Page 1451 - Sports
Hamilton eases to French Grand Prix win, restores championship lead
Lewis Hamilton roared to victory with a polished lights-to-flag drive for Mercedes in Sunday's restored French Grand Prix to regain top spot in the world championship. The four-time world champion led from start to finish, bar one lap following his pit stop, as he claimed his first win in France, his third this year and the 65th of his career. Hamilton came home seven seconds clear of Dutchman Max Verstappen with Kimi Raikkonen taking third for Ferrari after passing his Red Bull team-mate Daniel Ricciardo with five laps remaining. Hamilton's consummate performance came after fellow four-time champion and pre-race leader Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari crashed into his Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas on the opening lap. Both suffered damage and, under an early Safety Car, limped to the pits for repairs. They rejoined from the back of the field to finish fifth and seventh respectively, either side of Kevin Magnussen of Haas, who was sixth. Vettel had to serve a five seconds penalty, ...
Maradona calls for meeting with Argentina players
Diego Maradona has requested a meeting with Argentina's players in an attempt to inspire the struggling squad ahead of their crucial final World Cup group game against Nigeria. The two-time world champions must beat Nigeria in Saint Petersburg on Tuesday if they are to avoid a premature exit following a disastrous 3-0 defeat by Croatia. He said he would bring along other Argentina greats of the past for the motivational talk. "I would love to hold a meeting with them, with (Nery) Pumpido, with (Sergio) Goycochea, with (Claudio) Caniggia, with (Pedro) Troglio, even with (Daniel) Passarella if he wants to come, and with (Jorge) Valdano," Maradona told Venezuelan TV channel Telesur. "We're going to defend our honour, boys. It cost us too much to be where we are for Croatia to come and hit us for three goals and to leave with our arms crossed without anyone putting a foot in." Maradona, who has criticised coach Jorge Sampaoli and striker Sergio Aguero in recent days, also took aim at ...
Sanil, Szocs sparkle in Falcons' big win in UTT
Sanil Shetty and Bernadette Szocs Powered defending champions Falcons TTC to a comprehensive 15-6 victory over Empowerji Challengers in the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT), here. The 28-year-old Sanil lost his singles match 0-3 to France's Simon Gauzy but bounced back in the mixed doubles, pairing with Bernadette Szocs, to upstage Manav Thakkar and Georgina Pota 11-4, 11-9, 11-8 at the Thyagaraj Stadium. The 23-year-old Szocs, ranked 36, extended her winning run in the singles by upsetting World No. 20 Lee Ho Ching 11-9, 11-3, 11-10. Captain Liam Pitchford and Alvaro Robles maintained Falcons' stranglehold on the proceedings with contrasting victories. Pitchord continued his winning streak this season with a hard-fought 8-11, 11-7, 11-8 victory against Tiago Apolonia while Spaniard Robles downed India's teen star Manav Thakkar 11-10, 11-9, 11-2. Earlier,World No. 30 Matilda Ekholm gave Falcons a winning start, defeating Divya Deshpande 11-9, 11-6, 11-7. Challengers' captain and World No.
Salah set to start against Saudi Arabia as Egypt target World Cup win
Mohamed Salah looks likely to start against Saudi Arabia in Volgograd tomorrow as Egypt go in search of a first-ever World Cup win in a battle to avoid finishing bottom of Group A. But Egypt's 45-year-old goalkeeper Essam El Hadary may have to wait for an appearance off the bench to set a record as the oldest player ever to appear at a World Cup. Egypt coach Hector Cuper said he would not tinker greatly with the starting XI that were dumped out of the tournament 3-1 by hosts Russia on Tuesday. "The manager needs a reason to make changes," Cuper told reporters before Salah took part in a full training session at the Volgograd Arena. "We are not going to change our style." An appearance for El Hadary would smash the age record set by Faryd Mondragon in Brazil four years ago. The Colombia goalkeeper was 43 years and three days old when he played against Japan in a 4-1 group stage victory in Cuiaba. But the 158-capped El Hadary said he did not know if he would play. "I will be very happy .
Southgate finds weak points in England rout
England coach Gareth Southgate was keeping his feet firmly on the ground after England's 6-1 World Cup group-stage rout of Panama, declaring "I didn't particularly like the performance". With a grin Southgate explained to the BBC: "I'm being hyper-critical, but I didn't like the start, I didn't like the goal at the end. The bits in the middle were pretty good though!" Southgate was speaking after a hat-trick from Harry Kane, a double from John Stones and another from Jesse Lingard saw off Panama and qualified England into the knockout stages. As it stands England are level on goal difference with also-qualified Belgium but top the group by virtue of yellow cards -- two compared to the Belgians' three. The countries meet in Kaliningrad on Thursday. Asked about possible changes to his XI to face Belgium, Southgate commented: "I want to keep the momentum, we have to think about the team we want to put out, it's an opportunity for players who need a match who haven't played for a while ...
Morocco coach bemoans 'total injustice' ahead of Spain clash
Morocco coach Herve Renard today said his team had been victim to a "total injustice" in becoming the first nation knocked out of the World Cup before their final Group B clash with Spain. Morocco were eliminated after losing 1-0 to Portugal in Moscow after a 95th-minute own goal saw them lose to Iran by the same scoreline in their opener. "When you look at the facts in the Portugal game, it's totally unfair. "For the goal we conceded, there was an obvious foul by (defender) Pepe at the front post. Why did (the referee) not see it?" Renard told reporters in Kaliningrad ahead of Monday's encounter. "Then there was a handball by Pepe, exactly the same as the one (that was given as a penalty) for Australia" in the Socceroos' Group C match against Denmark. Morocco attacked Portugal relentlessly in the second half in Moscow after Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring with an early header. "For me it's a total injustice, especially because of the quality showed by my players during the game.
Cricketer Jadhav undergoes surgery, vows to return stronger
Out of action for more than two months due to a hamstring injury, India cricketer Kedar Jadhav has undergone a surgery, and said he will work hard on his fitness to make a comeback into the team. Playing for Chennai Super Kings, Jadhav was injured in the opening game of the Indian Premier League's 11th edition against Mumbai Indians on April 7, which ruled him out of the lucrative event. "After the surgery i was reluctant to post my updates but now i realise, you all are, my strength & my motivation which keeps me going forward. I am striving & working hard on my fitness to start playing soon," Jadhav wrote on his twitter handle. Though he has been injured for some time, Jadhav had taken the YoYo test on June 15. When contacted, he refused to share additional details. Jadhav suffered the injury while batting and headed back to the pavilion. The all-rounder returned to win the match for CSK after the dismissal of Dwayne Bravo, with a four and a six, but played no role after ...
England hat-trick hero Kane basks in World Cup rout
Hat-trick hero Harry Kane says "it's all coming together" for England at the World Cup after Gareth Southgate's side sailed into the last 16 with a 6-1 rout of Panama today. Kane's treble and two goals from John Stones, with Jesse Lingard also on the scoresheet, meant England joined Belgium on six points at the top of Group G ahead of the match between the two teams on Thursday. Kane said: "I'm very proud. Not many players get to score a hat-trick in the World Cup. "We have to enjoy this. It's not every day we get to go through after two games." He said his third goal, which came from a Ruben Loftus-Cheek shot that deflected off the English captain's heel into the net, "was one of the luckiest of my career". His five goals took him to the top of the World Cup Golden Boot scoring chart with five goals in two games ahead of the four scored by Cristiano Ronaldo and Romelu Lukaku. "It's going well, there's still a long way to go, the most important thing is winning games," Kane ...
World Cup: Uruguay, Russia eye top spot in Group A (Preview)
Uruguay and Russia will battle for the top spot in Group A and enter the knockout rounds of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in style when they meet here on Monday.
Hockey India congratulates Sardar Singh for 300th international cap
Hockey India on Sunday lauded stalwart midfielder Sardar Singh on completing 300 international caps for India.The 31-year-old achieved this milestone during India's second round robin match against Argentina at the on-going Rabobank Men's Hockey Champions Trophy Breda, 2018.Expressing delight over the achievement, the former skipper said that it was a proud moment for him. He further thanked his teammates for the constant support and emphasised that he was enjoying the pressure of proving himself yet again on the playing field."It is really a proud moment for me. It seems like I have come a full circle as I had started my career under Harendra Singh as my Coach in the Junior India Team and now I play my 300th match under his Coaching for the Indian side," Sardar Singh said."I thank my teammates for their support and inspiration. We work as one family to achieve our goals and targets. At this point in my career, I am enjoying the pressure of wanting to prove myself again and have paid .
FIFA WC: England eclipsed Panama 6-1
England striker Harry Kane climbed up to the top of the goal scoring chart after he smashed a hat-trick against Panama in the Group G match, helping the team register a dominating win over the Central American country.England thrashed Belgium 6-1 in what seemed to be a one-sided clash. In the opening minutes of the game, it was Panama who were putting England under pressure. The momentum shifted when John stones, with a terrific header, scored the first goal for England.As the match intensified, Panama midfielder was booked by the referee with the Yellow card. In the 22nd minute of the match, Harry Kane made no mistake and perfectly executed the Penalty providing England lead of 2-0.The game was in the control of Englishmen player who were not giving any scoring opportunity to their Panamanian counterparts. As the game progresses, England mid-fielder Jesse Lingard made it happen again for England taking a flawless shot giving no chance to the Panama keeper.In another couple of ...
Hockey Champions Trophy: India beat Argentina 2-1
India has registered a second consecutive victory of the Hockey Champions Trophy, beating Argentina 2-1 in a spectacular competition between the two teams.After a slow start to the game, both the teams ended the first quarter at 0-0. Right from the start of the second quarter, Indian players showed some aggression and attacked the goal-post multiple times. They got a penalty corner in the 17th minute and the opposition goalkeeper had no answer to Harmanpreet's furious strike.Taking 1-0 lead in the match, India continued its combative display on the field. They smashed another goal in the 28th minute and this time, it was Mandeep Singh who did the job for his team.Argentina tried coming back to the match after Gonzalo Peillat took a penalty stroke in the 30th minute, making the score 2-0. They generated a couple of chances after that as well but Indian goalkeeper Sreejesh proved too good for Argentina forwards. They tried till the last minute and strived hard for an equalizer. But, at .
Coric dethrones Federer at Halle Open
Croatia's Borna Coric on Sunday claimed the Halle Open title after beating defending champion and world No. 1 Roger Federer of Switzerland 7-6 (8-6), 3-6, 6-2 in the final match, effectively handing the top spot in the ATP ranking back to Spain's Rafael Nadal.
IOC emerges champion in YSCA Trophy
Off-spinner Aamir Gani starred with a six-wicket haul as Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Mumbai, beat AG's Office by 17 runs in the final to win the 49th All-India YSCA Trophy cricket tournament here today. Put in to bat on a slow turner, IOC could only manage 137 for the loss of seven wickets in the quota of 30 overs. Siddesh Lad top scored with 42 while K Vignesh claimed three wickets for 16. In reply, AG's Office batsmen could not cope with the guiles of IOC off-spinner Aamir Gani, who took six wickets, conceding only 14 runs, to be all out for 119. TNCA honorary joint secretary R I Palani gave away the prizes. The prolific Aditya Tare (with two centuries in the tournament) was named best batsman. Scores (Final): IOC 137 for 7 in 30 overs (Siddesh Lad 42, K Vignesh 3 for 16) beat AG's Office 119 all out in 28.4 overs (Ashwin Balaji 35, Aamir Gani 6 for 14). MoM: Aamir Gani.
Nigeria's Mikel to play against Argentina despite fracture
Nigeria captain John Obi Mikel is likely to play in his team's decisive World Cup Group D match against Argentina on Tuesday despite nursing a broken bone in his left hand.
Sanil-Szocs sparkle in UTT
Sanil Shetty had mixed fortunes in the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) tie here today, giving defending champions Falcons TTC an early lead against Empowerji Challengers. The 28-year-old lost his singles match 0-3 to France's Simon Gauzy but bounced back in the mixed doubles ,pairing with Bernadette Szocs, to upstage Manav Thakkar and Georgina Pota 11-4, 11-9, 11-8. The Indo-Romanian pair, who won three of their last four matches, proved their superiority by pocketing the first game 11-4. Thakkar and Hungarian Pota put up a better show in the second but Shetty and Szocs kept things under control and not only won the game but went on to claim the third as well. After the first three matches, Challengers were leading 6-3. Earlier, another Indian player Divya Deshpande too from Challengers suffered a bug defeat. World No. 30 Matilda Ekholm gave Falcons a winning start, defeating Deshpande 3-0 (11-9, 11-6, 11-7). The Indian put up a fight in the first game but the left-handed Swede kept ...
Rahul Gandhi congratulates Chennai boy for becoming 2nd youngest chess Grandmaster
Congress president Rahul Gandhi today congratulated R Praggnanandhaa, a 12-year-old Chennai boy, for becoming the second youngest chess Grandmaster ever. R Praggnanandhaa has become the country's youngest and the world's second youngest Grandmaster at the age of 12 years, 10 months and 13 days, after reaching the final round of the ongoing Grendine Open in Italy. "Just 12 yrs old, Chennai boy R Praggnanandaah has become the second youngest Chess Grand Master ever! Congratulations to him and his coach @RameshChess. This is truly an incredible achievement (sic)," Gandhi tweeted. Ukraine's Serget Karjakin remains the youngest ever GM, having achieved the feat at the age of 12 years and seven months.
World Cup: Kane shines as England thrash Panama 6-1
A hat-trick from Harry Kane helped England thrash Panama 6-1 in the World Cup Group G game here on Sunday.
India beat Argentina in Champions Trophy clash
India defeated Argentina 2-1 to register their second consecutive victory in the Champions Trophy hockey tournament here on Sunday.
Lahiri sizzles on back nine to climb to tied 3rd at Travelers
A back-nine eagle elevated Indian golfer Anirban Lahiri to five-under 65 in the penultimate round for a share of the third spot in the Travelers Championship here. Lahiri, thus, puts himself in contention for the title though England's Paul Casey was on fire during his eight-under 62 that gave him a four-shot lead over second placed Russell Henley (67). Casey was at 16-under 194 to Henley's 12-under at TPC River Highlands here. Lahiri, JB Holmes, with whom the Indian plays his final round, and Brian Harman (69) are at 11-under in tied third position. Lahiri scored three birdies and an eagle on the back nine and a bogey and a birdie in the front nine. Well, it (a win) is obviously one of my goals. It's something that I set out to do when I moved base here two-and-a-half years ago. It hasn't been a special season so far, so obviously there's never a bad time to win. I've got to keep doing what I'm doing and if I keep moving in the right direction, it will come sooner rather than later,"