Algeria forward Riyad Mahrez is favourite to be crowned African Footballer of the Year for 2016 on the back of his contribution to Leicester City's shock English Premier League title win.

Yaya Toure has challenged Manchester City to put a smile back on Pep Guardiola's face with a dominant display in Friday's FA Cup third-round clash at West Ham.

World number one Andy Murray claimed his 26th consecutive victory on Wednesday with a battling 7-6 (8/6), 7-5 win over Austria's Gerald Melzer to reach the Qatar Open quarter-finals.

In-form midfielder Dele Alli scored two near-identical headers as Tottenham Hotspur beat Chelsea 2-0 on Wednesday to torpedo the Premier League leaders' hopes of a record 14th consecutive victory.

Andy Murray began 2017 where he left off last year, beating Jeremy Chardy in straight sets in his season opener in Qatar on Tuesday to register his 25th consecutive victory.

Pakistan were in early trouble after Australia called a halt to their massive first innings at 538 for eight on the second day of the third Test in Sydney on Wednesday.

Cagey veteran Richard Gasquet led France to a 2-1 win over Germany at the mixed teams Hopman Cup in Perth on Monday.

Sri Lanka won the toss and sent South Africa in to bat in the second Test at a sold-out Newlands on Monday.

Pep Guardiola does not believe his first season as Manchester City manager should be classed as a failure if he cannot guide the team to Premier League glory.

Arsene Wenger hailed Olivier Giroud's stunning strike against Crystal Palace as a work of art and one of the top five Arsenal goals in his 20-year reign.

Australia plan to prepare for their Indian Test series in Dubai as team officials seek more control over the state of practice pitches, reports said Monday.

World number one Andy Murray insisted Sunday that Novak Djokovic will remain his biggest threat in 2017, as the pair prepare for a potential first clash of the season in Doha this week.

The tale of the Boateng brothers Jerome, George and Kevin-Prince -- two of whom made history by facing each other at a World Cup finals -- has hit the stage in Berlin.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola acknowledged his team face a battle just to secure a top-four Premier League finish following their 1-0 defeat at Liverpool.

Claudio Ranieri believes Leicester City can cope without record signing Islam Slimani during the Africa Cup of Nations despite the striker's match-winning contribution against West Ham.

Former Test skipper Ricky Ponting has been appointed as an assistant coach to the Australia Twenty20 international squad for next month's series against Sri Lanka, Cricket Australia said Sunday.

Georginio Wijnaldum's early header earned Liverpool a 1-0 New Year's Eve victory over Manchester City that left Pep Guardiola's men 10 points behind Premier League leaders Chelsea.

Kyle Abbott struck twice in the first seven overs to set up a 206-run win for South Africa on the fifth day of the first Test against Sri Lanka at St George's Park on Friday.

Mitchell Starc spearheaded Australia to a stunning final day innings victory over Pakistan with a mercurial bat and ball performance to claim the series in Melbourne on Friday.

Coach Juande Ramos has left Spanish side Malaga after a poor run of recent results, the two parties confirmed on Tuesday.