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Returning Leao Boosts Milan's Champions League Mission Impossible Attempt

Rafael Leao starred in AC Milan's win over Paris Saint-Germain. GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP/File
Rafael Leao starred in AC Milan's win over Paris Saint-Germain. GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP/File
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Returning Leao Boosts Milan's Champions League Mission Impossible Attempt

Rafael Leao starred in AC Milan's win over Paris Saint-Germain. GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP/File
Rafael Leao starred in AC Milan's win over Paris Saint-Germain. GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP/File

Rafael Leao returns for AC Milan's last desperate attempt to reach the Champions League knockouts, the seven-time European champions staring at early elimination ahead of their final Group F match at Newcastle on Wednesday.
Portugal attacker Leao has been out of action for the past month with a hamstring injury but Milan are confident their winger will be ready to start at St James' Park and repeat his mesmerizing display against Paris Saint-Germain from a month ago, AFP said.
The 24-year-old is Milan's undoubted star man, the player who when on form is capable of turning a match in his side's favor but whose performances have been erratic in a troubled season for the Italian outfit.
Milan will need the version of Leao which tore PSG to bits if they are to have any chance of progressing to the last 16 as a painful home loss to Borussia Dortmund in their most recent group fixture left qualification out of their hands.
Leao has scored four times and set up three more this season but has been criticized for lackluster performances, his equalizer in the 2-1 home win over PSG his first goal in the best part of two months.
"Criticism spurs me on, keep talking because I'll reply on the pitch," said Leao after the PSG win, which was the last time he found the net as he picked up his hamstring knock a few days later at Lecce.
After the Dortmund defeat which left Milan bottom of the group, Yacine Adli said his team had a "two-to-three percent chance of qualifying", and making it to the next round is indeed a tall order.
Milan must beat Newcastle, not an impossible task judging by the 4-1 thumping Eddie Howe's team took at Tottenham on Sunday, but also need group leaders Dortmund to beat PSG who are two points ahead of Milan in second spot.
A 3-0 thrashing in Paris in October means that Milan have to finish on more points than PSG otherwise it's relegation to the Europa League or -- if they don't win in England -- elimination from all continental competition.
Pioli at risk?
And the team is already at a low ebb after Saturday's last-gasp defeat at Atalanta which left Milan nine points behind Serie A leaders Inter Milan and fans calling for coach Stefano Pioli's head.
Pioli has good relations with the club hierarchy and American owners RedBird, and he has a lot of credit in the bank after leading Milan back to the top echelons of the game.
The 2022 Serie A title and last season's run to the semi-finals of the Champions League have been the high points of the post-Silvio Berlusconi era.
He also gets on well with returning idol Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who was key alongside Pioli to re-establishing Milan as a big player.
Ibrahimovic, who called time on his playing career in June, has been brought in as a "senior advisor" by RedBird with a wide mandate which has been met with confusion from fans and pundits alike and led to suspicion that Pioli's job is at risk.
"When he returned to Milan as a player, he was in the dressing room and had an impact there," said Fabio Capello, a four-time Serie A winner with Milan in the 1990s.
"We don't know if he's allowed in the dressing room or if he's allowed to give Pioli hand, nor do we know whether bringing him in will weaken Pioli's authority."
With just three wins from 10 matches since the October international break, Pioli's authority has already been questioned by fans, and he hasn't been helped by a raft of injuries.
Milan are so short in defense that France's buccaneering left-back Theo Hernandez will again have to fill in at center-back alongside Fikayo Tomori, further placing the onus on Leao to be the miracle worker.

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Sports

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.