Page 1487 - Sports
Mexico's Marquez becomes third man to play at five World Cups
Mexico captain Raia Marquez has become only the third player to play at five World Cups after he came on as a substitute during Sunday's 1-0 win against world champions Germany, reports Xinhua.
Brazil vs Switzerland: Zuber's goal leads to sloppy draw
The five-time world champions Brazil failed to win their opening World Cup match as Switzerland's Steven Zuber's header cancelled out Philippe Coutinho's spectacular goal, bringing the result to a sloppy 1-1 draw in Rostov.Coutinho opened the scoring for Brazil with this stunning signature curler in the first half, which made the match pretty much all Brazil from the beginning.However, Steven Zuber's header from a corner earned the Swiss who are ranked sixth in the world, a deserved point.With this, Brazil's momentum had dissipated and the tempo of the match apparently slowing down.Swiss goalkeeper Yann Sommer was at his best and gave a marvellous performance as he came up with several impressive stops, which included a diving save of Roberto Firmino's header just before injury time.The draw brings an end to Brazil's run of nine wins in opening World Cup fixtures.Brazil on Wednesday faces Serbia, the current Group E leader after it defeated Costa Rica, who will cross swords with ...
FIFA World Cup: Spirited Switzerland hold off-colour Brazil
Switzerland came up with a gritty, fighting performance to hold title contenders Brazil 1-1 in a Group E match of the FIFA World Cup here on Sunday.
Chandimal pleads not guilty to ball-tampering charge
Sri Lanka skipper Dinesh Chandimal has pleaded not guilty to the ball-tampering charge levelled by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for altering the condition of the ball in the second Test against West Indies.He will face a hearing after the ongoing second Test against the West Indies wraps up, the ICC, said in a statement issued on Sunday."Dinesh Chandimal has pleaded not guilty to breaching Article 2.2.9 of the ICC Code of Conduct and, as such, Javagal Srinath of the Panel of ICC Match Referees will hold a hearing following the conclusion of the St Lucia Test against the Windies," read an ICC statement.On-field umpires Aleem Dar and Ian Gould, and third umpire Richard Kettleborough had charged Chandimal after play on June 16 for changing the condition of the ball during the St Lucia Test against West Indies.The officials laid the charge after television footage from the final session's play on June 15 appeared to show the Sri Lanka captain taking sweets out from his left ...
FIFA World Cup: Spirited Switzerland hold Brazil
Switzerland came up with a gritty, fighting performance to hold title contenders Brazil 1-1 in a Group E match of the FIFA World Cup here on Sunday.
Profligate Brazil held by stubborn Switzerland
Brazil's bid for a sixth World Cup got off to a slow start as Switzerland withstood an early onslaught to snatch a 1-1 draw in Rostov-on-Don. On the day when holders Germany were shocked 1-0 by Mexico, Brazil's tag as pre-tournament favourites looked justified in a dominant first-half capped by Philippe Coutinho's wonder strike to open the scoring. However, Brazil paid for their failure to kill the game off when Steven Zuber powered home an equaliser from Xherdan Shaqiri's corner five minutes after the break. The pressure will now be on Brazil to kickstart their campaign when they face Costa Rica on Friday. Earlier, Serbia beat Los Ticos 1-0 to move to the top of Group F. Coutinho had been handed a central role behind Neymar, on his first competitive game for four months, Gabriel Jesus and Willian in a line-up filled with attacking intent from coach Tite. The five-time world champions went about their task of erasing the memories of a 7-1 thrashing by Germany on home soil four years
Brazil held 1-1 by Switzerland in World Cup
Neymar's Brazil were held 1-1 by Switzerland in their opening World Cup game at Rostov-on-Don. Philippe Coutinho opened the scoring with a magical curling long range shot on 20 minutes, but Steven Zuber headed the Swiss back level five minutes after the restart. The stalemate left Serbia, who had beaten Costa Rica 1-0 earlier Sunday, top of the Group E standings.
Danish midfielder Kvist out of World Cup with rib injury
Denmark will be without veteran midfielder William Kvist for the rest of the World Cup, the Danish Football Association confirmed on Sunday.
Mexico shock World Cup holders Germany
Mexico created the first upset of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, overcoming defending champions Germany 1-0 in a frenetic Group F game at the Luzhniki Stadium here on Sunday.
Mavericks edge out Maharashtra in UTT thriller
Ayhika Mukherjee's giant-killing ways stood out as RP-SG Mavericks thwarted a gallant charge from Maharashtra United and eked out a narrow 11-10 victory in their Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) clash at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex here on Sunday.
Chandimal denies ball tampering with sweet, rescues Sri Lanka with bat
Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal denied tampering with the ball by using a sweet in his pocket on Sunday before rescuing his team in partnership with Kusal Mendis on the fourth day of the second Test against the West Indies. Following the controversy of day three, when the start of play was delayed by two hours with the Sri Lankan captain refusing to lead his team onto the field for the continuation of the West Indies first innings, the International Cricket Council confirmed a charge of "altering the condition of the ball" -- effectively ball tampering -- against Chandimal. Match officials charged Chandimal after television footage from the final session's play on Friday appeared to show the captain taking sweets out from his left pocket and putting these in his mouth, before applying the artificial substance to the ball which the umpires viewed as an attempt to change its condition. Chandimal will face a hearing at the end of the Test tomorrow. The allegations echoed a 2016 ...
World Cup holders Germany crash to Mexico defeat
Defending champions Germany crashed to the first defeat in their opening game of a World Cup since 1982 as Hirving Lozano's clinical finish earned Mexico a shock 1-0 victory here today. The highly-rated PSV Eindhoven forward struck the winner on 35 minutes after a blistering counter-attack at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow as Mexico beat Germany for just the second time in history. Germany's preparations for the tournament were plagued by poor results and controversy, and their problems were magnified in the Russian capital, leaving their proud record of never being eliminated in the group stage of a World Cup already in danger. Joachim Loew started eight of the nine 2014 World Cup winners in his squad, with Mesut Ozil returning from a knee injury and Manuel Neuer back in goal following his lengthy absence for the Group F clash. Jerome Boateng's build-up to the finals was also hampered by a groin injury, but the Bayern Munich centre-back was on the alert inside 60 seconds to thrust ...
Sweden coach plays down spying allegations
Sweden coach Janne Andersson on Sunday played down stories that a member of his coaching staff had spied on the preparations of the South Korea national football team ahead of Monday's World Cup group F clash.
Chandimal denies ball tampering, ICC hearing after Test
Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal has pleaded not guilty to breaching Article 2.2.9 of the International Cricket Council's code of conduct and a hearing will be held following the conclusion of the ongoing cricket Test against the West Indies.
Mexican fans chant slur during World Cup game
Mexican fans have chanted a homophobic slur at Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer during the World Cup game here today. FIFA has repeatedly fined the Mexican football federation over the chant. It rang out at Moscow's Luzhniki stadium in the 24th minute of Mexico's game against Germany with the score at 0-0. Fans in Mexico use the chant to insult opposing goalkeepers as they take a goal kick. Widely considered a slur, some argue there is no discriminatory intent. The Court of Arbitration for Sport canceled two fines against Mexico in November, ruling the chant was "insulting" but not meant to offend, though it left other fines in force.
TT: Mavericks edge out Maharashtra United
Ayhika Mukherjee's giant-killing ways stood out as RP-SG Mavericks downed a fighting Maharashtra United 11-10 in the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) league today. Ayhika, Kou Lei and the mixed pair of captain Harmeet Desai and Doo Hoi Kem won the first three matches to put Mavericks in a commanding 6-3 position. Maharashtra staged a brilliant rally through their foreign players to turn the tables and gain a 10-8 lead. Kristian Karlsson, Elizabeta Samara and captain Joao Monteiro won their respective singles to ensure three victories in succession for Maharashtra. However, German Sabine Winter tilted the scales in favour of the Mavericks by winning the last match of the day against Madhurika Patkar 3-0 (11-7, 11-9, 11-10). Incidentally, the last point of the tie was decided by a golden point with Sabine's smashing return clinching the issue. The 21-year-old 164th-ranked Ayhika, who had upset World No. 20 Lee Ho Ching of Hong Kong in Mavericks' victory over Empowerji ...
ICC wants harsher punishment for ball tampering
The International Cricket Council is likely to push for harsher punishment for ball tampering during its annual conference later this month. Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal was today charged for ball-tampering in the second Test against the West Indies in St Lucia and the ICC said it is likely to push for upgrading ball tampering from a Level 2 offence to Level 3. Currently the maximum sanction under a Level 2 charge is ban of one Test or two ODIs, while under Level 3, a player is slapped with a ban of four Tests or eight ODIs. ICC chief executive David Richardson said the cricket committee "viewed" ball tampering as "cheating" which went against the spirit of cricket. "... Therefore, they (committee) were very strong that we need to increase the sanctions available for that type of conduct," Richardson told ESPNcricinfo. "So we are talking moving both ball tampering and personal abuse, foul language upto Level 3." Earlier, ICC had asked an internal panel to suggest harsher ...
Murray must conquer mental demons after injury woe -- Djokovic
Novak Djokovic has warned Andy Murray he must conquer his mental demons before rediscovering his best form as the former Wimbledon champion returns from almost a year on the sidelines. Finally recovered after hip surgery in January, Murray will play his first competitive match for 11 months when the Scot takes on Nick Kyrgios in the Queen's Club first round next week. Murray's fitness problems, which flared up at last year's Wimbledon and featured several aborted comeback attempts, have stuck a chord with his old friend Djokovic. The Serb was hampered by an elbow injury for much of last year and has struggled since returning after surgery. Djokovic admits he has found it hard to feel confident on the court as he battles fears about the injury returning. And, speaking at Queen's on Sunday, the 31-year-old told former world number one Murray not to expect an instant return to former glories. "I've faced this major injury issue myself. You feel the consequences mentally more than ...
Kolorov's freekick seals Serbia's victory
Aleksandar Kolarov rolled back the years at the Samara Arena on Sunday with a delightful free-kick, sealing the three points for Serbia against Costa Rica in Group C's first match in the FIFA World Cup 2018.The win was a fair reward for a dominating performance from Serbia, although, the best chance of the match in the opening stages fell to Costa Rica's centre-back Giancarlo Gonzalez.A corner in the 12th minute was played short by Costa Rica, with David Guzman then aiming a cross at the back post which was met by an unmarked Gonzalez, who only managed to head over the goalpost from point-blank range.Lazio's 23-years-old Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, a reported target for Manchester United, was then found by Kolorov's long ball. However, his shot being easily saved by Keylor Navas did not matter in the end as he was ruled offside.Newcastle United's Aleksandar Mitrovic had come close for Serbia on a couple of occasions, the most notable of his chances coming shortly after the restart when ..
Kompany stays in Belgium squad despite injury
Vincent Kompany will remain with the Belgium squad at the World Cup despite currently being sidelined by a groin injury, coach Roberto Martinez confirmed today. Martinez could have made a change to his squad of 23 as late as Sunday, the day before a much-fancied Belgian side begin their World Cup campaign against Panama in Group G in Sochi. Kompany has not played since suffering the injury in a friendly against Portugal two weeks ago, and Martinez said he is not expected to be available again before the final group game against England in Kaliningrad on June 28. "We made the medical decision this morning that we are going to maintain the squad of 23 as announced," Martinez told reporters at Sochi's Fisht Stadium. "We are not going to use any changes. Vinny has evolved better than we thought, even though we thought that he could have a good opportunity to be involved in the group phase. Now he has a stronger opportunity." Martinez also has Barcelona's Thomas Vermaelen struggling to ...