Barcelona reclaimed the Spanish Super Cup by decimating arch-rivals Real Madrid. In a thrilling and action-packed final, Barcelona left Real Madrid in tatters, securing a commanding 5-2 victory and earning their record 15th Spanish Super Cup title. On Sunday night (January 12) at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Hansi Flick’s Barcelona celebrated a majestic night, while Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid endured a forgettable one. Barcelona had defeated Real Madrid 4-1 in the previous final to claim the title. Real Madrid opened the scoring, and they also had the final goal, but in between, Ancelotti's side conceded five goals. In the fifth minute of the match, Real's first attack led to a goal when Kylian Mbappe scored with a brilliant solo effort after a pass from Vinicius. Then, the Barca show began. By halftime, they had netted four goals, effectively knocking Real out of the contest. Lamine Yamal started the comeback, equalizing for Barcelona with a fantastic strike from a Lewandowski through ball. In the 36th minute, Lewandowski converted a penalty to give Barcelona the lead. Three minutes later, Raphinha scored the third goal, leaving Real reeling. Raphinha headed in a superb cross from Jules Kounde. Just before halftime, in added time, Balde found the net after a run into the box. In the 48th minute, Barcelona scored again, with Raphinha netting his second goal from Casado's pass. In the 56th minute, Wojciech Szczesny was sent off for a foul on Mbappe outside the penalty area, and from the resulting free-kick, Brazilian star Rodrygo scored Real's second goal. Barcelona did not score any more goals after that, but they celebrated their victory as the final whistle blew. For the first time in their history, Barcelona scored at least four goals in consecutive Clasicos across all competitions, a feat last achieved by Real Madrid in 1963.

Sylhet Strikers secured their second win in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) with an eight-run triumph over Khulna Tigers at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium today, thanks to an outstanding unbeaten knock of 75 by Zakir Hasan. Zakir had also played a pivotal role in Sylhet's first victory earlier in the tournament, scoring a blistering 27-ball 58 to guide the team to a three-wicket win over Dhaka Capitals after three consecutive losses. In today’s match, Zakir’s 75 not out off 46 balls, which included three fours and six sixes, was a career-best effort. It propelled Sylhet to a total of 182/5, a score Khulna struggled to chase, ultimately ending their innings at 174/9. Opener Rony Talukdar contributed with 56 off 44 balls, including five fours and two sixes, forming a key 106-run partnership with Zakir for the third wicket. After Sylhet lost two early wickets for just 15 runs in 4.2 overs, Zakir and Rony stabilized the innings and set the stage for a formidable total. Khulna’s Abu Haider Rony, who claimed the most wickets for his team with two for 25, dismissed Rony, but Zakir continued his aggressive batting. Aaron Jones contributed a quickfire 20 off six balls, and captain Ariful Haque added a vital 21 not out from 13 balls to ensure a strong finish for Sylhet. For Khulna, the chase was difficult from the start as they lost early wickets. Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Reece Topley, and Ruyel Miah all picked up two wickets each, making regular inroads into the Khulna lineup. Nahidul Islam provided the initial breakthrough by dismissing Naim Sheikh for 11. The Sylhet bowlers steadily dismantled the middle order, leaving Khulna needing 19 runs from the final over with three wickets in hand. Khulna's hopes were briefly lifted when Abu Haider Rony hit two consecutive boundaries, but Ruyel Miah dismissed him on the very next ball. Things went from bad to worse when Mahidul Islam Ankan (28) was run out, dashing Khulna’s chances of a successful chase. For Khulna, Williams Bosisto top-scored with 43, and Mohammad Nawaz made 33, but it wasn't enough to secure victory. This loss marked Khulna's second consecutive defeat after winning their first two matches. Sylhet's win puts them in a strong position in the tournament, and Zakir’s form continues to be a crucial factor in their success.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has announced the national squad for the upcoming Champions Trophy, notably excluding veteran all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan and opener Liton Das. The squad was revealed during a press conference held by the BCB on Sunday, January 12, at 12:45 pm. Najmul Hossain Shanto has been appointed as the captain for the prestigious tournament. The selected squad features— Bangladesh squad: Najmul Hossain Shanto (C),  Mehedi Hasan Miraz, Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Tamim, Parvez Emon, Mushfiqur Rahim, Towhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah, Jaker Ali, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Nasum Ahmed, Tanzim Sakib, Nahid Rana. Chief selector Gazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu announced the squad. Although a 15-member squad has been submitted to the ICC, changes can be made until February 12. The Champions Trophy is scheduled to run from February 19 to March 9. Bangladesh will kick off their campaign against India on February 20.

Chelsea secured their place in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Saturday with a resounding win. Tosin Adarabioyo and João Félix both scored braces as they easily defeated League Two side Morecambe 5-0 at Stamford Bridge. Throughout the match, Chelsea dominated and could have won by an even larger margin if Nkunku hadn't missed a penalty in the 17th minute. Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca made several changes to his lineup for this match. Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernández, and Nicolas Jackson started on the bench. However, 18-year-old Tyrique George was given a place in the starting eleven. Reece James and Romeo Lavia returned from injury to play in the starting lineup. Chelsea played aggressively from the start. In the 14th minute, a cross from Pedro Neto was headed by Adarabioyo, but it bounced off the bar. Three minutes later, Chelsea earned a penalty after Morecambe midfielder Yann Songo'o handled the ball. However, Nkunku's penalty was saved by Morecambe goalkeeper Harry Burgoyne. The resistance didn't last long. Former Fulham player Adarabioyo's shot from the edge of the penalty area deflected into the bottom corner of the net. Chelsea made a substitution at halftime, bringing on Marc Cucurella to replace Lavia. Five minutes into the second half, Nkunku redeemed his earlier penalty miss with a left-footed shot that found the net to Burgoyne's right. Adarabioyo scored his second goal with an assist from Tyrique George. Finding space at the edge of the box, he fired a brilliant shot into the net. Adarabioyo's second goal broke Morecambe's resistance, and Chelsea scored two more goals in the next seven minutes. First, João Félix smartly finished in the bottom corner from a quick counter-attack. Later, the Portuguese forward curled in a second goal.

Shakib Al Hasan has failed his bowling action test once again, resulting in a one-year ban from bowling in international cricket. However, he will still be able to play as a batsman in all forms of domestic and international cricket. This information was confirmed by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) in an email sent on Saturday night (January 11). After failing to rectify his bowling action in both Birmingham and Chennai, the ban was imposed on Shakib. On December 21, Shakib underwent a second test at the ICC-approved biomechanics lab at Sri Ramachandra University in Chennai, under the Indian Cricket Board's (BCCI) supervision, but he failed to pass. According to ICC rules, if a bowler's action is declared illegal and they are banned again within two years, they are automatically prohibited from bowling for the following year. During this period, they are also not allowed to undergo further testing to rectify their action. Previously, nearly two decades after his debut in international cricket, Shakib Al Hasan faced allegations of bowling with a questionable action while playing in English county cricket.

In the second semifinal of the Spanish Super Cup at King Abdullah Stadium in Saudi Arabia, Mallorca faced Real Madrid. Mallorca was eliminated from the tournament after losing to Real Madrid. However, after the match, family members of two Mallorca players alleged that they were harassed by local supporters. In an interview with Spanish media outlet Palavra Esports IB3, Mallorca midfielder Dani Rodríguez shared this information. Dani Rodríguez said, "It was quite difficult to leave the stadium. We were leaving with our family members, and there was no security. Honestly, some male supporters came very close to us, started taking pictures, and were also harassing us." He further added, "Greif's wife, Natali, was also subjected to the same incident. My daughter was sleeping at the time. We felt very uncomfortable. We had no protection." Additionally, Mallorca club officials stated that around 250 people were harassed while exiting the stadium. Women were inappropriately touched, which is completely unacceptable. Regarding the incident, Greif's wife Natali told another Spanish media outlet Marca that men were pressing phones into their faces to record videos and were pushing them while leaving the stadium. Marca published a video of the incident, where several male Real Madrid supporters wearing the team's jerseys were seen laughing and harassing them while recording videos on their phones. After learning about the incident, the Spanish Football Federation stated that their security personnel would investigate the matter and take appropriate action. It is noteworthy that on Thursday (January 10), Real Madrid (Los Blancos) defeated Mallorca 3-0 in the second semifinal of the Spanish Super Cup and secured their spot in the final. They will face their arch-rivals Barcelona in the final.

Former captain of the Bangladesh national team, Tamim Iqbal, has made a final decision regarding his retirement from international cricket. On Friday night (January 10), in a Facebook post, he wrote, "I have been away from international cricket for a long time. That distance will not be bridged. My chapter in international cricket is over." Tamim Iqbal said, "I have been contemplating this for a long time. Now, with a major event like the Champions Trophy ahead, I do not want any discussions about me to disrupt the team's focus. I never wanted that before either. That’s why I removed myself from the BCB's central contract a long time ago. Although many have said, and it has often been reported in the media, that I was the one keeping things hanging, I have not been part of any BCB contract for over a year, having voluntarily stepped aside. So, there should be no discussions or plans involving me. Despite this, there have been unnecessary discussions." He further wrote, "The decision to retire or continue playing is a right every cricketer or professional athlete has. I have given myself time. Now I feel the time has come." Tamim Iqbal said, "Captain Nazmul Hossain Shanto sincerely asked me to return. Discussions were also held with the selection committee. I am grateful to them for still considering me suitable. However, I have listened to my heart." He said, "What happened before the 2023 World Cup was a big shock for me because I did not leave the team for cricketing reasons. Still, wherever I went, many cricket fans expressed their wish to see me in the national team again. I have thought about their love. There is also a fan at home—my son. He never directly told me, but he repeatedly told his mother that he wants to see his father play in the national jersey again." The former captain of the national team said, "I am sorry for disappointing the fans. I tell my son, 'When you grow up, you will understand your father.'"