.

The 44-year-old, who excelled in Barcelona’s midfield during 17 years as a player, described the job as his “dream” in the years before he was appointed in November 2021.

After a 5-3 collapse against Villarreal on Saturday which left the champions 10 points adrift of league leaders Real Madrid, Xavi said coaching Barcelona was a “cruel and unpleasant” experience.

Real Madrid thrashed Barcelona 4-1 earlier in January to win the Spanish Super Cup and Athletic Bilbao hammered the Catalans 4-2 on Wednesday to eliminate them from the Copa del Rey, paving the way for Xavi’s decision.

Xavi took over in one of the toughest moments of Barcelona’s history, a few months after their greatest ever player Lionel Messi left, with the club in dire economic straits.

The coach, who won 25 trophies with Barcelona as a player in 767 appearances, led the team from ninth in the table to second in his first season at the helm, securing Champions League qualification.

Xavi followed that by winning the Spanish Super Cup in January 2023 and then Barcelona’s first league title since 2019, with his project gathering speed.

Humiliating consecutive group stage Champions League exits blotted his copybook, but Barca appeared to be improving after largely dismal spells under Quique Setien and Ronald Koeman.

Despite winning La Liga, some media and supporters grumbled that the team was not playing good football.

Xavi, the symbol of Barcelona’s possession game as a player under Pep Guardiola, was expected by supporters to deliver that kind of dominant football — and he insisted it was his aim.

Yet Barcelona won the title on the basis of their superb defence, conceding just 20 times in 38 La Liga matches. This season they have already let in 29 in 21 games.

The collapse of that defensive strength and worsening performances have led Xavi to walk away, he says to change a “negative dynamic” around the team he loves.

– Barcelona Defensive woes –

Several factors have played into Barcelona’s struggles at the back this season.

Perhaps stung by criticism of his team’s dutiful but drab performances, Xavi brought in full-back Joao Cancelo on loan to play a more attacking brand of football.

Last season the defence featured three centre-backs — Jules Kounde, playing on the right, Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen, with Alejandro Balde at left-back.

This season Xavi started with Balde and Cancelo and two centre-backs, foregoing stability for attacking thrust on the flanks.

Kounde had also tired of playing at right-back, often telling media he would prefer to play in the middle.

Veteran holding midfielder Sergio Busquets departed at the end of last season, leaving a yawning chasm in the pivot role he made his own for 18 years.

“We have to find that player if we want to compete well next season — it’s the key,” said Xavi in May.

However Barcelona could not afford their prime targets and settled for former La Masia player Oriol Romeu, signed cheaply from neighbours Girona.

Romeu struggled and Xavi dropped him, playing with an even more attacking line-up without a natural defensive midfielder.

Tenacious box-to-box player Gavi suffered a cruciate ligament injury in November, further damaging the team’s capacity in that regard.

“We are playing with Pedri, (Ilkay) Gundogan and Frenkie (de Jong),” said Xavi last week.

“Before we had Busquets and Gavi … Busquets steals 20 to 30 balls for you, Gavi steals 20 to 30 balls.”

Another injury to first-choice goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, vital last season, has contributed to the sharp increase in goals conceded.

Inaki Pena, standing in for the German, shipped 31 goals in 15 games.

Barcelona have let in three goals this season within the first minute of matches, with concentration lacking.

In attack the team have struggled too — Joao Felix has not convinced, while Robert Lewandowski, 35, looks his age.

Despite Xavi’s intentions, the team’s performances have only sparkled on a handful of occasions across his two-year stint.

“We’re lacking in both boxes,” Xavi has said on various occasions, as excuses piled up along with points dropped.

Xavi left as a hero after winning the treble in his final season as a player in 2015.

Barring a miracle in La Liga or an unlikely Champions League charge, his departure as coach will be far less triumphant.

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 Jannik Sinner stormed back from two sets down to beat Daniil Medvedev in a gruelling five-set Australian Open final on Sunday, winning his first Grand Slam.

The Italian fourth seed was blown off course in the first two sets but recovered to win 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 in three hours and 44 minutes.

Jannik Sinner stormed back from two sets down to beat Daniil Medvedev in a gruelling five-set Australian Open final on Sunday, winning his first Grand Slam.

The Italian fourth seed was blown off course in the first two sets but recovered to win 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 in three hours and 44 minutes.

The result is a bitter blow for the Russian third seed, who has now lost a second Australian Open final after being two sets up, following his defeat by Rafael Nadal in 2022.

Medvedev came into the match boasting a 6-3 winning record against the 22-year-old, but had lost the past three matches.

The Russian had played three gruelling five-setters at Melbourne Park and spent nearly six hours longer on the court than Sinner before the final.

But, looking fresh, he was quickly into his stride, unsettling the usually calm Sinner, who was unable to find any sort of rhythm.

The Italian, playing in his first Grand Slam final, was broken just twice in the entire tournament in the run-up to Sunday’s title decider but Medvedev doubled that tally in the first set.

World number four Sinner was again in deep trouble at the start of the second set, fending off multiple break points against a hungry Medvedev and pleading for backing from the crowd on Rod Laver Arena.

He survived that onslaught but was broken for a third time in the match in the fourth game when a poor drop shot allowed the Russian to set up a winner.

Medvedev raced through his service game to love, giving Sinner no time to gather his thoughts.

He hit a fierce forehand to set up two more break points in the sixth game and Sinner went wide with a forehand to slip 5-1 down.

The Italian broke back immediately and had another break point in the ninth game to put the set back on serve but Medvedev snuffed out the mini-revival.

The third set was tighter and went with serve until the decisive 10th game.

Sinner put a forehand passing shot wide at the end a 31-shot rally, missing out on the chance to earn two set points, but his chance came again and this time he took it to seal the set.

The momentum was now with Sinner and Medvedev, who required strapping for his foot, had to fight hard to hold early in the fourth set.

Sinner fired three aces to edge 4-3 ahead and broke in the 10th game when Medvedev fired long to take the match into a fifth set.

With the tension mounting, both players stayed solid on serve until the sixth game, when Medvedev dumped a backhand into the net to give Sinner three break points.

A forehand crosscourt winner gave the Italian the crucial break and he went on to take his first championship point.

Sporty9jaa

Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali has opened up on the status of the injury he suffered in Nigeria’s 2-0 win over Cameroon.

Two goals from Ademola Lookman saw the Super Eagles defeated their arch-rivals to set up a quarter-final clash with Angola.

The Atalanta forward opened the scoring in the 36th minute after Victor Osimhen found him inside the box.

Lookman eventually sealed the win with when he poached home to win it 2-0 for the three-time champions.

Nwabali, however, could not finish the match as he was subbed off in the 80th minute for Francis Uzoho after a collision with Georges-Kevin N’Koudou left him in pains.

Stanley Nwabali, speaking to the media after the game, revealed he his still feeling the pain, but he would have to wait for the doctor’s report.

“[I don’t know but] maybe the doctor would tell, but I’m still feeling pains. You know when injury is new, you always feel pains.” he said.

Speaking earlier, Super Eagles manager Jose Peseiro gave an update about Nwabili’s injury.

Peseiro claimed the Super Eagles’ medical team is yet to assess the extent of Nwabili’s injury. Still, he hopes the Chippa United goalkeeper will feature for Nigeria in the quarter-finals.

The Super Eagles of Nigeria, after their resounding victory over the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon, will face Angola at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium on Friday for a place in the Semi-finals.

Sporty9jaa

 Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has said he will deal with Marcus Rashford’s absence after the striker missed Sunday’s 4-2 victory at Newport in the FA Cup.

Ten Hag claimed Rashford was absent from the fourth round clash in south Wales after saying he was ill on Friday.

But reports over the weekend suggested the England forward had spent Thursday evening at a Belfast nightclub before missing training with United the next day.

“He reported ill,” United boss Ten Hag said after United blew a two-goal lead before surviving their trip to fourth tier Newport.

“The rest is an internal matter. I deal with it, we will deal with it.”

Ten Hag said there was a “no good culture” when he arrived at United and he has encountered disciplinary issues during his Old Trafford tenure.

United winger Jadon Sancho returned to Borussia Dortmund on loan earlier this month after falling out with the Dutchman.

Rashford was also dropped for a Premier League match against Wolves last season after turning up late to a team meeting when he overslept.

Pressed on his latest issue with Rashford, Ten Hag said: “I don’t go in this case. We talked before about it, we played a good game, and now we move on.”

Rashford spotted in nightclub again

Rashford was spotted for a second time in a Belfast nightclub before reporting himself ill and missing Manchester United training on Friday,

The forward missed Friday’s sessions despite being seen in Northern Ireland on Wednesday, then called in sick just hours later.

Footage on social media seemed to show Rashford entering the the Thompsons Garage club night club on Wednesday night with sources close to the Manchester United star saying he was out for dinner.

United FA CUP win

With Rashford absent, United struck twice in the first half against opponents 76 places below them in the pyramid thanks to goals from Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo.

But Bryn Morris and Will Evans scored either side of half-time to leave United in danger of a humiliating defeat.

Antony and Rasmus Hojlund struck in the final stages to spare United’s blushes, but it was another disjointed display in a difficult season for Ten Hag.

“The first 35 minutes it was very dominant. We did not give the opponent any chance and should have been three, four, five-nil up,” Ten Hag said.

“Out of nothing they score a goal and straight after half-time again.

“We have to be critical of bad defending in transition. Poor defending from the cross, it’s 2-2, and they turned it around.

“But you see how resilient we are. We stayed calm, went back in our game, got the third and fourth goal, so job done.”

Casemiro, Lisandro Martinez and Luke Shaw were all back in the United starting line-up after injury, while Harry Maguire made a late cameo for his first appearance since December 12.

Ten Hag hopes the return of those experienced stars can help a team who are eighth in the Premier League and have been eliminated from the Champions League.

“I know the character from Licha (Martinez), Casemiro, Luke Shaw, (Raphael) Varane, Bruno, Antony, (Alejandro) Garnacho, Hojlund. All fighters,” Ten Hag said.

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