Page 1400 - Sports
England reap rewards of Southgate's meticulous preparation
England's return to the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time in 12 years is no fluke as the team reap the rewards from coach Gareth Southgate's meticulous eye for detail. A first-ever World Cup penalty shootout win in the last 16, against Colombia, followed months of practice from the spot and psychometric tests on the players to determine who was best placed to handle the pressure. Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford even switched his water bottle before the shootout for one with where the Colombians preferred to put their penalties written on the side. "We'd done all the hard work on the training pitch and we were able to execute when we were there," said defender John Stones. "It's about covering all the bases and making sure that you are taking in every detail to give you the best advantage you can. That's down to the staff, down to the players, the hours on the training pitch." Much of that preparation comes from Southgate's own experience of missing a penalty in the semi-final of .
FIFA WC: Uruguay sweat on Cavani's injury ahead of France clash
Uruguay's chance of maintaining a clean slate in this year's FIFA World Cup could be in danger as forward Edinson Cavani is likely to miss the highly-anticipated quarter-final match against a rejuvenated France due to a calf injury at the Nizhny Novgorod stadium here on Friday.Cavani's form has been exceptional in the group stages, with his best performance coming in the round of 16 clash against Portugal, where he netted two goals in each half to dump the Euro 2016 champions out of the tournament.After he scored his second goal, the 31-year-old sustained the injury and limped off in the middle of the game.Interestingly, both Uruguay and France have won all their matches so far. The two countries would be looking to match their respective teams' defending and attacking prowess.France would be looking to the 19-year-old sensation Kylian Mbappe, who scored sensational double goals to brush aside Argentina in their round of 16 clash.Other players such as Oliver Giroud, Paul Pogba, and ...
Google dedicates doodle for FIFA WC Quarters
Ahead of the much-awaited Quarter-Final encounters in the FIFA World Cup 2018, featuring Brazil vs Belgium, and Uruguay vs France on Friday, Google dedicated its doodle to depict the emotions that the 'beautiful game' invokes in each of those nations.The doodles are part of its series that celebrates the rich cultures and talent of all 32 participating countries, featuring guest artists from each nation, with the doodles illustrating each artist's perspective of "What football looks like in my country."In Google's blog page dedicated for its doodle series, Brazilian artist Pedro Vergani mentioned, "Football in Brazil is a state of mind, a moment when the country gathers to celebrate (or cry) together. It is an expression of an important part of our culture; it is art, rhythm, dance, hard work, teamwork, and a dash of cheekiness."Having knocked out Cristiano Ronaldo-led Portugal in the Round-of-16 with a brace form start striker Edinson Cavani, a resurgent Uruguay will lock horns with .
Shardul Thakur to replace Bumrah in India's ODI squad
Fast bowler Shardul Thakur will replace pacer Jasprit Bumrah in India's One-Day International squad for their upcoming ODI series against England.The All-India Senior Selection Committee made this decision after Bumrah suffered an injury on his left thumb during the first Twenty-20 International match against Ireland in Dublin.Bumrah was subsequently ruled out of the ongoing T20I series against England.The ace fast bowler underwent a surgery on Wednesday in Leeds before returning to India. The surgery was successful and he will commence rehabilitation under the supervision of the BCCI Medical Team.The ODI series will begin on July 12 in Nottingham.India: Virat Kohli (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (wicket-keeper), Dinesh Karthik, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shardul Thakur, Hardik Pandya, Siddarth Kaul, Umesh Yadav.
All-women's team to debut in JK Tyre racing nationals this weekend (Preview)
The Kari Motor Speedway is all set to witness history this weekend when an all-women's team debuts in the 21st edition of the prestigious JK Tyre-FMSCI National Racing Championship 2018 here.
Prannoy crashes out of Indonesia Open
Indian shuttler HS Prannoy bowed out of the USD 1,250,000 Indonesia Open after suffering a straight-game loss to All England champion Shi Yuqi in the men's singles quarterfinals of the BWF World Super 1000 tournament here today. The eighth seeded Indian, who went into the match with a 1-3 head-to-head count, seemed to match Shi Yuqi in the rallies but lacked precision in his finishing touches. As a result, the third seeded Chinese lead 11-8 at interval in both the games and eventually notched up a 21-17 21-18 win in 39 minutes to reach the semifinals. In the opening game, Shi Yuqi opened up a 6-3 lead early on before extending it to 8-5 before entering the break at 11-8 when Prannoy failed to reach a shot in the forecourt. The Chinese reeled off four straight points which Prannoy snapped after pouncing on a return and sending it at the backline. At 13-17, Prannoy made Shi Yuqi twist and turn on the court before unleashing a smash beyond the reach of the diving Chinese. A body smash ..
Titanic cast get sinking feeling from England World Cup fans
Stage actors raged against audience members who were glued to England's dramatic World Cup penalty shootout win on their mobile phones while they attended a musical. The country was gripped as Gareth Southgate's team ended their penalties hoodoo to beat Colombia in the last 16 on Tuesday But actor Niall Sheehy tweeted his outrage as two women failed to control their emotions and keep their eyes fixed on the stage for "Titanic The Musical" in the city of Nottingham. "To the two women in the front row tonight who not only followed the penalty shootout on their phone, but also said 'yesss' on each goal scored, you are the most ignorant audience members I have ever had the misfortune to perform in front of," Sheehy said. "And when a cast member signalled 'put your phone away' during the bows and you smiled, gave a thumbs up and replied 'I know -- we won!!', I think you may have let us all know you are the stupidest woman on the planet." Sheehy's fellow cast member Kieran Brown was also ...
By beating Russia, Croatia can finally shake 20-year shadow
Twenty years ago, Croatia made its World Cup debut with a result that happened only once previously in the tournament's history and has never been topped. Finishing in third place the first time it participated in soccer's biggest showcase set a lofty standard. The Croatians' memorable run to the semifinals in 1998 remains a moment of pride for the country. It also created a shadow every successive Croatia team has been forced to deal with and has not come close to matching. Until now. Croatia can equal what that 1998 team did if it beats Russia on Saturday in the quarterfinals and perhaps finally rid itself of that 20-year shadow. The current squad of stars such as Luka Modric, Ivan Perisic, Mario Mandzukic and Ivan Rakitic will be held in the same esteem as the stars of '98 such as Davor Suker, Zvonimir Boban and Slaven Bilic with one more victory. Or if they can't get past the home team, they will be the latest Croatia team to fall short. "It has been talked a lot about the two ...
Pacer Shardul replaces Bumrah for ODIs vs England
Rising paceman Shardul Thakur has been called in as replacement for injured Jasprit Bumrah for the upcoming three-match One-day International (ODI) series against England, a BCCI release stated on Friday.
Opponent injured, Vijender's Commonwealth title fight postponed
Indian boxing star Vijender Singh's clash against Briton Lee Markham for the Commonwealth Super middleweight title was today postponed after the latter pulled out due to injury. The fight was scheduled for July 13 and would have given Vijender a shot at his third title after having claimed the WBO Asia Pacific and Oriental Super Middleweight titles. Vijender is currently in Manchester. "Lee has pulled out citing injury. Vijender's UK promoters -- Queensberry Promotions -- tried to find an opponent for him to fill in the July 13 slot but that did not work out," an official from Vijender's India promoters, IOS Boxing, told PTI. "A new opponent is being looked for and the revised dates for the fight will be announced soon. Markham's pullout was communicated to us by his promoters but the exact nature of his injury is not known to us," he added. Markham had the experience of 22 fights, 17 of them wins, under his belt compared to the 10 victorious outings by the former Olympic ...
Rani Rampal to lead Indian women's hockey team in Asian Games
Striker Rani Rampal will lead a strong 18-member Indian women's hockey team at the Asian Games to be held in Indonesia from August 18 to September 2. While the team will be led by Rani, who had successfully captained India to its ninth women's Asia Cup title victory last year, experienced goalkeeper Savita has been named as the vice captain. Rajani Etimarpu has been named as the reserve goalkeeper for the prestigious event, where India will vie for the gold to get a direct qualification for 2020 Tokyo Olympics. India's defence will feature the experienced Deep Grace Ekka, Sunita Lakra, Deepika, Reena Khokhar and dragflicker Gurjit Kaur while the team's midfield will have Namita Toppo, Lilima Minz, Monika, Udita, Nikki Pradhan and Neha Goyal. The forward-line will be led by the skipper Rani, who has over 200 international caps. She will be ably-supported by Vandana Katariya, who also completed 200 international caps for India at the recently held Spain tour. Young striker Lalremsiami ..
Russia to develop plan for using FIFA World Cup infrastructure
Russia will draw up a plan for using the infrastructure created for the 2018 FIFA World Cup to develop physical culture and mass sports in the country, President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with world football legends on Friday.
Today, Indian women cricket team is treated on par with men's team: Mithali Raj
Indian women's cricket team is appreciated and respected like their male counterparts in today's time, feels the captain of the ship Mithali Raj who credits the team's impressive stint at the World Cup in 2017 for turning the tide in their favour.
Brazil's Danilo ruled out of World Cup
Brazil right-back Danilo was on Friday ruled out for the remainder of the ongoing FIFA World Cup due to ligament damage in his left ankle
All-women racing team to compete in JK National Racing C'ship
An all-women professional racing team will be seen in action for the first time in the opening round of the JK Tyre-FMSCI National Racing Championship to start at the Kari Motor Speedway, here tomorrow. The six ladies, who have been selected after a nation-wide talent hunt, will represent Ahura Racing, with a celebrity driver in the form of Maharashtra actress Manisha Kelkar, leading the charge against the big boys of racing. "We are proud to welcome an all-women's team into the JKNRC. We are confident that this will usher in a new trend, attracting many more ladies to motor sports, Sanjay Sharma, JK Motorsports head, said. As many as 25 top drivers, including last year's champion Chittesh Mandody and former winner Vishnu Prasad will be fighting for top honours in this category. Sandeep Kumar, who finished just two points behind Chittesh last year, will also hope to do one better this time. JKNRC's blue riband event, the Euro JK 18 will pit the country's top 11 racers against each ...
Karius Champions League howlers due to concussion: Klopp
Loris Karius looks set to remain Liverpool's first choice goalkeeper after club manager Jurgen Klopp said his errors in the Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid were because he was concussed. Karius, who was diagnosed as suffering from concussion by two American doctors days after the final as a result of an elbow from Real hardman Sergio Ramos, is likely to start in goal for the Premier League side in a pre-season friendly with Chester City on Saturday. Klopp's comments come after earlier efforts reportedly to buy Brazilian number one Allisson from Serie A outfit AS Roma came to nothing. The Italians, irked they had sold Egyptian star Mohamed Salah to Liverpool too cheaply last year, upped the price to beyond what the English club were willing to pay. Klopp, though, told Liverpoolfc.com nothing had changed for him with regard to his fellow German Karius's status from the moment the final whistle sounded in the final to his return to pre-season training. Karius had been ...
England, Sweden face tense battle for final four (Preview)
England will look to reach the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup for the third time in their history, while the Swedes aim to make it into the last four for the fifth time when the two teams meet in the quarter-finals at the Samara Arena here on Saturday.
Modric aims to take Croatia one step further
Croatia captain and inspirational midfielder, Luka Modric, is looking for his side to take a further step towards success when they play hosts Russia for a place in the last four of the World Cup on Saturday.
Chawrasia to compete at TAKE Solutions Masters in August
Four-time European Tour winner SSP Chawrasia will compete at the second edition of TAKE Solutions Masters beginning at the Karnataka Golf Association here from August 9 to 12. With an increased prize fund of USD 350,000, the tournament will see the likes of Khalin Joshi, Chiragh Kumar and S Chikkarangappa along with the region's talented Asian Tour stars competing in an elite field. The tournament will provide an opportunity for the top players on the PGTI to test themselves against a world-class field. The TAKE Solutions Masters is a great opportunity for our Indian players to test themselves alongside the best in Asia and experience a truly world-class event, on one of our country's finest golf courses, said PGTI CEO Uttam Singh Mundy, said. Thai rising star PoomSaksansin had won the TAKE Solutions Masters last year and broke four years of Indian dominance at international tournaments played in the country.
Momentary lapses cost us defeat against Thailand: U-16 football team coach
The Indian national U-16 football team head coach Bibiano Fernandes stated that "momentary lapses" cost India defeat in the match against Thailand in their second match of the four-nation Hua Shan Cup CFA International Youth Football Tournament in Wei Nan, China on Thursday."The target as always was to win the game and we had the match tied 1-1 till the 87th minute. But momentary lapses cost us thereafter, and we conceded two in the last three minutes," Bibiano stated. "In fact, we started on the front foot and created some chances but Thailand defended well and got their breaks."In the game where India had their moments and raided the Thai citadel without break, it was Thailand who had taken the lead in the 41st minute.The Indian colts pulled one back through Vikram Pratap Singh in the 48th minute but Thailand managed to sneak in the win in the dying minutes."There were moments of lapse of concentration. We are working hard to cut down on such lapses. The beauty of these exposure ...