Page 1159 - Sports

Pogba always welcome at Barca - Suarez

Luis Suarez believes Paul Pogba should be challenging for more trophies than he is at Manchester United and would always be welcome at Barcelona. Pogba has endured a turbulent two years since returning to Old Trafford for a then world-record fee of 105 million euros ($121.7) and his relationship with coach Jose Mourinho has become strained. The 25-year-old rediscovered his best form away from his club, for France in the summer, when he inspired Les Bleus to World Cup glory in Russia, beating Uruguay and Suarez on the way. But since Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, United have failed to go close in either the Premier League or Champions League, while Barca have won three La Ligas in that time and the Champions League once. "Pogba is an elite player who has won everything and we always want to have the best," Suarez told RAC1 on Tuesday. "He is a player that has a lot of quality and who is one of the key players at United, and I think he would like to compete for more than he is competing

We got to complete games from here: Ravi Shastri

Indian head coach Ravi Shastri has said that the team have competed hard in the ongoing five-match Test series against England, but it is high time that they start completing the games.The comment came in the backdrop of India's 60-run defeat at the hands of the English side in a closely contested fourth Test at Southampton."We have run teams close overseas and we have competed but it is not about just competing. We got to complete games from here. Endeavour is to learn, understand where you made mistakes. Take it head on try and correct it," Shastri said in a press conference.Reflecting on the team's weak points, Shastri stated that shot selection is one of the major areas where batsmen need to work upon.Expressing his views on former England skipper Alastair Cook's retirement, the coach said that he might not go down as one of the fluent batsmen but would always be remembered for his effective playing style."He has been one of England's greatest cricketers. He always came across as .

Quarters defeat going to be stuck in my mind forever: Thiem

Austrian tennis player Dominic Thiem, who lost to world number one Rafael Nadal in an epic quarter-final clash of the US Open, has said that the match is going to be stuck in his mind forever and he would never forget it."It's going to be stuck in my mind forever. I'm going to remember this match, for sure. Tennis is cruel sometimes because I think this match didn't really deserve a loser. But there has to be one," ATP official website quoted Thiem, as saying."And I would say if we skip the first set, [it] was a really open match from the beginning to the end. The way it ended up in the fifth set tiebreaker, there it's 50/50," he added.The 25-year-old had given a tough fight to Nadal, but eventually fell in the concluding set which was decided by a tiebreaker.Thiem became the second player after Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany to defeat Nadal 6-0 in the opening set of the match.He has reached the fourth round of the US Open three times out of his last four appearances but this is the

Zidane says Ramos is leader in dressing room, Cristiano on field

Former Real Madrid chief coach Zinedine Zidane on Wednesday praised the club captain Sergio Ramos as well as Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, who recently moved from the Spanish football giants to Juventus.

Griezmann: I've won 3 finals, I should be Balon d'Or finalist

Atletico Madrid's French forward Antoine Griezmann believes he will never have a chance to win the Balon d'Or award if he doesn't win it this time.

I had lost mental edge: Cook

England opener Alastair Cook says he decided to call it quits since he had lost the mental edge with which he managed all his tasks with ease. The fifth and final Test begins at the Oval on Friday, and with the hosts already 3-1 up, it will be the last international match of Cook's 12-year-long career. "I've always had that mental edge, I have always been mentally incredibly tough and had that edge to everything I have done but that edge had kind of gone. The thing I had found easy before was not quite there and to me that was the biggest thing, Cook said. He said he would have kept the decision to himself if the series had not been decided in Southampton. "It's been a bit surreal. One of my friends rang me to check I was still alive because everyone was talking as if I'd died. It is nice when you hear so many nice words said about you. For example, someone stopped me when I was driving in and made me wind down the window and said thank you very much.' That was a nice moment. ...

S. Korean basketball team coach resigns after Asian Games bronze

South Korean men's national basketball team head coach Hur Jae resigned on Wednesday following a third-place finish at the 18th Asian Games in Indonesia.

S. Korea keeper Hyeon-woo sidelined

Goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo was removed on Wednesday from the South Korean football squad for a pair of friendlies in September with a knee injury sustained during the Asian Games.

I will now fully focus on 1500m till Tokyo Olympics: Jinson Johnson

Asian Games gold medallist Jinson Johnson, says he would not compete in 800m now and focus just on 1500m since he considers himself a medal contender at the Tokyo Olympics in the event. Johnson was favourite to win both 800m and 1500m but compatriot Manjeet Singh pipped him in a thrilling finish in Jakarta. However Johnson clocked 3:44.72 to win the 1500m gold medal. ''If you are focussing on the Olympics, there is no point competing in both 800m and 1500m. I have spoken to my coaches and have decided that my focus will be on 1500m for Tokyo Olympics. I believe I will be a medal contender in Tokyo,'' Johnson told PTI on the sidelines of the felicitation ceremony by the Indian Army. Olympics is a completely different ball game compared to Asiad but what makes Johnson confident is the timing. ''Look at the medallists at the Rio Olympics. The gold medallist (Mathew Centrowitz of US) clocked 3:50.00. Now look at my timing at the Asian Games. It is 3:44.72. ''So, in 1500m, It's not just ..

Divyansh-Shreya take bronze at Shooting Worlds

Indias 10m air rifle mixed junior pair of Divyansh Singh Panwar and Shreya Agrawal grabbed the bronze medal at the 52nd ISSF World Championships here on Wednesday.

Indo-Pak Asia Cup clash will be test of nerves: Fakhar Zaman

Pakistan's latest batting sensation Fakhar Zaman has said that though their clash against India in the upcoming Asia Cup will be a test of nerves, the team who handle the pressure well would eventually prevail.The 28-year-old, however, believes Pakistan have got the better chance of emerging victorious owing to the favourable home conditions."Every international match has its own pressure but the match against India is a different ball-game altogether. I believe the team which control nerves better will win the contest," the Express Tribune quoted Zaman, as saying."We will have a slight advantage over our opposition because UAE is like a home ground to us as we have ample experience of playing cricket there," he added.While the Indian skipper Virat Kohli is all set to miss the tournament, the left-hand batsman said that even in the absence of the captain, the Indian side is strong enough to pose a difficult challenge in the tournament."Kohli is a world-class player but even without ...

FC Pune City has right mix of experience and youth: Hume

Canadian striker Iain Hume, who has been signed by Indian Super League club FC Pune City, believes that the side has a right mix of experienced and young players. Hume, who is the highest goal scorer in the history of Indian Super League, has plied his trade in ISL with Kerala Blasters FC and ATK, scoring 28 goals in four seasons. Besides, he has appeared in 59 ISL games, which is thee highest for any ISL player. "We (FC Pune City) have a right mix of experience and youth in the side and realistically we should look for a spot in playoffs and from there look at going into the finals," Hume was quoted as saying in a media statement issued here. Last season, FC Pune City had bowed out in the semi-finals, when they were beaten by Bengaluru FC. Hume feels that his addition along with other signings should influence the side in going that one step ahead (beyond the semi-final spot). "Adding myself and couple of others, we are hoping that we can influence a little bit and who ..

Holland spins web around India A, takes Australia A to emphatic win

India A collapsed to 163 all out on a turning track as left-arm spinner Jon Holland took a six-wicket haul to set up a 98-run victory for Australia A in the first unofficial Test at the Chinnaswamy stadium here Wednesday. Holland bagged nine wickets in the match, surpassing his previous best of 8 for 68 in the longer format of the game. In the second innings, he bagged six wickets for 81 runs. Australia A made a brilliant comeback in the match after they had been skittled out for 243 after the devastating bowling performance by pacer Mohammed Siraj, who ended up with a career-best figures of 8 for 59 in the first innings. The visitors then restricted India A to 274 all out in their first innings with Michael Neser and Holland, sharing seven wickets among themselves. Though conceding 31 runs lead, Australia did well to post 292 all out in their second innings, setting a 262-run target, after Travis Head made a crucial 87 on a wearing track. Resuming at overnight 63 for 2 on fourth and .

Manika makes up for Sharath, Sathiyan-less event

India's top-ranked female paddler Manika Batra will be the cynosure of all eyes at the National Ranking (South Zone) Table Tennis Championships, beginning at the Municipal Indoor Hall here on Thursday.

Amateurs hold spotlight on first day of WPG Tour's 13th leg

Amateurs Tanirika Singh and Rhea Saravanan ruled the opening round, claiming the first and second spots respectively in the 13th leg of the Hero Women's Professional Golf Tour, here Wednesday. Tanirika carded one-over 73 and Rhea turned in three-over 75 to share the second spot with one of the favourites, Amandeep Drall, who has won three times this season. Tanirika finished third in the fifth leg of the Tour, when the event was held at the same course earlier this year in February. She played a clean and steady round with one birdie on the par-three 12th, but dropped shots on the seventh and the closing hole. Rhea started well with birdies on the first and third, but dropped shots on the fourth, ninth, 10th, 13th and 17th. The two leading professionals were Amandeep Drall and Afshan Fatima, tied at 75. They were followed by Siddhi Kapoor, Tvesa Malik and Gursimar Badwal, who shot 76 each. Gaurika Bishnoi carded 78. Amandeep Drall had four birdies, but she also had seven bogeys on a ..

Bhambri, Sharan pull out of Serbia tie; Nagal refuses to come as stand-by

India's top singles player Yuki Bhambri and Asian Games gold-medallist Divij Sharan have pulled out of the Davis Cup World Group Play-off tie against Serbia due to injuries while Sumit Nagal has refused to join the team as a stand-by. Sharan, who won the men's doubles gold with Rohan Bopanna in Palembang, has suffered a tear in his shoulder and Bhambri's knee injury flared up at the US Open, where he lost in the first round to Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert. Saketh Myneni, who was a reserve in the six-man squad, will now be a playing member, replacing Bhambri. N Sriram Balaji has replaced Sharan while talented Pune player Arjun Kadhe will now travel to Kraljevo as a reserve player for the September 14-16 tie. "They have pulled out due to injuries. Divij had undergone an MRI in the US and he said it revealed a minor tear which will require at least three weeks to heal. Yuki also has a knee issue," AITA selection committee chairman S P Misra told PTI. Asked about Nagal as a possible ...

Sony acquires media rights for Euro 2020, UEFA Nations League

Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) has acquired exclusive television and digital rights for UEFA Euro 2020 and inaugural UEFA Nations League football tournaments, it was announced on Wednesday.

Asiad gold medallist vows to give back to bridge, offers free tutorials

Age is no barrier in bridge and not many know it better than 60-year-old Asian Games gold medallist Pranab Bardhan, who has offered free tutorials to do his bit for the card sport in the country. "I want to give back to bridge, I have a lot to give back. I want to help the children, youngsters play this sport. I am going to go back home and tell everyone that I am willing to give tips and help out any kid who is interested in this game," Bardhan told PTI on the sidelines of a felicitation ceremony arranged by HCL on Wednesday. Bridge made its Asian Games debut in Jakarta. India returned home with three medals from the sport which included a gold won by Bardhan and Shibnath De Sarkar in the men's pair event and a bronze each in the men's team and mixed team events. After emerging victorious and receiving recognition for their efforts, the duo hope the myth that bridge is the same as gambling is busted. "We've won this (gold) medal, we are the best in Asia. No questions. We have shown ..

Frankfurt defender Salcedo sidelined

Eintracht Frankfurt's defender Carlos Salcedo will be sidelined after suffering a left ankle injury during the 1-2 defeat to Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga football championship.

Chennaiyin FC signs up three India under-19 players

Indian Super League champions Chennaiyin FC has signed three India under-19 players on a three-year contract. Rahim Ali (18), Abhijit Sarkar (18) and Deepak Tangri (19) will represent Chennaiyin FC in the coming ISL season, a club release said Wednesday. Chennaiyin FC co-owner Vita Dani said the signing of the three players was yet another mark of the franchise's commitment towards youth development. They would be loaned back to the All India Football Federation's developmental outfit Indian Arrows for the coming 2018-19 I-League season. All three are current India u-19 internationals with Abhijit Sarkar and Rahim Ali also representing the country in last year's FIFA U-17 World Cup. "We look forward to them joining us next year after another season with Indian Arrows where I am sure they will continue to develop under the guidance of AIFF and its coaches," Dani added. Both Abhijit and Rahim are products of AIFF's Elite Academy while Deepak got his early football ...