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A world record run of 18 consecutive victories has set up Achraf Hakimi-inspired Morocco perfectly for their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) campaign on home soil.

The streak began in June 2024 when they edged Zambia 2-1 in a 2026 World Cup qualifier, with the most recent a 4-0 hammering of Uganda last month in a friendly.

Spain had held the record since 2009 with 15 wins — a mark Morocco overtook by defeating Congo Brazzaville 1-0 two months ago in another World Cup qualifier.

Morocco have scored 55 goals in the 18 matches and conceded just four, while keeping 14 clean sheets.

It is this outstanding form, home advantage and the hoped-for presence of 2025 African player of the year Hakimi that has seen Morocco installed as firm favourites to be crowned African champions.

Paris Saint-German full-back Hakimi sprained an ankle after being fouled in a UEFA Champions League loss to Bayern Munich, but initial fears that he would miss the AFCON seem to be decreasing.

Speaking after the 2026 World Cup draw in Washington at the weekend, coach Walid Regragui said: “We hope he will be available for our first match against the Comoros.

“He is doing better. He is improving. He wants to be here (Morocco). He is our leader, our captain,” said the tactician who defied the odds by taking Morocco to the 2022 World Cup semi-finals in Qatar.

Hakimi, fellow full-back Noussair Mazraoui of Manchester United, goalkeeper Yassine ‘Bono’ Bounou, midfielder Sofyan Amrabat and forward Youssef En Nesyri form the core of the Atlas Lions line-up.

While Hakimi, wearing a medical boot at the awards ceremony in Rabat to protect his injury, was hailed as the best player in the continent, Saudi Arabia-based Bono won the best goalkeeper award.

Brahim Diaz from Real Madrid was not in Qatar, but has emerged as a clinical finisher. He was the leading scorer with seven goals in 2025 AFCON qualifying.

READ ALSO: Super Eagles Captain Troost-Ekong Retires From International Football Weeks Before AFCON

Treasured trophy

Winning the most treasured football trophy in Africa would not only trigger joy across the kingdom, but also huge relief.

Morocco won their sole AFCON title in 1976 in Ethiopia.

The closest Morocco have come to conquering Africa since then was in 2004 when they fell 2-1 to hosts Tunisia in the final. Regragui was part of the losing team.

“My wishes are that many people will visit our beautiful land for the AFCON and that Morocco will be crowned champions,” said the 50-year-old coach.

After facing Comoros in the December 21 opening match, Morocco meet Mali five days later and Zambia on December 29.

All the Moroccan matches in Group A will be at the 68,700-seat Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, which will also stage the final.

Mali, arguably the strongest of the 12 contenders who have never won the competition, have set a minimum target of reaching the semi-finals.

“I read an article describing us as ‘big outsiders’ — that is accurate,” said coach Tom Saintfiet, who took debutants Gambia to the 2022 quarter-finals.

“Mali are on a par with teams like Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Senegal. We may not have as many global stars, but our group is cohesive, determined and talented,” the Belgian added.

While Morocco and Mali are expected to be the two sides to progress from Group A, Comoros coach Stefano Cusin had a warning for his rivals.

“For the big African nations, playing against us is a bit like going to the dentist — nobody enjoys it,” said the Canadian-Italian.

After losing three of four home 2026 World Cup qualifiers, Zambia dumped former Chelsea manager Avram Grant. His replacement is ex-international defender Moses Sichone.

Zambia have disappointed since a stunning 2012 AFCON final triumph over Ivory Coast, but captain and defender Lubambo Musonda is optimistic, saying he is “looking forward to a great tournament”.

Real Madrid’s French superstar Kylian Mbappe did not come out to train with his team-mates on Tuesday on the eve of his team’s key Champions League clash against Manchester City.

The forward broke a finger during the defeat by Celta Vigo in La Liga on Sunday, and when asked by AFP, Madrid said his absence from training was because of that injury but also other discomfort he suffered in that match.

If Mbappe is unable to play against City on Wednesday, it would be a big blow for coach Xabi Alonso, with Spanish media reporting that a defeat would lead to his dismissal.

READ ALSO: Mbappe Double Powers Real Madrid To Win At Athletic Bilbao

The 26-year-old striker has scored 25 goals in 21 matches across all competitions this season and has been Madrid’s key player.

Troubled Liverpool were handed an FA Cup third round tie fraught with the potential for embarrassment after being pitted against League One side Barnsley in Monday’s draw.

Arne Slot’s side have endured a dismal season featuring a calamitous defence of their Premier League title and star forward Mohamed Salah’s incendiary claims that his relationship with the Reds boss has broken down.

Liverpool, who have already been knocked out of the League Cup, are languishing in ninth place in the Premier League, making the FA Cup a more likely route to domestic silverware this term.

Regardless of his Liverpool future — which is now up in the air after his stunning outburst — Salah will not be available for third-tier Barnsley’s visit to Anfield in January.

Salah, who lashed out after being left on the bench for three successive matches, will be at the African Cup of Nations with Egypt.

The draw produced four all-Premier League ties, with Aston Villa heading to Tottenham, Everton facing Sunderland, Newcastle taking on Bournemouth, and Brighton travelling to Manchester United.

READ ALSO: What Next For Salah And Liverpool After Explosive Outburst?

Premier League leaders Arsenal head to second-tier Portsmouth, while Championship side Wrexham, backed by their celebrity owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, landed a high-profile home clash against Nottingham Forest.

Manchester City meet League One team Exeter, while Chelsea face Championship side Charlton at The Valley.

FA Cup holders Crystal Palace will travel to sixth-tier Macclesfield.

Macclesfield, one of four non-league clubs remaining at the time the draw was made, sit 14th in National League North.

National League South side Weston-super-Mare will visit League Two outfit Grimsby, who knocked Manchester United out of the League Cup earlier this season.

FA Cup third round draw:

Wolves v Shrewsbury

Doncaster v Southampton

Tottenham v Aston Villa

Port Vale v Fleetwood

Preston v Wigan

Ipswich v Blackpool

Wrexham v Nottingham Forest

Charlton v Chelsea

Manchester City v Exeter

West Ham v QPR

Sheffield Wednesday v Brentford

Fulham v Middlesbrough

Everton v Sunderland

Liverpool v Barnsley

Burnley v Millwall

Norwich v Walsall

Portsmouth v Arsenal

Derby v Leeds

Swansea v West Brom

Salford v Swindon

Boreham Wood v Brackley or Burton

Grimsby v Weston-super-Mare

Hull v Blackburn

Newcastle v Bournemouth

MK Dons v Oxford

Cheltenham v Leicester

Cambridge v Birmingham

Bristol City v Watford

Stoke v Coventry

Macclesfield v Crystal Palace

Manchester United v Brighton

Sheffield United v Mansfield

Ties will be played around the weekend of January 9-12.

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher labelled Mohamed Salah “a disgrace” on Monday after the Egypt star’s stunning outburst at Reds boss Arne Slot.

Salah said he had been “thrown under a bus” and had no relationship with Slot after he was left on the bench for last Saturday’s 3-3 draw at Leeds.

It was the third successive game that Salah had been kept out of the starting line-up by Slot amid the forward’s loss of form this season.

In response to Salah’s astonishing rant to reporters, Liverpool axed the 33-year-old from the squad for Tuesday’s Champions League clash at Inter Milan.

Speaking on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, Carragher, a 2005 Champions League winner with Liverpool, said: “I thought it was a disgrace what he did after the game.

“Some people have painted it as an emotional outburst. I don’t think it was. I think whenever Mo Salah stops in a mixed zone, which he has done four times in eight years at Liverpool, it’s choreographed with his agent to cause maximum damage and strengthen his own position.

“He’s chosen this weekend to do this now, and he’s waited I think for a bad result… everyone involved with the club (feeling) like they’re in the gutter, and he’s chosen that time to go for the manager and maybe try to get him sacked.”

READ ALSO: What Next For Salah And Liverpool After Explosive Outburst?

Salah is a two-time Premier League champion with Liverpool and has also won the Champions League during his iconic eight-year spell at Anfield.

But, although he only signed a new contract in April, Salah hinted he might have played his last game for Liverpool as he prepares to jet off to the African Cup of Nations after their Premier League clash with Brighton at Anfield on Saturday.

Salah has been linked with a lucrative move to the Saudi Pro League and and Carragher added: “What he’s done off the pitch, I think the club have made the right decision in terms of him not going abroad. Whether he will play for Liverpool again, I don’t know.

“I hope he does, because he’s one of the greatest players we’ve ever had, but if you continue like that, and statements like that, if he doesn’t play, who knows.”

A woman who blackmailed South Korean football superstar Son Heung-min by claiming she was the mother of his child was jailed for four years on Monday, reports said.

The woman, surnamed Yang, extorted 300 million won ($200,000) from Son last year by sending him a foetal ultrasound image and threatening to go public.

She reportedly splurged the cash on luxury and designer goods before she and an accomplice, surnamed Yong, tried to extort a further 70 million from the Los Angeles FC star.

Son contacted the police, leading to their subsequent arrest and indictment.

On Monday, the Seoul Central District Court gave a four-year term to Yang, who is in her 20s, for blackmail, local TV said.

Co-conspirator Yong — with whom she was reportedly in a romantic relationship — was given a two-year term for attempted blackmail, Yonhap news agency said.

The two have been in custody since May.

Judge Im Jeong-bin said on Monday that Yang had taken “extreme measures” in her bid to tarnish Son’s reputation.

READ ALSO: What Next For Salah And Liverpool After Explosive Outburst?

“It was not limited to simple threats or demands for money — she went further by taking action, such as informing the media and advertising agencies, exploiting Son’s status as a public figure,” Im said, according to Yonhap.

Son “suffered considerable psychological distress as a result of the case becoming public”, he added.

The South Korean football captain appeared at a closed trial session and gave testimony as a witness last month, local media reported.

It remains unclear whether Yang — who local media have speculated terminated the alleged pregnancy — was actually carrying the star footballer’s child.

“After learning about her pregnancy, Yang did not verify whose child it was,” Judge Im said.

“Although Yang said she believed the fetus was Son’s, her testimony was inconsistent and therefore difficult to accept,” he added.

The 33-year-old former Tottenham captain Son was in October named the second-highest paid footballer in Major League Soccer in October.

Son arrived in California in August after the most expensive transfer in MLS history, estimated at $26 million.

Brighton forward Georginio Rutter stopped West Ham from climbing out of the Premier League relegation zone with a last-gasp equaliser in a dramatic 1-1 draw on Sunday.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side were moments away from escaping the bottom three thanks to Jarrod Bowen’s second-half strike at the Amex Stadium.

But Rutter grabbed Brighton’s leveller in stoppage time to leave West Ham stuck in 18th place.

The third-bottom Hammers are two points behind fourth-bottom Nottingham Forest in the fight for survival.

Conceding so late was a painful blow for West Ham. Still, after holding Manchester United to a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford on Thursday, West Ham’s battling display was further evidence of their improvement since Nuno replaced the sacked Graham Potter in September.

West Ham have lost just one of their last six league matches to revive their survival hopes.

Brighton blew a two-goal lead in a 4-3 defeat against Aston Villa in midweek, surrendering their 10-match unbeaten run at home in the process.

Avoiding another loss in front of their own fans kept seventh-placed Brighton in the hunt for European qualification.

On the rain-lashed south coast, both teams struggled to cope with the treacherous conditions.

West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo brought Lucas Paqueta back into the team after his suspension for a needless dismissal provoked by two incidents of dissent in quick succession against Liverpool.

The 28-year-old claimed his behaviour was the result of frustration at a spot-fixing investigation launched against him by the Football Association in 2024 that ended this summer with Paqueta being cleared of all charges.

Nuno said Paqueta was still affected by the investigation, but the Brazilian went close to putting West Ham ahead with a stinging strike that Bart Verbruggen pushed away.

Verbruggen kept Brighton level with a brilliant double save after half-time, clawing away Bowen’s deflected effort before quickly scrambling to his feet to stop Crysencio Summerville’s volley.

West Ham finally made the breakthrough in the 73rd minute.

Jan Paul van Hecke’s careless back header was intercepted by Callum Wilson and he slipped a pass towards Bowen, who stretched for a low shot that crept past Verbruggen from an acute angle.

However, Brighton laid siege to the West Ham goal in the closing stages and snatched their equaliser in stoppage time.

West Ham keeper Alphonse Areola made two saves in a penalty area scramble, but Rutter pounced on the loose ball and squeezed his low shot into the net from close range.