Page 1423 - Sports
Squad making history at World Cup but focused on advancing: Denmark Coach
Denmark coach Age Hareide acknowledged on Saturday that his players are writing their names in the history of their national team at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, but said they are focused on advancing as far as possible.
India hammer Iran to lift Kabaddi Masters trophy
Skipper Ajay Thakurs brilliance helped India hammer Iran 44-26 in the final match to lift the Kabaddi Masters trophy at the Al Wasl Sports Club here on Saturday.
Denmark defender Kjaer says Croatia respects his side ahead of last-16 duel
Denmark defender Simon Kjaer said on Saturday that Croatia respects his national team, which has had a strong 12-game unbeaten run in official matches, ahead of their last-16 duel in the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
England are more than Kane: Carlos Sanchez
Colombia midfielder Carlos Sanchez sounded a warning on Saturday that when his side play England on Monday for a place in the World Cup quarterfinals, they will have to be wary of more than just England striker Harry Kane.
Sindhu, Srikanth bow out of Malaysian Open
The Indian challenge in the Malaysia Open came to an end as seasoned Indian shuttlers Kidambi Srikanth and P.V. Sindhu suffered defeats in their respective singles semi-finals here on Saturday.
India enter Hockey Champions Trophy final
India managed to play a 1-1 draw with the Netherlands in their final round-robin game here on Saturday to set-up the Hockey Champions Trophy final against Australia.
'It's day by day' -- Murray battles for Wimbledon fitness
Andy Murray expects to compete at Wimbledon next week, but the two-time champion admits his return from hip surgery is still a work in progress. Murray has played just three matches since making his comeback last week after 11 months on the sidelines. The 31-year-old, whose ranking has dropped to 156, had an operation on his right hip in January and only returned to action on June 18 when he was beaten by Nick Kyrgios at Queen's Club. Murray saw off Stan Wawrinka at Eastbourne on Monday, but lost to Kyle Edmund on Wednesday. Despite his lack of match practice, the former world number one has opted to give it a go at Wimbledon, where he struggled badly with the hip problem during his quarter-final defeat against Sam Querrey 12 months ago. Murray, due to face France's Benoit Paire in the first round, was out on the All England Club practice courts on Saturday and insisted he was generally pleased with his return to action. "Yeah, unless in the next couple of days I wake up and don't ...
Eriksen-Modric battle 'could decide' Croatia v Denmark World Cup clash
Denmark coach Age Hareide said his side's World Cup last-16 match against Croatia could boil down to who comes out on top in the midfield battle between Christian Eriksen and Luka Modric. The Danes failed to set pulses racing in the opening round, featuring in the first goalless draw of the World Cup against France, a result that ensured both sides progressed from Group C. But Hareide said his team would be more expansive and play differently against the fancied Croats in Nizhny Novgorod on Sunday. "I think you will see a different Denmark from what you have seen so far and the type of game we have played," said Hareide. "Yes, we need to defend but we need to attack more." He said the match could end up being decided by two opposing midfielders, Modric, one of the players of the tournament so far, and Denmark's highly rated Eriksen. "It could be a match between Modric and Eriksen, that would be interesting, that would be great for the fans." Denmark are unbeaten for 18 games, a ...
Cheryshev says Russia can hurt 2010 World Cup winners Spain
Russia's World Cup topscorer Denis Cheryshev says the hosts can hurt 2010 winners Spain in the World Cup last 16 tomorrow despite the huge disparity in talent between the two teams. Russia entered the tournament as the lowest-ranked side, at 70th in the world, but comprehensive wins over Saudi Arabia and Egypt have boosted expectations. Now they must find a way past title contenders Spain to prolong their run after reaching the knockout phase for the first time in the post-Soviet era. Villarreal winger Cheryshev, who has scored three goals so far, is looking to exploit a surprisingly suspect Spain defence. Fernando Hierro's side have conceded five goals in three matches, with questions in particular over the form of Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea. "That's my intention as a forward," said Cheryshev. "Spain have some great players and might even be the best team in the world, in any case they're close to being the best. But any team can hurt another and we'll certainly do ...
Wimbledon rivals back Serena's seeding
Many of Serena Williams' Wimbledon rivals have rallied round the seven-time champion to say the All England Club was right to seed the American, despite her lowly ranking. Williams' place in the Wimbledon seedings has been a hot topic in the tennis world after her tentative return to action following the birth of daughter Alexis Olympia in September. The 36-year-old played her first Grand Slam for over a year at the French Open last month, reaching the fourth round before a shoulder injury forced her to quit ahead of her clash with Maria Sharapova. Williams is ranked 183 after her pregnancy absence and French Open chiefs decided against seeding her. However, Wimbledon officials felt the former world number one's record on grass was so superior to her rivals that they seeded her 25th to ensure a balanced draw. Slovakian world number 32 Dominika Cibulkova was bumped from the seeding group as a result. "I don't think it's the right thing to do. It's just not fair," Cibulkova said before .
Pele-like Mbappe strikes to send Messi, Argentina crashing out
Teenage star Kylian Mbappe struck twice and earned another goal as France finally found their attacking edge to beat Lionel Messi's Argentina 4-3 and move into the quarter-finals of the World Cup today. Billed as Messi's chance to reignite stuttering Argentina's hopes, the thrilling last 16 clash in Kazan instead saw 19-year-old Paris Saint-Germain star Mbappe grab the limelight as he became the youngest player since Pele in 1958 to score two goals in a World Cup match. Embattled Argentina coach Jorge Sampaoli had promised an "aggressive, attacking" approach from his side. But his fears over the superior speed of the French strikers were quickly proven right when Mbappe sprinted from his own half until he was hauled down by Marcos Rojo. Antoine Griezmann coolly converted the 13th minute penalty. But Mbappe's PSG teammate Angel Di Maria levelled with a 41st minute long-range stunner and the South Americans were back in what was proving a superb match. Argentina took a 2-1 lead minutes .
Ten years on, Nadal looks back on 'emotional' Wimbledon win over Federer
Ten years after out-duelling Roger Federer to win the greatest Wimbledon final, Rafael Nadal returns to the All England Club still basking in the warm glow of that epic encounter. After losing to Federer in successive Wimbledon finals, Nadal finally got the better of the Swiss star in a thrilling 2008 clash many regard as the finest ever to grace the hallowed Centre Court. Nadal's 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-7 (8/10), 9-7 victory was a defining moment for the Spaniard as it gave him a first Grand Slam crown away from his favoured clay at the French Open. The match marked the high point of a captivating rivalry between Nadal and Federer that played a huge role in tennis's resurgence as a multi-million-pound business. For Nadal, the significance was far more personal. Aware of how important it was to legitimise himself by beating Federer at Wimbledon, Nadal went on to win on hard courts at the Australian and US Opens and emerged as one of the sport's all-time greats. Nadal, now with 17 major
India to send 53-member athletics team for Asian Games
Star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra and defending champion Seema Antil were today named in India's 53 strong athletics team for the upcoming Asian Games in Indonesia. Neeraj and Seema were exempted from the just-concluded National Interstate Athletics Championships in Guwahati but they have been asked to undergo a confirmatory trial on August 15. The National Interstate Athletics Championships was the final selection trial to pick the team. "We have picked 50-odd athletes to be sent to the IOA. These athletes are those who had breached the qualifying guidelines in Guwahati plus some more who were very near to the qualifying mark," Athletics Federation of India President Adille Sumariwalla told PTI. "We have strictly applied the IOA criteria of top six performance of last Asiad and that is why the number of athletes is less this time," he added. India had been given a quota of 102 athletes by the Asian Games organisers but the final number will be around half of that. "We are sending ..
Fans and Germany stars say Loew should remain head coach
German fans and former players are unanimous in their support of Joachim Loew remaining as head coach of the national team despite his overseeing their disastrous World Cup campaign. In a survey by broadcaster RTL, 48 percent of Germans say Loew should remain as head coach and 37 percent want him to go, with the remaining 15 percent undecided. His star players agree, but the German Football Association (DFB) expect to hear Loew's decision in the coming weeks amid the biggest crisis of his 12-year reign. "He should stay, he has been doing a great job for years, bringing young players into the team, and I hope 'Jogi' will stay," midfielder Sami Khedira told German daily Bild. Forward Thomas Mueller, who like Khedira had a desperately poor World Cup, agreed, saying: "Basically we are all convinced of his way of doing things." Loew dropped both Khedira and Mueller for their poor displays against Mexico and Sweden respectively in the group stages as his misplaced loyalty in several 2014 ...
France beat Messi's Argentina 4-3 to reach World Cup quarter-finals
France beat Lionel Messi's Argentina 4-3 in a thrilling last 16 World Cup match today as teenager Kylian Mbappe scored two goals in a superb performance in Kazan. Mbappe, 19, struck twice within minutes in the second half to put France 4-2 ahead and although Sergio Aguero gave the French a late scare with a goal in injury-time they held on.
India reign supreme in Kabaddi Masters, clinch title with easy win
Putting up yet another superlative show, India thrashed Iran 44-26 to emerge champions of the six-nation Kabaddi Masters Dubai, here today. In a battle between the top two sides of the world, the three-time world champions did not give Iran any ground to recover with captain Ajay Thakur (nine points) and youngster Monu Goyat (six) leading the raid charts. India inflicted two all-outs on Iran, en route the massive victory. The final had its share of hiccups as lights went off, disrupting the match for 10 minutes in the first half, while in the second half Iran captain Amirhossein Maleki, who came in as a substitute, claimed "rough play" by the Indians but referee dismissed the protests. Both the teams last met in the World Cup 2016 final in Ahmedabad with Thakur playing a key role in handing them a slender nine-point victory. Having given the captaincy baton in this Asian Games build-up meet, Thakur was all over the mat with his superb raiding skills. India's defence was also excellent
World Cup: France in quarter-finals, pip Argentina 4-3
France pipped Argentina 4-3 to enter the quarter-finals of the 2018 FIFA World Cup here on Saturday.
India set up Champions Trophy final with Australia after draw with Dutch
Indian men's hockey team forced a 1-1 draw against hosts Netherlands in their last league match to set up the Champions Trophy summit clash with world number one Australia, here today. After three goal-less quarters, foward Mandeep Singh put India ahead with his strike in the 47th minute off rebound from Harmanpreet's drag-flick . Eighth minutes later, the hosts pulled one back with Thierry Brinkman finding the net from a shot from close-range. India needed only a draw to qualify for Sunday's final.
Bumrah, Sundar out of T20 series against England
In a blow to India's preparations for the challenging tour of England, key pacer Jasprit Bumrah and off-spinner Washington Sundar were today ruled out of the Twenty20 series, starting Tuesday, due to injuries. Bumrah sustained an injury to his left thumb while fielding in the first Twenty20 against Ireland in Malahide on Wednesday, and thus will miss the three-match series in England. Bumrah, a key death overs bowler, did not take part in the optional nets on Thursday and was benched for the second match on Friday. India had won the series 2-0 with ease. But ahead of a sterner test against England, it's a major blow for India. Bumrah is ranked 10th on ICC's T20I Bowlers' ranking lost and along with leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal is among the only two bowlers in the top-ten of T20I rankings. He, though, is expected to be fit in time for the three-match ODI series that begins in Nottingham on July 12. Sundar has been ruled out of the T20 series owing to a right ankle injury. He sustained .
Spain face stern test against Russia in pre-quarters (Preview)
Considering their turbulent start to the FIFA World Cup, Spain will be pleased to have safely negotiated the group phase, even if they are yet to click under interim head coach Fernando Hierro. The 2010 champions probably face their toughest test yet against Russia here on Sunday.