Page 970 - Sports
Ghosal progresses to the third round at Qatar Classic
Taking revenge for his Asian Games defeat against Leo Au, Indian squash star Saurav Ghosal defeated his Hong Kong opponent in straight games to move to the third round of the Qatar Classic, a PSA World tour platinum event, here on Tuesday. Ghosal, who had a bye in the first round, defeated Leo Au 11-2, 11-3, 11-5 and will face second seed Ali Farag of Egypt in the third round. In August, at the Asian Games in Jakarta, the Hong Kong player had beaten the Indian in the semi-final. Interestingly Ghosal also has a score to settle with the Farag next in what promises to be a keen contest. Four years ago, in what was their first and only meeting earlier, the Egyptian, who had come in as a qualifier had spoilt the top seed Indian's party right in the first round of the CCI international in Mumbai.
Solari prepares for Real Madrid debut after Lopetegui sacking
Santiago Solari will make his debut as Real Madrid coach when his side travels to play third tier side Melilla in the Copa del Rey knockout tournament on Wednesday.
Police nab Spain football federation's vice president over missing $51 million
The financial vice president of Spain's football federation was arrested on Tuesday when police raided the ruling body's regional offices in Catalonia as part of an investigation into the alleged disappearance of an estimated 45 million euros ($51 million).
Solari takes first training session at Real Madrid
Santiago Solari took charge of his first training session as interim Real Madrid coach on Tuesday. The Argentinian, a former midfielder with the Spanish Liga giants, has replaced Julen Lopetegui, who was sacked following Real's 5-1 defeat to Barcelona on Sunday. According to Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) rules, Solari's temporary tenure with the Champions League holders can last no more than 14 days, after which the club must decide to appoint him permanently or find another coach to replace Lopetegui. Solari's first game in charge will be a last 16 Spanish Cup tie against third division club Melilla on Tuesday.
Dele Alli signs new Spurs deal
England midfielder Dele Alli has signed a new long-term contract, keeping him at Tottenham until 2024, the Premier League club announced on Tuesday. The 22-year-old joined Spurs in 2015 and has scored 48 goals in 153 competitive appearances for the club. He joins Harry Kane, Son Heung-min, Davinson Sanchez and Harry Winks in signing long-term deals at the club in recent months. "We are delighted to announce that Dele Alli has signed a new contract with the Club, which will run until 2024," Spurs said on their website. "The midfielder joined us as a teenager from boyhood club MK Dons in 2015 and immediately set about making an impact in the Premier League, being named PFA Young Player of the Year and earning a spot in the PFA Team of the Year in each of his first two seasons with us." Spurs are fifth in the Premier League following Monday's 1-0 home defeat against leaders Manchester City.
ATK banking on Johnson's insights to break Bengaluru jinx
Eyeing their maiden win against Bengaluru FC, ATK are banking on their defender John Johnson's input on the last year's runners-up, coach Steve Coppell said Tuesday. Johnson was a regular in Bengaluru FC since the club's inception in 2013. The English defender will be now be donning ATK colours. The home side, which have not even scored a goal against the Blues, are aiming to notch up their first win. "He has given us insights into what Bengaluru FC do game by game, their match preparation and the things they try to do," Coppell said on the eve of their match against BFC at the Saltlake Stadium. "They do not have a great deal of change in personnel, the style of play is very much same. Hopefully we will try to counter them. He's (Johnson) been very important last couple of days." The two-time I-League champions Bengaluru FC had a stupendous run after their foray into the lucrative league last season but only to be pipped by Chennaiyin in the final. "They are the yardstick. They have ..
Ramkumar, Sasi advance, shock defeat for Prajnesh in Shenzen
Sasi Kumar Mukund got the better of Chinese wonder-kid Yibing Wu but in-form Prajnesh Gunneswaran suffered a shock first round defeat at the ATP Challenger tournament in Shenzen, China. The 21-year-old Sasi, who qualified into the main draw and has made good progress on the Pro circuit, defeated Wu 7-6 (4) 6-2 in one hour and 20 minutes to move to the second round of the USD 75,000 hard court event on Monday. Wu had won the junior US Open last year and also became junior world number one after his Grand Slam win. Sasi will next face Canadian eighth seed Filip Peliwo. Fourth seed Prajnesh, who played intense tennis in the past two weeks, lost 3-6 4-6 to Alejandro Davidovick Fokina from Spain. "Yes I was a bit tired after a hectic two weeks," he said. In the battle of the Indians, third seed Ramkumar Ramanathan fought off qualifier Sumit Nagal 3-6 6-4 7-6(2) in his opening round. Ramkumar is now up against Egypt's Mohamed Safwat. It was a bad day for Saketh Myneni as he had to concede ..
Neroca look to bounce back after opening match defeat
Neroca FC would look to bounce back from their opening match defeat when they take on Gokulam Kerala FC in an I-League football fixture here on Wednesday. Last year's runners-up Neroca lost 0-2 to East Bengal on October 27 and they would be seeking to notch up their first win of the season in their second match at home. Neroca have so far won both their I-League head-to-head encounters against Gokulam but the visitors go into the game with a draw against Mohun Bagan in their opening encounter which should give them more confidence than their hosts. The Imphal-based side's Japanese winger Katsumi Yusa, a key part of Spanish coach Manuel Fraile's plans for this season, will miss Wednesady's game due to an injury. But, Liberian centre back Varney Kallon will be back from injury to add more solidity to the Neroca defence. The combination of Nigerian Felix Odili Chidi and Singham Subhash Singh were controlled well by the East Bengal defenders and they would have to perform better on ...
India and other SAFF countries pull out of Saudi-led SWAFF
India and six other members of the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) on Tuesday pulled out of the newly-formed Saudi Arabia-led bloc with immediate effect in support of the Asian Football Confederation's President Sheikh Salman Al Khalifa. Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Pakistan are the other SAFF nations to severe ties with South West Asian Football Federation (SWAFF) on the eve of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) congress in Kuala Lumpur. Former Saudi Arabia Football Federation chief Adel Ezzat was made president of SWAFF and later decided to contest against Al Khalifa for the AFC top position. "The South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) comprising Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Pakistan unanimously decided to pull out of the South West Asian Football Federation (SWAFF) with immediate effect on Tuesday, 30 October 2018, in a meeting held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia," the All Indian Football Federation said in a statement. "The .
Khaleel reprimanded for ICC code breach
India's rookie left-arm quick Khaleel Ahmed has received an official warning and a demerit point for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel during India's 224-run win over the West Indies in the fourth ODI in Mumbai.
Resurgent ATK eyeing maiden win against Bengaluru FC
Hosts ATK will look to build on their winning momentum when they face last year's runners-up Bengaluru FC in an Indian Super League football fixture at the Saltlake Stadium here Wednesday. Having suffered back-to-back defeats at home to start their campaign, the new-look ATK have managed to bounce back with two wins and draw. They will now seek to secure their maiden win against Bengaluru. In their last match, ATK upset defending champions Chennaiyin FC 2-1 in a match which saw their attacking duo of Manuel Lanzarote and Kalu Uche in perfect coordination and according to coach Steve Coppell's plans. While Uche struck the first goal, the ATK captain set up John Johnson for the second goal. Their midfield also did a neat job with Brazilian Everton Santos showing creativity, along with with Pronay Halder. Bengaluru FC will be up against a player who had been a key member of the side since the club's fairy-tale journey from 2013. Having switched allegiance to ATK, English defender Johnson
Asian football body signs major marketing deal
Asia's football body has signed a major commercial rights deal with sports marketing agency DDMC Fortis aimed at securing the financial future of the game in the region for the coming years. The deal gives the agency, a joint venture between Chinese and Swiss groups, exclusive rights from 2021 to 2028 starting with the final qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said in a statement. The AFC did not say how much the agreement was worth but reports put it at USD 3.4 billion, a huge boost for the rapidly growing football scene in Asia. "This is a most significant day in the history of the AFC," the body's president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said as the deal was signed Monday in Kuala Lumpur, where the AFC is based. "With the signing of this contract, the AFC can guarantee its member associations that the game in Asia has tremendously solid financial foundations from which to build." DDMC Fortis CEO, Patrick Murphy, said that the group ..
Tennis: Sabalenka edges out Barty in Zhuhai opener
Big-hitting Aryna Sabalenka was too strong for Ashleigh Barty in the opening singles clash of the WTA Elite Trophy in China on Tuesday, taking the match 6-4, 6-4. The tournament's youngest player produced some typically aggressive tennis in Zhuhai, showing the form that has seen her shoot up the world rankings from 39th to 12th place in just three months. Belarus's Sabalenka, 20, made the most of breaking Australian Barty, 22, in the very first game of the match, seeing out a nip-and-tuck opening set. In-form Sabalenka looked the more confident of the two in the early stages, and the third seed her nerve to pull out her first two aces to clinch the set. Ninth seed Barty took the initiative in the second set, breaking in the fourth game, only for Sabalenka to break back in Barty's two following service games. The pair produced some thrilling base-line battles for the spectators at the Hengqin International Tennis Center, but Sabalenka turned the screw to see out the match in one hour, .
Babar Azam regains top T20I rank
Pakistani cricketer Babar Azam has reclaimed the number-one ranking in the International Cricket Council (ICC) men's player rankings for T20I batsmen for the third time this year after hitting two half-centuries in Pakistan's 3-0 win over Australia in a recently-concluded series.The series result means Pakistan cannot be displaced from the top spot, irrespective of the outcome of their upcoming series against New Zealand as well as the one between India and West Indies.Babar's series aggregate of 163 runs with a strike-rate of a little over 117 has helped him leapfrog Australia captain Aaron Finch, Lokesh Rahul of India and New Zealand's Colin Munro into the coveted number-one position.He now leads second-ranked Finch by five points after the Australian started the series with a commanding 126 point lead over the Pakistani. From this series, Babar earned 79 points while Finch conceded 52 points.The right-hand batsman, who captained Pakistan at the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2012, had ..
2020 AFC Olympics: Indian eves confident of clearing round one, says coach
Indian Women's football coach Maymol Rocky is hopeful of the team clearing the first round of the upcoming 2020 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament for the first time in history."We definitely have a good chance of qualifying. We cannot be complacent as that will bring about our own downfall. The confidence gained from our exposure tour to Spain was immense. The girls are motivated and confident at the same time. So far, we have never qualified for any subsequent round of the Olympic qualifiers. Hence, it's a big event for us," Maymol echoed.India will travel to Myanmar to take on the hosts, along with neighbours Nepal and Bangladesh for three Group C games. The top two teams will be making it to the second round along with two best third-placed teams across the four groups.The matches will be held at the Thuwunna Stadium in Yangon from November 8-13, and according to Maymol, the Indian team has a good chance of advancing into the next round.Maymol
Man City hold Spurs 1-0 to reclaim Premier League lead
Manchester City took an early lead, thanks to a defensive blunder by Tottenham Hotspur and hung on to win 1-0.
Bautista, Dzumhur, Sousa advance to second round
Spaniards Roberto Bautista and Feliciano Lopez, Bosnian Damir Dzumhur, Portuguese Joao Sousa, German Philipp Kohlschreiber and French Richard Gasquet all won their first round matches and advanced to the next round of the Paris Masters 1,000.
Inter Milan beat Lazio to grab 2nd place
Mauro Icardi notched a double to lead Inter Milan 3-0 over Lazio and allow the Nerazzurri to claim second place in Serie A.
Cricket Australia chairman urged to quit after ball-tampering review
Cricket Australia chairman David Peever faced growing calls to quit Tuesday after a damning review slammed the body's conduct leading up to a major ball-tampering scandal. The independent review released Monday found that an "arrogant" and "controlling" culture within Cricket Australia contributed to players cheating in the pursuit of victory. Peever has so far avoided an exodus of senior figures after the scandal, when players were caught using sandpaper to alter the ball in a Test match against South Africa in March. Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland, coach Darren Lehmann and team performance boss Pat Howard all resigned. Then-captain Steve Smith and his deputy David Warner were banned for 12 months, and batsman Cameron Bancroft for nine months. Peever, a former Rio Tinto mining executive who was reappointed for a second term as chairman only last week, said on Monday that he wouldn't step aside. "The work was never about wanting to dwell on negatives," Peever told national ...
ITF tournament in Muzaffarnagar from Nov 12-17
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) tournament will begin at Service Club here from November 12 to 17, an official said Tuesday. The qualifying rounds will be held on November 10 and 11, Ravinder Choudhary, Secretary, Muzaffarnagar Tennis Association told reporters here. Twenty six players from 19 countries will participate in the tournament, he said. The ITF has announced the prize money of USD 25,000, the official added.