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The stockings have been hung and the tree has been decorated – but who is that hiding behind those baubles?
Do you think you can identify the dozen Welsh sports stars obscured by our Christmas hangings?
They are all personalities who featured in Wales’ sporting headlines during 2025.
Take our quiz and see how many you can spot.
January has traditionally been the harshest time of the year for the Kings, who haven’t had a winning record in that month the last three seasons. But winter grew dark and gloomy a little earlier than usual because December has hardly been a walk in the park.
With Tuesday’s 3-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken, the Kings head into the NHL’s three-day Christmas break having lost six of their last seven. And things aren’t getting easier any time soon: when the team returns to the ice Saturday, it will play host to the Ducks, who lead the Pacific Division in wins, before closing out 2025 Monday on the road against the Colorado Avalanche, who lead the NHL in wins.
“It’s not going the way we all want to,” forward Kevin Fiala said. “But you know, that’s going to happen for everybody. So it’s us who have to do something about it. Who can pull us out of it? Nobody else.
“I’m not worried. Like, I’m sure we’re gonna get out of this. But it’s not acceptable right now.”
And if it doesn’t change right now, the rest of the season will be as cold as a winter frost for the Kings.
It’s not just that the team is losing, but how it’s losing that is most concerning. The Kings (15-12-9) are 31st in the 32-team NHL in scoring, 31st on the power play and have scored more than two goals just twice in 11 games this month. That’s negated a defense that is second in the league in goals allowed.
“Sometimes it’s difficult to make sense of things,” coach Jim Hiller said when asked to explain a slide that has dropped the Kings into the middle of the division standings. “We just feel like we haven’t had a good run of games where we felt like, win or lose, we really like how we’re playing.
“That’s something that we’ll keep driving towards. We just haven’t had it yet.”
Last season, Hiller’s Kings tied franchise records for wins and points in the regular season and had the best home mark in team history. This season, they’re 4-8-4 at Crypto.com Arena, the second-worst home record in the Western Conference. And that has general manager Ken Holland answering questions about Hiller’s future behind the bench.
“I expect him to be here the rest of the season,” said Holland last week, not exactly a full-throated vote of confidence.
Yet for all their struggles, December has just been a continuation of the things that have plagued the Kings all season.
“We all have high expectations for ourselves,” Hiller said. “We just haven’t hit our stride yet. That’s the part that we’re chasing. That’s what we have to focus on. We have to hit that stride.
“It’s a difficult time right now, for sure.”
On Tuesday, Hiller tried to shake things up by mixing up his lines, most significantly pairing Fiala and Andrei Kuzmenko with center Alex Turcotte. And while Fiala and Kuzmenko responded with goals, they didn’t come until the Kraken had taken a 3-0 lead.
The first goal came from Jordan Eberle, who was left alone in front of the Kings’ net, giving him plenty of space to settle a pass from Matty Beniers before lifting the puck around goaltender Pheonix Copley and under the crossbar for his 13th goal of the season. It was the fourth power-play goal the Kings had given up in the last two nights and the sixth in four games.
The Kraken doubled their lead on a quirky goal less than eight minutes later, with Copley misjudging a deflected shot from Seattle’s Frederick Gaudreau, allowing the puck to knuckle off his glove then trickle through his legs for the goal.
Ben Meyers extended Seattle’s lead to 3-0 with less than four minutes left in the second before the Kings finally got on the board with an unassisted goal from Fiala, his 13th of the season, 11 seconds later.
Kings coach Jim Hiller watches from the bench during the second period of a 3-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena.
(Luke Hales / Getty Images)
Now the Kings will have three days to think about that, although Fiala said he’d gotten over the game by the time he finished showering.
“If you win five in a row or lose five in a row or whatever, it’s forgotten. It’s in the past,” he said. “I think we take the good things with us and the bad things we hopefully analyze and get better at.”
For Hiller, the break couldn’t come at a better time. Or a worse time since the team’s current seven-game slump is its deepest since the winter of 2023-24. That one cost coach Todd McLellan his job.
“I hope the players are able to relax and refresh themselves,” Hiller said. “It’s been from September till now, with the schedule and how busy it is. And 85% of our games, we’ve been playing within one goal.
“It’s taxing physically and mentally. So I’m sure those guys need a break.”
A lone goal by the Manchester United forward is enough for Ivory Coast to successfully begin their AFCON title defence.
Published On 24 Dec 202524 Dec 2025
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Holders Ivory Coast squandered a number of chances, but Amad Diallo’s goal early in the second half was enough to beat Mozambique 1-0 and give them a winning start to their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title defence.
In the opening Group F game on Wednesday in Morocco, the Ivorians battled to break down their opponents in a competitive first half but took firm control after the break without converting the many chances they created.
list of 4 itemsend of list
Diallo side-footed the ball into the net in the 49th minute to ensure the three-point haul in rainy conditions, but the scoreline would have been a lot more emphatic had the Ivorians been sharper in front of goal.
Wilfried Zaha, playing his first international in more than two years after his surprise recall for the Cup of Nations finals, wasted several chances, and Franck Kessie had two point-blank efforts saved by Mozambique goalkeeper Ernan.
Ivorian substitute Vakoun Bayo also had an opportunity with an easy header in front of goal but somehow put it wide, and in the 89th minute, Bayo had an effort cleared off the line with Ernan caught well out of his goal.
Mozambique brought on winger Dominguez as a second-half substitute at the age of 42 years, one month and six days, making him the oldest outfield player in tournament history behind only former Egypt goalkeeper Essam El Hadary, who was 44 when he played in the 2017 final.
Mozambique are still to win a match at the finals, stretching back to their tournament debut in 1986. This is their sixth appearance with a record of four draws and 12 losses.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Travis Kelce has played 96 regular-season home games for the Kansas City Chiefs.
The next one might be the last.
The 36-year-old Kelce, who was chosen for the Pro Bowl for the 11th time on Tuesday, will be inside Arrowhead Stadium on Thursday night for a Christmas showdown with the Denver Broncos.
And with the Chiefs eliminated from playoff contention for the first time in a decade, and a trip to Las Vegas for their finale, it could be the last time that Kelce walks off his beloved field.
“What Travis has done to this organization, to his teammates, his coaches, this city — it’s special,” Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy said. “I hope like hell that’s not true. I just have so much respect for him.”
Kelce has not yet announced whether he will retire after a superlative 13-year career in which he won three Super Bowl rings and was an All-Pro on four occasions. But he has said that his decision will be made quickly after the season ends, giving the Chiefs ample time to not only prepare for free agency and the draft but their future without him.
“I’d rather just keep the focus on this team right now,” Kelce said last week, “and all the conversations I have with the team and everything moving forward will be with them. And I think it’s a unique time in my life, and unfortunately I know when the season ends this year. Typically we go into it and we don’t know when it will end.”
He’s had a heck of a final season, if that turns out to be the case.
After doubling down on fitness after the Chiefs were waylaid by the Eagles in the Super Bowl last February, Kelce has played in every game during a difficult season for the team. He has 68 catches for 803 yards, allowing him to join Jerry Rice as the only players in NFL history to eclipse the 800-yards receiving mark in 12 consecutive seasons.
Kelce also has five touchdown receptions, matching the most he’s had in the past three seasons.
And while Kelce could have shut it down after the Chiefs were eliminated from postseason contention for the first time since his first full season in the NFL, he has continued to take the field every day. He had one catch for six yards in last week’s 26-9 loss to the Titans, but it pushed his streak — the longest active one in the league — to 189 games with at least one reception.
It didn’t help that backup quarterback Gardner Minshew joined Kelce’s good friend, Patrick Mahomes, by suffering a bone bruise one week after the two-time MVP tore knee ligaments. Chris Oladokun finished the game at quarterback and will start on Thursday night against Denver.
“I will say this: What [Kelce] is going through even these last couple games — we’re out of the playoffs, we’re out, and he’s out there every day, practicing, leading, helping people out,” Nagy said. “That should show a lot of these younger guys why he’s playing this game, and why he is so special.”
Cornerbacks Trent McDuffie (knee), Jaylen Watson (groin) and receivers Nikko Remigio (knee), Rashee Rice (concussion) and Tyquan Thornton (concussion) did not practice Tuesday. … The Chiefs have signed quarterback Shane Buechele as Oladokun’s backup for the rest of the season. TE Noah Gray would serve as the emergency quarterback.
Skretta writes for the Associated Press.
Masashi “Jumbo” Ozaki, whose 113 worldwide victories were the most of any player from Japan, died Wednesday in his home country after a battle with colon cancer, the Japan Golf Tour said. He was 78.
Ozaki was revered in Japan, a big hitter with a sense of style who won 94 times over 29 years on the Japan Golf Tour, the last one coming at the 2002 ANA Open when he was 55.
He rose to No. 5 in the world ranking in 1996 at age 49. Ozaki often got overlooked for never winning outside Japan except for the New Zealand PGA Championship. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2011.
“He is an indispensable, one-of-a-kind figure in discussing men’s golf, both now and in the future,” the tour said in a social media post.
Ozaki competed in 49 majors, his best finish coming in the 1989 U.S. Open at Oak Hill when he finished three shots behind Curtis Strange. He played the Masters for the 19th and final time in 2000 when he was 53 and tied for 28th.
Isao Aoki was the first Japanese player in the World Golf Hall of Fame, and Hideki Matsuyama became the first to win a major at the 2021 Masters. Both were inspired in some fashion by Ozaki, the pioneer in a nation now obsessed with golf.
Ozaki won the Japan Open five times and the Japan PGA Championship six times. He led the Japan Golf Tour money list a record 12 times, including five in a row from 1994 through 1998. He won his final money title in 2002, when he was 55.
When he was inducted into the Hall of Fame, Ozaki said his one regret was not playing more outside of Japan.
“But I dedicated my life to Japanese golf and am extremely grateful the voters thought I was worthy of this honor,” he said upon his election. He received 50% of the vote on the International ballot.
Ozaki was looked upon as the Arnold Palmer of golf in Japan with his powerful swing, charisma and sense of style, often wearing silk shirts and baggy pants. And his skill was not limited to just golf. He played the guitar and had three songs reach the pop charts in Japan, according to the Hall of Fame.
His first love was baseball, and he spent three years pitching professionally before turning to golf. That was evident when Ryo Ishikawa, who won his first Japan Golf Tour title at age 15, spoke of Ozaki’s influence. Ishikawa said he would visit Ozaki about 10 times a year to get advice.
“Jumbo used to be a baseball player, so he always tried to teach me the link from pitching or hitting to golf,” Ishikawa said in 2010 interview with the Associated Press. “Jumbo wanted me to hit the ball far.”
Ozaki traveled with an entourage when he did play outside Japan in the majors, usually renting a house and bringing a sushi chef so his people would feel at home.
He has two younger brothers who also played on tour, Naomichi (Joe) and Tateo (Jet).
Ozaki played in the 1996 Presidents Cup, partnering with Vijay Singh to beat the American duo of Fred Couples and Davis Love III. He qualified for the 1998 team but decided against the trip to Australia, and his brother, Joe, played instead.
Ferguson writes for the Associated Press.
Barcelona cool their interest in Marc Guehi after meeting his agents, but Marcus Rashford wants to remain at the Spanish club, and Crystal Palace rival West Ham for Wolves‘ Jorgen Strand Larsen
Barcelona have met with the agents of Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi, but have cooled their interest in signing the 25-year-old England international, who will be out of contract in the summer, because of the finances involved. (Mundo Deportivo – in Spanish), external
England forward Marcus Rashford, 28, says his “ultimate goal” is to stay at Barcelona, who he joined on loan from Manchester United in the summer. (Sport, via Mirror), external
Crystal Palace are likely to rival West Ham in signing 25-year-old Norway striker Jorgen Strand Larsen from Wolves in January. (Telegraph, subscription required), external
Tottenham defender Radu Dragusin, 23, is a target for Roma, who could try to sign the Romania international on loan with an option to buy. (La Gazzetta dello Sport, via Football Italia), external
With Antoine Semenyo preferring a move to Manchester City, Liverpool have turned their interest to 23-year-old Paris St-Germain and France winger Bradley Barcola. (CaughtOffside), external
Cameroon goalkeeper Andre Onana, 29, says he is enjoying “the best period of my life” since joining Turkish side Trabzonspor on loan from Manchester United in September. (Goal), external
Barcelona are trying to sign promising English winger Ajay Tavares, who turns 16 on 28 December, from Championship side Norwich City. (Mundo Deportivo – in Spanish), external
Bournemouth and Chelsea are both interested in Lazio’s 25-year-old Spanish defender Mario Gila. (Il Messaggero – in Italian), external
West Ham‘s 19-year-old winger Luis Guilherme is the subject of interest from Sporting, with the Portuguese side wanting to recruit the Brazilian on loan with an obligation to buy. (Maisfutebol – in Portuguese), external
Boss Unai Emery faces a quiet January transfer window as Aston Villa still have concerns about the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability rules. (GiveMeSport), external
Cologne are interested in bringing Leeds‘ 26-year-old Belgium defender Sebastiaan Bornauw back to the Bundesliga, having previously played for the club from 2019-2021. (Bild – in German), external
Are top-drawer college football teams and their name, image and likeness collectives simply trying to protect themselves from willy-nilly transfers or are they bullying players to stay put with threats of lawsuits?
Adding liquidated damage fee clauses to NIL contracts became all the rage in 2025, a year that will be remembered as the first time players have been paid directly by schools. But some experts say such fees cannot be used as a cudgel to punish players that break a contract and transfer.
It’s no surprise that the issue has resulted in a lawsuit — make that two lawsuits — before the calendar flipped to 2026.
Less than a month after Georgia filed a lawsuit against defensive end Damon Wilson II to obtain $390,000 in damages because he transferred to Missouri, Wilson went to court himself, claiming Georgia is misusing the liquidated damages clause to “punish Wilson for entering the portal.”
Wilson’s countersuit in Boone County, Mo., says he was among a small group of Bulldog stars pressured into signing the contract Dec. 21, 2024. The lawsuit also claims that Wilson was misused as an elite pass rusher, that the Georgia defensive scheme called for him to drop back into pass coverage. Wilson, who will be a senior next fall, led Missouri with nine sacks this season.
Georgia paid Wilson $30,000, the first monthly installment of his $500,000 NIL deal, before he entered the transfer portal on Jan. 6, four days after Georgia lost to Notre Dame in a College Football Playoffs quarterfinal.
Bulldogs brass was not pleased. Wilson alleges in his lawsuit that Georgia dragged its feet in putting his name in the portal and spread misinformation to other schools about him and his contractual obligations.
“When the University of Georgia Athletic Association enters binding agreements with student-athletes, we honor our commitments and expect student-athletes to do the same,” Georgia spokesperson Steven Drummond said in a statement after the school filed the lawsuit.
Wilson’s countersuit turned that comment on its head, claiming it injured his reputation because it implies he was dishonest. He is seeking unspecified damages in addition to not owing the Bulldogs anything. Georgia’s lawsuit asked that the dispute be resolved through arbitration.
A liquidated damage fee is a predetermined amount of money written into a contract that one party pays the other for specific breaches. The fee is intended to provide a fair estimate of anticipated losses when actual damages are difficult to calculate, and cannot be used to punish one party for breaking the contract.
Wilson’s case could have far-reaching implications because it is the first that could determine whether schools can enforce liquidated damage clauses. While it could be understandable that schools want to protect themselves from players transferring soon after receiving NIL money, legal experts say liquidated damage fees might not be the proper way to do so.
Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim says it is “impossible” to replace captain Bruno Fernandes, who is set for up to a month out with injury, but other players “must step up”.
READ MORE: ‘Impossible to replace’ – Fernandes could miss up to a month
Former professional poker player James Bord has been chosen as the preferred bidder to take over Sheffield Wednesday, BBC Sport can confirm.
The Owls have been in administration since October, ending 10 years under the ownership of Dejphon Chansiri.
On Wednesday, the troubled Championship club’s administrators announced a deal had been reached with a potential buyer.
London-born Bord started his career working for gambling firms Starlizard and Smartodds before winning $4.3m (£3.18m) on the poker circuit.
He now runs data company Short Circuit Science, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) for sports analytics and was involved in an advisory role to COH Sports after its takeover of Sheffield United in the summer, though he now has no connection to the Owls’ rivals.
Under the banner of Park Bench SFC LLC, Bord also has a stake in Spanish Segunda Division side Cordoba CF and Bulgarian club Septemvri Sofia.
Bord, who is based in Las Vegas, has owned Dunfermline along with partner Evan Sofer for almost a year. He attended his first game in person at the weekend, a 3-2 home loss to Ayr United.
At present it is unclear who is part of Bord’s consortium to buy Wednesday, who are bottom of the Championship table on -9 points due to deductions, or if it will be part of Park Bench SFC LLC.
The Bord bid still has to pass the EFL’s Owners and Directors’ test, which may have some hurdles to overcome due to his past involvement in gambling.
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert runs with the ball against the Dallas Cowboys on Dec. 21.
(Julio Cortez / Associated Press)
Saturday, 1:30 p.m. TV: CBS, NFL Network.
Line: Chargers by 1½. O/U: 39½.
Houston has been a hard matchup for the Chargers, and can turn up the heat on Justin Herbert. But Jim Harbaugh’s team has found new ways to win, and is capable of outscoring the Texans, who are really struggling in the red zone. Low-scoring and physical.
Pick: Chargers 20, Texans 17
Three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen says Peter Wright should retire following his emphatic defeat in the second round of the PDC World Darts Championship.
Two-time world champion Wright won just two legs and averaged below 80 as he was surprisingly beaten by debutant Arno Merk on Tuesday.
Van Gerwen said he was “not surprised by his performance” given the Scotsman’s inconsistent recent record and added that “it’s time for him to retire anyway”.
The 36-year-old Dutchman beat William O’Connor to reach the third round at Alexandra Palace.
Wright, who became world champion in 2020 and 2022, has not made it past the quarter-finals of any televised ranking tournament in the past two years.
The 55-year-old last won a European Tour event in 2024 and a Players Championship in 2022.
Wright was not selected for the 2025 Premier League Darts season and failed to qualify for the Grand Slam of Darts for the first time since 2012.
The Dutchman’s comments follow Wright’s recent suggestion that Van Gerwen’s “vision is probably going”., external
From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: Austin Reaves returned from a left calf strain that sidelined him for three games, but the Lakers’ second-leading scorer did nothing to fix the team’s most glaring weakness.
The Lakers’ defense collapsed in a 132-108 loss to the Suns on Tuesday at Mortgage Matchup Center, giving up a season-high field goal percentage (59%) and tying their mark for most points allowed this season. Led by a combined 17-for-29 shooting from star guard Devin Booker (21 points) and Dillon Brooks (25 points), the Suns easily eclipsed the 56.5% they shot against the Lakers on Dec. 1.
“The theme with our team again is like these young teams that move, we just can’t move,” said coach JJ Redick, whose team is 1-2 against the Suns (16-13). “So it’s like we’re stuck in mud.”
The Lakers (19-9) remain in the top half of the competitive Western Conference, but with blowout losses to Atlanta, Oklahoma City and San Antonio, L.A. is clinging to a plus-1.1 in point differential. They lost consecutive games for the first time Tuesday and limped into a marquee Christmas Day matchup against the Houston Rockets with a multitude of injuries.
Playing without Luka Doncic, who is day to day with a left leg contusion he sustained Saturday against the Clippers, LeBron James led the Lakers with 23 points on seven-for-14 shooting. Deandre Ayton had a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double while Reaves came off the bench for the first time in two seasons and scored 17 points with two assists and three turnovers.
Redick said Reaves was not on an official minutes restriction after his weeklong absence, but that the team would monitor his workload “in real time.”
“It’s hard for me to start, at the rotation that Bron has, for me to stay around that 20-25 minute mark,” said Reaves, who played 21 minutes and 46 seconds. “So [coming off the bench] got brought up in my shooting time. I said I was open to whatever. Definitely felt weird coming off the bench, but it’s basketball at the end of the day.”
UCLA forward Tyler Bilodeau makes a move to the basket against UC Riverside forward Osiris Grady on Tuesday.
(Jan Kim Lim / UCLA Athletics)
From Ben Bolch: Facing an overmatched opponent that allowed him to freely tinker with his lineups, UCLA coach Mick Cronin tried plenty of mixing and matching Tuesday afternoon.
Perhaps the biggest takeaway was that a three-guard lineup might be the way to go after the continued struggles of centers Xavier Booker and Steven Jamerson II.
“We’ve got to find a way to play our best players and win, whoever they are, because it’s not Little League,” Cronin said after his team’s 97-65 victory over UC Riverside at Pauley Pavilion. “You’ve either got to give us some rebounding and defense or somebody else has got to play.”
The leading candidates for a larger role based on what happened against the Highlanders appear to be reserves Trent Perry, Jamar Brown and Brandon Williams.
Kings coach Jim Hiller watches from the bench during a 3-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday night.
(Luke Hales / Getty Images)
From Kevin Baxter: January has traditionally been the harshest time of the year for the Kings, who haven’t had a winning record in that month the last three seasons. But winter grew dark and gloomy a little earlier than usual because December has hardly been a walk in the park.
With Tuesday’s 3-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken, the Kings head into the NHL’s three-day Christmas break having lost six of their last seven. And things aren’t getting easier any time soon: when the team returns to the ice Saturday, it will play host to the Ducks, who lead the Pacific Division in wins, before closing out 2025 Monday on the road against the Colorado Avalanche, who lead the NHL in wins.
“It’s not going the way we all want to,” forward Kevin Fiala said. “But you know, that’s going to happen for everybody. So it’s us who have to do something about it. Who can pull us out of it? Nobody else.
“I’m not worried. Like, I’m sure we’re gonna get out of this. But it’s not acceptable right now.”
Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard celebrates during a win over the Houston Rockets at Intuit Dome on Tuesday night.
(Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)
From the Associated Press: Kawhi Leonard scored a season-high 41 points and James Harden added 29 as the Clippers beat the Houston Rockets 128-108 on Tuesday night.
Leonard shot 16 for 23 from the field and four for five from long distance as the Clippers won consecutive games for just the second time this season. The Clippers were coming off a 103-88 win over the Lakers on Saturday that broke a five-game skid. The Clippers also won consecutive games Oct. 24-26, against Phoenix and Portland.
Harden, who shot seven for 14 from the field and three for eight from long distance, was helped by 12-for-13 shooting from the line.
John Collins and Kobe Sanders added 13 points apiece and Kris Dunn scored 11 for the Clippers (8-21), who shot 54% (20 for 37) from three-point range.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford warms up before a win over the Detroit Lions at SoFi Stadium on Dec. 14.
(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
From Gary Klein: Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, receiver Puka Nacua and edge rushers Jared Verse and Byron Young were voted to the Pro Bowl, the NFL announced.
Stafford, 37, has passed for a league leading 4,179 yards and 40 touchdowns, with five interceptions, for a Rams team that is 11-4 and currently seeded sixth for the NFC playoffs. The Rams play at the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night in the second-to-last game of the regular season. Stafford also made the Pro Bowl in 2014 and 2023.
Quarterbacks Sam Darnold of the Seattle Seahawks and Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys also made the NFC roster.
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert passes during a win over the Las Vegas Raiders at SoFi Stadium on Nov. 30.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
From Sam Farmer: Five Chargers were named to the AFC’s Pro Bowl squad Tuesday, including the team’s “quarterbacks” on both sides of the ball.
Both quarterback Justin Herbert and safety Derwin James Jr. received the honor. They are joined by outside linebacker Tuli Tuipulotu, tackle Joe Alt and kicker Cameron Dicker.
Herbert, receiving Pro Bowl recognition for the second time, is the third player in NFL history to begin a career with six consecutive seasons with at least 3,000 yards passing and 20 touchdowns.
U.S. skier Lindsey Vonn competes in a World Cup super-G race in Val d’Isere, France, on Sunday.
(Pier Marco Tacca / Associated Press)
From Steve Henson: It’s been one surprise after another lately from Lindsey Vonn. And the announcement that the 41-year-old slopes queen has qualified for the Milano Cortina Olympics in February isn’t the last of it.
It might have been her post on Instagram that stated unequivocally that this will be the end.
“I am honored to be able to represent my country one more time, in my 5th and final Olympics!” Vonn said.
Vonn’s remarkable and inspiring comeback from injuries and a seven-year hiatus from top-level competitive skiing has injected the U.S. team narrative with an irresistible story line. That her quest will culminate in the mountains of northern Italy just two months from now will make it must-watch television and social media video.
Venus Williams competes in a quarterfinal doubles match at the U.S. Open in September.
(Heather Khalifa / Associated Press)
From Andrew J. Campa: Tennis legend Venus Williams wed Danish model and actor Andrea Preti over the weekend in Florida, the new bride announced in a shared post.
An Instagram post from Vogue Magazine’s Weddings section announced the nuptials, with the message garnering more than 30,000 likes as of Tuesday afternoon.
“We all love each other so much,” Williams, 45, said in the Vogue post. “It was just the happiest, most beautiful, sweetest day.”
The post was scant on details other than the event took place over five days in and around the couple’s home in Palm Beach Gardens.
An aerial view of the Centenario Stadium in Montevideo, Uruguay, shown during 1930 World Cup tournament.
(Associated Press)
From Kevin Baxter: Next summer’s World Cup will be the largest, most complex and most lucrative sporting event in history, with 48 teams playing 104 games in three countries. The tournament is expected to draw a global TV audience of nearly 5 billion and FIFA, the event’s organizer, is hoping for revenues of between $10 billion-$14 billion — which is why lower-bowl tickets for Iran-New Zealand at SoFi Stadium cost nearly $700.
All that seemed unlikely after the first tournament in 1930, when the idea of a soccer World Cup was nearly killed in the cradle, the victim from lack of planning, lack of money and lack of interest. That the competition survived, much less thrived, is nothing short of a miracle, says English writer and podcaster Jonathan Wilson, author of the deeply researched “The Power and Glory: The History of the World Cup.”
“1930, it’s incredibly amateurish in many ways,” Wilson said. “It’s got that sort of almost like a school sports day feel to it.”
1950 — Cleveland’s Otto Graham throws four touchdown passes, despite icy footing in Municipal Stadium, and Lou Groza kicks a 16-yard field goal with 28 seconds left to give the Browns a 30-28 victory over the Los Angeles Rams and the NFL title in their first year in the league.
1961 — George Blanda’s 35-yard touchdown pass to Billy Cannon gives the Houston Oilers a 10-3 victory over the San Diego Chargers for their second AFL title.
1967 — New York’s Joe Namath becomes the first player to throw for 4,000 yards in a season. Namath passes for 343 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Jets to a 42-31 win at San Diego. Namath finishes the year with 4,007 yards.
1997 — In one of the biggest upsets in college basketball, Division II American-Puerto defeats the No. 12 Arkansas Razorbacks 64-59 in the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic.
2000 — Marshall Faulk breaks Emmitt Smith’s NFL record for touchdowns, scoring three times to give him 26 for the St. Louis Rams. Faulk’s three touchdowns and 220 yards fuels a 26-21 victory over the New Orleans Saints.
2003 — Steven Jackson ties a bowl game record with five touchdowns, and Oregon State’s defense overwhelms mistake-plagued New Mexico in a 55-14 win at the Las Vegas Bowl.
2006 — Colt Brennan sets the NCAA single-season record for touchdown passes at 58, throwing five in the second half to lead Hawaii to a 41-24 victory over Arizona State in the Hawaii Bowl. Brennan, 33-of-42 for 559 yards, breaks the previous mark of 54 set by Houston’s David Klingler in 1990.
2011 — David Akers kicks his way into the NFL record book and the San Francisco 49ers hold off Seattle for a 19-17 win. Akers makes four field goals to give him 42 this season, breaking the NFL mark of 40 set by Neil Rackers in 2005 with Arizona.
2014 — Western Kentucky holds on to defeat Central Michigan 49-48 in a wild inaugural Bahamas Bowl. Central Michigan trails 49-14 entering the fourth quarter before Cooper Rush engineers a comeback. He throws four touchdown passes in the final minutes, and the Chippewas get the ball back at their own 25 with one second remaining. Rush completes a pass to Jesse Kroll, and the ball is lateraled three times before Titus Davis dove into the pylon for a touchdown with no time remaining. CMU elects to go for two, only to have the pass drop incomplete.
2016 — With a 41-3 rout of the New York Jets, Bill Belichick earns his 200th regular-season victory in New England, making him the fifth coach in NFL history to reach the milestone with one team.
2016 — Cleveland survives a last-second field-goal attempt and gets its first victory after 14 losses by beating the San Diego Chargers 20-17. When San Diego’s Josh Lambo misses a 45-yard field-goal attempt as time expires, the Browns (1-14) win for the first time in 377 days.
That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
Ben Stokes admitted he is going through his “toughest time” as England captain as he called for “empathy” towards this team-mates.
The tourists’ awful Ashes series has been dogged by reports of excessive drinking.
England are already 3-0 down after three Tests against Australia, with the chance of regaining the urn gone and the risk of a humiliating clean sweep in the final two Tests.
On Tuesday, England director of Rob Key confirmed he would investigate the behaviour of players in the coastal town of Noosa during their break from the series between the second and third Tests.
Later on the same day, a video emerged on social media appearing to show opener Ben Duckett drunk.
The BBC has not verified the video, while the England and Wales Cricket Board said it would “establish the facts”.
With England preparing to play the fourth Ashes Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Boxing Day, Stokes told BBC Sport: “This is probably the toughest time right now as an England captain that I’ll have.
“I’m not going to run away from it. I feel like I will lead for the rest of this trip how I think I can help guys get through it.”
Stokes would not be drawn on the allegations about Duckett.
Asked about the scrutiny on his team-mates, he added: “We’ve got other guys who play all three formats and spend a lot more time away from home than others.
“It is very gruelling and it is tough when you’re here, there and everywhere.
“I know people have got things a lot worse than what we do. You have to deal with the emotions of being away [and] the scrutiny that you are under, in particular when things aren’t going well.
“Everything just gets heightened, but there needs to be a little bit of empathy towards stuff that people might not quite understand, but I guess if you’re not in it and you’re not amongst it, it is hard to understand that.
“But just in this moment right now, I think a little bit of empathy from everyone would be not too hard to think about, if that makes sense.”
Semenyo’s profile is a unique one and at the reported price point, it feels like a no-brainer.
Stylistically we have seen City lean into attacking in transition with more pace this season than previously under Guardiola, who has played on the strengths of Haaland, Foden, Tijjani Reijnders and Doku – attacking quickly over big distances.
As a result, City have scored from more fast breaks this season than during the entire 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons combined.
Bournemouth‘s direct style of attack means Semenyo’s pace, good hold-up play, smart decision-making and two-footed ball-striking are more easily transferred to this City side.
These are dangerous traits, especially when going long against teams that attempt to press high up the pitch.
Guardiola likes versatile players too, given they provide solutions to injury crises.
With Doku out injured, Reijnders has come in and shifted Foden out to the left. Semenyo would provide Premier League proven quality on both wings.
“The years we were successful, not just the strikers [were scoring], especially the wingers, attacking midfielders. We need that,” said Guardiola earlier this month.
City’s over-reliance on Haaland’s 19 goals will be something he wants to address. Foden has scored the second most with seven but has been moved away from the number 10 position, where he scores often from distance.
The signing of Semenyo would help get Foden back in the areas Guardiola feels he is most dangerous.
Semenyo has the added benefit of providing goals himself while starting as a winger. With eight in the league this season, only Igor Thiago and Haaland have more.
If City want to overtake Arsenal and win the league, getting scorers behind Haaland would be a smart move.
Captain Ben Stokes said protecting England players’ welfare was his top concern amid claims of excessive drinking on a mid-Ashes beach break, without directly addressing the allegations.
Stokes was peppered with questions on Wednesday ahead of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne about the team’s behaviour at Noosa between the second and third Tests after British media reports compared it with a “stag-do”.
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Unverified social media footage appeared to show opener Ben Duckett drunk and disoriented.
Their disastrous five-Test tour, which has seen Australia take an unassailable 3-0 lead, took another hit on Wednesday when pace spearhead Jofra Archer was ruled out of the rest of the series with a side strain.
England cricket chief Rob Key on Tuesday pledged to investigate the drinking claims, while the England and Wales Cricket Board said in a statement it was intent on establishing the facts.
Stokes, whose team have already lost the Ashes, said his main concern was the players’ mental welfare and to ensure they were ready for the Melbourne Test starting Friday.
“I’m obviously aware of the reports and everything circulating around right now,” Stokes said.
“My main concern is my players, and how I handle this moment is the most important thing to me.
“The welfare of everyone in there, and probably some certain individuals as well, is the most important thing to me right now as England captain.
“It’s never a nice place to be in when not only the media world, but also the social media world, is piling on top of you,” he added.
“It’s a very tough place to be in as an individual. As an individual, when you know you’ve got the support of the people who are sort of leaders, in a sense, it’s very good to know that you’ve got that support.”
Asked directly whether his teammates had “done anything wrong in Noosa”, Stokes replied: “I’ve just answered everything there.”
England went to Queensland tourist resort Noosa after losing the first two Tests in Perth and Brisbane heavily.
They spent several days on the sand and around restaurants and bars before travelling to Adelaide, where they lost the third Test as Australia retained the Ashes.
Britain’s Daily Telegraph reported that “after drowning their sorrows after the Brisbane Test, it is no exaggeration to say some, certainly not all, players drank for five or six days”.
It added that players “did nothing outrageous in Noosa” but there was concern over the level of drinking, with England’s professionalism already under the microscope after their limited preparations.
Stokes conceded that when a side was losing, there would be scrutiny, and “rightly so”.
“When you are 3-0 down you don’t really have a leg to stand on but we’ve got two games of cricket to play. That’s what we have to focus on,” he said.
“We haven’t won a game in Australia for a long, long time.”
England have gone 18 Tests since winning a match in Australia, dating back to their last series victory there in 2010-11.
Their capitulation in this series in 11 days of play is the joint second quickest in more than a century, since the 1921 Ashes was completed in eight days.
Making matters worse, Archer will take no further part in the tour, with Gus Atkinson replacing him in Melbourne.
The under-performing Ollie Pope paid for his poor form at number three, with Jacob Bethell taking over in the only other change.
Bowling with the wicketkeeper standing up to the stumps can bruise a fast bowler’s ego, but Australia paceman Scott Boland said Alex Carey’s stellar glovework in the ongoing Ashes series has helped him grow comfortable with it.
Carey’s wicketkeeping masterclass has been a key factor in Australia’s unassailable lead in the five-match series, and the 34-year-old was particularly impressive in the second Test at the Gabba, where he stood up to Boland and Michael Neser.
With the wicketkeeper breathing down their necks, English batters were pretty much confined to the crease, which meant the home bowlers did not really need to vary their length.
“I’ve just never really bowled to the keeper up to the stumps before,” Boland told reporters ahead of the fourth Test.
“Everyone wants to be a fast bowler, and you don’t really like the keeper up to the stumps.
“But I’ve seen over the last month how effective it is and how still I can keep their batters by Alex being up to the stumps.”
Wicketkeepers typically stand farther back from the stumps when facing fast bowlers to give themselves more time to react to the high speed and bounce of the ball, reducing the risk of missed catches.
Even from close range, Carey showed tremendous reflexes to pouch a thick edge from Ben Stokes after the England captain had nicked a Neser delivery in the second innings.
Dismissals like that gave confidence to Boland that he could continue bowling his edge-inducing length balls regardless of where Carey stood.
“I just need to trust that the length balls I bowl to try and nick guys off is the same length I bowl when he’s up to the stumps or back,” the 36-year-old said.
“The Gabba was pretty bouncy and he was up to the stumps for a bit of it and catching balls above waist-high and I bowled a bouncer and he caught that, so I have full trust in him up there.”
Former Australia wicketkeeper Ian Healy called Carey “clearly the best in the world”, while teammate Steve Smith termed him a “freak”.
Former captain Ryan Brierley is returning to Salford to become chief executive, the consortium that has won the bid to run the phoenix club has said.
Brierley, one of the players who departed the club midway through the 2025 campaign, has ended his playing career at Oldham in order to take on the role.
He has been appointed two days after fellow former Salford player Mason Caton-Brown’s consortium was successful in applying for membership of the second-tier Championship from the Rugby Football League.
The old Salford Red Devils club were wound up on 3 December after a turbulent year, with a mass player exodus, late wage payments, heavy defeats and ultimately the loss of their Super League status for 2026.
“Salford is in my heart, and I believe saving its rugby league heritage is something that transcends rivalry,” 33-year-old Brierley said.
Kawhi Leonard scored a season-high 41 points and James Harden added 29 as the Clippers beat the Houston Rockets 128-108 on Tuesday night.
Leonard shot 16 for 23 from the field and four for five from long distance as the Clippers won consecutive games for just the second time this season. The Clippers were coming off a 103-88 win over the Lakers on Saturday that broke a five-game skid. The Clippers also won consecutive games Oct. 24-26, against Phoenix and Portland.
Harden, who shot seven for 14 from the field and three for eight from long distance, was helped by 12-for-13 shooting from the line.
John Collins and Kobe Sanders added 13 points apiece and Kris Dunn scored 11 for the Clippers (8-21), who shot 54% (20 for 37) from three-point range.
Kevin Durant scored 22 points on eight-for-15 shooting, and Alperen Sengun finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds for Houston (17-10), which was nine for 30 (30%) from long distance.
Amen Thompson added 19 points for Houston, and Jabari Smith Jr. scored 16 for the Rockets, who have lost four of their last five games.
The Clippers, who trailed by six points after one period, outscored Houston 34-23 in the second and led 63-58 at the break. The Rockets were helped by 10-for-22 shooting from three-point range in the first half. Leonard had 18 points on eight-for-12 shooting in the opening quarters and Harden scored 11.
Durant had 17 first-half points to lead the Rockets. Sengun scored 15 and Smith had 11.
The Clippers led 98-82 after three periods.
CIF City Section and Southern Section high school boys’ and girls’ basketball scores for Tuesday’s games.
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Ulster lock Cormac Izuchukwu says “pride in the province” is what helps make Irish derbies special as the side prepare to take on Connacht this weekend.
Richie Murphy’s side travel to the Dexcom Stadium on Saturday (17:30 GMT) for what is their second of three games in a row against Irish rivals in the United Rugby Championship (URC).
The northern province are looking to bounce back following a narrow 24-20 loss against Leinster last time out.
The home side, meanwhile, come into the match off the back of a loss comprehensive reverse against Dragons.
“Connacht away, Leinster away and Munster at home, they are special,” Izuchukwu told BBC Sport NI.
“There is something about them, they are class and class to play in.
“For me it is having pride in the province, going down there and showing what we are about.”
Izuchukwu, who hasn’t played since early October because of a recurring foot injury followed by an illness last week, has just signed a new two-year contract to keep him at Ulster until the summer of 2028.
The 25-year-old second row added that he has “grown as a person and a player” since joining the Ulster academy in 2020.
“It has been on my mind for a while now, so really happy to get it done and to get back to playing rugby,” Izuchukwu continued.
“I came here back in 2020, I didn’t have many options, and they gave me a chance. I came here, have made friends and have grown as a person and a player.
“I have made great memories here and, for me, with how the club is growing I am so happy to be here.”
Arsenal are sitting top of the Premier League at Christmas, but it is BBC Sport football expert Chris Sutton who leads the way when it comes to predictions.
“I’m number one at Christmas – again,” said Sutton, who as a player led the Premier League table at this point with Norwich in 1992 and Blackburn in 1994, and went on to win the title with Rovers.
“It’s a big deal for me to be top, as well as for Arsenal.
“AI is the go-to for virtually everyone in the world whenever they have to ask anything, so the fact that I am beating it – and let’s face it, I have stuffed it for half a season now – is pretty incredible. It says a lot about me, and I’m delighted.
“Rather than asking AI about everything, maybe people should come to me to tap into my intelligence instead?”
Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League games this season, against AI, BBC Sport readers and a variety of guests.
For week 18 – the festive fixtures on Boxing Day and the weekend of 27 and 28 December – he takes on Jonny Stewart, bass singer with sea shanty folk supergroup The Wellermen, who is a Newcastle fan.
The Wellermen were the originators of the sea shanty trend on TikTok, with their versions of Misty Mountain, Nancy Mulligan and Hoist the Colours racking up billions of views.
Do you agree with their scores? You can make your own predictions below.
The most popular scoreline selected for each game is used in the scoreboards and tables at the bottom of this page.
A correct result (picking a win, draw or defeat) is worth 10 points. The exact score earns 40 points.
Replacing Pope with Bethell is the latest stage of long-running speculation around England’s number-three position.
Pope’s highest score in six innings on this Ashes tour is 46, extending his run of eight Tests against Australia without a half-century.
In the 27-year-old’s past seven Tests since making a century against India at Headingley in July, he averages 24.38.
Overall, he averages 34.55 in 64 Tests. This is the first time he has been left out of a Test since the 2022 tour of West Indies.
The Surrey man has been under pressure since Bethell made his Test debut in New Zealand at the end of last year, when the left-hander made three half-centuries in as many matches.
However, Bethell has endured a stop-start year since that breakthrough tour of New Zealand.
He has played only three first-class matches in the past year, one of which was the fifth Test against India at The Oval, when he made scores of six and five.
The 22-year-old did make 71 for England Lions against Australia A in Brisbane earlier this month.
Speculation that Bethell may come in for the start of the Ashes series grew when Pope was replaced as vice-captain by Harry Brook when the England squad was announced in September.
Instead, Pope has become the first selection victim of the failed bid to regain the urn.
“He’s not going to be the only one who’s disappointed in the dressing room with how things have gone,” said Stokes. “Being 3-0 down, it’s a tough place to be on a trip like this.
“There’s going to be a lot of disappointment within the dressing room from everyone who’s in there.”
Ryan O’Halloran and Phoebe Schecter discuss the improvement of Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence under head coach Liam Coen.
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