Page 949 - Sports
Sevilla unable to keep pace with Barcelona in Spanish league
Sevilla couldn't manage more than a 0-0 draw at Real Sociedad and lost ground to Barcelona at the top of the Spanish league. The draw left second-place Sevilla four points behind Barcelona, which rallied to win 3-2 at Rayo Vallecano on Saturday. Barcelona also gained from a draw by third-place Atletico Madrid at Leganes on Saturday and a loss by fourth-place Alaves at Eibar on Sunday. "We went after the three points from the first minute but we lacked accuracy in the counterattacks," Sevilla defender Daniel Carrico said. "It's a pity we couldn't leave with the three points." Sevilla coach Pablo Machin was content with the away draw. "I'm sure that by the end of the season there will be two teams fighting for the title and another very close to them," Machin said. "Several teams will be fighting for fourth place and we are privileged to be in contention for these positions." Barcelona's city rival Espanyol has a chance to get within three points of the lead if it defeats struggling ...
Last-gasp Romagnoli puts AC Milan ahead of Lazio in Champions League spot
Alessio Romagnoli scored the only goal after 97 minutes as AC Milan reclaimed fourth place in Serie A amid drama at 10-man Udinese ahead of Lazio who earlier crushed SPAL 4-1 with Ciro Immobile bagging a brace. Defender Romagnoli fired in the winner amid a scramble in front of goal to add to his midweek winner against Genoa, for a confidence-boost ahead of next weekend's visit by champions Juventus to the San Siro. "I know it burns to lose in the last minute," said Milan coach Gennaro Gattuso, whose side have won three league games in the past week after losing the Milan derby to Inter following a dramatic Mauro Icardi injury-time winner. "I liked really our performance and attitude. We arrived with injuries and suffered, but deserved this victory," added Gennaro after Milan kept their first clean sheet of the campaign. AC Milan and Lazio both have 21 points from 11 games, with Gattuso's side occupying the final Champions League spot on goal difference. The two teams are ten points ...
Wobbling Atletico aiming for bounce back against Dortmund
Atletico Madrid's underwhelming start to the season might have been overshadowed by the crisis enveloping city rivals Real but there will be no place to hide against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday. A fortnight ago Dortmund dealt Diego Simeone's side a 4-0 drubbing, Atletico's heaviest defeat since the coach took charge 392 matches ago, while on Saturday they were held to a 1-1 draw by lowly Leganes, 18th in La Liga and with six defeats already to their name. This was supposed to be Atletico's year, primed for a title challenge by some impressive signings in the summer and eyeing a run at the Champions League, pumped by the prospect of a final inside their own Wanda Metropolitano in June. Their failings against Dortmund and Leganes were more striking because they were caused by weaknesses in defence, their strong point under Simeone. Dortmund pounced on Atletico to hit three in 10 minutes at the Signal Iduna Park, while on Saturday Leganes equalised thanks to lax marking at a ...
Do-or-die for Spurs in Euro crunch
Desperate to avoid Champions League elimination at the group stage for the second time in three years, Tottenham face a do-or-die clash against PSV Eindhoven on Tuesday. Mauricio Pochettino's side are third in Group B after taking just one point from their first three matches. Tottenham's exit from Europe's elite club competition would be confirmed if they lose to PSV at Wembley and second placed Inter Milan beat group leaders Barcelona. Even a draw against PSV won't be enough if Inter win. That would be another wretched conclusion to a Champions League campaign that began with high hopes for Tottenham. After failing to get past the group stage two seasons ago, Tottenham appeared to announce their arrival on the European stage with an impressive group victory over Real Madrid last term. The north London club were eventually knocked out by Juventus in the last 16, but that narrow exit didn't discourage the belief that Pochettino's men were capable of making a sustained run to the ...
Barca's support cast show their worth as Messi nears return against Inter
Lionel Messi could make an earlier return than expected against Inter Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday but Barcelona have hardly missed him. Four wins out of four, including a stroll past Inter Milan and a hammering of Real Madrid so severe it cost their coach his job, mean Messi reunites with a team enjoying its strongest run of the season, ironically without its star striker. Barca will certainly be delighted, relieved even, when his recovery is complete. The club have named Messi in their squad for the match at the San Siro, even if he is yet to be given the medical all-clear. It could be his involvement is either as a substitute or even delayed until Sunday, when Barca host Real Betis in La Liga. Perhaps it will depend on how much Barca need him and, in that respect, Messi's absence has been less pronounced than many predicted 15 days ago when he tumbled and broke his right arm against Sevilla. Circumstances have helped. After Inter, came Real, who were in a mess, Cultural
It's in our DNA: Youthful Pakistan race to Twenty20 domination
Brash young players, peak fitness and a winning mentality "in their DNA", Pakistan are the current kings of international Twenty20 cricket. The last two Sundays have seen Pakistan race to series whitewashes in the game's shortest format against Australia and New Zealand. They also have registered 11 consecutive series wins -- a world record. The rapid-fire cricket of T20 mirrors the helter-skelter nature of life in a country of 220 million where people. Former captain-turned-commentator Ramiz Raja believes Pakistan's Twenty20 flair comes naturally. "It's partly our DNA," said Raja. "But our successes have a lot to do with skills and fitness. Pakistan is a damn good team in this format, bowling out the opposition at will." With their powerful and penetrative bowling unit, Pakistan have dismissed rival teams the most times -- 31 in all -- while, in the last two years, they have defended a total of under 150 for 40 times out of 44, with three failures and one tie. Sunday's win against ...
Taylor quits as Cricket Australia director
Former Test captain Mark Taylor quit as a Cricket Australia director Monday to give the organisation a clean slate to repair the damage inflicted by the ball-tampering scandal and a damning review into the governing body. Taylor becomes the latest top figure to exit the embattled organisation following chief executive James Sutherland and chairman David Peever. Taylor, who served 13 years on the board, was only last week floated as a potential successor to Peever with the sport in desperate need of inspired leadership. He ruled himself out, citing a conflict of interest, having recently signed a new contract with broadcaster Channel Nine which has the rights to the World Cup and Ashes series in 2019. And Taylor has now decided to split from CA altogether. "I reached this decision following a high degree of soul searching and, importantly, having the game's best interests clearly in mind," he said. Since Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft were banned for trying to alter ...
Khachanov shocks Djokovic for maiden ATP 1000 title
Russian underdog Karen Khachanov ended a dramatic week with his first ATP 1000 title after stunning the to-be world number one Novak Djokovic 7-5, 6-4 in the 2018 Paris Masters final here on Sunday.
Pakistan whitewash New Zealand 3-0 in Twenty20 series
Pakistan defeated New Zealand by 47 runs in the third and final Twenty20 international in Dubai on Sunday to claim another clean-sweep in the game's shortest format. Pakistan were lifted to 166-3 by Babar Azam who made a 58-ball 79 with seven boundaries and two sixes while Mohammad Hafeez hit a 34-ball 53 with four boundaries and two sixes. When on 48, Azam became the quickest to score 1,000 Twenty20 runs in just 26 innings beating India's Virat Kohli's record by an innings. Leg-spinner Shadab Khan took 3-30 as New Zealand were bundled out for 119 in 16.5 overs. Pakistan won the first match in Abu Dhabi by two runs and the second by six wickets in Dubai.
I wanted to just absorb the pressure, help team to win: Karthik
Having played a pivotal role in steering his team to victory after initial jitters in the first of the three Twenty20 Internationals against the West Indies, veteran Dinesh Karthik on Sunday said he wanted to absorb the pressure while keeping his focus on positive cricket.
Five years with KKR helped me do well here: Kuldeep
Chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav, who starred in India's five-wicket win over the West Indies in the first T20I here, said his long stint with Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL helped him do well on Sunday.
Kolkata T20I: Karthik, Pandya secure win in low-scoring thriller
A combination of composure from Dinesh Karthik and brute force from Krunal Pandya ensured India surpassed the once-daunting 110-run target set by West Indies to clinch a five-wicket win in the first of the three-match T20I series here at the Eden Gardens on Sunday.Having been put to bat first, opener Shai Hope (14 from 10) made a decent start to the innings for the away side, with the score at 16 runs off the first two overs.That, however, changed as Denesh Ramdin (2 from 5) nicked a Umesh Yadav delivery for Karthik to collect behind the stumps, which was followed by Hope being run-out, owing to some slick work by K. L. Rahul and Manish Pandey in the following over.The Caribbean side could not manage to get any rhythm into their batting as wickets in quick successions put them in a precarious position, with a meagre 63 registered for the loss of seven wickets at the end of 15 overs.However, the final three batsmen contributed a combined 51 runs in the final five overs, giving the West
Bowlers were exceptional, there's some learning for batsmen: Rohit Sharma
India's stand-in skipper Rohit Sharma praised his bowlers for their "exceptional performance" after a hard-fought five wicket win over the West Indies in the first of the three T20 Internationals here on Sunday.
India spin out West Indies by five wickets (Roundup)
India pipped a fighting West Indies by five wickets riding on chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav's venomous stuff backed up by some responsible middle order batting display after early hiccups in the first of the three T20 Internationals here on Sunday.
Humpy through to next round, Harika to fight tie-breaks
Grandmaster Koneru Humpy scored a second victory over Hayat Toubal of Algeria in the second game of the first round of World Women Chess Championship here Sunday. The other Indian Grandmaster, D Harika, was stretched to the tiebreaker with Sopiko Khukashvili of Georgia following a second draw. Humpy, who is vying for her maiden world championship title, faced some welcome resistance that will get her in shape for the rounds to come. The Indian was never in trouble as black and got her pieces swinging on the king side after winning a pawn. The end was picturesque as Humpy finished with a renowned back-rank theme. Harika will have to battle it out in the tie-break games against Khukashvili who was under pressure but somehow sustained herself to make a draw out of what looked like a difficult rook and pawns endgame. Harika, a bronze medallist in the last two editions of this knockout format starts as a huge favourite in this clash when the games of shorter time duration will decide the ..
Hopefully we can learn from these mistakes, says Rohit
Skipper Rohit Sharma hoped they will learn from the mistakes which put India in a spot of the bother before crossing the line in the first T20 International against West Indies here Sunday. Chasing 110, India were struggling at 45 for four in the eighth over when Dinesh Karthik took control of the proceedings at the Eden Gardens. First in the company of KL Rahul and then debutant Krunal Pandya (21 of 9 balls), Karthik helped the hosts break a four-match winless run. "(We) knew the chase wasn't going to be easy. Hopefully we can learn from these mistakes," Sharma said at the post-match presentation ceremony. India prevailed over the visitors by five wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. "Exceptional performance with the ball. There was a lot on offer for the seamers. Even with spinners, it wasn't easy. Overall there was little bit for every department. To start with, we bowled well - good areas. Used the conditions perfectly," Sharma said. Wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav ...
The other Pandya checks in: All-round Krunal stars in India's tricky chase
India ended a four-match winless run against the West Indies with a five-wicket victory that came on the back of debutant Krunal Pandya's flourish and Dinesh Karthik's poise here Sunday. Wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav (3/13) led the Indian bowlers' fine show to restrict West Indies to 109 for eight after stand-in skipper Rohit Sharma opted to to field on a dew-laden Eden Gardens. India responded well with the pacers giving them a fine start after Umesh Yadav dismissed Denesh Ramdin in the third over. Playing their first match at home without the inspirational Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India were 45 for four in eight overs, leaving their fragile middle order exposed. But the 'local boy' Karthik, who leads Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL, stayed calm in his 31 not out from 34 balls (3x4, 1x6) to steer India home with 13 balls to spare. Hardik's brother, Krunal, hit the winning boundary off Keemo Paul in the 18th over. The new Pandya smashed 21 off nine balls. This was India's first win against ...
Junior Nationals: U-18 hammer thrower Nitesh records world's 4th best effort of the year
Hammer thrower Nitesh Poonia created national record on the third day of the 34th Junior National Athletics Championships in Ranchi on Sunday. Poonia flung the hammer to a distance of 81.47m, going past the previous mark of 75.45m held by Ashish Jhakar by over six meters. Poonia's effort was the world's fourth best throw recorded by an U-18 men's athlete this year. The 18-year-old from Rajasthan's dominance was such that he beat second placed Updesh Singh by nearly 15 meters. The silver medal winner could only fling the hammer to a distance of 66.93m. Bronze meanwhile went to Rajasthan's Praveen Kumar who recorded a throw of 65.06m. To put Poonia's throw in perspective, the men's U-20 hammer throw was won by Uttar Pradesh's Vikranta who threw the hammer 69.46m. Silver and bronze went to Badal of Rajasthan and Ajay Kumar of Haryana who threw the ball and chain 66.02m and 63.38m respectively.
India beat West Indies by 5 wickets in first T20 International
India defeated West Indies by five wickets in the first T20 International here Sunday. Sent into bat, West Indies were restricted to 109 for eight and India chased down the target of 110 in 17.5 overs at the Eden Gardens. India lead the three-match series 1-0. Brief scores: West Indies: 109/8 in 20 overs (Fabian Allen 27; Kuldeep Yadav 3/13) India: 110/5 in 17.5 overs (Dinesh Karthik not out 31, Krunal Pandya not out 21; Carlos Brathwaite 2/11, Oshane Thomas 2/21).
Chile's Union Española parts ways with manager Palermo
Union Española said on Sunday that it fired Argentine manager Martin Palermo, who joined the Chilean club in 2016, due to the team's poor results.