Page 1531 - Sports
Ronaldo return inspires Portugal past Algeria
With talisman Cristiano Ronaldo back in the side, Portugal strolled to a 3-0 win over Algeria in a World Cup warm-up match in Lisbon. A brace from Paris Saint-Germain forward Goncalo Guedes, who spent last season on loan at Valencia, and another strike from Sporting Lisbon midfielder Bruno Fernandes secured a comfortable success yesterday. It was a welcome boost for the European champions, who hadn't won since March and were held to draws by Tunisia (2-2) and Belgium (0-0) in their previous two friendlies. Having been given some extra time off following Real Madrid's Champions League final victory over Liverpool, Ronaldo made his 150th international appearance for Portugal. And his very presence sparked a marked improvement in Portugal's attacking thrust as he was involved in almost every dangerous move the hosts conjured until he was replaced on 74 minutes. Portugal begin their World Cup campaign in Sochi against Spain on June 15. Algeria did not qualify.
What sort of welcome will World Cup visitors get in Russia?
World Cup organisers say the competition will draw more than one million fans to Russia, creating challenges that range from the logistical to the cultural, both for the hosts and their guests. - One million expected - ======================== World Cup tickets keep selling. By yesterday, FIFA said that just over 2.4 million had been sold, more than 1.5 million of them outside Russia. FIFA said another 100,000, which had been reserved for its "constituent groups", were now being offered to fans. Even though the tickets are often sold in packages including several matches, that's a lot of visiting supporters. The nice round number FIFA has been using is one million. There will be the clapping Icelanders, the chanting English and the distinctive personalities of the supporters of the other 29 visiting countries. The differing languages, songs, flags and fan cultures of the world will energise the streets of Russia's host cities until the middle of July. There won't be an "Oranje" army ..
UK lawmakers concerned over safety of England fans at World Cup
The safety of England fans in Russia, especially homosexuals and those with Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds, at the World Cup finals is a concern, a parliamentary committee said today. An estimated 10,000 fans are expected to travel to Russia to watch England -- who have been drawn against Belgium, Panama and Tunisia in the group stage -- and have already been warned by police not to wave St George flags as they can be deemed imperialistic. Fans have been warned to be particularly careful in Volgograd, formerly Stalingrad, which hosts England's opening game against Tunisia on June 18, as it is regarded by Russians as a symbol of the Great Patriotic War (World War II) and contains many important memorials. Russian and English fans clashed violently in Marseille when France hosted the 2016 European Championships. Russian hooligans posted photos of dozens of "captured" St George's flags after the clashes. The Foreign Affairs Committee -- chaired by Conservative Tom ...
The weird to the wonderful -- football pitches of the world
Playing football, nothing could be simpler, right? All you need is a ball, a few players and -- a pitch. Around the world and whatever the landscape, football grounds abound -- and are as varied and diverse as the people who play on them. Perched on top of a Japanese department store, lost on a dusty mountain trail in Nepal or nestled at the foot of an ancient aqueduct in Rome. Where there is a love of football, there will always be a pitch. In football-mad Brazil, pitches are crammed between crowded neighbourhoods in big cities like Sao Paolo or swallowed in Rio's Tavares Bastos favela by buildings piled up like a house of unsteady cards. In New York's Brooklyn, footballers play by the waterside with the Statue of Liberty for backdrop. Seoul's nightlife includes a pitch ablaze with light on a rooftop above a shopping centre. In Switzerland players drink in the beauty of mountains and valleys with Lac Leman in the distance. The Arctic circle boasts Henninsvaer FC's ground, whose green
Van Marwijk pays for own coaching team with Australia - report
Head coach Bert van Marwijk will personally pay the salaries of eight assistant coaches and analysts to help Australia prepare the way for this month's World Cup in Russia, local media reported today. Dutchman Van Marwijk is reportedly on a short-term contract worth more than AUD 1 million to guide Australia through to the end of the World Cup and told Fairfax Media he will pay out of his own pocket to employ eight Dutch technical staff to fast track the Socceroos' preparations. His decision came after Football Federation Australia informed him they did not have the budget to hire a large team of new assistants, Fairfax newspapers reported. Van Marwijk said that faced with such a short period of time with the Australian team before the tournament, he needed to have his own people in place to deliver his message, style of play and tactics as quickly as possible. "I need that because I don't have the time. When you try to develop a team in such a short time I need to work with people ...
Rashford shines as England cruise past Costa Rica
England manager Gareth Southgate admitted Marcus Rashford had given him a difficult decision to make ahead of the World Cup with a stunning strike in a 2-0 friendly victory over Costa Rica. In England's last match before their tournament opener against Tunisia in 11 days time, Manchester United's Rashford was the star of a much-changed side in Leeds last night. Danny Welbeck was also on target as England extended their unbeaten run to 10 games, stretching back nearly a year. "What pleased me most is that Marcus Rashford enjoyed his football tonight. He played with a real swagger," said Southgate. Rashford made the most of the absence of England captain Harry Kane as he started up front alongside Jamie Vardy, and showed what he is capable of with a fiercely struck shot from 25 yards that dipped perfectly into the top corner. "You work on them (goals) in training every day and when one comes up in a game it's a reward," Rashford told ITV. Rashford endured a difficult end to the season ..
England beat Costa Rica in final World cup warm-up match
England concluded their World Cup preparations in impressive fashion by comfortably beating Costa Rica 2-0 at the Elland Road stadium here.
Iranian coach appeals to FIFA over Nike boycott
Iran national football team's head coach Carlos Queiroz has called on FIFA to intervene after US sportswear giant Nike said it would not provide shoes to Iranian players in the World Cup in line with American sanctions, media reports said.
Sri Lanka wilt after Dowrich ton leads West Indies to 414
Shane Dowrich's second Test century put the West Indies in control of the first Test against Sri Lanka as the home side declared their first innings at 414 for eight before a period of hostile fast bowling had the visitors struggling at 31 for three at stumps on day two at the Queen's Park Oval. Captain Dinesh Chandimal and Roshen Silva will carry the fight for the Sri Lankans into the third morning after Kemar Roach, Shannon Gabriel and West Indies skipper Jason Holder claimed a wicket each to leave the visitors in a desperate situation after just ten overs of their reply. It was a particularly eventful passage of play for Holder as he first completed a fine catch at third slip to remove opener Kusal Mendis off Gabriel but then promptly dropped a sitter in the same position of the first ball faced by Angelo Mathews. Sri Lanka's former captain did not benefit from the reprieve however as Holder took the ball himself to deliver what proved to be the final over of an extended final ...
West Indies v Sri Lanka scoreboard
Scoreboard at the close of play on the second day of the first Test between the West Indies and Sri Lanka at the Queen's Park Oval in Trinidad today: West Indies 1st Innings (overnight 246-6) K. Brathwaite c wkpr Dickwella b Lakmal 3 D. Smith run out 7 K. Powell b Kumara 38 S. Hope c wkpr Dickwella b Kumara 44 R. Chase c Mathews b Herath 38 S. Dowrich not out 125 J. Holder c wkpr Dickwella b Kumara 40 D. Bishoo c Silva b Lakmal 40 K. Roach c Chandimal Kumara 39 M. Cummins not out 0 Extras (b-14, lb-20, nb-4, w-2) 40 Total (154 overs, 8 wkts declared) 414 Fall of wickets: 1-4 (Brathwaite), 2-40 (Smith), 3-80 (Powell), 4-134 (Hope), 5-147 (Chase), 6-237 (Holder), 7-339 (Bishoo), 8-414 (Roach) Did not bat: S. Gabriel. Bowling: S. Lakmal 29-11-55-2 (2nb), L. Gamage 26-6-67-0 (2nb), D. Perera 35-5-84-0, L. Kumara 31-4-95-4 (2w), R. Herath 32-9-67-1, K. Mendis 1-0-12-0 Sri Lanka 1st Innings K. Mendis c Holder b Gabriel 4 K. Perera c Chase b Roach 0 D. Chandimal not out 3 A. Mathews c ...
Individual errors cost us the game: Indian football coach
After Indian football team lost the match against New Zealand in the Intercontinental Cup, head coach Stephen Constantine has said that "individual errors cost India the game."India slumped to a shocking 1-2 defeat to New Zealand at the Mumbai Football Arena on Thursday.Expressing disappointment over India crashing to their first defeat in three matches, Constantine said, "When you win two matches back-to-back sometimes you get carried away."Constantine was referring to India's 5-0 win over Chinese Taipei and 3-0 win over Kenya in the first two matches of the tournament.He further said that New Zealand were disciplined and that India made some mistakes and let two silly goals in because of two individual errors.He added: "Sometimes we acted naïve and made costly mistakes. These are the things that we need to rectify."India started the game with as many as seven changes to the starting line-up which defeated Kenya 3-0. "We gave young guys, who did not play an opportunity to play and ...
Intercontinental Cup: India lose 1-2 to New Zealand
The Indian football team's campaign at the Intercontinental Cup clash came to a disappointing end as they slumped to a shocking 1-2 defeat to New Zealand at the Mumbai Football Arena on Thursday.It had seemed destined for another sweet evening for the Indian football fans as a lucky goal from skipper Sunil Chhetri had put India into the lead in the 48th minute. But the Kiwis first restored parity through Andre Jong.The first-half saw New Zealand dominating all throughout and coming close but the Indians soaked in all the pressure, didn't open up and managed to hold on. The trend continued even in the second and though the Indians fought back, New Zealand stayed the better team.The first card of the game came out in the 8th minute when Jai Ingham was booked for an off-the ball infringement on Ashique Kuruniyan.It was evident the Kiwis had come with a strategy of ruffling the Indian defence with quick crosses and their first shy at the Indian goal came in the 12th minute but Andre ...
Sports Ministry approves upward revision of pension to meritorious sportspersons
Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Rajyavardhan Rathore has approved the upward revision of pension to meritorious sportspersons.Under the revision, the rate of pension has been doubled of the existing rate of pension on winning medals in international sports events.Following the upward revision of pension, the medallist at the Olympic/Para-Olympic Games will get Rs.20,000 while a gold medallist at World Cup/World Championship in Olympic and Asian Games disciplines will get Rs.16,000.The medal winners at the Olympic Games were earlier getting Rs 10,000 per month while gold medallists at the World Cup/World Championships in Olympic and Asian Games disciplines were receiving Rs 8,000 per month.Silver/bronze medallist at World Cup/World Championship in Olympics and Asian Games disciplines and gold medallist in Asian Games/Commonwealth Games/Para Asian Games will now get Rs.14,000 from earlier Rs 7,000 per month.Silver and Bronze medallist in Asian Games/Commonwealth Games/Para Asian ...
Afghanistan whitewash Bangladesh in T20I series
Afghanistan whitewashed Bangladesh 3-0 in the T20I series as they pipped their opponents by one run in the third and final match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium here on Thursday.
Brilliant Rashid helps Afghanistan complete 3-0 rout of Bangladesh
Wonder spinner Rashid Khan once again came to his side's rescue and produced a brilliant final over to help Afghanistan beat Bangladesh by one run in the nail-bitting third and final T20 International, en route to a 3-0 series whitewash here today. Afghanistan scored 145 for six after electing to bat, a target which they defended riding on Rashid's brilliance. Bangladesh were well on course to winning the inconsequential match after senior pros Mushfiqur Rahim (46 off 37) and Mahmudullah (45 not out off 38) stitched 84 runs for the fifth wicket. In fact, after the penultimate over of Karim Janat which yielded 21 runs, Bangladesh were the firm favourites to win the duel but Rashid single-handedly turned the game upside down by defending nine runs off the final over. With Bangladesh needing 30 runs off the last two overs, Mushfiqur struck Janat for five consecutive boundaries to bring down the equation to nine off the last over. But then Afghan captain Asghar Stanikzai went to his trump
Intercontinental Cup: Dyer's late goal helps New Zealand pip India
Moses Dyer's late goal helped New Zealand edge past India 2-1 in an Intercontinental Cup match at the Mumbai Football Arena here on Thursday.
French Open: Halep defeats Muguruza, to play in third final
World No. 1 and Romanian tennis ace Simona Halep on Thursday eased past third seed Garbine Muguruza of Spain, 6-1, 6-4, to book her place in the finals of French Open for the third time in four years, giving a chance for herself to win a Grand Slam titleHalep continued her red-hot form and maintained her cool composure as she played excellent serves and extravagant shots to thwart Muguruza's chances of gaining an upper hand in their semi-final clash.She will now face tenth seed Sloane Stephens, who earlier defeated her American compatriot Madison Keys with a 6-4, 6-4 win.With the semi-final victory, Halep is now guaranteed to consolidate her numero uno position at the WTA rankings.It is pertinent to note that Halep had lost her last two final games of Roland Garros last year and in 2014.
Sachin expresses happiness over son Arjun's first cricketing milestone
Sachin Tendulkar on Thursday expressed his happiness over the selection of his son Arjun Tendulkar in the Indian under 19 team.He said, "We are happy on Arjun being selected in Indian under 19 team. It is an important milestone in his cricketing life. Anjali and I will always support Arjun in his choices and pray for his success."Earlier in the day, the All-India Junior Selection Committee met in Bengaluru to pick the India U19 squads for two four-day games and five one-dayers against hosts Sri Lanka, which are slated to be held from July 11 to August 11.Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) senior official Rajiv Shukla also congratulated Arjun Tendulkar.The complete squads are as below:India U-19 squad for two four-day games: Anuj Rawat (C) (wk), Atharva Taide, Devdutt Padikkal, Aryan Juyal (VC) (wk), Yash Rathod, Ayush Badoni, Sameer Choudhary, Siddharth Desai, Harsh Tyagi, Y.D. Mangwani, Arjun Tendulkar, Nehal Wadhera, Akash Pande, Mohit Jangra and Pawan Shah.India U-19 ...
'Must do better' Halep into third Roland Garros final, faces Stephens
Simona Halep vowed to erase the misery of her 2017 Roland Garros heartbreak after reaching her third French Open final today where she will face US Open winner Sloane Stephens for the title. Halep, the runner-up in 2014 and 2017, enjoyed a 6-1 6-4 victory over 2016 champion and third seed Garbine Muguruza of Spain. Stephens, who won her maiden Slam title in New York last year, defeated fellow American and close friend Madison Keys 6-4 6-4 having previously never got beyond the quarter-finals in Paris. "I am really happy that I won the match, it was very important for my mind and I gave it all I had," said Romanian star Halep. After racing through the first set, Halep saved three break points in a marathon ninth game of the second which lasted 13 minutes. "I think I played one of my best matches on clay against a great opponent," added Halep, who will be appearing in her fourth final at the majors having also been beaten in Australia in January. "I was 2-4 down in the second set but I .
West Indies untroubled in rain-curtailed morning session
Persistent rain limited play to just 43 minutes on the second morning of the first cricket Test between the West Indies and Sri Lanka in Trinidad here today. In the playing time available at the Queen's Park Oval, West Indies advanced their first innings score by 22 runs without losing a wicket. They were 268 for six when showers drove the players off the field and forced an early lunch interval. Shane Dowrich is on 57 with Devendra Bishoo on seven. Rain had already delayed the start of play by 50 minutes and with more inclement weather forecast, further interruptions are a distinct possibility. With the second new ball in hand, Sri Lanka's senior seamer Suranga Lakmal and young fast-medium bowler Lahiru Gamage sought a much-needed breakthrough. However, Dowrich and Bishoo negotiated the brief period without too much difficulty in extending their seventh-wicket partnership to 31. After closing day one in watchful mode after captain Jason Holder was dismissed to end a 90-run ...