Author: Reuters

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MotoGP champion Jorge Martin crashes in test to cast doubt on title defence

  • Aprilia rider hit the track face first as his helmet shattered
  • Spaniard has three weeks to recover before season starts

Reigning MotoGP champion Jorge Martin fractured his hand and his foot which will both require surgeries after a nasty crash in pre-season testing in Sepang, Malaysia, on Wednesday, casting doubts on his title defence this season.

Martin, who made the switch from Pramac Racing to Aprilia after winning the 2024 MotoGP championship, lost control of his bike on turn two where a highside launched the 27-year-old into the air before he landed hard on the tarmac.

The Spaniard also hit the track face first as his helmet shattered and the session was briefly halted with red flags. He was taken to the medical centre by ambulance before being moved to the hospital for further checks.

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European football: Barcelona edge Alavés, Milan denied derby hat-trick

  • Lewandowski goal earns Barça 1-0 home victory
  • De Vrij pounces in stoppage time at San Siro

Barcelona closed the gap on La Liga leaders, Real Madrid, to four points, but were reliant on Robert Lewandowski’s second-half goal to beat struggling Alavés.

The home side dominated possession with Alavés, who sit in 18th place, happy to sit back and defend. Barça almost scored near the half-hour mark when Manu Sánchez’s attempt to clear Raphinha’s cross went to Lewandowski, but the Polish striker put his shot wide.

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West Indies skittle Pakistan for first away Test win against rivals since 1990

  • West Indies (win by 120 runs) 163 & 244; Pakistan 154 & 133
  • Jomel Warrican named player of match and series

West Indies secured their first Test win in Pakistan since 1990 after beating the hosts by 120 runs in the second match in Multan on Monday to ensure the series ended in a 1-1 draw.

Pakistan needed 178 to win and sweep the two-match series after being reduced to 76-4 at stumps on the second day but lost two quick wickets when Saud Shakeel (13) and Kashif Ali (1) were removed cheaply by Kevin Sinclair and Jomel Warrican.

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European roundup: Walker watches on as Milan earn last-gasp win over Parma

  • Tijjani Reijnders and Samuel Chukwueze score late goals
  • Barcelona beat Valencia 7-1 in La Liga demolition job

Two added time goals from Tijjani Reijnders and Samuel Chukwueze earned Milan an unlikely 3-2 win at home to struggling Parma in a dramatic game at San Siro on Sunday.

The win moves Milan to sixth in the standings, while Parma are just above the relegation zone in 17th. Parma took the lead in the 24th minute through Matteo Cancellieri before Milan equalised from the penalty spot, with Christian Pulisic converting seven minutes before the break.

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European football: Napoli end Juventus’ unbeaten record, Mbappé fires hat-trick

  • Lukaku penalty seals 2-1 home win for Serie A leaders
  • Real Madrid sink Valladolid to stretch lead in La Liga

Napoli staged a rousing comeback to secure a 2-1 victory over Juventus in Saturday’s action-packed clash, handing the visitors their first Serie A defeat of the season.

Randal Kolo Muani, signed on loan from Paris Saint-Germain, scored on his debut to give Juventus the lead two minutes before the break, pouncing on a rebound to volley past goalkeeper Alex Meret and send Antonio Conte’s side in to the break behind.

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Champions League: Feyenoord’s Giménez hits double to stun Bayern

  • Milan and Inter in top eight after victories
  • Shakhtar give themselves hope of playoffs

Santiago Giménez scored twice in the first half as Feyenoord stunned Bayern Munich 3-0 in the Champions League on Wednesday to boost their chances of a top-eight finish.

Giménez fired them into the lead in the 21st minute with a deft shot before the Mexico international added a second with a penalty in the ninth minute of first-half stoppage time. Ayase Ueda, on as a substitute, killed off the game in the 89th minute after the Feyenoord keeper Justin Bijlow had denied Bayern with a string of strong saves.

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Shelton reaches Australian Open semi-final and blasts ‘disrespectful’ broadcasters

  • Atlanta native defeats Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (4)
  • No 21 seed praises Lorenzo Sonego’s ‘ridiculous’ tennis

Ben Shelton, a 22-year-old from Atlanta, is through to his first Australian Open semi-final after defeating Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (4) on Wednesday in Melbourne. Shelton has competed in only one previous grand slam semi-final, when he lost to the eventual champion, Novak Djokovic, at the 2023 US Open.

On Wednesday, Shelton prevailed by playing a steadier ground game than his opponent. Sonego finished with a slight edge in winners, 63-54, but he committed far more unforced errors, 55-33.

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Champions League roundup: Atlético Madrid fight back to stun Leverkusen

  • Julián Álvarez double seals 2-1 win for 10-man Atléti
  • Bologna 2-1 Dortmund, Red Star 2-3 PSV Eindhoven

Atlético Madrid fought back from a goal and a man down to rescue a dramatic 2-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League on Tuesday.

The hosts played more than an hour with a man down after midfielder Pablo Barrios was shown a straight red card for a reckless studs-up tackle from behind on Jeremie Frimpong in the 24th minute. Jan Oblak made a string of saves but the Germans broke the deadlock just before the break with a headed goal by Piero Hincapié.

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Raphinha caps late Barcelona comeback to settle nine-goal thriller with Benfica

Raphinha scored deep into stoppage time to hand Barcelona a dramatic 5-4 comeback win at Benfica and a place in the last 16 of the Champions League on Tuesday.

Vangelis Pavlidis’s hat-trick had given the hosts a two-goal half-time lead and they were 4-2 up with 12 minutes to play before Hansi Flick’s side pulled out a sensational victory, sealed by the Brazilian with a finish on the break, seconds after Benfica had appealed in vain for a late penalty.

More to follow

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Osaka forced to retire at Australian Open, Sabalenka overcomes wobbles

  • Reigning champion battles heat and wind to deny Tauson
  • Andreeva, Vekic, Gauff and Badosa all into round four

Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic advanced to the last 16 after the two-time champion Naomi Osaka retired during Friday’sthird-round match with an injury.

Bencic took the first set in a tie-break 7-6 (3) before Osaka, who pulled out of the Auckland final this month due to an abdominal injury, withdrew. Osaka led 5-2 in the opening set but showed signs of struggles with her abdomen and called for a physio during a changeover. The 27-year-old initially soldiered on after treatment before retiring.

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European football: Jürgen Klopp watches Leipzig win as Atlético go top

  • Xavi Simons scores twice against Werder Bremen
  • Álvarez provides winner for La Liga leaders Atlético

RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons scored twice on his comeback from injury to help his team to a 4-2 Bundesliga victory over visiting Werder Bremen on Sunday as the new Red Bull head of global soccer Jürgen Klopp watched from the stands.

Klopp, who ended a successful nine-year stint at Liverpool last summer and has coached Mainz and Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga, started his new role this month and will act as an adviser for the Red Bull-owned clubs in Germany, the United States, Brazil and Austria.

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European football: Harry Kane back with penalty winner for Bayern Munich

  • His 15th league goal of season keeps Bayern clear at top
  • In Serie A, Atalanta miss chance to go level with Napoli

Harry Kane netted a penalty to give Bayern Munich a 1-0 victory at Borussia Mönchengladbach in their first Bundesliga match after the winter break, keeping them four points clear of second-placed Bayer Leverkusen.

The England captain sent Gladbach keeper Moritz Nicolas the wrong way in the 68th minute to break the deadlock and bag his 15th league goal this season to maintain his status as the Bundesliga’s top scorer.

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MLS apologises for announcing wrong Japanese player had joined Atlanta

  • Website said Celtic’s Kyogo Furuhashi had joined
  • Signing was Cayman Togashi on free transfer

Major League Soccer has apologised after saying Celtic’s Japanese forward Kyogo Furuhashi had signed for Atlanta United when in fact it was his compatriot Cayman Togashi who had joined the club.

Atlanta had previously been linked with Furuhashi and on Wednesday MLS posted an article on its website saying the 29-year-old Japan international had completed a transfer.

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South Africa’s sports minister joins growing calls for boycott of Afghanistan

  • Afghanistan to feature at upcoming Champions Trophy
  • England and South Africa are in group with Afghanistan

South Africa’s sports minister has joined calls for a boycott of Afghanistan in the Champions Trophy in Pakistan, adding his voice to those of British politicians who have called on England not to play them next month.

England and South Africa share the same group with Afghanistan in the competition and are under pressure to boycott the fixtures in response to the Taliban government’s crackdown on women’s rights since returning to power in August 2021. South Africa are scheduled to open their Champions Trophy against Afghanistan in Karachi on 21 February but McKenzie urged his country’s cricket governing body not to honour the fixture.

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Neymar hints at ‘incredible’ reunion with Messi and Suárez at Inter Miami

  • Brazilian’s contract with Al-Hilal ends in June
  • 32-year-old targets final World Cup in 2026

Neymar says reuniting with his former Barcelona teammates Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez at Inter Miami would be “incredible” as he approaches the end of his contract with Al-Hilal.

The Brazilian struck up a lethal partnership with Messi and Suárez to lead Barcelona to the treble in 2015 before his record-breaking $230m move to Paris St Germain in 2017.

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