Page 1405 - Sports
Loew working on rescue plan for German football
Joachim Loew's fighting spirit seems to have returned only a few days after Germany's disastrous group stage exit at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Indonesia Open: Sindhu breezes into quarters
Rio Olympic silver-medallist PV Sindhu cemented her spot in the quarter-finals of the ongoing Indonesia Open after registering a convincing straight-games victory over Japan's Aya Ohori in the second-round of the women's singles event here on Thursday.The 23-year-old thrashed her Japanese opponent 21-17, 21-14 in a one-sided contest that lasted 36 minutes.After a nervy start to the match, Sindhu did not let Ohori dominate and stunned the Japanese player with her speed and skills.The Indian shuttler was trailing 0-3 in the first game, but she quickly gained the momentum and took a lead of five points.Sindhu did not look back from there and won the first game 21-17, giving no chance of recovery to her opponent.In the second game, Sindhu showed absolute class and was leading the game 11-3 after gaining the initial lead of two points.Later, she grabbed a lead of seven points to hamper the hopes of Ohori, who despite trying really hard could not get back into the game.In the men's singles .
Possession football stil relevant: Ex-Barça player
Former FC Barcelona left-winger Luis Garcia Sanz feels that Spain's elimination from the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia did not signify the death knell for possession-based football, although he stressed the need to have a Plan B.
Birthday girl Sindhu, Prannoy enter quarterfinals of Indonesia Open
Olympic silver medallist P V Sindhu celebrated her 23rd birthday with a straight-game win over Japan's Aya Ohori, while H S Prannoy eked out a three-game victory over Wang Tzu Wei of Chinese Taipei to enter the quarterfinals of the USD 1,250,000 Indonesia Open here today. World no 3 Sindhu, who had reached the semifinals at Malaysia Open last week, didn't break much sweat as she defeated Ohori, ranked 17th, 21-17 21-14 in a 36-minute women's singles match. This is Sindhu's fifth win over the Japanese in as many meetings. The Indian will face either Thailand's Busanan Ongbamrungphan or China's He Bingjiao next. Prannoy then recovered from an opening game loss to outwit Wang 21-23 21-15 21-13 in an entertaining men's singles contest that lasted an hour here. He is likely to meet third seed and All England champion Shi Yuqi of China. In the opening game, world no 17 Wang opened up a 14-10 lead but Prannoy soon narrowed it down to 13-14 with the help of two good-looking smashes and a ...
Wimbledon: Nadal to meet Russia's Kukushkin in second round
World number one Rafael Nadal will look to capitalize on his great start to the Wimbledon campaign when he squares off with Russian tennis player Mikhail Kukushkin in the second round of the men's singles event here on Thursday.The 32-year-old started off his campaign with a comfortable 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 win over his Israeli opponent Dudi Sela in a one-sided opening round clash.Heading into the second match, Nadal holds a 100% winning record against the Russian player, having defeated him in all the three encounters they have played so far.Their last meeting was in the third round of Wimbledon, four years ago, where Nadal claimed a comfortable 7-6, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 win over the Russian.Meanwhile, Swiss tennis star Roger Federer breezed into the third round of the championship after thrashing his Slovak opponent Lukas Lacko 6-4, 6-4, 6-1 in the second-round clash.Novak Djokovic also entered the third round after fighting a hard battle against Frenchman Luka Pouille 4-6, 2-6, 7-7, 6-3, 2-6.In .
2nd T20I: India look to wrap up early series win
A dominant opening win has set the tone and India would look to ensure that a spin-wary England remains on the back-foot when the two sides clash in the second T20 International, here tomorrow. Kuldeep Yadav took 5-24 and KL Rahul scored an unbeaten second T20I ton as the Men in Blue produced a fine all-round display to stun the hosts by eight wickets in Manchester for an early lead on this tour. A win tomorrow would seal the three-match series for Virat Kohli and Co. In fact, India stand on the cusp of a sixth successive T20I series' win -- a run stretching back to their 2-1 win over New Zealand at home in November 2017. In all, they have been unbeaten in bilateral T20I series since September last year. In terms of ICC Rankings, a 2-0 series' lead will allow India to close the gap with second-placed Australia, while a 3-0 whitewash will help them overleap to second behind top-ranked Pakistan. Australia will have to win both their next two games in the ongoing tri-series in Zimbabwe ..
Youth Olympics: Javelin thrower Rana earns quota spot
Indian javelin thrower Kunwer Ajairaj Singh Rana bagged the gold medal to qualify for the Youth Olympic Games on the opening day of the Asian Area qualification leg of the event here at Thai Japan Bangkok Youth Center on Wednesday.The 18-year-old javelin thrower threw the spear to a distance of 76.13 m to storm to victory. The throw was nearly four meters further than that managed by second-placed Japan's Kentaro Nakamura, who threw 72.04m.Rana was not the favourite before the competition as his personal best until then was 68.94m which he had managed at the Junior Federation Cup in April this year. But, he surprised everyone with his performance.Vikas Yadav, another Indian in the fray, claimed the third place of the podium. Yadav won a bronze medal with a throw of 68.65m.Yadav, however, missed out on a Youth Olympic quota spot with only the top two athletes winning places for the Games. Moreover, he fell short of his personal best of 75.02m.Also earning quota places along with medals
Real Kashmir coach says isolation doesn't help players' cause
Scotsman David Robertson, who guided Real Kashmir FC to the top-flight of Indian football in an extraordinary season, says "isolation" is coming in the way of the valley's talented players getting recognition. The former Rangers FC star said the talented players in Kashmir are at par with the ones he has coached in clubs of Europe and USA. "Having played and coached at the highest level in Europe and in the USA, I can confidently state that Kashmir has the talent equally as good if not better than the aforementioned continents. The sad and tough part for me is trying to get these senior and youth players noticed as they are isolated over here," Roberston said. The club from Jammu & Kashmir will be the first ever from the state to play in the I-League next year. "In my opinion Kashmir needed a presence in the I-League and it has got one now. I now believe that children and youth will have the ambition to play professional football. It is a must. "We took out the senior team out to .
Birthday girl Sindhu enters quarterfinals of Indonesia Open
Olympic silver medallist P V Sindhu celebrated her 23rd birthday with a straight-game win over Japan's Aya Ohori to enter the quarterfinals of the USD 1,250,000 Indonesia Open BWF World Tour Super 1000 tournament here today. World No 3 Sindhu, who had reached the semifinals at Malaysia Open last week, didn't break much sweat as she defeated Ohori, ranked 17th, 21-17 21-14 in a 36-minute women's singles match. This is Sindhu's fifth win over the Japanese in as many meetings. The Indian will face either Thailand's Busanan Ongbamrungphan or China's He Bingjiao next. HS Prannoy, Saina Nehwal and Sameer Verma will also be in action later in the day.
Costa Rica part company with coach Ramirez
Costa Rica's football federation has parted ways with coach Oscar Ramirez after a disappointing World Cup showing by the Central American nation. "Oscar Ramirez will not continue as coach, his contract has expired," the federation's president Rodolfo Villalobos told a press conference. Costa Rica went out of the competition in the group stage, after failing to win a match. They lost their opening two games to Serbia and Brazil, before drawing their final game 2-2 with Switzerland. Ramirez has been in charge since 2015, only a week after being appointed as Paulo Wanchope's assistant. Ramirez stepped up after Wanchope was involved in a fight in Panama and resigned as head coach. "We believe that his continuing is not appropriate or convenient, we believe in his ability, but the executive committee has decided not to renew his contract," Villalobos said. "I want to thank Oscar for his dedication, his professionalism, his discipline and his teaching." Villalobos said the Fedefut's ...
Godfather Godin won't give ground to Griezmann in World Cup battle
A self-confessed lover of all things Uruguayan, from grilled meat to bitter-tasting infusion mate, France's Antoine Griezmann knows not to expect any favourable treatment when confronted by close friend Diego Godin in tomorrow's World Cup quarter-final. Teammates at Atletico Madrid, Griezmann and Godin have formed such a bond over the past four years that the rugged defender is the godfather of Griezmann's daughter Mia. "Diego is a great friend. I am with him every day in Madrid," Griezmann told reporters ahead of the clash in Nizhny Novgorod. "It is a nationality that I love, a people that I love. It will be a very emotional match for me." Griezmann's love affair with Uruguay began when handed his breakthrough at Real Sociedad by Martin Lasarte in 2009. Having spent his entire career in Spain, Griezmann has always had a steady stream of Uruguayan teammates. He began drinking mate at Sociedad with former Uruguay striker Carlos Bueno and was persuaded to join Atletico in 2014 by ...
FIFA condemns Maradona comments about England-Colombia referee
FIFA condemned comments by Diego Maradona, after the Argentinian legend claimed that Colombia only lost to England in the World Cup last 16 because of the appointment of referee Mark Geiger for the match. The 1986 World Cup winner said England's win was a "monumental robbery" after Gareth Southgate's men edged through a bad-tempered encounter on penalties on Tuesday. "I apologise to all the Colombian people, but the players are not to blame -- here is a gentleman (FIFA referees boss Pierluigi Collina) who decides to choose a referee who, by googling him, can't be used for a match of this magnitude," Maradona told Venezuelan TV channel Telesur. Maradona was at the match as a guest of FIFA and was pictured before the game wearing a Colombia shirt. Football's world governing body responded, saying it was "extremely sorry" to read the comments from "a players who has written the history of our game". "Following comments made by Diego Armando Maradona in relation to yesterday's round of 16
Uruguay's immoveable defence ready for France's unstoppable Mbappe
The build-up to tomorrow's quarter-final clash between France and Uruguay has been dominated by individuals, but it may be the South Americans' almost unbreachable four-man defence which decides the result. While Uruguay sweat on the fitness of striker Edinson Cavani, it should be remembered that La Celeste's progress in Russia has been built upon their defence as much as their A-list attack. And while France pin their hopes on Kylian Mbappe, it is unlikely that the teenage superstar has encountered a defence quite like Uruguay's. The mouth-watering last-eight tie in Nizhny Novgorod is likely to be decided by a battle between Uruguay's stifling backline and the speed of Mbappe, 19. Led by captain Diego Godin, and including Jose Gimenez, Martin Caceres and Diego Laxalt, along with goalkeeper Fernando Muslera, Uruguay's defence have the joint-best record at the World Cup. They passed through the group stage without conceding a goal, and the only player to score against Uruguay was ...
Brazil seek to temper World Cup hopes of Belgium's 'Golden Generation'
Belgium coach Roberto Martinez has admitted he has no secrets as he plots to end Brazil's bid for a record-extending sixth World Cup ahead of their "dream" quarter-final in Kazan tomorrow. But the nation's "Golden Generation" have been reminded that the match against the favourites could represent the last chance for them to shine on the world stage. "It's a dream match for our players," Martinez told Belgian press after sealing qualification for the last eight with a last-gasp 3-2 victory over Japan in the first phase of the knockout rounds. "There won't be many secrets to the game. We have to defend as well as we can and then punish them when we have the ball. "It's that simple, and this team is ready for that." On paper, a Belgium side containing the talents of Chelsea's Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City and Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku have the potential to cause a World Cup upset. But despite sailing through the group stage, Martinez's ambitious Red ...
Hamilton and Mercedes bidding to bounce back at Silverstone
Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes would be well advised to ignore all previous form and a pile of encouraging statistics as they bid to bounce back at their home British Grand Prix on Sunday. After the debacle of their double retirement at last weekend's Austrian Grand Prix, where they were previously unbeaten in four years, and Hamilton's travails in Canada, where he was a clear pre-race favourite, the Mercedes team has lost its near-metronomic consistency. Forecasts of their continuing supremacy on tracks where they have always seemed invincible are no longer as trustworthy as they have been. Max Verstappen's victory in Austria, his first this year, rewarded Red Bull's opportunism, but his Milton Keynes-based team and Ferrari may face a struggle to match a resurgent Hamilton, reliability permitting, in front of his own fans. The 33-year-old Englishman will be hunting a record fifth consecutive British triumph at Silverstone, and his sixth overall, on Sunday to regain the lead in the title
Cave rescuers setting up internet, drain water
A Thai official says rescue teams are still busy trying to install an internet cable to the cave so that parents can talk to their trapped children. Korbchai Boonorana, deputy director of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, also says today rescuers are continuing to drain water from wells near the cave complex to reduce water levels inside in order to make the extraction of the 12 teammates and their coach possible. He says: "The water continues to be drained out. The more the better." Chiang Rai provincial Governor Narongsak Osatanakorn said earlier that not all the boys may be extracted at the same time depending on their health. He said any extraction has to be "100 per cent safe." The Thai official overseeing the rescue operation of a soccer team trapped in a flooded cave says the boys and their coach may not all be extracted at the same time depending on their health. Chiang Rai provincial Gov. Narongsak Osatanakorn said Wednesday that "all 13 may not come out ..
Thai official says boys may be taken out of cave in stages
A Thai official overseeing the rescue operation of a soccer team trapped in a flooded cave said the 12 boys and their coach may not all be extracted at the same time depending on their health. Chiang Rai provincial Gov. Narongsak Osatanakorn said Wednesday that "all 13 may not come out at the same time. If the condition is right and if that person is ready 100 per cent, he can come out." He said authorities will evaluate their readiness each day and if there is any risk will not proceed. The teammates and their coach were seen in latest video sitting with Thai navy SEALs in the dark cave, their skinny faces illuminated by a flashlight. The boys, many wrapped in foil warming blankets, take turns introducing themselves, pressing their hands together in a traditional Thai greeting and saying their names and that they are healthy. Narongsak said that the boys have been practicing wearing diving masks and breathing, but he doesn't believe they have attempted any practice dives. The boys, ..
Cricket: West Indies v Bangladesh 1st Test scoreboard
Scoreboard at stumps on the opening day of the first Test of the two-match series between the West Indies and Bangladesh at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua Bangladesh 1st innings Tamim Iqbal c Dowrich b Roach 4 Liton Das c Chase b Cummins 25 Mominul Haque c Hope b Roach 1 Mushfiqur Rahim lbw Roach 0 Shakib al Hasan c Holder b Roach 0 Mahmudullah c Dowrich b Roach 0 Nurul Hasan c Holder b Cummins 4 Mehidy Hasan c Smith b Cummins 1 Kamrul Islam c Dowrich b Holder 0 Rubel Hossain not out 6 Abu Jayed b Holder 2 Total (18.4 overs, all out) 43 Fall of wickets: 1-10 (Tamim Iqbal), 2-16 (Mominul Haque), 3-18 (Mushfiqur Rahim), 4-18 (Shakib al Hasan), 5-18 (Mahmudullah), 6-34 (Liton Das), 7-34 (Nurul Hasan), 8-35 (Mehidy Hasan), 9-35 (Kamrul Islam), 10-43 (Abu Jayed) Bowling: K. Roach 5-1-8-5, S. Gabriel 5-0-14-0, J. Holder 4.4-0-10-2, M. Cummins 4-2-11-3 West Indies 1st Innings K. Brathwaite not out 88 D. Smith c Nurul Hasan b Abu Jayed 58 K. Powell c Liton Das b Mahmudullah 48 D. .
West Indies dismiss Bangladesh for record Test low of 43
Kemar Roach led the demolition of Bangladesh with a five-wicket haul as the tourists were dismissed for 43, their lowest total ever in Test cricket, before lunch on the opening day of the first Test against the West Indies at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua. By stumps the West Indies top-order had built on that dominant bowling effort in reaching 201 for two, a lead already of 158 runs with eight wickets in hand. Opening batsman Kraigg Brathwaite played his usual sheet-anchor role to perfection in compiling an unbeaten 88 from almost five hours at the crease. He put on 113 for the first wicket with Devon Smith (58), while Kieran Powell stroked his way to 48 in an 81-run stand before falling just before the close of play. Their serene progress through two sessions contrasted sharply with Bangladesh's woeful batting performance. Apart from being their lowest Test innings total and lowest for any team in Test cricket in the Caribbean, it was also the second shortest first ...
Sushil loses first bout in four years, Aman wins bronze in cadet World C'ship
Celebrated Indian wrestler Sushil Kumar lost his first bout in more than four years while competing at Tbilisi Grand Prix in Georgia even as his compatriot Bajrang Punia progressed to the semifinals. Sushil lost 4-8 to Polish grappler Andrzej Piotr Sokalski in the 74 kg category. It's not an ideal result for Sushil in the build up to the Asian Games. The WFI had exempted him from trials, held last month. The 35-year-old was handed exemption, give his past result and form as he had won his third CWG gold in Gold Coast. Before today's defeat, Sushil had lost a bout way back in May 2014 in Sassari (Italy) where he lost to Luca Lampis of France. Sushil was re-admitted to the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) after a gap of two years last month. In the 65kg freestyle, Bajrang beat Iran's Yones Aliakbar Emamichoghaei 3-1 to enter the semifinals. He earlier defeated Ukraine's Gor Ogannesyan to enter the quarterfinals. Deepak Punia outwitted Georgy Rubaev of Moldova in the round of 1/8 but .