Page 1654 - Sports
India will face tough challenge at 2019 Asian Cup: Chhetri
With India back in the AFC Asian Cup after a gap of eight years, captain Sunil Chhetri believes his side will face a tough challenge in the league stage of the tournament which starts on January 5 next year.
Sporting and Benfica tie as Porto claim Portuguese league title
Porto proclaimed themselves champions of the Portuguese Liga for the 28th time thanks to a 0-0 tie between Sporting and Benfica in the Lisbon football derby, even though there are games left to play in the Portuguese football championship.
Spanish great Xavi to play on until at least end of year
Legendary former Barcelona and Spain midfielder Xavi Hernandez has upset his own plans to retire and announced he will extend his career until at least the end of this year, he said today. Widely expected to end his illustrious playing career at the end of this season, the World Cup champion and four-times Champions League winner told AFP he feels fit enough to continue playing a little longer. "I have decided to continue at least six months more," said the 38-year-old, who now plays for Qatari club Al Sadd. Asked why he was playing on, he replied: "Because it depends on my physical condition. Maybe in December I decide to continue." The decision is unexpected as Xavi had signalled that the current season would be his last before he focuses on earning his coaching badges. Xavi, who won 133 caps for Spain, had been expected to take the reins at Al Sadd from next season and has been tipped to be the Qatar coach in 2022 when the Gulf state hosts the World Cup. He made his debut for ...
United fans and rivals rally round stricken Ferguson
Messages of support continued to pour in as legendary football manager Sir Alex Ferguson fought for his life today following emergency surgery for a brain haemorrhage. Considered the most successful manager in the history of British football, Ferguson won 38 major trophies in just over 26 years in charge of Manchester United, including 13 Premier League titles and the UEFA Champions League twice. It is a measure of the Scot's success on the pitch, and his stature off it that tributes poured in from around the world of sport, and beyond, to wish the 76-year-old a speedy recovery after he underwent surgery yesterday. "Everyone at AC Milan wishes Sir Alex Ferguson a full and speedy recovery," said a statement by the seven-time European champions on their official Twitter page early today morning. Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri, who is on the verge of leading the Turin giants to a seventh successive Serie A crown, said: "Stay strong Alex Ferguson." News of Ferguson's condition also ..
Chhetri calls for away matches against tougher opponents ahead of Asian Cup
Indian football team captain Sunil Chhetri today said that the country should play more international matches away from home and against much stronger opponents in the next six months if it is to do well in the AFC Asian Cup tournament. Chhetri said his team needs the best of preparations to make it count in the January 5 to February 1 event in the United Arab Emirates next year after crashing out of the group stage in the 2011 edition -- the last time India played in the prestigious event -- by losing all their matches with big margins. "What I'm looking forward is winning games outside the country which is very important. Our home record is fairly good but outside home we have really struggled. I just hope in the next six months we get more away games against much better opponents so that we can test ourselves. What we are facing (in Asian Cup) are the best in Asia," Chhetri said. The prolific striker's remarks make sense as India has done badly against the continent's top opponents
Relegation-threatened Hamburg, Wolfsburg lose in Bundesliga
Eintracht Frankfurt cruised 3-0 past Hamburg to leave the latter on the brink of relegation while RB Leipzig eased past struggling VfL Wolfsburg 4-1 in the 33rd round in the Bundesliga football championship.
Vasco rise to second with 4-1 rout of America Mineiro
Vasco da Gama struck four second-half goals to beat America Mineiro 4-1 and rise to second in Brazil's Serie A standings.
Beckham, Ronaldo send Ferguson get-well messages
Manchester United former players including David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo sent best wishes messages on Sunday to Alex Ferguson who remains in intensive care after after undergoing brain surgery.
Ramit Tandon tames top seed to win Abu Dhabi Open
India's Ramit Tandon today toppled number one seed Omar Abdel Meguid of Egypt to win the Abu Dhabi Open, his third title on the Professional Squash Association (PSA) tour. The third seed beat the Egyptian 11-6, 6-11, 11-3, 11-2 in an exciting one-hour final. Steady has been Ramit's watchword in this tournament and world number 65 played true to his potential. Beating his 41s-ranked opponent was not an easy task but Ramit lifted his game just that bit to make his opponent work harder. It was their first meeting on the PSA tour.
Hellas Verona relegated to second division after loss to AC Milan
AC Milan outplayed Hellas Verona 4-1 in late season action in Serie A, making official Hellas's relegation to Serie B, the Italian league's second division.
Legendary manager Ferguson undergoes surgery for brain haemorrhage
Alex Ferguson, who coached Manchester United for 26 years and is widely considered to be one of the greatest football managers of all time, underwent emergency surgery for a brain haemorrhage, the Premier League club said in a statement.
Villarreal beat Valencia, qualify for Europa League
Villarreal qualified for the Europa League with a last-minute goal by Mario Gaspar in a match against Valencia, a team that had qualified for the Champions League just two hours before the start of the game, due to Real Betis's defeat against Athletic Bilbao (2-0).
Neymar resumes recovery in Paris with eye on World Cup
Brazilian superstar forward Neymar Jr resumed rehabilitation work at Paris Saint-Germain's training facilities and could play for the Ligue 1 side in its last match of the season on May 19, less than a month before Brazil's first contest at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Kontaveit eliminates Venus Williams from Madrid Open
Anett Kontaveit of Estonia starred in the first surprise of the women's singles of the Madrid Open, eliminating America's Venus Williams in the first round.
Dhoni is fastest stumper against spinners: Hussey
Heaping praise on skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batting coach Mike Hussey has termed the former India Test wicket-keeper as the man having the fastest draw of as far as stumping off spinners is concerned. "My observations are he's (Dhoni) got to be the fastest in the world against the spinners in taking the bails off. He's unbelievably quick," said the former Australia player after CSK had routed Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by six wickets in an IPL match yesterday. Dhoni had effected quick-silver stumping, taking the bails off in a flash, to send back top South Africa batsman A B de Villiers and Murugan Ashwin of the RCB, both off Harbhajan Singh, to help CSK stop the strong visitors at 127 for 9 that was overhauled by the hosts by 12 balls to spare. The former India skipper was at his brutal best, smashing three sixes off leggie Yuzvendra Chahal in the 18th over to finish off the game in style. Dhoni made 31 not out off 23 balls and in ...
Korean Unification Flag signed at International Tennis tournament
The Korean Unification flag was signed by members of the joint Korean women's table tennis team at the World Team Table Tennis Championship.South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported on Sunday that five South Korean and four North Korean players along with their respective coaches An Jae-Hyung and Kim Jin-Myong signed the unification flag.The flag features a blue Korean Peninsula against a white background. The flag is being used in such tournaments where a unified Korean team is fielded off to participate.The two Korean countries teamed-up for contesting on the third position in the Championship held at Sweden's Halmstad.Initially, North and South Korea were scheduled to play against each other in the semi-finals though hours before the event was scheduled to take place, the two Koreas decided to participate as a single team.The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) will commemorate the occasion by displaying the signed flag which is 2 meters wide and 3 meters long, at the ITTF
Juve beat Bologna 3-1, edge closer to 7th straight Serie A title
Juventus trailed at the intermission but came back strong in the second half to defeat Bologna 3-1 and move one step closer to their seventh consecutive Serie A title.
Deportivo buries Celta's Europa League chances
Lucas Perez scored a last-minute equaliser as Deportivo La Coruna held Celta Vigo 1-1 in a Spanish top division football match at the Balaidos Municipal Stadium here.
Dropped catches cost us match against SRH: Amre
Two dropped catches cost Delhi Daredevils the game against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League, said assistant coach Pravin Amre. "On this wicket, we batted well in the powerplay by getting 60 runs. I think that was very crucial. Prithvi's (Shaw) knock was so critical to give that foundation. But we were 10 runs short in the end," said Amre after the match yesterday night. After that also, we came back strongly. In seven overs we did not give a single boundary to them. I think the match was on. The saying is that catches win matches. We dropped two crucial ones, he said, referring to the dropped catches of SRH opener Alex Hales and key batsman Yusuf Pathan. Opener Alex Hales (45 off 31 balls) was dropped by Glenn Maxwell at deep mid-wicket boundary off Avesh Khan when the batsman was on 9. Pathan's dropped catch by Vijay Shankar was one of the game changing moments during the chase. SRH won the match by seven wickets with a ball to spare. Really disappointed. Because, we .
Formidable Hyderabad face struggling Bangalore
A consistent Sunrisers Hyderabad unit would look to consolidate its position at the top of the points table while Royal Challengers Bangalore will fight for survival when they clash in the Indian Premier League here tomorrow. Courtesy their splendid bowling attack, SRH emerged as good defenders initially but by defeating Delhi Daredevils with a seven-wicket margin yesterday, they proved that they can pull off tight chases as well. The hosts have already taken long strides towards a play-offs spot but still there are issues that must be bothering them ahead of the business end of the tournament. Opener Shikhar Dhawan's low strike rate must be a concern for them along with a shaky middle-order. The Virat Kohli-led RCB, though, are struggling for survival as they need to win every game and also hope that other results go in their favour to remain in contention for the play-offs. They are placed sixth in the table with just three wins from nine games. Come tomorrow, Kohli and AB de ...