European football: McTominay strikes twice as Napoli rescue point at Inter

  • Scotland midfielder scores two equalisers in 2-2 draw

  • Bayern Munich crush Wolfsburg to go 11 points clear

Scott McTominay scored a double as the defending champions Napoli twice came from behind to secure a 2-2 draw with the Serie A leaders Inter at San Siro.

Inter came close to gaining revenge for their 3-1 defeat in Naples earlier this season and a win would have opened up a commanding gap at the top, but Napoli’s never-say-die attitude keeps them very much in the title race.

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Sporting KC hire Raphaël Wicky as head coach on two-year contract

  • Wicky is the fifth permanent head coach in team history

  • Swiss arrives after stints with Chicago and Young Boys

Sporting Kansas City named Raphaël Wicky as the fifth permanent head coach in franchise history on Monday.

Wicky, 48, coached the Chicago Fire from 2020-21 before managing BSC Young Boys in his native Switzerland from 2022-24. He signed a contract through the 2027-28 MLS season with an option for the 2028-29 campaign.

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European football: Gonzalo García hits hat-trick as Real Madrid thrash Betis

  • Striker steps in for injured Mbappé in 5-1 victory

  • Paris Saint-Germain beat city rivals Paris FC 2-1

Gonzalo García bagged a hat-trick to lead Real Madrid to a 5-1 victory over Real Betis at the Bernabéu on Sunday, cutting Barcelona’s La Liga lead back to four points.

The 21-year-old forward, who scored four goals at last summer’s Club World Cup, stepped up in the absence of La Liga’s top scorer, Kylian Mbappé, sidelined by a knee injury. García was left unmarked at the far post to head in Rodrygo’s precise cross for a deserved 20th-minute lead.

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European football: García back to haunt Espanyol as Barcelona go seven clear

  • David’s failed Panenka costs Juventus against Lecce

  • Chelsea target Rosenior’s Strasbourg draw at Nice

The Barcelona manager Hansi Flick hailed Joan García as one of the best goalkeepers in the world after the former Espanyol player delivered a decisive performance against his old club in the Catalan derby on Saturday.

García was instrumental in Barcelona’s 2-0 victory, producing a series of outstanding saves, with the league leaders extending their lead at the top of the La Liga standings to seven points.

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Serie A roundup: Lautaro Martínez puts Inter back on top with winner at Atalanta

  • Forward scores only goal of the game in 65th minute

  • Milan had gone top earlier in day by beating Verona 3-0

Lautaro Martínez scored to give Inter an important 1-0 win at Atalanta on Sunday, sending his side into the new year at the top of Serie A. Inter lead a tightly contested league table on 36 points, one clear of Milan and two ahead of Napoli.

Marcus Thuram appeared to have put Inter into the lead just before the interval, but the goal was ruled out after an offside by Martínez in the build-up. Atalanta felt a similar sense of frustration soon after the restart when Nicola Zalewski broke through one-on-one with Yann Sommer, only for the Inter goalkeeper to produce a spectacular leg save.

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Milan’s Serie A match in Australia called off after ‘unacceptable requests’

  • Milan-Como was intended for Perth on 8 February

  • Asian Football Confederation wanted to impose conditions

The proposal to play a Serie A match between Milan and Como in Perth, Australia, has been cancelled due to football sanctions and conditions imposed by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

The game was set to become the first major European domestic league fixture to be played outside its home country but will now not go ahead because of the financial risks and last-minute complications.

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European football: Mbappé matches Ronaldo’s record as Real close on Barça

  • Mbappé makes it 59 goals in a year in win over Sevilla

  • Juventus stay in Serie A race with 2-1 win over Roma

Kylian Mbappé equalled Cristiano Ronaldo’s record of 59 goals in a calendar year for Real Madrid with a late penalty in his side’s 2-0 home win over Sevilla in La Liga on Saturday, the French forward celebrating his 27th birthday in style.

Mbappé missed several earlier chances before getting his chance from the spot four minutes from time and he made no mistake to net his 59th goal in as many games across all competitions in 2025 to level Ronaldo’s 2013 haul.

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England make one change for third Ashes Test as Harry Brook vows to ‘rein it in’

  • Josh Tongue comes in for Gus Atkinson for Adelaide Test

  • Brook rues ‘shocking shots’ in Perth and Brisbane

England have made one change to their line-up for the third Ashes Test, with Josh Tongue coming in as a like-for-like replacement for Gus Atkinson in the bowling attack.

Seamer Atkinson failed to take a wicket in the series opener in Perth, although he did make a useful 37 runs with the bat in the second innings, before returning figures of 3-151 in the second Test in Brisbane.

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European football: Raphinha sinks Osasuna to consolidate Barcelona’s lead

  • Real Madrid, who play on Sunday, now trail by seven points

  • Leverkusen’s Terrier hits back-heel volley against Cologne

Raphinha struck twice late in the second half as Barcelona secured a hard-fought 2-0 victory over a resolute Osasuna side, extending their lead at the top of La Liga to seven points. Hansi Flick’s men now sit on 43 points, comfortably clear of second-placed Real Madrid, who have a game in hand and play at Alavés on Sunday.

Despite their control of the game, Barcelona struggled to break down Osasuna’s deep defensive block until the 70th minute when Pedri’s incisive pass cut through the visitors’ defence, finding Raphinha in his stride. The Brazilian forward took a controlled touch before unleashing a thunderous strike from the edge of the area, the ball arrowing inside the left post to finally break the deadlock. Raphinha sealed the win in the 86th minute. A deflected cross from Jules Koundé on the right found the Brazilian unmarked at the far post, and he calmly volleyed the ball into an empty net, giving the scoreline a more comfortable look.

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Champions League: Mourinho’s Benfica swat aside Napoli while PSG draw blank

  • Ajax win 4-2 at Qarabag; Juventus edge out Pafos

  • Copenhagen stun Villarreal; Bodø/Glimt hold Dortmund

Benfica’s Richard Ríos scored one goal and set up another to seal a vital 2-0 victory against Napoli on Wednesday, boosting the Portuguese side’s hopes of reaching the Champions League knockout stage.

The result reignited Benfica’s European campaign, clinching a second consecutive win after a poor start and lifting them to six points and up to 25th place, just one point outside the playoff spots. Napoli slipped to 23rd on seven points.

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Aryna Sabalenka says ‘not fair on women to face basically biological men’ in tennis

  • World No 1 says ‘biological men’ have a ‘huge advantage’

  • ‘She hit the nail on the head,’ says battle of sexes rival Kyrgios

Aryna Sabalenka has weighed into the participation of transgender athletes in women’s sport, the world No 1 saying it would be unfair for women to face “biological men” in professional tennis.

The Women’s Tennis Association’s (WTA) gender participation policy of its tour permits transgender women to participate if they have declared their gender as female for a minimum of four years, have lowered testosterone levels and agree to testing procedures. These conditions may be further varied by the WTA medical manager on a case-by-case basis.

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Champions League: Koundé double boosts Barcelona, Greenwood lifts Marseille

  • Bayern beat Sporting to move level with Arsenal at top

  • Atlético come from behind to burst PSV’s bubble

Jules Koundé’s two quickfire headers helped Barcelona to fight back and edge past Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 in the Champions League at Camp Nou on Tuesday, marking a much-needed win for the Catalan side.

After a draw against Club Brugge and a defeat by Chelsea, Barcelona found their stride to climb to 14th in the standings, level on 10 points with several teams, as they aim for a top-eight finish to secure direct qualification for the last 16. Frankfurt are 30th with four points from six matches.

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European roundup: nine-man Real Madrid stunned at home by Celta Vigo

  • García and Carreras sent off, Swedberg double for Vigo

  • Napoli move top of Serie A after Højlund sinks Juventus

Real Madrid endured a shock 2-0 defeat and finished with nine men against Celta Vigo in La Liga on Sunday after Williot Swedberg scored an audacious goal with his heel and a second in stoppage time to leave the hosts four points off the leaders Barcelona.

Swedberg cleverly diverted a cross from Bryan Zaragoza past Thibaut Courtois in the 53rd minute to put Celta ahead and Real’s Fran García received a second yellow card 10 minutes later.

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European football: Harry Kane hits hat-trick off bench as Bayern rout Stuttgart

  • England captain comes on in 60th minute of 5-0 win

  • Ferran Torres hat-trick helps Barcelona sink Real Betis

Harry Kane scored a hat-trick after coming on as second-half substitute to guide Bayern Munich to a 5-0 victory at Stuttgart.

The Bavarian club, who have opened up an 11-point lead at the top, were a goal up but struggling against the aggressive hosts until the introduction of Kane on the hour mark. Stuttgart were also left with 10 men for the last 10 minutes after the dismissal of Lorenz Assignon.

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