Championship Sheffield United, who will still be aiming for promotion despite an abysmal start to the season, lead 2-0 at Stoke through quickfire goals from Jairo Riedewald and Tom Cannon.
As things stand, United are 17th but only eight points off the playoffs.
Full time: Zambia 0-3 Morocco
Ayoub El Kaabi’s masterful overhead kick was the highlight of a comfortable win for the hosts, who win Group A with ease and play one of the best third-placed teams in the last 16. Zambia are out.
Full time: Comoros 0-0 Mali
Mali are through to the last 16 as Group A runners-up; they will play the runners-up in Group C, potentially Tunisia.
Comoros have to wait, and hope.
GOAL! Millwall 1-1 Bristol City (Randell 49)
Adam Randell has equalised for Bristol City in the battle of the promotion-chasers.
Red card! 88 min: Comoros 0-0 Mali Comoros will have a man advantage for the last few minutes – Mali’s Amadou Haidara has been sent off for as-yet-unconfirmed naughtiness.
A postcard frooooooooom America
“Yes the original song was about a Letter from America,” writes Dylan Drummond, “but in my version I wanted to refer to the time in 1998 when I was in a bar in Heidelberg watching Scotland lose dismally - to Morocco, who were magic by the way - thus exiting the tournament. Some cheery England fans were serenading us in the bar with: ‘You’ll be home before the postcard, home before the post...card!’
On the plus side, at least you didn’t try to completely ruin one of your own players when the team got home.
Peep peep! It’s half time in the 7.45pm EFL games. You can see all the scores here, but this is the state of play in our featured matches.
Afcon 2025
Comoros 0-0 Mali (7pm)
Zambia 0-3 Morocco (7pm)
Championship
Leicester 2-1 Derby
Middlesbrough 0-1 Hull
Millwall 1-0 Bristol City
Wrexham 1-0 Preston
Coventry 0-2 Ipswich (FT)
League One
Cardiff 0-0 Stevenage
“Regarding Simon McMahon’s optimistic comments on Morocco’s and Scotland’s World Cup group,” begins Dylan Drummond. “Already in my head there’s a lament going on, to the tune of that hit single by The Proclaimers:
We’ll be home... after three games... before the postcard... frommmm America!
“Aye, ahl get ma jaikit.”
Wasn’t it a letter, or am I being even dimmer than usual?
75 min: Comoros 0-0 Mali The stats suggest a game dominated by Mali, but it’s still goalless and if Comoros score they’ll be on course to reach the last 16. They may still make it as it is: that third goal for Morocco means they are above Zambia and in third place. But they only have two points, and no goals.
43 min: Middlesbrough 0-1 Hull Though Hull are edging this one, it has apparently been all Boro since the early goal.
GOAL! Leicester 2-1 Derby (J James 41)
Leicester lead for the second time tonight. ordan James ran onto a routine ball forward, muscled a defender aside and finished calmly as the ball bounced up.
GOAL! Wrexham 1-0 Preston (Broadhead 39)
Nathan Broadhead has opened the scoring for Wrexham against fifth-placed Preston. Kieffer Moore put in a superb cross, the sort he’d love to be on the end of himself, and Broadhead did the rest.
Updated
The latest scores in our featured games
Afcon 2025
Comoros 0-0 Mali (7pm)
Zambia 0-3 Morocco (7pm)
Championship
Leicester 1-1 Derby
Middlesbrough 0-1 Hull
Millwall 1-0 Bristol City
Wrexham 0-0 Preston
Coventry 0-2 Ipswich (FT)
League One
Cardiff 0-0 Stevenage
54 min: Zambia 0-3 Morocco I’ve just seen El Kaabi’s goal – it was a spectacular bicycle kick from a flat ball into the area. That’s such a good goal – he was backpedalling and the trajectory of the ball wasn’t great for a bicycle kick – and two fingers to Simon McMahon/Scott McTominay.
Updated
GOAL! Zambia 0-3 Morocco (El Kaabi 53)
A very comfortable night for the hosts. Ayoub El Kaabi has scored his second of the night and his third of the tournament, which makes him the joint top-scorer along with Riyad Mahrez.
49 min: Zambia 0-2 Morocco “Morocco might think they’re all that when beating Zambia, Rob,” says Simon McMahon. “but just wait til next June when they are up against a real team like Scotland Brazil, with superstars like Kenny McLean Vinicius Jr, then they’ll know all about it. You heard it here first, it’s coming home, baby!”
Updated
22 min: Stoke 0-0 Sheff Utd A weird incident in this game: Andre Brooks was running down the wing for Sheff Utd when he was hit by an inflatable football thrown from the crowd. The referee has restarted the game with a drop ball.
Goals of the year 2025
Now this is what I’m talkin’ about.
GOAL! Millwall 1-0 Bristol City (Neghli 16)
One-nil!
Updated
GOAL! Middlesbrough 0-1 Hull (Gyabi 12)
Hull strike first in the big game at the Riverside. Darko Gyabi finished smartly after a good move, it says here.
Updated
The latest scores in our featured games
Afcon 2025
Comoros 0-0 Mali (7pm)
Zambia 0-2 Morocco (7pm)
Championship
Leicester 1-1 Derby
Middlesbrough 0-0 Hull
Millwall 0-0 Bristol City
Wrexham 0-0 Preston
Coventry 0-2 Ipswich (FT)
League One
Cardiff 0-0 Stevenage
Full time: Coventry 0-2 Ipswich
Coventry are beaten at home for the first time this season. Ipswich were terrific throughout and won the match through goals from Jack Clarke and the returning Wes Burns in the final quarter.
GOAL! Leicester 1-1 Derby (Brewster 9)
That didn’t take long. Rhian Brewster equalises almost straight away for Derby with a first-time shot from Callum Elder’s sharp low cross.
Updated
GOAL! Leicester 1-0 Derby (De Cordova-Reid 6)
Leicester have struck early in the Midlands derby. Bobby De Cordova-Reid finished crisply from eight yards after running onto Abdul Fatawu’s low cross.
Updated
Half times: Zambia 0-2 Morocco, Comoros 0-0 Mali
This is the Group A table as things stand.
Morocco 7pts
Mali 3pts (GD 0)
Zambia 2pts (GD -2)
Comoros 2pts (GD -2)
Zambia are ahead of Comoros by virtue of scoring one goal to Comoros’s none. Yet.
87 min: Coventry 0-2 Ipswich I think Wes Burns’ last goal was against Huddersfield in May 2024, the match that sealed Ipswich’s promotion to the Premier League.
Peep peep! The 7.45pm games in the EFL are under way.
Leicester v Derby
“Some context for tonight’s game,” writes Pete Flood. “By denying staff their usual pre-Christmas wages, Leicester City are cosplaying as old Ebenezer this Christmas. It’s just absurdly bad PR. I think a loss against our local rivals tonight will mean Marti Cifuentes gets the sack and there will be more questions about how low this club can sink.
“More merrily, around this time last year your colleague Scott announced my son’s birth to the Guardian faithful. We’d just beaten West Ham and I almost called him Jamie. Joey is now a happy one year old with no conception of this cursed game!”
Happy birthday to Joey!
GOAL! Coventry 0-2 Ipswich (Burns 83)
Wes Burns, who has just returned after almost a year out with injury, doubles Ipswich’s lead! It came on the break, with Clarke and Azon heavily involved. Azon teed up Burns, who passed the ball into the far corner. What a fine counter-attacking goal.
Updated
80 min: Coventry 0-1 Ipswich Coventry haven’t lost at home since the first leg of last season’s playoff semi-fnal against Sunderland. I doubt a defeat will derail their season – but it would give Ipswich even more momentum as they cahse an automatic promotion place.
74 min: Coventry 0-1 Ipswich That goal came from a superb bit of defending by Cedric Kipre, who nipped in front of Hadji Wright to win the ball in the centre circle. One pass and one shot later, Ipswich were ahead.
GOAL! Coventry 0-1 Ipswich (Clarke 72)
The goal that Ipswich have threatened all night has finally come. Jack Clarke’s low shot from the left side of the area took a wicked deflection off his old Ipswich teammate Luke Woolfenden and looped slowly over Rushworth.
Updated
GOAL! Zambia 0-2 Morocco (Diaz 27)
Brahim Diaz doubles Morocco’s lead; they are going to top Group A.
Updated
68 min: Coventry 0-0 Ipswich As goalless games go, this is a cracker. Coventry keeper Carl Rushworth has just made another fine save, diving low to his left to touch Ivan Azon’s shot round the post.
The latest scores in our featured games (the ones that have kicked off)
Afcon 2025
Comoros 0-0 Mali (7pm)
Zambia 0-1 Morocco (7pm)
Championship
Coventry 0-0 Ipswich (6pm)
61 min: Coventry 0-0 Ipswich Lots of pressure on the Ipswich goal now, both in open play and from set-pieces. A penalty appeal is turned down after a clumsy challenge by Furling on Wright just inside the area. Wright was going nowhere but a penalty could easily have been given for that.
Millwall v Bristol City team news
Millwall Crocombe, Crama, Taylor, Cooper, Sturge, Doughty, Mitchell, Bangura-Williams, Neghli, Emakhu, Ivanovic.
Subs: Benda, McNamara, Ballo, Langstaff, Leonard, Bryan, Matthews, Harding, Howland.
Bristol City O’Leary, Vyner, Dickie, Pring, Atkinson, Randell, Knight, McCrorie, Twine, Mehmeti, Armstrong.
Subs: Lumley, Tanner, Roberts, Borges, Hirakawa, Stokes, Pecover, Jakobsen, Yeboah.
Referee David Webb (County Durham)
54 min: Coventry 0-0 Ipswich Coventry have made a better start to the second half. Hadji Wright’s shot has just been well saved by Ipswich keeper Christian Walton. The save itself was fairly straightforward but he did well to shovel an awkward ball away from the lurking attackers.
GOAL! Zambia 0-1 Morocco (El Kaabi 9)
An early goal for the hosts, who look almost certain to top Group A.
Ayoub El Kaabi headed Morocco in front from close range after a well-worked short corner.
Updated
Leicester v Derby team news
Leicester Stolarczyk, Choudhury, Okoli, Nelson, Luke Thomas, Skipp, James, Fatawu, De Cordova-Reid, Mavididi, Ayew.
Subs: Begovic, Faes, Aluko, Ricardo Pereira, Page, Silko Thomas, Ramsey, Carranza, Monga.
Derby Zetterstrom, Langas, Sanderson, Clarke, Adams, Thompson,
Clark, Elder, Brereton Diaz, Agyemang, Brewster.
Subs: O’Donnell, Forsyth, Batth, Blackett-Taylor, Weimann, Salvesen, Jackson, Travis, Nelson.
Referee Gavin Ward (Surrey)
Cardiff v Stevenage team news
Cardiff Trott, Ng, Fish, Chambers, Bagan, Turnbull, Wintle, Robinson, Isaak Davies, Willock, Salech.
Subs: Turner, Kpakio, Lawlor, Joel Colwill, Robertson, Kellyman, Tanner.
Stevenage Marschall, James Wildin, Goode, Piergianni, Freestone, Houghton, White, Lubala, Kemp, Patterson, Reid.
Subs: Ashby-Hammond, Earley, Pattenden, Campbell, Young, Thompson, Malcolm.
Referee Charles Breakspear (Surrey)
Updated
Wrexham v Preston team news
Wrexham Okonkwo, Cleworth, Hyam, Doyle, Longman, Matty James, Sheaf, Thomason, Broadhead, Windass, Kieffer Moore.
Subs: Burton, Coady, Scarr, Cacace, Barnett, Dobson, Rathbone, Rodriguez, Smith.
Preston North End Iversen, Offiah, Storey, Lindsay, Potts,Armstrong, Whiteman, Devine, Small, Frokjaer-Jensen, Jebbison.
Subs: Walton, Valentin, Lewis, Thompson, McCann, Noah Mawene, Keane, Smith.
Referee Ruebyn Ricardo (Leicestershire)
“Oh, hello Bob, didn’t see you there!” says Mac Millings. “Well there I was (am), out dining at the waterfront in Marsaxlokk, Malta, with Mrs. Millings, when I noticed that you weren’t focussing on Norwich v Watford -- a Watford (I don’t need to tell you) who have lost just one of their last 10.
“So let me summarize the game for you. Josh F. Sargent scores early, but the Hornets claw (yes, Hornets claw, look it up) their way to a 2-1 victory, propelling them to somewhere approximating a play-off place.
“Oh, and let your readership know if promising young Golden Boys striker, Mamadou Doumbia, has a run-out for Mali, too. Good lad!”
If you want more of this peculiar nonsense – and who doesn’t – Millings is a regular on the Nessun Dorma podcast. He is particularly good/bad on the retro sport drafts.
Half time: Coventry 0-0 Ipswich
Intriguing stuff at the CBSA. Ipswich have been hugely impressive, dominating the Championship leaders on their patch, and would be ahead but for a save-of-the-season contender from Carl Rushworth to deny Jack Taylor.
Middlesbrough v Hull team news
Middlesbrough Brynn, Brittain, Gilbert, Ayling, Targett, Browne, Hackney, Whittaker, Bangura, Kaly Sene, Conway.
Subs: McLaughlin, Burgzorg, Hamilton, Morris, Nypan, Silvera, Hansen, McCormick, Kante.
Hull Pandur, Coyle, Egan, Hughes, Giles, Gyabi, Slater, Crooks, Famewo, Ndala, Joseph.
Subs: Phillips, Millar, McBurnie, Akintola, Hadziahmetovic, Destan, Ashbee, Palmer, McCarthy.
Referee Leigh Doughty (Lancashire)
40 min: Coventry 0-0 Ipswich Carl Rushworth keeps Coventry level with an outrageously good save, flying to his right to push Jack Taylor’s shot onto the crossbar.
Rushworth had to change direction, saw the ball late, had very little reaction time and had to dive full length to get to the ball. One of the saves of the season, that.
Updated
39 min: Coventry 0-0 Ipswich Another opportunity for Ipswich. Darnell Furlong stands up an excellent cross ot the far post, where Jacob Greaves gets in front of Tatsuhiro Sakamoto and plants a stooping header straight at the keeper.
33 min: Coventry 0-0 Ipswich It’s a more even contest now, a compelling but largely uneventful arm-wrestle. Coventry did well to restrict Ipswich to only one good chance at a time when Ipswich were well on top.
22 min: Coventry 0-0 Ipswich Early days but Ipswich hve been very impressive in the first quarter of the game. Jack Clarke has just walloped fractionally wide from 15 yards after a cross broke perfectly for him. That’s the best chance of the game.
Updated
Zambia v Morocco team news
Zambia (poss 4-2-3-1) Mwanza; M Banda, B Sakala, Chanda, L Musonda; Chongo, Chaiwa; Hamansenya, Kangwa, Liteta; Daka.
Subs: O Chisala, F Musonda, Lahne, L Banda, Sabobo, W Chisala, Sunzu, Kalusa, Mulenga, Mwansa, K Musonda, Phiri, Mphande, Tembo, Mandanji.
Morocco (poss 4-2-3-1) Bounou; Mazraoui, Aguerd, Masina, Chibi; El Aynaoui, Ounahi; Diaz, Saibari, Ezzalzouli; El Kaabi.
Subs: Hakimi, Amrabat, Rahimi, Mohamedi, Ben Seghir, Targhaline, Akhomach, El Yamiq, En Nesyri, Talbi, Al Harrar, El Khannous, Saleh-Eddine, Ait Boudlal, Belammari.
Updated
13 min: Coventry 0-0 Ipswich So far Ipswich have been the better team: 74 per cent possession and three attempts at goal to Coventry’s none.
Comoros v Mali team news
Comoros (poss 4-2-3-1) Pandor; Toubibou, Soilihi, Kari, Abdallah; Bourhane, Z Youssouf; B Youssouf, Maolida, Selemani; Said.
Subs: B Boina, Boura, I Mohamed, Ali, M’Changama, M’Dahoma, Ahmed, Vita, Amir, B Nabouhane, Bakari, Anzimati-Aboudou, I Mohamed, Mroivili, Lutin.
Mali (poss 4-2-3-1) D Diarra, Doucoure, Diaby, O Camara, Gassama; Sangare, Bissouma; Sinayoko, Mohamed Camara, Dorgeles; K Doumbia.
Subs: Diawara, Traore, Dante, Haidara, Niakate, M Doumbia, Toure, L Coulibaly, Mamadou Camara, Fofana, M Doumbia, G Diarra, Samassa, Sissoko, Diakite.
Updated
8 min: Coventry 0-0 Ipswich Plenty of endeavour but not early chances at the CBSA.
1 min: Coventry 0-0 Ipswich The big game at the evocatively named Coventry Building Society Arena is under way.
Dodgy name or not, there’s a cracking atmosphere, with a whiff of rewenge in the air: Ipswich plugged Coventry 3-0 in the return game three weeks ago.
Updated
Afcon 2025 results
Group B is done and dusted. Egypt’s goalless draw with Angola means they finish top with seven points. South Africa beat Zimbabwe 3-2 and are also guaranteed a last 16 place. Angola (2 points, GD-1) will have to wait to find out whether they qualify as one of the best third-placed teams.
Afcon 2025: Group A permutations
Look, it’s complicated. It always is when some but not all third-placed teams qualify. Here’s how things look ahead of tonight’s final round of games.
Morocco 4pts, GD+2
Mali 2pts, GD0 (goals scored 2)
Zambia 2pts, GD0 (goals scored 1)
Comoros 1pt, GD-2
In short, Morocco are probably fine but will want to beat Zambia and top the group. Zambia probably need at least a point against Morocco. Comoros probably need to beat Mali, who will probably be okay if they get a point.
Lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta what-have-yous.
Angola v Egypt latest
Will Unwin is covering the denouement to Group B at the Africa Cup of Nations. If you don’t want to know the score, don’t click the link.
Coventry v Ipswich team news
The early game, between the teams who are first and third in the Championship, could be a cracker. Here are the two XIs.
Coventry (4-2-3-1) Rushworth; van Ewijk, Woolfenden, Kitching, Brau; Torp, Grimes; Sakamoto, Rudoni, Mason-Clark; Wright.
Subs: Wilson, Allen, Simms, Kesler-Hayden, Bidwell, Latibeaudiere, Eccles, Perry, Andrews.
Ipswich (4-2-3-1) Walton; Furlong, O’Shea, Kipre, Greaves; Matusiwa, Taylor; Walle, Nunez, Jack Clarke; Azon.
Subs: Palmer, Young, Johnson, Humphreys, Cajuste, Burns, McAteer, Philogene-Bidace, Akpom.
Referee Anthony Backhouse (Cumbria)
Updated
Preamble
Oh, hi folks. Welcome to the [checks writing desk rota] penultimate football clockwatch of 2025. There’s a full EFL programme, starting with Coventry v Ipswich at 6pm, and we’ll also be keeping at least a third of an eye on the two evening games from Group A at the Africa Cup of Nations: Zambia against the hosts Morocco and Comoros v Mali.
You can see a full list of games on our live scores page. (I would type them all out but I’m trying to save my fingers for more essential tasks ahead.) We’ll be focussing on these games, all 7.45pm kick-offs unless stated.
Afcon 2025
Comoros v Mali (7pm)
Zambia v Morocco (7pm)
Championship
Coventry v Ipswich (6pm)
Leicester v Derby
Middlesbrough v Hull
Millwall v Bristol City
Wrexham v Preston
League One
Cardiff v Stevenage
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coventry | 23 | 31 | 51 |
| 2 | Middlesbrough | 23 | 9 | 43 |
| 3 | Ipswich | 23 | 15 | 38 |
| 4 | Hull | 23 | 2 | 38 |
| 5 | Preston North End | 23 | 7 | 37 |
| 6 | Bristol City | 23 | 7 | 36 |
| 7 | Millwall | 23 | -6 | 36 |
| 8 | Watford | 23 | 4 | 35 |
| 9 | QPR | 23 | -2 | 35 |
| 10 | Stoke | 23 | 7 | 34 |
| 11 | Derby | 23 | 1 | 32 |
| 12 | Southampton | 23 | 4 | 31 |
| 13 | Wrexham | 23 | 2 | 31 |
| 14 | Leicester | 23 | -1 | 31 |
| 15 | Birmingham | 23 | 1 | 30 |
| 16 | West Brom | 23 | -5 | 28 |
| 17 | Charlton | 22 | -6 | 27 |
| 18 | Blackburn | 22 | -4 | 26 |
| 19 | Sheff Utd | 23 | -5 | 26 |
| 20 | Swansea | 23 | -7 | 26 |
| 21 | Oxford Utd | 23 | -8 | 22 |
| 22 | Portsmouth | 22 | -10 | 22 |
| 23 | Norwich | 23 | -9 | 21 |
| 24 | Sheff Wed | 22 | -27 | -8 |
Updated
