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In the world of football, Kobbie Mainoo has called his late winner for Manchester United against Wolves at the Molineux “a dream come true.” Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton will switch to Ferrari for the 2025 Formula One season on a multi-year contract. Olympic gold medalist and retired skiing star Lindsey Vonn praised newly-crowned AO 2024 men’s singles champion Jannik Sinner.
Read below to learn the latest news of the sporting world in the last 24 hours.
Football
Kobbie Mainoo calls late winner for Manchester United “a dream come true”
Manchester United registered a big win at the Molineux in an instant Premier League classic by 4-3, thanks to a 97th-minute winner from the young midfielder Kobbie Mainoo in his 11th senior team appearance. Shortly after his first goal in the Premier League, the 18-year-old called it “a dream come true,” before remarking, “I have still not come down from it. I still feel like I am dreaming, to be honest. To start playing in the Premier League for my boyhood club has been amazing. Now it's about trying to win more games.”
Lyon blame West Ham for collapse of Said Benrahma’s loan deal
The French club Lyon have blamed West Ham for their “incomprehensible behaviour” after the loan deal for Said Benrahma collapsed due to an issue in the paperwork on the transfer deadline day. After the English club West Ham confirmed that the move would not “be completed before 11 PM,” Lyon sent out a strongly worded statement, the excerpts of which read, “Olympique Lyonnais deeply regrets this situation and this decision, demonstrating a profound lack of respect on the part of West Ham towards the Institution and the player. The club reserves the right to initiate all appropriate procedures necessary to validate the transaction at a later date, and to hold West Ham responsible if necessary.”
Karim Benzema to have “clear-the-air” talks with Al-Ittihad about his future at club: Reports
Karim Benzema, the French striker, who was linked with a move away from Al-Ittihad in the January transfer window, will reportedly be taking part in “clear-the-air” talks with the Saudi Arabian club regarding his future. As per the sports journalist Ben Jacobs, Al-Ittihad and the Saudi Arabian officials want the 36-year-old to stay put till the end of the next season, especially while Lyon had explored the idea of bringing him back, but it wouldn’t have been possible without him taking a major pay cut.
F1 star Lewis Hamilton hints joining minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe at Manchester United: Reports
The F1 star Lewis Hamilton, who is going to join Ferrari from the 2025 season in a shock deal, has reportedly hinted his intention to join forces with minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe at Manchester United, as per the Express. Notably, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the part owner of the Mercedes with INEOS, will draw a curtain on the epic partnership with Lewis Hamilton at the F1 team to end the 2024 motorsport calendar.
Some major results in football are as under:
Premier League 2023-24
- West Ham 1-1 Bournemouth
- Wolves 3-4 Manchester United
La Liga 2023-24
- Getafe 0-2 Real Madrid
Friendlies
- Al-Nassr 6-0 Inter Miami
Formula One
Lewis Hamilton joins Ferrari ahead of 2025 Formula One season
Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton will switch to Ferrari for the 2025 Formula One season on a multi-year contract. Hamilton, a seven-time world champion, will replace Carlos Sainz in the 2025 season. Announcing the decision, he said, Leaving Mercedes “was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make. The time is right for me to take this step and I'm excited to be taking on a new challenge. I will be forever grateful for the incredible support of my Mercedes family, especially Toto [Wolff, Mercedes team principal] for his friendship and leadership and I want to finish on a high together.
He added, "I am 100% committed to delivering the best performance I can this season and making my last year with the Silver Arrows, one to remember."
Badminton
Ashmita Chaliha sails through to Thailand Masters Badminton Tournament Semis
India’s emerging badminton star Ashmita Chaliha reserved her spot in the semifinals of the Thailand Masters Badminton Tournament semifinals. The 24-year-old is the only Indian in the competition after Mithun Manjunath lost the men’s singles QF. The World No. 61 Chaliha defeated world-ranked 44th Indonesia’s Nurumi Wardoyo 44th, 21-14 19-21 21-13 in a 57-minute match. She will lock horns with fourth seed Supanida Katethong of Thailand, who moved past Wen Chi Hsu of Chinese Taipei, in the semifinal clash of the Super 300 tournament.
Hockey
Hockey India announces 24-man squad for FIH Pro League Bhuvneshwar le g
Hockey India announced the 24-player squad that will compete in the FIH Pro League 2023-24 in the Bhubaneshwar and Rourkela leg. The Bhuvneshwar leg is set to commence on February 10 to 16, while the Rourkela leg will commence on February 19 to February 25. In both legs, the Men in Blue will lock horns with the Netherlands, Spain, and Australia twice each. The team will be led by Harmanpreet Singh, whereas Hardik Singh will shoulder the vice-captain duties. Sreejesh Parattu Raveendran will be the goalkeeper in the squad.
Tennis
He reminds me of Roger Federer: Lindsey Vonn praises Jannik Sinner
Olympic gold medalist and retired skiing star Lindsey Vonn praised newly-crowned AO 2024 men’s singles champion Jannik Sinner. He said, “He's a pretty shy guy, but he's really humble and always super kind. I think he has just a great perspective on the sport and I think to a degree, some of that comes from skiing. We've talked about it quite a few times. He's just a great athlete, very smart and I'm not surprised that he won Australia. I thought he would win before he did, but he's someone that's going to be around for a long time. And he really reminds me of Roger, to be honest.”
Chennai Open ATP Challenger Championship to commence on February 4
The Chennai Open ATP Challenger 100 Men’s International Tennis Championship is scheduled to commence on February 4, Sunday. The tournament will take place at the SDT Tennis Stadium in Chennai. Sumit Nagal, who recently defeated world 31-ranked Alexander Bublik will compete in the tournament. Apart from him, Ramkumar Ramanathan, Mukund Sasikumar, and Nikoloz Basilashivili received the three wildcard entries in the main draw. On the other hand, Manish Sureshkumar, Abhinav Sanjeev Shanmugam, RS Rethin Pranav, and Siddarth Vishwakarma are the wildcards in the singles qualifiers.
