Page 1447 - Sports
After Poland win, Pekerman may tinker for Senegal clash
Colombia coach Jose Pekerman hinted more surprises could be on the way after a tactical masterstroke sealed a crucial World Cup win over Poland to leave them in control of their last-16 destiny. Success over Senegal in their closing Group H match on Thursday will guarantee their progress to the knockout stages. A draw would also see them through if already eliminated Poland beat Japan. A stylish 3-0 win for Los Cafeteros (Coffee Makers) over the Adam Nawalka-coached Poles made amends for a 2-1 opening defeat to Japan when Carlos Sanchez was sent off after just three minutes. Yerry Mina, Radamel Falcao and Juan Cuadrado were all on target in Kazan but Pekerman's decision to align both Juan Quintero and James Rodriguez proved decisive. The creative midfielders were involved in all three goals and the 68-year-old Argentine said he will continue to tinker if it helps Colombia advance. "There are so many situations that can make or break a football team. This is a World Cup. We have to ...
Germany must ignore pressure in South Korean World Cup test, says Reus
Marco Reus says Germany must ignore the pressure and play their brand of free-flowing football to win the make-or-break World Cup game against South Korea on Wednesday and reach the last 16 in Russia. Joachim Loew's team need to win by a two-goal margin in Kazan to be sure of advancing to the knockout rounds after recovering from a shock defeat to Mexico with a last-gasp 2-1 win against Sweden. South Korea are bottom of Group F after losing their opening two games. "South Korea have very fast, agile and versatile players who create a lot of problems for many teams," said Reus, who expects the Asian team to copy Mexico's tactics of counter-attacking through Germany's midfield. "We assume that they will also bet on counter-attacking and want to be defensive, tight and secure. "However, I am quite convinced that if we play in a liberated way and with the same fluent style, quality and passion that we invested against Sweden, South Korea will have a hard time beating us." After Sweden ...
Brazil bar to give shots every time Neymar falls
A Rio de Janeiro bar has invented a new drinking game: free shots every time Brazil's superstar Neymar falls down during a crucial World Cup group game against Serbia on Wednesday. "At each Neymar fall, it's a round of shots on the house!" the Sir Walter Pub in northern Rio posted on its Facebook page. The offer is the latest twist in Brazil's new national sport: making fun of the talented but divisive Paris Saint-Germain striker. In Brazil's first two games he disappointed many fans and inspired online mockery of his frequent dives. Against Costa Rica, he won a penalty after falling dramatically in front of the goalmouth but saw it annulled after VAR analysis showed he had exaggerated the incident. However, the world's most expensive player can point to stats showing that he comes in for unusually rough treatment from opposition teams. He easily leads the table at the World Cup for number of fouls against him: 10 in the first game against Switzerland and four against Costa Rica.
Aditi Ashok finishes T-55th in Arkansas
Aditi Ashok carded a modest two-under 69 to finish Tied 55th at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship here. Aditi, who began the week strongly with a seven-under 64 that gave her a Tied-2nd place, suffered on account of a erratic second round, where she shot five-over 76 to end with a total of four-under 209. Nasa Hataoka, 19, made four birdies in a near flawless front nine to build a five stroke lead and cruised to her first career win with a eight-under 63 yesterday. She had a three-day score of 21-under. Austin Ernst finished second at 15-under while six players tied for third at 13-under including Thompson and Lee, who were paired with Hataoka.
Women's World T20: India to face Kiwis in opener
India will face New Zealand in the opening game of Women's World T20 as the International Cricket Council (ICC) unveils the schedule for the ICC Women's World Twenty20 2018, to be held in West Indies from November 9 to 24.India and New Zealand will lock horns in the inaugural game of the event on November 9 at the Guyana National Stadium before the former faces arch-rival Pakistan on November 11 at the same venue.Indian team have been put in Group B along with Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan and Qualifier 2. Defending Champions West Indies, on the other hand, are clubbed with England, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Qualifier 1 in Group A.The finalists of the ICC Women's World T20 Qualifier in the Netherlands July 7 to 14 will complete the line-up of the November tournament, which is the first stand-alone ICC Women's World Twenty20 event.The teams participating in the qualifying event are Bangladesh, Ireland, the Netherlands, Papua New Guinea, Scotland, Thailand, Uganda and the United ..
Elavenil strikes gold at Junior Shooting World Cup
The immensely talented Elavenil Valarivan shot her second International Shooting Sport Federation Junior World Cup gold of the year, winning the women's 10m air rifle event at Suhl, Germany, today. On competition day two of the year's second and final ISSF Junior World Cup, Elavenil ended the eight-woman final with a score of 251.7 after 24 shots, a clear 0.8 ahead of China's Zeru Wang, who won silver. Chinese Taipei's Ying-Shin Lin, who won the senior World Cup gold in the event earlier this month in Munich, won bronze with a score of 229.5. This was India's third gold of the competition and they continue to top the medal standings. Elavenil topped qualification with a score of 630.5, 0.2 ahead of teammate Mehuli Ghosh, making it a one-two for India in the final. While Mehuli fell by the way side to be placed sixth eventually, Elavenil led from start to finish during her impressive performance. She also helped her country win the team bronze in the event, combining with Shreya ...
Lahiri finishes T-9 at Travelers
A double bogey on the back nine almost ruined his day before Anirban Lahiri recovered to finish tied 9th after carding 69 in the final round of the Travelers Championships here. Lying Tied-3rd after the third round, a possible Top-3 finish looked on the cards but Lahiri lost a couple of shots at the Par-4 14th hole before he managed to end the day with back-to-back birdies. It felt good to play consistently this week, but was disappointed to hit so many wayward shots today. Really felt like I played my C game, but glad that I held it together in the end and finished strong," said Lahiri. I have a couple more tournaments to build on this before The Open. A lot of work and even more patience has gone into my golf this year. I am glad that I put four rounds together this week. I would have liked to finish stronger but not too disappointed with the week overall. Meanwhile, Bubba Watson rallied from a six-shot deficit to win the Travelers Championships for the third time since 2010. It was
FIH delegation reviews preparations for Men's Hockey World Cup
The International Hockey Federation (FIH) on Monday reviewed the preparations being made for the Hockey Men's World Cup 2018, scheduled to be held at Kalinga Stadium here in November.
FC Pune City retain Adil Khan on 2-year deal
Indian Super League (ISL) club FC Pune City on Monday announced retaining the services of their midfield maestro Adil Khan for the next two seasons.
Peru coach disappointed with World Cup run, upbeat about team's future
Peru coach Ricardo Gareca on Monday admitted he was disappointed that his squad had reached their third and final Group C match with no hope of making it to the knockout round of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia but remained upbeat about the team's future.
Colombia trains for Senegal after eliminating Poland
Colombia's national football team returned to training on Monday in a soft session featuring only the substitutes after a 3-0 win over Poland, their second match of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Kolkata readies for final leg of Ultimate Table Tennis
An intense battle for semi-final spots is on the cards as the CEAT Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) gears up for the final leg at the Netaji Indoor Stadium here from Tuesday.
World Cup: France face Denmark in final group clash (Preview)
Comfortably placed atop Group C and already qualified for the knockouts, France will attempt to finish off their first round assignments with a win over Denmark when they face off in their final group stage clash here on Tuesday.
FIH delegation visits Odisha Hockey World Cup venue
As Odisha gears up to host the biggest tournament in hockey -- the 2018 Hockey Men's World Cup--in November, the FIH (International Hockey Federation) event director Gabrielle van Zwieten arrived in Bhubaneswar on Monday for a two-day visit to ensure the preparations are up to speed in the lead-up to the prestigious event.The Hockey World Cup will witness 16 top teams in the world vying for the top spot.Accompanied by officials from the host federation Hockey India, Gabrielle van Zwieten had extensive meetings with Vishal K Dev, Commissioner-cum-Secretary to Government, Department of Youth Services and Sports and representatives from various departments of Government of Odisha, to discuss the overall progress of work.The day-long proceedings also included the fifth Executive Committee Meeting for organisation of the Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018 chaired by Aditya Prasad Padhi, Chief Secretary & Chief Development Commissioner, Government of Odisha.On Tuesday, ...
Hummels fit to face South Korea in World Cup decider
Mats Hummels is fit to return for Germany in Wednesday's make-or-break World Cup clash against South Korea while midfielder Sebastian Rudy is set to miss out with a broken nose. Rudy had a minor operation on Sunday after the defensive midfielder broke his nose in Saturday's last-gasp 2-1 group stage win over Sweden, which gave Germany renewed hope of progress. Centre-back Hummels is back in training after a neck injury kept him out of the win against Sweden and is expected to face the South Koreans in Kazan. "Sebastian has had an operation and we are considering whether he will wear a mask, but we are assuming he won't play," said Germany assistant coach Marcus Sorg on Monday. "Mats is fully fit again and will be available on Wednesday." Germany, who lost their opener in Russia to Mexico, need to beat South Korea by a two-goal margin to be sure of reaching the last 16. Both Germany and Sweden have three points in Group F, while Mexico have six. South Korea are winless after defeats in
Vaughan says 'X-factor' Buttler can inspire England to World Cup glory
Jos Buttler gives England the "best chance they have ever had" of winning the World Cup, according to former captain Michael Vaughan. Buttler's 110 not out rescued England from the brink of defeat as they beat Australia by one wicket in the fifth one-day international at Old Trafford on Sunday to complete a 5-0 whitewash of the reigning world champions. England, the world's top-ranked ODI side, are the tournament hosts for the 2019 World Cup. But they have never lifted the men's version of cricket's premier one-day trophy and haven't won a knockout match at the tournament since making the last of their three losing appearances in the final back in 1992. They also failed to get out of the group stage at the most recent edition in 2015. "I look at the England side and Buttler is the one," Vaughan told BBC Radio's Test Match Special. "Teams that win trophies have X-factor cricketers. He's right up there," he added. "I've got everything crossed that he doesn't pick up an injury. "If ...
FC Pune City retains Adil Khan for next two seasons
Indian Super League (ISL) club FC Pune City has retained services of their midfield maestro Adil Khan for the next two seasons. In 2017-18 season, the 29-year-old midfielder scored four goals in 18 appearances, including a stunning header against the Jamshedpur FC. Speaking on Khan's retention, FC Pune City CEO Gaurav Modwel said, "Adil was one of the standout performers for us last season. His commitment to the team and dedication to his job was commendable. "Adils versatility gave the team a lot of flexibility eventually contributing big time to the team's historic run." Khan, on his part, said he was excited to continue with the FC Pune City and would aim to win the trophy. "I am excited to continue with the FC Pune City as the time here has been one of the most fulfilling in my professional career. "What we achieved as a team last season was commendable and with core group of players retained, we will aim to win the trophy this year," he said.
Archery World Cup: Deepika strikes individual gold
Indian archer Deepika Kumari on Monday bagged an individual gold medal in the women's recurve event here at the Archery World Cup, thus making a direct cut into the final to be held in Samsun, Turkey later this year.The 24-year-old swept aside Germany's Michelle Kroppen 7-3 at the Salt Lake City to pave the way for her seventh appearance in the season-ending showdown event."Finally! That's what I said when I won this gold medal," Deepika, whose last victory at a World Cup came six years ago in Antalya back in 2012, expressed after the victory.Reflecting on her emotions during the competition, Deepika said that she was constantly motivating herself and her focus was on enjoying the game."I was repeating to myself, 'just do it the best, this is your time; just enjoy your game and forget about winning or losing and have fun," Deepika said."Do I feel relieved to qualify? Yes and no. I'm not expecting anything, at the moment I'm just enjoying my game, I want to enjoy my game," she ...
Lajja grabs first spot at shooting national selection trials
Shooter Lajja Goswami, a 2013 world cup silver medallist, has bagged the top spot in 50m rifle three position at the fifth national selection trials here today. It all came down to the last shot as Lajja kept her composure to shoot 10.3 and bagged the first spot in an anxious encounter here at the 18th Kumar Surendra Singh Shooting Memorial Championship. Another shooter from Gujarat, Hema K.C, was breathing down Lajja's neck and stayed on path to annexing the first spot but Lajja kept it till the last shot and broke Hema's heart by scoring 453.4. Jammu and Kashmir's Shreya Saksena scored 442.7 to claim third spot. In the men's event, Air Force's Parul Kumar scored 455.1 to seize the first spot, Commonwealth Championship bronze medallist Swapnil Suresh Kusale (453.4) was placed second, while Olympian Chain Singh took the third spot with a score of 440.5 at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range here. In the 10M Pistol event for men, Abhishek Verma of Haryana left the stalwarts of Indian ...
World Cup: Iceland in do-or-die situation vs Croatia (Preview)
Struggling to make their mark, Iceland will aim for nothing less than a win when they take on already-qualified Croatia in their last Group D clash at the Rostov Arena here on Tuesday.