Page 1409 - Sports
Youth Olympics: All eyes on Anu Kumar as India aim quota spots
All eyes will be on junior Asian 800m champion Anu Kumar at the Asian Area qualification leg of the 2018 Youth Olympic Games, which is slated to be held in Bangkok.Anu is one of a contingent of 21 athletes - 10 men and 8 women -who will be looking to secure qualification at the Youth Olympics. A total of 89 quota places are up for grabs in the tournament in Thailand.Competing in the 800m, Anu will have to be at her absolute best as only the top two finishers will qualify for the Youth Olympics. He will, however, be confident of his chances at the Thai Japan Bangkok Youth Center.Anu is in strong form, having won a gold medal at the 18th Junior Championships in Gifu, Japan last month.He had won that continental tournament clocking a time of 1:54.11 seconds. That win was only the latest prize won by the 16-year-old from Uttarakhand.Anu, one of the brightest prospects in middle distance running in India, had won a silver medal in the 800m at the World School Games in France and had ...
Roll on 2022: Asia seeks more World Cup shocks in Qatar
Asian teams weren't expected to make an impact at the World Cup but a record points haul and some stunning performances against top sides have lifted their hopes for Qatar 2022. South Korea's 2-0 dethroning of defending champions Germany could have been viewed as a one-off, if not for Japan's heartbreaking defeat to star-studded Belgium days later in the last 16. Iran also came desperately close to beating Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal, the European title-holders, in another sign that smaller teams may be closing the gap on the game's traditional powers. None of the Asian Football Confederation teams reached the quarter-finals, extending a barren run which stretches back to the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea. But Japan, South Korea and Iran departed Russia with their heads held high and positive expectations for Qatar 2022, when the World Cup returns to AFC territory for the first time in 20 years. "The AFC nations can take great encouragement from this year's World Cup," Andy
Japan captain retiring after World Cup dreams dashed
Japan captain Makoto Hasebe has announced his retirement from the national team, on the heels of the squad's heartbreaking ejection from the World Cup in a match against Belgium. "I have decided to end the chapter of my career with the national team with this tournament," Hasebe wrote on his Instagram account. The 34-year-old defensive midfielder's departure from the Blue Samurai could mean a changing of the guard for the team, with former AC Milan striker Keisuke Honda, 32, also saying he plans to retire from the national squad. Hasebe, who won the German Cup with Eintracht Frankfurt last season, has been on the national team for more than 12 years under five coaches. This year's World Cup is his third, after South Africa in 2010 and Brazil in 2014, and saw his team come heartstoppingly close to the quarterfinals before crashing out against Belgium. Japan were ousted after Belgium came from behind to win 3-2 in their first match in the knock-out round. The team will head next to the .
Peru coach Gareca takes time off
Peru national football team coach Ricardo Gareca has said that he will take some time off to think about his future as head of the team, which qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 36 years.
Falcao slams refereeing in Colombia-England match
Colombian striker Radamel Falcao said he and his teammates were exiting the 2018 World Cup in Russia with a bad taste in their mouth because of the refereeing during their round-of-16 match versus England.
Colombia coach 'uncomfortable' with referee's performance
Colombia coach Jose Nestor Pekerman told reporters on Tuesday that it's difficult for him to accept being knocked out of the World Cup by England. He also said the referee's decisions in their round of 16 clash made the match "uncomfortable" for him.
England players have created their own history: Southgate
England coach Gareth Southgate said his men have created their own history and the team wanted to win more after their victory over Colombia in the World Cup.
It's time BCCI, PCB work together for resumption of bilateral cricket: Miandad
Former Pakistan Test captain Javed Miandad has advised the Cricket Boards of India and Pakistan to work together for the resumption of bilateral series between the two neighbouring countries. It is high time the two boards got on one platform and tried to convince the governments to give clearance for resumption of bilateral cricket between India and Pakistan, Miandad said in an interview. The 124 Tests veteran said it was a shame that despite having good teams and exciting young talents, India and Pakistan are not compete against each other on regular basis. What is the purpose of this World Test Championship or any other ICC backed league if India and Pakistan don't play against each other, he said. Miandad said he had lost all hope in the ICC in playing any role to get India and Pakistan to resume bilateral cricket, which has been suspended since 2008 except for a short limited over series held in 2012-13 in India as a goodwill gesture. India and Pakistan series is much bigger ...
Kuldeep completely deceived us: Morgan after opening T20I loss
England's batsmen were "completely deceived" by Kuldeep Yadav in the opening Twenty20 International against India, conceded skipper Eoin Morgan, saying his side will have to revisit its plans on tackling the wrist spinner. Kuldeep finished with exceptional figures of 5 for 24 at Old Trafford last night, a performance that played a crucial role in restricting England to 159 for 8, which India chased with eight wickets in hand for a 1-0 lead. "We weren't good enough in Bengaluru (when Yuzvendra Chahal took 6-25 in February 2017). But that was a different game. It was different today. Kuldeep took three wickets in four balls and deceived us. It wasn't a case of us chipping the ball up in the air. He completely deceived us and I thought he bowled well," acknowledged Morgan. "We didn't get enough runs and were probably 30-40 runs short. I thought we got off to a brilliant start. Kuldeep bowled well but we know we can play him better than that. So between now and the next game, we need to ..
Former champs Sharapova, Kvitova crash out, Nadal, Djokovic through B
Maria Sharapova suffered her first opening round Wimbledon defeat and earliest Grand Slam exit in eight years when she was shocked by fellow Russian Vitalia Diatchenko, the world number 132. Sharapova, the 2004 champion, was joined yesterday at the exit by 2011 and 2014 winner Petra Kvitova who was stunned by Belarusian world number 50 Aliaksandra Sasnovich. However, two-time men's champion Rafael Nadal and three-time winner Novak Djokovic eased into the second round. Sharapova was cruising to victory at one stage on Court Two with a set and 5-2 lead before qualifier Diatchenko shrugged off a back injury to win 6-7 (3/7) 7-6 (7/3) 6-4 after more than three hours of tense action. Sharapova, playing Wimbledon for the first time in three years after missing 2016 through a drugs ban and 2017 due to injury, gave up the match on her 11th double fault. It was her earliest exit at a Slam since a first round defeat at the 2010 Australian Open. "It's always tough to assess your motivation ...
Colombia coach laments fouls against England at World Cup
Eight yellow cards. A head-butt. Yelling players surrounding the referee. Gamesmanship and spikiness across the pitch. Decided on a penalty shoot-out, the World Cup drama of England vs. Colombia would have been better without the ugliness. Among those who thought so: Colombia coach Jose Pekerman. "When there are so, so many fouls and interruptions I think that's not good," he said. "We shouldn't only look at Colombian players. We should also look at England players." Struggling at times to keep control of the game, American referee Mark Geiger dished out six yellow cards to Colombian players. Four of them were in a particularly ill-disciplined 12-minute second-half spell that included Colombia midfielder Carlos Sanchez wrestling England striker Harry Kane to the ground on a set-piece in the penalty box. Kane scored from the spot. The two England players cautioned were Jordan Henderson and Jesse Lingard. "There were so many interruptions in the game, far too many interruptions," ...
Pickford the hero as England's penalty curse ends
The research paid off for Jordan Pickford. When Carlos Bacca stepped up to take Colombia's fifth and final penalty, Pickford knew he was likely to shoot to the left. The 24-year-old goalkeeper, in just his seventh England appearance, trusted his research and leaped. Research wasn't enough on its own he also needed lightning reactions to shoot his left arm up to paw away Bacca's high shot. The save gave England's Eric Dier a chance to win the shootout , and he converted. England moved on 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw. "I did a whole bunch of research," Pickford said, his confidence sky-high. "(Radamel) Falcao is the only one who didn't go his way. I don't care if I'm not the biggest keeper in the world. I have the power and agility." Pickford was just two years old when England last won a penalty shootout, a few days older when the now-England coach Gareth Southgate missed the deciding penalty in a European Championship semifinal loss to Germany. That defeat at home was treated ...
Rock-solid Brazil living up to billing as World Cup favourites
While some of their biggest rivals have already fallen by the wayside in Russia, Brazil have been making serene progress towards the latter stages of the World Cup. After watching holders Germany, Spain and Argentina all exit the competition in the last week in various states of disarray, the Selecao eased into the quarter-finals with a 2-0 victory against Mexico on Monday. As they aim to lift the World Cup for a record sixth time in Moscow on July 15, their next opponents are Belgium in Kazan on Friday, in what will be something of a clash of styles -- the best defence up against the best attack. This Brazil team is not just about Neymar, even if his theatrics and intermittent magic, like his opener against Mexico, are what immediately catch the eye and dominate the headlines. Look a little more closely and it becomes clear what is really making them tick -- coach Tite has instilled an admirable collective discipline and his team are built on solid foundations. They have conceded ...
England's end to penalty jinx deserved, says Southgate
England manager Gareth Southgate said his team got the reward they deserved after edging Colombia 4-3 in a gut-wrenching World Cup penalty shootout to set up a quarter-final clash against Sweden. England looked to be heading into the last eight courtesy of Harry Kane's 57th-minute penalty in Moscow, but the towering Yerry Mina headed in a stoppage-time equaliser before a match littered with fouls went to a shootout. Colombian keeper David Ospina saved Jordan Henderson's effort, but Jordan Pickford turned away Carlos Bacca's attempt after Manuel Uribe hit the bar. It was left to Eric Dier to convert the decisive kick. It was just the second time in eight occasions England have won a shootout at a major tournament, and the first time ever in the World Cup. "We had a cruel blow on 90 minutes which we had to show incredible resilience to come back from," said a relieved Southgate, whose own penalty miss cost England in the semi-finals against Germany at Euro '96. "It was a night when I ...
World Cup big guns primed for last-eight battles
England became the last team to qualify for the World Cup quarter-finals after a dramatic penalty shootout as favourites Brazil and fancied France trained their sights on their last-eight opponents. England's victory against Colombia takes Gareth Southgate's team into what looks like a winnable match against Sweden, who edged out Switzerland 1-0 earlier yesterday. Both teams are in the bottom half of the draw in Russia, along with the host nation and Croatia, with England the only former winners of the four teams. The top half contains more heavyweights, with 1998 champions France taking on two-time winners Uruguay and Brazil set to face Belgium. Eric Dier's spot-kick gave England their first-ever win on penalties at a World Cup at the fourth attempt -- ending the jinx that has dogged them for so long. But Southgate said he was already looking forward to Saturday's quarter-final against Sweden in Samara, with a last-four clash against either Croatia or Russia up for grabs. b"This was .
All of a flutter: Chinese bet big on World Cup
At Xia Lugen's run-down, smoky betting shop in downtown Shanghai, hordes of young men cluster around banks of computers, as betting slips and a huge World Cup chart adorn the walls and a projector beams matches onto a makeshift screen. China may not have a team at the World Cup in Russia but this has not dampened the enthusiasm of the country's gamblers, with bets in the first three weeks already outstripping the whole of the 2014 tournament in Brazil. Energetic betting in these technically illegal, but officially sanctioned shops reflects the prevailing attitude towards sports, which are seen as a chance to make money as much as a spectacle to be enjoyed. Before the first knockout game between France and Argentina, punters -- known as caimin, or "lottery citizens", in Chinese -- queued up to place large bets. Gao Liushun, 55, had previously lost a bundle on Argentina, so doubled down on an Argentinian win because "I need to win back what I lost, right?" He lost 1,000 yuan after ...
Executed my plan very well: Kuldeep Yadav on 5-wicket haul
After the Indian side successfully demolished England in the first Twenty-20 International, ace spinner Kuldeep Yadav said the accurate execution of his plan helped him bag five wickets here."The pitch did not have much turn. I, personally, did not want to give pace to the English batsmen as it would have made batting easy for them. I executed my plan very well," he said at a post-match presser.Kuldeep, who dismissed Eoin Morgan, Jonny Bairstow and Joie Root in the same over on his way to his first five-wicket haul in T20Is said that the variation in pace that he deployed was key in deceiving the English batsmen."The ball wasn't turning much, (Yuzvinder) Chahal, who bowled before me, also confirmed the same, so I focused on varying my pace, and the flight of my deliveries. This was the key and it helped me in getting the wickets. I don't think about the batsmen while bowling, I focus on what I can do," he said."Sometimes, however, you need to consider the batsman. When I was bowling ..
India U-16 football team concede 1-0 defeat to China
The Indian U-16 football national team suffered a 0-1 loss against the Chinese U-17 national team in the four-nation international tournament on Tuesday.Hosts China came out strong in the early minutes of the match, but the Indian defence line held them at bay. Goalkeeper Biaka made two crucial saves in the 16th and 17th minute to keep India in the match.The Indian colts gradually found their footing in the match and in the 30th minute almost took the lead when Ridge De'Mello's rasping shot hit the woodwork and went out. In the 40th minute, Vikram's shot from range missed the target as the Colts pressed to secure advantage.However, it were the hosts who took the lead in the 42nd minute and held onto it for the half as the half-time scoreline read 1-0 in China's favour.Playing against older opponents had little effect on the Indian colts and Bibiano Fernandes's boys got back into attacking mode immediately. Ridge De'Mello proved to be a constant threat for the Chinese defence line and .
World No.132 Diatchenko stuns Sharapova in Wimbledon 1st round
Russia's Maria Sharapova suffered an upset against 132nd-ranked countrywoman Vitalia Diatchenko, who prevailed 6-7 (3-7), 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 in the first round of Wimbledon tennis championships hereAon Tuesday.
Rahul, Kuldeep help India beat England in1st T-20I
India kick-started their two-month tour of England on Tuesday with a resounding eight-wicket win at Old Trafford in the first of the three Twenty-20 Internationals.Kuldeep Yadav and K. L. Rahul were the star performers for the men in blue, with the former claiming his first five-wicket haul in the format, and the latter registering his second T-20I ton to hand India the lead in the 3-match series.Having put to bat first, England got off to the perfect start with some hard hitting from openers Jason Roy and Jos Buttler, with the 50-run mark breached within five overs. However, Roy, who scored 30 runs from 20 deliveries, was the first casualty of the innings, getting his wicket knocked over by an Umesh Yadav delivery.Kuldeep Yadav then came in to put a check on the English scoring rate, although he went on to almost single-handedly dismantle the English batting line-up.He first sent a struggling Alex Hales back to the pavilion in the 12th over and scalped the wickets of skipper Eoin ...