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Through tears, Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza thanked every member of his family after becoming the first Hoosier to ever win the Heisman Trophy. The Cuban American quarterback recognized his family for believing in him throughout his career.

He was a two-star high school recruit who drew little attention before finally landing an opportunity to play at California. After three years with the Golden Bears, including a redshirt year, he transferred to Indiana. On Thursday, the No. 1 Hoosiers will take the field at the Rose Bowl, where they will face college football traditional power Alabama in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.

Pressure is familiar for Mendoza. He’s faced challenges throughout his career — from proving himself as an overlooked high school athlete to earning his starting role at Cal.

Anytime Mendoza has met a hurdle, he considers how to help those around him shine.

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza holds back tears while accepting the Heisman Trophy on Dec. 13 in New York.

(Todd Van Emst / Associated Press)

“I know that’s my responsibility to my coaches, to my teammates and to the entire team, to be able to be sharp mentally and not have outside influences, pressures and noise able to impact my game,” Mendoza said. “I think one thing is just keeping the process on how I got here, how the entire team got to this place, which is keeping the process that I’ve kept for every single game.”

The Hoosiers finished the season undefeated. They will play for their first Rose Bowl victory in 57 years and it’ll be the second year in a row Indiana has reached the College Football Playoff.

“His leadership has increased in those crucial moments and I think that’s what makes him such a special player — because when the stakes are the highest, he steps up and gets the team going,” Indiana linebacker Isaiah Jones said. “He’s a guy that people want to get behind and run a play for.”

Mendoza became the third player with Latino heritage to win the Heisman Trophy. His grandparents on both sides of the family were born in Cuba and during his acceptance speech, he made sure to thank them in Spanish.

In the NFL, Latino players have become a growing demographic. From 2021-25, representation jumped from 12 to 47 players who identify as Latino, with 32 on 53-man rosters at the start of the season. Mendoza is not in the league, but his elevated presence in the college football world has come with extra pressure of representing a culture and proving Latinos can succeed in football.

“To be able to play in this atmosphere in the Rose Bowl, it’s a special moment for myself, for my family, and I would say just being able to play in front of a Hispanic and Latino crowd, it’s what I do,” Mendoza said. “I want to inspire young Latino kids and I want to always represent my culture to the highest.”

On Thursday, Mendoza will take the field for the first time as a Heisman winner, adding another layer of intensity to his game. The award winner is expected to do many national media interviews and Mendoza recently was a prominent voice during a “60 Minutes” segment about Indiana.

“What you see on camera is who he is,” Jones said. “Whether it’s in the locker room or out to eat with some of my teammates, he is one of the more genuine people on the team.”

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti hopes the expectations that come with the Heisman Trophy don’t change the quarterback’s style.

“It’s really critical now that he develops a sharp edge in his preparation and doesn’t play like, ‘Oh, I’m the Heisman Trophy winner and I’ve got to do this or do that,’ because we’ve all been following this game long enough to know we’ve seen some of those performances,” he said.

Cignetti understands the difficulty of the opponent standing in front of Mendoza. The Alabama defense works to throw the quarterback off balance. The Tide have great players who play hard and fast. In order to win, Mendoza and his teammates need to play the way they have all season.

“At the end of the day, it’s all about execution, left tackle doing his job, running back, receiver, and Fernando being on point,” Cignetti said.

Mendoza said he is up to the challenge. When he takes the first snap in Pasadena, he won’t be thinking of personal statistics or awards, he’ll be thinking about the national championship.

“Now we have to get the ultimate team award,” he said.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Lauren Betts scored 25 points and surpassed 1,500 career points in leading No. 4 UCLA to a 97-61 rout of Penn State on Wednesday.

Gianna Kneepkens added 17 points, Kiki Rice scored 16 and Sienna Betts 10 for the Bruins (13-1, 3-0 Big Ten), who won their seventh in a row after leading for all but 31 seconds.

The Bruins, who entered averaging just over 95 points per game since their lone loss to the No. 2 Texas Longhorns on Nov. 27, found their offense immediately inside a quiet Rec Hall.

Lauren Betts finished 11 for 19 from the floor. She sunk a layup in the opening seconds to spark the first of a handful of lopsided runs for the Bruins.

Kneepkens and Rice added back-to-back three-pointers moments later before Kneepkens hit another long ball to put UCLA up 13-2 less than three minutes in.

Penn State (7-7, 0-3) responded with a pair of buckets, but Kneepkens drained her third three-pointer of the quarter and UCLA closed out the first on a 14-5 run shooting 58% from the floor.

The rout was on from there for the Bruins, who led by as many as 37 with 6:41 in the fourth quarter. They led 46-23 at halftime.

Gracie Merkle had 15 points and Kiyomi McMiller scored 13 for Penn State, which fell to 1-15 against AP top 10 teams since coach Carolyn Kieger’s first season in 2019.

Up next UCLA: vs. No. 17 USC at Pauley Pavilion on Saturday night.

Another year of football is over and it’s time to start looking ahead to 2026.

The Premier League will reach its conclusion in May, with Arsenal looking to win their first title in over two decades – but can the Gunners see the job through this time?

Will an English club be crowned champions of Europe? Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham are all looking to reach the last 16.

Could Chelsea‘s hold over the Women’s Super League be set to end? Manchester City, now under the guidance of Andree Jeglertz, lead the way in an enthralling title race.

The World Cup, expanded to 48 teams and complete with a round of 32 for the first time, is bigger than ever before – but who will come out on top?

The winners of the Women’s Champions League, Ballon d’Or and Scottish Premiership will also be known.

So now it’s over to you, the BBC Sport audience… Here is your chance to predict who will win the biggest of trophies, both domestically and globally, in 2026.

Kawhi Leonard scored 33 points and the Clippers extended their winning streak to a season-best five games Tuesday night with a 131-90 victory over the Sacramento Kings.

James Harden had 21 points while John Collins and rookie Yanic Konan Niederhauser each added 16 for the Clippers, who have found a successful formula after not winning more than two consecutive games before their current run of success began.

Leonard’s productive night came after he scored a career-best 55 points in a victory over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday. He has averaged 37.8 points over the past five games.

The Clippers’ win streak started on the same night center Ivica Zubac went down with a left ankle sprain. Zubac has not played in any of the past four games.

Nique Clifford scored 18 points while Maxime Raynaud and Russell Westbrook each had 12 for the Kings, who fell to 3-12 since Nov. 26. Raynaud also grabbed 12 rebounds, but Sacramento lost its fifth consecutive road game.

Westbrook added four assists and a pair of three-pointers against his former team.

The Clippers left little doubt from the start. They led 34-20 after one quarter and were up by 36 in the second before taking a 70-43 advantage into halftime. They shot 57.1% from the floor in the second quarter while scoring 39 points, with Leonard delivering 18 of them.

Leonard had 30 points through three quarters as the Clippers led 100-71 and coasted from there.

The Clippers shot 51.1% from the field overall while posting its largest margin of victory this season. Sacramento shot 41% from the floor.

The Clippers committed just four turnovers while forcing the Kings into 19 that they turned into 28 points.

Up next for the Clippers: vs. the Utah Jazz at Intuit Dome on Thursday.

Ethan Hill and Shalen Sheppard were the twin towers for Brentwood’s boys basketball team last winter. Now, without one of his best buddies, Hill is learning to cope just fine — and his teammates are following his lead.

The 6-foot-7 sophomore forward had 32 points and 18 rebounds while earning all-tournament honors as the Eagles held off Millikan 75-68 to win the Silver Division championship Tuesday afternoon in the Classic at Damien.

To the surprise of his coaches and teammates, Sheppard decided at the end of September to transfer to Crossroads in Santa Monica. He is one of the highest-rated players in his graduating class.

Shalen Sheppard scores 22 points for Crossroads in a Gold Division consolation game against San Joaquin Memorial during the Classic at Damien on Dec. 30, 2025.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

“Honestly, I was just shocked,” Hill said upon learning of Sheppard’s departure. “We’ve been playing together since eighth grade. We just had the craziest chemistry. It’s a bigger challenge without him, but I believe we’re up to it. Our coaching staff pushed us hard every day.”

Led by their two fantastic freshmen, the Eagles went 25-5 last season. Sheppard averaged 16.6 points and 8.0 rebounds per game while Hill averaged 8.4 points and 5.5 rebounds.

“Leaving Ethan was one of the hardest parts about transferring,” said Sheppard, who scored 22 points in the Roadrunners’ 57-48 loss to San Joaquin Memorial in a Gold Division consolation game earlier in the day at Ramona Middle School. “I play AAU with him and he’s one of the first people I called the night I decided.”

The sit-out period for transfers ended right before the Damien tournament. With four games under his belt, Sheppard is adjusting to being without his frontcourt mate.

“I was getting double-teamed a lot so I got a little tired but as a squad we’re playing real tough teams right now,” he said. “It’s hard without Ethan. Him being a big body and taking up the middle cleared a lot of space for me. I might go over and watch his game later.”

Crossroads (9-8) faces a huge test Saturday against Crean Lutheran, ranked fifth in the Southland by The Times. On Tuesday, Crean Lutheran fell to No. 10 Crespi 57-54 for third in the Platinum Division.

“I have more gym time because Crossroads is not as academically rigid,” Sheppard said. “Traffic was a factor also. I live in the same place, but I can take the Metro or the bus to school. Sunset [Boulevard] at rush hour wasn’t fun.”

Brentwood guard AJ Okoh drives for a layup on his way to MVP honors in the Silver Division championship game of the Classic at Damien on Tuesday.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Meanwhile, Hill and junior guard AJ Okoh are building chemistry, and it showed against Millikan. Okoh dished out four assists and scored 23 points, including a three-pointer which gave the Eagles a five-point cushion with 1:30 remaining. He was named most valuable player. Fellow guard Auggie Sugarman netted 14 points and named to the all-tournament team.

“AJ and I complement each other well,” said Hill, whose scoring was as balanced as can be — 11 points in the first quarter, six in the second, eight in the third and seven in the fourth. “He gets downhill quick and his passing ability is amazing.”

Senior Jeremiah Hunt made seven three-pointers to keep the Rams (11-6) in striking distance and finished with a game-high 34 points. Freshman guard Quali Giran, who entered the contest averaging 24.5 points per game, finished with 18 points and eight assists and joined Hunt on the all-tournament team.

Crespi’s Rodney Mukendi tries to block a jump shot by Crean Lutheran’s Chadrack Mpoyi in the third-place game of the Platinum Division in The Classic at Damien on Dec. 30, 2025.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Brentwood, ranked 19th in The Times’ Top 25 poll, has won seven in a row since its lone loss to Goodyear (Ariz.) Millennium on Dec. 17 and improved to 17-1. The Eagles beat Woodland Hills Taft, Newport Beach Pacifica Christian and Dublin on their way to the finals.

“Not having Shalen puts a lot more attention on me and that frees up my teammates,” Hill said. “We have the same goal, to go all the way and I have all the confidence and belief in us.”

Hill and Sheppard look forward to reuniting Jan. 9 in the first of two Gold Coast League matchups between their schools.

Yesterday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paid his fifth visit to the United States since President Donald Trump took office in January. Before the meeting between the two, the Israeli press described the prime minister as fully engaged in an attempt to placate his domestic political partners by achieving “concessions” from Trump. What were these concessions? They were predominantly related to denying Turkiye any presence in the Gaza stabilisation force and to US approval for an Israeli strike on Iran.

Netanyahu failed on both counts. Trump specifically referred to his good relationship with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and spoke of “Bibi’s” respect for him, too. With regard to Iran, Trump mentioned Iran’s willingness to “make a deal” and provided clear guidelines for American involvement while saying nothing about authorising a solo Israeli operation. Israeli media suggests that Trump provided Israel with a “green light” for a strike on Iran. That is not reflected in Trump’s official statement in any way.

Trump talked about the reconstruction of Gaza beginning “soon”. When he spoke of the disarmament of Hamas, he said that it must happen or nearly 60 states will make it happen. Hamas has already agreed to disarm if the process is carried out by a Palestinian-led force. Trump said nothing to suggest that he does not agree with Hamas’s logic, especially when one considers the refusal of most participating countries to carry out a violent disarmament of the group. Trump also made no mention of the last hostage body held in Gaza as a necessary condition for moving to “Stage II” of the deal.

Nothing is more significant in Trump’s world than the use of language and symbolic gestures. When Trump referred to Netanyahu as a “great wartime prime minister” as he was discussing his blueprint for “peace”, he made it clear that his guest was running out of time. This was also clearly apparent when Trump said he had spoken with Israel’s official head of state, President Isaac Herzog, about a pardon for Netanyahu and was assured such a pardon was imminent. President Herzog, by the way, categorically denied that such a conversation had taken place.

What may be the best reflection of the Trump-Netanyahu meeting at Mar-a-Lago has to do with a brief conversation over the phone between Trump and Israeli Minister of Education Yoav Kish. The purpose of the call was for Kish to inform Trump that he will be awarded the Israel Prize on Israel’s Independence Day in 2026.

The award is given out by the minister of education in a televised ceremony attended by Israel’s leaders. It marks the official end of Independence Day celebrations. Its recipients are most frequently career academics at a late stage of their careers. The prize reflects a lifetime’s devotion to the expansion of human knowledge. Sometimes, special prizes are awarded in civic categories, most often for what is called a “life’s work”, such as fostering coexistence between Jews and Palestinians, promoting social equality, etc.

The prize, as understood by its name, is nearly always awarded to Israeli citizens but can be awarded to Jews living abroad and even to non-Jews who have made a “special contribution to the Jewish people”.

In other words, the Trump-Netanyahu meeting involved Trump instructing Netanyahu with regard to upcoming measures and Netanyahu snapping to attention and signalling his acceptance by heaping yet another semi-fictitious honour on Trump’s already crowded head.

Yet, despite these clear displays of the unequal nature of their relationships, there have been persistent voices suggesting that Trump and Netanyahu are operating in cahoots. According to such analyses, the United States fully supports the Israeli attempt to “change the Middle East” – Netanyahu’s favourite phrase – as the Americans make a pivot to Asia and the global race for dominance with China.

Israel will “take care” of the “Iranian threat” as the Arabs languish in their own irresolvable internal tensions and competitions. The mobilisation of Arab states after the Israeli strike on Doha is all but ignored.

These voices also point to the fact that Israel continues to completely ignore the “ceasefire” enacted by “Stage I” of the Trump plan, and does so with the full support of the United States. In fact, Trump said that Israel has “lived up” to the ceasefire “100 percent”, and that he has no problems with Israel’s actions in Gaza. These include bombing, destruction of buildings and infrastructure, the blocking of life-saving aid amid harsh weather and many other steps that ensure and expand the ongoing Israeli genocide.

It is indeed extremely difficult to reconcile this with the notion that Israel has run out of options for delaying Stage II and an internationally-brokered solution to Palestinian statehood. After all, one hears repeatedly from Israeli media about initiatives to “settle Gaza”, “relocate” 1.5 million Palestinians to Somaliland and dismantle the Oslo Accords, one ethnically cleansed Palestinian community at a time.

The US and other countries, like Germany and the UK, continue to buy Israeli arms at a massive rate and to equip Israel with arms of their own. How is it possible to reach a conclusion that the Israeli genocide is reaching its endgame?

The short answer is that it is not. Israel continues to kill, destroy, subvert and expand its efforts to destabilise any semblance of regional order. For example, Israel recognised the statehood of Somaliland in order to have a “dumping ground” for ethnically cleansed Palestinians, but also to pit the United Arab Emirates against Saudi Arabia, as both have conflicting interests in Somalia, and, by doing so, ensure that the Palestinian question is not addressed and that everyone remains frozen by fear of Israeli weapons.

The longer answer recognises the effects of this genocide on Israel itself: Genocide consumes genocidaires.

That is not to suggest that justice is assured by cosmic forces; far from it. Justice should be pursued at the most grounded and realistic level, as should the dignity and preservation of Palestinian lives.

However, the genocide has shaped Israel in its image on a daily, immediate level. Violence is rising as quickly as the prices of the staples, democracy is backsliding, and there is no end in sight to the “forever war”. This is not an abstract, “strategic” matter.

While Israel has been actively seeking to delete Palestinian identity for nearly 80 years, it has not succeeded in doing so. Israel’s internal contradictions have surfaced with paralysing force over the past two years.

Israel will not “die” or “recede”, but the gap between Israeli perceptions of the world and global perceptions of Israel has never been wider.

Trump and his vision of America do not appreciate “losers”. Israel no longer has any “wins” in the offing. It can and does kill and burn, procrastinate and obfuscate.

Even Trump recognises that this power has no lasting effects following its own immediate application. Israel has no options. There is no greater loss.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.

Nick Smith Jr. placed his newest souvenir nonchalantly underneath the press conference table. This game ball will likely go to his mother.

Smith earned it Sunday with a starring performance off the bench while filling in for the injured Reaves. The 21-year-old guard on a two-way contract scored 21 points on eight-for-14 shooting with three rebounds and one assist. He made five three-pointers, including his first four from beyond the arc while starting seven-for-seven from the field.

With Reaves sidelined for at least a month with a grade two strain in his left calf, Smith will be in line for more consistent minutes, Redick said before the game. Especially with fellow guard Gabe Vincent missing his fourth game because of a back injury Sunday, the Lakers need Smith’s ball handling and shiftiness alongside James and Doncic.

But to offset the loss of their second-leading scorer, the Lakers are most desperate for Smith’s scoring.

“It’s why we wanted him on the Lakers and part of our program, because we knew he could score,” Redick said. “I like when he’s aggressive. … If he could just do him within our structure, a lot of times, good things happen.”

Smith has already flashed his scoring potential in big moments. The former first-round draft pick who signed with the Lakers a day before training camp started rescued the team with 25 points in Portland in a game without James, Doncic or Reaves. He had 12 points in 14 minutes off the bench against Toronto when the Lakers survived thanks to a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Rui Hachimura.

“We trust him,” Redick said before the game.

After getting waived by the Charlotte Hornets, Smith recognized that he hasn’t had this level of trust from a coaching staff “in a long time.” To have it “means everything,” he added.

“It’s a different stage, you know, where I came from, and I understand that,” Smith said. “So I just want to make sure I’m ready. … I’m just blessed to be here, just have the opportunity just to even play with the Lakers and stuff like that, even be in the league. A lot of guys where I’m from would, like, love to be in this situation.”

Lossiemouth took the final Grade One win of the year after holding off 2024 winner Brighterdaysahead in Monday’s December Hurdle at Leopardstown.

The pre-race favourite (4-6) produced the goods in what was an exciting finish as jockey Paul Townend delivered the victory for trainer Willie Mullins.

It was the first race of the season for Gordon Elliott’s Brighterdaysahead and the second favourite (5-2) made a late gallop with Jack Kennedy on board, but was unable to overhaul the favourite at the line.

“She was brilliant,” Townend said of the winner, speaking to RTE Sport.

“I hoped she’d get me out of trouble, like she did.

“I was anxious when Patrick [Mullins on Anzadam] flew over a couple of hurdles to go past us. It probably got us racing a bit sooner than if he hadn’t gone by me, but I wanted to mark him and cover all bases and make the rest of them dance to my tune as much as we could.”

Casheldale Lad set the early pace with Lossiemouth on the shoulder, while Brighterdaysahead stayed on the outside along the back straight.

Anzadam, with Patrick Mullins in the saddle, made a move to open a brief lead, yet it was Lossiemouth who roared back superbly and surged ahead on the home straight.

Brighterdaysahead rose to the challenge, narrowing the gap but had to settle for second with Casheldale Lad (16-1) pipping Anzadam for third.

Kawhi Leonard scored a career-high 55 points, James Harden added 28, and the Clippers extended their winning streak to a season-high four games with a 112-99 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night at Intuit Dome.

Leonard went 17 for 26 from the floor, including five for 10 from three-point range, and made 16 of 17 free throws, his miss in the third quarter ending a streak of 64 straight from the line this month. He scored 26 points in the third quarter.

Leonard tied the team record for points in a game, set by Harden on Nov. 22 at Charlotte, and became the second in franchise history to score at least 40 points in consecutive games at home, joining Bob McAdoo.

Nicolas Batum scored 12 points, while Leonard added 11 rebounds and five steals for the Clippers (10-21), who lost 10 of 11 before this four-game run.

The Clippers, the oldest team in the NBA, took things to the extreme with three starters in Harden, Batum and Brook Lopez age 36 or older. All five starters were in their 30s, with Leonard (34) and Kris Dunn (31) the other two.

Cade Cunningham finished with 27 points for the Eastern Conference-leading Pistons after being held scoreless in the first half while in foul trouble. Jalen Duren had 18 points and 14 rebounds, and Jaden Ivey added 11 points for Detroit, which lost back-to-back games for just the second time.

Playing without injured center Ivica Zubac for the third consecutive game, the Clippers were all business from the start. Their first double-digit lead came four minutes into the game at 16-6 on a three-pointer from Harden.

The Clippers led by as many as 20 points in the first half when Leonard scored 25 points. The Pistons pulled within nine points twice in the third quarter before a 16-5 run gave the Clippers another 20-point lead at 81-61 on a Leonard three-pointer.

Up next for the Clippers: vs. the Sacramento Kings at Intuit Dome on Tuesday.

The Lakers underwent some soul-searching at practice Saturday, with coach JJ Redick starting the conversation before allowing players to speak freely about the team’s issues.

It was an attempt by Redick and the team to prevent things from spiraling out of control after three consecutive losses.

When the Lakers faced the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night at Crypto.com Arena, Redick wanted to see players executing on defense and playing harder.

The Lakers did exactly that, with Luka Doncic and LeBron James leading the way to a 125-101 win.

For the Lakers, it was more than Doncic finishing with 34 points, seven assists and five rebounds. It was Doncic playing defense, illustrated best when he blocked a shot by DeMar DeRozan. It was Doncic hustling, such as when he dove to the floor for a loose ball.

It was more than James scoring 24 points and handing out five assists. It was James throwing down a reverse dunk and offering words of wisdom to teammates.

And it also was reserve Nick Smith Jr. finding a role in the rotation and producing, one of the six Lakers scoring in double figures. Smith had 21 points on eight-for-14 shooting, making five of 10 threes.

Rui Hachimura had 12 points, Deandre Ayton had 11 points and 11 rebounds, and Jake LaRavia had 11 points.

The Lakers (20-10) took control from the start of the third quarter, going on a 13-2 run to give them a 26-point lead that reached as high as 30 in the fourth quarter.

Granted, the Kings (8-24) have the second-worst record in the West and were missing injured stars Zach LaVine, Domantas Sabonis and Keegan Bradley, three of their top four scorers.

But the Lakers lost three straight games because of poor defense and an overall effort that Redick described as “terrible.”

And with Austin Reaves out for at least a month because of a calf strain, getting the chance to talk through their issues might end up changing the team’s fortunes.

“They’re trying, and you know, I told the guys, this is normal,” Redick said. “There’s very few teams that don’t hit troughs throughout the season. It’s not all peaks. … It’s just a natural cycle that every team goes through.

“So we need to identify the problems and then come up with the solutions. So that’s just the process that we’re in the middle of right now.”

Elsewhere in the Africa Cup of Nations 2025, Cameroon and Ivory coast draw 1-1, while Sudan see off Equatorial Guinea.

Mozambique have claimed a historic first victory in the Africa Cup of Nations, breathing new life into their campaign after overcoming Gabon 3-2 in Agadir, while Algeria have booked their place in the last 16 of AFCON with a narrow win over Burkina Faso.

Beaten in their tournament curtain-raiser by Ivory Coast, Mozambique scored twice before half-time in their Group F game on Sunday as Faizal Bangal headed home and Geny Catamo netted from the penalty spot.

Former Arsenal and Chelsea forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang pulled one back for Gabon before the break, but Diogo Calila restored Mozambique’s two-goal cushion. It was ultimately enough to seal a maiden win for Mozambique in this tournament at the 17th attempt, despite Gabon’s Alex Moucketou-Moussounda pulling one back.

Elsewhere in the group, defending champions Ivory Coast ‍took ‍a lead that lasted only five minutes before Cameroon equalised to secure a 1-1 ⁠draw in their heavyweight clash on Sunday.

Amad Diallo scored for a second successive game to ‍open ⁠the scoring for the Ivorians in the 51st minute, but full-back Junior Tchamadeu levelled for Cameroon with the help of a deflection ​in the 56th ‌minute at Marrakesh Stadium.

Cameroon and the Ivory Coast, who have eight AFCON titles ‌between them, now share the lead in ‌Group F with ⁠four points apiece, followed by Mozambique on three.

Gabon need to win their final group game to have any chance of reaching the knockout stages as one of the best third-placed teams.

Algeria have secured their place in the last 16, after a Riyad Mahrez penalty gave them a 1-0 victory over Burkina Faso.

Captain Mahrez converted from the spot midway through the first half at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat on Sunday, and Algeria then held on to win a bruising contest against a determined Burkina outfit.

The penalty that decided the game was awarded when Manchester City’s Rayan Ait-Nouri was bundled over.

Mahrez made no mistake with his 23rd-minute kick as he followed his brace in the opening 3-0 defeat of Sudan to take his tally at this Cup of Nations to three goals. The former Leicester City and Manchester City winger, appearing at his sixth AFCON, now has nine goals at the tournament, an Algerian record.

Pierre Landry Kabore, the Hearts’ striker, came close to equalising for Burkina Faso with a header from a corner, before Mahrez teed up Mohamed Amoura for a shot that was saved by goalkeeper Herve Koffi at the end of an Algerian breakaway in the first half of stoppage time.

Bayer Leverkusen’s Ibrahim Maza twice failed to convert good opportunities in the second half, while substitute Georgi Minoungou fired just over as Burkina Faso pushed unsuccessfully for an equaliser.

Algeria, African champions in 1990 and in 2019, have the maximum six points after two games in Group E and are yet to concede a goal, with Vladimir Petkovic’s side living up to their billing as one of the pre-tournament favourites.

Burkina Faso and Sudan come next on three points each, but they play each other in the final round of group games on Wednesday. This means Algeria are guaranteed a top-two finish even if they lose their final outing against the currently pointless Equatorial Guinea.

Sudan boosted their chances of qualifying for the knockout stage of the Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday after a Saul Coco own goal gave them a 1-0 win over Equatorial Guinea.

Unlucky Torino centre-back Coco saw the ball come off him and ricochet into the net in the 74th minute in Casablanca when his teammate Luis Asue attempted to clear a Sudan free kick.

Sudan won the Africa Cup of Nations in 1970, but this is just their second victory in 18 matches across six appearances at the tournament since then.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Lauren Betts had 18 points and 16 rebounds as No. 4 UCLA extended its winning streak to six games with an 82-75 win over No. 19 Ohio State on Sunday.

Kiki Rice added 16 points and Angela Dugalic scored 15 as UCLA (12-1, 2-0 Big Ten) beat the Buckeyes for the fourth straight time, dating to December 2023.

Jaloni Cambridge led all scorers with 28 points, and Elsa Lemmila added 13 points and seven rebounds for Ohio State (11-2, 1-1) which had its nine-game winning streak halted in its conference home opener.

The Bruins built a 76–60 lead midway through the fourth quarter before Ohio State closed the gap behind strong defense and key late baskets from Cambridge, T’yana Todd and Chance Gray. The Buckeyes closed within six points with about two minutes remaining, but got no closer.

UCLA outrebounded Ohio State 47–33, including a 19–10 edge on the offensive end that led to a 35–10 advantage in second-chance points. Betts anchored the Bruins in the paint as UCLA outscored the Buckeyes 50–32 inside.

Ohio State struggled from three-point range in the first half, missing its first 11 attempts before Lemmila connected with 3:43 left in the second quarter. The Buckeyes found some rhythm in the third quarter, hitting six three-pointers, and finished seven of 30 (23%) from beyond the arc.

Up next for UCLA: at Penn State on Wednesday.

R.J. Prewitt has been a Ducks fan since the first puck dropped in Anaheim, so he’s known good times and bad.

He was there when the team won the Stanley Cup in 2007, for example, and when it took another final to a seventh game four seasons earlier. But he was also there through each of the last seven seasons, when the Ducks never placed higher than sixth in the Pacific Division and finished a combined 74 games under .500.

“It’s my team,” said Prewitt, wearing a white-and-orange Ducks’ sweater as he waited to enter the Crypto.com Arena for Saturday night’s game with the Kings. “I’m going to have faith no matter what.”

That faith is getting another stern test this month. Because after entering December atop the division standings for the first time in more than a decade, the Ducks have lost six of their last eight, with the most ignominious loss coming Saturday in a 6-1 thrashing by their neighborhood rivals and winger Alex Laferriere, who got his first career hat trick.

Ducks left wing Alex Killorn skates with the puck during a loss to Kings Saturday at Crypto.com Arena.

(Katie Chin / Associated Press)

For the Kings, the season-high six goals comes at the end of a slide that had seen them lose six of their last seven, averaging less than two goals a game over that stretch.

Laferriere scored more than that by himself Saturday.

The Kings’ first two goals, from Drew Doughty and Trevor Moore, came in the first four minutes. Laferriere got his first midway through the first period and when Quinton Byfield scored on a power play just before the intermission, the Kings took a 4-0 lead into the locker room at the break.

For the Ducks, who have been plagued by slow starts — 11 of their 21 wins came in games in which they trailed; only the Philadelphia Flyers have more — that deficit was too much to overcome.

“That’s unacceptable,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “You’re not going to make the playoffs being at that level. So we’ve got to make sure that we recapture that feeling of what it takes to be consistent.”

Ducks coach Joel Quenneville yells instructions to his players during a game against the Chicago Blackhawks on Oct. 19.

(Paul Beaty / Associated Press)

Yet despite Saturday’s loss, the Ducks and their fans still have a lot of positives to celebrate — especially given the team’s recent history.

The Ducks’ 21 wins are still most in the division; they didn’t get their 21st win until Jan. 28th last season. And their 130 goals through 38 games — an average of nearly 3 ½ a night — rank fourth in the NHL. They were in the bottom three in scoring in each of the last three seasons.

But what had been the most remarkable turnaround in the league through the first three months has suddenly hit a rough patch, challenging the narrative that new coach Quenneville had finally taken the team from pretenders to contenders.

“Well, we’ve got to prove it,” Quenneville said after Saturday’s humiliation, the Ducks’ most lopsided loss of the season. “We can talk about [how] we want to be a harder-working team this season. But the game tonight didn’t indicate that at all.

“The tenaciousness and the relentless has to go be part of our identity. But we can’t talk about it. We’ve got to prove that.”

Quenneville has been here before. In 2008, he took over a young Chicago Blackhawks team that hadn’t been to the playoffs in five seasons and guided it to the conference finals. A year later, it won the Stanley Cup.

Then in 2019, he took over a young Florida Panthers’ team and led it to the franchise’s first playoff appearance in three seasons.

Both teams had to learn to win, had to believe they could win, before they actually did so. Now Quenneville’s young Ducklings are having their beliefs tested by their worst eight-game stretch of the season.

“I’ve never been on a winning-record team in the NHL. And I’m not the only guy,” said 22-year-old center Mason McTavish, one of six Ducks younger than 23. “It’s a learning curve for sure.

“But at the same time we know how good we are. And this last six, eight games, it’s not been up to our standard. We’ve taken a huge step this year. But that’s not our end goal. We want to make the playoffs. We want to win the Stanley Cup.”

The Ducks will have to become a lot more consistent to have a chance to make that happen. Because while they’re one of the league’s top scoring teams, only the St. Louis Blues have allowed more goals than the Ducks, who have a minus-2 goal differential. And they’ve been outscored 34-19 in their last eight games.

The slump, then, is looming as a test of character and resolve. At a similar point in Quenneville’s first season in Chicago, the Blackhawks lost five times in an eight-game stretch. But they rebounded by winning nine of their next 12 and never looked back.

McTavish, who had his team’s only goal Saturday, said the Ducks have to do the same thing if they hope to show the playoffs are now a realistic goal for a franchise that hasn’t had a winning record in seven seasons.

Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal is congratulated by Nikita Nesterenko and Mason McTavish after blocking a shot by Panthers center Evan Rodrigues to win during a shootout on Oct. 28 in Sunrise, Fla.

(Lynne Sladky / Associated Press)

“We have to come out the next game and really prove to ourselves that we can play with the top teams in the league,” he said. “And beat them.”

The Ducks long-suffering supporters are also ready for the pain of the last seven seasons to ease.

“Yes, yes, yes. I believe,” said Daniel Núñez of Bakersfield who, like Prewitt, has been a fan from the first season. “We have a good shot, I think, to win the Pacific Division. We have a really good team.”

“Whatever they’re doing,” Prewitt agreed “I’m there with them.”

Mamady Doumbouya may win amid accusations of restrictions on the media and the opposition parties.

Guinea is holding a presidential election in which incumbent military leader General Mamady Doumbouya, who took power in a 2021 coup, is widely anticipated to secure victory.

Some 6.7 million registered voters will go to the polls, which opened at 07:00 GMT on Sunday and will close at 18:00 GMT.

The former special forces commander, aged 41, faces eight other candidates in the election, as ousted President Alpha Conde and longtime opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo remain in exile.

The opposition has called for a boycott of the vote in the mineral-rich country where 52 percent of the population lives in poverty, according to World Bank figures.

While long blighted by coups, Guinea experienced a democratic transition with the November 2010 election of Alpha Conde, the country’s first freely elected president. Doumbouya overthrew him in September 2021.

Under Doumbouya, Guinea effectively “reverted to what it has essentially known since independence in 1958: authoritarian regimes, whether civilian or military”, Gilles Yabi, founder of the West African think tank Wathi, told the AFP news agency.

Provisional results could be announced within two days, according to Djenabou Toure, head of the General Directorate of Elections.

Restrictions on opposition

Political debate has been muted under Doumbouya. Civil society groups accuse his government of banning protests, curbing press freedom and restricting opposition activity.

The campaign period “has been severely restricted, marked by intimidation of opposition actors, apparently politically motivated enforced disappearances, and constraints on media freedom”, United Nations rights chief Volker Turk said on Friday.

These conditions “risk undermining the credibility of the electoral process”, he added.

Opposition leader Diallo has condemned the vote as “an electoral charade” aimed at giving legitimacy to “the planned confiscation of power”.

In September, Guinea approved a new constitution in a referendum, which the opposition called on voters to boycott.

The new document allowed military leaders to stand for election, paving the way for Doumbouya’s candidacy.

It also lengthened presidential terms from five to seven years, renewable once.

‘Hope things will be sorted’

Guinea holds the world’s largest bauxite reserves and the richest untapped iron ore deposit at Simandou, officially launched last month after years of delay.

Doumbouya has claimed credit for pushing the project forward and ensuring Guinea benefits from its output. His government this year also revoked EGA subsidiary Guinea Alumina Corporation’s licence after a refinery dispute, transferring its assets to a state-owned firm.

The turn towards resource nationalism – echoed in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger – has boosted his popularity, as has his youth in a country where the median age is about 19.

“For us young people, Doumbouya represents the opportunity to send the old political class into retirement,” Mohamed Kaba, a mechanic in Conakry, told the Reuters news agency.

“There is a lot of corruption right now, but I hope these things will be sorted out.”

The Kings and Ducks backed into Saturday’s rivalry game at Crypto.com Arena.

The Kings came out of the NHL’s three-day holiday break having lost six of their last seven, scoring just 11 goals over that span. Only two teams in the Western Conference have been worst in December.

The Ducks hadn’t been much better, though, having won just two of their last seven to give up their lead in the Pacific Division. But the league rules said somebody had to win Saturday and that proved to be the Kings, who rode a four-goal first period and Alex Laferriere’s first career hat trick to a dominant 6-1 victory that wasn’t nearly as close as the final score indicated.

Drew Doughty put the Kings in front to stay just three minutes after the opening faceoff, finding open ice on the edge of the crease, where he took a pass from Quinton Byfield and deflected it past Ducks goalie Lukas Dostal. The second assist on the goal went to former Duck Corey Perry.

Trevor Moore doubled the lead less than a minute later, redirecting in a feed from Brian Dumoulin in the left circle. Ducks coach Joel Quenneville responded by calling a 30-second timeout in an effort to settle his team.

That didn’t work, with Laferriere blasting a one-timer by Dostal from just outside the crease to make it 3-0 with 9:39 left in the first period. When Byfield scored on a power play in the final minute, the Kings had their first four-goal period of the season and their first four-goal game in nearly three weeks.

After being booed off the ice at the end of their last game, a 3-2 loss to Seattle on Wednesday, the Kings left to cheers for the first intermission.

The Ducks finally got on the board when Mason McTavish scored on the power play midway through the second period. They worked hard for that goal, outshooting the Kings 12-1 in the period, yet coming away with just the one score.

Laferriere wound up matching that less than five minutes into the third period, scoring on a breakaway to give him the third multi-goal game of his career and his first this season. Dumoulin and Anze Kopitar both got their second assists on the goal.

And Laferriere wasn’t done, scoring his 10th goal on a one-timer from the high slot at 13:15 of the final period. The six goals for the Kings matched their season high and was one short of what they had scored in their last four games combined.

Match of the Day’s Alan Shearer analyses the half-time tactical tweak from Manchester City which released Tijani Reijnders into attacking areas and gave City a vital 2-1 win at Nottingham Forest.

WATCH MORE: Cherki stars in late Manchester City win against Nottingham Forest

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Aston Villa’s latest comeback win has highlighted coach Unai Emery’s remarkable record of turning around games, which has put his side firmly in the Premier League title race.

After Saturday’s 2-1 win at Chelsea – their 12th in 13th league matches – Villa have claimed 18 points from losing positions so far this season, more than any other team.

And it is not just this year that the Spaniard has been ⁠affecting games with his decision-making. Across the last three seasons, Villa have won more points from matches in ​which they were losing than any other Premier League team, according to data firm Opta.

In ‍the 58th minute on Saturday, with Chelsea 1-0 up and looking in control, Emery gambled on a triple substitution, bringing on Ollie Watkins and more attacking firepower in the form of winger Jadon Sancho, along with midfielder Amadou Onana.

Five minutes later, Watkins ‍pounced on a ⁠through ball by Morgan Rogers to beat Robert Sanchez in the Chelsea goal.

Buoyed by their equaliser and their change of personnel, Villa looked transformed from the side that was pinned back by their hosts for most of the first hour.

In the 84th minute, Watkins – hoping for a place in the England World Cup squad next summer – met a Youri Tielemans corner with an angled header that left Sanchez with no chance.

“He’s a tactical genius,” Watkins said when asked by Sky ​Sports about Emery’s ability to change the momentum of matches.

The coach himself tried ‌to sound a bit less effusive. “It’s something, of course, that makes us proud of everything we are doing,” Emery said when asked about Villa’s ability to turn losing situations into victories.

He sought to play down his side’s chances of winning the title, despite ‌their blistering form.

“I am not feeling it,” Emery said. “I am feeling we competing very well, and we are now the third in the league with two ‌teams, Manchester City and Arsenal, wow.”

But with the season only halfway ⁠through, Villa, who struggled badly at the start of the campaign, need to show more consistency, he said.

Villa face league leaders Arsenal in London on Tuesday.

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca had to face questions about much less impressive statistics for his young side, who have ‌dropped 11 points from winning positions in home Premier League matches this season – four more than any other side.

“We need to understand why when we concede a goal, we struggle a bit to manage the game,” ‍the Italian told reporters.

He was left to rue Chelsea’s failure to build a bigger lead before Villa’s fightback.

“By the time they scored the goal, I think we should have scored two to three goals,” Maresca said.

Arsenal, Man City and Liverpool maintain form

Manchester City threw down the gauntlet for the ‍second successive weekend, and Arsenal proved undaunted ‍as they kicked off their festive fixtures with a narrow 2-1 defeat of Brighton & Hove Albion to stay as Premier League leaders on Saturday.

City won 2-1 at Nottingham Forest, with Rayan Cherki grabbing a goal and an assist to briefly move to the top of the pile.

But Arsenal, just as they had done last week by beating Everton after City’s earlier win over West Ham United, were unwavering as captain Martin Odegaard scored his first goal of the season for Mikel Arteta’s side.

Arsenal also needed an own goal and ⁠a spectacular save by keeper David Raya to preserve their lead, as the halfway point in the Premier League season looms.

The London side have 42 points from 18 games, with City on 40.

When Odegaard drilled in a 14th-minute opener for the Gunners, and Georginio Rutter’s own goal from a Declan Rice corner made it 2-0 shortly after the break, it should have been ​a routine three points for the hosts.

But Diego Gomez’s reply for Brighton changed the complexion of the contest, and there was relief at the final ‌whistle as Arsenal cleared another obstacle in the title chase.

“The knock-on effect of winning is incredibly powerful,” Arteta said of a victory that should have been easier.

“It should never be 2-1, but that’s the Premier League. What I like is that we have a lot of issues [but] we’re dealing with it in an incredible way. Yesterday, we lost Jurrien [Timber]; today, we lost [Riccardo] Calafiori in the warm-up; Declan [Rice] has to play as a full-back, and you see the performance that ‌he put in. So, that’s the spirit and that’s how much our players want it.”

Florian Wirtz scored his first Liverpool goal as they beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 on an emotional Anfield afternoon, when both sets of fans remembered the late Diogo Jota, who died in a car crash in July.

Wirtz doubled Liverpool’s lead shortly after Ryan Gravenberch had put them in front, although Wolves rallied in the second half and Santiago Bueno pulled a goal back.

Reigning champions Liverpool moved fourth on 32 ‍points, while the misery for the ⁠bottom club Wolves continues.

They have now broken the Premier League record for winless starts to a season and have two points from 18 games, and are 16 points behind the fourth-from-bottom Nottingham Forest.

ITV viewers took to social media to complain after watching Jamie Redknapp on the Christmas special of Ant & Dec’s Limitless Win on December 27

Viewers of ITV were left divided on Saturday night (December 27) as they settled in to watch the Christmas edition of Ant & Dec’s Limitless Win.

The festive episode saw two unsuspecting members of the audience receive a delightful shock when they were called up to take on the Limitless ladder alongside celebrity partners.

Throughout the programme, mother-of-two Brooke teamed up with Amanda Holden, but her journey ended prematurely after getting stuck on merely five questions.

In contrast, former soldier Nigel was matched with footballing icon Jamie Redknapp, and their partnership proved far more successful. Their performance was so impressive that the pair managed to nail three questions in a row with perfect accuracy.

Among the challenges they tackled was: “How many holes does a standard golf course have?” to which they correctly responded 18.

They also encountered the question: “How many mm wide is a standard Lindt Lindor chocolate truffle?” For this particular challenge, the duo opted to use their advantage card, submitting one response whilst Ant and Dec provided another, with the system removing whichever answer was furthest from the truth, reports the Express.

Jamie and Nigel put forward 32 as their response, whilst the presenting pair underestimated with 28, which turned out to be spot on.

Their third perfectly accurate answer came when asked “How many stripes does Where’s Wally have on his T-shirt?” correctly identifying the number as 10.

However, after the tense scenes aired, viewers took to social media in droves to voice their frustrations over the perceived ease of the show’s questions, with many labelling it a “fix”.

One disgruntled viewer wrote: “P*** easy questions, such a fix” while another echoed the sentiment, saying: “Come on chaps, they have got through with the equivalent of asking what comes after C in the alphabet.”

A third chimed in: “The golf course question was a bit of a gimmie,” and a fourth jested: “Three exact answers in a row! Woahhhhh! [laughing emoji]”.

Meanwhile, another fan quipped: “Happy Christmas, the next question is… what is your house number? [cry-laughing emoji].”

After achieving an impressive hat trick, the amy vet decided to cash out with an impressive £30,000 in the bank, which left the guest almost in tears. He couldn’t help but thank Jamie for his help throughout the nail-biting game, as they walked out arm in arm.

The festive special arrives just weeks before the new series returns next month, as part of a double recommission announced earlier this year. Since launching in 2022, Limitless Win has given away over an astonishing £3.5million and has been streamed 13million times, reaching over 25 million viewers.

Ant & Dec’s Limitless Win is on ITV1 and ITVX

**For the latest showbiz, TV, movie and streaming news, go to the new **Everything Gossip** website**

Emery may deflect title talk, but his body of work at Villa and the Midas touch he displays – match-winner Watkins described his manager as a “tactical genius” – means they are now right at the heart of the conversation at the top of the table.

Villa’s acid test may just come in their next game, when they face league leaders Arsenal at Emirates Stadium on Tuesday, 30 December (20:15 GMT) but Emery has made a habit of making life difficult for his former club.

He ticks every box for an elite manager, taking Villa into the Champions League last season, only missing out on this term’s competition on the final day of the last campaign, and now taking them just three points from the top of the table and only a point behind Manchester City.

Another figure of significance is that Villa’s win means they are now 10 points clear of fifth-placed Chelsea, a position they would have accepted with gratitude after failing to win any of their first five league games.

Emery proved his pedigree when he acted to galvanise a stuttering Villa display just before the hour as they trailed to Joao Pedro’s messy 37th-minute goal, the striker touching home Reece James’ corner in a scramble.

With Villa going nowhere but the game still in the balance, Emery sent on Watkins, Amadou Onana and Jadon Sancho for Donyell Malen, John McGinn and Emiliano Buendia.

The impact was stunning, Watkins equalising inside four minutes then powering home a header for the winner.

Emery did what the best managers do – he took the big decisions that turned a game which looked to be getting away from Villa on its head.

Sadio Mane’s equaliser earned 2022 champions Senegal a 1-1 draw with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in their heavyweight Africa Cup of Nations clash on Saturday.

Cedric Bakambu had given the Leopards the lead just after the hour mark in Tangier, but Al-Nassr forward Mane replied soon after, and the result ensures Senegal stay on top of Group D with one round of matches still to play.

Both teams have four points, but Senegal have a superior goal difference before their final group match against Benin on Tuesday.

Benin have three points after a 1-0 victory earlier Saturday in Rabat against Botswana, who are bottom without a point or goal scored.

Sebastien Desabre’s Congolese side were seeking revenge after a dramatic defeat in the last meeting of the nations, in World Cup qualifying in September.

Senegal came from 2-0 down to win that encounter 3-2 in Kinshasa, a result which allowed them to go on and top their group to secure a place at next year’s finals in North America.

DRC were therefore forced to settle for second place, but can still make the World Cup if they win a one-off playoff against either New Caledonia or Jamaica in Mexico in March.

Senegal, fresh from beating Botswana 3-0 and seen as perhaps the biggest threat to Morocco’s chances of winning the title on home soil, had more of the possession and more chances on the day.

However, the Leopards took the lead in the 61st minute when Theo Bongonda – scorer of the only goal in their opening win against Benin – had a shot at the end of a fine move parried by goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, and Real Betis striker Bakambu pounced to convert the loose ball.

But Senegal were only behind for eight minutes, their equaliser coming after a superb run by teenage substitute Ibrahim Mbaye.

The 17-year-old Paris Saint-Germain winger Mbaye, who was born in France and represented them up to Under-20 level, recently committed his international future to Senegal, for whom he qualifies through one of his parents.

He replaced Ismaila Sarr just after Bakambu’s opener, and made the leveller from a penetrating run down the right.

Mbaye burst away from Arthur Masuaku, who appeared to injure himself going to tackle, and then saw his shot blocked by Lionel Mpasi, but Mane was on hand to score.

It was a 10th AFCON goal for former Liverpool superstar Mane, who is appearing at his sixth tournament.

Benin record first AFCON win in their history

Yohan Roche ‌scored a deflected winner as Benin claimed a first-ever victory ‍at the Africa ‍Cup of Nations finals, with a 1-0 Group D success against Botswana in Rabat on Saturday.

Benin move to three points from their opening two games, level with Senegal and the DRC in the table, who meet in their second pool fixture ​in Tangier later on Saturday.

Benin took the lead in ‍the 28th minute when Roche played a one-two in the box with captain Steve Mounie, and his shot from 9 metres (10 yards) took a wicked deflection off a defender ‍and into ⁠the net.

Benin finally celebrated a victory at the continental finals on the 16th attempt, following their debut in 2004, and despite the fact that they were quarterfinalists in 2019. They also have five draws to go with 10 defeats.

Botswana offered little going forward, though Mothusi Johnson struck the crossbar with a curling free-kick that ​beat the goalkeeper but not the frame of the ‌goal.

Benin had several chances to add to their score, though Botswana goalkeeper Goitseone Phoko made an excellent low stop to deny Tamimou Ouorou.

Dodo Dokou then worked an excellent shooting ‌chance 11 metres (12 yards) from goal in added time at the end of the game, but fired over ‌the bar with the goal gaping.

Botswana become ⁠the second team, after Benin, to lose their first five Cup of Nations matches after three defeats on debut in 2012 and an opening 3-0 loss to Senegal this year.

They ‌meet DRC in their final pool game on Tuesday, while Benin face Senegal at the same time.

The top two teams in each pool, ‍as well as the four best third-placed sides across the six groups, qualify for the Round of 16.

Prior to the Test, stand-in Australia captain Steve Smith described the pitch as “furry and green” and said “batters would have to be on their game”.

Speaking after his side were beaten, Smith said he was “not sure” why MCG head groundsman Matthew Page had opted to leave so much grass on the pitch for the Boxing Day Test – a marquee event in the Australian sporting calendar. Page will talk to the media on Sunday.

“We let them judge it and do what they see fit,” said Smith.

“I said before the game it looked like it was going to offer a fair amount and it probably did more than we thought it was going to.

“It’s tough as a groundsman, always looking for the right balance. Maybe if he took it from 10mm to eight it would have been a nice, challenging wicket, maybe a little bit more even. Groundsmen are always learning and maybe he’ll take something from that.”

Former England captain Michael Vaughan had criticised the MCG pitch after day one and said it had “done too much” and the result was an “unfair” contest between bat and ball.

Pitches and outfields that have hosted international matches are given a rating by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Following the 2017 Ashes Test on this ground, the MCG pitch was given a “poor” rating for being too friendly for batting. Only 24 wickets fell across the entire Test and England’s Alastair Cook made an unbeaten 244.

On this occasion, England batter Joe Root, who also played in 2017, said this pitch was “challenging” to bat on.

“The argument is was it too one-sided – bat v ball? People are more qualified to judge that,” said Root. “It was certainly challenging from my point of view.

“You have a world-class attack and the ball is moving a considerable amount. Your job is to get on the right side of the result.”

England captain Ben Stokes says he is proud of the way his players “held firm” to win the fourth Ashes Test after a wave of criticism during the build-up to the match.

A failure to capitalise on good positions after they surrendered the Ashes inside only 11 days of cricket, questions over their preparation and attitude, plus off-the-field issues related to drinking are among the headlines to have blighted the tour.

But a pulsating four-wicket victory in the space of two days in Melbourne, in front of jubilant travelling supporters, meant England avoided the prospect of an Ashes clean sweep.

Stokes said he was “very proud” of the way his side reacted to secure victory at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, ending an 18-match winless streak in Australia.

“On the back of everything we had to deal with in this game, I couldn’t be prouder of the way we held firm as a group and as individuals as well,” Stokes told Test Match Special.

“You get tested as leaders within sporting teams and organisations in different ways.

“That was a test of character, a test of qualities of leadership. The way we went about it, not only in public, in terms of all the media and all that sort of stuff.”

Stokes said there was no sense from his players they had been distracted by the extra scrutiny following their controversial mid-series break in Noosa.

He said: “Behind the scenes, it was important that everyone’s focus was on the cricket.

“It would have been so easy to put our focus and attention on all that stuff outside the dressing room. At the end of the day, the most important thing is what we need to do out there.

“I thought the way we bowled this week was exceptional, the way we went about that run-chase was exceptional.”

Stokes said his side are now determined to end the series with another victory in the fifth and final Test in Sydney, which starts on 3 January [23:30 GMT, 2 January].

“It is a very proud moment knowing how tough this tour has been and how everything has gone before this tour coming here,” Stokes added.

“So to get that win in over a long period of time we have been waiting for is pretty pleasing.

“We still have one more to go, and the focus has not moved away from that. We had two games, and we want to get two results go our way.”