Page 492 - Sports

Villa's Grealish punched by Birmingham fan

Aston Villa's Jack Grealish was punched by a pitch-invading Birmingham fan in a shocking incident during Sunday's Championship clash, but the midfielder had the last laugh as he scored the decisive goal in a 1-0 win over their bitter rivals. Grealish was in the Birmingham penalty area in the 10th minute when a man ran on to the field and threw a punch from behind at the Villa captain. The blow caught Grealish on the side of the head and sent him sprawling to the turf. The intruder was quickly restrained by a steward as Villa players including Tammy Abraham and Glenn Whelan rushed to Grealish's defence. After the fan had been shoved over, he was eventually led away by police, defiantly blowing kisses to the crowd. A visibly furious Grealish was helped to his feet and was able to continue playing once order was restored at Birmingham's St Andrew's stadium. Grealish produced the perfect response to the assault in the 70th minute. Taking possession 20 yards from goal, he advanced into the

Klopp defiant after Liverpool battle back to beat Burnley

Jurgen Klopp warned title rivals Manchester City that Liverpool will not give up their title bid quietly after a 4-2 victory over Burnley cut Pep Guardiola's lead at the top of the Premier League to a single point. Liverpool responded impressively to City's win against Watford on Saturday, rallying strongly after falling behind to a controversial opening goal from Burnley, with two goals each from Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane. And the German manager, whose side visit Bayern Munich in their Champions League last-16 second leg tie on Wednesday, insisted that the performance demonstrated his team's ability to handle the pressure. "The message from today is that nobody gets rid of us," said Klopp. "We had the perfect mixture of fighting the opponent and playing football. "All we have to do is make sure that we stay in this really interesting competition on top of the table. We have no problem with confidence, we're in a good moment." The victory was also a triumph for Adam Lallana, the .

FIFA boss Infantino aims to push forward Club World Cup - report

Gianni Infantino wants to speed up plans for a new Club World Cup and abolish the Confederations Cup at next week's FIFA council meeting in Miami, according to German broadcaster ZDF. The report says FIFA president Infantino wants to discuss expanding the Club World Cup from it's current format of seven teams to 24, including 12 sides from Europe on Thursday and Friday in the US. The Swiss also reportedly wants to scrap the Confederations Cup, an international tournament held the year before a World Cup by the host nation and last won by Germany in Russia in 2017. According to the ZDF report, the new-look Club World Cup would be held from 2021, a year before Qatar hosts the 2022 World Cup. "Yes, that's the way it will come about, we want to say goodbye to the Club World Cup (in it's current format) and we will make that decision," Fernando Sarney, Brazil's member of the FIFA Council, told ZDF. According to the report, Infantino also wants to delay plans to introduce a global Nations ..

Match-fixing bigger crime than murder, says Dhoni in soon-to-be released documentary

"The biggest crime that I can commit is not a murder, it is actually match fixing," Mahendra Singh Dhoni has said in a soon-to-be released documentary that focuses on Chennai Super Kings' fairy tale IPL comeback last year, following a two-year suspension for spot-fixing. Dhoni led the Chennai franchise to its third IPL title in 2018, making it a dream return to the competition after the team served out a two-year ban for its management's role in the 2013 spot-fixing scandal. "The team was involved, I was accused too. It was a tough phase for all of us. Fans felt that the punishment was harsh. Coming back was an emotional moment and I have always said, what doesn't kill you makes you strong," says Dhoni in the 45-second trailer of documentary 'Roar of the Lion' which will be streamed on Hotstar from March 20. Dhoni had not commented on the turmoil before this. In July 2015, Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals were suspended from the cash-rich cricket league for two years for ...

Prajnesh stuns Basilashvili at Indian Wells, Bopanna too advance

Indian qualifier Prajnesh Gunneswaran achieved the biggest win of his career when he stunningly knocked world number 18 Nikoloz Basilashvili out of the Indian Wells ATP Masters event, continuing his dream run here. Playing his maiden singles main draw at this level, the Indian left-hander secured a hard-fought 6-4 6(6)-7 7-6(4) victory over the Georgian in two hours 32 minutes. The world number 97 needed only a single break of serve to take the lead in the match. Prajnesh broke Basilashvili's serve in the fifth game and then held his serve to take the opening set in 31 minutes. The second and third sets were tightly contested and went into tie breaks with Basilashvili emerging victorious in the former and Prajnesh in the latter to seal a spot in the next round. "It was definitely a huge match. I think I played well better than I did in the previous round. I had to step up because I was playing a really good player, someone who has been in form and is ranked in the top 20," Prajnesh ...

Mushtaq: K'taka maul Delhi; Bengal, Vidarbha, Maharashtra win

A formidable Karnataka continued their winning streak in the Super League stages of the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy after they trounced Delhi by 8 wickets in Group B match here on Sunday. Earlier, Karnataka had beaten domestic giants Mumbai and Uttar Pradesh in their previous two Super League stage matches of the national T20 tournament. It was an all-round show from Karnataka where right- arm medium pacer Koushik V shone with the ball and later Mayank Agarwal and Karun Nair remained unbeaten as Karnataka chased the 110-run target with utmost ease. Karnataka bowlers justified their skipper's decision to invite Delhi to bat first at the Emerald Heights International School Ground. Koushik (4-19) and leg-spinner K C Cariappa (3-15) wreaked havoc as Delhi was restricted to a meagre 109/9 in their 20 overs. Apart from Nitish Rana (37 off 29 balls) and Lalit Yadav (33 off 40 balls), no other Delhi batsman showed spine as Koushik and Cariappa rattled their top and middle ...

Raoof fights back twice to advance

Khizar Raoof of Telangana came from behind to overcome Karnatakas R Santosh Kumar 3-2 in a well-contested second round match in the CCI Open All India Snooker Championship here. Raoof lost the first two frames but went on to pocket the next three frames to clinch a 9-55, 20-55, 51-41, 63-55 and 67-37 victory. Raoof then recovered to defeat Avinash Kumar of Delhi 3-1 (41-62, 64-24, 55-17, 78-17) in the next round. Mumbai's Nitesh Madan and Kanishk Janjaria smoothly progressed to the round of 64 in the Rs 12.9 lakh prize-money tournament played at the Cricket Club of India. Results (all from Mumbai unless stated otherwise): Round 2: K Srinu (AP) beat Sahil Karnani 3-1 (65-0, 47-57, 58-10, 66(54)-27); Luv Kukreja (Delhi) beat R Loganathan (Tamil Nadu) 3-1 (19-61, 61-54, 58-40, 66-44); Khizar Raoof (Telangana) beat R Santosh Kumar (Karnataka) 3-2 (9-55, 20-55, 51-41, 63-55, 67-37). Round 3: Kaniskh Janjaria beat Abhishek Bajaj 3-1 (59-27, 62-28, 61-66, 55-39); Asutosh Padhye

Ireland beat Afghanistan by five wickets, level ODI series

Paul Stirling and Andy Balbirnie blasted scintillating fifties to guide Ireland to a comprehensive five-wicket win over Afghanistan in the fifth ODI and level the five-match series 2-2, here Sunday. Stirling hit a strokeful 88-ball 70 laced with seven fours and two sixes, while Balbirnie anchored the Ireland innings, making a 91-ball 68 as the duo added 81 runs to lay the foundation for the chase after Afghanistan posted 216 for six. Stirling also shared a 57-run opening stand with Porterfield, while Balbirnie forged a 46-run partnership with KJ O'Brien to take the team home, scoring 219 for five in 47.2 overs. For Aghanistan, Zahir Khan (2/55) took two wickets, while Muheeb Ur Rahman (1/26), Mohammad Nabi (1/47) and Rashid Khan (1/41) scalped one each. "All the batters are aware how good their spinners are. I just kind of knew my game, we watched a lot of their footage," said Andy Balbirnie, who was adjudged the man of the series. Earlier put into bat, Asghar Afghan (82) starred in ..

Bengaluru take on NorthEast United in must-win ISL game

A titanic contest is on the cards as table-toppers Bengaluru FC look to overturn a one-goal deficit against a depleted NorthEast United FC in the decisive second leg semi-final of the Indian Super League (ISL) here Monday. Bengaluru have fought and won many battles at home but the biggest one awaits them at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium. With the first leg in Guwahati having ended in a 2-1 win for the Highlanders, a 1-0 victory will be enough to send the Blues through to the final because of the away goal rule. On the other hand, a draw will favour NorthEast. A 2-1 result for the home team will send the fixture to extra time, while NorthEast scoring more than a goal will need Bengaluru to triumph by two goals or more to secure a spot in the final. The defeat against NorthEast United meant the Blue's poor run of late has continued with their last five fixtures yielding just the single victory and three defeats. "We're ready for a big game. We're in a good mood and we have the feeling ...

World team chess: Indian men to meet Kazakhstan

Buoyed by a fine performance from B Adhiban, the Indian men will take on local hopefuls Kazakhstan in the sixth round of the World Teams Chess Championship underway here. In second place past the half-way stage, the team as a whole has done remarkably well despite the absence of top stars V Anand, P Harikrishna and Vidit Gujrathi. While Adhiban has been the mainstay scoring four points out of his five games, Surya Shekhar Ganguly and S P Sethuraman have chipped in with important victories that helped India draw level with teams like China and England. Top seeds Russia are firmly in front on nine match points out of a possible ten and they are now followed by India and England with seven points each. The United States are not too far behind on six points, a point clear of defending champion China and Iran. Kazakhstan and Sweden share the seventh spot on four points each while Azerbaijan, is on three. While it has been a good going for team India, the tougher part comes now. A victory .

ISL: It's all or nothing as Bengaluru take on NorthEast (Preview)

Bengaluru FC have fought and won many battles at home, but the biggest one awaits them on Monday night when they take on NorthEast United FC in the decisive second leg semi-final of the Indian Super League at the Sree Kanteerava stadium here.

BPCL, PSB storm into semi-finals

Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) and Punjab and Sind Bank entered the semi finals of the 53rd All India Bombay Gold Cup hockey championship here on Sunday. On Tuesday, Punjab and Sind Bank would meet South Central Railway in the first semi-final while Bharat Petroleum would clash with defending champions Indian Oil in the second semi-final, in a repeat of last years final. On Sunday, Bharat Petroleum played well and stormed to a 6-3 victory against a spirited Uttar Pradesh XI in the last quarter final game. The highlight of BPCLs win were the double strikes from Md. Amir Khan (3rd & 31st minutes) and Gurpreet Singh (36th & 55th minutes) which put their team firmly in control and secured their big win. Tushar Khandkar (15th minute) and Shakir Hussain (60th minute) scored a goal each to play perfect supporting roles. Uttar Pradesh struck through a brace from Deepak Yadav (41st & 57th minutes) and Iktidar Ishrat (37th minute). Earlier, PSB proved too ..

Kavinder fetches gold, 4 silver medals for India at Finland boxing tourney

Kavinder Singh Bisht (56kg) struck gold while Shiva Thapa (60kg) and three others claimed silver medals to end a fine Indian campaign at the 38th GeeBee Boxing Tournament in Helsinki, Finland on Sunday. Signing off with silver medals were three-time Asian medallist Shiva Thapa (60kg), rookie Govind Sahani (49kg), Commonwealth Games bronze-medallist Mohammed Hussamuddin (56kg) and Dinesh Dagar (69kg). In a rare all-Indian final, a gritty Bisht was up against Commonwealth Games bronze-medallist Hussamuddin in the 56kg summit clash. Both the boxers are from the Services Sports Control Board (SSCB) and the familiarity with each others' techniques was apparent in the intense bout. But it proved to be Bisht's day and the Navyman overcame a cut sustained above his right eye in the final round to emerge triumphant against his Army rival. The boxer from Uttarakhand is a world championship quarterfinalist in the flyweight category and this was his maiden international gold after making the jump

India challenge ends at German Junior

Indian challenge ended at German Junior Open after women's doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Varshini Viswanath Sri suffered a straight-game loss at the semifinals in Berlin, Germany on Sunday. Treesa and Varshini stunned second seeded Denmark's Christine Bush and Amalie Schulz 21-14 21-18 to enter the semifinals. But the Indian pair lost 16-21 14-21 to third seeded Chinese combination of Guo Lizhi and Li Yijing next to bring the curtains on India's campaign. Earlier, singles players Meiraba Luwang, Gayatri Gopichand and Vaishnavi Jakka Reddy suffered losses in different rounds of the tournament. While Meiraba went down fighting 14-21 21-12 16-21 to top seeded Indonesian Syabda Perkasa Belawa in the quarterfinals, Gayatri lost 5-21 17-21 to third seed Putri Kusuma Wardani of Indonesia and Vaishnavi went down 13-21 20-22 to 10th seeded Chinese Han Qianxi in the prequarterfinals.

Rajiv Sethu earns more points for Honda Racing India in first

Rajiv Sethu of Idemitsu Honda Racing India team came up with a masterful performance to earn three more points with a 13th-place finish in the second race of the opening round of FIM Asia Road Racing Championship at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia. After gaining seven points Saturday, the Honda Racing India team took its tally to 10 to be among the top 6 teams of AP 250 class. In today's race, there was trouble for Rajiv Sethu from the first lap. Despite a great start which took him to 5th spot, he suffered the collateral damage from the crash of Indonesian rider duo Irfan Ardiansyah and Rafid Topan before him and crashed. Determined to finish the race, the Chennai rider resumed from back of the pack at 23rd spot and recovered to cross the finish line at 13th. "This weekend I really gave it my all. Today I was totally focused, as I wanted to be in the top bunch right from the start. While I could do that, but I couldn't save from Indonesian riders crash ...

Rohit, Dhawan power India to 358/9 vs Australia

Riding openers', Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan, scintillating knocks, India posted a mammoth 358/9 against Australia in the fourth One-Day International (ODI) contest of the five-match rubber, here on Sunday.

Players need to be careful of injuries during IPL: Harbhajan

Top Indian players like skipper Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah need to be careful not to get injured or pick up niggles during the IPL that precedes the ICC World Cup this year, feels Harbhajan Singh. Saying the mega event, commencing on May 30 in England, is still some way off, the former India off spinner said Kohli's men will go into it with their confidence high by winning the ongoing ODI series against Australia and becoming the top ranked team in the world. "World Cup is still very far. We will have to wait and watch what happens. But this is a kind of a team which can lift any major championship. World Cup or any big tournament, - they can definitely win. They have the team (for it)", Harbhajan told PTI here on Sunday. "But they have to be careful. IPL is a tournament in between where they will be playing a lot of cricket, one game after the other. That's where fitness will come into play. "You don't want your key players to get injured someone like Virat Kohli, ...

Dhawan, Rohit flay Australia as India score 358/9

Shikhar Dhawan ended his prolonged bad patch with a career-best 143 off 115 balls and in Rohit Sharma's company guided India to a commanding 358/9 in the fourth ODI against Australia here Sunday. India looked a completely different side with opening duo putting on 193 runs on arguably the flattest track on offer during the ongoing series. While Dhawan got his 16th hundred in ODIs, vice-captain Rohit (95 off 92 balls) missed out on what could have been a very well-deserved 23rd hundred with Australian bowlers looking like lambs for slaughter. Pat Cummins (5/70 in 10 overs) and Jhye Richardson (3/85 in 9 overs) shared the spoils but were taken to task by the Indian openers for their wayward bowling. Dhawan, who last reached a three-figure mark against Pakistan in an Asia Cup match in September 2018, was in fluent touch from the onset, hitting 18 fours and three sixes. It released the pressure on Rohit, who initially was watchful even as Dhawan went after the bowling. With another ...

Mandhana breaks into top three in T20I batting rankings

India opener Smriti Mandhana broke into the top three of the ICC Womens Twenty20 International batting rankings, released on Sunday.

Mushtaq: K'taka maul Delhi by 8 wickets; Bengal, Vidarbha win

A formidable Karnataka continued their winning streak in the Super League stages of the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy after they trounced Delhi by 8 wickets in Group B match here on Sunday. Earlier, Karnataka had beaten domestic giants Mumbai and Uttar Pradesh in their previous two Super League stage matches of the national T20 tournament. It was an all-round show from Karnataka where right- arm medium pacer Koushik V shone with the ball and later Mayank Agarwal and Karun Nair remained unbeaten as Karnataka chased the 110-run target with utmost ease. Karnataka bowlers justified their skipper's decision to invite Delhi to bat first at the Emerald Heights International School Ground. Koushik (4-19) and leg-spinner K C Cariappa (3-15) wreaked havoc as Delhi was restricted to a meagre 109/9 in their 20 overs. Apart from Nitish Rana (37 off 29 balls) and Lalit Yadav (33 off 40 balls), no other Delhi batsman showed spine as Koushik and Cariappa rattled their top and middle ...