Page 1857 - Sports

Santosh Trophy: Under-cooked Bengal look to defend crown against odds (Preview)

Deprived of preparation due to unavailability of key footballers, hosts West Bengal will begin their title defence in not the most ideal manner when they take on Manipur in the Santosh Trophy final round Group A opener here on Monday.

Real Betis overpower Espanyol 3-0

Real Betis played a very complete match on a rainy day to overpower Espanyol 3-0, ending the visitors' seven-game unbeaten streak in the La Liga football championship.

USA win sledge hockey gold as Paralympics set to end

The United States beat Canada with a dramatic overtime goal to win sledge hockey gold in Pyeongchang today, a fitting finale to high-octane sporting action at the Winter Paralympics. The curtain was due to fall on the Paralympics at a closing ceremony in the evening, capping the nine-day Games that have featured sports ranging from vision-impaired skiing to wheelchair curling. Team USA topped the medals table, with a total of 36 medals including 13 golds. The Winter Paralympics broke records with ticket sales topping 340,000. Its other standout moments ranged from North Korea's debut to the many tales of disabled athletes fighting against the odds for sporting glory. The sledge hockey final was the most hotly anticipated showdown of the Games, as defending Paralympic champions the United States took on reigning world champions Canada. In the fast and furious sport, athletes with leg impairments are strapped into sledges and use two sticks to get around the rink and shoot. Canada ...

Roger Federer makes it to Indian Wells finals

World number one Roger Federer edged past Croatia's Borna Coric to reach the finals of the BNP Paribas Open.The Swiss outplayed 49th-ranked Coric 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 to surpass his 16-match winning streak.The twenty-time grand slam champion will next face Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro, who defeated Canada's Milos Raonic 6-2, 6-3.The two have met four times last year. Federer claimed three of those matches, while Del Potro got the better of him in US Open quarter-finals."Yeah, we have had a lot of close matches. Big matches, close matches," the 36-year-old recalled of his rivalry with Del Potro."I think we have an interesting matchup. We both know what the other is trying to do, and we try to stop the other person from doing it. But it's hard when [one of us] is in full flight. It's basically an arm wrestle the whole time, and I think we enjoy that," he added.It will be their 25th meeting overall at the BNP Paribas Open, where Federer will be searching for a record sixth title at Indian .

Valencia tops Alaves 3-1 in La Liga

Valencia provisionally moved into third place in the Spanish-league standings with a 3-1 victory here over Alaves on Matchday 29.

J&K needs 2,500 playfields, says State Sport Council

Jammu and Kashmir needs 2500 play fields for its 1.21 crore population to harness its true sporting potential and take sports from the capitals to other districts and towns of the state, according to the State Sports Council. Officials at the supervisory body for sports activities in the state, feel that the existing 137 play fields -- mostly concentrated in Jammu and Srinagar -- are just too small in number to allow a proper environment for budding sportspersons of the state. According to officials, while Srinagar district accounts for 29 of the 103 playfields of the valley, Jammu district has half of the 34 playfields in entire Jammu region which consists of 10 districts. Surprisingly, Ladakh region -- consisting of Leh and Kargil districts -- has no play field at all, an official said. The council has formulated an ambitious plan of making play fields accessible to all the people of the state but it will require massive funding. With no resources of its own, the Council is looking .

Frankfurt, Schalke win in Bundesliga

Eintracht Frankfurt cruised 3-0 past relegation threatened Mainz meanwhile runner up Schalke carved out a 1-0 victory over struggling Wolfsburg at the 27th round in Bundesliga.

Rennes move to 5th in Ligue 1

Rennes rose to fifth place in Ligue 1 following a 2-0 victory over Bordeaux, while four lower-ranked outfits shared points in their attempt to avoid relegation.

I have to comeback stronger, says Sindhu

Star Indian shuttler P V Sindhu today vowed to come back stronger after losing an epic semifinal against World No. 2 Akane Yamaguchi at the All England Championship here. In a nail-biting semifinal, fourth seed Sindhu went down fighting 21-19 19-21 18-21 to Yamaguchi after battling for an hour and 19 minutes late last night. "It was just not my day. I gave my 100 per cent. There are always up and downs and one should win and one should lose. There were long rallies and she played well," Sindhu said after the gruelling contest. "Playing a three-game tie is not easy. Just 2-3 points made the huge difference in the end as it was anybody's game. I have a lot of things to learn from this tournament. You keep losing and winning but it was a good tournament and I have to come back stronger." Yamaguchi, who had won the German Open early this month, said it was her aggressive approach that earned her the win. "This win is very valuable asset for me. I am thankful that I got a chance to fight ..

Rodriguez, Falcao named in Colombia squad for friendlies

Bayern Munich midfielder James Rodriguez and Monaco striker Radamel Falcao have been named in Colombia's squad for friendlies against France and Australia.

Upbeat India to take on B'desh in Nidahas Trophy final

India will take on Bangladesh in the summit clash of the Nidahas Trophy tri-nation T20 series at the R Premadasa Stadium here on Sunday.After losing to Sri Lanka in the opener, India are favourites to lift the title as they have registered three consecutive wins, including two against Bangladesh.Bangladesh, on the other hand, reached the final with a thrilling win over the hosts.While Bangladesh have relied on their senior batsmen to make it to the finals, India have banked on youth in the absence of their key players.Indian stand-in captain Rohit Sharma has hit form with bat while Washington Sundar has been doing damages with ball.For the Men in Green, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah have shepherded successful chases against Sri Lanka.The culminating match of the series will be the eighth T20 face off between the two teams. The Men in Blue have emerged victorious in all the previous seven occasions. Also, India have won nine of their 11 games at the R Premadasa Stadium.The squads of .

Del Potro joins Federer in BNP Paribas Open final

Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro joined No.1 Roger Federer in the BNP Paribas Open final in Indian Wells, California, rolling past Milos Raonic of Canada in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3, in just over an hour for his 400th career win.

Valencia move third in La Liga

Valencia moved into third place in the La Liga, thanks to a 3-1 win at home to Alaves.

BNP Paribas Open: Isner, Sock edge Bryan brothers for men's doubles title

In an all-American final, Jack Sock and John Isner defeated No. 7 seeds Bob and Mike Bryan to win the men's doubles title at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California.

Chennaiyin edge out Bengaluru to lift ISL trophy

Chennaiyin FC were crowned champions for the second time in the Indian Super League (ISL) history after a valiant 3-2 comeback win against debutant Bengaluru FC at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium.Sunil Chhetri had opened the scoring for Bengaluru as early as the ninth minute but a brace from Mailson Alves and a beautiful goal from Raphael Augusto ensured that the unfancied Chennaiyin lifted the title once again after 2015.Miku scored a late goal but it hardly mattered in the end.It took just nine minutes for the first goal and it was the usual suspect Chhetri who capitalised on a deflected cross from Udanta Singh to score a low header.It was Alves who equalised just eight minutes after his side had gone behind. Chennaiyin's defenders were brilliant though, with Inigo Calderon making a heroic block when Dimas Delgado took a shot towards goal at the half an hour mark.Chhetri and Miku both tried their luck from distance as the first half was coming to a close but Alves scored again to give ..

Chennaiyin coach Gregory takes exception to Gurpreet comments

A war of words has broken out after an entertaining Indian Super League final here with Chennaiyin FC coach John Gregory taking exception to Bengaluru FC goalkeeper Gurpreet Sandhu's "we won league stage and so we are champions" quip, saying his team has won the crown fair and square. Chennaiyin defeated Bengaluru 3-2 in the summit clash to clinch the title of the fourth edition of ISL at the Kanteerava Stadium here last night. Just after the match ended, Bengaluru and India number one goalkeeper Gurpreet said "we are the champions because we won the league stage." Asked at the post match conference about Gurpreet's comments, Chennaiyin head coach Gregory said, "I was honestly disappointed to hear these words. We won the cup is what I know." "A large number of countries use this format. Play-offs were introduced in the UK about 20 years ago. You could finish sixth in your division and still win promotion to the Premiership. You could finish 20 points behind the champion. In my years,

Federer survives scare to face Del Potro in final

World No. 1 Roger Federer extended his season win streak to 17 matches, booking his spot in the Indian Wells Masters final by rallying past Borna Coric 5-7, 6-4, 6-4. The Swiss superstar survived a stern test from world number 49 Coric but managed to hold on for a 17-0 record this year, surpassing his prior career-best calendar year start in 2006 when he opened with 16 wins. "It took a while to get the record," Federer said. "But I'm happy. It was just a fighting match .... It didn't come easy, so I had to go get it. "I got a little bit lucky. I hung tough and put a lot of effort into it to get the record. "The focus has to be the finals right now. But it's nice to get off to a good start this year, and I hope I can play well again tomorrow." The defending champion will be aiming for a record sixth Indian Wells title when he squares off against world number eight Juan Martin Del Potro in Sunday's championship match. The 36-year-old Federer said he had to draw on every ounce of ...

'No personality, no class, scared' -- Mourinho blasts United

Jose Mourinho launched an astonishing verbal tirade against his Manchester United players after they reached the FA Cup semi-finals, accusing them of "a lack of personality, lack of class and lack of desire." Just 24 hours after the United manager had made a memorable defence of his own record in the pre-match press conference, Mourinho turned his attention to his players after a comfortable 2-0 quarter-final victory over Brighton. Only Nemanja Matic, who set up the opening goal for Romelu Lukaku before scoring a late second himself, and youngster Scott McTominay were spared massive criticism. And after Mourinho claimed he was looking for a response to the midweek Champions League exit to Sevilla, the Portuguese veteran even claimed some of his players lacked the personality and desire to play for the famous Premier League club. "I didn't like the game," said Mourinho. "I think we deserved to win but I didn't have the reaction from all of them. "I had the reaction from some of them. ..

SPAL hold Juventus to offer Napoli title lifeline

Juventus's march towards a seventh consecutive Serie A championship was stalled by a goalless draw at struggling SPAL that kept the suspense alive in Italy. Massimiliano Allegri's side had been bidding to open a seven-point cushion on Napoli, who can now close the gap to two when they host Genoa on Sunday . "I'm neither angry nor disappointed, we came up against a battling SPAL who fought us and played a wicked game," said Allegri. "They made many fouls, 29, to break up our game. These are not excuses, but things that can happen during the season. "It's only human that when you are top of the Serie A table, in the Champions League quarter-finals and the Italian Cup final, you can miss a beat and lack energy once in a while. "The positive thing is that we kept a clean sheet and still have a five-point advantage." Juventus's 12-match league winning streak came to a halt but they matched their own Serie A record of 10 games without conceding a goal. The champions lacked inspiration ...

EU now in critical phase, says Merkel

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said the European Union (EU) is now in a critical phase and Germany wanted to address major European issues quickly together with France.