Page 408 - Sports
Last seven months haven't been easy: Hardik Pandya
An on-field injury followed by some controversial statements off the field saw all-rounder Hardik Pandya in the news for all the wrong reasons. But the Mumbai Indians player wants the focus back on his game and was instrumental in helping MI beat Chennai Super Kings by 37 runs at the Wankhede Stadium.
Napoli stumble at Empoli to leave Juventus on brink of title
Napoli fell to a 2-1 defeat by relegation-threatened Empoli on Wednesday, opening the way for Juventus to claim an eighth consecutive Scudetto from as early as this weekend, while Mauro Icardi returned to help Inter Milan get back to winning ways. Juventus beat Cagliari 2-0 on Tuesday in a game overshadowed by the racist abuse of Moise Kean and Blaise Matuidi in Sardinia and now have an 18-point lead on second-placed Napoli. The Turin giants play AC Milan at home this weekend and would claim another title if they open up a 21-point gap on Napoli, who have lost both their matches this season to Juventus. Juventus, who are currently missing Cristiano Ronaldo through a thigh injury, would need to beat AC Milan and for Carlo Ancelotti's Napoli to lose to Genoa on Sunday in order to seal the championship. "We deserved to lose," said Ancelotti after his side's fifth defeat this season, as they prepare for next week's Europa League quarter-final first leg against Arsenal. "We have to roll up
Holders PSG set up French Cup final date with Rennes
Holders Paris Saint-Germain will play Rennes in the French Cup final later this month after beating 10-man Nantes 3-0 in their semi-final tie on Wednesday as Kylian Mbappe scored one penalty after missing another. Mbappe's two spot-kicks came after he set up Marco Verratti for the opener in the first half at the Parc des Princes, with substitute Daniel Alves wrapping up the victory late on. The result keeps Thomas Tuchel's team on course to win a domestic league and cup double, which would go some small way to easing the pain of their exit from the Champions League in the last 16 at the hands of Manchester United. "After the first goal it was a little easier," said PSG captain Thiago Silva. "We had to try and score the second because if it had stayed at 1-0 it would have been more difficult. "I think we deserved this result even if it was difficult and we still deserved to be in the final, which is important for the club." PSG are 20 points clear at the top of Ligue 1 with nine ...
Ten-man Bayern survive cup scare in nine-goal thriller
Robert Lewandowski saved his team from a humiliating German Cup exit as Bayern Munich came from behind to beat second-tier Heidenheim in a 5-4 thriller on Wednesday. Bayern were 2-1 down at half-time having gone down to ten men early in the game, and threw away a two-goal lead in the second half. Yet Lewandowski's late winner ended a rollercoaster resistance from Heidenheim and sent Bayern into the semi-finals. "I don't really know what to think of this game," said Bayern striker Thomas Mueller on Sky Sports. "After such a great start, it should have gone differently for us. We didn't play well, particularly after the red card, and it doesn't feel all that good." Everything seemed to be going according to script when Leon Goretzka headed Bayern in front from a corner on 12 minutes. Yet the script went up in flames when Bayern went down to ten men just minutes later. Niklas Suele was initially booked for a challenge on Robert Andrich, but a video review convinced the referee that Suele
Sarri hails stars of future as Chelsea young guns torment Brighton
Maurizio Sarri hailed Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ruben Loftus-Cheek as the future of Chelsea after the young guns inspired a crucial 3-0 win over Brighton on Wednesday. Sarri couldn't afford a negative result against struggling Brighton at Stamford Bridge after being subjected to fresh calls for his sacking during Sunday's unconvincing win at Cardiff. The angry Chelsea fans who showed their displeasure at the weekend were in part motivated by Sarri's refusal to select England winger Hudson-Odoi. But Sarri finally unleashed Hudson-Odoi for his first Premier League start, while Loftus-Cheek also made the most of a rare appearance as the youngsters bolstered Chelsea's bid for a top-four finish. Hudson-Odoi set up Olivier Giroud's first-half opener and Loftus-Cheek provided the assist for Eden Hazard's superb second. England midfielder Loftus-Cheek capped a morale-boosting victory for the troubled Blues when the 23-year-old netted a majestic third to kill off FA Cup semi-finalists ...
Pochettino wants Spurs to match 'World Cup' standards of new stadium
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino claimed his club are now "World Cup winners" in terms of facilities after opening their new state-of-the-art stadium by beating Crystal Palace 2-0 on Wednesday. Second-half goals from Son Heung-min and Christian Eriksen ensured Spurs snapped a five-game winless run in the Premier League and moved Pochettino's side back up to third at the expense of north London rivals Arsenal. The Gunners have a game in hand over Tottenham, but victory also maintained a slender one-point lead over fifth-placed Chelsea and opened up a three-point advantage over Manchester United in the race for a top-four finish. Pochettino underlined the need for what he believes is the "best stadium in the world" to have Champions League football next season before kick-off. And he called on his players to now perform to the level of their facilities on offer at both the club's training ground and new home. "Now we are World Cup winners in facilities," said Pochettino. "Now the ..
Fleming all praise for rival team player Hardik Pandya's all-round brilliance
Hardik Pandya's breathtaking all-round performance that set up Mumbai Indians' 37-run win against defending champions Chennai Super Kings in an IPL game here has earned fulsome praise from rival team's head coach Stephen Fleming. Pandya smashed an unbeaten 25 from just eight balls and in the company of big-hitting West Indian Kieron Pollard (17 not out from 7 balls) went for an all-out assault on the CSK bowling attack to help MI post 170 for 5 after struggling at 57 for 3 at halfway stage at the Wankhede Stadium. Pandya hit three sixes and one four in his unbeaten blitzkrieg and later picked up three wickets for 20 runs, including that of rival team skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, to help MI halt CSK at 133 for 8 and hand them their first defeat of the season. "I am a massive fan (of Pandya), I think he is a wonderful player. His confidence is up, looks like he has a good thing going with what he is doing at the death. Plans should be now for teams to combat that. We were happy with ...
Behrendorff's spell set the tone for us: Rohit
Defending 170 isn't easy at the Wankhede Stadium, but Mumbai Indians (MI) pacer Jason Behrendorff set the tone by sending back Chennai Super Kings (CSK) openers Ambati Rayudu and Shane Watson in his first two overs and skipper Rohit Sharma said that it was just what was expected from the Australia pacer.
Man City return to Premier League summit but Guardiola sweats on injuries
Pep Guardiola counted the cost of a comfortable 2-0 victory over Cardiff that took his team to the top of the Premier League on Wednesday as he faced the prospect of an FA Cup semi-final without a fit left-back. City, still in the hunt to win all four of the trophies they entered at the start of the season, take on Brighton at Wembley on Saturday, bidding to reach their second final of the campaign. But they will be without left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko, who limped off against Cardiff after just 18 minutes with a hamstring injury that will rule him out for a number of games. And with England international Fabian Delph also injured and Frenchman Benjamin Mendy yet to prove his match fitness to his manager, Guardiola admitted he has a problem ahead of the Wembley visit. "It doesn't look good," said Guardiola. "We will know after tomorrow but it doesn't look good for the next games. "Fabian Delph is out, Benjamin Mendy, we will see tomorrow how he feels, how he trains, we don't have many
'It hurts': Valencia inflict first defeat on Zidane's new Madrid
Zinedine Zidane dropped Gareth Bale and endured his first defeat since returning to Real Madrid as his side were deservedly beaten 2-1 by a resurgent Valencia on Wednesday. The last time Zidane left Bale on the bench, the Welshman proved a spectacular substitute against Liverpool in the Champions League final 10 months ago but there was to be no rescue act at Mestalla. Instead, Valencia surged to a convincing victory, Goncalo Guedes and Ezequiel Garay scoring in each half to leave Marcelino's team within a point of La Liga's top four. Karim Benzema headed in a late consolation in injury-time. "We lacked a bit of spark up front," Zidane said. "I am not going to criticise my players. They have tried and we played a good team. But losing always hurts." After a miserable start to the season, Valencia could yet enjoy a barnstorming finish. Champions League qualification is now within touching distance while a Copa del Rey final against Barcelona and Europa League last 16 tie against ...
Pele 'doing well' after treatment for urinary infection in Paris hospital
Football legend Pele was taken to a Paris hospital as a precaution on Wednesday after suffering from a "urinary infection" but is "doing well", according to members of his entourage. The 78-year-old Brazilian three-time World Cup winner was receiving antibiotics prior to the long flight back to his home country, his spokesman and other sources told AFP. The spokesman said the infection was "under control" and Pele would be discharged from hospital in "a day or two". Pele, who won the World Cup in 1958, 1962 and 1970, had been in Paris for a promotional appearance alongside France star Kylian Mbappe. The declining health of the player known as 'O Rei' has been a cause for concern in recent times, and the planned meeting with Mbappe had already been postponed last November. Previously, Pele had admitted to not being up to the task of lighting the flame at the opening ceremony of the 2016 Rio Olympics. Before that, he spent time in intensive care in Brazil in late 2014 following a kidney
Maradona in hot water over pro-Maduro comments
The Mexican Football Federation said Wednesday it has opened an investigation into whether Diego Maradona violated its ethics code when he praised Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro after a recent match. Maradona, the coach of Mexican second-division side Dorados, triggered the controversy -- the latest in a long line for the Argentine legend -- with his comments during a post-match press conference Sunday, following his club's 3-2 win over Tampico Madero. "I want to dedicate this victory to Nicolas Maduro and all Venezuelans, who are suffering," he said. "These Yankees (the United States), the sheriffs of the world, think just because they have the world's biggest bomb they can push us around. But no, not us." Maradona is close to Maduro, the embattled leftist leader who has presided over a spiralling political and economic crisis in Venezuela. The United States has led more than 50 countries in recognizing opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela's acting president, calling ...
Van Dijk is man of the moment as Liverpool eye home straight
Virgil van Dijk returns to his former club Southampton on Friday with a growing reputation as one of the most influential figures in the Premier League title race between his Liverpool side and Manchester City. For all their attacking threat, Jurgen Klopp's men owe a huge debt to their Dutch defender, signed from Southampton 15 months ago for an eye-watering ?75 million ($99 million) fee, the size of which raised eyebrows. But now the investment looks one of the wisest in recent Premier League history, with one Van Dijk moment in particular, during the weekend win over Tottenham, being held up as an example of his peerless form. With the game finely poised at 1-1 at Anfield on Sunday, Tottenham had a two-on-one break, featuring Moussa Sissoko and Son Heung-min against the Liverpool centre-half. Van Dijk took the decision to leave Sissoko with the ball, forcing him into a shot that the nervous Tottenham man missed hopelessly, paving the way for Liverpool to snatch a dramatic last-gasp .
Ponting backs Carey as World Cup keeper and potential captain
Alex Carey has been endorsed by Ricky Ponting to be Australia's wicket-keeper at the World Cup, with the team's batting coach also backing him as stand-in captain if Aaron Finch is injured. The 27-year-old has enjoyed a rapid rise through the ranks with his calm demeanour and leadership qualities winning over the former skipper, who will be coach Justin Langer's right-hand man at the tournament in England and Wales this year. "Alex Carey offers the best package as keeper," Ponting, who played at five World Cups, told cricket.com.au when asked who he sees filling the role. Chief selector Trevor Hohns recently mentioned Test skipper Tim Paine and the in-form Matthew Wade, as well Peter Handscomb, as other possible wicket-keeping options. But Ponting believes Carey deserves the opportunity after his performances in Australia's recent eight-game winning streak. "He's dangerous at the top of the order or late in the innings because he does score 360 degrees, he's a deceptively hard hitter .
Hazlewood says tight Ashes schedule will force bowling rotation
Australian pace spearhead Josh Hazlewood has foreshadowed bowler rotations during this year's Ashes series, saying the tight schedule will make it "near impossible" for the top quicks to play every Test. The team will face Joe Root's England in five Tests in less than seven weeks, immediately after the one-day World Cup. Hazlewood said the workload meant the chances of himself, Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins playing every Test was slim. "The last four Tests are back-to-back," Hazlewood told Cricket Australia's The Unplayable Podcast Thursday. "I think it's going to be near impossible for any quicks to play all five with it being such a tight schedule." Hazlewood, who has been sidelined since January with a back injury but is confident of being fit for the World Cup, admitted a long period of short-format cricket leading up the five-day Ashes Tests was not ideal. But he said it would at least ensure the team was playing at the highest level. "I think we've got one four-day game between
Surf's up! Barty to ride wave of success into clay season
Miami Open winner Ash Barty is confident she can "do some damage" in the upcoming clay season, and has hooked up with seven-time world surfing champion Stephanie Gilmore to gain inspiration. The 22-year-old Australian cracked the world top 10 this week with her victory over Czech fifth seed Karolina Pliskova in the Miami final on Saturday. It was a breakthrough title for the former Wimbledon junior champion as she became the first Australian woman since Sam Stosur in June 2013 to be ranked inside the top 10. Now back on home soil, her focus is on this month's Fed Cup semi-final in Brisbane against Belarus, although she is already thinking about the clay season leading up to the French Open. "I think I have the game on clay to be able to do some damage, I just have to continue to learn how to use it properly," she told reporters on the Gold Coast late Wednesday. "This clay-court season in particular is an opportunity to go out and learn more about myself on that surface." With the WTA .
Quite a few things went wrong for us: MS Dhoni
The Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) winning run has finally been broken as the Mumbai Indians (MI) beat them by 37 runs at the Wankhede Stadium here. More than the loss, it was the failure of the CSK batsmen to stay in the hunt while chasing the MI's score of 170 that made it a dampener of a game. And skipper MS Dhoni did accept that the game didn't pan out as planned for the Chennai outfit.
Chennai taste first defeat, lose by 33 runs to Mumbai
Defending champions Chennai Super Kings tasted their first defeat in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019 as they lost to Mumbai Indians by 33 runs here on Wednesday.
Showman Hardik stars as Mumbai Indians humble CSK by 37 runs
Hardik Pandya was characteristically quirky as well as breathtaking and the highlight was the helicopter shot in front of its synonym, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, as Mumbai Indians humbled Chennai Super Kings by 37 runs in the IPL Wednesday. Invited to bat on a track that offered good bounce, Mumbai creamed 29 runs in final over with Hardik doing the bulk of scoring, his eight-ball 25-run blitzkrieg bringing the high-flying visitors to earth. Struggling at 50 for three at one point, Mumbai raked in 45 runs in the last two overs to post 170 for five and then halted their rivals at 133 for eight to post their second win in four games. This was Super Kings' maiden defeat and they remained on top of the table with six points. MI were indebted to a fine knock of 59 in 43 balls by Suryakumar Yadav, who hit eight fours and a six while putting on a half-century stand with Krunal Pandya (42 in 32 balls). Towards the end, Hardik and Kieron Pollard (17 in 7 balls) struck big to remain unbeaten and ...
Mumbai Indians beat CSK by 37 runs
Mumbai Indians beat Chennai Super Kings by 37 runs in the Indian Premier League here Wednesday. Sent into bat, Mumbai Indians scored 170 for five at the Wankhede Stadium and restricted CSK to 133 for eight in 20 overs. Brief scores: Mumbai Indians: 170/5 in 20 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 59, Krunal Pandya 42, Hardik Pandya 25 not out). Chennai Super Kings: 133/8 in 20 overs (Kedar Jadhav 58; Hardik Pandya 3/20, Lasith Malinga 3/34; Jason Behrendorff 2/22).