Page 1237 - Sports
Messi, Coutinho get Barcelona off to winning start
Two goals from Lionel Messi either side of a Philippe Coutinho strike allowed Barcelona to start their defence of the Spanish title with a 3-0 win over Alaves at the Camp Nou. Wearing the captain's armband following the departure of Andres Iniesta to Japan, Messi stepped up to send a cheeky second-half free-kick under the jumping wall and into the net for the opener, and Barca's 6,000th La Liga goal. Coutinho, who had come off the bench, lashed in the second goal before Messi added gloss to the scoreline in stoppage time, with the clock having ticked past midnight in Catalonia. While they took their time to get going, it was an ideal opening result for Ernesto Valverde's side, who are hoping to once again see off the challenges of Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid in the battle for the title. While Cristiano Ronaldo has left Real for Juventus, Messi remains as the figurehead at Barcelona and he won his 33rd trophy with the club in the Spanish Super Cup victory over Sevilla last ...
'Sad' Federer hopes new Davis Cup lives up to promises
While unsure of the wisdom of this week's sweeping Davis Cup reform, Roger Federer has called on tennis officials to make good on promises regarding the new-look competition. "I feel sad about it, you know, not to have the Davis Cup as it used to be. It will never be the same for the next generation," the 20-time Grand Slam winner said on Saturday at the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Masters. "I just hope that every penny of that mass of money will be paid for the next generation," Federer said. Kosmos, an investment group led by Barcelona football star Gerard Pique with Japanese and Chinese support, will spend USD 3 billion over 25 years on the new event, which will do away with four rounds at home and away venues around the world throughout the year, culminating with the final between the last two teams standing. Instead there will be a one-week shoot-out among 18 nations, to be played in November at rotating venues. With nearly two decades in the game, the 37-year-old Federer has a long ...
Stay focused, Guardiola warns joker Mendy
Pep Guardiola has declared there is space at Manchester City for Benjamin Mendy's sense of humour, as long as he maintains focus on the pitch. Left-back Mendy is aiming to build some momentum at City after missing much of last season with a knee ligament injury sustained against Crystal Palace last September. He returned to action in April, in time to make France's squad for their World Cup-winning campaign in Russia, where he played once, in the final group match against Denmark in Moscow. Mendy has started the season by playing in two City victories, 2-0 over Chelsea in the Community Shield then Arsenal, by the same score, in the Premier League at the Emirates Stadium last Sunday. Guardiola, though, was critical of Mendy's positioning against Arsenal, saying that "sometimes you want to kill him; sometimes you want to say, Wow, what a player we have". He also suggested that the defender should cut down on his prolific and humorous use of social media. However, City's manager has ...
'You can't buy class': Mourinho slams City over documentary
Jose Mourinho accused Manchester City of lacking class in a scathing response to his own appearances in a documentary series about the Premier League champions. The eight-part series, 'All or Nothing' was released by streaming service Amazon last week amid much fanfare. The fly-on-the-wall episodes focus on Pep Guardiola's magnificent efforts in winning last season's English title, with the producers boasting of their unprecedented access to the champions over the season. But the Manchester United manager was surprised, and clearly angered, by the number of times he appears, or is the subject of comments, in the series. "I haven't seen it but I know a few things about the movie," Mourinho told reporters ahead of Sunday's clash at Brighton. "You don't need to be disrespectful to have a fantastic movie. "My reaction is if you are a rich club you can buy top players, you cannot buy class. That is my first reaction. "The second reaction is because I am in the movie I could ask for some ...
New mentoring app for budding cricketers unveiled in UK
A new smartphone-based mentoring app that gives budding amateur cricketers the chance to get direct access to their cricketing heroes for advice on how to improve their game was unveiled at Lord's Cricket Ground in London this week. Proatar, co-founded by Indian entrepreneur Srikanth Tanguturi and Sri Lankan investor Christy Kulasingam, is designed as a revolutionary new sports coaching-cum-mentoring platform to help passionate amateurs to get more out of their game through insights and inspiration from the elites of the game. It has over 20 cricketing experts already signed up, including Indian cricketer Rohit Sharma and West Indian legends like Michael Holding and Courtney Walsh. "I am really excited about sharing some of my cricketing knowledge and journey to inspire young kids on their journey," said Sharma, a prolific batsman in the Indian cricket team. The new free-to-download app, initially available via an invitation-only referral code to control numbers, will have its global .
We struggled to create chances in middle period: Woakes
England pacer Chris Woakes has said that Indian batsmen capitalised well on conditions and didn't give any chances away in the middle session, which allowed them to finish day one of third Test at 307 for six. "It was an even day overall, I think. When you do win the toss, and go out there and have a bowl, there's always that added pressure to skittle them early. But credit to India, I thought they played pretty well," said Woakes. Woakes picked up three wickets in the morning session to negate India's solid start. Thereafter, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane put on 159 runs, with only one dropped catch in the post-lunch session. "The ball moved around pretty much all day there was probably a period through the middle when it didn't do quite as much, when the sun was out, and they capitalized on that. I think we bowled reasonably well, and they combated it pretty well. Throughout that middle period, we struggled to create a chance." Kohli fell for 97, while his deputy got out after ...
Mbappe plays starring role on return to PSG side
Kylian Mbappe marked his first appearance for Paris Saint-Germain since winning the World Cup by coming off the bench to score a late brace that gave the French champions a 3-1 victory at Guingamp. Nolan Roux had given the home side the lead in the Brittany sunshine, and only a combination of Gianluigi Buffon and VAR prevented Thomas Tuchel's side from being further behind at half-time. But Mbappe came on for the second half and Neymar equalised from the penalty spot soon after, before the 19-year-old France starlet added two goals in the closing 10 minutes to secure the points. "I have very big objectives, so there is no time to loaf around," Mbappe told Canal Plus at the end of the game. "I brought something to the team but the whole side wanted to do better after a timid start to the match." It is now two wins from two in Ligue 1 this season for PSG under new coach Tuchel, after they swept aside Monaco 4-0 to win the campaign-opening Champions Trophy in China. "The situation is ...
We understand that players are playing for their careers, says Bangar
Assistant coach Sanjay Bangar says India's batsmen are under tremendous pressure and "playing for their careers" after their horror run in the first two Tests against England resulted in embarrassing defeats. World number one India trail the five-match series 0-2, but put up a solid batting display on the first day of the third game to 307 for six at stumps. "...The players themselves are under tremendous pressure - they are playing for their careers. We understand that," Bangar said at the end of first day's play. "To make at times when things don't really work in your favour, it is important to maintain composure, have the same sort of sense whether things are going well or not going well. Maintaining your equilibrium, that helps." The batsmen's poor performances had put a question mark on the support staff, but Bangar said that such pressure only comes with the job. "All of us understand clearly there is no magic wand we can work on any batsman. You have to understand the last five
Indian women crush Japan in kabaddi for contingent's first win
The Indian contingent registered its first win at the 18th Asian Games as the country's women's Kabaddi team made mincemeat of Japan in their Group A opener here today. India won 43-12 in a lop-sided encounter. The Indian women dominated the contest from start to end against the Japanese, recording an emphatic win in their first game on day one of competitions. India stayed on track to complete a hat-trick of titles in the multi-sport quadrennial extravaganza. Japan were never in the match and the gulf in class between the two teams was evident from the beginning. The men's team, also one of the favourites, start their campaign against Bangladesh later in the day followed by a match against Sri Lanka in the evening.
Messi scores Barcelona's 6,000th league goal
Barcelona scored its 6,000th goal in the Spanish league after another ingenious strike by Lionel Messi got its title defense off to a winning start. Messi cleverly sent his free kick underneath Alaves' wall to open the scoring in the 64th minute of Barcelona's 3-0 win at Camp Nou Stadium yesterday. He also closed the scoring in injury time after substitute Philippe Coutinho had added to the lead in the 83rd. Messi's low free kick fooled Alaves' players, who jumped to intercept an expected high shot. Goalkeeper Fernando Pacheco couldn't get to the ball in time after it suddenly appeared underneath the barrier. "Messi never fails to surprise you," Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde said. Messi, the league's top scorer last season, had struck the crossbar with a free kick this time over the wall in the first half. He also hit the post from inside the area a few minutes after his opening goal. Messi also scored Barcelona's 5,000th league goal back in 2009. Barcelona has opened its league .
Our first target is to qualify for finals: Dipa's coach
Ace Indian gymnast Dipa Karmakar's coach Bisheshwar Nandi, who is in Jakarta for the 18th edition of the Asian Games has expressed confidence that the former would give her best performance, while saying that their first aim is to qualify for the finals of the women's artistic gymnastics event in the quadrennial tournament.Speaking to ANI, Nandi heaped praises on the Sports Authority of India (SAI) for saving gymnastics in the country.Talking on Dipa's preparation for the Asian Games, he elucidated, "Dipa's full training began 15-20 days after the Commonwealth Games (in Gold Coast, Australia) ended. I taught her a new vault. She is perfect in 5.4 value. As she has just recovered from her (knee) injury, I decided that I will train her the Produnova fault by the end of this year."Emphasising on the challenges Dipa faced, following her career-threatening knee injury that she sustained two years ago, Nandi said that he did not pressurise the former.He continued, "I did not give her any ...
Nottingham Test: Kohli, Rahane revive India
The Indian cricket team had the best day so far in the ongoing Test series as captain Virat Kohli and his deputy Ajinkya Rahane shared a brilliant 159-run partnership, before England clawed their way back in a riveting first day of the third Test match at Trent Bridge here on Saturday.India again lost the toss for the third time and were asked to bat first by England. The Men in Blue made three changes to their team, dropping the out-of-form opener Murali Vijay, wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik and spinner Kuldeep Yadav.Left-hander Rishabh Pant was handed his first cap, while Jasprit Bumrah and Shikhar Dhawan returned to the side, following their embarrassing 159-run innings defeat against England at the Lord's last week.In overcast conditions and a pitch that offered an even contest between bat and ball, openers KL Rahul (23) and Dhawan (35) made a cautious start as India batted with discipline. The duo shared a 60-run stand before the latter was dismissed by English pacer Chris ...
Paddler Manav corners two bronze in Asian Junior TT
Indias junior paddlers continued their stellar show in the Asian Junior and Cadet Championships, netting three medals in the individual events at Nay Pyi Taw in Myanmar.
Kohli, Rahane fifties propel India to 189/3 at tea
Skipper Virat Kohli and his deputy Ajinkya Rahane struck fluent fifties to help India recover from the early jolts in the morning session, as the visitors reached 189/3 at tea on Day 1 of the third Test at Trent Bridge here on Saturday.
Real Madrid coach declines to reveal starting goalkeeper vs Getafe
Real Madrid's new coach Julen Lopetegui on Saturday did not reveal who of his goalkeepers -- Keylor Navas and Thibaut Courtois -- would play against Getafe in their 2018/2019 La Liga opener.
Hoping for good performance in Asian Games: Rita Choksi
Indian bridge player Rita Choksi, who is the eldest player in the Indian contingent for the 18 edition of the Asian Games, has said that she is hopeful of impressive performance in the event.The 79-year-old, who is playing mixed pairs for the first time in the Asian Games, further stated that she has done well in many international tournaments and it would be interesting to participate in the quadrennial event."It will be very interesting. Most of the people going there, I know them. Some of them have been playing with me sometimes back. I think we will do very well. The players will do very well," Choksi said. "I have played mostly in teams all over the world. This is for the first time that I will be playing in mixed doubles in Asian games," she added.Bridge, which is a trick-taking card game, is introduced in the Asian Games for the very first time after the recommendations were made to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) regarding the same. Indian bridge team will start their ...
Asian Games open in Jakarta amid grand ceremony
The 18th Asian Games opened amid a spectacular ceremony at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium in this Indonesian capital on Saturday night.
Otters Club Open Squash: Top guns have it easy in round 1
Top seeds Abhishek Pradhan and Abhishek Agarwal sailed into second round of the Otters Club Open Squash Tournament here today. Pradhan, who reached the Maharashtra Open final last week, brushed aside unseeded Sandeep Singh 11-8, 11-7, 11-1, while Agarwal made a short work of Ayush Singh, dropping 9 points on his way to an 11-1, 11-3, 11-5 victory. Unseeded 19-year-old Aryaman Adik, who is playing in the men's category, upset higher ranked Paramjeet Singh beating him 11-5, 11-6, 11-5. In another match, Aishwary Singh, who is seeded in the [9/16] bracket, started his campaign on a high demolishing the unseeded Nitin Agarwal 11-2, 11-0, 11-3 to advance to the second round. Results: Men (1st round): Abhishek Pradhan [1] bt Sandeep Singh 11-8 11-7 11-1; Khan Shahbaj bt Akash Ashok Kumar [17/32] 11-8 11-4 11-3; Siddharth Rathore [9/16] bt Pushkar Potphode 11-4 11-5 11-5; Aishwary Singh [9/16] bt Nitin Agrawal 11-2 11-0 11-3 ; Aryaman Adik bt Paramjeet Singh [17/32] 11-5 11-6
Ronaldo set for Serie A debut amid tight security in Verona
Cristiano Ronaldo makes his eagerly-awaited Serie A debut for Juventus on Saturday amid the tightest security and excitement the Italian city of Verona has seen since a concert by Robbie Williams at Chievo's Bentegodi Stadium last year. Reigning champions Juventus face Chievo in their Serie A opener at 6:00pm (1600 GMT) in the small northeastern Italian city famed as the setting for Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet". Ronaldo, the 33-year-old Portugal superstar, joined from Real Madrid last month in a deal worth 100 million euros ($114.5 million). Thousands of fans and the world's media have been pouring into the town, which has a population of 262,000, ahead of the first game of the season. Anti-terrorism measures have been put in place around the stadium which has been closed off to traffic with 32,000 spectators expected in addition to hundreds of journalists and television crews from around the globe. Ronaldo's Serie A debut has smashed Chievo's record for ticket sales, generating ..
Indonesia celebrates heritage, traffic and world peace at energetic Asiad opening ceremony
A presidential dig at their traffic woes, a colourful display of their cultural heritage and a message for world peace -- Indonesia mixed it up all for a vibrant and slick opening ceremony for the 18th Asian Games here today. Indonesian President Joko Widodo was shown taking a motorcycle to the stadium after his convoy was stuck in one of Jakarta's infamous traffic jams. The footage, played out on the stadium's giant screen, had Widodo grabbing hold of a motorbike to whiz past the stranded vehicles and take the narrow lanes to make the stadium in time. A helmet-clad biker, presented to be the President, eventually appeared at the stadium before Widodo revealed himself at the dignitaries stands amid loud cheers from the crowd. Raising the emotional quotient was the unified Korean delegation, repeating the touching images from the Winter Olympics, to once again deliver the message of world peace amid the recent diplomatic breakthroughs. The two Koreas will field a united team in three ..