Page 1500 - Sports
Indian hockey eves to face Spain in third match
The Indian women's hockey team will look to bounce back and clinch a victory against Spain when they face the hosts in the third game of the five-match series here at the Consejo Superior de Deportes Hockey Stadium on Friday.India made a disappointing start to their Spain tour, slumping to a 0-3 defeat to the home side in the opening match.However, the Rani Rampal-led side recovered well to produce a gritty show as they played out a 1-1 draw against Spain in the second game yesterday.India, who settled for a silver medal in the recently-concluded Asian Champions Trophy, will now enter into the third match with a hope to clinch their first win of the tour.It should be noted that the Spain tour is a part of the Rani-led team's preparations for the World Cup, which is slated to be held from July 21 and will run till August 5 in London.
Jayaram enters quarterfinal of US Open
Indian shuttler Ajay Jayaram advanced to the quarterfinals of the US Open after defeating Brazil's Ygor Coelho in a thrilling three-game match in the World Tour Super 300 tournament here. Jayaram, who is on a comeback trail following a long injury lay-off, recovered from an opening game loss to see off Brazil's Ygor Coelho 19-21 21-12 21-16 in a 50-minute men's singles clash. The former World No 13 Indian, who had unfortunately pulled his hamstring at the Senior National Championship last year and had to skip many tournaments, will face Korea's Heo Kwang Hee next. Jayaram started off well as he opened up slender leads of 3-1 and 8-6 before moving to a 15-12 advantage but Coelho jumped ahead to pocket the opening game. However, Jayaram changed gears in time to dominate the second game as he moved to a 8-4 lead at one point and kept consolidating on the advantage to eventually roar back into the contest. The decider was a tough battle as both the shuttlers fought tooth and nail and ...
Saudi thumping offers little hope for Asian upturn in Russia
Asia's quartet of World Cup representatives failed to deliver a single victory four years ago and hopes of a turnaround in Russia are low, with continental powerhouses Japan and South Korea struggling for form. Five nations qualified from the Asian confederation for the 2018 World Cup but Saudi Arabia's 5-0 thumping at the hands of the hosts in the tournament opener followed the pattern of miserable performances and results for Asian sides in Brazil. In the 16 years since Japan and South Korea hosted the tournament, with the latter reaching the semi-finals, they have each only made it beyond the group stages once, in 2010. Frenchman Philippe Troussier took Japan to the last 16 on home soil in 2002 but believes they have "no chance" of making the knockout phase this time despite avoiding the tournament favourites in their group. Japan sacked coach Vahid Halilhodzic in April but the decision to hire Akira Nishino has failed to inspire an immediate turnaround in fortunes, with warm-up ...
Griezmann staying at Atletico, ends Barca speculation
French striker Antoine Griezmann has announced he was staying put at Atletico Madrid in an eagerly awaited decision that ends intense speculation of a possible move to Barcelona. "I've decided to stay," Griezmann told a Spanish pay per view channel 48 hours before he turns out for France in their World Cup opener. The 27-year-old was heavily wooed by Barcelona but in the end he has elected to prolong his four year stay at the Spanish capital side. Last month he scored twice in Atletico's 3-0 win over Marseille in the Europa League final. It was Griezmann's first major title with Atletico after being in the side that lost on penalties to Real Madrid in the Champions League final in 2016, having also lost to Real two years earlier. He also lost the European Championship final with France that same summer. "I want to win the Champions League...it wasn't hard luck, it was that we were missing something," he reflected. His loyalty to Atletico has been rewarded with an increase in salary to
England's Willey glad he made IPL 'no-brainer' move
England all-rounder David Willey has insisted playing in this year's edition of the Indian Premier League was a "no-brainer" even if it put his county contract with Yorkshire at risk. The 28-year-old is adamant he's a better player for the experience of working under Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming, the former New Zealand captain, even though his stint with the IPL champions amounted to just three games. Now Willey, the son of the ex-Test batsman and former international umpire Peter Willey, is looking to put that experience to good use by helping England win their first World Cup title when they stage the 2019 showpiece tournament. A call to go to Chennai as an injury replacement came at the start of the English season and meant Willey angered missed several weeks of Yorkshire's county campaign. It was a move that angered the Headingley hierarchy, although he has since signed a new Yorkshire deal, but Willey, asked if it had been a difficult decision replied: "It was a ...
Russia prove doubters wrong -- for now
Russia have proved the doubters wrong -- for the moment. The World Cup hosts showed nerves of steel and ruthless finishing in thumping Saudi Arabia 5-0 in the tournament's opening match before an anxious crowd of nearly 80,000 in Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium yesterday. The emphatic result transformed the men in red from villains to heroes and gave Russians a rare sporting reason to rejoice. Everyone from senators and regional leaders to President Vladimir Putin himself congratulated coach Stanislav Cherchesov for Russia's biggest World Cup victory in post-Soviet history. It came at Luzhniki Stadium -- the crucible of both Russian and Soviet sport -- with the weight of an expectant but sceptical nation on their shoulders. "The head of state called me and congratulated me," Russia's moustachioed manager said matter-of-factly after the match. Putin "told me to keep playing the way we were, to keep going." "Give me five!" Moscow's Sport Express newspaper exclaimed in a front-page headline. ..
Ex-England captain Butcher named Philippines boss ahead of Asian Cup
Ex-England captain Terry Butcher has been named as the new head coach of the Philippines as the Azkals prepare to make their Asian Cup debut early next year. The former defender, who played in three World Cups, replaces former USA captain Thomas Dooley, whose four-year reign ended on March 18, officials announced late Thursday. A post on the team's Facebook page hailed the appointment of Butcher as well as Sheffield-born Scott Cooper, who was named as senior football advisor. Butcher, 59, is best known for captaining England in a 1989 World Cup qualifier against Sweden, when he bravely played on with a bandaged head and blood-spattered kit after splitting his forehead in an aerial collision. His first major test will be November's AFF Suzuki Cup, the Southeast Asian championship, before January's Asian Cup, where the Philippines are grouped with China, South Korea and Kyrgyzstan. Dooley, who took charge in 2014, guided the Azkals -- local slang for feral dogs -- to their first ever ...
Shellshocked Spain face Portugal in early World Cup treat
Spain and Portugal clash in an early highlight of the World Cup in Russia as the Spanish camp insist they are united despite this week's extraordinary sacking of coach Julen Lopetegui. Egyptian fans, meanwhile, will hold their breath to see if prolific Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah really has recovered from the shoulder injury he suffered in the Champions League final as the Pharaohs take on Uruguay. But after host nation Russia's rousing 5-0 win over Saudi Arabia in the tournament opener, the highlight of the day will be Spain's clash with Cristiano Ronaldo's European champions in Sochi. The Spanish team had been tipped as one of the favourites to win the trophy for a second time after a two-year unbeaten run under Lopetegui. But Wednesday's snap decision by the Spanish Football Federation to dump Lopetegui, after he announced he would take over at Real Madrid post-tournament, has left the team reeling. Former Real Madrid stalwart Fernando Hierro has been thrown into the deep end ..
Ton-up Chandimal holds Sri Lanka together against Windies
Dinesh Chandimal's battling, unbeaten hundred defied a West Indies attack spearheaded by Shannon Gabriel as Sri Lanka were lifted by their captain to a first innings total of 253 on the opening day of the second Test at the Darren Sammy Stadium in St Lucia. West Indies openers Kraigg Brathwaite and Devon Smith negotiated two overs before the close of play safely and will resume the home side's reply at two without loss on the second day. It looked for most of the day that Gabriel, the burly fast bowler who finished with the impressive figures of five for 59, would claim individual honours outright. But Chandimal, badly missed by Smith at slip off Miguel Cummins when only on 14, grew in confidence and resolve to finish on 119 not out, his 11th Test century and surely one of his most invaluable. He got good support from the lower-order, especially Kasun Rajitha, the fast-medium bowler who was one of two debutants in a Sri Lankan side showing four changes from the team comprehensively ...
Eriksen-inspired Denmark out to spoil Peru's World Cup return
Paolo Guerrero will look to prove his drug-ban controversy is behind him tomorrow when Peru face Denmark and their star goal-scoring midfielder Christian Eriksen in both teams' World Cup opener. The presence of Flamengo forward Guerrero is a huge relief to Peru boss Ricardo Gareca after his 14-month ban for taking cocaine was overturned just weeks before the World Cup kicked-off. However, Denmark have their own goal-machine in Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Eriksen, who netted 11 goals in his team's qualifiers, a record bettered only by Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski on the road to Russia. The 26-year-old struck a stunning hat-trick in the 5-1 demolition away to Ireland last November to secure Denmark's play-off victory, then scored and created another in a 2-0 friendly win over Mexico in a pre-World Cup warm-up. With France installed as Group C favourites, neither team will want to drop points at the first hurdle. The spotlight in Saransk will be Guerrero, 34, who is set to ..
Spirit of FIFA turns UNSC into friendly football pitch
The angry rhetoric and the blame-throwing gave way to the thump of a bouncing soccer ball and deft dribbling as the spirit of sportsmanship from the 2018 FIFA World Cup tournament overwhelmed the UN Security Council.
Smriti Mandhana to become first Indian to play in England's Kia Super League
India Women's Cricket team opener Smriti Mandhana will become the first Indian player to appear in Kia Super League - the women's cricket super league in England.Smriti was signed by Western Storm and will represent them in the upcoming edition of the tournament that features six teams.The 21-year-old India opener has scored over 826 runs with the highest score of 76 in the 40 T20Is that she has played so far.Last month, she captained the IPL Trailblazers in the recent Women's T20 Challenge, which took place ahead of the VIVO IPL Qualifier One. Smriti has also featured in the Big Bash League for Brisbane Heat.After securing her signing, Head Coach of the Western Storm Trevor Griffin said, "We are really excited that Smriti will be joining us. She is one of the brightest young talents in the game at the moment. Although she is still young, she has a great deal of experience of the game at the highest level and we believe that she will prove to be an excellent signing."Looking forward ..
KSS shooting c'ships: Anil Kumar clinches gold
Madhya Pradesh's Anil Kumar secured gold at the second day of the 18th KSS Memorial Shooting Championship at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range in Delhi.Even after topping the charts in the qualification round, 2012 London Olympics bronze medallist Gagan Narang missed out on a medal in the 10m air rifle category.Anil started off on the right foot and maintained his grip to score 246.7 and clinched the gold medal, while Air Force's Manoj Dalal scored 245.2 to take the second spot. Manoj's teammate from the Air Force clinched the bronze medal with a score of 224.6.In the 10m air rifle youth men category, Aishwarya Tomar of Madhya Pradesh had thought he did enough to clinch the gold medal as he scored 249.9, but Sahu Mane of Maharashtra had other plans as he shot to glory with a narrow difference of .2 on the cumulative score line (251.1). Rajasthan's Yashwardan settled for bronze as he scored 229.9.However, the lad from Rajasthan didn't lose focus when it came to the 10m air rifle junior
Table Tennis: Defending champs Falcons start on a winning note
Defending champions Falcons TTC made a winning start against Maharashtra United in the opening tie of the second CEAT Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) here on Thursday.In the first leg at the Balewadi Indoor Stadium, Lily Zhang and Anthony Amalraj helped Maharashtra United gain an early 4-2 lead against the defending champions.Zhang provided Maharashtra with a flying start by defeating Falcons' Suthirtha Mukherjee 3-0 but Amalraj failed to cash in on dominant positions and went down 1-2 to Englishman Liam Pitchford.After losing the first game 11-5, Pitchford came back into the contest by winning the second 11-8.However, the Indian raced to a 7-1 lead in the third game only to fritter away the advantage, allowing the World No. 49 and last season's Most Valuable Player to clinch the game 11-9.Earlier, Zhang proved too strong for Suthirtha, 22, and any contest between the two was restricted to the first game which the American won on a golden point 11-10. But thereafter, 21-year-old Zhang ...
FIFA WC 2018: Russia beat Saudi Arabia 5-0 in tournament opener
The host nation, Russia, blanked Saudi Arabia in a 5-0 victory in the opening match of the World Cup at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium on Thursday.Yury Gazinsky scored tournament's opening goal with a firmly-placed header to give hosts 1-0 lead in the 12th minute of the match.Substitute Denis Cheryshev, who replaced the injured Alan Dzagoev, scored the second goal for the hosts in the 43rd minute to double their lead.Another substitute scored for Russia, a clinical header from Artem Dzyuba, took the hosts to a 3-0 lead against Saudi Arabia in the 71st minute of the match.Cheryshev added another fine goal for the Russians, taking them to a 4-0 lead in the injury time.Aleksandr Golovin scored the fifth and the final goal of the match to give Russia 5-0 lead.Fans from all over the world witnessed a glitzy and glamorous affair at the opening event of the much awaited FIFA World Cup 2018.On a related note, Egypt will play against Uruguay on Friday in the second game of the tournament at ...
Flag-waving fans party as Russia wins World Cup opener in Moscow
The mood was buoyant and politics was left on the touchline as thousands of Russian and foreign fans crammed into a Moscow fan zone to watch today's World Cup opener, erupting in cheers as Russia crushed Saudi Arabia 5-0. Flag-waving supporters from all over the world chanted "Russia!" as the host team opened their campaign in style in the city's Luzhniki stadium. A crowd of some 10,000 people, including many families with young children, gathered in a fanzone on a hill above the stadium with giant screens set up to watch the game. Russian fans were less numerous than international ones, but were ecstatic as their team pulled off a triumphant start to the championship. "We have the best country in the world, I knew we would win. I can't describe how happy and positive I feel right now," said Yelena Krasnykh, a 21-year-old student. "We're really very glad. We didn't expect this to be honest," said 34-year-old Veronika Kripolapova. "Victory is a great feeling," said Pavel, a 42-year-old
Table Tennis: Defending champs Falcons win opening tie in UTT
Defending champions Falcons TTC survived a scare from Maharashtra United before upstaging them 11-10 on points in the opening tie of the second CEAT Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) at the Balewadi Indoor Stadium here on Thursday.
Russia overwhelm Saudis in FIFA World Cup opener
Hosts Russia began their FIFA World Cup campaign in emphatic fashion, registering an easy 5-0 victory over minnows Saudi Arabia in a Group A game at the 81,000-seater Luzhniki Stadium here on Thursday.
FIFA World Cup starts with colourful ceremony
Russian President Vladimir Putin declared the FIFA World Cup open after a colourful opening ceremony at the 81,000-seater Luzhniki Stadium here on Thursday.
Cheryshev stars as Russia rout Saudi Arabia in World Cup opener
Denis Cheryshev struck twice for Russia as the World Cup hosts thumped Saudi Arabia 5-0 in the opening match of the tournament in Moscow on Thursday. Iury Gazinsky scored after 12 minutes and Cheryshev added a second before the break after coming on as an injury replacement for Alan Dzagoev. Artem Dzuyba netted a third before terrific late efforts from Cheryshev and Aleksandr Golovin wrapped up Russia's first win since October to launch their Group A campaign in style. Russia headed into the curtainraiser at the 80,000-capacity Luzhniki, the crucible of Russian and Soviet sport, without a victory in over eight months and ranked a lowly 70th in the world. For Saudi Arabia it was a return to the global showpiece for the first time in 12 years, with their only previous finals wins at the 1994 World Cup. Only South Africa, in 2010, have failed to advance from the group stage as the host nation and a seven-match winless run had ramped up the pressure on Stanislav Cherchesov's side. A lack .