Sports News Roundup: Soccer-Colombia fight back to shock Brazil, Uruguay beat Messi's Argentina; Tennis-Zverev says he'll be biggest Medvedev fan in Alcaraz ATP Finals clash and more

The four-time major winner teed off from the 13th hole at the Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai and as the ball fell outside the green, spectators moved aside to reveal his ball was lodged on the lap of a woman sitting on the grass. Baseball-MLB owners approve Athletics' move to Las Vegas from Oakland Major League Baseball (MLB) owners voted to approve the move of the Oakland Athletics to Las Vegas, the team said on Thursday, ending years of speculation over the club's future.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Soccer-Colombia fight back to shock Brazil, Uruguay beat Messi's Argentina

Brazil lost their second consecutive World Cup qualifier match as Colombia fought back to win 2-1 against the five-times champions, who dropped to fifth place in the South American standings on Thursday. It was a cathartic evening for Liverpool forward Luis Diaz, who scored twice within four minutes late in the second-half to give his country the shock win just days after Colombian guerrillas freed his kidnapped father.

Tennis-Zverev says he'll be biggest Medvedev fan in Alcaraz ATP Finals clash

Alexander Zverev said he will be cheering on rival Daniil Medvedev to beat second seed Carlos Alcaraz at the ATP Finals on Friday, as it will boost his chances of reaching the semi-finals of the season-ending championship in Turin, Italy. Medvedev became the first player through to the semis with a 7-6(7) 6-4 victory over Zverev, and the German now needs the third seed to beat 20-year-old Alcaraz.

Motor racing-Unimpressed Verstappen not buying into Las Vegas hype

Red Bull's Max Verstappen isn't buying into the turbo-charged hype around Formula One's return to Las Vegas, describing the race as 99% show, 1% sport. Having clinched the drivers' crown weeks ago, Verstappen had already taken much of the drama out of Saturday night's race and his open distain for the glitzy showbiz promotion around the event will not do anything to help ticket sales.

NBA roundup: Down 2 starters, Celtics still top 76ers

Jayson Tatum scored 29 points, including a 3-pointer with 1:11 remaining for an eight-point cushion, as the short-handed Boston Celtics defeated the host Philadelphia 76ers 117-107 on Wednesday night. Derrick White added 27 points and Jrue Holiday contributed 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics, who have won four games in a row.

Golf-McIlroy tee shot lands on spectator's lap in Dubai

Rory McIlroy has had to chip shots from all corners of a golf course in his career but the former world number one found himself in an awkward fix at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai on Thursday when his tee shot landed on a woman's lap. The four-time major winner teed off from the 13th hole at the Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai and as the ball fell outside the green, spectators moved aside to reveal his ball was lodged on the lap of a woman sitting on the grass.

Baseball-MLB owners approve Athletics' move to Las Vegas from Oakland

Major League Baseball (MLB) owners voted to approve the move of the Oakland Athletics to Las Vegas, the team said on Thursday, ending years of speculation over the club's future. The A's will play their final season at the Oakland Coliseum in 2024 and said they will work with MLB to identify "interim" locations to compete before opening a new ballpark on the Las Vegas Strip in 2028.

Formula One clothing craze sweeps retailers ahead of Vegas debut

Formula One motor sports, which routinely draws top-tier luxury sponsors like Rolex, is expanding its roster of partners to retailers whose core business is selling clothing at American shopping malls. Teen clothing chains Abercrombie & Fitch and PacSun are among the U.S. retail chains seeking to turn Americans' budding love affair with Formula One into sales of F1-inspired clothing lines, building partly on excitement for this weekend's inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix, the retailers said.

Boxing-Fury v Usyk heavyweight title fight scheduled for Feb 17 in Riyadh

Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will fight for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world in Riyadh on Feb. 17, organisers announced on Thursday. Britain's Fury is the WBC world champion while Ukrainian Usyk holds the WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO belts. Both have unbeaten records.

Baseball-Ohtani wins second American League MVP award in unanimous vote

Dual-threat Major League Baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani was named the unanimous winner of the American League Most Valuable Player award for a second time on Thursday despite suffering injuries that cut his 2023 season short. The Japanese-born Ohtani received all 30 first-place votes in balloting by eligible Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) voters to beat out Corey Seager and Marcus Semien of the Texas Rangers.

Motor racing-Reynolds makes Alpine F1 investment more visible

Hollywood actor and 'Deadpool' star Ryan Reynolds is making his investment in Formula One more visible after his MNTN television advertising software firm struck a partnership deal with Renault-owned Alpine. Reynolds, whose various interests include co-owning Welsh soccer side Wrexham with fellow-actor Rob McElhenney, last June joined a group of investors taking a 24% equity stake in the F1 team.