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Mbappe Leads 10-Man Real Madrid to Win at Sociedad, Atletico Gets First Win of the Season

Football - LaLiga - Real Sociedad v Real Madrid - Reale Arena, San Sebastian, Spain - September 13, 2025 Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe celebrates scoring their first goal with Real Madrid's Arda Guler. (Reuters)
Football - LaLiga - Real Sociedad v Real Madrid - Reale Arena, San Sebastian, Spain - September 13, 2025 Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe celebrates scoring their first goal with Real Madrid's Arda Guler. (Reuters)
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Mbappe Leads 10-Man Real Madrid to Win at Sociedad, Atletico Gets First Win of the Season

Football - LaLiga - Real Sociedad v Real Madrid - Reale Arena, San Sebastian, Spain - September 13, 2025 Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe celebrates scoring their first goal with Real Madrid's Arda Guler. (Reuters)
Football - LaLiga - Real Sociedad v Real Madrid - Reale Arena, San Sebastian, Spain - September 13, 2025 Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe celebrates scoring their first goal with Real Madrid's Arda Guler. (Reuters)

Kylian Mbappe scored one goal and set up another to lead 10-man Real Madrid to a 2-1 victory at Real Sociedad in the Spanish league on Saturday.

Crosstown rival Atletico Madrid earned its first win of the season before facing Liverpool in the Champions League, while Athletic Bilbao lost before hosting Arsenal.

Mbappe opened the scoring in the 12th minute with his fourth goal in as many games this season. The France striker used his superior speed to race onto a poor pass by a Sociedad player and fire past goalkeeper Alex Remiro.

Madrid played a man down for nearly an hour after new central defender Dean Huijsen saw a direct red card in the 32nd for pulling down Mikel Oyarzabal with only the goalie to beat.

But Mbappe helped double the lead in the 44th when he used some fancy dribbling to spin around his marker near the byline before finding Arda Guler with a pass for the Türkiye midfielder to score.

Oyarzabal pulled one back for the hosts by converting a penalty in the 56th. Dani Carvajal had conceded the spot kick when a ball hit his arm in the area.

It was Madrid’s fourth win in as many games to start La Liga.

“The red card changed the game a bit. We struggled a bit as a team, but we take home the three points,” Mbappe said. “Our start to the season has been very good, as has mine.”

Madrid failed to win a major title with Mbappe last season, finishing behind Barcelona in the league. With Xabi Alonso as its new coach, it has an early lead over its top rival. Barcelona plays Valencia on Sunday, trailing five points behind Madrid.

Alonso said that Huijsen, who joined from Bournemouth this summer, was “angry but relieved” after seeing his sending off didn’t help cost his team points.

Madrid starts its Champions League campaign on Tuesday against Marseille.

Gonzalez scores on Atletico debut

Nico Gonzalez scored on his debut for Atletico Madrid after the Argentina midfielder joined from Juventus on loan to help beat Villarreal 2-0.

Pablo Barrio netted in the ninth before Gonzalez headed in Marcos Llorente’s cross in the 52nd.

Atletico’s first win of the season comes after its worst start since Diego Simeone became coach over a decade ago.

Striker Julián Alvarez was substituted at halftime as a “precaution” the club said on X.

Next up for Atletico is a trip to Anfield on Wednesday.

“We weren’t that bad before and now we aren’t suddenly great, so let’s stay calm, this has just started,” Atletico midfielder Koke Resurrección said. “Now we need to rest up for our very important match at Liverpool.”

Alaves stuns Athletic in San Mames

Alaves won at Athletic Bilbao for the first time in 20 years thanks to an own goal by Álex Berenguer to take the Basque Country derby 1-0.

It was the first loss for Athletic this season after Ernesto Valverde’s side had won its first three matches.

The stumble comes before Athletic hosts Arsenal on Tuesday in the Champions League.

Athletic was without injured forward Nico Williams, who was injured playing for Spain last week.

Mario Martín and Borja Mayoral scored as Getafe continued to impress with a 2-0 win over promoted Oviedo. José Bordalas’ modest team has three wins to go with one loss.

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Sports

Tennis Australia Defends Prize Money amid Player Complaints

USA's Coco Gauff waits to receive serve from Uzbekistan's Kamilla Rakhimova during their women's singles match on day two of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 19, 2026. (AFP)
USA's Coco Gauff waits to receive serve from Uzbekistan's Kamilla Rakhimova during their women's singles match on day two of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 19, 2026. (AFP)
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Tennis Australia Defends Prize Money amid Player Complaints

USA's Coco Gauff waits to receive serve from Uzbekistan's Kamilla Rakhimova during their women's singles match on day two of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 19, 2026. (AFP)
USA's Coco Gauff waits to receive serve from Uzbekistan's Kamilla Rakhimova during their women's singles match on day two of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 19, 2026. (AFP)

Governing body Tennis Australia (TA) has defended the amount of prize money on offer at the Australian Open as twice Grand Slam champion Coco Gauff warned that ​players would raise the pressure if their demands were not met.

The Australian Open hiked prize money to A$111.5 million ($74.56 million) for the current tournament, bringing it ahead of last year's French Open ($65.42 million) and Wimbledon ($71.60 million) but short of the US Open's purse ($90 million).

The world's top players wrote to the Grand Slams calling for significant improvements in prize money in ‌April last year, ‌and a number have expressed dissatisfaction ‌with ⁠the ​situation ‌at Melbourne Park in recent days.

Tournament director Craig Tiley, however, said no players had approached him with any complaints about the Australian Open.

"I've also spoken to the players directly, not through third agents, and they are very happy with the Australian Open," Tiley told the Australian Financial Review (AFR).

"Not one of them has shown any ⁠dissatisfaction to me about what we are doing. And I’m not really concerned ‌with what’s said because I know the ‍facts.

"As I said from the ‍beginning, I believe the players should continue to be ‍paid more and more players paid more, we have 128 in the main draw and 128 qualifying (men and women), so we are supporting over 500 players financially each Grand Slam."

The AFR reported that agents of ​the world's top 10 men's and women's players had met in Melbourne over the weekend and agreed ⁠to take further action seeking a bigger share of the Australian Open revenue.

American world number three Gauff told reporters on Monday she had not heard concrete plans for action over pay but said players would raise the pressure if their demands went unmet.

"I feel like that will have to be a collective decision that we would all have to talk about," she said after her 6-2 6-3 win in the first round over Kamilla Rakhimova.

"I do know players are going to put more pressure on ‌the Slams if certain things aren't being met to where we see it."

Sports

Warhorse Wawrinka Stays Alive at Farewell Australian Open

Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland celebrates after defeating Laslo Djere of Serbia in their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (AP)
Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland celebrates after defeating Laslo Djere of Serbia in their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (AP)
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Warhorse Wawrinka Stays Alive at Farewell Australian Open

Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland celebrates after defeating Laslo Djere of Serbia in their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (AP)
Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland celebrates after defeating Laslo Djere of Serbia in their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (AP)

Former champion Stan Wawrinka lived to fight another day with a gutsy four-set victory to kick off his final Australian Open campaign on Monday.

The three-time Grand Slam winner, 40, is playing his last season before retiring and gave his all to down Serbia's Laslo Djere 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) in front of a Kia Arena crowd willing him to victory.

But he made life hard for himself, working 18 break points but only converting three of them in a draining 3hr 20min battle.

"It was amazing today, so thank you so much," said Wawrinka, who made his debut at Melbourne Park in 2006.

"It is my last year. It's been too long that I'm coming back, but the passion is still intact.
"But I'm not young any more, so I need to be careful also.

"It's my last time and I'm trying to enjoy it," he added. "But in the same time as I'm trying to compete. I'm always going to fight."

The Swiss stalwart, ranked 139, bounced back from losing the opening set to overwhelm the 92nd-ranked Djere in the second.

Defying his age, he then took the third before an energy-sapping fourth went to a tiebreak where the veteran's experience came into play.

"He's a great player. Last time we met, he beat me so I expected a tough match today," he said.

"But I'm happy with the discipline I put on myself, to keep staying with him, to keep fighting, trying to be a bit more aggressive, trying to find a way."

Wawrinka won the first of his majors at Melbourne in 2014, a season during which he peaked at world number three, and reached two other semi-finals.

Along with that title, he won the French Open a year later and the US Open in 2016.

The triumphs all came at a time when Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic were dominating men's tennis.

Wawrinka has 16 career ATP titles although the last came in Geneva in 2017.

He won Olympic gold in doubles alongside Federer at Beijing in 2008 and helped deliver a first Davis Cup triumph for Switzerland in 2014.

Sports

Mane Leaves Cup of Nations Stage at the Top

Sadio Mane of Senegal celebrates holding the trophy after winning the CAF Africa Cup of Nations after the final match between Senegal and Morocco in Rabat, Morocco, 18 January 2026. (EPA)
Sadio Mane of Senegal celebrates holding the trophy after winning the CAF Africa Cup of Nations after the final match between Senegal and Morocco in Rabat, Morocco, 18 January 2026. (EPA)
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Mane Leaves Cup of Nations Stage at the Top

Sadio Mane of Senegal celebrates holding the trophy after winning the CAF Africa Cup of Nations after the final match between Senegal and Morocco in Rabat, Morocco, 18 January 2026. (EPA)
Sadio Mane of Senegal celebrates holding the trophy after winning the CAF Africa Cup of Nations after the final match between Senegal and Morocco in Rabat, Morocco, 18 January 2026. (EPA)

Senegal talisman Sadio Mane emerged with more than ​just the Player of the Tournament award after Sunday’s Africa Cup of Nations final, earning widespread respect for persuading his aggrieved side to complete the match against Morocco.

It was Mane who convinced teammates to return to the pitch in Rabat after their coach Pape Bouna Thiaw ordered them off in protest at a penalty awarded against them deep in stoppage time.

The decision, after the referee had consulted ‌VAR, handed Morocco ‌a last-gasp chance to win their first ‌title ⁠in ​50 years ‌but was squandered by Brahim Diaz after a 14-minute delay.

Senegal went on to win 1-0 in extra time for a second Cup of Nations title in the last three editions, after which Mane said it was his last African championship.

"My last Afcon? Yes, I think I've said it, I'll stop here,” the 33-year-old told reporters. “I think the next generation is ⁠ready, they'll do the job, I'll be their 12th man."

The two-time African Footballer of the ‌Year looked reluctant to leave when his ‍coach angrily stormed onto the pitch ‍and gestured for his players to leave.

Amid arguing from both camps, ‍Mane spoke to French coach Claude Le Roy, a veteran of a record nine Cup of Nations, who was pitchside working for French television.

"Sadio came to ask me what I would do in his place, and I told ​him quite simply, 'I would ask your teammates to come back',” said Le Roy, who had previously coached Senegal.

WORLD CUP MAY ⁠BE MANE'S FINAL BOW

Mane has played in six Cup of Nations with two winners’ medals in 2021 - when he was also named best player - and on Sunday. He was also a runner-up in 2019.

In total, he has scored 11 goals in 29 finals appearances.

Mane is widely expected to quit international football altogether after Senegal compete in the World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the US in June.

But before Sunday’s final, his coach insisted Mane might stay on.

"The decision is not his to make," Thiaw said in a press conference. "The people want to see him continue, ‌and I think he made a rash decision. The country doesn't agree, and as the coach, I don't agree."