Page 678 - Sports

Late winner as Aussies down Syria to go through

Tom Rogic's injury-time thunderbolt settled an Asian Cup thriller on Tuesday as defending champions Australia beat Syria 3-2 to reach the last 16 and knock out their war-torn rivals. The result meant the holders finished second in Group B behind Jordan, whose simultaneous 0-0 draw with Palestine gave the Palestinians hope of qualifying as one of the best third-placed teams. Syria, vocally backed by thousands of their fans in Al Ain, twice fought back from a goal behind before Rogic slammed home the winner in the third minute of injury time. Injury-hit Australia, with only six outfield players on the bench, needed just a draw to go through as they kicked off at the same time as Jordan against Palestine. Syria looked an early threat before Australia started to get a grip on the game and Hibernian striker Jamie Maclaren flashed a header just wide. There was drama on the half-hour when a Syrian free-kick bounced through a packed penalty area and into the net, but the goal was ruled out ..

AIFF thanks outgoing coach Constantine

All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Praful Patel thanked outgoing coach Stephen Constantine for his contribution to the national team.

Pooja leads debutant MP Yodha to first PWL win

MP Yodha captain Pooja Dhanda lived up to her favourite tag as she overcame a strong challenge from Romanian Katherina Zhydachivska of Delhi Sultans 6-0 and paved the way for her teams first win in the Pro Wrestling League (PWL) season 4 currently underway at the Tau Devi Lal Indoor Stadium here on Tuesday.

Solari hopes Benzema will play in La Liga clash vs Sevilla

Spanish football giants Real Madrid coach Santiago Solari said Tuesday that French striker Karim Benzema will not undergo surgery for a fracture in the phalanx of his fifth finger on his right hand.

AIFF thanks Constantine for his contribution to Indian football

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Praful Patel on Tuesday thanked former coach Stephen Constantine for his contribution to THE game in the country. Constantine, who had taken over as the head coach of the senior men's Indian national team in February 2015, announced his decision to step down after India bowed out of the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2015 on Monday. Constantine's contract with the AIFF ran till January 31. "It's been a wonderful journey. We have travelled a long distance together, and the world has seen it all. I would like to wish Stephen all the very best for the future, and thank him for all his efforts and contribution towards Indian football," Patel said in a statement. AIFF general secretary Kushal Das added: "We respect and accept his decision. I would like to thank Stephen for guiding us through a very critical phase in Indian football. "Under his guidance we witnessed some of the most successful days in Indian football in recent times. It's time for ...

Atletico coach not focused on possible team transfers

Atletico Madrid head coach Diego Simeone said on Tuesday he was not thinking about the current transfer window as decisions on who will be traded and kept on Atletico are not completely up to him.

TVS rider Aravind picks momentum in Stage 7 of 2019 Dakar Rally

Seasoned Indian rider Aravind K.P. successfully navigated his way through the dust left behind by the preceding riders to finish the Stage 7 at the 46th position even as his two remaining Sherco TVS Rally Factory teammates also completed the stage.

Khelo Basketball: Contrasting wins for champs Punjab & Kerala

Defending champions Punjab boys and Kerala girls registered contrasting wins in the Under-17 section in the basketball event of the Khelo India Games here. In a Pool A encounter, Punjab logged a huge 30-point win over Tamil Nadu winning 92-62 with skipper Rajan (27 points), Navkiran Singh (16 points) and Manpreet Singh (16 points) standing out, a media release said. Kerala eves fought off resistance from Rajasthan in Pool A to force a three-point win - 57-54. Meanwhile, hosts Maharashtra had mixed fortune. The Under-17 boys went down to Haryana 55-81, while the girls lost to Tamil Nadu 63-71 to draw a blank in the section. However, it was the Under-21 section that brought cheers late in the day. The boys downed Uttar Pradesh 74-67, while the girls had it easy against Gujarat 83-41.

Khelo: Odisha crowned champions of Under-21 men's category

Odisha were Tuesday crowned as the champions after defeating Haryana 4-2 in the penalty shootout in the final of the Under-21 men's hockey competition of the Khelo India Games. The scores were tied at 2-2 after the end of regulation time, which resulted in the penalty shootout where Ashis Topno, Gregory Xess, Shilanand Lakra and Dipsan Tirkey converted for Odisha while only Kuldeep and Yashdeep Siwach could score for Haryana, a statement by Hockey India said. In the bronze medal match, it was Punjab who registered a 2-0 victory in the penalty shootout against Uttar Pradesh after both the teams were tied at 1-1 after all four quarters. Meanwhile, in the Under-17 women's competition, Jharkhand defeated Delhi 11-0 in Pool A match. In another Pool A match, it was Punjab who came out on top against Chandigarh by 4-3. Matches in Pool B saw Mizoram and Haryana register victories in their respective matches. While Mizoram defeated hosts Maharashtra by 5-1, Haryana registered a ..

Kashyap enters main draw of Malaysia Masters

Indian shuttler Parupalli Kashyap entered the main draw of the Malaysia Masters 2019 after defeating Vladimir Malkov of Russia 21-12 21-17 in straight games in the men's singles qualification round here on Tuesday. Kashyap, who recently married London Olympics bronze medallist Saina Nehwal, will take on Rasmus Gemke from Denmark in the opening round of the BWF World Tour Super 500 event at the Axiata Arena on Wednesday. But it was curtains for Subhankar Dey as he lost 18-21 13-21 to Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk of Thailand in another men's singles qualification match. Indian women shuttlers, Rituparna Das and Mughda Agrey, too bowed out in the qualification round. While Rituparna lost 13-21 24-26 to Indonesia's Ruselli Hartawan, her compatriot Mugdha was shown the door 17-21 21-18 19-21 by Switzerland's Sabrina Jaquet. In the women's singles opening round on Wednesday, Kashyap's wife Saina Nehwal, seeded seventh, will be up against Xuan Deng Joy of Hong Kong.

Australian Open: Simona Halep clears first hurdle

World number one Simona Halep cleared the first hurdle of her campaign at the Australian Open with a thrilling victory over Estonian player Kaia Kanepi at the Margaret Court Arena on Tuesday.Halep rallied from a set down to defeat Kanepi 6-7(2), 6-4, 6-2, booking her spot in the second round.In spite of trailing by a set and a break after losing serve in the third game of the second set, the Romanian bounced back to dominate Kanepi and didn't look back for the rest of the match."I can take a lot of confidence because it is not easy facing Kaia. It was a great match; I think both of us played really well for first round. It was a tough draw, but for sure, it is really important for me coming not very confident into this tournament," Australian Open quoted Halep, as saying.Halep, who rested up in the off-season after a lower back injury curtailed her 2018 campaign, added: "I just took the risk coming late here, no regrets, staying home more because I wanted. I felt like I need."The top .

Langer hails Kohli, compares him with Tendulkar

Comparing Virat Kohli with Sachin Tendulkar, Australia coach Justin Langer said the Indian captain's balance while shot-making in all formats of the game is "unbelievable".

2nd ODI: Dhoni, Kohli power India to series levelling win (Intro Roundup)

Mahendra Singh Dhoni silenced his critics with a brisk unbeaten half-century while skipper Virat Kohli scored a century as India clinched a series levelling six-wicket win in the second ODI against Australia here on Tuesday.

I have been given the role of a finisher: Karthik

Dinesh Karthik on Tuesday said the Indian team management has asked him to play the role of a finisher after his cameo helped the side win over Australia in the second ODI here.

Golfers Diksha, Sifat to debut at Hero WPT season opener

As many as six of the seven golfers who have recently turn professional will figure in the first leg of the Hero women's Pro Golf Tour that starts at the Poona Club Golf course here from Wednesday.

Retired Sardar Singh named in selection committee of Hockey India

Former captain Sardar Singh has been included in a 13-member Hockey India selection committee, to be headed by B P Govinda, a member of the 1975 World Cup winning team. Sardar, who wanted to continue playing till the 2020 Tokyo Olympics but was forced to quit after a disappointing Asian Games campaign last year, confirmed the development. "Yes, I was offered the role and I accepted it. It is a new challenge for me and I am always eager to serve Indian hockey in any way I can," Sardar told PTI on Tuesday. "It's a completely different challenge and an exciting one. All these years I served as a player now I got the opportunity to serve from the other side of the table." The selection committee also includes Harbinder Singh, Syed Ali, A B Subbaiah, R P Singh, Rajnish Mishra, Joydeep Kaur, Surender Kaur, Asunta Lakra, High Performance Director David John and chief coaches of the senior men's and women's teams. Having been on the other side of the pitch just a few months back, Sardar very .

Sudha, Panwar rescue Uttarakhand

Middle-order batsman Avneesh Sudha hit a patient 91 to guide Uttarakhand to a respectable 293 for six against reigning champions Vidarbha on day one of their Ranji Trophy quarter-final here on Tuesday. Put in to bat at the Vidarbha Cricket Association's Stadium in Jamtha, Uttarakhand lost their skipper and opener Vineet Saxena (5) early after he was cleaned up by medium pacer Rajneesh Gurbani. The visitors were in a spot of bother as they lost two more wickets in quick succession - Vaibhav Bhatt (5) and Karnaveer Kaushal (31) - and were reduced to 44 for 3. But then Sudha, a right-handed batsman, along with Vaibhav Singh Panwar (67 off 128 balls) resurrected the visitors' innings and steadied their ship. The duo conjured a crucial 140-run stand for the fourth wicket to bail the side out of trouble and frustrate the Vidarbha bowlers. Sudha, in his 180-ball innings, struck 14 boundaries. The stand was broken when Panwar, who hit 12 boundaries in his knock, was dismissed ...

Gunners' Cech to retire from football at end of season

Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech on Tuesday decided to call it a day from football at the end of the season.

Pakistan Hockey Federation turns to government for financial aid

The Pakistan Hockey Federation has again turned to the government for a grant of 120 million rupees to help send its team for the FIH Pro League hockey events in Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and Europe. Acting secretary Ayaz Mahmood told a news conference in Lahore on Tuesday that PHF needed urgent funds if it was to complete its Pro League commitments. "We have asked the government for a special grant of 120 million rupees because we only have around 15 million rupees in our account, Mahmood, a former Olympian, said. "If we don't get the grant than we might not be able to send the team for all Pro League events and that could lead to a two-year ban on us from the FIH for not meeting our commitments as a full member of the FIH," he said. Pakistan's first Pro League commitment is in Argentina next month for two matches. "If we don't participate in the Pro League which is a direct qualifier for the next Olympic Games it will also bring a bad name to Pakistan hockey," Mahmood ...

Ominous Serena, Djokovic make Open statements

A focused Serena Williams sent an ominous Australian Open warning with a 49-minute first-round demolition Tuesday as world number one Novak Djokovic destroyed his opponent as he targets a record seventh title. US Open champion Naomi Osaka also stormed through, but world number one Simona Halep was lucky to stay alive, needing to dig deep and claw back from a set down before beating Kaia Kanepi 6-7 (2/7), 6-4, 6-2. American giant Williams is bidding to match Margaret Court's record of 24 Grand Slam crowns on her first return to Melbourne Park since winning in 2017 while eight weeks pregnant. Now 37, she kept a low profile in the lead-up to the opening major of the year and came out of the blocks flying against fellow mum Tatjana Maria, pummelling her German opponent 6-0, 6-2. Sporting a striking jade green jumpsuit and fine mesh stockings on Rod Laver Arena, the 16th seed wasted no time in getting out of the blistering Melbourne heat and said it was good to be back. "The last time I ...