Page 809 - Sports
Champions League: Paris Saint-Germain enter Round of 16
Paris Saint-Germain produced their most confident performance yet for a 4-1 win over Red Star Belgrade that sent them into the Round of 16 of the Champions League without needing to depend on the outcome of the Liverpool-Napoli match.
They don't miss chances, says Harris
Australian opener Marcus Harris said he didn't feel out of depth during his debut Test at Adelaide even though there was hardly any margin of error against a quality side like India in the opening match. "You always doubt yourself as a person, you're not sure if you're going to fit in Test cricket. So, it was good to spend time in the middle in both innings. I didn't feel out of my depth at all," said Harris, who scored a matching 26 in both the innings on debut at Adelaide Oval. "But I realised pretty quickly they don't bowl any crap and they don't miss any chances that you give them. So you've got to be switched on from ball one. "I felt like my game stood up to it, it's probably just a decision-making thing and being able to occupy the crease for long periods of time, but I didn't feel like I was out of my depth at all," he added. Outwitted by R Ashwin and Mohammed Shami in the two innings, Harris said he is working on his plans to tackle the Indian bowlers at the Perth Test ...
Japan shuns Kagawa for bid to reclaim Asian Cup
Japan dropped former Manchester United star Shinji Kagawa from the Blue Samurai's bid to reclaim the Asian Cup, opting instead for a squad filled with young Europe-based talents. Coach Hajime Moriyasu on Wednesday selected several players with only a handful of caps to their names for Asia's showcase football tournament in the United Arab Emirates starting in January. The likes of Ritsu Doan of Groningen, Shoya Nakajima of Portimonense and Takumi Minamino of Salzburg will lead Japan's bid for a record-extending fifth title. But there was no place for midfielder Kagawa, 29, now struggling for playing time at Borussia Dortmund. Kagawa has long been among the leading stars of Blue Samurai and at his German outfit, but the attacking player has found himself unable to get regular first-team football under Dortmund coach Lucien Favre. He told Japanese media last month that he wished to move to Spain to take on a new challenge. Moriyasu suggested he had been tempted to turn to veterans like .
N. Korea turns to one of its own as football coach
North Korea has named one of its own citizens to manage its football team, state media said Wednesday, more than six months after the departure his Norwegian predecessor. Kim Yong Jun, a 35-year-old retired midfielder, will take the side to the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, the North's official KCNA news agency said. His appointment came after Norwegian ex-striker Jorn Andersen did not extend his two-year contract with the isolated country, which is under multiple sanctions over its nuclear weapon and ballistic missile programmes. As a player Kim helped the North qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup before becoming coach to a Pyongyang team. North Korea are currently ranked 109th in the world.
Constantine names 34 probables for Asian Cup camp
Indian football team head coach Stephen Constantine on Wednesday announced a list of 34 probables for the preparatory camp for the AFC Asian Cup in January next year.
Johnson wants to advise Starc ahead of second Test
Keeping in mind the fast nature of the pitch here, former Australia pacer Mitchell Johnson has advice for current spearhead Mitchell Starc ahead of the second cricket Test against India.
Titans will enter PKL play-offs, asserts star raider Rahul (IANS Interview)
Lying at the third place in Zone B, the Telugu Titans are struggling to seal a play-off berth as the cash-rich Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) approaches its business end, but the team's star raider Rahul Chaudhary is optimistic of his side's advancement to the next stage.
Champions League: Dortmund beat Monaco to take top spot in Group A
Borussia Dortmund qualified as first in Group A for the Round of 16 of the Champions League with a fluent 2-0 win over AS Monaco, helped by Atletico Madrid's draw in Bruges.
Pacers need to be protected like race horses : Bharat Arun
The impressive Indian fast bowlers are like race horses, who need to be protected and handled carefully, says India's bowling coach Bharat Arun, who avowed that the current lot is one of the best the country has seen. The Indian pacers, and the entire attack as a whole, has been impressive on all overseas tours this year. In South Africa they picked up all 60 wickets in three Tests and in England, they took 82 out of 90 wickets available in five Tests. In Australia now, they have made a great start with 20 wickets on a slower deck in Adelaide to give India a 1-0 lead in the four-match series. "I can say that not only now for what they did in Adelaide but what they've done over a period of time in South Africa, in England and now in Australia. This is probably one of the best group of fast bowlers India has ever had," Arun said ahead of the second Test against Australia. "Fast bowlers are a precious commodity and they need to be taken care of, like what you do with a racehorse and ...
Champions League: Atletico, Brugge in goalless draw
Atletico Madrid were held 0-0 by Club Brugge in the last match of the Champions League group stage. The result, combined with Borussia Dortmund's win over AS Monaco, has placed the Spanish club in second place in Group A.
India chase slice of history against Netherlands in WC quarterfinal
Their shoulders are burdened with weight of expectations but it won't be easy for India to end a 43-year long wait when they take on mighty Netherlands in the quarterfinal of the men's hockey World Cup, here Thursday. Boasting a rich hockey legacy, India last played in the semi-final of the World Cup way back in 1975 when they went on to lift their maiden title. Of late, the game has witnessed an upward trend in the country but the history does not favour the hosts against the mighty Dutchmen, whom the Indians have never beaten in the World Cup. In the six earlier meetings at the quadrennial event, Netherlands defeated India five times while one ended in a draw. And if Manpreet Singh and his men get past the Dutch on Thursday, they will not only break a jinx but also rewrite history and ink their names in the one of the golden chapters of the Indian hockey. Going by present form and rankings, there is hardly anything to differentiate between the two sides. While Netherlands are placed
Birthday wishes pour in for Yuvraj Singh
Birthday wishes poured in for Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh from across the cricketing fraternity as the left-hander turned 37 today.From the International Cricket Council (ICC) to master blaster Sachin Tendulkar, a number of people took to Twitter to bestow good wishes on the Chandigarh-born player on his special day.Giving his records and achievements, ICC wrote: "11,778 international runs and 148 wickets Player of the Tournament at the 2011 @cricketworldcup The fastest ever T20I fifty, off 12 balls Happy birthday @YUVSTRONG12!"Sharing a video of Yuvraj's knocks against England, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) tweeted: "Man of the series at the Cricket World Cup in 2011. Fastest to a T20I half-century. Here's wishing #TeamIndia all-rounder @YUVSTRONG12 a very happy birthday. Relive his knock of 138 against England at Rajkot.""Thrashed bowlers, thrashed disease, thrashed many setbacks in life. Wishing you times of ease, peace and love @YUVSTRONG12 . ...
Johnson offers Starc help ahead of Perth Test
Mitchell Johnson has offered to help Mitchell Starc rediscover his rhythm ahead of the second Test against India in Perth, where the fast pitch can have the Australian pace spearhead "alive and going". Starc managed two wickets in the first innings and three in the second in Adeliade, where India emerged victorious by 31 runs. The second Test begins on Friday. Johnson, the fifth-highest wicket-taker for Australia in Test history, feels his former teammate is perhaps struggling with something in his mind. "Everyone operates in a different way and I've already sent him a couple of text messages to see if he wants to catch up and have a chat about things because I have worked with him in the past and you get to know people really well," Johnson said on BBC's Stumps podcast. "It just looked like there was something on his mind, something's not quite clicking. We'll sit down hopefully before the Perth Test match starts. Johnson is hoping that the WACA wicket plays true to its reputation to
Sindhu makes winning start to World Tour Finals
Olympic silver medallist shuttler PV Sindhu eked out a hard-fought win over world number two and defending champion Akane Yamaguchi in the opening women's singles group A match of the World Tour Finals, here Wednesday. Sindhu, who had finished runner-up at the last edition in Dubai, dished out a superb game, mixed with patience and aggression, to defeat the Japanese 24-22 21-15. Making her third successive appearance at the tournament, Sindhu, who had a 9-4 head-to-head record against Yamaguchi, produced a controlled game in the slow conditions, never letting go despite lagging behind many times in the match. The first game clocked 27 minutes as both the shuttlers fought tooth and nail for supremacy. Sindhu was trailing 6-11 at the first internal but she fought back to catch up with the Japanese at 19-19 with a smash on her rival's back hand. A battle of mind and body ensued as leads changed hands but it was Sindhu who showed better mental fortitude to claim the opening game after a ..
Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Wade named captains in BBL
Australian cricketers Glenn Maxwell and Matthew Wade on Wednesday were named as the captains of Melbourne Stars and Hobart Hurricanes respectively ahead of the upcoming eighth edition of the Big Bash League (BBL).An in-form Maxwell, who hammered his second T20I ton last summer, told Cricket Australia, "It's an honour to be named the captain of the Melbourne Stars and I'm looking forward to working with (head coach) Stephen Fleming on what is set to be another big season.""We have got a talented list which includes new signings so it is going to be important for us to come together this week and get to know each other more both on and off the field," he added.Meanwhile, Wade, who has replaced George Bailey to take the reign of Hobart, said: "I'm really proud to become the captain of such a great group. As I said with the Tigers Shield captaincy, I'm more than happy to step into the role because George thought it was the best move for himself and the team.""As we have seen over the past
Dortmund top Champions League group after win at Monaco
Borussia Dortmund qualified as Group A winners for the Champions League last 16 after beating Thierry Henry's Monaco 2-0 on Tuesday. Portugal's Raphael Guerreiro scored twice to claim all three points for the visitors as Atletico Madrid could only draw 0-0 at Club Brugge. Lucien Favre made nine changes from Saturday's derby victory against Schalke which continued their superb unbeaten start to the Bundesliga season. "It's a perfect evening. On the whole it was a deserved victory," Favre said. Henry started four teenagers in a meaningless game for the Ligue 1 strugglers who were guaranteed to finish bottom of the group for a second straight campaign after defeat at Atletico in round five. The former France striker stated he used the fixture as a warm-up for Sunday's domestic trip to Lyon. "Dortmund posed a real challenge. We'll recover quickly and prepare for Lyon," he said. "Right now we have a problem, to sort things out in Ligue 1." Monaco have failed to win in 14 European games and
'Humble' PSG keeping cool heads after making Champions League last 16
Paris Saint-Germain coach Thomas Tuchel said his side need to "stay humble" after they thumped Red Star Belgrade 4-1 on Tuesday and qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League, finishing ahead of Liverpool and Napoli to top a tight Group C. First-half goals from Edinson Cavani and Neymar set the French champions on their way, before a bullet header from Marquinhos, Kylian Mbappe's injury-time strike and Liverpool beating Napoli 1-0 ensured first place in the group after Marko Gobeljic pulled one back for the hosts early in the second half. "We made mistakes, but I really liked the reaction after Belgrade's goal. We controlled the match," said Tuchel to RMC Sport after the win. "We need to stay humble and have a professional attitude. We are improving and we are hard to beat." PSG finished the group stage on 11 points, two ahead of second-placed Liverpool and Napoli, who were eliminated due to their defeat at Anfield. Topping such a keenly-contested group is a huge boost for PSG,
Tottenham qualify for last 16 as late Moura goal earns draw at Barca
Tottenham came back from the brink in the Champions League on Tuesday as Lucas Moura's late equaliser salvaged a 1-1 draw against Barcelona and sent them through to the last 16. Lionel Messi was left out of a heavily-rotated Barca line-up at the Camp Nou but Ousmane Dembele's stunning early goal looked set to put Spurs out, until Moura intervened. Mauricio Pochettino's side only had to match Inter Milan's result at home to PSV Eindhoven in Group B, which they did, as the Italians only managed a 1-1 draw themselves. It made for a night of exhilarating drama, climaxing in the final five minutes when Tottenham must have wondered whether to push for a winner or hold on to what they had. At the final whistle, their players faced an agonising 30 seconds, only for a roar in one of the stadium's deepest corners to tell them the whistle had blown in Italy. "No-one believed in us," Pochettino said. "People said it was mission impossible but we are here. It is a massive achievement for the ...
'Life saver' Alisson, Salah strike take Liverpool into last 16
Goalkeeper Alisson Becker was labelled a "life saver" by Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp for a last-gasp save that secured a 1-0 win over Napoli at Anfield and progress to the last 16 of the Champions League on Tuesday. Mohamed Salah's stunning solo effort put the hosts in front 11 minutes before half-time, but Liverpool were nearly made to pay for their profligacy in missing a series of second-half chances. Alisson had barely been tested until the Brazilian number one spread himself brilliantly to deny Arkadiusz Milik a dramatic stoppage-time equaliser and go a long way to justifying the then-world record 67-million ($85 million) fee for a goalkeeper Liverpool paid Roma in July. "If I knew Alisson was this good -- I would have paid double," joked Klopp. "The goal Mo scored, what a goal! And the save Ali made (was) unbelievable. It was of course a life saver tonight." Despite losing all three of their away games in Group C, three home wins at fortress Anfield were enough to see ...
Inter Milan out of Champions League after PSV stalemate
Inter Milan crashed out of the Champions League on Tuesday after being held 1-1 by PSV Eindhoven at the San Siro as Group B rivals Tottenham Hotspur gained a point against Barcelona. The Serie A side needed to better Spurs' result at the Camp Nou in order to overtake the Premier League outfit and snatch a place in the knockout rounds. Luciano Spalletti's side thought they had done enough in the 73rd minute when captain Mauro Icardi marked his 200th game for the club by equalising Hirving Lozano's 13th-minute opener, with Spurs a goal down in Catalonia. However, Lucas Moura levelled at 1-1 for Tottenham, enabling his team to advance to the last 16 thanks to the away goal they scored in their 2-1 defeat at the San Siro. Inter lost 1-0 at Tottenham last time out, meaning Spurs go through in second place with a superior head-to-head record. "We got nervous, lost too many balls, created disorder at the tactical level and tension set in," said Inter coach Luciano Spalletti of the former ...