The Africa Cup of Nations final in Rabat on Sunday night was a fairly normal football match, for most of the first 89 minutes… and then it descended into utter madness as a penalty call (soft but right) had a domino effect across the stadium.

With celebrities and dignitaries in attendance, Morocco and Senegal played brilliant, defensively strong, attacking football. A showcase for the African game. And then a penalty call was made.

In the end, Senegal won 1-0 thanks to a Pape Gueye strike in extra time, leaving Morocco fans heartbroken in the stands.

MELBOURNE, Australia — It took 45 years to be in a position to set a record that has drawn so much attention. So another 14½ minutes serving to keep her Australian Open hopes alive felt like no time at all for Venus Williams.

Ranked No. 576 and playing on a wild-card entry, the seven-time major winner led 4-0 in the third set Sunday before Olga Danilovic rallied to win six straight games — getting the vital break in the extra-long, next-to-last game — for a 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4 victory.

“It was an amazing journey on the court today,” said Williams, who left the stadium with a smile and a wave.

Just by starting the first-round match, Williams became the oldest woman to compete in an Australian Open singles main draw, surpassing the mark set by Japan’s Kimiko Date, who was 44 when she lost in the first round in 2015.

“I’m really proud of my effort today because I’m playing better with each match, getting to the places that I want to get to,” Williams said. “Right now, I’m just going to have to keep going forward and working on myself and working to control my errors.

“Those are things, too, that come with playing extra matches … all of those things that I’m still learning. It’s kind of weird, but it’s super exciting to have played that well and to get myself in that position and come very close.”

Williams was 17 when she made her Australian Open debut in 1998, reaching the quarterfinals. This was her 22nd trip to Melbourne Park, where she lost finals to her sister, Serena, in 2003 and 2017.

She was married in December to Andrea Preti, and the couple traveled together in Melbourne.

Williams was determined not just to break Date’s age record. She wanted to punctuate the occasion with a win that could have set up another match against Coco Gauff.

After splitting the first two sets, Williams went on a roll and dropped just five points across four games, hitting some vintage winners. Then No. 68-ranked Danilovic found range with her big left-handed forehand returns and put Williams back under pressure.

“I told myself before the match I really want to take this moment — playing against Venus Williams is something I can’t take for granted,” Danilovic said. “At 4-0, I said ‘just play.’

“It was such a pleasure playing against such a legend.”

At 4-4 in the deciding set, Williams served for 14 minutes, 28 seconds, saving two break points and setting up game points of her own with powerful winners and clutch aces, before she finally succumbed.

“It was such a great game, such a great moment. The energy from the crowd was amazing. That lifted me up so much,” Williams said of that penultimate game on her serve. “She played a great game. Also, some luck there as well. That’s just the sport. That’s how it works sometimes. But it was an amazing moment.”

Danilovic calmly served out, clinching it in 2 hours, 17 minutes when a Williams forehand clipped the net and landed just wide of the line on match point.

Williams entered the Australian Open on a five-match losing streak since the first and only win in her comeback at Washington last year. She also lost in the first round at the US Open in August.

“At 4-love I felt good. Also, it’s the biggest lead I’ve had since I’ve been back,” Williams said. “In a lot of ways I’m having to relearn how to do things again, if that makes any sense.”

She will keep that process going in the doubles at Melbourne Park then will think about her schedule for the rest of 2026.

“Right now I’m very much in the tournament,” she said. “My next focus is the doubles. So that’s where my head is.”

Pakistan is expected to reassess its participation in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 in India-Sri Lanka, following increasing concerns related to the Bangladesh cricket team.

The Bangladesh government has reached out to Pakistan for support over its decision to skip travelling to India for the tournament, citing security concerns, sources said.

They added that Pakistan supports Bangladesh’s legitimate concerns, emphasising that they should be addressed and acted upon.

Pakistan has also stressed that no country should face pressure or threats from India, assuring Bangladesh of its full support on the matter.

On January 11, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) expressed its willingness to host Bangladesh’s matches in the T20 World Cup after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) decided against travelling to India over security concerns.

PCB sources confirmed that Pakistan formally communicated its interest in hosting Bangladesh’s fixtures should venues in Sri Lanka be unavailable.

They added that all Pakistani venues are fully prepared to stage World Cup matches and highlighted Pakistan’s successful hosting of major ICC events, including the Champions Trophy 2025, and the ICC Women’s Qualifier.

Meanwhile, in another development, Cricket Ireland (CI) clarified that the International Cricket Council (ICC) will not move Ireland’s group-stage matches out of Sri Lanka, dismissing reports of a possible group swap with Bangladesh.

This follows claims that the BCB had requested a group exchange due to concerns over travelling to India.

“We’ve received definitive assurances that we won’t move from the original schedule. We’re definitely playing the group stage in Sri Lanka,” a Cricket Ireland official confirmed.

Under the current schedule, Bangladesh are in Group B with West Indies, England, Nepal, and Italy, playing their matches in Kolkata and Mumbai. Ireland is in Group C alongside co-hosts Sri Lanka, Australia, Zimbabwe, and Oman, with all fixtures in Sri Lanka.

The BCB reportedly discussed the possibility of a group swap with ICC officials in Dhaka on Saturday to minimise logistical challenges, though the proposal received little support from the ICC or Cricket Ireland.

According to the current schedule, Bangladesh will play their first three group matches in Kolkata — against West Indies on February 7, Italy on February 9, and England on February 14 — before concluding against Nepal in Mumbai on February 17.

The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 is scheduled to take place in India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8.