Coventry will host National League South Maidstone in the fifth round of the FA Cup after Callum O’Hare netted a brace in a 4-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday.
The fourth-round replay signalled the third meeting between the sides in 17 days, the first of which was marred by racist abuse directed at Sky Blues midfielder Kasey Palmer.
Palmer wasted no time in opening the scoring against the Owls before Mark Robins’ men were pegged back by Bailey Cadamarteri’s strike inside 10 minutes.
But three goals in eight second-half minutes, including two from O’Hare and one from Haji Wright, means Coventry will host Maidstone, the lowest-ranked side left in the competition.
The Stones became the first club from outside the top five tiers of English football to reach the FA Cup fifth round since Blyth Spartans in 1978 when they beat Ipswich 2-1 at Portman Road in one of the great recent cup upsets.
Coventry got off to a fine start as Viktor Torp nipped in to dispossess Bambo Diaby inside three minutes and slid in Palmer, who waltzed unchallenged into the Wednesday box before slamming home.
Danny Rohl made nine changes to his Owls side who were hammered 4-0 by Huddersfield at the weekend and they responded well to going behind when Mallik Wilks scuffed off target before Michael Ihiekwe’s header was diverted wide.
A mix-up in the Coventry box led to the Wednesday equaliser after Wright’s clearance hit the midriff of Josh Eccles, and Cadamarteri reacted quickest to pounce on the loose ball and squeeze in the equaliser.
Eccles was heavily involved in Coventry’s best chance to reclaim their lead before the break, winning possession high up the field before Wright poked agonisingly wide.
O’Hare also went close to putting the Sky Blues ahead for a second time when his curled effort rattled the stanchion behind the goal.
After the break came the devastating spell that killed the game.
After netting the opener, Palmer picked out O’Hare and the midfielder had time to turn and slot his effort past 18-year-old Pierce Charles to re-establish Coventry’s lead less than five minutes after the restart.
The former Aston Villa midfielder had his second of the evening seven minutes later when he latched onto a loose ball and bent a fantastic effort into the far corner.
Less than 60 seconds later the tie was over for good when Wright met Jay Dasilva’s tantalising cross and glanced his header into the far corner to secure the Sky Blues’ place in round five of the FA Cup for the first time since 2018.
Vadaine Oliver’s own-goal condemned promotion-hopefuls Stevenage to a 1-0 defeat against relegation-threatened Reading at The Lamex Stadium.
The hosts spent the opening 15 minutes camped in the visitors’ half but Dan Sweeney failed to capitalise, sending a close-range header over the crossbar.
Sweeney almost made amends with a delicious delivery into the box before Jamie Reid’s teasing effort went behind for a corner.
However, the Royals had the final say of the first half.
Amadou Mbengue launched a long throw into a dangerous area with seconds remaining and after a melee inside the six-yard box, Oliver fumbled the ball into the back of his own net.
Reid could have equalised after being found at the far post midway through the second half but he failed to convert from close range.
Sweeney kept his side in the game with a superb intervention 10 minutes later, blocking Sam Smith’s right-footed effort after the forward went around Boro stopper Craig MacGillivray.
The hosts won several corners in the final 10 minutes but failed to carve out a clear-cut chance as the Royals secured just their second league win on the road this season.
Theo Bair scored for a fifth consecutive cinch Premiership game as Motherwell thrashed Ross County 5-0 at Fir Park.
The former St Johnstone forward put Motherwell three up with a 38th-minute penalty to make it six goals during his run and eight for the season.
Blair Spittal struck two brilliantly-taken goals and both Andy Halliday and Jack Vale hit their first Motherwell goals as the Steelmen recorded their biggest victory since beating the same opponents by the same scoreline under Steven Hammell in October 2022.
Despite claiming only a second win in 20 league games, Stuart Kettlewell’s side moved one point off the top six and opened up a six-point lead over second-bottom County.
Derek Adams’ side have not won since beating Motherwell two months ago and have only collected two points in that period.
Bair could easily have had a hat-trick as Motherwell took advantage of an open County structure which left their two centre-backs exposed.
Motherwell were ahead in the eighth minute when Spittal fed Bair to square for Halliday to sweep home from 12 yards.
The home side doubled their lead in the 21st minute when Spittal latched on to Halliday’s pass and curled a powerful shot in off the far post from the left corner of the box.
It initially looked like being a frustrating night for Bair, who was twice set up for one-on-ones by Spittal but was foiled by George Wickens each time.
The striker could not quite reach Spittal’s low cross and was then waiting for a tap-in when Harry Paton picked the wrong option.
Bair came closer when he chested down Stephen O’Donnell’s diagonal ball and volleyed into the top corner from 18 yards, only to be denied by the offside flag.
But the Canada international got his goal after Paton was tripped by Will Nightingale, assuming penalty duties from Spittal, who missed his last effort against Alloa. Bair shrugged off a needlessly-lengthy VAR delay to send Wickens the wrong way.
County had plenty of possession in the first half but Motherwell generally blocked their way to goal with some compact defending and effective pressing. Liam Kelly comfortably saved from Simon Murray in the visitors’ only effort on target before the break.
Motherwell looked comfortable after the restart without seriously threatening and Murray missed a glorious chance to give the visitors a lifeline midway through the second half when he sent a free header wide from six yards out.
The hosts otherwise looked the far more dangerous side. Bair was again played through by Spittal and appeared to have done everything right when he dinked the ball over Wickens but his effort drifted just wide.
Wickens saved well from Georgie Gent after slack play from James Brown but the goalkeeper was well beaten in the 87th minute when Spittal curled a majestic strike into the top corner from 25 yards.
The midfielder then played a perfect pass in between the County central defence for on-loan Blackburn forward Vale to run on to and slot home in stoppage-time.
Southampton forward Sekou Mara’s quickfire second-half double in the 3-0 FA Cup replay victory over Watford booked a fifth-round trip to Liverpool.
The Championship high-fliers extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to 24 matches when Che Adams teed up the 21-year-old Frenchman in the 52nd minute.
Mara, who had been linked with Sheffield United in the January transfer window after making just one league start this season, doubled his tally six minutes later with his fifth goal in nine appearances, before Adams wrapped things up 14 minutes from time.
Coventry coasted to a home tie against non-league Maidstone after three goals inside nine second-half minutes dispatched Championship rivals Sheffield Wednesday 4-1.
Kasey Palmer’s early opener for the hosts had been cancelled out by Bailey Cadamarteri’s 10th-minute equaliser but the game turned immediately after half-time as Callum O’Hare scored twice, with Haji Wright adding the fourth.
Ian Evatt spoke of the issues of forthcoming fixture congestion after Bolton’s game at Cambridge was abandoned.
Both head coaches agreed that referee David Rock made the correct decision in calling the game off after he consulted both Neil Harris and Evatt before leading the players off the pitch with only nine goalless minutes played.
The abandonment was confirmed 16 minutes later.
“I think we’ve got one Tuesday free until the end of the season, so that’s that gone,” Evatt said afterwards.
“It’s a challenge, it’s a test but there’s no way we could have played on that pitch.
“I think we’ve both got a free Tuesday two weeks from now, let’s just get it on as soon as we can.
“All I saw was what happened at Burton. The pitch was perfectly fine and then two hours later it was waterlogged.
“When I came I could see the level of the rainfall. It’s a really good pitch actually but when the pitches are as good as that it seemed to pool and waterlog really quickly.
“Once it started to pool it was only going to get worse.
“Both teams wanted to play tonight. The conditions suit probably one team more than the other, but that’s football.
“I think the referee made the right call.”
Cambridge boss Harris would have preferred the match to reach its conclusion.
He said: “From our perspective we wanted the game to be played because we thought the weather conditions sort of fell in our favour a little bit here against a really good football side.
“I understand the referee’s decision and the EFL’s decision and I’ve got no complaints about it. I just think it’s unfortunate. I thought it had the makings to be a really good game.
“I think you saw in the first nine minutes that was played, that there could have been goals at either end. I think one thing’s for sure, it wouldn’t have ended up 0-0.
“We could all see what was coming. You could see the ball just stop rolling. I think George Thomas ran past the ball at one stage because it had stopped.
“So you knew the moment was coming, you just hoped that the rain lays off a bit and the pitch has got time to recover.
“It’s not just the players, it’s the fans. How long do you wait while you leave the fans in the cold and wet?
“I’ve got no complaints with the decision. I’m disappointed, frustrated because we’re on a great run and I was really looking forward to the game.
“I thought the conditions tonight suited us to make it a real scrap. So I’m frustrated but accept it.”
Cambridge’s game with Bolton was abandoned after only nine minutes of play due to a waterlogged pitch.
Play was stopped while still 0-0, with referee David Rock taking the players off the pitch after consulting both head coaches.
After a delay of 16 minutes it was announced at 8.10pm that the decision had been taken for the game to be called off.
The only opening in the nine minutes that were played came for Cambridge, but Sullay Kaikai failed to connect with a volley when the ball fell to him centrally.
The U’s will hope conditions at the Abbey Stadium improve in time for them to host Cheltenham on Saturday.
Ivory Coast interim coach Emerse Fae has warned his players it is not their “destiny” to win the Africa Cup of Nations, despite their remarkable run to a semi-final showdown with DR Congo.
Fae’s side fought back to claim a remarkable last-gasp win over Mali in the quarter-finals after being reduced to 10 men just before half-time following Odilon Kossounou’s dismissal.
Nene Dorgeles had fired Mali in front in the 71st minute, but Simon Adingra’s 90th-minute equaliser took the tie to extra time before Oumar Diakite grabbed the winner with almost the last kick of the match.
The Elephants also came from behind against Senegal in the last 16 after scraping out of their group as the last of the four best third-placed teams.
“We are aware that we have made a spectacular recovery, that when you look at the Mali game we survived miraculously,” Fae said in a pre-match press conference in Abidjan.
“It is that mindset which allows us to pull off miracles like that, but we are not going to relax and say that because we won miraculously it means it is our destiny that we are going to win the trophy.
“The miracle against Mali did not fall out of the sky, it did not just happen like that, it happened because the players kept on fighting and believing until the end.”
Fae was appointed following the sacking of Jean-Louis Gasset after a 4-0 loss to Equatorial Guinea in their final group game looked to have sealed an early exit.
However, Morocco’s 1-0 win over Zambia two days later kept them in the competition and they have continued to ride their luck ever since.
“It would be a lie to say we have nothing to lose but we have come a long way,” Fae added.
“We have come from very far, we have made every effort to get our heads above water, so we are not going to give up now and we are not going to fail for fear of not reaching the final.
“We will therefore manage it by telling ourselves that it would be a shame to put pressure on ourselves.”
Diakite, who was sent off after celebrating his winner against Mali, is one of four players suspended for the semi-final, with Kossounou, Serge Aurier and Christian Kouame also banned.
Burton’s League One game with fellow strugglers Cheltenham has been postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.
The Pirelli Stadium surface failed an inspection after heavy rain on Tuesday afternoon.
A Burton statement read: “Tonight’s game against Cheltenham FC has been called off due to a waterlogged pitch.
“The match referee inspected the pitch, which has been hit by a large deluge of rain this afternoon, and informed both clubs that the game could not go ahead.”
Burton are 18th in the table, four points above the relegation zone, with Cheltenham third bottom and seven points from safety.
Ricky Rubio has rejoined Barcelona having left Cleveland Cavaliers in January after revealing he had been suffering from mental ill health.
The 33-year-old Spaniard won the Liga ACB and the EuroLeague in his previous stint at Barca, before moving to the NBA and featuring for Minnesota Timberwolves, Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns and the Cavaliers.
He announced he was retiring from the NBA in January and was open about his mental health battles.
Now Rubio has returned to Barcelona until the end of the season, with the club confirming his return to action will come when the point guard feels ready.
“FC Barcelona and Ricky Rubio have reached an agreement for the Catalan guard to join the club until the end of the season,” a statement read.
“This agreement depends on the player’s progress as he finds himself in the final stages of his recovery.
“Barca have registered the player in the ACB and Euroleague after he underwent the usual medical tests at the Ciutat Esportiva and the Hospital de Barcelona.
“Ricky Rubio’s return to competition will come when the player himself decides the time is right.”
Defence coach Steve Tandy insisted Scotland would have no concerns about throwing recently-appointed co-captain Rory Darge into Saturday’s showdown with France following six weeks on the sidelines.
The 23-year-old flanker sustained a knee injury while playing for Glasgow against Edinburgh on December 30 and has not played since.
He was initially rated doubtful for the entire championship but has recovered quicker than anticipated and is expected to be ready for this weekend’s match against Les Bleus.
Darge’s return to contention is particularly timely after fellow flanker Luke Crosbie and veteran lock Richie Gray were ruled out for the rest of the tournament with shoulder and bicep injuries respectively.
“Dargey’s trained and he’s looking good,” reported Tandy on Tuesday. “He came through training last week, he trained again today, so all being well in the rest of the training week he’ll be available.”
Asked if he felt Darge could slot straight back into the Test XV having not played for almost a month and a half, Tandy said: “Definitely. He’s done it before, after injuries.
“Knowing Rory and the guy he is, how diligent he is and how he looks at and studies the game, we have no doubts. Physically, it feels like he’s adding layer on layer as he gets a little bit older.
“He’s physically ready and even when they are injured, the boys are still lifting (weights) – it’s not as if they’re sitting there doing nothing. They’re active in and around what the strength and conditioning guys and the medical team want.”
Tandy lamented the loss of back-rower Crosbie and second-rower Gray after the pair – both of whom started the match – picked up tournament-ending injuries in Saturday’s 27-26 victory away to Wales.
“First and foremost, with the characters they are, they’re awesome individuals,” said the coach. “Richie brings lots of experience around the group and he’s got better with age.
“He’s great to work with and you see the energy and clarity he brings to the group. He will be sorely missed.
“Luke has fought so hard to get to the international scene. You see the warrior he is on the field, but there is also the character he is and how he leads in the training environment, how he speaks in meetings.
“We’ve got a great squad though. If you look at the back-rowers, there are loads of form players so we’re lucky enough to have an abundance in those positions.
“If someone misses out, everyone else is ready to step into the shirt.”
Tandy admitted there were “lots of learnings” for Scotland after a game in Cardiff where they went dangerously close to squandering a 27-0 lead.
However, he also felt there were plenty of positives to be drawn from their first win in the Welsh capital in 22 years, ahead of back-to-back home games against France and England.
“It’s important not to get too far ahead,” said Tandy. “We’ve had a really good result, going to Wales and getting that job done, but now it’s just about focusing on France.
“Coming back to Murrayfield is massive. We’ve got to improve bits of our game and continue lots of the stuff we did in the first half and at the back end of the Wales game.”
Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen has been passed fit to play in his side’s Africa Cup of Nations semi-final against South Africa.
Osimhen was carried off on a stretcher during Nigeria’s 1-0 victory over Angola with abdominal pain and was a doubt for Wednesday’s last-four clash.
But having not travelled to Bouake on Monday, the Napoli forward arrived a day later and managed to train.
A tweet from the Super Eagles’ X account read: “Victor Osimhen has been declared fit and available for selection in the semi-final clash against South Africa on Wednesday. He has joined the team in Bouake and has trained with the squad today.”
South Africa come into the match after last week’s penalty shoot-out victory over Cape Verde.
Nigeria boss Jose Peseiro offered a reminder that his team need to play at a high level if they are to book their place in Sunday’s final against either DR Congo or hosts Ivory Coast.
He told a press conference: “We’ve done a good job now getting to the semi-finals. We’ve showed good spirit and organisation.
“We play like a team together. We must play a high level match, we know the capacity of our opponent. We must play at 100 per cent or more to beat a very good team.”
Nigeria have not lifted the trophy since 2013 but Peseiro remained hopeful his side can triumph.
The Portuguese said: “My belief is that we can win this competition. But they (South Africa) also want to win AFCON, just like us.”
AFCON semi-finals will be live on SportsMax and the SportsMax App.
The clash between unbeaten India and hosts South Africa lived up to its billing in the first semi-final of the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2024.
In a thrilling contest that went down to the wire, India secured a hard-fought victory, thanks to outstanding half-centuries from Uday Saharan and Sachin Dhas.
Saharan's team will now have the chance to defend their title in the final on Sunday, 11 February.
India now await the winner of the second semi-final match between Australia and Pakistan on Thursday to see who they will face in the title clash.
India beat South Africa by 2 wickets in Benoni
South Africa 244/7 (50) vs India 248/8 (48.5)
After losing four tosses in the first four games, Uday Saharan got it right for the second in a row and chose to field first. This was the first time that India bowled first in the tournament, having batted in each of their five victories so far.
Once again displaying his customary aggression in the tournament, South Africa opener Steve Stolk took charge early on, hitting two fours in the first three overs. He continued his onslaught with a maximum off Raj Limbani in the fifth but it was the Indian pacer who had the last laugh as Stolk's attempted cut resulted in an edge straight into the hands of the wicketkeeper.
Lhuan-dre Pretorius kept the foot on the pedal thereafter, including a six and a four against Naman Tiwari in the 8th over. At the other end though, Limbani was on the money and accounted for the wicket of David Teeger for a duck, rattling the stumps with a peach of an inswinger.
Undeterred by the loss of two wickets, Pretorius continued playing attacking shots, and by the end of the Powerplay, South Africa were going close to a run-a-ball.
Saharan decided to introduce his spinners into play, effectively curbing South Africa's scoring – only five boundaries were scored in the span of overs 11 to 30.
However, the partnership between Pretorius and Richard Seletswane ensured a steady flow of runs, with Pretorius reaching his half-century off 59 balls.
With the run-rate at less than four, the mounting pressure got to Pretorius, who tried to swat Musheer Khan over mid-wicket, but Murugan Abhishek showed brilliant reflexes to hang on to a stunning catch.
The Proteas saw an uptick in boundaries when Seletswane and Oliver Whitehead combined for a 45-run partnership. Just as the partnership started to look dangerous, Musheer struck with the final ball of his spell, dismissing Whitehead.
South Africa’s decision to delay the entry of the dangerous Dewan Marais proved unsuccessful as he holed out to Saumy Pandey inches inside the boundary for just 3.
Between the two wickets, Seletswane brought up a patient half-century but having taken 90 balls to get to the milestone, the youngster fell trying to make up for the scoring rate.
Having hit Limbani for two fours in the 45th over, Seletswane tried to take the attack to Naman Tiwari in the next, but was undone by a good catch by Priyanshu Moliya running in from the deep.
Juan James too departed after a solid 19-ball 24-run cameo, leaving South Africa at 221/7 with two overs to go.
Tristan Luus gave the innings some much-needed impetus in the final two overs, unleashing two sixes and a four to finish with an unbeaten 23 off 12 balls.
As a result, South Africa set India a target of 245. This was the first time a team had got past the 200-run mark against India in the tournament so far.
In the chase, South Africa started brilliantly, courtesy Kwena Maphaka's breakthrough on the first ball of the innings. Adarsh Singh found himself helpless against a sharp bouncer, awkwardly prodding it to the keeper.
The short ball proved to be India's downfall once more as Tristan Luus' accurately-directed bouncer outsmarted the dangerous Musheer Khan, sparking massive celebrations in the South African camp following the dismissal of the leading run-scorer in the tournament.
India had to be patient, waiting until the seventh over for their first boundary, which came in the form of a maximum from Arshin Kulkarni off Maphaka. Unfortunately, that solitary moment of joy for India was short-lived, as their difficulties continued to mount with Arshin falling victim to Luus in the final over of the Powerplay.
India's situation worsened when Moliya, who had managed to strike a boundary off the first ball of Luus' over, departed while attempting a loose drive.
Facing a daunting situation at 32/4, captain Saharan and Sachin Dhas orchestrated a remarkable rescue mission with an impressive partnership. With runs drying up, the pair mixed caution with aggression to keep the scoreboard ticking.
Particularly targeting the bowling of Riley Norton, Dhas showcased his prowess by striking three boundaries in a single over, reclaiming some control for India. While Saharan held firm at one end, Dhas assumed the role of the aggressor, racing to a half-century off 47 balls to keep the required run rate under 6.
Saharan quickly found his rhythm with a splendid boundary off James, not only marking the 100-run partnership for the fifth wicket but also propelling himself past Musheer Khan to claim the top spot on the tournament run-scoring charts.
The partnership between the two was a masterclass in innings building and chasing, as they milked singles relentlessly while putting the poor deliveries away for boundaries.
The skipper too got in on the act, reaching his fifty off 88 balls with a boundary as India inched closer to victory.
Just as the required run rate got to a run-a-ball, Dhas and Saharan dispatched James for a six and four respectively to calm the nerves in the Indian camp.
But there was another twist as South Africa hit back when Maphaka was reintroduced into the attack. He got the better of Dhas with a well-disguised slower ball, the batter falling agonisingly short of a century on 96.
The wicket brought about a lull in scoring, and the mounting pressure became palpable. Aravelly Avanish displayed nerves of steel by striking a crucial boundary off Norton on the final ball of the 46th over.
Maphaka bowled the 47th over and made a big difference off the last ball of the spell with the wicket of Avanish, with Norton taking a good catch in the deep. Two balls later, the game turned on its head again when Abhishek Murugan fell victim to poor running, being caught short of his crease by a direct hit from Marais.
The two wickets put the pressure back on India but a six from an unlikely source – Raj Limbani – shifted the equation, bringing it down to nine runs required off the last two overs.
Saharan put to rest any hopes of a South African comeback with four off the first ball of the penultimate over. In another twist to the game, Saharan was run out trying to scramble for the winning run.
However, Limbani came in clutch again and struck a four off the final ball of the over to continue their unbeaten run and book their berth in the final.
The Player of the Match, India captain Uday Saharan, shared insights in the post-match presentation after bailing the team out of early trouble.
“I just believed in myself [after coming out to bat]. I knew it was a matter of one partnership and the game would be ours. I just kept telling myself repeatedly that I needed to bat till the end.”
Jordan reached the Asian Cup final for the first time in their history thanks to a richly deserved 2-0 win over South Korea in Qatar.
Second-half strikes from Yazan Al Naimat and Mousa Al-Taamari ended the hopes of Son Heung-min and his team-mates at Ahmed bin Ali Stadium on Tuesday.
Jordan had dominated from the off, with near misses from Hwang In-beom and Lee Jae-sung – and a penalty that was rightly overturned after a VAR check – all that pre-tournament favourites South Korea mustered. Son did not even have a shot.
Al Naimat and Al-Taamari's quality shone through, and Jordan, who were backed by a vociferous support, will now face Iran or the holders and hosts Qatar in Saturday's final.
Andy Murray’s miserable run continued with a first-round loss to Tomas Machac at the Open 13 Provence.
The 36-year-old’s 7-5 6-4 defeat by Czech Machac in Marseille was his sixth in a row dating back to October and means he has won only one of his last 10 matches.
Murray has admitted he is weighing up when to retire, but he railed against a suggestion he could be tarnishing his legacy by playing on, writing on X, formerly Twitter last week: “Most people would quit and give up in my situation right now. But I’m not most people and my mind works differently. I won’t quit.”
This was not a bad performance against a player on the rise in 23-year-old Machac, ranked 66, but again there were costly lapses.
Murray recovered from an early break and appeared to have the momentum late in the opening set, only for Machac to break serve at 5-5.
The Czech then moved ahead early in the second set and Murray was unable to recover the deficit.
It was a significantly better day, though, for Heather Watson, who claimed her best victory by ranking since 2017 to upset ninth seed Veronika Kudermetova 6-3 7-5 at the Abu Dhabi Open.
Watson struggled in 2023, but she played confident, aggressive tennis to defeat 16th-ranked Russian Kudermetova and the win could see her break back into the world’s top 130.
“I know she’s such a great player so I knew I had to play really well today,” said Watson, who defeated former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin in the first round of qualifying.
“I just focused on what was in my control, my serve and just trying to be as aggressive as I can. I played really well and had a lot of fun out here today.”
Watson joins compatriot Emma Raducanu in the second round and will next face Spaniard Cristina Bucsa.
Harriet Dart, meanwhile, is on the verge of moving back into the top 100 after a 6-4 7-6 (0) victory over Anna Bondar in the opening round of the Transylvania Open in Romania.
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