Page 2191 - Sports
Goa a dangerous side: Sheringham
Former champions ATK may be on a two-match winning run but coach Teddy Sheringham is not taking FC Goa lightly ahead of their Indian Super League football fixture here tomorrow. FC Goa have slipped to fifth position after suffering a 0-2 defeat to FC Pune City in their last round. "Ive been very impressed with them. They have got very good foreign players as well as Indians. We have to be at our best. We know they are a very dangerous team," the ATK coach said at the match-eve news conference. ATK were winless from four matches but they have bounced back strongly in last two rounds but Sheringham said they cannot afford to relax. "We are trying to score goals in every game we approached. I hope that continues. We have done very well in last two games. But you never know in football, things change quickly. We have to make sure that we keep performing," the 51-year-old said. Sheringham's side has been rejuvenated by the performances of Robbie Keane and the head coach was ..
De Matos happy with Arrows performance despite loss against EB
The Indian Arrows suffered a 0-2 defeat at the hands of East Bengal in their I-League fixture here today but head coach Luis Norton de Matos was happy with the performance of his players. "I am very satisfied how we played against a big team like East Bengal. They have experience players. Not only East Bengal or Mohun Bagan, all these teams are dependent on foreign players whereas I am playing with Indian players only," de Matos said at the post-match press conference. East Bengal pumped in two goals in the space of three minutes early into the match (13th and 16th minutes) and that double strike in quick time virtually decided the match. "We let in two goals and after that they (East Bengal) controlled the result," the Portuguese tactician rued. De Matos said he was disappointed with Abhishek Halder conceding a free-kick from which East Bengal's Mahmoud Al-Amna scored the first goal. Asked about the performance of Prabhsukhan Singh Gill who manned the Arrows goal after ..
Current generation can't emulate Big 4's consistency: Anderson
The current generation of younger players is a good bunch but they can't reproduce the consistency achieved by the 'Big Four' in this "extraordinary" era, says South African tennis star Kevin Anderson. The 31-year-old said there was no doubt in the quality of current players but achievements of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray can't be emulated. "The same level of consistency, I don't see that happening with current group of players. There is a bunch of very good players but to recreate the kind of consistency the Big 4 had in such a long period of time (is difficult). It's a pretty special era, they are still playing, so that era is still going on. It's exciting," Anderson, who lost the US Open final to Nadal, told PTI in an interview on the sidelines of Tata Open Maharashtra. "Just because, what they are trying to reproduce is something very extraordinary. It has not happened in tennis before. I had very close matches with them. Following in .
Hamilton believes he's a 'small link of a chain', not a leader
Lewis Hamilton, a four-time Formula One world champion, and often considered the best driver of his generation, believes that he is just a "small link in a long chain" rather than a leader of the Mercedes team."I don't look at myself as the leader of the team - I believe I am a small link in a long chain," Sport24 quoted Hamilton, as saying.He added that everybody in the team was a key link and tried to make the link as strong as possible.The Briton joined the Mercedes team in 2013 to partner Nico Rosberg.In 2017, Hamilton got a new teammate in Valterri Bottas as he was announced as Rosberg's replacement.Hamilton, however, spent some tense seasons with a split with his former racing mate Rosberg but his relationship with the team got back on track after a successful meeting with the Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff.The 32-year-old said, "That meeting was really important to reset things, so when I arrive and the guys know I'm going to be giving it everything, they work that extra ..
It is important to leave the ball well: Pujara on SA challenge
Cheteshwar Pujara, a vital cog in India's batting wheel, today stressed on the importance of leaving the ball on the bouncy pitches of South Africa during the three-Test series beginning here on Friday. India lost the series 0-1 on the previous tour of South Africa four years ago but Pujara was amongst the runs alongside Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane. "It is important to leave the ball well, especially overseas. Once you move out of Asia, there is enough bounce in the pitches and that is the reason one should be able to leave the ball," said Pujara after a practice session here. The gritty 29-year-old has gained valuable experience from his two trips to South Africa, and goes into his third series here in a positive frame of mind. "It (the adjustment) is both technical and mental. The good thing is that most of the players have been here before. Personally, I have been here twice (2010-11 and 2013-14). It is about knowing your game, knowing the conditions and you just ..
Gary Kirsten, Nehra join RCB coaching staff
India's 2011 World Cup-winning coach Gary Kirsten and recently retired pacer Ashish Nehra have been added to the Royal Challengers Bangalore's coaching staff for the 11th edition of the Indian Premier League beginning in April.Kirsten and Nehra will come on-board as batting and bowling coach, respectively.Additionally, Kirsten and Nehra will also play the role of mentors for the team during the league.Meanwhile, Royal Challengers have retained former New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori as their head coach.Vettori said, "I am excited to welcome Gary and Ashish to the coaching team for Royal Challengers Bangalore. Both of them bring a wealth of experience in cricket, which the team can learn from immensely. We look forward to an amazing season."This will be Kirsten's second stint in the IPL.Earlier, the former South African opener had signed a three-year contract with Delhi Daredevils in 2014, but the franchise removed him in 2015, following poor outputs in two seasons, where the team ..
Carrom meet: Chandigarh women's pair rallies to down AP duo
Tuba Sehar and Nidhi Gupta, from Chandigarh, rallied to down Andhra Pradesh pair of A Bhavani and S K Husna with a 16-25, 25-7, 25-11 win in a women's doubles first round match of the 24th Women's All India Federation Cup Carrom Tournament here today. Reserve Bank of India duo, Sangeeta Chandorkar and Kavita Somanchi, easily cruised past the CAG combo of Rinki Ranjan and Rashmi Ranjan, winning in straight games at 25-15, 25-13. The Tamil Nadu combination of R Gayatri and L Amshabarthini also enjoyed a straight-game 25-5, 25-15 win over their AP rivals R Rajyalakshmi and L Haripriya to march into the second round. In the 44th sub-junior nationals and inter-state event being held concurrently, Maharashtras boys and girls teams had a successful day winning both their matches. The Maharashtra lads did well to overcome Pondicherry 2-1 in a Pool-G encounter. The host state girls came up with a strong performance and sidelined AP by a convincing 3-0 margin in Pool-B. In a ...
Arthur backs Pak to excel in New Zealand
Pakistan head coach Mickey Arthur believes his players are in good shape at the moment and are fully prepared heading into the tough series against New Zealand, beginning January 6 at the Basin Reserve in Wellington.Talking prior to Pakistan's warm-up match against New Zealand that begins on Wednesday, the former South African cricketer insisted his side would have little to fear when they square off with the Black Caps in testing conditions."The team is in a good shape; we had three training days where the bowlers bowled 15 overs apiece, which is really good as they need to get used to bowling 10 overs in such weather conditions," the Express Tribune quoted Arthur, as saying.Arthur, meanwhile, said the onus would be on batsmen, rather than the bowlers, to get accustomed to the conditions this time around.The head coach called on his batsmen to work on their defence if Pakistan wanted to succeed outside the sub-continent conditions."The batsmen must acclimatise themselves to the local
ISL 2017: FC Goa set to take on rejuvenated ATK
FC Goa will look to get their campaign back on track when they face defending champions ATK in their next Indian Super League (ISL) encounter at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata tomorrow.After a shock loss to FC Pune City in their previous encounter in front of their home fans, the Gaurs begin a hectic set of fixtures which will see them take to the field three times in nine days.It should be noted that FC Goa are chasing their first ever victory against the Bengal side and will be raring to go in a bid to get back to winning ways.Skipper Laxmikant Kattimani put in a good performance against the Stallions in his previous match, despite conceding twice. He made a number of smart saves to deny the Maharashtrian side and keep the game competitive. He will start in goal behind the central defensive pairing of Bruno Pinheiro and Ali Mohammed who have both cemented their place in the heart of defence. Seriton Fernandes has been a top performer for the side so far and Sergio Lobera will ...
Keane does something special everyday in training: ATK coach Sheringham
Lavishing praise on marquee signing Robbie Keane, ATK coach Teddy Sheringham on Tuesday said the Tottenham Hotspur legend does things in training which are "special" and that the team would not be the same without him.
East Bengal beat Indian Arrows 2-0 to consolidate top spot
East Bengal pumped in two quick goals in the space of three minutes to beat a spirited Indian Arrows 2-0 in a fast-paced match and consolidate their position at the top of I-League points table here today. The visiting Kolkata heavyweights scored through Syrian Mahmoud Al Amna (13th minute) and Japanese midfield general Katsumi Yusa (16th) to walk away with three points at the Ambedkar Stadium here. With today's win, their fifth in eight matches, East Bengal maintained their top spot with 17 points. The Indian Arrows, on the other hand, dropped down to seventh in the 10- team league table with seven points from seven matches. The Arrows had come into the home match with confidence after defeating Shillong Lajong 3-0 here and drawing Mohun Bagan 1-1 in Kolkata in their previous match, but today they were beaten by a superior side. The AIFF's developmental side coached by Luis Norton de Matos and made up mostly of India's U-17 World Cup players were outplayed by their more
Hip injury forces Murray to withdraw from Brisbane
Two-time former champion Andy Murray on Tuesday withdrew from the Brisbane International tennis tournament with a right hip injury.
Change of fixture dates a worry for Goa, says assistant coach Pereira
FC Goa assistant coach Derrick Pereira on Tuesday said they are a bit worried about their Indian Super League (ISL) game against NorthEast United FC, which is merely three days after they take on ATK away on Wednesday due to last-minute change of dates.
Was blessed with talent, but I worked hard to make most of it: Ronaldo
Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo has looked back on a successful 2017 in an interview with Spanish sports paper, Diario AS.
Valverde admits pain of Neymar sale, but praises Messi, Dembele
FC Barcelona chief coach Ernesto Valverde hasn't taken long to convince the doubters and make himself a hero at the Catalan football club.
I-League: East Bengal thump Arrows to stay on top
An all-out aggressive East Bengal blanked Indian Arrows 2-0 in a one-sided I-League contest at the Ambedkar Stadium here on Tuesday.
Muguruza retires with leg cramps at Brisbane
Top-seeded Garbiñe Muguruza of Spain withdrew on Tuesday from the Brisbane International tennis tournament during her opening match due to muscle cramps in her right leg.
Murray pulls out of Brisbane tournament
Former world number one Andy Murray has withdrawn from the season-opening Brisbane International in a major setback to his Australian Open preparations. He suffered a right hip injury in 2017 and has not played on the ATP tour since losing a tough five-setter to American Sam Querrey in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon. Murray said on Sunday he felt in great shape and that he was confident he would play in Brisbane. But the 30-year-old Scot issued a statement today announcing his withdrawal from the tournament, and did not say whether he would be able to play the year's first Grand Slam. Murray said he would stay in Brisbane as he "works towards returning to the tennis circuit". "I'm very disappointed to be withdrawing from the Brisbane International," he added. "I came here with every intention of making a strong start to the year, but sadly my team and I don't feel that I'm where I need to be just yet to compete at the highest level." Murray joins top seed and world number .
Nagal bows out of Tata Open Maharashtra with tame defeat
Sumit Nagal's unbeaten streak of seven matches was halted by fellow qualifier Ilya Ivashka as the Indian bowed out of Tata Open Maharashtra following a tame defeat, here today. Nagal, ranked 223, came into the match after winning the Bengaluru Open and two qualifying matches here for his maiden ATP World Tour event but suffered a 3-6 3-6 defeat in the opening round against the Belarusian, placed seven places below him. It was second meeting between 20-year-old Nagal and Ivashka with the Indian losing the first match at the same venue during the 2015 Challenger event. There were no easy points for Nagal as Ivashka not only played aggressive but had good control over his strokes. His measured game meant that there were not many unforced errors, forcing Nagal to rethink his strategy. Realising that Ivashka was having problem in tackling high bounce, Nagal tried to feed such balls consistently but the Belarusian was up to the task and raced to a 4-1 lead following a break ..
Sharapova downs Riske in tough test at Shenzhen Open
Five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova came back from a set down to defeat American Alison Riske at the Shenzhen Open today and book a spot in the quarter-finals. Riske, who had been hoping for her first win against the former world number one, proved to be a tough opponent early in the match before the Russian finally overcame her 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 in just under two and a half hours. "I'm glad I got this kind of match. Although I would've wanted a quick and easy victory, these are the kind of matches that you need, especially with such a short preparation going into the Australian Open in terms of matchplay," Sharapova said afterwards. "I'm just glad that I came back. She played a really great match and as I said to her at the net, I thought it was a great quality match. In the end, I won it so I have another opportunity to keep going." Despite Riske's early lead, Sharapova hit 34 winners, nearly three times Riske's total. The world number 59 was helped by 11 aces, ..