Page 1869 - Sports
Cahill no certainty for World Cup, warns Australia coach
Tim Cahill is not guaranteed a place in Australia's squad at a fourth World Cup, coach Bert van Marwijk has warned despite including the veteran in his plans for two warm-up games. The 38-year-old is his country's most prolific international scorer with 50 goals, hitting the back of the net at three previous World Cups. He left the domestic A-League in January to join Championship side Millwall to get more game time, but has barely appeared for the London side, although his cameos have been praised by club boss Neil Harris. Van Marwijk included him in his squad for friendlies against Norway and Colombia this month, but told reporters Cahill going to Russia was not a given despite his importance to the team in their qualifying campaign. "He didn't play a lot (and) it's important that players have played," said the Dutchman, who was appointed in late January on a short-term contract that ends after the World Cup. "But there always are exceptions. He was very important for the national ..
Halep, Osaka reach Indian Wells semi-finals
World No. 1 Simona Halep punched her ticket to the Indian Wells semi-finals with a 6-4 6-7 (5/7) 6-3 win over Croatia's Petra Martic. The 26-year-old Halep improved to 18-1 on the season and is looking to win her second WTA Tour title of 2018. Halep, of Romania, needed two hours and 23 minutes yesterday to put Martic away under taxing conditions as strong winds swirled around the main stadium court. "It was difficult conditions to play in today because of the wind," she said. "It was tough to play, because the ball was really moving. "But I just tried everything. I tried also to push a little bit the ball and then to hit it. I tried to mix it up. Was not easy at all. For both of us it was difficult." Halep moves on to the semi-finals where she will face Japan's Naomi Osaka who beat fifth-seeded Karolina Pliskova 6-2 6-3. Halep is guaranteed to hold onto her No. 1 ranking at the end of this event after world number two Caroline Wozniacki was eliminated on Tuesday. Halep blasted two ...
Super Cup: NEUFC ready for war against Gokulam FC
Indian Super League (ISL) franchise NorthEast United FC will aim to start the Super Cup qualifier on a positive note when they lock horns with I-League's giant killers Gokulam Kerala FC here on Thursday.The qualifiers of the tournament will be played between teams who finished between seventh and 10th in the ISL and I-League respectively. The four winners will proceed to the final round of the tournament which kicks-off from March 31.NEUFC coach Avram Grant mentioned that his team couldn't garner positive results despite playing good football but they're now "ready for the war.""A Cup game is always a war and we're approaching tomorrow's game likewise. We had a frustrating phase of two months towards the business end of the league as we lost many games. But, now we are here to do something good in the Super Cup," he mentioned.Portuguese defender Jose Goncalves added: "There's absolutely no difference between us. It's warm but we have to be at the top of our game to churn out a ...
Fortunate to have skills of bowling in powerplay: Sundar
Washington Sundar has been phenomenal in the powerplay during the ongoing Nidahas Trophy Tri-series and the young-off spinner said he is fortunate to have the skill set to bowl during this crucial period of the game. The 18-year-old lanky spinner has come of age in this tournament and is the most penetrative bowler on display with seven wickets to his kitty, including three against Bangladesh yesterday. Besides, Sundar is the most economical bowler in the tournament with an impressive economy rate of 5.87 runs an over -- surprisingly 11 of his 16 overs have been bowled in the powerplay. While Sundar admitted that it is a challenge for a spinner to bowl in the powerplay, but the key to success is to face those challenges and overcome them. "It is definitely a challenging thing but that is what you play cricket for. When you get an opportunity to represent your country you need to face those challenges. When you win those challenges you get a lot of satisfaction," he said. "I have to ...
Juventus beat Atalanta in Serie A tie
Juventus bolstered their lead in Serie A with a 2-0 win here against Atalanta in a match originally scheduled for February 25.
Federer moves into Indian Wells quarters
World number one Roger Federer cemented his spot in the quarter-finals of the Indian Wells Masters after brushing aside France's Jeremy Chardy in straight sets in the fourth round of the tournament here on Thursday.The defending champion was almost untouchable on serve as he won 90 percent of his service points, including 100 percent of his first-serve points .Federer eventually pushed his way past Chardy 7-5, 6-4 in the fourth-round clash of the men's singles event that lasted one hour and 22 minutes at the packed Stadium One.It should be noted that it was only the fifth time that Federer has won a match without losing a first-serve point.The Swiss star can now equal his season-best start of 16-0 with a win in the quarter-final, where he will lock with Chung Hyeon of South Korea for a place in the last-four.
Messi powers Barca into Champions league QF
A magical performance by Leo Messi -- two goals and an assist -- vaulted Barcelona into the quarterfinals of the 2017-2018 Champions League with a 3-0 win here over Chelsea in the second leg of their round of 16 tie.
Halep holds on to reach Indian Wells semi-finals
World No. 1 Simona Halep punched her ticket to the Indian Wells semi-finals with a 6-4 6-7 (5/7) 6-3 win over Croatia's Petra Martic. The 26-year-old Halep improved to 18-1 on the season and is looking to win her second WTA Tour title of 2018. Halep, of Romania, needed two hours and 23 minutes to put Martic away under taxing conditions as strong winds swirled around the main stadium court yesterday. "It was difficult conditions to play in today because of the wind," she said. "It was tough to play, because the ball was really moving. "But I just tried everything. I tried also to push a little bit the ball and then to hit it. I tried mix it up. Was not easy at all. For both of us it was difficult." Halep is guaranteed to hold onto her No. 1 ranking at the end of this event after world number two Caroline Wozniacki was eliminated on Tuesday. Halep moves on to the semi-finals where she will face either Japan's Naomi Osaka or fifth seeded Karolina Pliskova. "I just fought and that's maybe
Federer breezes into quarters at Indian Wells
World No. 1 Roger Federer's remarkable run continued as he booked his quarter-final berth in the ATP Indian Wells Masters with a 7-5 6-4 win over Jeremy Chardy. The 36-year-old Federer, who won his 20th Grand Slam when he captured the Australian Open in January, is off to one of his strongest career starts and is now 15-0 in 2018. It is his best beginning to the season since 2006 when he started 16-0 and won 33 of his first 34 matches. "It has been great. It is a totally different year, and so many years after that," he said yesterday. "For so many years I have felt good actually in Australia already. "I don't know if it's Australia per se or, taking the benefits from the hard work I put into the new season." Federer, who also won at Rotterdam in February, is gunning for a record sixth Indian Wells title. "Yeah, and then also Rotterdam was great. I was very happy that I was able to win the tournament there, not just get to the semis and get world No. 1. "And here now I'm relieved that
Magical Messi will never leave Barcelona - Conte
Antonio Conte said he believed Lionel Messi will remain at Barcelona for the rest of his playing days after watching the Argentine maestro destroy Chelsea's Champions League hopes. Messi, 30, scored twice and set up a goal for Ousmane Dembele as Barca beat Chelsea 3-0 at the Camp Nou yesterday for a 4-1 aggregate triumph. The double took Messi to 100 Champions League goals while his opener, coming after 129 seconds, was the fastest goal of his illustrious career. Messi has frequently been linked with a big-money move to the Premier League but Conte is convinced the striker will retire at Barcelona. "I think Leo wants to stay until the end of his career with Barcelona," Conte said. "We're talking about an impossible situation. I repeat: we must have great respect for this player. We are talking about a fantastic player. "I think he wants to stay in Barcelona for the end of his career. I think it's the right way for him. He's writing with his team-mates a great story with ...
Messi hits Champions League century in emphatic Barca win over Chelsea
Barcelona hailed Lionel Messi as "The King" as he handed Chelsea the royal punishment by scoring twice to reach 100 Champions League goals and end their quarter-final hopes. After unfurling a banner showing the words "God Save The King" before kick-off yesterday, Barca's fans were celebrating after just 129 seconds at the Camp Nou as Messi found the net before Chelsea had even made a pass. He then teed up Ousmane Dembele to double Barca's lead in the second leg of the last-16 clash before registering a century of Champions League goals on his 123rd appearance to complete a 3-0 victory, 4-1 on aggregate. Messi becomes only the second player to reach the milestone in Europe's premier tournament, following Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, who has 117 goals in 152 games. "He knows in certain moments the stars have to come out," Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde said. "We enjoy him. We're lucky enough to be seeing something that will go down in history." By the end, the Argentinian's ...
Pele still recuperating from hip surgery
Brazil football legend Pele has said he is still recovering from two operations on his right hip.
Serena still best in the world: Simona Halep
Top-ranked Simona Halep of Romania has said Serena Williams is still the best tennis player in the world.
AFC Cup: Bengaluru ride Lalhlimpuia strike to beat Abahani Dhaka 1-0
A young Bengaluru FC side got the club's AFC Cup Group E campaign to a winning start after a Daniel Lalhlimpuia strike (72th) gave the Blues a 1-0 win over Abahani Limited Dhaka (Bangladesh) at the Kanteerava Stadium here on Wednesday.
Nidahas Trophy: India beat Bangladesh to enter final
The Indian team beat Bangladesh by 17 runs in the last league stage match at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo on Wednesday to seal their spot in the finals of the Nidahas Twenty20 tri-series.Being put into bat first, India scored 176/3 in their 20 overs, powered by a flamboyant knock by stand-in skipper Rohit Sharma.Sharma made 89 from 61 balls, before being run out by Rubel Hossain.He slammed five sixes in his knock of 89 and became the leading batsman in T20I cricket for India, to hit most sixes.Sharma who now has 75 sixes in T20 internationals to his name, overtook Yuvraj Singh (74).Suresh Raina (47) and Shikhar Dhawan (35) played quick knocks to take the Indian team total to 176.Bangladesh, in response, made 159/6 in their 20 overs.Mushfiqur Rahim made 72 from 55 balls but got little support from the other end.Washington Sundar took three wickets for India.Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Shardul Thakur scalped one wicket each.The last league game of .
ISL: Gurpreet Sandhu eyes maiden league title
Indian football team's number one goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu will look to win his maiden league title when his team Bengaluru FC lock horns with Chennaiyin FC in the final of Indian Super League (ISL).Sandhu has never played 18 games in a top division league in his career. Also, he has never won a league title and the closest he came was with East Bengal when they finished runners-up twice in the I-League.Now, given his and the team's current form, the 26-year-old could be pocketing his first league title."I haven't won it yet so I don't know (about the feeling). If we win, it'll be a great feeling to have achieved something that I haven't before. We take one game at a time and that's what the aim is right now," said the India number one.His performance has been critical to Bengaluru's hopes of winning the ISL title on debut. The goalkeeper has been enjoying a rich vein of form and it is visible from the figures as Bengaluru FC have the best defensive record in the league with .
All England Open: Saina crashes out, Sindhu, Srikanth advance
India shuttler Saina Nehwal crashed out while Kidambi Srikanth and PV Sindhu advanced into the second round of the All England Open Badminton Championships in Birmingham on Wednesday.Nehwal crashed out of the Championship after losing the contest in straight games 14-21, 18-21 in 38 minutes to defending champion, Tai Tzu Ying of Taiwan.Saina initially showed some fight before Tai won seven consecutive points in the opening game 21-14.In the second round, she again started positively extending her lead to 16-1, but Tai again made a strong comeback and ensured she didn't allow the game to slip away, winning 21-18.In another women's singles, Rio Olympic silver medallist P.V. Sindhu brought some good news for the Indian fans as she entered round two of the championship after beating Pornpawee Chochuwong of Thailand 20-22, 21-17, 21-9.Sindhu conceded the first game after a tough fight but fought back strongly to make a comeback and win the game.Meanwhile, in men's singles, Kidambi Srikanth
Para-athlete Deepa Malik looks to refine skills in discus throw
Indian para-athlete Deepa Malik, who top-scored in the discus throw Asia Ranking 53 category and secured second place in the Asian Games combined category event 51/52/53 of the World Para Athletics Grand Prix 2018, now wishes to refine her discuss throw skills.After throwing her career-best 8.01 metres, Malik also qualified for the Asian Para Games 2018 for discus throw, which is to be held in Jakarta, Indonesia in October.Notably, this was Malik's first attempt at discus throw.Earlier, she won a silver medal in the shot put at 2016 Paralympic Games, to become the first Indian woman to win a medal at the Paralympics."I have not played discus earlier, this is a new event for me. I have not learned it as a skilled game. I came in the competition after practicing it for three-four weeks. But, I not only qualified for the Asian Games but also secured second place in the combined category according to the point system," Malik told ANI in a telephonic interview.She added, "This is quite a ..
Squad for Women's T20I tri-series named
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Wednesday announced the 15-member squad for the upcoming trilateral T-20 series against England and Australia to be played in Mumbai between March 22 to March 31.The team will be led by 29-year-old all-rounder Harmanpreet Kaur and Indian opener Smriti Mandhana has been appointed as her deputy.17-year-old Mumbai all-rounder Jemimah Rodrigues was given a chance by the selectors. Rodrigues managed to grab the limelight after her brilliant knock of 44 from 34 balls against South Africa last month.Veteran players Jhulan Goswami and Mithali Raj and T-20 specialist off-spinner Anuja Patil have also been included in the side and India will play their first match against Australia on March 22.The selection committee also picked India A squad that will play two T20 warm-up games against England women on March 18 and 19 in Mumbai. (ANI)Squads:India Women's T20I squad:Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Mithali Raj, Veda Krishnamurthy, ..
Badminton: Saina bows out, Srikanth, Sindhu advance at All England Open
Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal lost to World No.1 Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei in the first round while Kidambi Srikanth and P.V Sindhu advanced at the All England Open here on Wednesday.