SPORTS - Page 16

On Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs secured the AFC Championship by defeating the Baltimore Ravens, earning their fourth Super Bowl appearance in the last five years. In the upcoming Super Bowl, they will face the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers halted the Lion’s remarkable playoff journey by staging a comeback from a 17-point halftime deficit, scoring 27 unanswered points in a 34-31 triumph. This victory sets the stage for a rematch of a game four years ago, in which the

On Friday, Dallas guard Luka Doncic achieved a historic feat by scoring 73 points, setting a new franchise record and marking the highest individual score in the NBA this season. His remarkable performance played a crucial role in the visiting Mavericks breaking their three-game losing streak, securing a thrilling 148-143 victory over the Atlanta Hawks. Notably, Doncic’s point total now ties for the fourth-highest in NBA history, with Wilt Chamberlain achieving the same feat twice and David Thompson also reaching

South Korea avoided a clash with pre-tournament favorite Japan after Malaysia staged a late comeback to draw 3-3 with them on Thursday. Substitute Romel Morales’ late goal earned a share of the spoils for the Asian Cup debutants, who came from two goals down at half-time to equalize with seven minutes left. It meant the Group E runner-up was determined by goal difference, and South Korea edged out Bahrain to finish second. The result also saw Jordan, who beat Malaysia

Aryna Sabalenka moved closer to defending her Australian Open title with a thrilling victory over American fourth seed Coco Gauff, winning 7-6(2), 6-4 on Thursday. The two reigning hardcourt Grand Slam champions made contrasting starts to the match as Belarusian Sabalenka fired an ace and revved up her forehand to hold before pouncing on two double faults by Gauff to break. Gauff, who won the Auckland title last week, held her own on serve in the following game and took

Iran booked their place in the Asian Cup last 16 after a narrow win over Hong Kong on Friday. Mehdi Ghayedi scored the winner in the 24th minute as Team Melli advanced with six points to top Group C. Hong Kong, hampered by defensive mistakes throughout the game, can still progress to the quarter-finals if they defeat Palestine in their final group match on January 23 and have other results. The match at the Khalifa International Stadium had looked like

On Saturday, two-time former champion Victoria Azarenka extended her undefeated record against Jelena Ostapenko to 4-0 with a 6-1, 7-5 triumph in the third round of the Australian Open. Azarenka, the world No 22, reached her first quarterfinal at Melbourne Park since winning her Grand Slam titles in 2012 and 2013. The 34-year-old, whose last two matches have been three-setters, will face Ukraine qualifier Dayana Yastremska in her next match. The players traded holds in the opening four games of

Lionel Messi from Argentina secured the FIFA Men’s Player of the Year trophy, narrowly clinching the title through a tiebreaker. The Barcelona star and Norway striker Erling Haaland were both on 48 points in the voting, with the award decided by whichever player had more first-place votes from national team captains. France’s Paris St Germain forward Kylian Mbappe came in third. Manchester City’s Ederson, who helped his club win the Premier League, Champions League, and FA Cup in 2022-23, was

In a thrilling match at Al Thumama Stadium on Sunday, Japan secured a comeback victory against Vietnam in their Asian Cup Group D opener, winning 4-2. The first half witnessed a total of five goals, with Takumi Minamino scoring twice to propel the top-seeded Japanese team to success. The former Liverpool forward set the ball rolling with a clinical finish in the 11th minute to give Japan the early lead. But the Southeast Asians, under former Japan coach Philippe Troussier,

In his first-round match at the Australian Open on Monday, Stefanos Tsitsipas showcased remarkable skill with a balletic shot during a crucial moment, securing his advancement to the second round against lucky loser Zizou Bergs. Despite losing the initial set to the 129th-ranked player, the Greek seventh seed seized a breakpoint early in the second set when his Belgian adversary delicately placed the ball just over the net on Rod Laver Arena. Tsitsipas took full advantage of the opportunity, racing