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In the world of football, Nottingham Forest defeated Manchester United by 2-1, which is their first Premier League win against them in 29 years. Asian Games and Commonwealth Games Gold medalist Vinesh Phogat on December 30, Saturday, left her Arjuna and Khel Ratna on Kartavya Path.
Read below to learn details about these top stories and other happenings in the sporting world in the last 24 hours.
Football
Nottingham Forest defeat Manchester United for the first time in 29 years
Nottingham Forest registered their first Premier League win against Manchester United in 29 years, with a margin of 2-1, to bring an end to the year 2023 for Erik ten Hag’s side on a rough note. Morgan Gibbs-White scored the winner in the 82nd minute for Nottingham Forest at the City Ground just three minutes after Marcus Rashford had levelled it up for Manchester United, while Nicolas Dominguez had opened the scoring for the hosts early in the second half.
Villarreal re-signs Eric Bailly on 18-month contract from Besiktas
Villarreal have re-signed the Ivory Coast defender Eric Bailly on an 18-month contract after he mutually terminated his contract with Besiktas earlier this month. The 29-year-old had joined Beskitas from Manchester United a few months ago, and after playing eight matches for them, he was one of the five players excluded from the first team squad due to performance and disciplinary issues.
Barcelona unlikely to make a move for Mason Greenwood: Reports
As per the report from the Sport, Barcelona are unlikely to make a move for Manchester United’s winger Mason Greenwood, who is currently on loan to another La Liga side in Getafe until June 2024. The reason for Barcelona not going after a deal for Mason Greenwood is the £40m valuation of the player from Manchester United which they can’t afford.
Tottenham set to bid for Genoa defender Radu Dragusin: Reports
Tottenham are reportedly set to bid for the Genoa defender Radu Dragusin, 21, who is one of the players that Ange Postecoglou wants at the club to bolster their defence, as per the report from the Standard. The agent of the Romanian player has spoken about how he is interested in making a move to Tottenham in the January transfer window to take a “leap in his career.”
Karim Benzema deletes Instagram account after Al-Ittihad’s lose to Al-Nassr
Al-Ittihad striker Karim Benzema seemed to have deleted his Instagram account after his side’s latest defeat to Al-Nassr 5-2. Benzema had no presence on the social media platform after he lost to Cristiano Ronaldo’s team in the Saudi Pro League. Cristiano Ronaldo’s twin penalties and further goals from Sadio Mane and Anderson Talisca. In the game, Benzema provided an assist, but his performance has got him on the radar of several fans and experts.
Some major results in football are as under:
Premier League 2023-24
Luton Town 2-3 Chelsea
Manchester City 2-0 Sheffield United
Nottingham Forest 2-1 Manchester United
Serie A 2023-24
AC Milan 1-0 Sassuolo
Juventus 1-0 Roma
Saudi Pro League 2023-24
Al-Shabab 1-0 Al-Wehda
Al-Taawon 1-4 Al-Nassr
Wrestling
WFI ad-hoc committee to organise Senior National Wrestling Championships in Jaipur
The ad-hoc committee of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) announced the dates of the Senior National Wrestling Championships. The tournament will be organised from February 2-5, 2024 in Jaipur, Rajasthan. The committee led by the WUSHU Association of India President, Bhupinder Singh Bajwa said in a press conference that the tournament will have the top Indian wrestlers participating in different categories namely, free style, Greco Roman and the women’s category.
Vinesh Phogat leaves her Arjuna and Khel Ratna Awards on Kartvya Path
Asian Games and Commonwealth Games Gold medalist Vinesh Phogat on December 30, Saturday, left her Arjuna and Khel Ratna on Kartavya Path. Earlier, Tokyo Olympic medalist Bajrang Punia in protest over Sanjay Singh, a Brij Bhushan loyalist, being the WFI President. Phogat had earlier announced that she would return the awards stating that given the current situation of female wrestlers in the country, such awards don’t hold value anymore. She announced by writing an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
On Saturday, Phogat attempted to leave her Arjuna and Khel Ratna Awards outside the PM office in New Delhi. However, the wrestler was stopped by police at the Kartavya Path. She then decided to leave her awards on the pavement of Kartavya Path.
Tennis
Rafael Nadal to play against Dominic Thiem in comeback match
Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal will play his comeback match against fellow Grand Slam champion, Austrian tennis star, Dominic Thiem. Both stars will lock horns in the first round of the Brisbane International. Earlier during the 2018 and 2019 French Open finals, Nadal defeated the former world number 3 Thiem. The Austrian international also struggled with injury and fell to 352 in the world in 2022 after suffering a right wrist tear. Thiem is currently ranked 98. The two champion players have played 15 times, with Nadal winning nine and Thiem six.
Chess
D Gukesh qualifies for FIDE Candidates Tournament 2024
India's D Gukesh qualified for the FIDE Candidates Tournament, which is set to take place in Toronto from April 2 to 25, 2024. As per the FIDE, "Gukesh preserved the second position in the standings after his main competitors, Anish Giri and Arjun Erigaisi did not manage to improve their score in the last point-heavy event of the year, the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championship in Samarkand, Uzbekistan." The 17-year-old will now be the second-youngest participant of the Candidates, behind only Robert Fischer, who played in 1959 Candidates at the age of 16.
