Page 1302 - Sports
A football nursery to unearth and nurture Goan talent (Sports Feature)
Goa is known for its beaches, churches and good life. But this coastal state also has much to offer when it comes to sports, particularly football -- a game that is in the blood of most Goan youngsters.
People thought I'd be flash in the pan: Virat Kohli
Cricket star Virat Kohli says in his initial days in the game, he was judged for his 'cool' appearance, due to which people had the perception that he would be a "flash in the pan".
Srikanth enters pre-quarterfinals of World Championship
India ace Kidambi Srikanth struggled past Spain's Pablo Abian in a three-game match to enter the men's singles pre quarterfinals at the BWF World Championship here today. The fifth seeded Indian recovered from a slump during the hard-fought contest to see off Pablo 21-15 12-21 21-14 in a second-round match that lasted 62 minutes. Srikanth, who had clinched four titles last year, will lock horns with Malaysia's Daren Liew, a former world no 10, who had won the 2012 French Open Super Series. Srikanth erased a 2-4 and 6-8 deficit in the opening game before gaining upperhand with a 16-13 lead. He then reeled off four points to reach game points. Pablo tried to recover but the Indian quickly pocketed the opening game. In the second game, Srikanth had opened up a 6-3 lead but Pablo rode on a six-point burst to move ahead. The Indian made it 10-12 but the Spaniard registered seven straight points to enjoy a healthy lead to eventually roar back into contest. In the decider, Pablo managed a ...
US Open champ Stephens makes triumphant hardcourt start
Reigning US Open champion Sloane Stephens began the summer hardcourt campaign ahead of defending her Flushing Meadows crown by beating Bethanie Mattek-Sands 7-5, 6-4 Tuesday at the WTA and ATP Washington Open. Third-ranked Stephens, who captured her first Grand Slam title last year in New York, booked a second-round match against Germany's Andrea Petkovic. "I'm super excited about the hardcourt season again," 25-year-old Stephens said. "I'm still young and still have so much more to go and look forward to." Stephens, who won her first WTA title at Washington in 2015, fired her sixth ace on her first match-point chance to advance after one hour and 53 minutes. "I knew I was in for a real test from the very beginning," Stephens said. "I knew I had to stay patient and be within myself." Stephens became the top-rated player in the draw when world number two Caroline Wozniacki, the reigning Australian Open champion, withdrew due to a right leg injury. Denmark's Wozniacki, who won her 29th .
Mental boost helps Isner reach his tennis peak at age 33
John Isner is playing the best tennis of his career at age 33, thanks in part to marriage and impending fatherhood plus long-lasting confidence after winning the Miami Open. The 33-year-old American produced his deepest Grand Slam run to the Wimbledon semi-finals, reaching a career-high eighth in the world rankings, and began his hardcourt campaign last week with a fifth Atlanta title in six seasons. Isner reached this week's ATP Washington Open, where he burst onto the scene 11 years ago, hungry to extend the greatest campaign of his career as the US Open approaches. "It does feel that way," Isner said Tuesday of this being his best season. "I've had a lot of good years the past eight years. This year, I've been more consistent with my results. "I think this is the best I'm playing on the court in all aspects. I feel like I'm playing my best tennis ever. I'm 33 right now and I'm playing my best tennis ever." Isner married Madison McKinley last December and the couple is expecting ...
New Zealand says no to resuming tours of Pakistan
New Zealand Cricket Wednesday rejected a request to resume tours of Pakistan following a 15-year hiatus, citing ongoing security concerns. The Blackcaps head to the United Arab Emirates in October to play a series of Tests, one-day internationals and Twenty20 matches against Pakistan, and Pakistan had asked if they could host at least the T20s on home soil. But NZC chairman Greg Barclay said "we just decided circumstances weren't right for us to tour at the moment". "At the end of the day it came down to following the (government) advisory and the security reports we'd obtained," he added. "There's no doubt they (Pakistan) are disappointed. I think they saw a tour by a country like New Zealand as being a great precedent for them to start to build an international programme back in Pakistan." New Zealand's last visit to Pakistan was in 2003, after their tour the previous year abruptly ended when a bomb exploded outside their hotel on the morning the second Test was due to begin in ...
Serena Williams loses in most lopsided defeat of career
In the most lopsided defeat of her career, Serena Williams' disappointing night back in the Bay Area ended in less than an hour as she lost her opening match of the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic on Tuesday night to Johanna Konta, 6-1, 6-0. When the 52-minute match ended on Williams' forehand into the net, the 23-time Grand Slam champion walked off the court offering waves to the crowd that will hope she returns to the Bay Area again next year for a longer run than this early exit. Williams had never won only one game she won her serve for the initial game Tuesday then not another. She got two games at the 2014 WTA finals in Singapore, falling 6-0, 6-2 to Simona Halep. While Williams was encouraged by her movement, she hardly looked like herself on a cool summer evening. She double-faulted and landed drop shots in the net. She missed returns and sprayed her groundstrokes long and wide. Konta, who captured her first WTA title two years ago at Stanford, got on a roll and didn't take a
MLS eager to show off Atlanta success story at All-Star Game
The MLS All-Star Game is more than the league showing off its best players against Italian powerhouse Juventus. It's a chance to flaunt one of its biggest success stories. The A-T-L. Atlanta United has shattered just about every MLS attendance record since joining the league in 2017, which made it a natural choice to host the All-Star Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Another mark could fall in Wednesday night's match, expected to lure upwards of 70,000 fans to this technological marvel of a stadium. "That's why the game is here," said United defender Michael Parkhurst, one of five players from league-leading Atlanta picked for the MLS team. "It's to showcase the city itself, the stadium, the atmosphere that we create here. It's special." Indeed, there's nothing unusual about drawing such a mammoth soccer crowd in Atlanta. In its debut season, United shattered the league record by averaging 48,200 per game more than doubling all but three other teams in MLS. The club is projected to go .
Peru soccer chairman under pressure to resign after scandal
The chairman of Peru's football federation is under pressure to resign after being linked to allegations of illicit favors to a judge. Edwin Oviedo said in a statement he "never offered trips, tickets, lodging or any other improper benefit to judges or investigators." Oviedo said he would only resign if a judge ruled he had committed a crime. Five members of the federation's consulting committee left after the allegations were made. The scandal is occurring as the federation negotiates to keep Argentinian Ricardo Gareca on as coach. In June, Gareca took Peru to its first World Cup finals since 1982. Recordings made by Peruvian authorities suggest judge Cesar Hinostroza traveled to the World Cup in Russia with Oviedo's help. Hinostroza said he attended the tournament by his own means.
Colombian FIFA Council member probed over ticket resales
Ramon Jesurun, FIFA Council member and president of Colombia's football federation, is being investigated for alleged embezzlement and resale of tickets for World Cup qualifying matches, Colombian trade authorities said. Jesurun, who is on FIFA's main decision-making committee, is being probed along with his predecessor as federation president, Luis Bedoya, executive Alvaro Gonzalez Alzate, former Colombian league chairman Jorge Perdomo and others. The trade authorities said the investigation concerned eight of the nine home South American qualifiers played by the national team. They believe 42,221 tickets were allegedly embezzled and resold, some at 350 percent over face value. Proceeds from the criminal operation are estimated to be about $4.5 million. Jesurun is also vice-president of South America's football organization CONMEBOL. Bedoya is in the United States as a protected witness after a CONMEBOL bribery scandal. If the parties involved are found guilty, the trade ...
English FA brings in cards for touchline misconduct
Referees are to issue yellow and red cards to English Premier League managers who misbehave on the touchline during FA Cup and League Cup matches in a pilot scheme for season 2018-19, the FA said on Tuesday. In the Premier League, however, the managers will receive verbal warnings, not cards, for misconduct. Among the transgressions punishable in the three competitions are: inappropriate language and/or gestures toward the match officials which are an obvious show of dissent or an attempt to influence the decisions of the match officials kicking or throwing water bottles, coats or similar objects in an obvious show of dissent sarcastic clapping and/or gestures intended to undermine the authority of the match officials entering the opponents' technical area in an inappropriate manner waving an imaginary yellow/red card. The verbal warnings will be reported to the FA using the same process as player cautions and dismissals. "This trial follows a review by the English game's stakeholders
Man United holds on to beat Real Madrid 2-1
Jose Mourinho was finally given something to smile about as a tempestuous trip to the United States ended with a 2-1 victory over former club Real Madrid thanks to first-half strikes from Alexis Sanchez and Ander Herrera. Mourinho has cut a miserable figure during their two week trip to the United States, lashing out at a lack of transfer activity while reserving stinging criticism for a number of first team players. But seeing his side establish a two goal lead in the first half was encouraging, as was holding Real at bay after Karim Benezema's goal just before the interval gave the Spanish side hope of mounting a comeback. An extraordinary outburst last weekend after losing to Liverpool in Michigan has seen question marks about squad morale surface once again. The Portuguese has been without 12 key players for most of the tour with many enjoying an extended break following the World Cup. In front of 64,141 at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium, United were finishing off their pre-season ...
India ease past Italy 3-0 to set up quarterfinal date with Ireland in women's hockey WC
Indian women's hockey team produced a stellar performance to ease past lower-ranked Italy 3-0 in the cross-over match and progress to the quarterfinals of the World Cup here. India discovered scoring ways to finally end Italy's World Cup adventure through a field strike from Lalremsiami (20th minute) and two penalty corner goals from Neha Goyal (45th) and Vandana Katariya (55th) to register the emphatic win. The difference between world ranked 10th India and 17th ranked Italy was the first touch control and the ability to finish an attacking move successfully. India won the first penalty corner of the game and although it was charged down by Ivanna Pessina, the subsequent ball in from India proved too clever for the Azzurre to deal with. Lalremsiami was on hand to lift the ball past Martina Chirico in the Italian goal after the ball was quickly switched across the circle by Vandana. The lead was nearly extended at the start of the second quarter as Lalremsiami was found in plenty of ..
Asian Athletics Championships to be held in April 2019
The 23rd Asian Athletics Championships will be held in Qatar's capital city of Doha, from April 19 to April 24, 2019.The biennial continental event which is usually held in July-August has been preponed by the Asian Athletics Association (AAA) due to the intensely hot and humid summers in Doha.The six-day competition will be held at the Khalifa International Stadium, which will also host the IAAF World Championships from September 28 to October 06, 2019.With less than two years to go for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the planning committee of Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has advised all the coaches and athletes to focus on the two competitions."There is no time for rest and we have planned in advance a lot of activity for the next year. We finished on top in the medals tally in the Asian Athletics Championships in 2017 and we want to maintain that in 2019 as well. After the Asian Championships, Doha will again host the IAAF World Championships in September and we expect our athletes
Monaco name 22-member squad for French Super Cup in China
Ligue 1 runners-up Monaco head coach Leonardo Jardim on Tuesday announced a 22-member squad before the team headed to China for the French Super Cup, with captain Radamel Falcao set to join his teammates later on.
Smriti Mandhana continues rich run in England's Super League
Indian opener Smriti Mandhana continued her impressive run in the Women's Cricket Super League with an unbeaten 43 off 27 balls, propelling Western Storm to a nine-wicket win over Southern Vipers here today. Vipers were 91 all out in 18.1 overs, a target West Storm raced to in 9.3 overs. Mandhana was in ominous touch as she has been all through the tournament, having scored 48, 37 and a record equalling 52 not out in the first three games. Her unbeaten fifty in the previous game was enough to equal the record of the fastest half-century in the competition history. The Indian shared an unbeaten 54-run stand alongside Rachel Priest of New Zealand to fashion an emphatic win for Western Storm.
Tottenham coach Pochettino wants 'glory'
Tottenham Hotspurs coach Mauricio Pochettino has said the time has come for his team to start winning titles and "play for glory".
Forward Willian happy to stay in Chelsea
Chelsea's Brazilian wide forward Willian on Tuesday poured cold water on speculation linking him with a move away from the English football club.
Ranatunga, Aravinda dismiss fixing charges
Former captain Arjuna Ranatunga and his 1996 World Cup winning team-mate Aravinda de Silva today denied the allegation made by former Sri Lanka Cricket chief Thilanga Sumathipala that they had accepted USD 15,000 from an Indian bookie to throw games in 1994. "We have never taken bribes and we have never fixed matches, Ranatunga told reporters in Colombo in the presence of de Silva. Both denied they had ever taken bribes to throw matches. Sumathipala had alleged that Ranatunga and de Silva were the first Sri Lankan players to have been charged of match fixing. He said he was blamed for hushing up investigations. "If I was someone to fix matches, why did he (Sumathipala) have me in his Cricket Committee?" asked de Silva, who had served the SLC under Sumathipala's presidency in the past. De Silva said he did not take the allegations seriously. Sumathipala had said de Silva had been paid USD 15,000 by an Indian bookmaker to lose the Lucknow Test of 1994. Sri Lanka lost the match by an ...
Goa govt to probe if Bandodkar gold trophy replaced
The Goa government will probe allegations that the prestigious Bandodkar Gold Cup trophy was replaced with one made of a cheaper metal, Sports Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar announced in the Legislative Assembly today. It is one of the most expensive sports trophies made of pure gold plating. NCP MLA Churchill Alemao, who also owns Churchill Brothers Football Club, alleged that the trophy was switched. "Bandodkar Gold Cup Trophy was always made from pure gold. It was a very heavy trophy. When it used to be brought in a stadium, several policemen used to guard it," Alemao said. "But now the Goa Football Association (GFA) claims that it is not made of gold. So where is the gold trophy gone?" he questioned. Bandodkar Gold Cup is the oldest and prestigious tournament in Goa which is organised by the Goa Football Association. Alemao claimed that the Gold Cup, valued at Rs 20 lakh in 1999 as per the GFA, was switched surreptitiously to a less precious metal. "....GFA claims that ..