Page 388 - Sports

Liverpool ease past Porto to close on Champions League semis

Liverpool closed in on a Champions League semi-final meeting with Barcelona or Manchester United after sweeping aside Porto 2-0 in the first leg of their quarter-final tie at Anfield. Far from the late drama that has accompanied the Red's Premier League title bid of late, Naby Keita and Roberto Firmino struck inside the first 26 minutes to put the hosts in command. "2-0 is a really good result, I would have taken it before the game and I take it now," said Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp. "It was a good game, a controlled game. We deserved the win 100 percent and scored two wonderful goals." Liverpool's only regret may be not building a more emphatic lead to take to Portugal for next week's second leg. However, a fourth clean sheet in five home Champions League games this season means an away goal at the Estadio do Dragao on April 17th will leave Porto needing four to progress. "We have to go there, we have to fight, Porto will do everything to strike back but that's how it should be in ..

Kane could be out for rest of the season, says Pochettino

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino said talisman Harry Kane could be out of the rest of the season after he limped off injured in the second half of his team's 1-0 Champions League victory against Manchester City on Tuesday. Kane appeared to roll his left ankle in a coming-together with City's Fabian Delph and was replaced by Lucas Moura in the 58th minute. He was helped down the tunnel with the score still at 0-0. Son Heung-min put Spurs ahead in the 78th minute and they held on to win the match 1-0, putting themselves in pole position with the second leg of the quarter-final to come in Manchester on April 17. "It's very, very sad. It's going to be tough and we're going to miss him -- maybe for the rest of the season," Tottenham's Argentine coach told BT Sport. Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris said he did not know the full extent of Kane's injury. "Hopefully it is not too bad," Lloris said. "I don't know. You know the feeling when one of your best players is going off the field. "But

Pochettino urges Spurs to finish off City, but fears worst over Kane

Mauricio Pochettino challenged "spirited" Tottenham to finish the job after their 1-0 win over Manchester City in the Champions League quarter-finals was marred by Harry Kane's potentially season-ending injury. Pochettino's side earned a slender first-leg advantage thanks to a clinical strike from South Korea forward Son Heung-min late in the second half at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Tuesday. Much-maligned Tottenham keeper Hugo Lloris also enjoyed a sweet moment of redemption in a troubled campaign when he saved Sergio Aguero's first-half spot-kick. Pochettino was delighted with Tottenham's display against the Premier League champions, but he insisted the tie was still delicately poised. "We showed great quality. We were all excited and motivated to play this type of game," he said. "The energy was good, fantastic, and the penalty save gave us a big lift. "There are still 90 minutes to play and it's Manchester City. But with the spirit we play, anything is possible." Tottenham's

Remembering victory over Zimbabwe in CWCQ gives goosebumps, says Mohammad Naveed

Mohammad Naveed, United Arab Emirates' one-day international captain, has said that their victory over Zimbabwe in the Cricket World Cup qualifier still gives him "goosebumps"."It is great to be back in Harare as we have some great memories, and I have goosebumps remembering that last match," International Cricket Council quoted Naveed as saying.Even after the UAE could not qualify for the main tournament, that is taking place this year in England and Wales, Naveed called it one of the best moments of his career as this was their first ever win in the 50-over format against a Test-playing nation."That would be one of the best moments of my career, but there are a lot more to come and to work for. The crowd was amazing last year. It is always good to play in front of such an electric crowd, and we are looking forward to a good turnout this time," he said.Naveed was the player of the match as he scored unbeaten 22 runs off just 10 balls and also took three wickets which powered his side

Losing 4 wickets in powerplay didn't help: Karthik

It was billed as the clash of the titans, but Kolkata Knight Riders failed to even get off the mark against Chennai Super Kings at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in their Indian Premier League encounter. While Deepak Chahar started the show with the new ball, Harbhajan Singh and Imran Tahir sealed the deal in the middle overs.

Harbhajan, Tahir maturing like old wine: Dhoni

They are both in the home stretch of their careers, but Chennai Super Kings spin duo Harbhajan Singh and Imran Tahir once again have shown that age is just a number. Taking on in-form Kolkata Knight Riders, CSK won by seven wickets as Harbhajan (2/15) and Tahir (2/21) bowled magnificently to derail the KKR batting.

IPL 2019: Deepak Chahar steers CSK to 7-wicket victory over KKR

Chennai Super Kings' impressive bowling helped the MS Dhoni-led side register a comfortable seven-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders here at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk on Tuesday.With the win, CSK have moved up to the top position in the IPL points table with five wins and one loss, while KKR have slipped to the second place with four wins and two losses.Chasing a below-par target of 109, Chennai openers Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis got off to a decent start on a sluggish pitch, adding 18 for the opening wicket.Sunil Narine got a major breakthrough as he struck Watson (17) to keep the mood upbeat. In quick succession, the off-spinner dismissed Suresh Raina (14), only to see a 46-run blossomed partnership between du Plessis and Ambati Rayudu.Kolkata tried its best to pull things back in a one-sided contest. Despite sending Rayudu (21) back off leg-spinner Piyush Chawla, an unbeaten 30-run stand by du Plessis and Kedar Jadhav helped Chennai seal the match with 16 balls .

All-round Chennai thrash KKR to go on top of table

All-round Chennai Super Kings made short work of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), thrashing them by seven wickets in a lopsided Indian Premier League (IPL) encounter here on Tuesday.

Despite four wins in a row, Dhoni remains unhappy with Chennai pitch

Chennai Super Kings have won all their home games so far but captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni remains unhappy with the nature of the pitch. CSK thrashed KKR by seven wickets on Tuesday for their fifth win in six games and fourth in a row at home. KKR made 108 for nine and CSK got home in 17.2 overs. "I don't think we want to be playing on these tracks. It becomes too low scoring. It becomes slightly difficult for our batsmen as well. After losing (Dwayne) Bravo, it is slightly difficult for us to get the combination right," said Dhoni at the post-match presentation. "We have been cribbing about the track but we have ended up winning the game." The inspirational skipper was all praise for veteran spinners Harbhajan Singh and Imran Tahir, who delivered yet again. "The age is on their side (laughs). Bhajji has done well in whatever games he has played. I have fallen back on Tahir and he has done the job. He has confidence in me. He has got a very good flipper. "He is someone who if you tell .

CSK maintain unbeaten run at home with emphatic win over KKR

A clinical Chennai Super Kings maintained their unbeaten run at home with a seven-wicket thrashing of Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League here on Tuesday. The hosts put up a top-class bowling effort yet again after winning the toss, limiting KKR to 108 for nine despite an unbeaten 50 off 44 balls from the dangerous Andre Russell. With the dew making batting easier in the second half of the match, CSK chased down a rather comfortable target in 17.2 overs. With an emphatic win, CSK are back at the top of the table with five victories from six games while KKR suffered their second loss in six matches and will be hoping that Tuesday's performance was just a blip in otherwise a promising campaign so far. Shane Watson (17 off 9) smashed two fours and a six early on in the run chase before falling to a soft dismissal off spinner Sunil Narine. Suresh Raina (14) too did not cash in on the opportunity to make a big score and perished in an attempt to hit Narine out of the park, ..

FC Goa enter Super Cup final with 3-0 win over Chennai City

FC Goa put on a flawless display to beat I-League champions Chennai City FC 3-0 in the first semi-final of the Hero Super Cup at the Kalinga Stadium here Tuesday. The result sends the Gaurs through to the final of the knockout tournament, where they will face the winner of Wednesday's match between ATK and Chennaiyin FC. The loss also brought an end to Chennai City's brilliant run in the tournament, which saw them knock out FC Pune City and Hero Indian Super League champions Bengaluru FC. With Edu Bedia out with a suspension, Hugo Boumous was drafted into the FC Goa starting XI by head coach Sergio Lobera. Chennai City boss Akbar Nawas, on the other hand, made two changes to the team which started the quarter-final tie against Bengaluru FC. Charles Lourdusamy came in for the suspended Michael Regin in midfield, while Alexander Romario Jesuraj was handed a start in place of Ameerudeen Haja. Goa asked early questions of the Chennai defence, with Jackichand Singh finding space down the ..

Anand draws with Topalov, finishes joint fourth

Viswanathan Anand ended his stint with a draw against former world championship challenger Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria in the ninth and final round of Shamkir Chess tournament that concluded here Tuesday. Anand finished the tournament on 4.5 points, a fifty percent score that proved good enough for only joint fourth place. Reigning World champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway stamped his authority on the tournament disposing off Alexander Grischuk of Russia in the final round. The fact that he had won the tournament with a round to spare did not deter Carlsen from playing for a win in the last round too and he ended up victorious. Carlsen won his fourth title in as many attempts here making Shamkir one of his favourite hunting grounds. The Norwegian scored a massive seven points and is now above 2850 in live ratings. Sergey Karjakin of Russia tied for the second spot on five points along with Ding Liren of China. Karjakin drew his final round game with Shakhriyar Mamedyarov of Azerbaijan ..

Ronaldo named in Juve squad for Champions League quarter-final

Cristiano Ronaldo is back from injury after being named in Juventus' squad for Wednesday's away Champions League quarter-final match against Ajax. Ronaldo hasn't played for the Serie A leaders -- who are just one point away from sealing an eighth Italian league title -- since scoring the sensational hat-trick that saw Juve come back from a 2-0 first-leg deficit to knock out Atletico Madrid last month. But the Portugal captain was named in Massimiliano Allegri's 21-man Champions League squad. Giorgio Chiellini misses out due to a left calf contracture while Emre Can also stays in Italy after straining his right ankle in the 2-1 Serie A victory over AC Milan on Saturday.

Chahar takes three as Chennai restrict KKR to 108/9

Deepak Chahar took three wickets as Chennai Super Kings (CSK) restricted Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to 108/9 in 20 overs in an Indian Premier League encounter here on Tuesday.

CSK limit KKR to 108/9 despite Russell fifty

Chennai Super Kings bowlers delivered yet again to restrict Kolkata Knight Riders to 108 for nine in an IPL match here Tuesday. KKR never recovered from the early loss of wickets and found the going tough to finish with a below par score despite an unbeaten 50 off 44 balls from Andre Russell. A lot depended on the in-form Russell after a poor show from the batting unit. He played the only way he knows, going for big shots, and succeeded to a certain extent. He finished with five fours and three sixes. The under-rated Deepak Chahar, who returned impressive figures of 3 for 20 from 4 overs, rattled the KKR top-order with early strikes, including that of the big-hitting Chris Lynn as the visitors struggled to 29 for four in the powerplay. Harbhajan Singh (2/15), Imran Tahir (2/21) and Ravindra Jadeja (1/17) put the brakes on the KKR batting with a disciplined effort. KKR were under pressure from the word go as Lynn and Sunil Narine fell within the space of five balls. First, Chahar ...

Scoreboard of the IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings here ...

Scoreboard of the IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings here on Tuesday. Kolkata Knight Riders Innings Chris Lynn lbw b Chahar 0 Sunil Narine c Chahar b Harbhajan 6 Robin Uthappa c Jadhav b Chahar 11 Nitish Rana c Rayudu b Chahar 0 Dinesh Karthik c Harbhajan b Tahir 19 Shubman Gill st Dhoni b Tahir 9 Andre Russell not out 50 Piyush Chawla st Dhoni b Harbhajan 8 Kuldeep Yadav run out 0 Prasidh Krishna c Harbhajan b Jadeja 0 Harry Gurney not out 1 Extras: (LB-1 W-3) 4 Total: (For 9 wkts in 20 overs) 108 Fall of Wickets: 1/6 2/8 3/9 4/24 5/44 6/47 7/76 8/76 9/79 Bowling: Deepak Chahar 4-0-20-3, Harbhajan Singh 4-0-15-2, Ravindra Jadeja 4-0-17-1, Scott Kuggeleijn 4-0-34-0, Imran Tahir 4-0-21-2.

Royals show solidarity with Street Child World Cup

Rajasthan Royals on Tuesday showed their support for the Street Child Cricket World Cup 2019 (SCCWC 2019), to be held at Lord's in London just ahead of the Cricket World Cup in May.

Punjab beat Assam 2-0 in Santosh Trophy match

Hosts Punjab beat Assam 2-0 in a group B match on the second day of the 73rd National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy at Guru Nanak Stadium here on Tuesday. The Punjab players made repeated forays into the opposition citadel and went into the lead just before the break when Assam skipper Subhakshan Rabha, in a goof up, scored an own goal much to the surprise of his team. Punjab increased the lead in the 87th minute through Rajbir Singh to steer his side to a 2-0 win. Earlier in another group B encounter, Maharashtra and Karnataka played out a 2-2 draw to share one point each. Maharashtra went into the lead in the 18th minute when Rohan Harish Shukla rolled the ball into the net. Karnataka restored parity in the 30th minute through Manvir Singh. In the second half, Sanket Salokhe put Maharashtra ahead again while M Nikhil Raj of Karnataka struck in the injury time to level the score.

Banerjee, Eqbal keep Bengal hopes alive

Local challenger Yubrani Banerjee survived a scare before downing Kaavya Sahwney of Uttar Pradesh in the opening round of the women's singles at the National Ranking Tennis Tournament here Tuesday. Banerjee, seeded third in the women's singles draw, seemed too erratic at the start as she dropped her serve twice to hand over the opening set to her unseeded opponent from Uttar Pradesh. From there, Banerjee made a comeback by winning the next set by a comfortable 6-3 margin. In the decider, Banerjee, who is Bengal's only seed in the women's singles draw, took a massive 5-1 lead but faltered to drop two consecutive games before closing the match 2-6 6-3 6-3. Ishaque Eqbal, also from Bengal and seeded fourth, beat Andhra Pradesh's Sivadeep Kosaraju in straight sets 6-4 6-2 in the first round of men's singles.

Winner of Asia Qualifier to claim 13th ICC U19 World Cup 2020 spot

Following Nigeria's success in claiming an ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2020 spot, the battle for the four remaining places heads to the Asia Qualifier in Malaysia with six teams vying for the top spot.Kuwait, Malaysia, Nepal, Oman, Singapore and the UAE will compete in the tournament taking place between April 12 and 18, where the winner will become the 13th team to confirm its place in the U19 World Cup in South Africa in 2020.This is the second stage for teams in Asia, who due to the depth of strength in the region, competed in Division 2 in 2018, where Kuwait and Oman qualified to continue their U19 journey.The winner of the Asia Qualifier will join Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Zimbabwe in the tournament next January and February.The 15 matches will be played across three venues in the Kuala Lumpur area - Kinrara Oval, Bayuemas Oval and Selangor Turf Club.Following are the fixtures:April ..