Page 216 - Sports
Liverpool or Tottenham to finally reap rewards of Klopp, Pochettino's good work
The transformation of Liverpool and Tottenham's fortunes under Jurgen Klopp and Mauricio Pochettino has so far been measured in progress rather than trophies. That will all change for the winner of Saturday's Champions League final with one of the two claiming the biggest prize in Europe. Klopp has not won any silverware since arriving at Anfield in October 2015, while Pochettino is yet to claim any trophy in his coaching career. However, the fact that Klopp and Pochettino are two of the highest rated coaches in world football is evidence if any was needed that there is more to good management than lifting trophies. Klopp has come close on several occasions. The German has lost three finals as Liverpool boss, on penalties to Manchester City in the League Cup and Sevilla in the Europa League during his first season in 2015/16 before fortune favoured Real Madrid in last season's Champions League final. Falling at the final hurdle once more would be even more heartbreaking for the Reds ..
Kane in England squad for Nations League finals
Harry Kane was included in England's 23-man squad for next month's Nations League finals on Monday but Tottenham Hotspur team-mates Harry Winks and Kieran Trippier were both left out. Gareth Southgate, the England manager, has reduced his group from the list of 27 he named earlier this month, with Southampton's James Ward-Prowse and Nathan Redmond also sidelined. England captain Kane, who has not played since suffering ankle ligament damage in April, was retained by the Southgate on the day he insisted he was "ready" for Spurs' clash with Liverpool in Saturday's Champions League final. Kane has not played since suffering the injury in the first leg of Tottenham's quarter-final against Manchester City on April 9, which was also when Winks made his last appearance. Spurs subsequently announced Winks had undergone groin surgery, although the midfielder said he hoped it was not the end of his season. Trippier, a full-back, was a member of the England squad that made it to the semi-finals .
Dani Alves to replace Neymar as Brazil team captain at Copa America: federation
Dani Alves will replace Neymar as the captain of the Brazilian national team in the Copa America, the country's football federation (CBF) announced Monday. "The decision was communicated to Neymar by (coach) Tite on Saturday," CBF said in a statement about the striker, who was handed a three-match suspension for lashing out at a spectator following Paris Saint-Germain's shock defeat by Rennes in the French Cup final earlier this month. Eight-time winners Brazil face Bolivia, Venezuela and Peru in the group stage, which starts on June 14, after two friendlies against Qatar and Honduras. Neymar, 27, missed the humiliating 7-1 World Cup semi-final defeat by Germany in 2014 due to injury after fracturing his back in the previous round. A year earlier, he was named player of the tournament at the Confederations Cup as Brazil won the competition for a record fourth time.
Alves replaces Neymar as Brazil captain for Copa America
Veteran full-back Dani Alves will captain Brazil during the Copa America, replacing his Paris Saint-Germain teammate Neymar, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) has confirmed.
Chile coach defends leaving Bravo out of Copa America
Chile's national football coach has said that he left long-time captain Claudio Bravo off the roster for the Copa America tournament because the goalkeeper, who missed the entire 2018-2019 season to injury, was not match-fit.
Kent crowned Women's County champions
Successive victories away at Yorkshire and Lancashire helped Kent clinch their eighth Women's County Championship title after winning every game in the competition with one fixture left to play.This result means that Kent will bring the trophy back after a three-year absence. The Tamsin Beaumont-led side's final match will be a local derby clash against Sussex in Canterbury on June 2, where they will be crowned champions in front of a home crowd.The game against Yorkshire on Monday started with Kent winning the toss and electing to field. Alice Davidson-Richards made the first breakthrough, taking the scalp of Lancashire captain Evelyn Jones for six. Emma Lamb and Georgie Boyce built a 45-run stand before Chelsey Rowson dismissed Lamb (33), who was caught behind by Beaumont.Rowson then got rid of Boyce (20), who was also caught behind, before excellent bowling saw wickets spread around, including England international Sophie Ecclestone. Lancashire's tail showed little resistance and ..
French Open: Djokovic, Nadal advance to second round
Title favourites Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal registered straight-set wins to book their men's singles second round spots in the French Open.
French Open: Serena Williams vanquishes Vitalia Diatchenko
Serena Williams overpowered Vitalia Diatchenko to register a 2-6, 6-1, 6-0 victory in the first round of French Open here on Monday.After losing the first set everything worked out well for Williams and she came out furiously to dominate Diatchenko and registered thumping victories in the next two sets which included a bagel in the final set.The 23-time Grand Slam champion, who struggled with a knee injury for much of the season, was playing her second match on the red clay after withdrawing from the second round of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia.If Williams manages to clinch her 24th Grand Slam title, she will equal Margaret Court's all-time record of 24 Grand Slam titles.Williams will now face either Japan's Kurumi Nara or Dalila Jakupovic to secure her place in the last 32.
CWC'19 warm-up: Australia trounce Sri Lanka by 5 wickets
After registering a convincing victory over England, Australia continued their stunning performance as they defeated Sri Lanka by five wickets in their second warm-up match at The Rose Bowl stadium here on Monday.Chasing a decent target of 240 runs, Australia faced an early hiccup as their skipper Aaron Finch (11) got lbw off Nuwan Pradeep's delivery in the fifth over. Opener Usman Khawaja was then joined by Shaun Marsh and both played calmly and avoided risky shots yet kept on adding scores to the board.However, in the 20th over, Dhananjaya de Silva got hold of Marsh which ended his 34-run inning. Marsh's dismissal brought Glenn Maxwell out on the field. Maxwell and Khawaja kept the scoreboard running before the former gave away his wicket in the 30th over after scoring 36 runs.Marcus Stoinis then accompanied Khawaja but Stoinis too got out after scoring 32 runs. Soon after that, Jeffrey Vandersay got hold of Khawaja (89). Alex Carey and Pat Cummins then took the field when they ...
FIFA confirms life ban for ex-Brazil football chief
FIFA's appeals committee upheld Monday a lifetime ban issued to the former head of the Brazilian football federation (CBF), Marco Polo Del Nero, for bribery and corruption. Del Nero, 78, was suspended from all football-related activities and fined one million Swiss francs ($1 million) in April last year by FIFA's disciplinary committee. A years-long graft probe revealed he received bribes in exchange for awarding broadcast contracts at major tournaments, including the Copa America. The original investigation found Del Nero had also violated rules governing conflicts of interest, loyalty, and general conduct. He succeeded Jose Maria Marin as CBF boss in 2015. Marin was given a four-year prison sentence last August in the FIFA corruption scandal that disgraced the sport worldwide. The Brazilian federation is now governed by Rogerio Caboclo, Del Nero's former right-hand man.
Rahi Sarnobat bags third gold medal for India in ISSF World Cup
Rahi Sarnobat added a third gold medal in India's medal tally at the ISSF World Cup 2019 in Munich on Monday as she stood at the top spot in the 25m pistol event.India are now on top of the medals tally in Munich after two days.Sarnobat has also claimed an Olympic quota place for Tokyo 2020 in the process.Olena Kostevych from Ukraine won the silver medal whereas Bulgaria's Antoaneta Boneva won the bronze medal.Earlier in the day, the 17-year-old Saurabh Chaudhary bagged a gold medal in the 10m air pistol category.The teenager broke his own world record of 245 as he shot 246.3 in the finals to take the top spot. Chaudhary claimed the second gold medal at the ISSF World Cup 2019 in Munich for India.Chaudhary had already booked a quota for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics during his maiden World Cup outing in New Delhi in February where he bagged a gold medal. The teenager has also won a gold medal in the Youth Olympic Games and Asian Games.Apurvi Chandela won the first gold medal for India in ...
Australia conclude World Cup warm-up with comfortable win over SL
Australia concluded their World Cup preparation on an emphatic note, beating a struggling Sri Lanka by five wickets in their final warm-up game here on Monday. Usman Khawaja, who opened alongside skipper Aaron Finch in place of a rested David Warner, anchored the chase with 89 off 105 balls. Australia eventually breezed to victory in 44.5 overs. Sri Lanka, who have lost eight of their last nine ODIs, scored 239 for eight after opting to bat with opener Lahiru Thirimanne making 56 off 69 balls. Australia went into the game with 12 players like they did in their first warm-up game against England. The Finch-led squad rested Warner, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Jason Behrendorff to give game time to those who did not take the field against favourites England on Saturday when Australia beat the World Cup hosts by 12 runs. Pace spearhead Mitchell Starc bowled nine overs, picking up a wicket for 39 runs while Pat Cummins bowled eight overs in which he removed Thisara Perera and conceded 23 ...
'Mother, champion, queen, goddess': Serena unveils new Roland Garros outfit
One year after her 'Black Panther' catsuit caused controversy, Serena Williams returned to Roland Garros on Monday, dressed in a zebra-striped cape emblazoned with the words 'mother, champion, queen, goddess'. The 37-year-old American wore the Nike-backed black-and-white cape as she arrived on Court Philippe Chatrier for her opening match against Vitalia Diatchenko. The legend of 'mother, champion, queen, goddess' was written in French in a nod to her hosts. Once the cape was removed, Williams revealed a black and white zebra-stripe print dress. Williams fell foul of Roland Garros last year with her one-piece black outfit which she said she needed to wear to boost her circulation. She had suffered blood clots when she gave birth to her daughter Alexis Olympia. "I believe we have sometimes gone too far. Serena's outfit, for example, would no longer be accepted. You have to respect the game and the place," said French Tennis Federation president Bernard Giudicelli.
Injury scare for Khawaja in WC warm-up game
Australia's Usman Khawaja was hit on the knee during Australia's pre-World Cup warm-up match against Sri Lanka at the Rose Bowl in Southampton on Monday.
Novak Djokovic sails into 2nd round of French Open
Novak Djokovic sailed into the second round of the French Open as he defeated Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 in the first round on Monday.World number one Djokovic was seen at his best and displayed his trademark attacking play in the first round match that lasted for an hour and 36 minutes on Court Philippe-Chatrier.As a result of this win, the Serbian recorded his 22nd consecutive Grand Slam win and this is his 64th win at Roland Garros.Djokovic looked impressive throughout the match and he barely lost a point on serve and he had to play against only two break points.The 32-year-old fired 23 aces and 13 unforced errors and he controlled the pace of the match with deep and accurate groundstrokes, leaving Hurkacz far behind.Both the players were able to land a significant number of first serves in, but Djokovic made a difference with the second serve.The Serbian lost only five points behind the initial shot, maintaining the pressure on Hubert.Djokovic was able to forge a lead of 6-4, ...
FIFA team happy with facilities at Nehru Stadium: Goa Minister
Goa Sports Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar Monday said the core team of FIFA was "happy" with the facilities at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, which could be one of the venues for the FIFA Womens U-17 World Cup 2020. Ajgaonkar told PTI that FIFA's core team and the local organising committee (LOC) inspected the stadium at Fatorda, around 30km from here, last week and they were "happy" with the facilities there. Earlier in March, International Football Federation (FIFA) president Gianni Infantino had announced that India would host the U-17 Women's World Cup in 2020. It is expected that some of the matches may be awarded to the Nehru Stadium, which had hosted matches of the FIFA U- 17 World Cup in 2017. Ajgaonkar said the state government has already given Cabinet approval for hosting the upcoming World Cup. According to him, the practice matches could be played at other venues at Benaulim, Utorda, Bambolim and Vasco on the Sports Authority of Goa-owned grounds and not at the ...
Forearm injury forces Kvitova out of French Open
Women's sixth seed Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic pulled out of the French Open on Monday citing a left forearm injury. Slovenian lucky loser Kaja Juvan will replace Kvitova as the first round opponent of Romania's Sorana Cirstea.
John Achterberg believes golden glove winner Alisson Becker can improve
Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker delivered an impeccable performance during his debut campaign at the club, but Liverpool's goalkeeping coach John Achterberg feels that there are a couple of areas where Becker needs to improve."When you come new into the Premier League, you always need time to settle in, but he picked it up quickly. There were a couple of areas where he needed to adapt, but everything else was automatic. We worked in training on the things that could happen in terms of aggression, players trying to block and things like that, so I think he was well prepared," the club's official website quoted Achterberg, as saying.Becker clinched the Premier League's Golden Glove after he achieved 21 clean sheets in the top flight. Achterberg is impressed with Becker's performance and stated that there is nothing to complain about. He went on to call the 26-year old 'one of the best in the world'."If you have a season like he's just had - and we still have one game to go - it'll ..
Rahi wins gold in Munich, seals Olympic quota
India's Rahi Sarnobat on Monday won the gold in 25m pistol event at the ISSF World Cup in Munich. The 28-year-old in the process also sealed a quota place for India in the event for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Nadal, Djokovic cruise through at Roland Garros
Defending champion Rafael Nadal got his bid for a record-extending 12th French Open title off to the perfect start by brushing aside German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann, while world number one Novak Djokovic was also a comfortable victor in the first round at Roland Garros on Monday. Nadal, a 17-time Grand Slam champion, cruised to a 6-2 6-1 6-3 victory on the rebuilt Court Philippe Chatrier to set up a clash with another German qualifier -- world number 114 Yannick Maden -- in round two. Nadal had suffered three consecutive semi-final defeats earlier in the clay-court season, but appeared to find his best in an Italian Open title success sealed with victory over old rival Djokovic, while his French Open win-loss record now reads 87-2. "It's always amazing to play here, the new Chatrier is very nice," the second seed said. "It's been an important place in my career. "I played a good tournament in Rome which was very important for my confidence. Now we'll see." The 32-year-old Nadal ...