Page 1958 - Sports
I-League: Lajong complete double over holders Aizawl
Hosts Shillong Lajong pulled off a wonderful victory as they managed to beat reigning champions Aizawl FC 2-1 in their I-League clash at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here last evening.Koffi (58') and Hero of the Match Jagne (73') smacked a couple of goals for the hosts before Dodoz halved the gap (90+5') for the visitors in the added minutes.Going into the match, Shillong Lajong FC's assistant coach Alison Kharsyntiew made two changes to the line-up with Novin and Khongsit replacing Koffi and Deory.Aizawl FC were without Lalrosanga as a result of him being sent off during their last match against Indian Arrows. Kimkima made his debut in his second Aizawl stint and Valpuia replaced Afghani defender Masih Saighani.The first half kicked off to a pacy start with both teams playing a high tempo game. However, the loud home crowd, who had braved the evening cold, provided Shillong Lajong with renewed energy and confidence as they started to adopt a more aggressive but cautious style of play
New Zealand Cricket backs Eden Park for T20 final
New Zealand Cricket (NZC) defended Eden Park today amid criticism the Auckland venue is too small to host international fixtures such as the T20 tri-series final. The decider tomorrow features New Zealand and Australia, who produced a run-fest at the same ground on Friday that left some purists fuming. A total of 488 runs were scored at 12.7 an over as the sides smashed 32 sixes before Australia completed a world-record run chase of 245 to claim a five-wicket win. The sight of miss-hits sailing over the boundary for six prompted veteran Australian commentator Jim Maxwell to call the venue "a joke" that should not host international cricket. Eden Park is best known as a rugby ground and its boundaries fall well short of the International Cricket Councils 59.5-metre (65-yard) minimum. The situation is allowed to stand because the Auckland stadium hosted international cricket before the ICC regulations were introduced in 2007. NZC chief operating officer Anthony Crummy said the governing
More needed to justify Messi, Ronaldo comparisons - Hazard
Eden Hazard admitted he must show more on the Champions League stage for Chelsea if he is to justify comparisons to five-time Ballon d'Or winners Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. Hazard goes head-to-head with Messi when Barcelona visit Stamford Bridge in the first leg of their last-16 clash later tonight. The Belgian has won Player of the Year awards for his part in leading Chelsea to two Premier League titles, but is yet to take Europe's premier club competition by storm. "It's good to be compared with the greatest ever, Messi or Ronaldo," said Hazard. "I try to do my job and try to reach their level, because they are the best in the world. "Every season I try and do my best. When we play this kind of games, we need to perform. "If you want to be one of the best, you have to play well in the big games. This is a big game." Hazard has long been linked with a move to Barca's biggest rivals, Real Madrid. And whilst he insisted he remains happy in London, he refused to completely rule .
Wigan end Man City quadruple bid with Cup shock
Pep Guardiola's quest to win an unprecedented quadruple with Manchester City came to a stunning and controversial end when they fell to a 1-0 defeat at third-tier Wigan in the fifth round of the FA Cup here. In an uncanny repeat of the 2013 FA Cup final, in which City had a player sent off before losing to a late Wigan winner, Guardiola's side had Fabian Delph dismissed amid stormy scenes before Will Grigg's 79th-minute goal decided the game last night. A famous night was marred, however, by a post-match pitch invasion by Wigan supporters which saw a number of them confront City players, with striker Sergio Aguero required to defend himself. Earlier the drama had been provided by Northern Ireland international Grigg who capitalised on an error by Kyle Walker -- who allowed a pass to run through to the Wigan man -- and kept ahead of John Stones before finishing clinically from just inside the area. It was only City's second defeat to English opposition since losing an FA Cup semi-final
Immobile double ends crisis and lifts Lazio into Champions League spots
Ciro Immobile scored twice in a five-minute blitz to end Lazio's three-match Serie A losing streak and lift the Roman side up to fourth with a 2-0 victory over Verona. Immobile grabbed his first after 55 minutes at the Stadio Olimpico yesterday and doubled his account five minutes later to bring his tally to a Serie A-leading 22 goals this season. "We've won an important match," said Lazio coach Simone Inzaghi ahead of hosting Steaua Bucharest in the Europa League last 32 second leg on Thursday after losing 1-0 in Romania last week. "I saw the guys were tense but I told them to stay calm. Once the result was unlocked everything became easier." Lazio overtake Inter Milan, who drop out of the Champions League places into fifth after their 2-0 loss in Genoa on Saturday. Verona remain stuck second from bottom after their seventh defeat in eight games. Napoli matched Juventus with a 1-0 win over SPAL on Sunday to hold top spot in Italy ahead of the champions who won the Turin derby by the .
I-League: Lajong beat Aizawl 2-1 at home
Hosts Shillong Lajong managed to beat reigning champions Aizawl FC 2-1 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Monday.
Craig Overton gets ODI call up for England
Fast bowler Craig Overton has been called up in the England squad for the forthcoming five-match One-Day International (ODI) series against New Zealand.The pacer will replace Liam Plunkett, who has been ruled out of the ongoing T20 tri-series and subsequent ODI series due to a recurrence of a hamstring injury.Overton made his impactful Test debut in his two appearances in the Ashes series against Australia. He was ruled out of the remainder series following a fractured rib while batting in the third Test at Perth.However, the 23-year-old is yet to play a white-ball cricket for England"Obviously it's really good news for me," ESPNcricinfo quoted Overton as saying.He added, "It will be great to get out there before the Test series starts and it'll give me the chance to get in a bit of practice and hopefully I can get selected for some of the one-dayers."In 2015, the right-arm bowler along with his twin brother Jamie, was called up to the one-day squad but did not feature against New ...
T20:Ojha, Gomel's knocks in vain as AI loses opening game
Much-fancied Air India suffered a dramatic collapse on the opening day of the 14th DY Patil T20 Cup today as they caved in to a 17 run loss to Canara Bank at the University Ground here. Air India, chasing Canara Bank's imposing target of 181-8, were well-placed losing just one wicket with the score on 100-1 in 9.4 overs. The men leading the charge for Air India were wicket-keeper Naman Ojha (52: 40b, 2x4, 1x6) and opener Akarshit Gomel (64: 30b, 9x4, 3x6). But once Gomel fell in the 10th over, Air India suffered a collapse losing nine wickets for 64 runs to hand Canara Bank a 17 run win. Ojha was the sixth man to be dismissed. In the other games, Tata Sports Club got the better of Central Railway SA by 22 runs at the stadium in the morning, whereas in the evening game Mumbai Police won a thrilling match against D Y Patil Sports 'A' by mere six runs. The other encounter at the University Ground saw CAG beat ONGC by four wickets in the evening clash. Brief Scores: Tata ...
Yuki Bhambri moves up in ATP rankings
Indian tennis player Yuki Bhambri climbed up 11 spots to stand just a place outside the top 100 in the ATP men's singles rankings updated on Monday.Bhambri's improvement in the ranking comes after his runner-up finish at the Chennai Open Challenger tournament.The 25-year-old's career best ranking so far is 88, which he attained in November 2015.Another Indian player Ramkumar Ramanathan jumped up one spot to sit at number 140.In doubles, Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan were unchanged at 20 and 42 respectively while Leander Paes dropped at 49.He was followed by his doubles partner Purav Raja at number 57.In WTA rankings, India's number one in women's, Ankita Raina lost two places to occupy number 255.Meanwhile, Karman Kaur Thandi moved down three places to 281.In women's doubles, Indian star player Sania Mirza was unchanged at 14th spot.
India to send four race walkers for CWG 2018
The selection committee of Athletics Federation of India (AFI) on Monday declared the Indian 20km Race Walking team for the 21st Commonwealth Games starting from April 4 in Gold Coast, Australia.The Indian men's 20km team will comprise Irfan KT and Manish Singh Rawat, who won gold silver medals, respectively, at the recently concluded 5th National Race Walking Championships.Irfan won the National Championships title with the timing of 1:21:31.25 seconds while Manish finished clocked 1:21.31.72.In women's 20km category, Soumya B, who won National Championships with a new national record timing of 1:31:28.72 seconds, and silver medalist Khushbir Kaur (1:32:16.96) will represent India at the CWG 2018.The selection committee also announced that there will be no selection trials for the Asian Games 2018 to be held in Jakarta from August 22.The performance of walkers in Asian 20 kmRace Walk Championships, IAAF Race Walk Championships and Commonwealth Games will be assessed and considered ...
Star India wins Production Rights for IPL and BCCI Domestic Cricket
Star India Pvt. Ltd on Monday won the rights for audio-visual production services for Indian Premier League (IPL) and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Domestic Cricket for the 2018-19 season.BCCI acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary, in an official statement, informed that the board had invited Request For Proposal (RFP) documents for services relating to the live production of all matches for IPL Season 2018 and Domestic Cricket Season 2018-19.The service agreement and the contract term will cover one season of the IPL (2018) and one season of Domestic Cricket (2018-2019), Choudhary further said in the statement.The statement also read, "The BCCI, however, reserves the right to extend the term for one more Season of IPL (2019) and one more Season of Domestic Cricket (2019-2020) and at its discretion, further extend the term to include IPL Season 2020, as provided for in the Services Agreement.
Khan leads Afghanistan to thumping series win
Leg-spinner Rashid Khan starred as Afghanistan wrapped up a dominant 4-1 series win over Zimbabwe today, cruising to a 146-run victory in the fifth and final one-day international here. After winning the toss and batting first, Afghanistan posted 241-9 from their 50 overs, before bowling out Zimbabwe for just 95. The two teams meet again in Zimbabwe at the 2019 World Cup qualifiers next month, with the Asian side clear favourites to qualify for the tournament in England and Wales based on the evidence of this series. The 19-year-old Khan struck a 29-ball 43, before taking the final three wickets to fall to finish with figures of 3-13. Scores in brief: Afghanistan 241-9 in 50 overs (Javed Ahmadi 76, Rahmat Shah 59, Rashid Khan 43) v Zimbabwe 95 in 32.1 overs (Rashid Khan 3-13).
Shillong Lajong beat holders Aizawl FC 2-1
Shillong Lajong pulled off a fine 2-1 victory over defending champions Aizawl FC here today, firming up their mid-table position in the I-League standings. While Shillong Lajong could breathe easy after the encounter at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Aizawl FC inched closer to relegation. Abdoulaye Koffi powered the hosts into lead with his strike in the 58th minute and Saihou Jagne made it 2-0 in the 73rd minute. Leonce Dodoz Zikahi pulled one back late into the game (90+6) for Aizawl who, like the home side, also entered the game hoping to avoid the drop zone. After a goal-less first half, Koffi broke the deadlock when he headed in expertly a off a Jagne assist. Shillong Lajong consolidated their position when Jagne, after a one-on-one opportunity, put Albert's through ball into the back of the Aizawl net. The visiting side earned a consolation goal when Zikahi struck in the last injury time. In the dying moments of the match, Lalthathanga came close to spoiling the home team's party ...
Canada, USA set up Olympic women's hockey final
Four-time defending champion Canada and reigning world champion United States advanced to the Pyeongchang Olympic women's hockey final with shutout triumphs today, setting up another showdown for gold between the arch-rivals. The Canadians stretched their Olympic win streak to 24 games and kept alive their drive for five consecutive gold medals by beating the Olympic Athletes from Russia 5-0. The US women, who haven't won Olympic gold in 20 years, blanked Finland 5-0 to reach Thursday's title game. "It's honestly a dream come true," US forward Hilary Knight said. "It's the worlds biggest stage. Its the game youve been dreaming of. You have to keep working and do the things you do well." Only once in Olympic or world championship history has the final not been a US-Canada affair. Canada needed over-time to beat the Americans in the 2014 Olympic final, but has since dropped three world finals to the Americans.' "We're confident. Well stick with what has gotten us success the last three .
Higuain promises speedy recovery from ankle injury
Juventus' Argentine forward Gonzalo Higuain on Monday promised fans of the Italian club that he would be back in action as soon as possible, expressing his gratitude for the support he was shown after being injured in the 1-0 win over Torino.
Euro zone ministers to choose Spaniard to for ECB as Ireland pulls out of race
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Euro zone finance ministers will choose Spanish Economy Minister Luis de Guindos to succeed European Central Bank Vice President Vitor Constancio in May, a move likely to boost the chances of a German becoming head of the ECB next year.
Coach Roca says BFC to face one of season's toughest games
Carrying a three away-goal advantage notwithstanding, Bengaluru FC coach Albert Roca today termed the AFC Cup qualifying playoff second-leg match against Maldives' TC Sports Club "one of the toughest" of the season. After having secured a 3-2 away win in Male, Bengaluru FC will look to seal qualification in the group stages of the continental tournament at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium tomorrow. "Tomorrow will be one of the toughest games we will play through this season. We need to focus on doing our job," Roca said at the pre-match press conference. With the side also making the playoffs of Indian Super League, Roca admitted that it's difficult to play two tournaments simultaneously. "Playing two competitions at the same time can be difficult but when I saw the faces of the boys today at training, they seem to be handling the calendar really well," the Spanish coach said. Roca is wary of the threat the Maldives side could pose. "I'm not going to talk about changing squads and the ...
India win 5 medals in Czech shooting tourney, cadet girls bag silver
India's cadet girls grabbed a silver medal while the junior boys and junior girls settled for a bronze each in the team events of the Czech Junior and Cadet Open that concluded in Hodonin, Czech Republic. Indias Payas Jain picked up two bronze too to make it a grand six-medal haul for the country, following the silver that Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah won in the junior doubles' competition. Payas partnered with Navid Shams of Iran to take his first bronze in the cadet doubles; he then featured in the cadet boyss team event for India to make it a fruitful outing for himself and the country. Diya Chitale was the one of the star performers for the 14-member contingent, guiding the cadet girls team to the final with three victories against Serbia. She won both her singles matches and the doubles in the company of Munmun Kundu. Her first singles tested her courage and nerves, as she was down 1-2 and 8-10 against Reka Bezeg to be on the brink of defeat. She, however, maintained her calm ...
AIFF announces plans for Super Cup
The much talked about Super Cup will consist of 16 teams in its inaugural edition, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) league committee decided in a meeting here on Monday.The meeting was chaired by senior vice-president Subrata Dutta and was also attended by deputy chairman Lalnghinglova Hmar, AIFF General Secretary Kushal Das, I-League CEO Sunando Dhar, AIFF COO Kishore Taid and AIFF AGS Competitions Anil Kamat.The Cup will be played on a knock-out basis among 16 teams, AIFF informed in a media release.The qualifiers will be played between March 12 and March 31 while the final round will be held between March 31 and April 22.The schedule is yet to be finalised keeping in mind the AFC Cup commitments of Aizawl FC and JSW Bengaluru FC.The venue for the Super Cup will be either Cuttack or Kochi. A final decision on it will be taken after inspections by the AIFF.The final decision on the number of foreign players to be registered for the tournament will be taken after discussion ...
Boxing: 1 medal assured, Sarita enters quarters on Day 1 of Strandja Memorial
Seema Punia was assured of a medal without a fight, while the seasoned L Sarita Devi entered the quarters with a hard-fought win on a reasonably good opening day for India in the 69th Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament for men and women here. Punia (+81kg) was guaranteed a medal due to the presence of just three boxers in her draw. The Indian will face local favourite Mihaela Nikolova for a place in the final where Russia's Anna Ivanova has got a direct entry. On the other hand, Sarita (60kg), a former world and Asian champion who fetched a silver at last month's India Open, defeated Italian Manchese Conceha in a split 3-2 verdict to enter the quarterfinals. There was some disappointment as well when Commonwealth Games bronze-medallist Pinki Jangra (51kg), who won a gold at the India Open, went out with a first-round loss. Pinki was beaten by Romanian Maria Claudia Nechita in a split 2-3 verdict. "Pinki fought exceptionally well and to my mind, she should have been the ...