Page 477 - Sports
Ronaldo back in Portugal squad after nine-month absence
Cristiano Ronaldo was named in defending European champions Portugal's squad on Friday nine months after his last international appearance at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. With Euro 2020 qualifiers against Ukraine and Serbia coming up, coach Fernando Santos has recalled Ronaldo, who has 85 goals in 154 international appearances. He was rested for the last six Portugal games while he settled at new club Juventus, where the 34-year-old has silenced sceptics with a steady stream of goals and a hat-trick in Juve's 3-2 aggregate Champions League last-16 win over Atletico Madrid. "After the World Cup I needed a break to settle in at Juventus," he said after the Atletico win. "In the coming matches I hope to bring my contribution to the national side. I also miss that," Ronaldo told DAZN. In his absence Portugal finished top of their Nations League group ahead of Italy and Poland and qualified for the inaugural Final Four tournament to be held in Portugal in June. Ronaldo, the five-time ...
Italian legend Cannavaro named new coach of China
Italian World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro was named coach of China on Friday, spearheading the ambitious country's attempts to become a footballing force at last. It was not immediately clear if the former Juventus and Real Madrid star will lead the team on a temporary or permanent basis -- Chinese media speculated that the upcoming China Cup may amount to a job audition. The 45-year-old former defender will combine the job with being coach of Chinese Super League (CSL) giants Guangzhou Evergrande, making him one of the most powerful figures in Chinese football history. He takes the post vacated in January by his mentor and compatriot Marcello Lippi, under whom Cannavaro lifted the World Cup in 2006. The 70-year-old Lippi will be a consultant under the new coaching set-up named for next week's China Cup, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) said. "The association has carefully made this decision based on comprehensive research of his experience and technical and tactical ...
Kamalpreet, Shivpal qualify for Asian Championships
Kamalpreet Kaur grabbed the spotlight by winning a gold medal in the women's discus throw event and also qualified for the Asian Championships in the process on the opening day of Federation Cup here on Friday. Shivpal Singh also booked a berth in the April 19-24 Asian Championships in Doha in men's javelin throw by crossing the qualifying standard set by Athletics Federation of India (AFI). With veteran Seema Punia not taking part in the Senior National Championships, the 21-year-old Kamalpreet of Punjab emerged triumphant with a final throw of 60.25m which was better than the Asian Championships qualifying standard of 58.50m. In fact, Kamalpreet crossed the qualifying standard in her second throw as she sent the iron disc to a distance of 58.97m at the National Institute of Sport. "I thought I could have thrown more than 61m but I was still recovering from an injury in my lower back," Kaur said after her event. Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Navjeet Dhillon, also from Punjab, ..
CCI snooker: Advani zooms past Panchal
Top-ranked Pankaj Advani of ONGC showed his class as he uncorked champagne stuff constructing a magnificent 131 clearance as Friday he went on to record a comprehensive 4-0 win against local challenger Manav Panchal of Mumbai in the best-of-7-frame round of 64 match of the CCI All India Open Snooker Championship here. His century break in the third frame is the best in the competition and has now qualified for the highest break prize of Rs 25,000. The qualifying mark was 130 and above. He rolled in another decent run of 53 in the fourth frame to complete a quick 78-24, 65-4, 131-0 and 73-22. The Bangalore-based National champion and India No. 1 Pankaj was all finesse and showed immaculate touch over the cue ball as he managed to get into perfect positions to pot with accuracy and a high degree of consistency to produce the big efforts. However, Indian No. 4 Kamal Chawla of Railways fell by the wayside as he suffered a 1-4 defeat at the hands of Telanganas Lucky Vatnani ..
Lahiri plays safe, returns in morning for one putt to sign for 2-under 70
Indian golfer Anirban Lahiri came back to complete his unfinished opening round, that was just one putt and inch short of four feet, to be placed tied 35th with a score of two-under 70 at the PLAYERS Championship here. Lahiri is now tied 35th alongside the likes of Tiger Woods and defending champion Webb Simpson. "After spending almost five-and-a-half hours working hard, I did not want to take a risk on a four-footer in near darkness, where I could barely see the cup. It was windy and I did not want to take chances and fritter a shot," said the Indian, who was two-under through 17-and-a-half holes and then completed the round with one quick putt. Half an hour later he was off for his second round. Lahiri is hoping to make the cut at the PLAYERS Championship for the first time, as he missed out on three previous occasions. Lahiri's best opening round of 69 came last year but his second round 75 let him down as he miss the cut. Lahiri was playing in the final group of the afternoon ...
Indian cricket trainers will soon meet EPL standards
Indian cricket trainers will soon be at par with those working closely with some of the top football clubs in the world like in the English Premier League (EPL).
Sandhu eyes glory at Indian Open (IANS Interview)
Having gained valuable experience after playing in the European circuit, rising Indian golfer Ajeetesh Sandhu is determined to put his best foot forward at the Indian Open which starts in Gurugram later this month.
DRI detects Rs 3.25 cr tax evasion in sale of complimentary IPL tickets
The State Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (SDRI) of Rajasthan has detected tax evasion of around Rs 3.25 crore in the sale of complimentary Indian Premier League match tickets worth Rs 11.62 crore, an official said. He said the SDRI has recommended the Commercial Tax Department to recover Rs 7 crore, including taxes evaded, penalty and interest in the case. The auction of Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket players also come under the purview of Goods and Services Tax (GST) and a detailed investigation has been recommended to recover the taxes, the official said. IPL match organiser Royal Multi Sports Private Limited had sold 65,207 complimentary tickets of IPL matches organised from April 11 to May 19 last year. The SDRI officials found 28 per cent GST evasion on such complimentary ticket distribution.
India bag five medals on first day of Asian Youth Athletics C'ships
India bagged five medals, including two gold, on the opening day of the Asian Youth Athletics Championships here on Friday. Philip Maheswaran Thabitha grabbed the first gold for India by winning the boys' 110m hurdles in 12.86 seconds. Vipin Kumar added the second yellow metal for India in the boys' hammer throw with an effort of 69.63m. India's first medal of the day came from Harshita Sherawat as she clinched a silver in the girls' hammer throw with an effort of 61.93m. Deepak Yadav added a bronze in pole vault by clearing 4.70m while Ajay bagged a medal of the same colour in the boys' 1500m race with a timing of three minutes and 57.25 seconds.
Ridhima completes start-to-finish win, becomes first multiple winner in 2019
Ridhima Dilawari became the first multiple winner of the year as she completed a start-to-finish win in the sixth leg of the Hero Women's Pro Golf Tour at the Jaypee Greens here Friday. The 20-year-old Ridhima, who has been in great form, shot a third successive under par round of three-under 69 to get to 10-under 206. That gave Ridhima a win by a whopping 10 shots, which was the second biggest victory margin after Tvesa Malik's 15-shot win in the third leg earlier in the season. It was also the first time this year that any player had shot three straight rounds in under-par scores. Last week's winner Gaurika Bishnoi added a second successive 73 to reach 216 and finish second to keep up the momentum. This was the second time in the season that Ridhima had won ahead of Gaurika. This was Ridhima's second win in three starts. Amandeep Drall, after two average rounds of 73-75, shot three-under 69, which equaled the best card of the final day, to finish a close third at 217. Amateur Anika
Hoshiarpur to Hong Kong: Manisha's football journey
Having turned 17 in November last, Manisha is the youngest player in Indias 20-member contingent at the SAFF Women's Championship 2019.
For Kohli, 2010 game vs Mumbai was his best for RCB
India skipper Virat Kohli has picked out the Champions League T20 game in 2010 against Mumbai Indians in Durban as his most memorable match for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
Super Cup match called up after Minerva fails to turn up
The country's premier knock-out football tournament, Super Cup, was on Friday thrown into jeopardy after Minerva Punjab did not turn up for the first match of the qualification round, prompting the national federation to describe it as a "crazy" and "unacceptable" move. A cloud of uncertainty had already hung over tournament after eight I-League clubs decided to pull out, citing unfair treatment by the All India Football Federation (AIFF). But interestingly, three of the eight protesting clubs -- Minerva, Gokulam Kerala and Aizawl FC -- which were to play in the qualification round (on March 15 and 16) had come here with their full strength teams. Minerva did not turn for the mandatory pre-match press conference on Thursday and the Punjab side also did not take the field on Friday against Indian Super League side Pune City FC. Gokulam and Aizawl, who are to play on Saturday against Delhi Dynamos and Chennaiyin FC respectively under the schedule, did not turn up for pre-match press ...
Bangladesh cricketers flee from mosque shooting
The Bangladesh cricket team narrowly avoided being caught up in a shooting at a mosque in Christchurch in New Zealand on Friday, forcing the cancellation of a test match against hosts New Zealand.
Chen Yufei, Shi Yuqi given top seeds for India Open
Newly-crowned All England Open champion Chen Yufei and defending men's singles champion Shi Yuqi have been given the top billing at the Yonex Sunrise India Open which begins at the Indira Gandhi Stadium here on March 26. After eight successful years at the Siri Fort Sports Complex, this time the USD 350, 000 tournament will not only have a brand-new address but is also set to welcome the biggest ever Chinese Contingent. Having upset World No. 1 Tai Tzu Ying in the final of the All England Open last week, World No. 2 Yufei will command a lot of attention as she battles it out with India's very best at this premier World Tour Super 500 event. The main draw of women's singles has as many as six Chinese shuttlers, with World No. 7 He Bingjiao and World No. 14 Han Yue receiving the third and seventh seeding respectively. Former champion and 2012 Olympic gold medallist Li Xuerui makes her return while Chen Xiaoxin and Cai Yanyan are the other Chinese in the draw. The Indian challenge will ..
Anjali upbeat on Indian shooting scene
Ace shooter Anjali Vedphatak- Bhagwat believes that the country has a bright future in the sport because of the new bunch of shooters who are performing consistently well. "Now it (the shooting scenario) in the country is positive because all the youngsters have taken their respective places in the senior category," Anjali told PTI after receiving an award at the ET Edge Maharashtra Achievers' Awards 2019 supported by Femina late last night. Anjali, a former Commonwealth champion who was world No. 1 in 10 metre air rifle, reasoned that the young shooters are giving consistent scores. "The youngsters are giving consistent scores in competitions like the World Cup, World Championship and even in a stressful event like the Asian Games where all top-level shooters from China and Korea are present. "They dominated it and we have won almost all the medals in all the events in ladies and gents rifle and pistol category. So we have a bright future in shooting and are keeping ...
Luis Enrique rings the changes for Spain
Luis Enrique named a much-changed Spain squad on Friday as Isco, Saul Niguez and Koke were all left out while the 33-year-old Jesus Navas earned a surprise recall. Eight players were recalled to the squad with Navas, Sergi Gomez, Juan Bernat, Fabian Ruiz, Dani Parejo, Sergio Canales, Iker Muniain and Jaime Mata all coming in. Among those to miss out were Isco, who will be hoping for more games under new Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane, as well as Atletico Madrid pair Saul and Koke. Spain play two qualifiers for the European Championships later this month. They are at home to Norway on March 23 before playing away in Malta on March 26. Luis Enrique will be looking for a response after Spain endured a disappointing end to their Nations League campaign at the end of last year, when losses to England and Croatia saw them miss out on the semi-finals. Navas has not appeared for the national team since October 2013 but the former Manchester City winger has been in excellent form for ...
No.11 Murtagh hits defiant fifty to lift Ireland to 172 against Afghanistan
Tim Murtagh struck a rearguard half-century to lift Ireland to 172 all out in their first innings against Afghanistan on the opening day of the one-off Test match between the two sides here Friday. Coming out to bat at no.11, Murtagh remained unbeaten on 54 off 75 balls as Ireland top-order batsmen failed to stitch partnerships after opting to bat. The 87-run last wicket stand between Murtagh and George Dockrell (39) was the only the notable partnership in Ireland's innings which folded up in 60 overs. Murtagh scored his runs with the help of four boundaries and two hits over the fence. In reply, Afghanistan ended the day at 90 for two in 31 overs. Mohammad Shahzad (40) and Ihsanullah (7) were the two Afghan wickets to fall with left-arm orthodox bowler James Cameron-Dow (2/35) being the beneficiary on both occasions. Rahmat Shah (22 not out) and Hashmatullah Shahidi (13 not out) were the two unbeaten batsmen at the crease. At stumps on day one, Afghanistan still trail Ireland by 82 ..
Hamilton on top as Ferrari struggle in season's first exchanges
Lewis Hamilton made a mockery of his claim that Ferrari would be half-a-second quicker at the Australian Grand Prix by easily clocking the fastest times in the season's opening practice runs Friday. The Briton led a Mercedes one-two in the second session as he powered round Melbourne's Albert Park circuit under clear skies with a best of one minute 22.600 seconds. It bettered his pace-setting 1:23.599 in the opening practice as he kick-started his bid for a sixth world title. Valtteri Bottas was second (1:22.648) with Red Bull's Max Verstappen third (1:23.400), marginally ahead of impressive new teammate Pierre Gasly, who was promoted this year from Toro Rosso. Sebastian Vettel, who has won in Melbourne for the past two years, could only manage fifth, nearly a second adrift of arch-rival Hamilton, while Ferrari partner Charles Leclerc struggled to ninth, straddling the kerb and spinning as he pushed hard late in the day. The man Leclerc replaced, Finnish former world champion Kimi ...
We were lucky not to be caught in crossfire: Bangladesh Manager on mosque shooting
"We were really lucky. Had we reached even three or four minutes earlier, we probably would have been inside the mosque," said Bangladesh cricket team manager Khaled Mashud on Friday after narrowly escaping the deadliest terror attack in New Zealand's history. The Bangladesh team, which was scheduled to play in the third and final Test against New Zealand starting here on Saturday, was on its way to the mosque, one of two sites of the shooting attack that killed at least 49 people. The tour has now been called off. "I would say we were really lucky. Had we reached even three or four minutes earlier, we probably would have been inside the mosque. This could then have been a massive incident," Mashud, a former Bangladesh captain, told reporters. "We are very thankful that we weren't caught in the crossfire, but what we saw was straight out of a movie scene. We could see bloodstained people staggering out of the mosque. "Maybe for about eight-ten minutes, we were all inside the bus and ..