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Colombia Edges Defending Champion Argentina 2-1 in South American World Cup Qualifiers 

Soccer Football - World Cup - South American Qualifiers - Colombia v Argentina - Estadio Metropolitano, Barranquilla, Colombia - September 10, 2024 Colombia's James Rodríguez celebrates after Yerson Mosquera scores their first goal. (Reuters)
Soccer Football - World Cup - South American Qualifiers - Colombia v Argentina - Estadio Metropolitano, Barranquilla, Colombia - September 10, 2024 Colombia's James Rodríguez celebrates after Yerson Mosquera scores their first goal. (Reuters)
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Colombia Edges Defending Champion Argentina 2-1 in South American World Cup Qualifiers 

Soccer Football - World Cup - South American Qualifiers - Colombia v Argentina - Estadio Metropolitano, Barranquilla, Colombia - September 10, 2024 Colombia's James Rodríguez celebrates after Yerson Mosquera scores their first goal. (Reuters)
Soccer Football - World Cup - South American Qualifiers - Colombia v Argentina - Estadio Metropolitano, Barranquilla, Colombia - September 10, 2024 Colombia's James Rodríguez celebrates after Yerson Mosquera scores their first goal. (Reuters)

James Rodríguez scored from the penalty spot and had an assist to help Colombia edge defending champion Argentina 2-1 on Tuesday in a South American World Cup qualifier.

The Argentina attack missed Lionel Messi, who was sidelined because of injury for the between the teams since the Copa America final.

Yerson Mosquera opened the scoring in the 25th minute but Argentina equalized in the 48th when Nico Gonzalez capitalized on a defensive blunder from the Colombians. Rodríguez’ 60th-minute penalty, which was awarded after a video review, secured the win at the Metropolitano Stadium.

"It is a great win against an Argentina team that has won it all," Rodríguez said. "The weather was tough, it was so hot, but we had an excellent match. It is a fair win."

World Cup champion Argentina lifted the Copa America trophy after a 1-0 overtime victory over Colombia in July.

Colombia, which hadn't triumphed over Argentina since 2019, is still unbeaten in South American World Cup qualifying.

Also on Tuesday, Bolivia upset Chile 2-1 at Santiago; Ecuador beat Peru 1-0, and Venezuela drew 0-0 with Uruguay.

Paraguay vs. Brazil were still to play.

Argentina leads the round-robin competition with 18 points after eight matches, two points clear of Colombia. Uruguay is in third position with 15 points, followed by Ecuador with 14.

The top six teams in South American qualifying will get automatic spots at the 2026 World Cup.

Colombia once again had the 33-year-old Rodríguez to thank after he gave a perfect cross for Mosquera to nod in and opening the scoring. That equalized Carlos Valderrama's record of 11 assists in South American World Cup qualifying.

A mistake by Rodríguez allowed Argentina to equalize, with Nico González stealing the ball from him and shooting past goalkeeper Camilo Vargas.

But Rodríguez made amends when he beat Dibu Martínez, a prolific penalty stopper, and equalized Falcao García's mark of 13 goals in World Cup qualifying.

Argentina's strikers Lautaro Martínez and Julián Álvarez failed to offer as much danger as they do when veteran Messi is there to create opportunities for them.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said the heat had an impact on the match.

"The heat is the same for both, but it is evident that there were not good conditions for us to see a spectacle," the coach said.

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Sonmez Becomes Fan Favorite in Melbourne After Coming to Aid of Ball Girl

Zeynep Sonmez of Türkiye and umpire Chase Urban help a ball kid who fainted, from the court during her first round match against Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP)
Zeynep Sonmez of Türkiye and umpire Chase Urban help a ball kid who fainted, from the court during her first round match against Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP)
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Sonmez Becomes Fan Favorite in Melbourne After Coming to Aid of Ball Girl

Zeynep Sonmez of Türkiye and umpire Chase Urban help a ball kid who fainted, from the court during her first round match against Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP)
Zeynep Sonmez of Türkiye and umpire Chase Urban help a ball kid who fainted, from the court during her first round match against Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP)

Zeynep Sonmez earned a place in fans' hearts as well as the second round at the Australian Open on Sunday when the Turkish qualifier rushed to the aid of a ball girl who had fainted in the punishing Melbourne heat.

The world number 112 was locked in battle with ‌11th seed ‌Ekaterina Alexandrova and waiting ‌to ⁠receive serve ‌in the second set when the girl, who was positioned beside the chair umpire, suddenly wobbled and fell on her back.

The girl picked herself up but stumbled again moments later, prompting ⁠23-year-old Sonmez to stop play and run towards ‌her.

With the crowd applauding, ‍Sonmez put the ‍girl's arm over her shoulder and ‍guided her to a seat so medical staff could provide treatment.

Sonmez went on to lose the set but she was able to secure a 7-5 4-6 6-4 win and become the ⁠first woman from Türkiye to reach the second round of the Melbourne Park Grand Slam.

Her victory comes on the back of a 2025 season in which she reached the third round at Wimbledon, marking the best Grand Slam result in the professional era for a Turkish woman.

She also reached the ‌second round of the US Open.

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Fans Frustrated by Long Queues, Ticket Sales Halt on Day One of Australian Open

Sebastian Korda of the US serves compatriot Michael Zheng during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP)
Sebastian Korda of the US serves compatriot Michael Zheng during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP)
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Fans Frustrated by Long Queues, Ticket Sales Halt on Day One of Australian Open

Sebastian Korda of the US serves compatriot Michael Zheng during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP)
Sebastian Korda of the US serves compatriot Michael Zheng during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP)

Australian Open organizers came under fire on the Grand Slam's opening day on Sunday as frustrated fans sweated in long queues to the gates of Melbourne Park and complained of confusion over the suspension of ticket sales.

With heightened security at the event in the wake of the Bondi Beach shooting in Sydney last month, hundreds of spectators gathered outside the venue in hot weather before tournament officials paused sales of the cheaper "ground pass" tickets within the first hour of play due to intense demand.

Ground passes, which ‌cost A$65 ($43) ‌for adults during day sessions, allow largely unfettered ‌access ⁠to the minor ‌courts and are hugely popular at the year's first Grand Slam.

Tournament director Craig Tiley confirmed in the morning that only the more expensive tickets to the main showcourts were available, but fans were oblivious as they queued for extended periods outside the venue.

Josh Main, a visitor from the Netherlands, said the experience was a letdown during a family trip that coincided with the Grand Slam.

“We went to look for ⁠tickets but there was a big line, so I thought, are we in the right line?” he ‌told Reuters. “They told us there are no tickets ‍left, so we can’t get in.

"They ‍did say there were tickets left for Rod Laver (Arena) but we’re not going ‍to sit there today and it’s expensive ... I think they said it was 300 bucks or something."

Local fans also voiced disappointment, with Melbourne resident Elton Yu surprised to find ground passes unavailable.

“Never expected to not have any tickets for the ground pass which I always do,” he told Reuters.

Susan Walsh, another Melbourne resident, said she and her group had already purchased arena tickets but hoped ⁠to enter earlier.

“We tried to buy a ground pass and they just told us it was only tickets that were $229 per person,” she said. “Didn’t want to spend that much money ... So, a bit disappointed.”

Tiley said the sales halt was just for the Sunday day session and that there were ground passes available for the evening.

“We’ve had to pause them because obviously we want people to come on site and have a great time,” he told reporters.

“There’s still the 'After 5' (o'clock) ground passes available, which is $49, come on-site for that.”

Governing body Tennis Australia (TA) said fans were encouraged to book in advance and that crowd numbers were constantly monitored at Melbourne ‌Park.

“Tickets will become available as capacity allows,” a spokeswoman said in a statement to Reuters.

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Hosts Morocco Ready for Battle with Mane’s Senegal in AFCON Final

Morocco's defender #02 Achraf Hakimi celebrates after the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) semi-final football match between Nigeria and Morocco at the Prince Moulay Abdellah stadium in Rabat on January 14, 2026. (AFP)
Morocco's defender #02 Achraf Hakimi celebrates after the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) semi-final football match between Nigeria and Morocco at the Prince Moulay Abdellah stadium in Rabat on January 14, 2026. (AFP)
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Hosts Morocco Ready for Battle with Mane’s Senegal in AFCON Final

Morocco's defender #02 Achraf Hakimi celebrates after the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) semi-final football match between Nigeria and Morocco at the Prince Moulay Abdellah stadium in Rabat on January 14, 2026. (AFP)
Morocco's defender #02 Achraf Hakimi celebrates after the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) semi-final football match between Nigeria and Morocco at the Prince Moulay Abdellah stadium in Rabat on January 14, 2026. (AFP)

The Africa Cup of Nations reaches its climax on Sunday with a final showdown between the continent's two leading footballing powerhouses as hosts Morocco look to win the title for the first time in 50 years when they take on Sadio Mane's Senegal.

The match kicks off at 1900 GMT at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, where almost all of the crowd of 69,000 will be backing a Morocco side captained by African player of the year Achraf Hakimi.

The first AFCON ever to start in one year and end in another could be the second in a row to be won by the host nation, with the Atlas Lions aiming to follow in the footsteps of Ivory Coast, crowned champions in front of their own fans in Abidjan in 2024.

Walid Regragui's Morocco have established themselves in recent years as Africa's pre-eminent national team, becoming the first from the continent to reach a World Cup semi-final, in 2022, and climbing to 11th place in the world rankings, just above Italy.

However, they have long been AFCON underachievers, with their only title to date coming in 1976. This will be their first final since 2004, when they lost to Tunisia with Regragui part of the team.

Senegal, meanwhile, are appearing in their third final in four editions and are targeting a second title to follow their 2022 triumph, when Mane scored the decisive penalty in a shoot-out win over Egypt in Yaounde.

"We dreamt of being here and now we have done it," Regragui told reporters in the Moroccan capital on Saturday.

He has been under suffocating pressure to deliver the title for the football-mad nation, and would perhaps not have kept his job through to the approaching World Cup in North America had he not at least taken the team this far.

"I hope this is just the beginning and not our last AFCON final," he added.

"Big football nations want to be up there on a regular basis. Tomorrow (Sunday) we want to try to make history."

He added: "Senegal will need to be really strong to beat us at home, although they are capable."

Morocco's success over the last four weeks has been based around the attacking inspiration of Real Madrid winger Brahim Diaz, the tournament's top scorer with five goals, as well as a defense which has conceded only once -- and that a penalty in a group-stage draw with Mali.

Being at home brings extra pressure, but can also be a huge advantage, and Senegal have complained about the conditions in which they were welcomed to Rabat ahead of the game.

The Lions of Teranga were based in the northern port city of Tangiers for the duration of the tournament before arriving in Rabat by train on Friday.

Senegal's star player Mane, a two-time winner of the African player of the year prize, said after netting the winner in the semi-final against Egypt that Sunday's game would be his last ever AFCON appearance.

Remarkably, Senegal coach Pape Thiaw insisted on the eve of the game that the former Liverpool forward may have no choice but to rethink that decision.

"I think he made his decision in the heat of the moment and the country does not agree, and I as coach of the national team do not agree," said Thiaw.

"We would like to keep him for as long as possible," added the coach, who is without center-back and captain Kalidou Koulibaly due to suspension.