Page 743 - Sports
Solskjaer tells two-goal Pogba to cut out showboating
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer encouraged Paul Pogba to cut showboating from his game to recreate the "efficient" display that saw the Frenchman score twice for the second straight game in a 4-1 thrashing of Bournemouth at Old Trafford. A third consecutive victory since Solskjaer took caretaker charge until the end of the season keeps United eight points adrift of Chelsea in the fight for a top-four finish. Pogba has been key to all three wins, but this was arguably his best display as he also teed up Romelu Lukaku's fourth goal and struck the post late on to just miss out on a first career hat-trick. "That is a top, top performance for a midfield player because it's all-round: work rate, dangerous in the box, no showboating. It's touch, pass, move," said Solskjaer. "It's an efficient game and Paul knows he's at his best when it's an efficient game." The change in mood around United in the 12 days since Jose Mourinho was sacked is palpable, no more so in the performances of Pogba, who was ...
'Money' Mayweather takes on 'Ninja Boy' kickboxer in Japan rumble
US boxing superstar Floyd "Money" Mayweather fights undefeated Japanese kickboxing prodigy Tenshin Nasukawa on Monday, a New Year's Eve multi-million-dollar rumble outside Tokyo to be held under boxing rules. At 41, Mayweather is more than twice the age of his Japanese opponent, the 20-year-old known as "Ninja Boy" but will carry a more than 4kg (9lb) weight advantage into the ring. The bout in Saitama, north of Tokyo, will be fought over three rounds of three minutes but there are no judges and no winner will be declared unless there is a knockout. The bout will also not count on the record of either fighter -- allowing both men to retain their cherished unbeaten records -- and is being promoted as a pure exhibition match. It will also be boxing only -- putting Nasukawa at a disadvantage, with the kickboxer reportedly liable to a $5 million fine if he aims a kick at Mayweather. The purse has not been officially disclosed but media reports have claimed that Mayweather is making $88 ...
Arsenal's season at crossroads as Fulham await
Riding high until two weeks ago, Arsenal's season has taken a sudden downturn that has thrown the focus firmly onto the club's plans for the January transfer window. Prior to the visit to Southampton in mid-December, the Gunners had gone 22 games without defeat and while form had been more patchy since the end of October, the trajectory of Unai Emery's side was undeniably on the up. Defeat at St Mary's Stadium, however, triggered a run that has brought just one win in five games, including Saturday's humiliating 5-1 defeat at league leaders Liverpool. With Chelsea winning at Crystal Palace a day later, Arsenal now sit five points off the top four and anything less than three points in the home meeting with fellow London side Fulham on Tuesday will further undermine the club's hopes of reclaiming a place in the Champions League. Arsenal have started to appear increasingly vulnerable at the back, a weakness that was ruthlessly exposed by Jurgen Klopp's side at Anfield. - 'Injuries not ..
Federer relishing 'once in a lifetime' Serena clash
The Hopman Cup might have saved its best for last as excitement builds for the most anticipated tennis match involving a man and woman since the "Battle of the Sexes" in the 1970s. Roger Federer and Serena Williams, two of the greatest players in history, will face off across the net for the first time on Tuesday when United States go up against defending champions Switzerland in the mixed doubles of the unique two-player, mixed teams event. This year's tournament is expected to be Perth's final Hopman Cup and Tuesday's group tie is an early sellout on the back of the prospect of seeing two of the all-time greats, with 43 Grand Slam singles titles between them, on the same court. "It is very exciting for both of us and I hope a lot of tennis fans tune in and watch it," said Federer after opening his Hopman Cup campaign with an easy singles win on Sunday. "I admire everything she's done on and off the court, we are both fierce competitors and we always want to win," added the 20-time ..
PKL 6: Delhi hammer Bengal 39-28 in second eliminator
In another major upset of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) season six, Dabang Delhi rode on a strong second half performance to hammer Bengal Warriors 39-28 in the second eliminator here on Saturday.
Bengaluru Raptors edge out Pune Aces 4-3 in PBL thriller
Kidambi Srikanth notched up a thrilling win over Ajay Jayaram as Bengaluru Raptors edged out Pune 7 Aces 4-3 in a Premier Badminton League (PBL) match here Sunday. Jayaram had never beaten Srikanth in four meetings on the BWF circuit. But that mattered little initially, considering the thunderous start that he made to the match which was Bengaluru's Trump for the night. There was no hint of the hamstring injury that derailed Jayaram for a good part of the last one year. Gliding beautifully around the court, the Pune man produced superb smashes to take the opener 15-10. Srikanth rebounded in the second, riding on an array of attacking shots. Even though a late surge from Jayaram brought him back to 9-12, Srikanth managed to pocket the game 15-12. The enthralling decider witnessed a spectacular effort from Jayaram as he made it 14-14 but Srikanth was able to sneak through by taking the golden point and with it, the Trump win 10-15, 15-12, 15-14. In the women's singles rubber, Pune ...
India are real deal now, they don't struggle overseas anymore: Border
India have often struggled overseas but they addressed the problem by producing a group of quality fast bowlers which makes Virat Kohli and his men "the real deal now" in world cricket, feels Australian legend Allan Border. India Sunday retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with a comprehensive 137-run win in the third Test at the MCG on Sunday, taking an unassailable 2-1 lead in the four-match series. "They're the real deal now, they're the No. 1 team. They've been a great side to watch and they deserve this win," Border told foxsports.com.au. "They've had their struggles away from home, but they're starting to improve because they've had some good fast bowling. "Now they can combat Australia, South Africa and New Zealand countries that produce those fast, bouncy, seaming wickets. They used to struggle on those, but they don't struggle on those now." Jasprit Bumrah has emerged as the best bowler in world cricket now with 48 wickets in his debut Test season. He is part of a lethal pace
PKL 6: UP edge out U Mumba 34-29 in first eliminator
UP Yoddhas rode on their defenders to make a major upset as they outclassed U Mumba 34-29 in the first eliminator of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) season six at the Rajiv Gandhi indoor stadium here on Sunday.
UP Yoddha beat U Mumba 34-29 in PKL
UP Yoddha produced a terrific all-round performance to knock out favourites U Mumba in the first eliminator of Pro Kabaddi League season 6 here Sunday. Yoddha were in control for most of the match and notched up a 34-29 win in front of a packed crowd. Nitesh Kumar came up with one of the best defensive performances and scored 8 points to lead UP to victory. UP Yoddha's defence scored 18 tackle points on a night where they tamed U Mumba's star raider Siddharth Desai. Desai scored just seven raid points but all credit to the Yoddha to contain him. Shrikant Jadhav and Prashant Kumar Rai combined to score 9 crucial raid points in UP's win. Both teams made a solid start and were on equal footing for the first five minutes. Shrikant and Siddharth picked up the raid points for their teams. It was 5-5 after five minutes but UP Yoddha switched gears then. In the 8th minute they inflicted an all out to leads 11-7. U Mumba were missing the spark and were a bit lacklustre in the first half. At ...
Chennai stun table toppers Ahmedabad in PBL clash
Chennai Smashers defeated table toppers Ahmedabad Smash Masters 6-1 in a Premier Badminton League (PBL) clash at the Shree Chhatrapati Shivaji Sports Complex here on Sunday.
Federer leads Switzerland past Britain at Hopman Cup
The defending champions Switzerland and the runners-up Germany are a step closer to book their final rematch as both of them triumphed 3-0 in their respective debut against Britain and Spain at the Hopman Cup here on Sunday.
Saurabh Chaudhary sweeps men's air pistol national trials
Asian Games and Youth Olympic Games champion Saurabh Chaudhary swept the 10m air pistol trials at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range by winning the second trial competitions in both the men's and junior boy's categories on Sunday. Saurabh had won the first trial in both events on Saturday as well and in one final shooting event way above the existing world record score. On Sunday he won the men's final with a relatively modest 243.3 score, leaving behind Punjab's Arjun Singh Cheema, who shot 239.8 to emerge second. In the junior boy's final, Saurabh went higher than his junior world record score to shoot 246, pushing Army's Deepak Dhariwal to second spot with a score of 241.2.
Aman's maiden century puts Bihar in command against Mizoram
Skipper Ashutosh Aman led from the front with a maiden century as Bihar recovered from a top-order collapse to notch up a commanding 389 for seven against Mizoram in their Ranji Trophy Plate Group match here Sunday. Sent in, Bihar were tottering at 60 for four with Lalhruai Ralte (4/88) wreaking havoc but batting at no 8, Aman (108 not out), steered a rearguard recovery with MD Rahamatullah (99) by putting on 127 runs for the seventh wicket. Rahamatullah missed his second successive century by one run after being run out by Mizoram skipper S Zorinliana. But Aman remained calm at the other end to register his maiden first-class century and remained unbeaten on 108 from 157 balls with the help of 134 boundaries. At stumps, Bihar left-arm spinner Aman, who is the leading wicket-taker this season with 51 wickets from 10 innings at an average of 5.54, had an unbroken 144-run partnership with Vivek Kumar (94 batting). Second-placed Bihar are 10 points behind leaders Uttarakhand with a match
Manush claims double crown at national TT championships
Manush Shah completed a grand double when he won back to back finals in the junior and youth boys categories at the 11Sports 80th Junior and Youth National Championships here on Sunday.
BBL: Peter Siddle set for Strikers' clash with Thunder
Australia fast bowler Peter Siddle is set to play in the Big Bash League (BBL) after receiving a special dispensation to break from the Australian Test squad.The 34-year-old, who was the 12th man for his side in the third Domain Test against India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) from December 26-30, will join his Adelaide Strikers' teammates for a blockbuster showdown with the Sydney Thunder.However, the Strikers will not receive the services of Test wicket-keeper batsman Travis Head as he will directly leave for Sydney to prepare for the fourth Test, beginning from January 3, while Siddle will join the national squad on January 1.The Thunder, on the other hand, have named an unchanged 13-man squad for the clash that will see batsman Callum Ferguson return to the ground he calls home in state cricket."It is a huge game, the New Year's Eve game. It will be a huge crowd; they have a very passionate and knowledgeable crowd. It will be a great game with an unbelievable atmosphere. I
Federer thrashes Norrie to give holder Switzerland lead at Hopman Cup
Swiss tennis great Roger Federer on Sunday routed Cameron Norrie of the United Kingdom 6-1, 6-1 to give his team the lead in their Hopman Cup Group B tie.
I-League private clubs body threatens to move court
In the aftermath of the telecast row, the I-League (Private) Clubs Association on Sunday threatened the All India Football Federation (AIFF) that if their primary demand of broadcasting all matches are not met by one week, they will move court and even approach the CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport) seeking justice.
I-League clubs threaten to move court, FIFA over telecast row
Minerva Punjab owner Ranjit Bajaj Sunday threatened to move court under the aegis of I-League (Private) Clubs Association if the All India Football Federation (AIFF) does not sort out the telecast row. The association formed by defending champions Minerva Punjab, Chennai City FC, Neroca FC, Aizawl FC, Gokulam Kerala FC and Shillong Lajong FC is up in the arms against the AIFF after it recently announced that it would reduce the I-League TV coverage to just 30 of the 61 remaining matches. Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, who are all set to be part of the Indian Super League (ISL) next season, have not responded to the association request to join them. Giving AIFF a deadline of January 5, Bajaj said if they don't respond then they will take their fight to the civil court, and may even knock the doors of FIFA and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Their top demand is that all I-League matches must be broadcast with equal coverage like the ISL, backed by ...
Chennai Smashers thrash Ahmedabad Smash Masters in PBL
Former champions Chennai Smashers produced a flawless performance to hand table toppers Ahmedabad Smash Masters an embarrassing 6-(-1) defeat in a Premier Badminton League season four match here Sunday. Season 2 champions Chennai, who were drubbed by Hyderabad Hunters in their previous match, thus registered their first win in the fourth season of the tournament. Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Rajeev Ouseph upset Ahmedabad Trump Viktor Axelsen of Denmark and former World No. 2 Sung Ji Hyun won the Chennai Trump clash with Kirsty Gilmour of Scotland to inflict the first defeat of the season on the Smash Masters. Ouseph's huge win over former world champion Axelsen denied any hope of a comeback for the Smash Masters, who lost all the five matches of the tie. Axelsen struggled to retrieve his shots and lacked his usual firepower and conviction, conceding the opener 12-15. Ouseph might have felt a bit complacent after that strong start for he let a string of errors creep into his ...
As long as goals come, doesn't matter who scores: Halicharan Narzary
Halicharan Narzary, the Assam-born footballer, on Sunday said "as long as the goals come, it doesn't matter who scores" ahead of the upcoming AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019."As long as the goals come, it doesn't matter who scores. Obviously, I haven't scored that many goals in the India shirt. That motivates me to work harder, and improve my scoring abilities," Narzary said.Talking about his individual performance, the winger said that his aim is to score a couple of goals in the prestigious tournament. "However, qualifying for the round of 16 is of paramount importance," he stressed."It was up to me to work hard, improve myself, and prove to the coach that I deserved to be in that list of 23. Now that he has selected me, I aim to score a couple of goals in the tournament. Of course, qualifying for the round of 16 is of paramount importance," he said.Narzary, who had to warm the bench in the Jordon match, further said, "I want to fight for my country. But it was understandable that the coach .