Page 1039 - Sports

Italy held by Ukraine in friendly

Italy could manage only a 1-1 draw in an international friendly against Ukraine as the Azzurri continued to struggle with the shortcomings that have seen them win only twice in their last 12 outings.

Punam Raut to lead India A series against Australia A

Punam Raut will lead the Indian Women's A side for a three-match ODI home series against Australia A to be held in Mumbai from October 15 to 19. The ODI series will be followed by a T20 series and the squad for it will be named later, according to a media release. India A Women's ODI squad: Punam Raut (captain), Priya Punia, Devika Vaidya, Mona Meshram, Tanushree Sarkar, Sushma Verma (wicket-keeper), Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Sushree Dibyadarshani, C Prathyusha, Reemalaxmi Ekka, Shikha Pandey, Nethra L, Hemali Borwankar, Kavita Patil, Preeti Bose.

I'm huge Carolina Marin fan: Taapsee Pannu

Actress Taapsee Pannu says she is proud to have Spanish badminton superstar Carolina Marin in her team Pune 7 Aces for the fourth edition of the Vodafone Premier Badminton League (PBL).

Birdies in the air: Golf back in Pakistan after 11-year hitch

Birds were released over fairways and ceremonial drives were struck as international golf returned to Pakistan Thursday after an 11-year absence. A full field of 132 players from around the globe were teeing up in the Asian Tour's UMA CNS Open Championship at Karachi Golf Club, the latest thawing of relations with the militancy-hit country that has spent years in the sporting wilderness. "Coming back to Pakistan is a fantastic opportunity for us," Robert Andrew, event director of the Asian Tour told AFP, brushing off any security concerns. "This is the starting point for future years after the success of this event." No major golf tour has visited Pakistan since 2007. The last scheduled tournament, in 2008, was cancelled after a wave of insurgent attacks. "It is always good to be here as people are very lovely and friendly," said Australian golfer Marcus Both. "I came here 10 years ago. The perception is bad but in reality it is very different." The 2009 attack on Sri Lanka's bus in ..

England turn to next generation to get creative against Croatia

Just three months on from the bitter disappointment of losing a first World Cup semi-final for 28 years, England visit Croatia on Friday in the Nations League seeking not only revenge, but also a long-term solution to a familiar shortcoming. For all the progress made by the Three Lions in a glorious Russian summer, a familiar lack of midfield authority ultimately undid England as Croatia's Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic took control of their semi-final to come from a goal down in Moscow. It was a similar story when Spain came to Wembley last month to puncture England's feel-good factor by dominating the ball in a 2-1 Nations League win. A run to the last four with the third youngest squad at the World Cup raised expectations of what is to come from a richly talented generation under Gareth Southgate's tutelage. However, Southgate has gone even younger in his search for the midfield maestro he believes England have lacked since the days of Paul Gascoigne. Jadon Sancho, 18, and Mason ...

Italy draw as Genoa bridge victims remembered on emotional night for Mancini

Ruslan Malinovskiy cancelled out Federico Bernardeschi's second half strike as Italy were held 1-1 by Ukraine in an international friendly in Genoa on Wednesday during which the victims of the bridge collapse in the city were remembered. Bernardeschi's low strike beat Ukraine goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov after 55 minutes, but seven minutes later Malinovskiy volleyed in for the visitors. Italy coach Roberto Mancini spent most of his playing career in Genoa, at Sampdoria, and the friendly at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris was organised to raise money for those affected by the collapse of the Morandi bridge on August 14. Mancini, 53, was the most capped player in Sampdoria's history and also the Genoa club's top scorer winning a Serie A, four Italian Cup and a European Cup Winners Cup with the club. Play was halted at the 43rd minute to remember the 43 people who died in last August's bridge disaster, with the words "Genova nel cuore" (Genoa in the heart) flashing up on the stadium's big screens .

Must be cautious against every team at Asian CT: Manpreet

Midfielder Manpreet Singh who will be leading the Indian side in the upcoming Asian Champions Trophy 2018 in Muscat, on Wednesday said, that they must be cautious against every team taking part in the tournament.Manpreet also said that the heartbreaking loss to Malaysia in the semifinal in the Jakarta Asian Games continue to haunt the side."It was a tournament we should have won and the disappointment of losing to Malaysia in the Semi-Final still haunts us," Manpreet said.Adding that a brilliant performance in Muscat will be integral in their preparations in the Hockey World Cup, to be held in Odisha, Manpreet said that there should not be any room for complacency unlike in the Asian Games."At the 18th Asian Games Jakarta-Palembang, I think we were slightly overconfident that we are Asia's No.1 team and this complacency is what we need to avoid during the Hero Asian Champions Trophy Muscat 2018 if we want to retain the title. Post the Semi-Final loss, the team had several meetings to .

Nepal blow away China in WT20 qualifier

Nepali spinners spun a web around the Chinese batsmen, routing them for 26 before their openers breached the target in just two overs to register a thumping 10-wicket victory against China in the ongoing ICC World Twenty20 Asia Qualifier 'B' trophy at Bayuemas Oval in Malaysia's Pandamaran on Wednesday.Nepal, who won the toss and elected to field first, easily blew away China in their innings, eventually bundling them out for a mere 26 runs in 13 overs.Barring Chinese opener Hong Jiang Yan, who managed the double figures of 11 from 27 balls, the rest of the batsmen fell easy prey to the Nepali spinners as they failed to muster runs, ESPNcricinfo reported.China's scoreboard resembled more of a phone number, as seven of their batsmen dismissed for ducks. At least two of them fell to Nepal's star spinner, Sandeep Lamichhane, who returned with stunning figures of three for 4, with an economy of 1.00.Apart from Lamichhane, Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi (three for 12) and Basanta Regmi (three for

Pro Kabaddi: Bengaluru Bulls hand Tamil Thalaivas third defeat on the trot in lopsided contest

Bengaluru Bulls rode raider Pawan Sehrawat's scintillating show to hand hosts Tamil Thalaivas their third defeat on the trot with a superlative 48-37 verdict in a one-sided Pro Kabaddi tie at the packed Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium here on Wednesday.

CoA discusses communication issues with team management, Australia tour

The Committee of Administrators (CoA) Wednesday met the Indian team management to discuss the communication issues, take stock of the England debacle and draw a blueprint for the upcoming Australia tour. The meeting was significant as it has become clear in recent times that the national selection committee, led by MSK Prasad, is not on the same page as the team management comprising captain Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri. None of the people attending the meeting seemed forthcoming when asked about what exactly transpired in the meeting. "This was an internal meeting of the BCCI and we will not make any comments," CoA chief Vinod Rai said after the meeting. The CoA met Shastri, Kohli and Rohit Sharma along with the selection panel. Sharma was there to talk about India's performance in the Asia Cup, which the team won under his captaincy. One of the primary subject of discussions was the reported communication breakdown that was extensively discussed after aggrieved players Murali .

Gold Standard: Shooting gives another champion in Saurabh, paddler's stunning run ends in semifinals

Shooting gave India another champion in Saurabh Chaudhary, as the baby-faced marksman bossed around to claim the 10m air pistol gold at the Youth Olympics, while Archana Kamath's stunning run in table tennis ended in the semifinals here Wednesday. The 16-year-old Chaudhary dominated the final, shooting 244.2 to finish on top of the podium ahead of South Korea's Sung Yunho (236.7). Switzerland's Solari Jason bagged the bronze with 215.6. The Indian had a staggering 18 scores of 10 and above in the eight-man finals. Around the time the Chaudhary was calling the shots at the at the Parque Polideportivo Roca shooting range, Kamath's run in the table tennis competition was coming to an end. She lost in the semifinals 1-4 after valiantly trying to unravel the second seed from China, Yingsha Sun, in a tense encounter. Archana still remained in the running for the bronze medal though, as she was to take on Romania's Andreea Dragoman later in the evening. The country's under-18 women's hockey .

Pro Kabaddi: U Mumba see off Jaipur Pink Panthers in humdinger

Siddharth Desai and Iran skipper Fazel Atrachali sizzled as U Mumba got the better of inaugural champions Jaipur Pink Panthers 39-32 in a see-saw Pro Kabaddi clash at the packed Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium here on Wednesday.

U Mumba bounce back to beat Pink Panthers

U Mumba made a strong comeback to beat Jaipur Pink Panthers 39-32 in the Vivo Pro Kabaddi Season VI here Wednesday. Siddharth Desai scored 13 raid points for U Mumba and was their star performer. He was ably supported by Rohit Baliyan who chipped with seven raid points. It was a disappointing first game for Jaipur Pink Panthers as they squandered a healthy first half advantage. Anup Kumar had a quiet match as he scored just four points and Deepak Hooda too disappointed with just two points. The first half was a story of U Mumba's attack versus Jaipur Pink Panthers' defence. While U Mumba scored eight raid points, they could muster just three tackle points. Jaipur Pink Panthers, meanwhile had just two raid points but seven tackle points. Jaipur Pink Panthers started off brightly and led 7-2 after six minutes. Rohit Baliyan made a two-point raid in the next minute as U Mumba trailed 4-7. Jaipur Pink Panthers inflicted the first all out of the match in 9th minute to lead 11-5.

Meghalaya expects Central funds for National Games

The Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is expected to fund Rs 300 crore to the Meghalaya government for construction of stadiums for hosting the 2022 National Games, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said on Wednesday.

Shooter Saurabh wins YOG gold, Archana in TT semis

Indian shooter Saurabh Chaudhary won the gold in the boys' 10 metre air pistol event at the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) here on Wednesday.

Germany gear up for Nations League match vs Netherlands

Germany's national football team held a training session on Wednesday gearing up for their UEFA Nations League clash with the Netherlands.

Corrected Copy Ministry of Social Justice, Empowerment to fund Rs 300 crore to Meghalaya for Stadiums

The Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is expected to fund Rs 300 crore to the Meghalaya government for construction of stadiums for hosting the 2022 National Games, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said on Wednesday.

Archana Kamath goes down fighting in semifinals at Youth Olympics

Archana Kamath's stunning run in the table tennis competition of the Youth Olympics ended with a loss in the semifinals here on Wednesday. She lost 1-4 after valiantly trying to unravel the second seed from China, Yingsha Sun, in a tense encounter. Archana is still in the running for the bronze medal though, when she takes on Romania's Andreea Dragoman later in the evening, early morning in India. The 18-year-old from Karnataka had created history in the morning, becoming the first Indian ever to enter the semifinals of the Youth Olympics. She defeated Azerbaijan's Ning Jing 4-3 to achieve this amazing feat. Archana had her opportunity in the fourth game, when she raced away to 5-0 lead and literally toyed with Yingsha to win it 11-1. But her loss in the first three games at 3, 7 and 6 had left her a mountain to climb. She fought valiantly in the fifth game, which proved to be the decider, but Yingsha had recovered her poise to unleash a series of winners. Earlier, Archana had to use .

Deepali praises shooting scene at national level

Praising the shooting scene at the national level, former international markswoman Deepali Deshpande rued on Wednesday the slump in the sport in her in home state of Maharashtra. "One can see a big change in the policies, especially last year. The CWG (Commonwealth Games), Asian Games results are remarkable, more so the Asiad as the number of events have reduced by more than half and the medal count has been the same (9)," said the former shooter who is now a coach. "These results are system-generated results and will stay," said the former Olympian shooter at a media interaction here organised by the Sports Journalists Association of Mumbai. Turning her attention closer to home she said, "The shooting scene in the state is really sad. Thane Municipal Corporation opened a shooting range, which is closer to my residence in Mulund. But as per the tender notices, I am ineligible to train and coach there. If I am not allowed to use the facilities, that is a sad state of ...

Man United in trouble and could lose Pogba, says Deschamps

Manchester United are in trouble and fans of Italian champions Juventus are right to dream of signing Paul Pogba, France's World Cup-winning coach Didier Deschamps said on Wednesday. "All of Manchester United are in trouble. Pogba is still the same and is one of the best midfielders in the world," Deschamps told Italian newspaper Gazzetta Dello Sport of the tensions between Pogba and United boss Jose Mourinho. "However, I'll never comment on relationships between players and coaches." Pogba has been linked with a return to Juventus, whom he joined for free in 2012 after walking out of United after the club failed to tie him to a new contract. He then returned to United in 2016 on a five-year contract for a then-record transfer fee of 105m euros (?89.3 million). Deschamps suggested the prospect of Pogba once again quitting United for Juventus was not so far-fetched. "Dreams are a part of life," he added. "Maybe the fans hadn't dreamed of Cristiano Ronaldo, who ended up ...