Page 570 - Sports
Ronaldo on target as Juventus cruise before Atletico showdown
Cristiano Ronaldo set up Paulo Dybala to score early and added one himself with defender Leonardo Bonucci also on target as Juventus surged 14 points clear in Serie A with a 3-0 win over lowly Frosinone. Coach Massimiliano Allegri was taking no chances, even against a side sitting second bottom of the table, ahead of next week's Champions League last 16, first-leg tie at Atletico Madrid. Dybala returned to the front line alongside Ronaldo and Mario Mandzukic with key defenders Bonnucci and Giorgio Chiellini both back from injury. "The team is growing in terms of fitness, it's a decisive moment for the season," said Allegri. Juventus are building towards next week's game in Madrid and a top-of-the table clash against Napoli in the San Paolo Stadium on March 3. "We struggled a bit after the winter break but now we are ready to face this important moment of the season both in the championship and the Champions League," added Allegri. Juventus remain unbeaten this season but the reigning .
Scott, Thomas lead at rain-hit Riviera
Australia's Adam Scott and American Justin Thomas topped the leaderboard at 10-under par when darkness halted play in the second round of the weather-disrupted Genesis Open. Scott and Thomas both posted five-under par 66s on Friday, and each was five-under for the second round when darkness fell on another rainy day at Riviera Country Club, where organizers were scrambling to get the tournament back on track for a Sunday finish after a seven-hour weather delay on Thursday. Tournament host Tiger Woods made little headway on the marathon day, struggling with the putter in a one-under first round and still one-under, tied for 55th, through 12 holes of the second. "It was a tough day," Woods said. "I'm stiff right now. It got pretty chilly towards the end, the ball wasn't going very far." Woods strung together four birdies in a row in the middle of his first round, but his troubles on the greens kept him from building any momentum. "I putted awful today," said Woods, whose 44-foot eagle ..
Bayern fight back twice in Liverpool tune-up win
Bayern Munich conceded the fastest own-goal in Bundesliga history and twice had to equalise before securing a 3-2 win at Augsburg in their final tune-up before their Champions League tie at Liverpool. Ahead of Tuesday's last 16, first-leg clash at Anfield, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp will have watched with interest how Augsburg, who sit just above the Bundesliga relegation places, caused Bayern a few problems. The away league win Friday means defending champions Bayern trimmed the gap to just two points behind leaders Borussia Dortmund, who are at bottom side Nuremberg on Monday. With one eye on Anfield, Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer returned after three games out with a thumb injury, but conceded two goals in the opening 24 minutes -- the first after just 13 seconds. Leon Goretzka claimed an unwanted record for the Bundesliga's fastest own-goal when he turned the ball into his own net. "I can't remember a worst start from us," admitted Bayern coach Niko Kovac. "We have to play much .
Lyon ready for 'game of season' with Barcelona after Guingamp win
Lyon edged rock-bottom Guingamp 2-1 in Ligue 1 with a fabulous winner from captain Nabil Fekir, just days ahead of Barcelona's visit for a Champions League clash. Lyon consolidated third place Friday in Ligue 1 while resting a couple of key players and even taking their foot off the gas with Barcelona in mind. "It's our game of the year, it'll be a big match, but we often do well in them," Lyon president Jean Michel Aulas told French TV. "Bruno (Genesio the Lyon coach) takes tactical risks and we have surprised (Manchester) City before, and this stadium was built for matches like this," he added on their 60,000-capacity home. "Many of the players had Tuesday on their minds but with Barcelona coming that's normal," said Genesio, mastermind of the four points Lyon took off City in the group phase to squeeze into the last-16. "We have some doubts still about who is playing on Tuesday, but you'll have to wait until Monday to find out," Genesio added. Ahead of their Sunday game with Saint .
Battle for pride as Aizawl host Mohun Bagan
In a battle, mainly for pride, two former champions Aizawl FC and Mohun Bagan will lock horns in a return leg for the 12th I-League at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Aizawl on February 16.Hosts Aizawl are seventh on the points table with 14 points from 15 games, having picked up five points since their new coach Stanley Rosario took over.Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan, on the other hand, are currently sixth after 16 games with 23 points and they will give it their all to finish as high up the table as possible in the closing stages of the league.Aizawl go into the game as clear favourites as their first leg in Kolkata ended in a 2-2 draw, thanks to a brilliant free-kick by David and that was probably the game which started Bagan's slide.Mizoram team has also defeated Minerva Punjab FC in their previous match, which would boost their confidence, while Bagan have lost one and drawn two.Kolkata team still look formidable though, what with an attack comprising of players like Cameroon striker ...
ISL: Blasters end win drought in style
Kerala Blasters FC notched up only their second win of the current Indian Super League season after a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Chennaiyin FC here on Friday.
Kerala Blasters FC beat Chennaiyin FC 3-0
: Kerala Blasters FC notched only its second win of the Indian Super League season after a comprehensive 3-0 win over rivals Chennaiyin FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium here Friday. Matej Poplatnik scored a brace (23rd and 55th minutes) to put Kerala Blasters in the driving seat and young midfielder Sahal Abdul Samad finished things off in the 71st minute to score his first ever ISL goal and end his team's 14-game winless run. On the other hand, Chennaiyin saw it nightmare season continue after their 12th loss. They are rooted to the bottom spot with eight points from 16 games, while Kerala have climbed to the eighth spot. The visitors never really got going and were on the backfoot right from the start. Chennaiyin custodian Karanjit Singh was called into action twice early in the game as Kerala imposed themselves. Slavisa Stojanovic's shot from the edge of the box was saved by Karanjit and he had to be alert to block the follow-up effort from Poplatnik as well. But ...
Defending champions Railways enter semifinals of Senior Nationals Hockey
Defending champions Railway Sports Promotion Board, Hockey Haryana, Hockey Madhya Pradesh and Hockey Maharashtra advanced to the semifinals of the 9th Senior Women National Championship 2019 (A Division) after winning their respective matches here on Friday. In the first quarterfinal, Railway Sports Promotion Board secured a 7-0 victory over Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy to enter the semifinals. The defending champions produced a brilliant display with goals from Vandana Katariya (30th minute, 60th), Navneet Kaur (36th, 51st), Gurjit Kaur (11th), Navjot Kaur (13th) and Neha (54th). In the second quarterfinal, Hockey Haryana produced an emphatic 8-3 win over Hockey Jharkhand to book their semifinal berth. In the third quarterfinal, Hockey Madhya Pradesh defeated Hockey Karnataka 1-0. The only goal of the match came in the 30th minute through Jyoti Pal. The fourth quarterfinal saw Hockey Maharashtra come back from a goal-down to beat Hockey Punjab 3-1. Hockey Punjab scored the first ...
Pro-Volleyball league shifts to Chennai
: The inaugural Pro-Volleyball League shifts to Chennai after the first leg in Kochi, with a match between Chennai Spartans and U Mumbai Volley at the Nehru indoor stadium here Saturday. Three preliminary league matches, two semifinals and the final will be held here. Also, in a bid to promote womens volleyball in India, the PVL organisers have organised an All-Star Women Volleyball match to be played on the final day (February 22). The match will serve as a platform to showcase the Indian women volleyball talent and will be played between Team Blue and Team Yellow. PVL CEO Joy Bhattacharjya said, "It is a milestone moment for us as this will be the first ever Womens All-Star match in India for any other sport league except cricket." Chennai Spartans require to win one of their remaining two matches to qualify for the semifinals. Spartans, who have one win (2 points) in three outings, will play back-to-back at the weekend, against U Mumbai Volley and Ahmedabad Defenders ..
South Africa ahead against Sri Lanka after burst of wickets
South Africa took three Sri Lankan wickets in three overs to finish in a strong position on the third day of the first Test on Friday. Sri Lanka, needing 304 to win, were 83 for three at the close, 221 runs short of their target. The tourists started their chase promisingly in Durban, with captain Dimuth Karunaratne and Lahiru Thirimanne putting on 42 for the first wicket but both openers were out in the space of five balls, to be followed shortly afterwards by Kusal Mendis. Thirimanne fell for 21 to a sharp catch at second slip by South African captain Faf du Plessis when he edged an extravagant drive against Kagiso Rabada. Karunaratne was out for 20 in the next over, leg before wicket to Vernon Philander for the second time in the match. As in the first innings it was a tight decision which Karunaratne reviewed. Replays showed it was "umpire's call" with the ball flicking the bails. Duanne Olivier replaced Philander and struck with his fifth ball when Kusal Mendis flashed at a short
Embuldeniya takes five wickets in Sri Lanka debut
Sri Lankan left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya claimed a five-wicket haul on his debut and sparked a South African collapse on the third day of the first Test on Friday. Embuldeniya, 22, took five for 66 as South Africa were bowled out for 259 in their second innings, leaving Sri Lanka to get 304 to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series. Opening batsmen Dimuth Karunaratne and Lahiru Thirimanne reduced the target to 276 by adding 28 without loss by tea. South Africa were on course to set the tourists a more challenging target when they reached 251 for five, with captain Faf du Plessis and Vernon Philander looking solid in a sixth wicket partnership of 60. But Embuldeniya, who bowled with impressive control, bowled Philander to start a collapse in which the last five wickets fell for eight runs. Left-arm swing bowler Vishwa Fernando dismissed Du Plessis for 90 three overs later and the rest of the batting crumbled. Fernando took four for 71 to follow up a career-best four for 62 in ..
Footballer Sala's body arrives in Argentina
The coffin of footballer Emiliano Sala, who died in a plane crash between Nantes and Cardiff, arrived in Argentina on Friday ahead of his funeral in his hometown of Progreso. The British Airways flight carrying the body landed shortly after 9:00am (1200 GMT) at Buenos Aires airport. A van waited to drive it to funeral ceremonies in northeastern Santa Fe, the capital of Santa Fe province, before it is returned to the family for final rites on Saturday. "This is a day of historic grief for Progreso. We could never have imagined this, we are all in a state of shock," said Daniel Ribero, president of the San Martin de Progreso club, where Sala played for 10 years. Sala's body was recovered from the plane wreckage in the English Channel last week. He was flying to his new team, English Premier League side Cardiff City, from his old French club Nantes when his plane went missing on January 21. The 28-year-old died of "head and trunk injuries," an inquest in England heard on Monday. He was ..
I-League: Gokulam face Arrows with Super Cup qualification in mind (Preview)
Gokulam Kerala FC will take on the Indian Arrows in an I-League match here on Saturday with both teams now looking to finish as high on the table as possible, title aspirations having long gone.
Ridhima grabs first title of the season in fourth leg of Hero WPG Tour
Golfer Ridhima Dilawari rallied from a three-shot deficit to a three-shot win as Gaurika Bishnoi slipped on the final day of the fourth leg of the Hero womens Pro Tour at the Kalhaar Blues and Greens here on Friday.
Sindhu enters final, Chaliha wins hearts at badminton nationals
Top seed P.V. Sindhu staved off a fightback from Assams wonderkid Ashmita Chaliha to enter the final in the Yonex-Sunrise 83rd Senior National Badminton Championships here on Friday.
New kid in the block: Ashmita packs a punch at Senior Nationals
Promising Assamese player Ashmita Chaliha gave ample display of her immense talent, packing a punch during her women's singles semifinal clash with Olympic silver medallist P V Sindhu at the Senior Badminton Nationals here Friday. The 19-year-old from Guwahati, who had clinched two international titles at the Dubai Open and TATA Open in 2018, displayed a wide array of strokes and showed great temperament during her fighting 10-21 20-22 loss to Sindhu, a two-time World Championship silver medallist. Initially, the occasion seemed to have got to Ashmita as she couldn't connect her strokes and lost the opening game rather meekly. "I was nevous initially and hit out a lot and couldn't match her pace in the first game," Ashmita said later. However, with the local crowd egging her, the Assamese progidy's prowess was in full display in the second game when she fought her way from 8-13 down to not only draw level but also grab a 19-16 lead at one stage, conjuring hopes of a decider. The ...
International flavour for Race Walking Championship
The participation of walkers from countries including Portugal, Chinese Taipei and Malaysia will add an international flavour to the 6th Open National Race Walking Championship here on February 16 and 17. Around 200 walkers will take part in the championship which is a qualifying event for the world championshiop and the 2020 Olympics, Athletics Federation of India Secretary C K Valson told reporters. He said though invitations had been extended to athletes from various Asian nations they could not take part in the meet as they were preparing for the Asian race walking championship to be held in Japan next month. The meeet would serve as a trial for selection of walkers for the Asian Race Walking Championship to be held at Nomi City (Japan) on March 17. Apart from the international walkers, Indian athletes including K T Irfan and Ganapathy will be the ones to watch out for, he added. A Malaysian team, comprising a male participant and a woman walker, would be taking part
Udayan Mane delivers a top-class 67 to emerge champion
Udayan Mane delivered a top-class final round of five-under-67 to emerge champion at the Rs 30 lakh PGTI Players Championship at the Classic Golf & Country Club here on Friday. The Pune-based Udayan, playing in only his fifth season as a professional, collected seven Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points for his seventh title. The 27-year-old Udayan (71-64-71-67), who achieved his target total score of 15-under-273, climbed from fifth to second position in the 2019 PGTI Order of Merit and is likely to take a big jump in the world rankings from his current 962 when the updated list comes out on Monday. India's top golfer Shubhankar Sharma (70-68-69-67) finished joint runner-up at 14-under-274 while veteran Mukesh Kumar (71-69-69-65) of Mhow came up with a spirited 65, the best round of the day, to also bag tied second place on a topsy-turvy day that saw at least four players in the lead or the joint lead at different stages. Udayan, lying overnight second, had hit his wedges to
Sindhu, Saina set up summit clash at Senior Nationals
P V Sindhu and Saina Nehwal won their respective semifinals in contrasting fashion to set up a mouth-watering women's singles summit showdown at the 83rd Yonex-Sunrise Senior National Championship here Saturday. In a repeat of last edition's title clash at Nagpur, the two stalwarts will look to outdo each other and write another chapter in their on-field rivalry. While Sindhu overcame a challenge from Assam's promising 19-year-old Ashmita Chaliha 21-10 22-20 in the first semifinal, Saina got the better of Nagpur qualifier Vaishnavi Bhale, who was part of India's Uber Cup squad last year, 21-15 21-14 to storm into the finals. Saina had the last laugh against Sindhu in the last two encounters at the Nagpur Nationals in 2017 and the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games gold-medal match last year. While Saina has won the title in 2006, 2007 and 2018, Sindhu clinched the trophy twice, in 2011 and 2013. "It will be just another match and I don't think it will help me for All England, I will just ..
Irani Cup: Vidarbha 37/1, need 243 more runs to win
Vidarbha were 37/1 at stumps on the fourth day of the second innings, needing 243 runs to win the Irani Cup against Rest of India (RoI) here on Friday.