Page 1721 - Sports
Barcelona hold on for draw at Celta Vigo after Roberto sent off
Lionel Messi was thrown on as a substitute but 10-man Barcelona were relieved to escape with a draw as Celta Vigo came within a whisker of inflicting the Catalans' first league defeat of the season on Tuesday. Messi was introduced after an hour at the Stade Balaidos and looked to have inspired another Barca victory when Paulinho gave the visitors a 2-1 lead four minutes later. But Sergi Roberto was sent off for preventing Iago Aspas sprinting clear and in the 82nd minute the former Liverpool striker made it 2-2, albeit with a large slice of luck given the ball brushed his hand on its way into the net. Vigo pushed for a late winner and should have had it when substitute Lucas Boye went through one-on-one but he took too long and Marc-Andre Ter Stegen made a crucial stop. "I think we deserved to win the game," Celta Vigo coach Juan Carlos Unzue said. Earlier, a superb strike from Ousmane Dembele had been cancelled out by Jonny Castro's close-range finish as Barcelona stretched their ...
Inter move third to put pressure on Roman rivals
Mauro Icardi scored his 25th goal of the Serie A campaign to help Inter Milan ease past Cagliari 4-0 to move third in Serie A on Tuesday, putting the pressure on Roman rivals Lazio and Roma in the battle for Champions League places. Inter had not scored or won in their last three games but Joao Cancelo broke the drought after just three minutes off a free kick in the San Siro. Inter's top scorer Icardi got the second after the break with Marcelo Brozovic returning from suspension to grab the third on the hour with Ivan Perisic rounding off the rout in the final minute. "After securing the result, the ball started to move at the right tempo, whereas before we didn't have the right rhythm," said coach Luciano Spalletti. "All in all we had a good game, I liked the team." It was a dominant display by the former European giants who have no option but to win as they target a Champions League return for the first time since 2012. Spalletti's side move back up to third position with 63 ...
Mumbai outplay Bangalore in IPL tie
Skipper Virat Kohli's unbeaten 92-run innings went in vain as Royal Challengers Bangalore lost by 46 runs to Mumbai Indians in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match here on Tuesday.
Rohit stars in MI's 46-run win over RCB
Captain Rohit Sharma struck a brilliant 94 before his bowlers produced a clinical performance as Mumbai Indians beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by 46 runs in their IPL match here today. Put into bat, Mumbai recovered from a shock start of 0 for 2 to post 213 for 6, their highest score of the season, mainly through the splendid batting of Rohit (94 in 52 balls) and opener Evin Lewis (65 in 42 balls). Then, the Mumbai bowlers led by left-arm spinner Krunal Pandya (3/28) stopped RCB at 167 for 8 in 20 overs to notch up their first win in their fourth match of the season. RCB captain Virat Kohli's typically aggressive 62-ball 92 not out was the lone bright spot in the visitors' run-chase of 214 as they lost their way after a promising start. Kohli, who opened the RCB innings, slammed 4 sixes and 7 fours in his unbeaten knock but none of his batting colleagues gave him support. The next best was that of the other opener Quinton de Kock who made 19 from 12 balls. Today's defeat at the ...
Mouma now eyes a good show in Sweden world team championships
Returning to a warm welcome here after a spectacular Commonwealth Games performance, ace table tennis player Mouma Das on Tuesday said she was now eyeing a good show in the World Team championship in Sweden beginning later this month.
Mouma loses luggage in transit, returns home frustrated, finds it back
Commonwealth Games medallist paddler Mouma Das today returned home frustrated and angry, after she lost her luggage in transit. The luggage, containing her full India kit and mementos from Australia, was held up by the customs officials in New Delhi airport's domestic terminal. By evening she got an assurance that the luggage will be delivered at her doorstep by tomorrow. "Souvenir bag gifted by Gold Coast CWG had one power bank which Mouma did not check. That is why it was held back. After multiple checks Jet Airways have promised to send her baggage by tomorrow," Mouma's husband Kanchan Chakraborty told PTI. The veteran paddler tweeted, "Thanks to @jetairways they help me now to bring back my baggage @Ra_THORe ji, @SushmaSwaraj ji, @FinMinIndia @Media_SAI Respected @PMOIndia." Earlier in the day, she made an appeal to the Sports Ministry -- through Twitter -- to ensure that the luggage reached on time before her departure for the Sweden World Team Championship next week. Sports ...
Kiev expects 60,000 foreign fans for Champions League final
Kiev expects about 60,000 foreign fans for the 2018 UEFA Champions League final, the Interior Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.
IPL: Lewis, Rohit guide Mumbai to 213/6 against Bangalore
Skipper Rohit Sharma (94) and opener Evin Lewis (65) helped Mumbai Indians to post a mammoth 213/6 against Royal Challengers Bangalore in an Indian Premier League match here on Tuesday.
Bihar to compete in 2018-19 Ranji season
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday announced that its Technical Committee has unanimously approved the inclusion of Bihar in the Ranji Trophy 2018-19 season.
Scoreboard of the IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore here ...
Scoreboard of the IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore here today. Mumbai Indians Innings (20 overs maximum) Suryakumar Yadav b Yadav 0 Evin Lewis c de Kock b Anderson 65 Ishan Kishan b Yadav 0 Rohit Sharma c Woakes b Anderson 94 Krunal Pandya run out 15 Kieron Pollard c de Villiers b Woakes 5 Hardik Pandya not out 17 Mitchell McClenaghan not out 0 Extras (LB-1 W-16) 17 Total: (For 6 wkts in 20 overs) 213 Fall of wickets: 1/0 2/0 3/108 4/148 5/178 6/207 Bowling: Umesh Yadav 4-0-36-2, Chris Woakes 3-0-31-1, Washington Sundar 2-0-32-0, Mohammed Siraj 4-0-34-0, Yuzvendra Chahal 3-0-32-0, Corey Anderson 4-0-47-2.
Rohit, Lewis rally MI to formidable score after shock start
Mumbai Indians made a grand recovery from a shock start through sparkling half centuries from captain Rohit Sharma and Evin Lewis to post a formidable 213 for six against Royal Challengers Bangalore in their Indian Premier League match here today. Left-handed Trinidadian Lewis struck 5 sixes and 6 fours in his 42-ball 55. After his dismissal Rohit, who flopped in the first three games, took over the lead role to hammer 94 in 52 balls before departing off the penultimate ball, caught at long on. He smashed 5 sixes and 10 fours. It was MI's first score in excess of 200 in four games this season. All the RCB bowlers went for runs, including Umesh Yadav in his second spell. Spinners Washington Sundar and Yuzvendra Chahal were particularly expensive. MI made a horrific start losing Suryakumar Yadav (0) and Ishan Kishan (0) off the first two balls from Umesh and rallied to 60 for two after six overs. Both were clean bowled by Umesh. MI were rallied superbly by skipper Rohit and Lewis who ...
Mourinho warns Man Utd that top four isn't safe yet
Jose Mourinho has warned that Manchester United still face a battle to secure a top-four place in the Premier League despite their ambition to finish second. Manchester City wrapped up the title without kicking a ball, thanks to rock-bottom West Brom's shock 1-0 win at Old Trafford on Sunday. United were a shadow of the side that stormed back to win the Manchester derby the previous weekend, with manager Mourinho saying he would drop floundering stars for Saturday's FA Cup semi-final against Tottenham. Before that trip to Wembley comes Wednesday's league match at Bournemouth, which takes on extra significance following the loss to the beleaguered Baggies. United can use their game in hand to stretch their lead over third-place Liverpool to four points and all but seal Champions League qualification, which Mourinho believes is up in the air as fifth-placed Chelsea look to build on their victory against Southampton. "We lost three points," Mourinho said of the defeat to West Brom. "We .
Russia's inside-out World Cup arena 'doesn't sway in wind'
Russia's inside-out World Cup arena with soaring temporary stands shooting up into the sky has passed its first formal test: it doesn't sway in the wind when filled with fans. The peculiar venue in the industrial city of Yekaterinburg has attracted its fair share of fascination -- and some ridicule -- heading into the June 14-July 15 football extravaganza. Its two 42-metre-tall (138-foot-tall) extensions at each goal end stand on a mesh of rickety-looking metal poles built on plots of land adjacent to the stadium. The vertiginous seats at the very top offer fans a direct view of the outer edge of the arena's circular roof. One side of the stands overlooks a nearby highway. Russian Premier League security officer Alexander Meytin admitted today that he had some trepidations heading into last weekend's first official test match. But he stressed that nothing went wrong -- and the stands stood rock solid in place. "We had concerns about Yekaterinburg," Meytin told reporters. "It was the .
I believe I am on right track: Sanju Samson
Fresh from his 45-ball 92 against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the ongoing IPL, in-from Rajasthan Royals batsman Sanju Samson today said he was on the right track. "It is good thing to come here and play. The whole world is watching. I had a good domestic season too. I am happy the way things are going. I am improving as a player and also improving my skills," said Samson, who has been praised by the likes of AB de Villiers and Shane Warne. On the eve of the match against Kolkata Knight Riders, Samson said he hopes to keep the momentum going. "I have batted in almost all positions in the batting line-up. I remember I had opened too for Rajasthan Royals. What matters is the strategy and composition of the playing XI." Asked about the bigger ground here and his team's plans to tackle the KKR spin attack, he said, "We are prepared for that, it is different ground and there has to be change in the game plan. I would be starting from zero. "Our plans are simple, we would be playing with .
Farah bids for podium finish at London marathon
British athletics great Mo Farah admitted today he faces an uphill task to win Sunday's London marathon with the likes of two-time winner Eliud Kipchoge in the field but says he will fight for a podium place. The 35-year-old Somalia-born runner -- who twice achieved the 5,000-10,000m Olympic double -- said one bonus for his third attempt is that he no longer has to think about conserving energy for a track campaign. Farah, who stopped at the halfway point in the 2013 race and finished eighth in 2014, retired from the track at the end of last season after just missing out on a third successive world championship 5km-10km double in London. "It's a great feeling not to have the same pressure as I do on the track," Farah told a pre-race press conference. "If the guys set off at world-record pace, I'll go with them, why not? A win would be amazing for me. It's going to be different but every race I go into I aim to fight for a podium place." Farah, whose decision to not train full-on for ..
PIL in Delhi HC to hold volleyball federation polls as per National Sports Code
The Delhi High Court has sought the Centre's response on a plea for appointment of an administrator to hold fresh elections to the Volleyball Federation of India (VFI) currently suspended by an international governing body. The plea sought that the elections for the office bearers should be held according to the National Sports Code. A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar issued notice to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, VFI and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and sought their stand on the PIL which has said that if VFI continues to be suspended then the Indian Volleyball team may not be able to participate in the 2018 Asian Games scheduled to be held in August. The petition, filed by various volleyball players, said that the International Federation of Volleyball, which suspended VFI, had said that the order will remain in effect till fresh polls are held to select office bearers of the sports body. The plea, moved through advocate Rahul .
Former Armstrong doctor provided drugs to Spanish track team: report
Spain's Olympic track cycling team from Atlanta 1996 was supplied banned substances by Lance Armstrong's disgraced former doctor Michele Ferrari, El Pais newspaper reported today. According to a 2016 testimony, seen by El Pais, from Spanish doctor Luis Garcia del Moral, the Spanish Cycling Federation (RFEC) took part in a doping programme between 1993 and 1998. Del Moral, who was the track cycling team's medical manager at the time, told the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in 2016 that Ferrari had provided banned doping products. Asked if Ferrari supplied Spanish track cyclists with corticosteroids during this period, Del Moral replied: "That was not the main thing. The main thing was EPO and growth hormones." El Pais said Del Moral supported his claim with a spreadsheet dated July 15, 1996 -- four days before the start of the Atlanta Olympics. The document registered 12,866,729 pesetas, around 80,000 euros, being reimbursed to Ferrari by the RFEC, and 6,195,245 pesetas, around ..
Aguero recovering from minor knee surgery
Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero is recovering from minor surgery on his knee but said today that he is "motivated" to get back on the pitch soon. The Argentine -- City's record goalscorer -- has been troubled by a problem in his left knee for the past five weeks. On Friday, City boss Pep Guardiola admitted he was unsure when the 29-year-old, who has scored 30 goals this season and 199 in total for the club, would be fit again. Aguero has now had keyhole surgery in a bid to resolve the issue. "Recovering from an arthroscopy on my knee," he tweeted. "Fully motivated to get back soon to the field." No timescale for his recovery has been given but, with City already crowned Premier League champions, the World Cup in Russia, which starts in June, will be his main target. Aguero has not started a game since City's victory over Chelsea on March 4, although he was an unused substitute against Basel on March 7. Following a month-long lay-off he returned to action as a late substitute in .
Pothas quits as Sri Lanka fielding coach
South African Nic Pothas has ended his coaching contract with Sri Lanka to spend time with his young family, the island nation's cricket board said today. The 44-year-old joined Sri Lanka in 2016 as fielding coach but was unexpectedly elevated to the top job after Graham Ford's abrupt exit in June last year. Under his stewardship Sri Lanka were thumped in a home series against India and humiliated by cricket minnows Zimbabwe in a one-day international tournament. The islanders did however record a 2-0 Test series win over Pakistan last year in the United Arab Emirates. Pothas and several other players then refused to travel to Pakistan for the final Twenty20 international of the tour, citing security concerns. After six months at the helm he was replaced by former Sri Lanka Test batsman Chandika Hathurusingha, who was named head coach in December. He remained as fielding coach and had been expected to stay until August but Sri Lanka Cricket announced that the South African called it a
Trying to bring improvements in my knuckle ball: Siddharth Kaul
Sunrisers Hyderabad medium pacer Siddharth Kaul today said that he was working hard to perfect bowling the knuckle ball. Kaul said that he has also improved on his pace by having more variation. With three wins from as many matches in the ongoing IPL, the Kane Williamson-led SRH are a formidable side having a strong bowling attack with the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Billy Stanlake, Rashid Khan, Kaul and Shakib Al Hasan. About his bowling, Kaul said, "I focus on my basics, I prepare to further strengthen my strong points. "I always keep a positive frame of mind. I focus on my performance and do best for my team," he said. Kaul said that having bowlers like Bhuvneshwar in the side always helps. "I am a helping hand, you can say, among the lot," he said jokingly. At a time when batsmen are constantly innovating in this format of the game, what does a bowler do to stay ahead, and Kaul said, "I am developing pace with variation. My teammates are telling me that my pace has improved. I am .