Page 702 - Sports
Last-place Guingamp eliminate PSG from French League Cup
Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain were stunned 2-1 by last-place Guingamp in the French League Cup quarterfinals.
BCCI announces fixtures for home series against Australia
India are slated to play home series against Australia from February 24 to March 13."The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Cricket Australia announce the schedule for the upcoming home series against Australia set to be played from February 24 to March 13, 2019. The series will comprise two T20Is that will start at 1 PM (IST) and five ODIs, which will start from 7 PM (IST)," a BCCI statement said on Thursday.The two-match T20Is will be played on February 24 in Bengaluru and February 27 in Visakhapatnam, followed by five-match ODIs on March 2 in Hyderabad, March 5 in Nagpur, March 8 in Ranchi, March 10 in Mohali and March 13 in Delhi.India are preparing to take on Australia in their away series. The first ODI will be played on January 12 at Sydney, followed by second ODI on January 15 at Adelaide and third ODI on January 18 at Melbourne.
Australia to play 2 T20Is, 5 ODIs in India
Australia will begin their India tour with a Twenty20 International (T20I) in Bengaluru on February 24 and will also play five ODIs from March 2, it was announced on Thursday.
Atletico Madrid, Girona play to 1-1 draw in Copa del Rey
Atletico Madrid's struggles against Girona continued with the two teams playing to a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their Copa del Rey round-of-16 series.
Seppi knocks out Tsitsipas to reach Sydney International semis
Veteran Italian tennis player Andreas Seppi advanced to the Sydney International semifinals after defeating top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas at Ken Rosewall Arena on Thursday.
Man City crush lowly Burton to grab Carabao Cup final berth
Manchester City dismantled third-division side Burton Albion F.C. 9-0 in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semifinal tie.
Nadal ends first practice session in Melbourne without discomfort
Spanish world No 2 Rafael Nadal held his first training session in Melbourne on Thursday as he prepares for the Australian Open, which starts next week.
New high for 'Magnificent Mary', becomes world No.1 in AIBA rankings
The celebrated M C Mary Kom's unprecedented sixth world title triumph has propelled her to the number one position in the International Boxing Association's (AIBA) latest world rankings. The diminutive Manipuri became the most successful boxer in world championships' history when she claimed the 48kg category top honours in November last year in Delhi. In the updated rankings put out by AIBA, Mary Kom is placed top of the charts in the weight division with 1700 points. The 36-year-old will have to jump to 51kg in pursuit of her 2020 Olympic dream as 48kg is not yet included in the Games roster. The mother-of-three enjoyed a stellar 2018, picking up gold medals at the Commonwealth Games and a tournament in Poland. She also won a silver at the prestigious Strandja Memorial in Bulgaria. Among other Indians, Pinki Jangra is placed eighth in the 51kg category list. Asian silver-medallist Manisha Maun holds the same position in the 54kg category. Former world silver-medallist Sonia Lather ..
Never seen a batsman concentrate like Pujara and that includes Tendulkar, says Langer
Australia coach Justin Langer Thursday said he has never seen a batsman concentrate as hard as India's Test star Cheteshwar Pujara, who beats even the great Sachin Tendulkar in that aspect. India won the four-match Test series 2-1 against Australia with Pujara fetching the man of the series award with a total of 521 runs, including three hundreds. Speaking for the first time since the visiting team's maiden Test triumph on Australian soil, Langer said Pujara's concentration was a challenge for his bowlers. "...I have never seen a batsman watch the ball as closely as he (Pujara) does, and that includes Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid. His concentration was a challenge. And we have to keep getting better just like him, all our batsmen and bowlers," Langer said. Langer said his bowlers were stretched to the limit in the Test series, especially in Melbourne and Sydney. "The guys are working very hard and they are going okay. The first innings in Melbourne and Sydney, honestly, sucked ...
WBBL semi-finals to be played in Sydney
The first ever standalone Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) semi-finals will be played at Drummoyne Oval in Sydney, scheduled on January 19.Sydney Thunder are the ladder toppers and only second-ranked Sydney Sixers can displace them, this ensures that the hosting rights of semi-final doubleheader has been given to Sydney, Cricket Australia reported on Thursday.The highest-ranked qualifier of the tournament will then earn the right to host the final on January 26, which means even if the teams who finish third and fourth win their semi-final, the decider will be played at the home of the third-ranked team.International commitments have hit this season as players from India, England and New Zealand have to return home before the end of the tournament. As an outcome, the next season of WBBL will move to a separate window from October to December and before the start of Big Bash League.
Nobody is guaranteed World Cup flight to England: Rohit Sharma
India batsman Rohit Sharma on Thursday said that everybody has to be in prime form in order to take part in the ICC World Cup, scheduled for May 30 to July 14 in England and Wales."Nobody is guaranteed that (World Cup) flight to England as yet. We have to be in prime form. Each and every player who will be taking part in the World Cup is aware of the fact that we need to keep performing and make sure that we are ready for the World cup," the Hitman told the media.More or less the composition of the team is expected to be the same. However, Sharma acknowledges that "there will be one or two changes keeping in mind form and injury concerns over the next few months. But I don't see any drastic change in the squad. But I still feel everything will depend on the form of each player."Showering praises on legendary cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the top-order batsman said that the former captain brings in calmness in the group and helps the current captain, Virat Kohli."With him (Dhoni) ...
Man City hit nine past Burton to cruise towards League Cup final
Holders Manchester City can look forward to defending the League Cup in next month's final at Wembley as Gabriel Jesus struck four goals in a 9-0 thrashing of Burton Albion in their semi-final, first leg. Kevin de Bruyne, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Phil Foden, Kyle Walker and Riyad Mahrez were also on target against Nigel Clough's League One side as City ensured their visit to the Pirelli Stadium on January 23 is a mere formality. After also thrashing Rotherham 7-0 in the FA Cup on Sunday with a much-changed side, Pep Guardiola was able to again hand a rest to a number of his key players but named a strong side with De Bruyne continuing his comeback from injury. And the Belgian set the tone for the evening by heading City into a fifth-minute lead as he timed his run into the box perfectly to head home David Silva's cross. Clough admitted before the game it would take a "miracle" for Burton to blunt the Premier League champions' might over two legs. So it proved, but the visitors missed a ...
Djokovic and Halep top seeds at Australian Open
World number ones Novak Djokovic and Simona Halep were named top seeds on Thursday for next week's Australian Open, with 23-time major winner Serena Williams lurking at 16 on the women's side. Djokovic heads long-time rival Rafael Nadal and defending champion Roger Federer, with young-gun Alexander Zverev seeded four as he targets a maiden Grand Slam title. The Serbian world number one is aiming to make history by claiming a record seventh Australian Open crown when the tournament starts at Melbourne Park on Monday, as is Swiss legend Federer. The pair face a stern challenge from Zverev, the torch-bearer for the next generation who has so far failed to get beyond the quarter-finals at any major. With world number five Juan Martin del Potro missing through injury, South Africa's Kevin Anderson is elevated to fifth seed with last year's beaten finalist Marin Cilic at six. Halep takes the top seeding among the women courtesy of her world number one ranking, but she enters the tournament .
Pacquiao plays down presidency talk, eyes on Broner
Manny Pacquiao played down reports linking him to a bid for the presidency of the Philippines, insisting he remained solely focused on the twilight of his boxing career. The 40-year-old boxer, already a member of the Philippines Senate, has been repeatedly linked to a future run for the presidency in his homeland where he remains a national hero. However Pacquiao told reporters on Wednesday he had put any future political aspirations on hold as he prepares to defend his World Boxing Association regular welterweight title against Adrien Broner on January 19 in Las Vegas. "A lot of people are saying that I can be the next President," Pacquiao told AFP. "But I'm not thinking about that. I don't have plans right now. Whatever path that God gives to me I will fulfill it." "Being a public servant is different from sports. It's more on the mind and a lot of problems, thinking about how to solve those problems in the country, and also to provide solution to those problems." Pacquiao is ...
Vinicius inspires Madrid to much-needed win over Leganes
Vinicius Junior starred and Real Madrid steadied the ship as a 3-0 win over Leganes put them on the brink of the Copa del Rey quarter-finals. Vinicius, the 18-year-old Brazilian signed by Madrid last summer, capped an electric display at the Santiago Bernabeu with a stunning volley, his third goal for the club and the team's third of the night. By then, Sergio Ramos had converted a first-half penalty and Lucas Vazquez doubled the advantage to set Madrid on their way to a much-needed first victory of 2019. It will take a seismic comeback for Leganes to overturn the deficit in next week's second leg but more important to coach Santiago Solari was the rhythm regained, following two La Liga games without a victory. The home crowd, who had whistled and waved white handkerchiefs on Sunday after the loss to Real Sociedad, were also treated to the sight of Brahim Diaz making his debut, the 19-year-old coming off the bench following his move from Manchester City. Vinicius was the shining ...
PSG stunned in League Cup quarters by struggling Guingamp
Paris Saint-Germain saw their 43-match winning run in domestic cup competitions come to an end as Thomas Tuchel's men suffered a shock 2-1 home defeat by Ligue 1 bottom club Guingamp in the French League Cup quarter-finals. The visitors were awarded three penalties at the Parc des Princes in a dramatic second half, as PSG failed in their bid for a sixth straight League Cup title. It was only a second defeat in all competitions this season for the capital club, after a 3-2 loss to Liverpool at Anfield in the Champions League last September. Guingamp, who have won just two league games all season, join Monaco, Strasbourg and Bordeaux in the semi-finals. "We came here to win and we know it's very difficult here," said Marcus Thuram, the son of 1998 World Cup winner Lilian Thuram, who scored the winner. "We know that in the Cup anything can happen... We knew how to hinder PSG." Neymar broke the deadlock in the 63rd minute after Thuram missed from the spot, but Guingamp rallied, with ...
Lebanon coach slams referee after Asian Cup defeat
Lebanon coach Miodrag Radulovic said his team were playing "against 12 or 13" as he slammed the referee in an extended rant after Asian Cup defeat by Qatar. Radulovic said Chinese referee Ma Ning had ruined Lebanon's chances by ruling out a first-half goal which would have put them 1-0 up against the 2022 World Cup hosts. Qatar eventually won the Group E game 2-0 after second-half goals from Bassam Al-Rawi and Almoez Ali, leaving Lebanon waiting for their first ever Asian Cup win. "It's difficult to talk after such a game because I teach my team to play 11 against 11 players, but (this was) 11 against 12 or 13, meaning the referees," fumed the Montenegrin. "When you play... perfect, tactically disciplined, you score 1-0 and they steal our goal, it's very difficult to continue after that," he added. Ali Hamam's volley on 39 minutes was ruled out for a shove by Lebanon's George Felix Melki, a decision that enraged the animated Radulovic on the touchline. Qatar finally got their ...
Mardy Fish named skipper of US Davis Cup team
Mardy Fish, the former world number seven tennis player, has been named as US captain for the first edition of the new-look Davis Cup.
We have our plans in place for UAE: Defender Pritam Kotal
After a comprehensive 4-1 victory against Thailand in the first league match of the ongoing AFC Asian Cup, Indian defender Pritam Kotal feels that India are well-prepared to take on hosts UAE in their next match.Kotal, who played a stellar role as a right wing-back for India keeping Thailand's Chanathip Songskrasin quiet in the previous game, said that the team has made specific plans for the hosts."We have our plans for the UAE game. You will be able to see them while we implement it on the pitch. They are a very good side. We have a lot of respect for them. But we are ready to give it a real fight," Kotal said.When asked if India views UAE as their toughest opponents in the group stage, Kotal expressed "every match is a difficult one."'"You can't really say which match is tough. Before the Thailand game, would anybody have said that it was going to be easy? Every match is tough. We expect UAE to be a tough game too. They are the hosts. We have to fight in every game and aim to take .
Khelo: Delhi wrestlers give them early edge in medals race
Records fell like nine pins in the weightlifting competition as the Khelo India Youth Games formally started here Wednesday. On an action-packed day, three of the four categories in weightlifting saw new records. Maharashtra won three of the four gold medals, while Odisha through Bhaktaram Desti in men's 49 kg in Under-17 category got their first gold of the Games, a media release said. If Maharashtra dominated weightlifting winning three of the four gold, Delhi dominated Greco-Roman wrestling winning five of the 10 gold medals. In wrestling, Haryana won two gold medals, while Maharashtra, Manipur and Punjab accounted for one each. In Gymnastics, late on Tuesday night, Uttar Pradesh through Mohammed Rafey and West Bengal through Prathista Samanta won one gold each, while on Wednesday in the Under-17 all-round Rhythmic gymnastics, Bavleen Kaur gave Jammu and Kashmir their first gold. Manipur's lone winner in wrestling was Khundongbam Loyangamba Singh (U17: 51kg ...