Page 1445 - Sports
Sweden must bounce back fast with World Cup group on knife-edge
Sweden coach Janne Andersson must find a way to pick up his deflated players following their devastating defeat to Germany in a World Cup Group F that stands tantalisingly poised. Sweden were on course for the last 16 until Toni Kroos stepped up with a wonderful winner in the fifth minute of injury time to rescue the reigning champions 2-1 in a Saturday-night thriller. It left Group F on a knife-edge going into the final round of games on Wednesday, when Sweden face Mexico in Yekaterinburg while at the same time Germany play South Korea in Kazan. Mexico have six points and one foot in the knockout rounds, with Germany and the Swedes both on three points and with the same goal difference and having scored the same number. Sweden will progress if they better Germany's result. Several Sweden players were left prone on the turf such was the late, excruciating nature of the defeat to Germany. Andersson said: "The whole group is still alive so we will have to lick our wounds and come back ..
US to play soccer friendlies against Brazil, England, Italy
The US men's soccer team will play Brazil, England and Italy this fall, the US Soccer Association has announced.
Once a nomad, Alireza Beiranvand steals limelight after Ronaldo's penalty miss
Iranian goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand became an overnight star after he blocked a penalty kick by Cristiano Ronaldo during a Group B match of the ongoing 21st edition of the FIFA World Cup in Russia. However, if one looks back at his past life - the struggles that he went through - surely does not look less than the subject of a biopic.Beiranvand apparently slept on the street, worked in a car wash and ran away from his nomad lifestyle to Tehran to achieve his dream of becoming a footballer."Iranian goalkeeper slept on the street, worked in a car wash and was homeless in order for him to make his dream of playing football come true. He ran away from his nomad lifestyle to Tehran and struggled to reach his dream. Tonight he blocked a penalty by Ronaldo. #motivation," read a post on Twitter by Iraqi activist and journalist Steven Nabil.Further sharing details about Beiranvand's life, Nabil wrote: "People would walk by and see him sleeping in front of the football club's gate. They would
FIFA WC: Portugal enters knockout rounds despite Ronaldo's penalty miss
Portugal on Monday entered the knockout stages of the ongoing 21st edition of the FIFA World Cup after they survived a 1-1 draw against Iran in their last group encounter at the Mordovia Arena.Ricardo Quaresma gave Portugal the lead in the 45th minute, but Iran found the equaliser through a penalty conversion from Karim Ansarifard in the extra time.However, the most unusual part of the clash was when in-form Cristiano Ronaldo went off target with a 53rd-minute penalty, awarded after a video-assisted review.That miss from Ronaldo, who was perhaps fortunate not to see red for another VAR check after swinging an arm into the face of Morteza Pouraliganji, was punished in the extra time when Cedric Soares was pinged for handball following which referee Enrique Caceres again went to his video monitor.Ronaldo has scored four goals in three games till now.Unlike Ronaldo, Ansarifard made no mistake with a powerful finish into the roof of the net to set up a grandstand finish in Saransk.With ...
Portugal enter pre-quarters despite being held by Iran
Iran held Portugal 1-1 in their final Group B match here on Monday but couldn't stop the reigning European champions from entering the FIFA World Cup pre-quarterfinals.
Spain draws 2-2 with Morocco, reaches World Cup round of 16
A video replay in injury time gave Spain the goal it needed to win Group B at the World Cup. Spain substitute Iago Aspas scored the late equalizer on Monday in a 2-2 draw with Morocco. His clever deflection off a cross from Dani Carvajal was initially disallowed for offside, but the video assistant referee overruled the call at Kaliningrad Stadium. The decision set off a touchline melee among players from both sides. Another substitute, Morocco forward Youssef En Nesyri, headed in a goal in the 81st minute to give already-eliminated Morocco hope of a victory. Earlier, a mix-up by Andres Iniesta and Sergio Ramos gifted Morocco its first goal of the World Cup, with Khalid Boutaib pouncing on the loose ball and scoring in the 14th minute. Iniesta made amends five minutes later by setting up Isco at the other end to bring Spain level at halftime. With Portugal also drawing with Iran, Spain progressed as group winner because it scored more goals and next plays host Russia on Sunday in ...
FIFA WC: Spain enters round of 16 after dramatic 2-2 draw against Morocco
Iago Aspas' goal in the extra time booked Spain's seat in the elimination rounds of the ongoing 21st edition of the FIFA World Cup after they ended their last group stage match against already-eliminated Morocco 2-2 in Kaliningrad on Monday.Khalid Boutaib gifted Morocco a lead in the 14th minute before Isco restored parity for Spain five minutes later.Later on, Youssef En-Nesyri gave Morocco the lead for the second time in the 81st minute.While Morocco almost had a chance to create the biggest upset of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Aspas scored in second half injury time to avoid an embarrassing defeat for Spain.Spain went behind for the first time when Andres Iniesta and captain Sergio Ramos somehow allowed Boutaib to seize upon a loose ball and run clear to score Morocco's first goal at the finals since 1998.Iniesta soon made amends skipping through the Morocco defence to set up Isco for a leveller.When Morocco substitute Youssef En-Nesyri got up highest to thump home a brilliant header .
World Cup: Spain hold brave Morocco to enter next stage
Morocco almost created the biggest upset of the 2018 FIFA World Cup before a late goal handed Spain a 2-2 draw in a Group B match here on Monday.
Alburayk late show help Saudi Arabia pip Egypt
Saudi Arabia scored a late winner to beat Egypt 2-1 in the last game of the 2018 World Cup finals for both sides to allow them to travel home on a high note.
Sharath, Harmeet sparkle but Mavericks take the spoils in UTT
Indias Achanta Sharath Kamal and Harmeet Desai scored sensational upset victories in the CEAT Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT), drawing the Delhi leg to a successful close at the Thyagaraj Stadium here on Monday.
Kabaddi Masters: India thrash lackluster Pakistan to enter semis
India sealed the semi-final spot, thrashing arch-rivals Pakistan 41-17 in Group A match of the Kabaddi Masters at the Al Wasl Sports Club here on Monday.
World Cup: Uruguay beat Russia 3-0 to top Group A
Uruguay finished the group stage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup atop Group A after defeating hosts Russia 3-0 at the Samara Arena on Monday.
Ramkumar, Prajnesh & Nagal out of Wimbledon qualifiers
Indian Davis Cupper Ramkumar Ramanathan, in-form Prajnesh Gunneswaran and Sumit Nagal -- all crashed out of the Wimbledon Qualifiers, losing their first rounds in London, today. Ramanathan, who is seeded 15th in the Qualifiers, lost 3-6 4-6 to Italian Simone Bolleli, while 239th ranked Sumit Nagal, who is going through a rough patch, suffered his eighth straight first round defeat when he was thrashed 2-6 0-6 by Poland's Kamil Majchrzak, ranked 192. Prajnesh, who is in the form of his life, also could not play to his potential due to an abdominal strain, losing 1-6 4-6 to Germany's Tobias Kamke. Interestingly, the Indian left-hander had lost to Kamke, ranked 228 as compared to 165 of Prajnesh, at the Australian Open qualifying also at the same stage. "I just could not serve due to abdominal strain," a dejected Prajnesh told PTI from London. The result means that Prajnesh will now have to wait for the next season to make an attempt to earn an appearance in the main draw of the Grand ...
India, Iran book semifinal berths
World champions India and runners-up Iran booked semifinal berths from their respective groups to continue their supremacy in the six-nation Kabaddi Masters at the Al Wasl Sports Complex here today. India once again put up a dominating show to prevail over Pakistan 41-17 for their second successive victory against their arch-rivals in their second and final leg group A exchange. India had thrashed their bitter foes 36-20 in the opening game of the six-nation meet on June 22. Substitute Emad Sedaghatnia put up a spectacular show in the final minute to help Iran seal a semi-final berth from group B after scraping past Korea 31-27 in a fiercely-contested opening battle of the day. For India, the most expensive player Monu Goyat, who came in as a substitute in the second half topped the raid charts with seven points. Captain Ajay Thakur and Rishank Devadiga scored six points each as they inflicted two all-outs en route to another convincing victory. Rohit gave India a 6-1 lead inside five
FIFA WC: Al-Dawsari's last-minute goal snatches win for Saudi Arabia
Midfielder Salem Al-Dawsari struck an injury-time goal as Saudi Arabia edged past Egypt 2-1 in the third and final Group A match of the ongoing 21st edition of the FIFA World Cup here at the Volgograd Arena on Monday.Heading into the clash, Egypt had lost to hosts Russia by 1-3 and two-time winners Uruguay by 0-1 in their opening two encounters.Walking on the same lines, Saudi Arabia were also without a win in the World Cup prior to this match.However, sixty seventh-ranked Saudi Arabia finally managed to break their deadlock in the tournament and earn three points with a win over 45th-placed Egypt.Though it was Saudi Arabia who dominated the proceedings in the early minutes of the match, Egypt were the one to draw the first blood via forward Mohamed Salah.Salah collected a good long pass from midfielder Abdallah Said and tapped it over the advancing goalkeeper to put his side ahead in the 22nd minute.In the 41st minute of the match, Saudi Arabia missed a great chance to score an ...
Arjun Tendulkar trains with India team, gets tips from Shastri
The Indian cricketers had their first training session in England today but making heads turn, for obvious reasons, was Sachin Tendulkar's son Arjun, who ran in and bowled fast in the nets organised for Virat Kohli's men. India coach Ravi Shastri offered some "words of wisdom" to the 18-year-old left-arm fast bowler. Arjun, son of the legendary cricketer, was selected in India's under-19 squad for the tour of Sri Lanka in July. And he will be returning to the country as he has to undergo an U-19 camp at the National Cricket Academy under WV Raman and Sanath Kumar ahead of the tour of Sri Lanka. Arjun has only been picked for the two four-day matches in Sri Lanka, and has not made the cut for the five-match ODI squad. The cricketer was part of a group of U-19 cricketers who underwent a month-long camp in Dharamsala in April this year. Arjun has often trained with the Indian team and last year, bowled to the England Test team. Last year, he bowled to the likes of Kohli and his Indian ...
Mayank, Chahar power India A to a seven-wicket win over West Indies A
Opener Mayank Agarwal smashed a breezy century as India A recorded a convincing seven-wicket victory over West Indies A in the Tri-Series here today. Chasing 222 in the allotted 50 overs, India A were home with plenty to spare at the Grace Road, with Mayank's 102-ball 112 being the highlight of the innings. India medium pacer Deepak Chahar was the most successful bowler of the day, returning with impressive figures of 5/27 in his full quota of 10 overs. It was due to Chahar's fine bowling that India A could cut short the West Indies A's innings in 49.1 overs. The 27-year-old Mayank laced his knock with 11 boundaries and 2 sixes, and was involved in a 148-run partnership for the second wicket with Shubhman Gill (58 not out off 92 balls). Once Mayank was dismissed in the 33rd over and Shreyas Iyer (1) also left cheaply, Gill and Rishabh Pant (18 not out) took India home, reaching the target in 38.1 overs. Earlier batting first, West Indies A were bowled out for a modest 221 after losing
Indian paddlers have become more competitive: Karlsson
Swedish paddler Kristian Karlsson believes that Indian table tennis players have become more competitive now and their performance in the Commonwealth Games has increased their motivation. "Most Indian players have upped their game and improved a lot this year and CWG performance has brought their motivation level up which reflects in their good performance in UTT (Ultimate Table Tennis league) too," Karlsson, who is World no 17, was quoted as saying in a release issued by UTT franchise Maharashtra United. "They (Indian players) have turned more competitive than earlier,"said Karlsson, who plays for Maharashtra United in the UTT. Karlsson, who bagged a silver medal at the 2012 European Championships in men's doubles, also heaped praise on young Indian paddler Sanil Shetty saying he one of the best players in the country. "The game against Sanil was a tough one as he is one of the best Indian players and playing against him (in tie 1 in UTT) in front of Indian supporters
France criticism 'taken out of context', says Danish coach
Denmark coach Age Hareide said his critical remarks of World Cup hopefuls France were "taken out of context" ahead of tomorrow's World Cup clash with the Group C leaders. Hareide gave a withering assessment of France in the run-up to the tournament, claiming they were "nothing special" and that they lacked a "leader such as Zinedine Zidane". "First of all these were things taken out of context," Hareide said in Moscow on Monday. "If you'd read the whole article you would have seen I was comparing with the '98 team. "You can pick anything from an article you like, but I was just comparing with the best version of France we have ever seen." Denmark face France needing a point from their final game to be sure of a place in the last 16, as they bid to reach the knockout rounds of a World Cup for the first time since 2002. Norwegian Hareide said the Danes would go in search of victory, resisting the dangerous temptation to look to settle for a draw. "I know one point will be enough but ...
Sharath, Harmeet sparkle but Mavericks take the spoils in UTT
Achanta Sharath Kamal's superb show went in vain as Harmeet Desai scored a sensational upset win to power RP-SG Mavericks to a thrilling 11-10 victory over Warriors TTC in the Ultimate Table Tennis at the Thyagaraj Stadium here today. Sharath eked out two victories but that was not enough as Harmeet stunned world no. 22 Aruna Quadri to take RP-SG Mavericks to the top of the table as Delhi leg of the tournament came to an end here. A charged up Sharath gave the Warriors the early edge, overcoming World No. 20 Mattias Karlsson 2-1. Down 7-11, 1-5, the Indian star dug deep into his bag of experience to pull off his first singles win in UTT 2. Sharath continued to call the shots in the mixed doubles too, pairing up with Hana Matelova of Czech Republic, for another 2-1 triumph. The Warriors' pair lost the first set 8-11 but soon got the measure of Harmeet and Doo Hoi Kem. They wrapped up the clash 11-9, 11-8 for a handy 6-3 lead after three matches. Earlier, world no. 20 Sofia Polcanova ...