Page 1641 - Sports
Kane fires Spurs into Champions League as Chelsea's charge falters
Harry Kane fired Tottenham Hotspur into next season's Champions League as Chelsea faltered in a 1-1 draw at home to Huddersfield that secured survival for the Terriers. A point for Huddersfield yesterday also ensures Swansea will join West Brom and Stoke in being relegated to the Championship barring a 10-goal swing in goal difference between the Welsh side and Southampton on the final day of the season on Sunday. At the other end of the table, only defeat for Champions League finalists Liverpool at home to Brighton at the weekend will give Chelsea any chance of a top-four finish as their late season charge came undone at Stamford Bridge. A surprisingly much-changed Chelsea side from the one that beat Liverpool four days ago fell behind when Laurent Depoitre forced the ball home five minutes into the second-half. Recognising the error of his team selection, Antonio Conte threw on Olivier Giroud and Eden Hazard from the bench, and was quickly rewarded when Marcos Alonso levelled just ..
Williamson is an all-round good player, says Mike Hesson
Heaping praise on Kane Williamson and including him in his list of top five current batsmen in the world, New Zealand national team coach Mike Hesson described that country's captain as having the skills to adapt to any format of the game. The stylish Williamson is leading Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the current Indian Premier League (IPL) season, and has been inspirational with the bat as well as a captain. "Any quality batsman, if they have got the skills, will adapt (to) any form of the game and Kane Williamson is no different," Hesson said ahead of the high-flying SRH game against the struggling Delhi Daredevils. "He does not go out and look to thrash the ball, but he times the ball, gets in good positions and hits where fielders aren't. (He is) an all-round good player," said the 43-year-old Kiwis' coach, a Star Sports Select Dugout expert of the T20 League. Williamson has amassed 410 runs from 10 games, scoring five half-centuries. His highest score has been ...
Dembele edges Barca closer to unbeaten season as Real lose at Sevilla
Ousmane Dembele scored twice as Barcelona thrashed Villarreal 5-1 and edged closer to their first ever unbeaten season in La Liga. But Real Madrid slipped to their only league defeat since February as a heavily-rotated side lost 3-2 away at Sevilla. Lionel Messi volleyed in a sumptuous pass from Andres Iniesta at Camp Nou yesterday to put Barca three up at half-time after Philippe Coutinho and Paulinho had scored one apiece in the first 16 minutes. The second period, however, belonged to Dembele, who capped an excellent individual display with two goals after the Frenchman's sensational run had also earlier set up Coutinho. Villarreal managed a consolation when Pablo Fornals' shot deflected in off Nicola Sansone but any fears Ernesto Valverde's side would feel the effects of Sunday's 'Clasico' proved unfounded. The league leaders moved 15 points clear of Atletico Madrid at the top while Villarreal stay sixth. The Yellow Submarine are only three points ahead of Sevilla, however, who ...
Ireland-Pakistan Test revives World Cup memories
Ireland will be huge underdogs when they face Pakistan in their inaugural men's cricket Test match at Malahide tomorrow. But several members of their squad already know what it's like to cause a huge upset against Pakistan, having played in the Ireland side that knocked the Asian giants out of the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean with a stunning three-wicket win in Jamaica. It was the stuff of fairytales with Ireland, a team of part-timers containing school teachers, farmers and postmen defeating the Asian giants -- and on St Patrick's Day as well. One of the few green-tinged pitches in the West Indies, and thereby reminiscent of surfaces at home in Ireland, was matched by fans wearing Irish green shirts in a jubilant crowd at Kingston's Sabina Park. The fairytale soon became a nightmare, however, when Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer, the former England batsman who in his previous development role with the International Cricket Council had done much to raise the standard of non-Test ...
Juventus on brink of fourth straight double after Cup final romp
Juventus ran riot to beat blundering AC Milan 4-0 in Rome's Stadio Olimpico and lift the Italian Cup for a fourth consecutive year. Juve are now poised to become the first Italian team to complete the league and cup double four years in a row after their 13th Italian Cup triumph. Massimiliano Allegri's side are one point away from claiming a seventh consecutive Serie A title with two games to play and could seal it this weekend against Roma in the same Stadio Olimpico stadium. "It's not that Juve have to win, but I'm now unfortunately used to the idea that people take our victories for granted," said Allegri last night. "Nothing is to be taken for granted. "The lads had an extraordinary game and deserved this win. Now we have to ensure the Scudetto mathematically and enjoy this extraordinary season." The Turin giants put their foot on the gas after a balanced first half with Gennaro Gattuso's Milan crumbling with two errors from young goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and a Nikola ...
Sex, concentration and goals key to World Cup glory, Romario tells Jesus
At 21, Brazil's Gabriel Jesus may be apprehensive about next month's World Cup -- but legendary striker Romario wants him to know the key to success is simple: concentration, goals and plenty of sex. He says that's how he helped Brazil clinch the 1994 World Cup -- and it seemed to work. During the tournament in the United States, Romario netted five goals and won player of the tournament, before bagging FIFA's World Player of the Year the same year. "Have enough sex is one piece of advice, as is making the most you can of your days off and, of course, concentrate on match days and during the games," the player-turned-senator told Lance! yesterday. Romario's record is a tough act to follow -- but the renowned striker sees potential in Manchester City's Jesus. "I believe he's quite aware of his football and what it represents for the Brazilian team. He has to arrive at the World Cup and score a goal. That's the most important thing!" he said. A football superstar known for his sense of .
Mumbai Indians defeat KKR by 102 runs, climbs to top-four
Mumbai Indians (MI) defeated Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in a stellar performance by 102 runs at Kokalta's Eden Garden on Wednesday.With this impressive fourth victory in the last five games, MI climbed to the fourth spot of the VIVO Indian Premier League (IPL) points table.Batting first, Mumbai Indians gave the target of 211 runs to Kolkata Knight Riders.Ishan Kishan ended up making a half century in just 17 balls to take MI to 210/6. He even bagged the man of the match title for his brilliant innings.In the second half of the match, Mumbai bowled out KKR for 108 in 18.1 overs while they were chasing the mammoth runs set by the former.KKR's Chris Lynn and Nitish Rana were the only batsmen with 20-plus scores.KKR lost Sunil Narine in the second ball of the innings to Mitchell McClenaghan, following this it kept on losing wickets at regular intervals.
IPL-2018: Mumbai ride Ishan blitz to record massive win over KKR
Mumbai Indians rode teenage wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan's 21-ball 62 to record an emphatic 102-run victory - the largest margin in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) - over Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens here on Wednesday.
Ishan, bowlers power MI to massive win over KKR
Mumbai Indians produced a brilliant bowling and fielding performance after Ishan Kishan's batting pyrotechnics as they thrashed Kolkata Knight Riders by 102 runs to keep themselves in the hunt for a play-offs berth in the Indian Premier League here today. Sent into bat at the Eden Gardens, defending champions MI scored an imposing 210 for 6, riding on 19-year-old Kishan's 21-ball 62, studded with five fours and six sixes, and then bowled KKR out for 108 in 18.1 overs. Krunal Pandya and his brother Hardik returned with figures of 2/12 and 2/16 respectively while all the other five MI bowlers took a wicket each as they excelled as a bowling unit. After today's match, their third on the trot, MI jumped to fourth spot with 10 points from 11 matches. KKR also have the same 10 points from 11 matches but they are below MI at fifth on inferior net run rate. Chasing an imposing target of 211, KKR suffered a batting collapse under some fine bowling and fielding show by MI who needed a win to ...
Ireland set to play historic first test against Pakistan
Ireland is all set to play against Pakistan at Malahide in Dublin from Friday in what will be a momentous first Test match for a country with a rich tradition of the game.The European side will become the first to debut in Tests since Bangladesh did so in November 2000 against India, after being awarded Full Member status last June along with Afghanistan.The match will be Ireland's first step towards being ranked on the MRF Tyres ICC Test Team Rankings while providing their players with the opportunity to make an entry into the individual rankings with strong performances against the seventh-ranked side."It is a massive occasion for everyone involved in Irish cricket., something that we have built up to for a long time, since the decision was made in June 2017 to get across the line in terms of Full Membership. Everyone has been looking forward to this week, so it is a big occasion for all involved," the ICC website quoted Ireland captain William Porterfield, as saying."For the 11 ...
Nadal racks up 48th successive set on clay
World number one Rafael Nadal took his clay court winning streak to 48 successive sets with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Gael Monfils in his Madrid Masters opener today. Nadal, who has already claimed an 11th title in Monte Carlo and Barcelona this season, also claimed his 20th win in a row on clay. He will next face either Spanish compatriot Feliciano Lopez or Diego Schwartzman of Argentina for a place in the quarter-finals. A win in that match will take Nadal past John McEnroe's record of 49 straight sets won on any surface.
India U-16 team registers win against Jordan
India's U-16 national football team started the four-nation international tournament with a 2-1 victory over Jordan in Serbia today. After conceding in the second minute of the match, India made a strong comeback in the 17th minute, thanks to a terrific finish by Ridge. Rohit Danu scored India's second goal nine minutes later which eventually proved to be the difference between the two teams. Jordan started in a great fashion having scored the opener within two minutes of the kick-off before India clawed back into the game. Givson tried his luck from outside the box in the fourth minute but it sailed over the crossbar. Danu found himself in a comfortable position three minutes later but the Jordanian goalie jumped on his feet to put the danger away. Finally, Ridge came into his team's rescue in the 17th minute and drew parity. Vikram unleashed a square pass from the edge of the box and the midfielder netted his first goal of the match. Seven minutes later, the Jordanian goalkeeper ...
IPL: Ishan blitz powers Mumbai to 210/6 vs Kolkata
Young wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan blasted a 21-ball 62 to help Mumbai Indians post 210/6 against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in an Indian Premier League (IPL) game at the Eden Gardens here on Wednesday.
Ishan, Cutting power Mumbai to 210/6
Ishan Kishan smashed a 17-ball half-century as Mumbai Indians overcame a slow start to post an imposing 210/6 against Kolkata Knight Riders in an IPL fixture here today. Ishan tore apart KKR bowling, especially Kuldeep Yadav who was clobbered for four consecutive sixes, en route to his 21-ball 62 (5x4, 6x6) as MI scripted a turnaround in the middle overs. The momentum shifted in favour of MI in the 14th over that yielded 25 runs with Ishan making a mockery of chinaman Kuldeep's bowling. The bulk of Mumbai's runs -- 148 -- came from boundaries. First, Ishan swept Kuldeep high over deep square leg, then smashed across the line, followed by stepping out to hit the bowler over long on to get to his fifty -- the joint second fastest of the season with Sunil Narine. Ishan ended the over with a helicopter shot that would surely make his Ranchi mentor MS Dhoni smile as MI scored 73 runs in five middle overs to reach to 145/3 in 15 overs from being a modest 72/2 midway into their ...
India's Dharma lying second in Dhaka, Jeev is tied 7th
India's amazing depth in golf was once again on show as M Dharma, who has only been an occasional feature on the Asian Tour, played himself into second place in the first round of the AB Bank Bangladesh Open here. The 32-year-old from Bengaluru had six birdies against one bogey at the Kurmitola Golf Club on Thursday and his card of 66 is one behind leader, Rattanon Wannasrichan (65). Two other Indians -- veteran Jeev Milkha Singh -- who has been going through a lean run and Divyanshu Bajaj -- who has been on the Asian Development Tour -- were 2-under through nine and 10 holes on a weather-hit day. With them was Sanjeev Kumar who finished his round at 69. Jeev, Bajaj and Sanjeev were Tied-7th. Among other Indians Rashid Khan, Deepinder Khullar and Veer Ahlawat shot even par 71 each to be tied 36th, while Khalin Joshi was one-over through 12 holes. Manu Gandas and Viraj Madappa finished 73 each to be T-79 and Chiragh Kumar shot 74 to be T-98th. Himmat Rai was 4-over through 12, while ...
Brazil's Dani Alves suffers injury blow ahead of World Cup
Brazil star Dani Alves faces a race against time to be fit for the World Cup after his club Paris Saint-Germain said he would be out for at least three weeks with a knee injury. The 35-year-old right-back suffered the injury playing in Tuesday's French Cup final against Les Herbiers, coming off four minutes from the end as PSG beat the minnows 2-0. The French champions said in a statement that tests on Wednesday had shown damage to the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. They said he will require "at least three weeks of treatment before reassessing the need for surgery." The injury is a potentially massive blow to Alves and Brazil, with national coach Tite set to announce his squad for the World Cup next Monday. Brazil have already been sweating on the fitness of Alves' PSG team-mate Neymar, who underwent surgery on a foot injury two months ago and has not played since. Tite must now decide whether he can afford to take a risk on the fitness of the former Barcelona star ...
Afghanistan to host Bangladesh T20s in India
Afghanistan will host Bangladesh for three T20 Internationals in Dehradun prior to the strife-torn nation's historic one-off Test against India. The Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in hill town will host the three day-night fixtures, scheduled for June 3, 5 and 7, before Afghanistan take on India in their inaugural Test match, starting in Bengaluru on June 14. Afghanistan Cricket Board chairman Atif Mashal said: "ACB is delighted to host Bangladesh for the T20I series in Dehradun in early June which will be a good opportunity for both sides to play competitive cricket. "Similarly, cricket fans have also previously enjoyed games between the two sides and this will be yet another opportunity for them to witness their sides play against each other." Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) CEO Nizam Uddin Chowdhury added, "Afghanistan have some fine players for this format and they will have the advantage of familiarity with the conditions in Dehradun. "However, the Bangladesh team is a
Djokovic dumped out of Madrid Open by Britain's Edmund
Novak Djokovic crashed out of the Madrid Open today as the 12-time Grand Slam champion lost in three sets to Britain's Kyle Edmund. Edmund had not taken a set off Djokovic in three previous meetings but the Serb is still feeling the affects of elbow surgery and his 23-year-old opponent took full advantage. Djokovic stormed through the second set on the Manolo Santana court and, at his best, might never have looked back, but he spurned three break points early in the decider and Edmund pounced to win 6-3, 2-6, 6-3. This was only the third time Edmund had beaten a player ranked as high as world number 12 and in terms of status, Djokovic is by far his biggest scalp yet. "Kyle was just better in the decisive moments and I was a bit unlucky," Djokovic said afterwards. "Definitely Kyle is playing the best tennis of his life." Edmund's barnstorming forehand wreaked havoc throughout and it was no surprise when the winners tally showed the Briton 30-11 ahead by the time Djokovic sent a final ..
Season over for German keeper Neuer, World Cup unlikely
Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer's 2018 World Cup participation is becoming more and more unlikely as the Bayern Munich captain will not return for the last games of the club football season.
Bayern award professional contract to youngster Shabani
Bayern Munich have promoted homegrown talent Meritan Shabani and given him a professional contract, the record German football champions announced on Wednesday.