The big news: Real held by Sevilla

Spanish giants Real Madrid set a new Spanish record of remaining unbeaten in 40 matches as they drew 3-3 with Sevila and progressed to the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey on a 6-3 aggregate. Karim Benzema’s 93rd-minute goal powered his side to their ninth draw in 40 matches, having won the remaining 31.

Real were last beaten by Wolfsburg in their Champions League quarter-final first leg in April. Barcelona held the previous record of 39 games, set under manager Luis Enrique between 2015 and 2016. Under Zinedine Zidane, Real have bagged the Champions League, the Club World Cup and the Uefa Super Cup. Even in front of goal, Real have scored 115 goals and conceded 39.

Football:

  • East Bengal on Thursday announced that they had signed Indian striker Robin Singh for the ongoing season. Singh will make a comeback to the side after he left them in 2013 for Bengaluru FC.
  • India’s national football team moved up six places to 129th in the latest FIFA world rankings that were published on Thursday. Their best ranking in more than 10 years.        
  • India Under-17 were knocked out of the Granatkin Memorial Cup after being thrashed 1-4 by Latvia Under-18 in their final group game in Saint Petersburg on Thursday.      
  • Bengaluru FC have signed Indian defender Sandesh Jhingan for the ongoing I-League season. The 23-year-old will join Bengaluru FC after playing for DSK Shivajians last season.
  • Manchester United have rejected a bid from Lyon for Memphis Depay, according to Sky Sports. The bid was in the region of £13 million but was still not at par with United’s expectations.      
  • Everton’s Tom Cleverley has joined Watford on loan for the rest of the season. The 27-year-old has played only twice since November 5. 
  • Everton have signed Manchester United midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin. The Frenchman n signed a four-and-a-half-year contract to reunite with boss Ronald Koeman, whom he played for at Southampton. The deal is said to be around £24 million.
  • West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic said that Dimitri Payet no longer wants to play for the club, but they will not sell him. The Hammers recently turned down a £19.1 million bid for Payet from his former side Marseille.   

Cricket:

  • The Justice RM Lodha committee on Thursday issued a seven-point FAQ response to queries on the administrative reforms for the Board of Control for Cricket in India. According to the FAQs, Sourav Ganguly will not be able to head the BCCI as he would have to go for a compulsory cooling off period of three years since he has completed as many years at CAB president and  secretary.      
  • India A recorded a six-wicket win over England XI in their second warm-up match at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday. India chased down England’s target of 283 with Ajinkya Rahane scoring a brilliant 91. 
  • Mumbai made a strong comeback against Gujarat on day three of the Ranji Trophy final on Thursday. Shreyas Iyer’s knock of 83 saw Mumbai post 208/3 at stumps and take a crucial 108-run lead.       

Boxing:

  • Former World Boxing champion and Asian Games Bronze-medallist Sarita Devi will face veteran Hungarian Zsofia Bedo in her maiden bout after turning professional. The 31-year-old will face Bedo on January 29 in Imphal.      

Tennis:

  • Seventeen-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer will be the 17th seed for the Australian Open and can potentially face Andy Murray as early as the third round.         
  • Indian tennis star Sania Mirza and her Czech partner Barbora Strycova beat the American-Russian pair of Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova 6-1, 6-2 to enter the final of the Sydney International on Thursday.  
  • Yuki Bhambri inched closer to the Australian Open singles main draw after defeating Serbian Pedja Krstin 6-3, 6-4 in the second round of the qualifying event.