FC Barcelona surrendered top spot in La Liga after a 2-1 defeat to Girona which exposed the defensive fragility that has troubled Hansi Flick's side in recent weeks.

Pau Cubarsi's header put Barcelona ahead just before the hour, but Girona hit back almost immediately through Thomas Lemar before Fran Beltran's late strike sealed the comeback. The result leaves Real Madrid top of the table following Saturday's win over Real Sociedad.

Arsenal powered into the FA Cup last 16 with a comfortable 4-0 home win over League One side Wigan Athletic.

The clubs last met in the competition 12 years ago in a semifinal decided on penalties, but this time Arsenal's superior quality told early. Noni Madueke, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus and an own goal had the tie effectively wrapped up inside the opening half hour, allowing the hosts to ease off after the break.

Borussia Dortmund strengthened its pursuit of leader Bayern Munich with a comprehensive 4-0 home victory over Mainz, extending its unbeaten Bundesliga run and maintaining a three-point gap at the summit.

The result stretched Dortmund's sequence without defeat to 15 league matches and halted Mainz's recent surge, as the visitor's winning streak came to an end in the opening fixture of the 22nd matchday.

SC Freiburg booked its place in the German Cup semifinals after edging Hertha BSC 6-5 on penalties following a 1-1 draw after extra time on Tuesday.

Both teams began with intent. Yuito Suzuki fired narrowly over inside three minutes, while Marten Winkler headed just wide at the other end soon after. Hertha almost took the lead when Fabian Reese forced the ball over the line, but the effort was ruled out after a VAR review.

Argentine seventh seed Tomas Etcheverry progressed to the Argentina Open round of 16 with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Italian qualifier Andrea Pellegrino.

The Argentine, competing in the main draw in Buenos Aires for the fifth consecutive time, won 85 percent of points on his first serve and hit seven aces to take the match in an hour and 39 minutes on the outdoor clay of the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club.

Second-half goals from left back Alvaro Carreras and Kylian Mbappe gave Real Madrid a 2-0 win away to Valencia on Sunday night, keeping the defending champion one point behind FC Barcelona in the La Liga title race.

Carreras opened the scoring in the 65th minute with an individual effort, riding a pair of weak challenges before finishing. Mbappe sealed the victory in injury time as Madrid, largely subdued before the break, steadily forced Valencia deeper in the second half.

Great Britain are through to the Davis Cup Qualifiers 2nd Round after defeating Norway 3-0 in Oslo thanks to a 6-2 2-6 7-6(5) victory for Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool in the doubles match.

Great Britain will now face either Ecuador or Australia in the Davis Cup Qualifiers second round, with the winner moving on to the Final 8 in November. The Davis Cup Qualifiers second-round ties are set to take place in September.

Inaki Williams scored a 96th-minute winner to see Athletic Bilbao beat Valencia 2-1 to reach the semifinal of the Copa del Rey.

The forward came on as a substitute to volley home a cross from his brother Nico when it looked as if the game was heading for extra time, reports.

Athletic coach Ernesto Valverde made 10 changes to the side that drew 1-1 at home to Real Sociedad on Sunday, but his side took the lead in the 27th minute when Umar Sadiq flicked Robert Navarro's free kick into his own net.

Kai Havertz netted a dramatic late winner as Arsenal reached the Carabao Cup final with a 4-2 aggregate victory over Chelsea.

Goals from Viktor Gyokeres, Ben White and Martin Zubimendi gave the gunners a one-goal lead going into the second leg clash, which saw precious few chances at Emirates Stadium.

Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti said he is close to finalising his squad for this year's FIFA World Cup, but left the door open for adjustments.

With much of the European season still to be played, Ancelotti said there was time for players to push late claims for selection.

Elise Mertens and Zhang Shuai, who last played a Grand Slam together at Wimbledon in 2022, reunited at the Australian Open to win the women's doubles title.

The Belgian-Chinese duo defeated Anna Danilina and Aleksandra Krunic 7-6(4), 6-4 to win what is a ninth Grand Slam doubles title between them in just their seventh career event as a pair.

Mertens now has six Grand Slams, three in Australia, while Zhang has three. Zhang lifted her other women's doubles trophies with the now-retired Samantha Stosur at the 2019 Australian Open and the 2021 US Open.

Hometown wildcards Olivia Gadecki and John Peers became the first pairing in 37-year to defend their Australian Open mixed doubles crown here on Friday.

The home favourites edged French duo Kristina Mladenovic and Manuel Guinard 4-6, 6-3, 10-8 inside Rod Laver Arena.

England striker Tammy Abraham has completed a move back to Aston Villa from Besiktas, signing a four-and-a-half-year contract with the Premier League title contenders.

The 28-year-old returns to English football for the first time since joining Roma in 2021. Abraham had been on loan at Besiktas, but the Turkish club activated their 11 million pounds purchase option from Roma on Monday. It was reported that Villa would pay Besiktas a fee of 21 million euros to secure his transfer, reports.

Jessica Pegula ended Madison Keys' title defense at the Australian Open with a 6-3, 6-4 victory and sailed into the quarterfinals on Monday.

The sixth seed prevailed over her countrywoman, friend in one hour and 18 minutes on Monday, and improved to 8-2 in Grand Slam fourth-round matches overall.

Pegula’s triumph in the first all-American women’s singles fourth round battle at Melbourne Park since Australian Open 2020 champion Sofia Kenin defeated Coco Gauff grants her entry to a fourth AO quarterfinal, and first since 2023.

World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka battled her way into the fourth round of Australian Open 2026 after surviving her biggest test at Melbourne Park, overcoming Anastasia Potapova 7-6(4), 7-6(7) at Rod Laver Arenaon Friday.

The four-time major champion, who hasn’t lost a Grand Slam third round match since Roland Garros 2022, was stretched in Friday’s two-hour, two-minute bout, her longest outing at AO 2026 so far.

World no. 5 Lorenzo Musetti of Italy advanced to the second round after his Belgian opponent Raphael Collignon retired due to injury.

The match was a gruelling three-hour marathon, with Musetti leading 4-6, 7-6(3), 7-5, 3-2 when Collignon had to stop.

The match marked Musetti's Grand Slam debut, shortly after he attained his career-high ranking of No. 5 on January 12, 2026, following his final appearance in Hong Kong. He is only the third Italian man in history to reach this ranking milestone.

Coco Gauff, the No. 3 seed, opened her Australian Open 2026 campaign with a straight-sets 6-2, 6-3 win over Kamilla Rakhimova at Rod Laver Arena on Monday.

The victory marked the American youngsters's 75th career Grand Slam match win and improved her first-round Slam record to 23–4. Despite serving struggles that included seven double faults, Gauff controlled the match, overcoming early pressure and closing it out in 1 hour and 39 minutes.

Austrian tennis star Sebastian Ofner endured a dramatic and embarrassing exit from the Australian Open qualifiers after forgetting the final-set tie-break rules, celebrating prematurely against Nishesh Basavareddy before suffering a stunning defeat.

Ofner seemed to be in complete command after taking a 6-1 lead in the deciding-set tie-break against Nishesh. When he extended the advantage to 7-1, the Austrian prematurely assumed the contest was over and began celebrating, walking towards the net and even thanking the fans.

After thirteen years in Stavanger, Norway Chess and Norway Chess Women will be hosted in Oslo, with Deichman Bjorvika acting as the primary venue, the organisers said on Tuesday.

The event is scheduled from May 25 to June 5. Since its inception in 2013, Stavanger has hosted Norway Chess.

Paris FC caused a major upset at the Parc des Princes as they knocked the holders Paris Saint-Germain out of the Coupe de France with 1-0 win in the Round of 32.

Despite dominating possession and creating numerous chances, PSG never managed to break down the opposing defense, as exemplified by Obed Nkambadio, who made several crucial saves.

Raphinha was FC Barcelona's hero as his side retained the Spanish Super Cup with a 3-2 win over Real Madrid.

The Brazilian scored his side's first goal and then netted the winner in the second half with a touch of fortune to decide a thrilling game where Madrid looked for an equalizer until the final moments.

Madrid started with Kylian Mbappe in the bench and Dean Huijsen in for Antonio Rudiger in defense, with coach Xabi Alonso adopting a pragmatic policy of getting his side to defend deep and look to hit Barcelona on the break, reports.

Ace Indian shuttler P V Sindhu’s campaign in the season-opening Malaysia Open BWF World Tour Super 1000 came to an end on Saturday after she suffered a defeat to China’s Wang Zhiyi in straight sets in the women’s singles semifinals.

The two-time Olympic medallist struggled to maintain consistency against the world No. 2, going down 16-21, 15-21 in a match marked by unforced errors at crucial moments. The loss also brought the curtains down on India’s challenge in the tournament.

Former champion Stan Wawrinka and Australians Jordan Thompson and Chris O’Connell have been awarded wildcards for Australian Open maind draw, which begins January 18 at Melbourne Park.

Wawrinka won the first of his three Grand Slam titles at Australian Open 2014, a season during which he peaked at world No.3. He reached additional semifinals in 2015 and 2017, as well as advancing to the 2020 quarterfinals.

Indian middle-distance runner Jinson Johnson announced his retirement from competitive athletics on Wednesday, bringing a decade-and-a-half-long career to a close.

Johnson, who competed in the 800m at the Rio 2016 Olympics, ended his career with the 1500m national record, which he set at the ISTAF Berlin meet in 2019 with a time of 3:35.24.

His participation in Rio 2016 made him the first Indian male runner to qualify for the 800m at the Olympics since Sriram Singh in 1980.

Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg acknowledged the disappointment of fans after play on Day 1 of the fifth and final Ashes Test was cut short due to poor light and bad weather, saying he shares their frustration and wants the issue addressed at a global level.

Action was stopped at 2:55 pm (local time) before the day was eventually abandoned around 5 pm following rain and lightning. Speaking ahead of Day 2, Greenberg said the situation was particularly deflating given the circumstances.

Pace duo Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood and middle-order batter Tim David have been named in Australia's provisional 15-player squad for the T20 World Cup despite injury concerns.

Cummins has played just one international match since suffering a lumbar stress injury in July, when he featured in the Ashes-securing third Ashes Test in Adelaide. A scan on Pacer's back later this month will determine whether he will be right for the tournament.

The Indian women's cricket team enters 2026 riding on unprecedented momentum after their historic triumph in the 2025 ODI World Cup, with a packed schedule offering multiple opportunities to cement their dominance.

The World Cup victory - India's first-ever senior ICC women’s trophy - has transformed expectations around the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side. It has also meant that the narrative around the Indian team has shifted from contenders to being capable of winning championships consistently.

Real Madrid edged into the fourth round of the Copa del Rey after a nervous 3-2 win away to third-tier Talavera.

Kylian Mbappe put Madrid ahead in the 41st minute from the penalty spot and then created the visitors' second, pulling the ball back from the byline for Manuel Farrando to turn into his own net.

Talavera pulled a goal back through Nahuel Arroyo in the 79th minute before Mbappe restored Madrid's two-goal cushion three minutes from time.

Australia pacer Josh Hazlewood has no intention to back off from any format of cricket and will continue to play all forms despite missing the ongoing Ashes due to injury.

Hazlewood, who sustained a hamstring strain while bowling in the Sheffield Shield last month and then suffered a setback when he hurt his Achilles last week, would not feature against England this summer.

Hazlewood stated that he was committed to continuing to represent his nation with both red ball and white, even though he was unable to participate in the series.

Paris Saint-Germain were held to a goalless draw in Bilabao as Athletic Club became the first team in this season's Champions League to prevent the holders from scoring.

Unai Simon was the hero for the hosts, producing a string of big saves including two point-blank stops against Senny Mayulu and a late attempt by fellow Spaniard Fabian Ruiz.

Bardley Barcola came closest for Paris when he raced in behind but his shot crashed back off the crossbar as it remained all square at San Mames.

Two headers from Jules Kounde lifted Barcelona to a 2-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt, securing a vital Champions League victory at home.

The win leaves Barcelona 13th in the 36-team league phase, still with work to do to ensure a top-eight finish, but with two winnable games to play in the new year.

Ansgar Knauff put Eintracht ahead in the 21st minute against the run of play when he finished off a counter-attack in a half where Barcelona had most of the ball, with Pedri looking to control the play, reports.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni insisted his team will stick to the principles that carried them to glory at Qatar 2022 as the world champions assessed their opponents for next year’s global tournament. Drawn into Group J alongside Algeria, Austria and debutants Jordan, the Albiceleste were widely seen back home as having received a favourable path — though Scaloni was quick to stress that nothing would be taken lightly.

Soungoutou Magassa’s first goal for West Ham United salvaged a point in a 1-1 draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford.

United had chances throughout, with Joshua Zirkzee seeing an effort cleared off the line before Bruno Fernandes hit a post in the first half.

But West Ham profited from a set-piece late on, thanks to Magassa’s composed finish, to ensure they did not leave Manchester empty-handed, Premier League reports.

India legend Sunil Gavaskar broke down Virat Kohli’s century in the second ODI against South Africa in Raipur, saying it never looked like Kohli would miss out on a hundred. From the very first ball he faced, Gavaskar felt the star batter was simply continuing the rhythm he found in Ranchi.

Kohli continued his fine form from Ranchi, where he played a 120-ball 135-run knock in the first ODI to help India win, and went on to score his 84th international century, the 53rd of his ODI career, in Raipur on Wednesday.

Bayern Munich battled into the DFB Cup quarterfinals with a dramatic 3-2 win at Union Berlin in a match shaped by two Union own goals, two penalties and fierce late pressure.

Union, backed by a raucous home crowd, started aggressively but was punished from the first corner when Ilyas Ansah shinned a Joshua Kimmich corner into his own net. Another Kimmich set piece brought the second, as Harry Kane stooped to head home from close range.

The hosts clawed their way back before the interval as a VAR check penalized Jonathan Tah for handball and Leopold Querfeld calmly sent Manuel Neuer the wrong way from the spot, reports.