Hockey Players Welfare Unity, formed with some national players and youngsters, made a good start in the Paragon Group Victory Day Hockey beating Bangladesh Air Force by 4-3 goals at the Maulana Bhashani National Stadium here on Tuesday. Hockey Players Welfare Unity studded with national players like Puskor Khisa Mimo, Hasan Jubaer Niloy, Prince Lal Shamonto and some youngsters like Amirul Islam, proved their worth in the first match. The Air Force team comprising seven national players, tried hard to turn the tide, but all of their efforts failed short against their spirited opponents. After a goalless first quarter, Air Force team took the lead in the 17th minute thanks to a beautiful field goal scored by Rakibul Hasan Rocky (1-0). Read: Women's Hockey Asia Cup: Bangladesh tastes first victory to finish 9th crushing Sri Lanka However, Amirul, who was in the top form in the recently concluded Asian Junior Hockey, leveled the margin for Players Welfare Unity from a penalty corner in the 33rd minute (1-1). Hasan Jubaer Niloy put Hockey Players Welfare Unity ahead in the 35th minute (2-1) while Abdul Alim scored another goal for them in the 42nd minute that saw the team 3-1 lead at the beginning of the third quarter. Arashad Hossain scored the 2nd goal for Air Force in the 44th minute to make the score line 3-2. However, Abdul Alim again second his 2nd goal and the 4th goal for the Players Welfare Unity in the 57th minute (4-2). In the 59th minute, Sohanur Rahman Sabuj scored the 3rd goal to reduce the margin for Air Force team (4-3)

A brilliant hattrick by Nabib Newaz Jibon helped  Rahmatganj MFS to maintain their all-win run in Group B of the 10-team Bashundhara Group Federation Club Football outplaying Youngmen’s Club Fakirerpool by 6-0 goal in their 2nad match at the Rafiq Uddin Bhuiyan Stadium in Mymensingh Tuesday afternoon. With the day’s 2nd consecutive victory after beating Dhaka Mohammedan SC 1-0 in the first match, the old Dhaka outfit Rahmatganj MFS topped the Group B list securing full six points from straight two matches while Youngmen’s Club Fakirerpool failed to open the account losing their first match. Local forward Nabib Newaz Jibon made a hat-trick scoring three goals in the 45+2, 56th and 75th minutes, local striker Meraj Hossain Opi, Ghana forward Samuel Boateng and Fahim Nur Toha scored the remaining three goals for Rahmantagnj MFS in the 12th, 53rd and 90+2 minutes respectively. In the day’s other match, Dhaka Mohammedan SC returned to winning way after a shocking 0-1 defeat against Rahmatganj in the first match, crushing Chittagong Abahnai Ltd also by 6-0 goals at the Bashundhara Kings Arena Tuesday afternoon. Uzbek medio Muzaffarov opened the floodgate for the black and whites Mohammedan in the 11th minute (1-0), Mali striker Souleymane Diabate doubled the margin the 14th minute to dominate the first half by 2-0 goals, Midfielder Arif Hossain scored the 3rd goal for Mohammedan in the 52nd minute (3-0), midfielder Raju Ahmed Zishan further sounded the team margin in the 69th minute (4-0), forward Sourav Dewan netted the 5th goal in the 77th minute while medio Juwel Mia sealed the fate of the match scoring the 6th goal in the 80th minute (6-0). Defending champions Bashundhara Kings, which managed 1-0 victory over Brothers Union Club in the tournament opener, miserably tasted the defeat in their 2nd Group A match losing to Fortis FC by 0-2 goals at their home ground-- Bashundhara Kings Arena --in the capital. With day’s well merited victory, Fortis SC dominated the Group A with unbeaten run securing four points from two outings. Incidentally, last season's treble winners Bashundhara Kings also suffered a shocking 0-1 goal defeat against Dhaka Mohammedan SC in their 2nd match of the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Football in Cumilla. With this debacle, holders Bashundhara Kings went down in the race with three points from two matches. Grouping of the Federation Cup:  Group A -Bashundhara Kings, Bangladesh Police FC, Fortis FC, Brothers Union Club and Dhaka Wanderers Club Group B - Mohammedan SC Ltd, Dhaka Abahani Ltd, Chattagram Abahani Ltd, Rahmatganj MFS and Fakirerpool Youngmen's Club. Later, top two teams from each of the two groups will play in the meet's next round (qualification and elimination) like the Franchisee cricket league.

Rangpur Division created history by winning the title of the inaugural edition of the National Cricket League (NCL) T20 on Tuesday beating Dhaka Metro by five wickets on Tuesday in Sylhet.  The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) hosted the tournament to give the local cricketer more chances to play T20 cricket ahead of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). All the teams, which take part in the NCL First-class, also played the T20 edition of one of the most prestigious domestic cricket events of the country.  Rangpur won the toss in the final and opted to bowl first. Dhaka started with a big hope as Imranuzzaman drove Mukidul Islam Mugdho for a four through the deep cover region off the first ball of the match.  6-team 2nd South Asian Lawyers Cricket taking place Dec 23-26 But the morning did not show the day well for them. Dhaka lost four wickets in just eight runs with Mukidul taking three wickets in his first two overs.  With just 16 runs on the board, Dhaka lost five wickets. They had no clue against Rangpur's disciplined bowling attack.  Only two Dhaka batters— Shamsur Rahman Shuvo and Abu Hider Rony— were able to reach a double-digit figure.  Dhaka Metro beat Khulna to reach NCL T20 final Eventually, Dhaka crumbled for 62 runs in 16.3 overs. It was the lowest total in a T20 event final in Bangladesh.  For Rangpur, Mukidul and Alauddin Babu shared six wickets equally between them.    In reply, Rangpur reached the target with 52 balls to play and five wickets in hand.  But before closing the game, Rangpur also lost wickets quickly. They were reduced to 47 for five in 7.5 overs, keeping hope alive for Dhaka. But a cautious 23-run stand by Ariful Haque and Anamul Haque Anam sealed the match for Rangpur, earning them the pride of first NCL T20 title.  The NCL T20 served as a much-needed opportunity for local cricketers to prove their mettle in the shorter format of the game. These cricketers often get overlooked in BPL, where teams have a wider pool of cricketers, including foreign recruits.

Australia run-maker Travis Head is questionable for the fourth cricket test against India beginning Thursday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and teenager Sam Konstas was set to make his first test start for the home side. The 30-year-old Head has been in strong form, hitting centuries in Adelaide and Brisbane. Head has made 409 runs at an average of 81.80 across the first three tests of the five-test Border-Gavaskar series, dominating India even as the rest of Australia’s batters have faced significant issues against fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah. The series is level at 1-1 after the third test in Brisbane ended in a rainy draw. Australia coach Andrew McDonald said Tuesday he was “confident” Head would play but still needed to overcome a small calf strain. After not training a day earlier due to a tight quadricep muscle from the Brisbane test, the star left-hander had a short stint in the Melbourne Cricket Ground nets on Tuesday when he received throw downs for about 20 minutes. Mbappé scores again after hitting 'rock bottom' with Madrid McDonald said Tuesday that the 19-year-old Konstas will make his test debut at the MCG. After being called into the squad in place of opener Nathan McSweeney, Konstas will become one of Australia’s youngest test cricketers. The last time Konstas played at the MCG, he made three and 73 not out for Australia A last month against India A.

England captain Ben Stokes has been ruled out of cricket for at least three months because of a torn left hamstring. Stokes will undergo surgery on the hamstring next month, the England and Wales Cricket Board said in a statement on Monday. He was injured a week ago during the third test loss to New Zealand in Hamilton. The 33-year-old allrounder had already been left out of England's squad announced on Sunday for the Champions Trophy in February and March in Pakistan. Hamstring issues previously forced Stokes to miss the home summer series against Sri Lanka and the first test in Pakistan in October.

Renowned Pakistani Sufi musician Rahat Fateh Ali Khan captivated the audience on a chilly December evening in Mirpur as the BPL Music Fest began Monday at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) is set to commence on December 30. Ahead of the tournament, organizers are hosting the BPL Music Fest, featuring three musical events in Dhaka, Sylhet, and Chattogram. Thousands of music and cricket lovers gathered in Dhaka for Monday's event. Before Rahat Fateh Ali Khan took the stage, local performers entertained the crowd with energetic performances. The event began at 3:50 p.m. with a performance by Rafa. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan offers his services to cultural development of Bangladesh The program included a moment of silence to honor Hasan Ariff, an adviser to the interim government, who recently passed away. Sports Adviser Asif Mahmud and BCB President Faruque Ahmed attended the event, joined by student protesters who were injured during the July-August uprising against the Sheikh Hasina government. The fest also featured a special display commemorating the protests and the movement that led to the ousting of the Hasina regime, which had faced criticism for becoming increasingly autocratic. The BPL Music Fest will continue in Sylhet on December 25 and in Chattogram on December 27, blending music and cricket to build excitement for the league.

Bangladesh national women’s cricket team stars, Nigar Sultana and Farzana Haque, created history as they became the first women batters to score centuries in the Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL). They scored their centuries during the North Zone vs Central Zone match at the Shaheed Kamruzzaman Stadium in Rajshahi. Nigar, captain of Central Zone, achieved the fate of being Bangladesh’s first centurion in women’s first-class cricket. Resuming her innings on 85 overnight, Nigar reached her century with a single off Jannatul Ferdous. She remained unbeaten on 153 runs off 253 balls, hitting 20 boundaries and two sixes. Her innings propelled Central Zone to declare their first innings at 387 for 8, with a 147-run lead.  Not to be outdone, Farzana Haque responded in style during North Zone’s second innings. After missing out on a century in the first innings with 86 runs, Farzana scored an unbeaten 102 off 226 balls, partnering with Isma Tanzim for a 196-run opening stand. Isma narrowly missed her century, falling short by 10 runs. North Zone ended their innings at 204 for 1, resulting in a draw.  In the other match, Southern Zone claimed the first win of the women’s first-class cricket season, beating Eastern Zone by 10 wickets at the Bangla Track Cricket Academy Ground in Rajshahi.  Eastern Zone, resuming their second innings at 26 for 3 on the final day, were bowled out for 162. Southern captain Rabeya Khan led the charge with a five-wicket haul, conceding just 18 runs. Chasing a target of mere 9 runs, Southern Zone secured the win without losing a wicket. Rabeya, who took 7 wickets across two innings and scored 70 runs in her only batting innings, was named Player of the Match for her all-around performance.

Kylian Mbappé added to his scoring streak with a superb strike in Real Madrid's 4-2 win over Sevilla in the Spanish league on Sunday to finish the year on a positive note after hitting what he called "rock bottom” in early December. Mbappé sent a right-footed shot into the upper corner 10 minutes into the match for his fourth goal in as many games with Madrid in all competitions. It was Mbappé’s sixth goal in his last eight matches with Madrid. He struggled early on with his new club, and Mbappé said his lowest point came when he missed a penalty kick in the team's 2-1 league loss at Athletic Bilbao on Dec. 4. “I know I have a lot more to give,” Mbappé said Sunday. “The last few games I’ve played better, I took a lot of positives from the Bilbao game, when I hit rock bottom.” The France star said that made him realize "I have to give my all for this jersey and play with personality.” Mbappé said he feels his period of adjustment with the club is finally over. “I think we now know each other better," he said. "I’ve joined the team and that changed a lot of things. The settling-in period is over, as the coach says. I feel very comfortable in the team and I play better with the others on the field. The team is playing much better.” Federico Valverde, Rodrygo and Brahim Díaz also scored in the comfortable home victory that allowed Madrid to finish the year one point behind Spanish league leader Atletico Madrid. Atletico rallied to shock Barcelona 2-1 Saturday with a stoppage-time goal by Alexander Sorloth. Third-place Barcelona is two points behind Madrid, having played an extra game. Valverde scored in the 20th and Rodrygo in the 34th before Sevilla got on the board with Isaac Romero in the 35th. Díaz extended Madrid's lead in the 53rd and Dodi Lukebakio got the visitors' other goal in the 85th at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. “It was a well-played game, with many scoring situations, a good end to the year,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. "That was what we wanted, to be near the top and get some good rest for 2025.” Read: Kylian Mbappé is enduring a tough Euro 2024. It might not stop France winning the title Madrid next faces Valencia on Jan. 3 in a match postponed because of the deadly floods that hit Valencia in October. Sevilla, sitting in 14th place, had won two of its last two games in all competitions. Navas' farewell It was the last game for Sevilla and Spain great Jesús Navas, who is officially retiring at the end of the year. The defender was honored by Sevilla and Madrid players and fans at the Santiago Bernabeu. Players from both teams made a guard of honor for Navas before the match, lining up as he entered the field, and Madrid’s veteran midfielder Luka Modric handed him a jersey of the club signed by players. Fans gave Navas a standing ovation during the ceremony. Substitute Navas came on midway through the second half. “What happened today was spectacular,” the 39-year-old Navas said after the match, unable to hold back tears. “I had never seen anything like it in my life on a rival field. It was crazy. In those last few minutes I couldn’t see anything. I was looking at the ground recalling all the moments I’ve went through and the joy I’ve been able to give to Sevilla and the national team.” Navas helped Sevilla win four Europa League titles and Spain clinch the 2010 World Cup and the 2012 and 2024 European Championships. He was with Manchester City when it won the 2014 Premier League. Read more: Ligue 1 Crowns Kylian Mbappe as Player of the Season for the Fourth Time in a Row “Navas really deserves it,” Ancelotti said. “Navas is an example for everyone.” Valencia draws late Second-to-last Valencia salvaged a 2-2 home draw with Alaves, thanks to a goal by Dani Gómez eight minutes into second-half stoppage time after the visitors had taken the lead with Joan Jordán in the 88th. The setback drew more protests from Valencia fans who have been unhappy with the administration of team owner Peter Lim. Other results Thierno Barry scored a hat trick and Gerard Moreno and Pau Cabanes added one goal each as fifth-place Villarreal won 5-2 at Leganes, while Las Palmas won 1-0 against 18th-place Espanyol. Ninth-place Real Betis was held by 12th-place Rayo Vallecano to a 1-1 draw at home.

Liverpool heads into Christmas with a four-point lead, a game in hand and as the overwhelming title favorite in the Premier League on the back of a wild 6-3 win at Tottenham on Sunday. As for Manchester United and its new manager Ruben Amorim, they stumble into the festive period in 13th place — as low as they’ve been at Christmas since the 1989-90 season — and with a familiar sinking feeling. United lost 3-0 at home to Bournemouth for the second straight season, the latest statistic to show just how far this English giant has fallen and the job Amorim has to turn around its fortunes. Worse for United, it seems like great rival Liverpool cannot be stopped. Make that 21 games in all competitions without defeat after the Reds' biggest league win of the season, with Mohamed Salah netting two of the goals to move above Manchester City's Erling Haaland to the top of the scoring charts. Liverpool has 39 points from 16 games and stretched its lead over second-place Chelsea, which could only draw 0-0 at Everton, to end a five-match winning streak in the league. Goal fest Salah now has 15 goals in the Premier League to break a tie with Haaland — and will leave London thinking he should have had more. In an end-to-end contest resembling a basketball match, Liverpool scored more than five goals for the first time this season, with Luis Diaz (two), Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai also netting. “You can see quality players with top discipline,” Tottenham captain Son Heung-min said. “There’s a reason they are top. If you give them a mistake, they punish you.” Tottenham's injury-hit defense was open at the back but its attack caused Liverpool's problems throughout, with James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke all finding the net. Spurs are another big team in the bottom half, having slipped to 11th place. Back to square one The optimism that might have been generated by a last-gasp 2-1 derby win at Manchester City last weekend has disappeared for United, which lost 4-3 at Tottenham in the English League Cup quarterfinals on Thursday before being handed a defeat to Bournemouth by the same score as 12 months ago. “We were a bit nervous, I felt it in the stadium,” said Amorim, who has won four and lost four in all competitions since starting his United tenure with a draw at Ipswich on Nov. 24. Dean Huijsen, Justin Kluivert — from the penalty spot — and Antoine Semenyo scored for Bournemouth, which climbed to fifth place in the standings and has now beaten Man City, Arsenal, Tottenham and United this season. Indeed, City has dropped to seventh place, an unthinkable unravelling for the winner of the last four Premier League titles. United left out Marcus Rashford for the third straight match. At one point during Amorim's post-match press conference, water appeared to drip slowly from a ceiling light fitting on reporters sat in the front row of the Old Trafford media room. Chelsea's run over After all the money spent on players — $1.3 billion and counting — and the huge turnover of managers, Chelsea's American ownership could have seen the club atop the Premier League with a win at Everton — for a couple of hours at least. Read: Man City crisis deepens after another loss and Arsenal closes gap on Liverpool However, a 0-0 draw ended Chelsea's eight-match winning run in all competitions and gave Liverpool the opportunity to push four points clear. Nicolas Jackson headed against the post in the first half for Chelsea, while Everton had the clearer chances in the second half. Everton also held Arsenal 0-0 last weekend. “Sometimes you have to play a different game and we are learning to play a different game,” Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said. “They (Everton) are one of the best teams in Europe in terms of clean sheets.” Winning start for Pereira Vitor Pereira got off to a great start as Wolverhampton manager, with his new team beating Leicester 3-0 in his first match in charge. Pereira took charge on Thursday as the replacement for Gary O'Neil and immediately ended Wolves' four-game losing run as Gonçalo Guedes, Rodrigo Gomes and Matheus Cunha scored first-half goals at King Power Stadium. Wolves stayed in the relegation zone but moved two points behind Leicester, which is a place above the bottom three, and Pereira said: “I believe that we will stay in the Premier League and we will play at a better level than we saw today." Read more: Liverpool goes top of Premier League as Man City's 32-game unbeaten streak ends at Bournemouth It handed Leicester manager Ruud van Nistelrooy a second straight big loss early in his reign, after a 4-0 defeat at Newcastle last weekend. Another recently hired Premier League manager, Ivan Juric, began life at Southampton with a 0-0 draw at Fulham. Juric wasn't in charge of the team because he doesn't have a work permit. He was sitting in the stands for the match instead.

Bangladesh Lawyers' Cricket, in collaboration with T Sports and ACE, is organizing an International Cricket Tournament with 6 teams at Bashundhara sports city cricket ground here. The tournament will feature two teams from Pakistan (Lahore & Karachi) and four teams from Bangladesh (Dhaka, Chattogram, Rajshahi , Sylhet). Chief Justice of Bangladesh inaugurated the event on December 19. The competition will begin on Monday at Bashundhara Sports City Cricket ground. Two matches will be held on Monday and the final match will be held on December 26.