High on confidence after winning  their first match under former Chelsea manager Avram Grant,  NorthEast United FC will need to be at their best to stop a  desperate ATK in a ninth round Indian Super League clash here  tomorrow.
Grant will look for the attitude which was seen against  FC Goa, when his side notched their first win after four  defeats on the trot. They can leapfrog ATK with a win and that  will be the most motivating factor for them.
"I think we need to improve a lot. I like to implement  attacking football but for us to reach the desired level is  difficult. So the immediate focus is to remain organised and  be together. Hopefully that gets us some results," said  NorthEast assistant coach Eelco Schattorie.
"Two areas which need work on is to bring the team  together. Last week everyone worked hard and had the intention  to help each other so that organisation is very important.  Secondly, we need to improve in the area of scoring goals but  that is the most difficult .

Buoyant NorthEast United have ATK in their sights

PTI Automatic

Mumbai registered a thumping  seven-wicket win over arch rivals Maharashtra in the Syed  Mushtaq Ali T20 West Zone League match here today.
For Mumbai, medium pacer Akash Parkar starred with the  bowl as he picked up three wickets to help his side bundle out  Maharashtra for a meagre 89.
Parkar, who returned with the impressive figures of  3-22, was superbly aided by all other bowlers -  Shivam Dube  (2-7), Parikshit Valsangkar (2-22), experienced Shardul Thakur  (1-13) and Dhawal Kulkarni (1-20).
For Maharashtra, except opener Rahul Tripathi and one  down Vijay Zol (both 21 runs in 16 balls), no other batsman  was able to make a mark and steer the team out of trouble.
Another opener Ruturaj Gaikwad (3) and experienced  Ankit Bawne (9) too fell cheaply.
The Mumbai bowlers took wickets and never allowed the  opposition batsman to set in.
While chasing, skipper Aditya Tare remained unbeaten  on 42 in 26 balls to help the side romp home.
The experienced Siddhesh Lad, who was the team's  .

Mumbai thrash Maharashtra by 7 wickets; Baroda beat Saurashtra

Not in even her wildest dreams,  India's leading squash player Dipika Pallikal imagined that  she would visit Saudi Arabia one day but there she was in  Riyadh for five days, competing in the first women's PSA event  in the kingdom state.
Pallikal had the company of her longtime India teammate  Joshna Chinappa in the USD 165,000 World Series event that  concludes Friday.
They did not know what to expect before they landed there  but have come back home with fond memories.
"I never thought I would go there but it indeed was a  memorable experience. I did not get the time to venture out  but the stay was very comfortable and the hospitality was  great," Pallikal, who did well to reach the quarterfinals,  told PTI after her return yesterday night.
Chinappa, India's highest-ranked player at 14, too had a  good time.
"An amazing experience here in Riyadh. Top class  hospitality and event! Thank you @zalturki and @rbalsaud for  all your efforts in making this happen!" she tweeted.
The ...

Changing Saudi Arabia: Dipika, Joshna recall memorable stay

The United States-based National  Basketball Association (NBA) today announced that former NBA  player Kevin Martin will visit India as part of the leagues  continued efforts to popularise basketball in the country.
Martin will first visit Mumbai tomorrow where he will  interact with Reliance Foundation Junior NBA participants at  the Dhirubhai Ambani School, a media release issued here said  today.
He will then travel to Delhi on January 16 to attend  another Reliance Foundation Junior NBA program at St. Paul  School, Safdarjung, followed by a visit to the NBA Basketball  School at Apeejay School, Sheikh Sarai on January 17.
Finally, he will travel to Noida on January 18 where  he will conduct a clinic for the nations top basketball  prospects at the NBA Academy India, the release added.
"I look forward to visiting India to promote the game  of basketball. Theres a tremendous amount of momentum for the  sport in the country, and Im excited to do my part to help  propel the game ...

Former NBA player Martin to visit India to promote the game

India's Rohan Bopanna and Edouard  Roger-Vasselin, who joined forces for the 2018 season, fought  their hearts out before losing the semifinal of the ATP Sydney  International to world number one team of Lukasz Kubot and  Marcelo Melo, here today.
The fourth seeded Indo-French pair gave a scare to the  top-seeded Polish-Brazilian pair before losing the closely-  fought semifinal 4-6 7-5 8-10 in one hour and 29 minutes.
There was not much of a difference in the two teams as  the winners won 70 points to the 64 of Bopanna and Roger-  Vasselin.
They broke each other twice in the contest.
The victors will now fight it out with Germany's Jan-  Lennard Struff and Romanian Viktor Troicki, who toppled second  seeds Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau 7-6(5) 6-1.
It was the last tournament in build up to the first Grand  Slam of the season, the Australian Open.
Bopanna had played the season-opening Tata Open  Maharashtra with Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan in Pune, losing in the  quarterfinals.

Bopanna and Roger-Vasselin lose to world no. 1 team in Sydney

Rahul Bajaj fired four  birdies in his last five holes to card a six-under 65 and grab  a share of the lead after the first round of the Asian Tour  Qualifying School Final Stage here.
Bajaj, who was one-under at the turn, found five birdies  on the back-nine, including four in a row from the 14th to  17th hole, shares the lead with American Dino A Giacomazzi.
Thailand's Atthaphon Sriboonkaew ignited his Tour card  quest with a flawless five-under 66 and was tied third  alongside Australian Steven Jefferess, who matched his  efforts.
The 2010 Asian Games team silver-medallist as an amateur,  Bajaj is making his second attempt at the Qualifying School.  He nailed four straight birdies in his closing five holes on a  day disrupted by a lengthy suspension due to inclement  weather.
There are 14 Indians in the final stage of the Asian Tour  Q-School. The Final Stage features 243 players from over 30  different countries and will be played over five rounds (90  holes) across two ...

Rahul Bajaj leads after first round at Asian Tour Q-School

Indian driver C S Santosh,  racing for Hero MotoSports Team, gained five positions to be  51st overall after the fifth stage of the Dakar Rally, which  will now move into Bolivia.
Santosh decided to play it safe and steady as the rally  neared the halfway mark to finish the stage at 52nd position.
"It was a really hard day. I was feeling a bit tired in  the morning as I didn't have a good sleep, so it took me a  little time to get going in the stage. The stage was tough,  especially the last 50km or so," Santosh said.
"The dunes were really churned up and the sand was  incredibly soft. It took everything that I had and the machine  had to make it through today. One more day to go before the  much deserved rest day," he added.
Dakar debutant Oriol Mena, also competing for Hero  MotoSports Team, finished 11th, his second top-15 stage  finish. Overall, Mena now stands at the 21st position at the  end of stage 5.
In the 5th stage, the organisers separated the route for  the Quads/Bikes ...

Santosh 51st overall after stage 5 at Dakar Rally

Cricket Australia said Thursday  that veteran batsman Cameron White will replace the injured  Chris Lynn in Australia's one-day international team for a  five-match series against England.
The 34-year-old White has not represented Australia in  any format since 2015.
The right-hander has been in strong Twenty20 form with  285 runs at an average of 142.5 and a strike-rate of 115.85  for the Melbourne Renegades in the current Big Bash League.
While he plays predominantly as an opener domestically,  White is expected to fill the vacant No.4 position in the  batting order. Lynn has a calf injury.
Australia plays England on Sunday at the Melbourne  Cricket Ground to open the series.

Cameron White returns to Australia ODI team for England

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane on  Wednesday confirmed that he has signed a contract extension  which will keep him at the European champions until 2020.
"It's signed," said the French star after his side drew  2-2 with Numancia to progress to the quarter-finals of the  Copa del Rey 5-2 on aggregate.
After a dream start at Real, with eight trophies out of a  possible 10, Zidane has endured a tough season with his side  16 points behind Barcelona in the La Liga title race.
And the 45-year-old cautioned: "I'm enjoying what I do  every day, because that's the way it is. I can't imagine  myself as a coach in two, three years, because things are not  like that. I know how it goes, nothing more, even with this  contract it does not change anything."
On Wednesday, Real fielded an almost unrecognisable team  and struggled into the Copa del Rey last-eight.
Zidane could afford to rest his superstars with one eye  on La Liga and the Champions League last 16 with a clash  against Paris ...

Zidane pens new Real Madrid deal until 2020

Neymar scored a second-half penalty  as four-time defending champions Paris Saint-Germain toiled  before overcoming 10-man Amiens 2-0 to reach the semi-finals  of the French League Cup on Wednesday.
PSG were again without leading scorer Edinson Cavani, who  also missed Sunday's French Cup rout of Rennes after returning  late from his Christmas and New Year break in Uruguay.
Amiens' hopes of springing an upset were heavily  undermined by the dismissal of goalkeeper Regis Gurtner on 34  minutes for a foul on Kylian Mbappe after charging out of his  area.
And Neymar eventually made the visitors' numerical  advantage count by winning and converting a spot-kick eight  minutes into the second half at the Stade de la Licorne.
Mbappe, earlier denied by a fingertip save from Jean-  Christophe Bouet, was then thwarted by a combination of the  substitute keeper and the crossbar before firing another  effort narrowly wide.
Marquinhos also struck the woodwork after connecting with  a cross from ...

Neymar strikes as PSG reach League Cup semis

Allrounder Ben Stokes was included  in England's 16-man cricket squad for their Test tour of New  Zealand Thursday, while Lancashire batsman Liam Livingstone  got his first call up.
Seamer Mark Wood returns after struggling with injury,  and Ashes underperformers Mooen Ali, James Vince and Mark  Stoneman were all retained.
But Gary Ballance, Jake Ball and Tom Curran, who were all  part of the Australia Test squad, miss out.
England play two Tests in New Zealand starting in  Auckland on March 22 after being thrashed 4-0 by Australia in  the Ashes series that ended in Sydney this week.
In the chastening campaign, Australia record four  comprehensive wins -- including two innings victories and a  10-wicket triumph.
Stokes missed the entire series in Australia after being  banned from international duties while police investigate his  alleged role in a fight outside a nightclub in Bristol three  months ago.
He kept his hand in by playing for Canterbury, his New  Zealand birth province, ...

Stokes, Livingstone in England cricket squad for NZ Tests

Real Madrid fielded an almost  unrecognisable team and struggled into the Copa del Rey  quarter-finals on Wednesday after a 2-2 draw against second  division Numancia.
Already 3-0 ahead from the first leg, coach Zinedine  Zidane could afford to rest his superstars with one eye on La  Liga, where they are 16 points behind Barcelona, and the  Champions League last 16 with a clash against Paris Saint-  Germain next month.
However, they were far from convincing at the Bernabeu.
Lucas Vazquez scored both of Real's goals on Wednesday  after the 11th and 59th minutes.
But on both occasions, their modest visitors fought back  thanks to a brace from Guillermo on the stroke of half-time  and then after 82 minutes.
Numancia ended the game with 10 men after captain Dani  Calvo was red-carded in the dying moments. Leganes, a modest  club from the Madrid suburbs, reached the quarter-finals of  the Copa del Rey for the first time in their 89-year  existence.
Despite losing 2-1 at Villarreal, who are 

Second string Real struggle into Copa del Rey quarter-finals

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger  believes the introduction of a Video Assistant Referee system  in English football is a welcome move after the technology was  used in his side's League Cup semi-final against Chelsea on  Wednesday.
Wenger's side faced Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the  second match in England to have access to the VAR technology.
It was in effect on Monday for the first time in an  English club match, when Brighton beat Crystal Palace in the  FA Cup third round, but it wasn't called on then.
On Wednesday, referee Martin Atkinson consulted with  video ref Neil Swarbrick, who sat in the Premier League's  control room in west London, on two penalty appeals -- one for  each team -- but no decisions were overturned.
"There was only two opportunities for them to intervene.  The second was a bit strange, the ball went out for the corner  and then they went back to the penalty," Wenger said.
"If the referee is not sure we could stop the game  straight away."
Arsenal striker ...

Wenger welcomes VAR despite penalty issue

Chelsea wasted a chance to take  control of their League Cup semi-final against Arsenal as the  misfiring Blues were forced to settle for a 0-0 draw in  Wednesday's first leg.
Antonio Conte's side dominated possession for long  periods at Stamford Bridge -- where the Video Assistant  Referee system (VAR) was in operation -- but lacked the killer  instinct required to take a step towards the final.
They had 21 shots to just eight from Arsenal, yet the tie  remains on a knife-edge heading into the second leg at the  Emirates Stadium on January 24.
"We are not so clinical despite creating chances. If you  want to win you have to score," Conte said.
"We didn't concede a goal, but we know we play away at  Arsenal and we must be ready to fight if we are to play the  final."
While it was a frustrating evening for Chelsea as they  chase a first League Cup final berth since 2015, the stalemate  was a welcome tonic for their London rivals.
Arsenal, who also drew both Premier League encounters  .

Chelsea frustrated by Arsenal stalemate

Bayer Leverkusen forward Leon Bailey  plans to prove against Bayern Munich on Friday that the  Jamaican winger is even quicker with the ball at his feet than  close friend Usain Bolt as the Bundesliga returns from its  winter break this weekend.
Fourth-placed Leverkusen reopen proceedings on Friday  with a mouth-watering clash at home to run-away league leaders  Bayern, who have an 11-point lead over nearest rival Schalke.
Pacy Kingston-born winger Bailey is friends with Jamaica  sprint legend Bolt, who last weekend revealed that he wants to  launch his football career with a trial at Borussia Dortmund  in March.
Bolt, 31, bowed out of athletics last year as the 100m  and 200m world record holder over 100m and 200m, but Bailey  jokes that he is faster of the pair on the pitch.
"I've been friends with Usain for four years now, we play  football and hang out sometimes, he's a good person," 20-  year-old Bailey told Bundesliga.com after posting a picture of  himself alongside Bolt last ..

Bolt's pal Bailey out to dazzle Bayern

The International Cricket Council  Thursday approved the new Perth Stadium to host all  international formats of all the game, formally lowering the  curtain on the city's venerable WACA Ground.
The new 60,000-capacity stadium will host a sold-out  one-day international against England on January 28 in the  first sporting event held at the state-of-the-art arena.
ICC match referee Richie Richardson submitted a gushing  report after inspecting the venue.
"This is by far the most impressive and well laid-out  stadium I have ever visited," he said.
"The comprehensive amenities, along with the quality and  functionality of the facility, surpasses the required standard  to host any international cricket match."
The West Indies great added that it was "a wonderful,  refreshing, world-class stadium, and I have no hesitation in  recommending that the venue is approved for staging all three  formats of international cricket".
The WACA, a Test venue since 1970, was once touted as the  world's ..

'World-class' Perth Stadium gets ICC green light

Dutch cyclist Jelle van Gorkom,  who won a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, was in a coma  on Wednesday following a crash which left him with a damaged  skull, officials said.
The 27-year-old was hurt after an accident in training at  the national sports centre at Papendal near Arnhem in the east  of the country.
"After the accident, Jelle van Gorkom was taken to  hospital. He has broken ribs, a fracture to the face, a tear  in the skull and damage to the liver, spleen and kidneys. He  is being kept in a coma at the moment," said a statement on  the Royal Dutch Cycling Union website.
Jochem Schellens, the director of the Papendal sports  centre, described the accident as "terrible".
"Our thoughts are with Jelle van Gorkom, his girlfriend  and his family and we wish them all the strength in the coming  period.

Dutch BMX Olympic silver medallist in coma

Arsene Wenger insists Alexis Sanchez  remains committed to Arsenal even though the Gunners boss left  out his unsettled star for the League Cup semi-final clash  with Chelsea.
Wenger opted to keep Sanchez on the bench until the last  25 minutes of Wednesday's 0-0 first leg draw at Stamford  Bridge.
It was a bold gamble by Wenger given the League Cup  represents one of the few chances for Arsenal to win  silverware in another frustrating season.
Some Arsenal fans and pundits say Sanchez no longer gives  100 percent because his contract expires at the end of the  season and he has so far refused to sign a new deal amid  reports he is a divisive figure in the dressing room.
Although Premier League leaders Manchester City are keen  to sign Sanchez after their move for the Chile forward fell  through in August, Wenger claimed he is still completely  focused on the Arsenal cause despite a series of lacklustre  performances.
"The performance of Alexis Sanchez and the commitment  does not ...

Wenger backs unsettled Sanchez

Canadian striker Iain Hume struck  a hat-trick as Kerala Blasters won their first game on road  beating a hapless Delhi Dynamos 3-1 in a ninth round Indian  Super League encounter, here tonight.
Hume scored in the 12th, 78th and 83rd minute  respectively as Kerala elevated themselves to the sixth  position while Dynamos remain at the bottom of the heap after  their seventh defeat.
Theonly goal for Dynamos was scored by Pritam Kotal.
In the 12th minute, Hume drew first blood as Courage made  it all happen. He dribbled past Pritam Kotal on the left and  got inside the box and went to the byline and squared it in,  beating Gabriel Cichero's slide and found Hume's feet. Hume  slotted it home.
His silver jubilee strike was when he took the ball from  the throw-in in his stride, turned and got inside the box. He  slotted it low past the keeper to find the back of the net.

Blasters on fire as Hume hat-trick sinks Delhi Dynamos 3-1

Rio Olympics gold medallist Helen  Maroulis and Harphool won their bouts in contrasting fashion  as Haryana Hammers kicked off their PWL campaign in style by  beating new entrants Veer Marathas 5-2, here today.
Maroulis and Harphool won the fifth and sixth bouts  respectively to give runners-up of he last edition an  invincible 4-2 lead.
Khetik Tsabolov then rounded up the tie 5-2, overcoming  Parveen Rana 10-0 in the last match.
In the high-profile clash of the day, Helen took on Rio  Olympics Bronze medalist Marwa Amri of Tunisia in the womens  57 kg competition. It turned out to be a lopsided affair, with  the US wrestler completely dominating her opponent to win the  bout 9-1 by pinfall.
The fifth bout of the day between Amit Dhankar and  Harphool in the 65 kg turned out to be the most exciting duel  of the night. Both the wrestlers were at the top of the game  and ended the bout 5-5. However, it was Harphool who was  adjudged the winner by virtue of winning the last point of the  

Haryana Hammers outplay Veer Marathas 5-2

Officials from North and South  Korea will meet at the International Olympic Committee's  headquarters on January 20 to hammer out the details of the  North's participation at next month's Winter Games, the IOC  said today.
"The participants will be a delegation from the  PyeongChang 2018 Organising Committee and delegations from the  (Olympic committees) of the Republic of Korea and the  Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), all led  by their respective presidents, as well as high-ranking  government officials and the IOC members in both countries,"  the IOC said.
"The meeting will have to take a series of essential  decisions, including the number and names of athletes and  officials from the NOC of the DPRK, since all the deadlines  for registration have already passed.
"The IOC will also have to decide on the format of such  participation, including questions related to the official  protocol (flag, anthem, ceremonies, uniform, etc.)."
The news followed a meeting ...

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