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Morocco Counting on Boufal, Ziyech for Goals at World Cup

FILE - Morocco’s Sofiane Boufal celebrates after scoring the opening goal during an international friendly soccer match between Morocco and Chile at the Cornella-El Prat stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Friday, Sept. 23, 2022. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort, File)
FILE - Morocco’s Sofiane Boufal celebrates after scoring the opening goal during an international friendly soccer match between Morocco and Chile at the Cornella-El Prat stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Friday, Sept. 23, 2022. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort, File)
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Morocco Counting on Boufal, Ziyech for Goals at World Cup

FILE - Morocco’s Sofiane Boufal celebrates after scoring the opening goal during an international friendly soccer match between Morocco and Chile at the Cornella-El Prat stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Friday, Sept. 23, 2022. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort, File)
FILE - Morocco’s Sofiane Boufal celebrates after scoring the opening goal during an international friendly soccer match between Morocco and Chile at the Cornella-El Prat stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Friday, Sept. 23, 2022. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort, File)

Youssef En-Nesyri’s goal drought sharpens the focus on others to score for Morocco at the World Cup in Qatar.

En-Nesyri has not scored for Sevilla in the Spanish league, after netted 18 league goals two seasons ago.

En-Nesyri has considerable experience with 49 international appearances and 14 goals, including a header against Spain at the 2018 World Cup. His ability to stop opposing defenders from passing the ball out cleanly also makes him a valuable asset.

But he’s not scoring, whereas Sofiane Boufal is.

At 29 years old, Boufal is entering his peak years and four of his five international goals have come this year. He’s also netted three in 10 games for Angers in the French league this season.

He’s long been a talent, albeit inconsistent, The Associated Press reported.

Five years ago, Boufal scored an astonishing goal for Southampton, running from deep inside his own half and dribbling past five players. He won the 2017–18 Premier League goal of the season award.

While Boufal is coming back to form, Hakim Ziyech is returning from an exile imposed by former Morocco coach Vahid Halilhodzic — who had dropped the Chelsea winger in a dispute over a supposed unwillingness to play in a friendly game.

“A player who refuses to train, who refuses to play, who feigns injury, for me the story is over,” Halilhodzic said on Croatian TV channel Nova TV in April. “The national team is sacred.”

Despite guiding the Atlas Lions to the tournament, Halilhodzic was fired in August. The Moroccan soccer federation said it was because of disagreements in preparing the team for the World Cup, where Morocco has a tough draw in Group F. The team will open against 2018 World Cup runner-up Croatia on Nov. 23 before facing 2018 semifinalist Belgium and then Canada.

Morocco replaced Halilhodzic with Walid Regragui, a 47-year-old Moroccan who made 45 international appearances as a right back. Last season, Regragui led Moroccan club Wydad Casablanca to the league and CAF Champions League titles.

Regragui immediately recalled Ziyech — who was so unhappy under the disciplinarian Halilhodzic that he even announced his international retirement — for a 2-0 victory over Chile and a 0-0 draw against Paraguay in warmups last month.

Against the Chileans, Regragui gave a glimpse of how his team could line up against Croatia by selecting Ziyech on the right and Boufal on the left, on either side of the spearpoint En-Nesyri.

It worked. Boufal scored, as did Abdelhamid Sabiri, a regular scorer in Italy with Sampdoria who got his first international goal.

Once nicknamed “The Wizard” by Ajax fans, Ziyech has a point to prove, too, after flopping at the last World Cup in Russia. He kicked the air when missing an easy early chance in a 1-0 loss to Iran in their tournament opener.

Ziyech and Boufal should get plenty of scoring chances if Achraf Hakimi is in form. The Paris Saint-Germain right back is one of the best attacking fullbacks in world soccer and has pace, skill, good passing and an eye for shooting with eights goals in 53 games for Morocco.

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LA28 Lights Coliseum Cauldron as Ticket Registration Set to Open

The LA28 Olympic cauldron is lit during a ceremonial lighting at the Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on January 13, 2026, ahead of the launch of ticket registration for the 2028 Summer Olympic Games. (AFP)
The LA28 Olympic cauldron is lit during a ceremonial lighting at the Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on January 13, 2026, ahead of the launch of ticket registration for the 2028 Summer Olympic Games. (AFP)
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LA28 Lights Coliseum Cauldron as Ticket Registration Set to Open

The LA28 Olympic cauldron is lit during a ceremonial lighting at the Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on January 13, 2026, ahead of the launch of ticket registration for the 2028 Summer Olympic Games. (AFP)
The LA28 Olympic cauldron is lit during a ceremonial lighting at the Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on January 13, 2026, ahead of the launch of ticket registration for the 2028 Summer Olympic Games. (AFP)

Los Angeles Olympic organizers brought together about 300 current and former Olympians and Paralympians at the LA Memorial Coliseum on Tuesday for a ceremonial lighting of the stadium's Olympic cauldron, using the rare gathering of athletes to launch the ​public countdown to ticket sales for the 2028 Games.

Registration for LA28's ticket draw opens on Wednesday at 7:00 a.m. local time (1500 GMT), with fans able to sign up through March 18 for a chance to be assigned a time slot to buy tickets when sales begin in April.

The cauldron lighting event at the Coliseum - which hosted the Olympics in 1932 and 1984 and is due to stage the Opening Ceremony and track and field in 2028 - featured athletes spanning decades of competition and was billed by ‌organizers as ‌one of the largest assemblies of Olympic and Paralympic athletes ‌outside ⁠competition.

"In ​just ‌the last year, I've seen firsthand how Angelenos come together, how they rise to meet every challenge, and that spirit is unmatched," Hoover said at the event, alluding to the wildfires that devastated LA neighborhoods a year ago.

Hoover said 150,000 people have already signed up to volunteer at the Games, which organizers have billed as "athlete-centered" and accessible to all.

"That's 150,000 supporters saying I want to be a part of this, I want be a part of history, ⁠I want a be a part of LA28," he said.

"We know fans around the world are feeling the same ‌way and are hungry for their chance to get into ‍the stands to experience this once ‍in a lifetime, once in a generation, event."

TICKETS STARTING AT $28

LA28 Chair and President Casey ‍Wasserman told Reuters that ticket registration was a "major milestone" on the road to LA28.

Tickets will start at $28, with a target of at least one million tickets at that price point, and roughly a third of tickets will be under $100, he said.

Under LA28's process, registrants will be entered into a ​random draw for time slots to buy tickets. LA28 said time slots for Drop 1 will run from April 9-19, with email notifications sent ⁠March 31 to April 7. Tickets for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies will be included in Drop 1.

A local presale window will run April 2-6 for residents in select Southern California and Oklahoma counties, where canoe slalom and softball will be held. Paralympic tickets are due to go on sale in 2027.

On the sidelines of the event, LA28 Chief Athlete Officer and gold medal winning swimmer Janet Evans said the Olympics are a powerful way to unite people from around the globe.

"The Olympics is the greatest peacetime gathering in the world. We are lucky enough we get to bring it here to Los Angeles and experience that," she said.

Paralympic swimmer Jamal Hill said he was moved to see the cauldron flame burning ‌bright in the LA sunshine.

"I didn't feel the physical warmth, but my heart fluttered a little bit," he said.

"The whole world is coming to LA28."

Sports

Sinner in Way as Alcaraz Targets Career Grand Slam in Australia

Carlos Alcaraz of Spain practices ahead of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 13 January 2026. (EPA)
Carlos Alcaraz of Spain practices ahead of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 13 January 2026. (EPA)
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Sinner in Way as Alcaraz Targets Career Grand Slam in Australia

Carlos Alcaraz of Spain practices ahead of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 13 January 2026. (EPA)
Carlos Alcaraz of Spain practices ahead of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 13 January 2026. (EPA)

Carlos Alcaraz is targeting a career Grand Slam at the Australian Open but winning the only major to elude him will be no easy feat with great rival Jannik Sinner standing in his way.

Spain's Alcaraz already has six major titles under his belt aged just 22, but success on the Melbourne Park hard courts is a glaring hole in his resume.

He has not made it past the quarter-finals in four trips to Australia, losing at that stage in 2025 to Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev the year before.

"It's my first goal to be honest," Alcaraz said of Australia after winning the US Open last year, his second Slam title of 2025 after defending his crown at Roland Garros.

"When I just go to the pre-seasons to what I want to improve, what I want to achieve, Australian Open is there."

Should he snap his Australia drought at the tournament starting on Sunday, Alcaraz would become the youngest man to bank a career Grand Slam, surpassing retired compatriot Rafael Nadal.

Nadal secured all four majors by the age of 24.

Alcaraz faces a significant roadblock in Italy's Sinner, the two-time defending champion who is chasing his own slice of history.

If the 24-year-old makes it three in a row in Melbourne he would join Djokovic as the only men in the Open era to do so. The Serbian legend has done the three-peat twice during his 10 titles at Melbourne Park.

"I feel like a better player than last year," warned Sinner after completing his 2025 campaign with 58 wins and just six defeats.

"A lot of wins and not many losses. And in the losses I had, I tried to see the positive thing and tried to use it to evolve me as a player."

Sinner came from two sets down to defeat Daniil Medvedev in the 2024 Australian Open final before seeing off Zverev in straight sets a year ago.

- Djokovic record hunt -

While Sinner is the defending champion, Alcaraz leads 10-6 in their head-to-head record and bumped Sinner from the season-ending world number one spot.

They met in a light-hearted exhibition match in South Korea last weekend, the pair's only warm-up for Melbourne, with Alcaraz coming out on top.

Such is the dominance of "Sincaraz", as they are being called, they have shared the last eight Grand Slam titles, picking up four each since Djokovic won his 24th major at the 2023 US Open.

The Serb is back again at his most successful hunting ground, but there are questions over his fitness and form with the 38-year-old pulling out of this week's Adelaide International.

Still chasing a record 25th major crown, Djokovic could be at his last Australian Open and will be desperate to win there again.

Djokovic made the semis at all four majors last year but went no further, admitting "I can do only as much as I can do".

World number three Zverev, along with Lorenzo Musetti, Alex de Minaur and Felix Auger-Aliassime, ranked five, six and seven respectively, will be looking to crash the party and win a first major.

Three-time losing finalist Medvedev is a dark horse after winning the lead-up Brisbane International, while American Learner Tien spearheads the new guard fresh from lifting the ATP Next Gen title.

Jakub Mensik and Joao Fonseca are also among the young talents looking to make a mark, while Alexander Bublik will fancy going deep after winning the Hong Kong Open and breaking into the top 10.

Sports

Semenyo on Target Again as Man City Beat Newcastle in League Cup Semi-Final

Manchester City's Antoine Semenyo, right, celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the English League Cup semi-final first leg match between Newcastle and Manchester City in Newcastle, England, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP)
Manchester City's Antoine Semenyo, right, celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the English League Cup semi-final first leg match between Newcastle and Manchester City in Newcastle, England, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP)
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Semenyo on Target Again as Man City Beat Newcastle in League Cup Semi-Final

Manchester City's Antoine Semenyo, right, celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the English League Cup semi-final first leg match between Newcastle and Manchester City in Newcastle, England, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP)
Manchester City's Antoine Semenyo, right, celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the English League Cup semi-final first leg match between Newcastle and Manchester City in Newcastle, England, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP)

Manchester City's Antoine Semenyo made it two goals from two games for his new club and Rayan Cherki struck in stoppage time as Pep Guardiola's side beat holders Newcastle ​United 2-0 away in the first leg of their League Cup semi-final on Tuesday.

Semenyo, who joined in a 65 million pound ($87.25 million) deal from Bournemouth this month, got on the end of Jeremy Doku's cross in the 53rd minute to score from close range.

It could have been even better for Semenyo who thought he had put City 2-0 ahead later on but his neat finish was ruled out for a subjective offside decision after a lengthy VAR check.

City gave themselves a cushion for the second leg on February 4 as Cherki swept in a low shot to stun the home fans.

Newcastle's ‌best chances came ‌just after the break when City keeper James Trafford did superbly ‌to ⁠push ​a Yoane ‌Wissa effort against the crossbar and Bruno Guimaraes fired a low shot against the woodwork immediately after.

Eddie Howe's side claimed Newcastle's first domestic silverware since 1955 last season when they beat Liverpool at Wembley in March but they now face an uphill battle to reach a second successive final.

Semenyo opened his City account in the 10-1 hammering of Exeter City in the FA Cup on Saturday and is the first City player to score in his first two appearances for the club in all competitions since Emmanuel Adebayor in 2009.

'SMILE ON ⁠MY FACE'

"The whole environment here is perfect. Everyone is confident and wanting achieve the best," Semenyo, who also scored in his farewell ‌game for Bournemouth last week, said.

"I am picking things up very ‍quickly and enjoying it. I am just taking ‍the confidence I had from Bournemouth here and playing with a smile on my face. I ‍am enjoying every moment."

Howe was disappointed with the rule change that meant Semenyo was eligible to play in the competition despite also featuring for Bournemouth in the second round in August and his fears were justified as the winger tormented his side.

Things might have been different for Newcastle had Wissa not blazed an early chance over the ​crossbar.

"Looking back with hindsight, you'd say that's potentially a big turning point," Howe said of the chance. "We wanted to get the crowd fully into the match."

City grew in ⁠stature and after surviving a couple of scares at the start of the second half they took control.

Semenyo showed a goal sniffer's instinct to get on the end of Doku's cross after it was flicked on by Bernardo Silva.

The Ghanaian was celebrating again when he found the net by flicking in a corner but after nearly six minutes of VAR checks and a pitch-side check, the goal was disallowed because Erling Haaland was deemed to be interfering with play and in a fractionally offside position.

"Four officials and VAR were not able to take the decision, they had to go to the referee," Guardiola said. "We know how it works and that will make us stronger."

It was at the end of nine minutes of stoppage time, most of it added on for the VAR decision, that Cherki slotted in from a low cut-back from the ‌left by Rayan Ait Nouri to put City on course for their first final in the competition since 2021.

Arsenal take on Chelsea in the first leg of the other semi-final on Wednesday.