Page 875 - Sports
ISL: Mumbai, ATK play a goalless draw
Mumbai City FC and Atletico de Kolkata (ATK) played out a goalless stalemate in an Indian Super League (ISL) encounter at the Mumbai Football Arena here on Saturday.
Ramos brands anti-doping allegations a lie, denies wrongdoing
Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos has dismissed anti-doping allegations against him as a "lie" and a deliberate attempt to tarnish his reputation. According to the German magazine Der Spiegel, Ramos failed to declare he had taken dexamethasone ahead of the 2017 Champions League final at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, in which Real beat Juventus 4-1. The club denied the claims on Friday night and Ramos, speaking after Real lost 3-0 at Eibar on Saturday, made a staunch defence of his record. "I am calm," Ramos said. "It is true that it hurts, and obviously I will come out with my legal team against these people, who try to stain my status and my professional career. "After 15 years, I have never refused an anti-doping test, I have never breached any procedure and I have passed around 250 to 300 tests. For this reason, I am calm." Ramos added: "When you know the truth, you can act with a lot of tranquility. You can tell the lie many times over but it is still a lie." Dexamethasone is
Retiring Alonso hints at possible F1 return
Retirement-bound Fernando Alonso qualified 15th on Saturday for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and then hinted that it may not be his last Formula One race. The two-time world champion, who will be succeeded at McLaren next season by fellow Spaniard Carlos Sainz, announced earlier this season that he was leaving Formula One, claiming the sport was too predictable. But buoyed by an encouraging qualifying run for McLaren, the 37-year-old suggested he might take a break and return to F1 in the future. "We've been very competitive this weekend and were pessimistic for Q1. We somehow managed to go to Q2 and that's good," he said. "My priorities are to finish the race and to see the chequered flag. If we can be in the points, that will be in the dream. We are five places away now." Asked about his future, he said: "I needed a break and I need to find something else to do. But I'm open after that maybe I do another F1 season, or somewhere else." Alonso will race for McLaren in the United States ...
Pakistan excited to play at 'lucky' Kalinga Stadium
The Pakistan hockey team players on Saturday said they were looking forward to play at the "lucky" Kalinga Stadium, venue for the World Cup. The team received a warm reception at the Wagah Border earlier in the day for the much-awaited showpiece. "We have come here before and we have always enjoyed playing at this venue. It is a lucky ground for us and we are very excited to be back," said skipper Muhammad Rizwan Senior on the team's arrival at the Biju Patnaik International Airport. Speaking of the 'Pool of Death', Hasan Sardar, the legendary centre forward and team manager of Pakistan team said, "With Germany, the Netherlands, Malaysia in our pool, it is a pool of death and every single match will matter. "We will need to play it like it is a knockout in every single game. First match is against Germany and we are targeting a win against them. I would like to wish all participating teams the very best.
From a bull fighter, I am now a smarter boxer: Mary Kom
M C Mary Kom said Saturday she has transformed from being a "bullfighter to a smarter pugilist" and that the ability to out-think her opponents helped her in becoming one of the world's best amateur boxers of all time. Mary Kom, who claimed an unprecedented sixth gold by winning the 48kg summit bout in the Women's World Championships here, said she became a smarter fighter in the later part of her career. "If you see my bouts in the initial seven years of my career and now, you will see a lot of difference. Earlier, I was like a bull fighter. I was always charging and I would be totally tired and could not even raise my hand after the fight," she said after winning a record sixth gold in the showpiece. "Now, I am smarter and try to find out the game of my opponent and then think out mine in the ring itself. Nowadays, it is not that tiring also unlike when I was younger. "It is all about experience and one learns from experience. These younger girls will also learn from experience," ...
ISL: Mumbai City FC, ATK settle for goalless draw
Mumbai City FC's winning streak came to a halt after they were held to a goalless draw by former champions ATK in an Indian Super League fixture here on Saturday. Mumbai came into the match on the back of three consecutive wins, one at home and two away, but Jorge Costa's men put a sub-par show in front of the home crowd at the Mumbai Football Arena in suburban Andheri. After the game, Mumbai are on the fourth spot in the points table with 4 wins, 2 draws and as many losses. ATK are on the sixth spot, with three wins, as many losses and two draws. Mumbai had an early chance when in the second minute, Sehnaj Singh tried a shot from over 30-yards, but it went above the post. ATK earned a free-kick in the 4th minute, but it turned out to be a damp squib as Manuel Lanzarote's shot was saved by Mumbai custodian Amrinder Singh. Another chance came for the hosts when Rafael Bastos laid it off to Sehnaj, who tried another long-ranger from over 25-yards, but it yielded no favourable result as .
U Mumba beat Dabang Delhi 39-23 in PKL
Siddharth Desai proved his worth yet again as U Mumba hammered Dabang Delhi 39-23 in a Pro Kabaddi Season 6 match here on Saturday. Siddharth and Rohit Baliyan combined to score 17 raid points whereas Fazel Atrachali and Surender chipped in with 8 tackle points to lead U Mumba to a win. Chandran Ranjit was the lone performer for Dabang Delhi as he ended up with seven raid points while Naveen Kumar scored four points. Mumba are now back on the top of the table in Zone A with 62 points from 16 matches. Dabang Delhi are fourth in the table with 33 points from 12 matches. U Mumba sent Meraj Sheykh to the bench in the 2nd minute to lead 2-1. Naveen Kumar started off brightly for Dabang Delhi as he got couple of raid points. It was 3-3 after three minutes with both teams looking eager to snatch an early lead. U Mumba got ahead with a couple of raid and tackle points to lead 8-5 after 11 minutes. Siddharth Desai got into the act and hit a couple of successful raids which led to an all out ...
Artistic Gymnastics World Cup: Dipa claims bronze in Vault event
Indian gymnast Dipa Karmarkar on Saturday claimed a bronze medal at the vault event on the third day of the Artistic Gymnastics World Cup in Cottbus, Germany. The 25-year-old from Tripura, who had an injury-marred campaign at the Asian Games, scored 14.316 to secure the bronze in the tournament, which is also a part of the eight-event qualifying system for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Dipa had qualified for the vault finals on Friday, scoring 14.100 to finish at the sixth place out of 16 gymnasts in the qualification. Brazil's Rebeca Andrade won the gold with a score of 14.728, while USA's Jade Carey (14.516) bagged the silver. Dipa had won a gold in the vault event of Artistic Gymnastics World Challenge Cup at Mersin, Turkey in July for her first medal after returning to action following a long lay-off of nearly two years. However, she had hurt her knee again during the Asian Games, missed the vault final and was forced to pull out of the team event. With this performance, the Indian, ...
Solari and Ramos feel heat as Real Madrid crash at Eibar
Santiago Solari proved the perfect caretaker but his debut as permanent coach of Real Madrid on Saturday ended in a disastrous 3-0 defeat at Eibar. Four wins while in temporary charge earned Solari a contract until 2021 over the international break, only for Real to revert to the kind of chaotic display that cost Julen Lopetegui the sack. This defeat also brought into focus the mindset of Madrid's players, after their captain Sergio Ramos faced allegations of an anti-doping violation on Friday night from German magazine Der Spiegel. The club denied any breach. Eibar were stronger, more aggressive and, worryingly for Solari, appeared clearer about the plan they wanted to execute. Marc Cucurella, brilliant down the left, was instrumental in all three goals, scored by Gonzalo Escalante, Sergi Enrich and Kike Garcia. Real's loss halts their revival under Solari and denies them a golden opportunity to make up ground on Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, who face each other at the Wanda ...
Azhar and Sohail give Pakistan edge in tough first day of second Test
Azhar Ali and Haris Sohail both hit gritty half-centuries but Pakistan were restricted by some tight New Zealand bowling and a lifeless pitch to 207-4 on the opening day of the second Test in Dubai on Saturday. Azhar and Sohail added 126 for the third wicket until a careless run out saw the end of Azhar for 81. Sohail had also eked out 81 from 240 balls by the close. After losing the first Test by four runs, Pakistan were keen to get on to the offensive early and set the tone of the match, prompting captain Sarfraz Ahmed to bat when he won the toss. But it was the Black Caps who had the better of the morning with Colin de Grandhomme, preferred over the more experienced Tim Southee for the second match running, ripping out both openers for nine each. He had Hafeez caught at slip by Tom Latham in the eighth over and the same combination accounted for Iman-ul-Haq in de Grandhomme's next over. Hafeez has managed just 66 runs in six innings since scoring a comeback hundred against ...
I-League: Chennai extend lead with hard fought win over Neroca
I-League table toppers Chennai City FC extended their lead to a massive eight points after a hard-fought 2-1 win at home against Manipurs Neroca FC here on Saturday.
Prajnesh ends runner-up in Pune but gets closer to top-100
India's Prajnesh Gunneswaran gave his all but was outgunned by Elias Ymer in an energy-sapping baseline slugfest to end as runner-up at the KPIT-MSLTA Challenger, here on Saturday. Playing his second final after winning the Bengaluru open last week, Prajnesh lost 2-6 5-7 to the third seeded Swede, who added craft to power to deny the Indian his third title of the season. The 29-year-old Indian yet again ended as a finalist at this Challenger, having lost the final of the 2016 edition. Ymer, who had a 5-0 record coming into this final, maintained the clean state with a commanding win. He served aces, a total of 12, at crucial points, at many times when it was 30-30 or 40-30. It made a huge difference to the outcome of the game as he saved all four break points in the one-hour-27-minute match. With 48 points in his tally, Prajnesh, who is in the form of his life, will now move to his career-best singles rank of 104. Long rallies were order of the day and immense strength and stamina was
Belgium, Netherlands arrive with hope to clinch title
Seeking to win the title, world number three Belgium and the fourth ranked Netherlands arrived in the city for the upcoming World Cup. Clubbed in Pool D, also called the 'Pool of Death' with heavyweights Germany, Pakistan and Malaysia, the Dutch are looking for tough matches right from the start. "We need to make sure we keep our heads down and play our best every match," asserted Max Caldas, head coach of the Netherlands. Speaking of the team's excitement to be back in the city, experienced player Billy Baker said, "We have won almost every match we have played this season and we have also had really tough preparations for the tournament. "We are aware of the Bhubaneswar crowds who come in large numbers and we want to enjoy playing in front of them and also use their support to feel motivated." The Netherlands begin their campaign on December 1. World No.3 Belgium too arrived few minutes after the Netherlands players touched down. "We are arriving after three months of solid ...
Positive results on grass by Indians an advantage ahead of Italy tie: Bhupathi
Davis Cup non-playing captain Mahesh Bhupathi Saturday said the recent spate of positive results by Indians on grass will give the hosts an advantage when they take on Italy in February. "Ramkumar made the finals for Newport this year on grass, Prajnesh qualified and beat Dennis Shapovalov on grass. Seeing that grass is an advantage for us..." Bhupath told PTI on the sidelines of a Kia Motors event where 100 young tennis fans underwent a rigorous audition process to be selected as ball kids for the Australian Open 2019. The Italians, led by world No 13 Fabio Fognini are superior to India on hard and clay courts, but might struggle on grass. "Italy has 6 players in the top-100, where do we have a chance against them? The only logical answer is grass. Playing at home we always have a chance. In Kolkata on grass, we will throw something at them and see how it goes. Grass is our best shot," he said. Asked about the new Davis Cup format consisting of a six-player squad playing three-set ...
Chennai extend lead with win over Neroca
I-League table toppers Chennai City FC extended their lead to a massive eight points over their closest rivals after a hard-fought 2-1 win at home against Manipur's Neroca FC here on Saturday. At the Nehru stadium, Chennai yet again rode on the performance of their Spanish recruits, with goals from centre-back Roberto Eslava and midfielder Nestor Jesus in either half to register their fifth win in six matches and remain unbeaten. Neroca got one back from Singham Subhash Singh but it was not enough on the day. The win takes Chennai to sixteen points from six games while Neroca remained in the sixth position with five points from a similar number of games. Nestor Jesus, adjudged the Hero of the Match, registered his third goal of the campaign. Both coaches, Akbar Nawas of Chennai and Manuel Fraile of Neroca, made two changes to the starting line-up from the previous game. For the hosts, Pravitto Raju played in place of Mashoor Shereef while for Neroca, Singham Subash Singh made his way .
Syed Modi Badminton C'ship: Saina Nehwal, Sameer Verma storm into finals
Former champions Saina Nehwal and Sameer Verma stormed into the finals of the Syed Modi International Badminton Championships 2018 on Saturday.From a game down, Nehwal, the winner of the tournament's 2009, 2014 and 2015 editions, revived her drive to defeat Ruselli Hartawan of Indonesia 12-21, 21-7, 21-6 to book her place in the summit clash.In men's singles event, defending champion Sameer Verma had to work hard to notch up a 21-13, 17-21, 21-8 win over his Indonesian counterpart Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo.Nehwal will take on Han Yue of China, while Verma will next meet Lu Guangzu of China on November 25.In the mixed doubles event, the Indian duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Ashwini Ponnappa were denied by the woodworks of their Chinese counterparts Ou Xuanyi and Feng Xueying as they conceded a 12-21, 21-18, 19-21 defeat in the game.However, Ashwini, along with Sikki Reddy, hardly broke a sweat in defeating the Russian duo of Ekaterina Bolotova and Alina Davletova in the women's ...
Real Kashmir seek first win at home as Indian Arrows come calling
Coming off back-to-back defeats, first-timers Real Kashmir FC will hope for a fresh start when they host Indian Arrows in the I-League here Sunday. Real Kashmir, who have captured the imagination of football followers across the country this season, will seek to give their fans a first win at home. Scottish coach David Robertson's Kashmir have slipped a bit after a stunning away win in their opener against defending champions Minerva Punjab. Indian Arrows too lost their last game to a superior Mohun Bagan at home, but coach Floyd Pinto will take heart from the fact that his boys have looked the part and even pulled off a win against Shillong Lajong. They have three points from as many games, while Real Kashmir have four. For the hosts, they need to find a way to convert possession into goals. They have been banking heavily on their Ivorian beanpole Gnohere Krizo to get them the goals, making them look one dimensional in their play and easy for their opponents to tactically ...
I-League: Real Kashmir seek first home win as Indian Arrows come calling (Preview)
Debutants Real Kashmir FC, who have captured the imagination of football fans across the country this I-League season, will seek to give their adoring and rapturous supporters a first win at home as the youngsters of Indian Arrows come calling at the TRC turf ground here on Sunday.
ISL: Jamshedpur keen to get back to winning ways (Preview)
Jamshedpur FC will look to arrest their slide when they square up against defending Indian Super League (ISL) champions Chennaiyin FC at the JRD Sports Complex here on Sunday.
Mohun Bagan host Churchill Brothers
Unbeaten so far, title aspirants Mohun Bagan and Churchill Brothers will lock horns in the I-League here on Sunday, with the hosts likely to see the return of Sony Norde. Both the giants, having played the league for the longest period and having three titles between them, are among two of the three unbeaten teams in this year's league and another win would put them on their way towards being title contenders. Placed second in the standings, Mohun Bagan have eight points from two wins and two draws while Churchill Brothers are positioned fifth after four matches. The strikers of both teams have started to fire and it remains to be seen if one buckles or both play out a battle of attrition in front of a large partisan crowd. Mohun Bagan coach Sankarlal Chakraborty has little to worry about in defence and attack but his midfield has always looked like a work in progress. No doubt he must be building up towards the full repatriation of Sony Norde in that left-wing position but he needs ..