Page 985 - Sports
Indian women's football team loses 0-2 to Nepal in AFC U-19 Championships Qualifiers
The Indian women's football team slumped to a 0-2 defeat at the hands of Nepal in the AFC U-19 Championships qualifiers here on Friday. Striker Rekha scored both the goals for Nepal in the 59th and 88th minutes to give her side three points from the match. The result put a dent in India's chances of qualifying for the next round, as they are now level on three points with Nepal and Thailand. The match had a cagey beginning, as both the sides looked to find their feet. India's first chance came through captain Jabamani Tudu, who rose above the Nepal defenders to meet a cross from Manisha, but her effort was blocked by the defenders. However, the Indians slowly clawed their way into the game, and got their first real chance when Renu broke away from the defence and found herself one-on-one with the keeper. However, her first touch was poor and Nepal goalkeeper Anjana came out to collect it. India had another great chance in the 30-minute mark, when Jabamani played out a short free kick .
Nepal beat India in AFC U-19 women's qualifier
India slumped to a 0-2 defeat at the hands of Nepal, as opposition striker Rekha scored a brace to take her team to three points from two games.
Pune's Siddhant Banthia in boys' final of Asian Juniors
Fourth-seeded local boy, Siddhant Banthia, entered the boys' singles final of the 2nd HCL Asian B1 Junior Tennis Championship here Friday. In the semi-final, Banthia was leading 6-2, 4-2 when top-seeded rival Dostanbek Tashbulatov of Kazakhstan conceded the match. The Pune boy, who is supported by the state tennis association MSLTA in his tennis career along with others, will now take on second-seeded Sergey Fomin of Uzbekistan in the title clash Saturday at the Deccan Gymkhana. Fomin scored a 6-4, 6-3 win over third-seeded Seon Yong Han Of Korea in the other semi-final. In the girls' singles, third-seeded Mananchaya Sawangkaew of Thailand upset top-seeded Hong Yi Cody Wong of Hong Kong 7-6 (4), 6-2. She set up an all-Thai final with eighth-seeded Mai Napatt Nirundorn, who struggled before getting past fourth- seeded Priska Madelyn Nugroho of Indonesia 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 in the other semi-final match. Mananchaya Sawangkaew later paired with Himari Sato of Japan to take the ...
Three more Greco Roman wrestlers suffer defeat in early rounds at Worlds
India's Greco Roman wrestlers continued to struggle at the World Championship with only Manish managing to clear qualification round on Friday. Manish, competing in the 67kg, is the only Indian Greco Roman grappler to have won a bout thus far. He won his qualification bout 3-1 against Aleksandrs of Latvia before losing the 1/16 round 0-9 to Japan's Tsuchika Shimoyamada. Both Gyanender (60kg) and Manjeet (87kg) could not clear the qualification round, losing by technical superiority. While Gyanender was knocked out by Lithuania's Justas Petravicius, Manjeet lost to Estonia's Eerik Aps. Whether these three get a repechage round will be determined after the evening session. On the opening day also, none of the four Greco Roman wrestlers could win a match. Vijay (55kg), Gaurav Shar (63kg), Kuldeep Malik (72kg) and Harpreet Singh (82kg) had all crashed out after losing their qualification rounds. Sandeep Tulsi Yadav remained the lone Greco Roman wrestler from India to win a medal at the ...
I-League: Neroca FC to employ 'tiki-taka' style under new Spanish coach
After a runners-up finish last season, Manipur's Neroca FC are trying to adopt a "Tiki-taka" style of play under new Spanish coach Manuel Retamero Fraile in their bid to lift the I-League crown this season. In their debut season last year, Neroca surprised one and all by finishing second behind Minerva Punjab. Local coach Gift Raikhan's direct and attacking style brought results despite having little experience of playing at the top-flight football earlier. At one stage, Neroca were leading the league standings and they lost the title to Minerva only on the last match day. The Imphal-based club was run on shoestring budget but they stood up against big teams like Mohun Bagan and East Bengal. Neroca played out draws against East Bengal on both legs while losing one match and drawing the other against Mohun Bagan. With Raikhan moving to the neighbouring state of Mizoram as head coach of former I-League champions Aizawl, his direct football has also left the Manipur side with Spaniard ...
Ibrahimovic not an option to ease out striker problems: Mourinho
Admitting that he has got striker problems ahead of the Premier League game against Everton, Manchester United coach Jose Mourinho has ruled out bringing Zlatan Ibrahimovic back to the fold.
India look for improved bowling in 3rd ODI (Preview)
Boosted by the return of white ball specialists Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, India will aim to bounce back from the heart-stopping draw that denied them a 2-0 lead when they face a resurgent West Indies in the third One-day International (ODI) here on Saturday.
UEFA punishes Romania for racism, misconduct by fans
Romania will have to play its next competitive game behind closed doors and its soccer association has been fined by UEFA for racist chants and banners at a Nations League game. UEFA says the Romanian soccer association was fined 50,000 euros (USD 57,080) for the racist behavior of its supporters and another 23,000 euros (USD 26,250) for fans invading the field and lighting fireworks at the national stadium in Bucharest. UEFA previously said the "racist behavior" included incidents targeting Romanian neighbor Hungary when the national team played to a 0-0 draw against Serbia on Oct 14. Romania fans also held up a banner linking refugees to terrorism, and a video posted on social media showed fans chanting a slogan supporting Serbia's territorial claim to Kosovo. Romania hosts Lithuania in the UEFA Nations League on Nov. 17.
FA to impose historic bag ban at Wembley for England USA friendly
In an historic move football fans attending the England v United States friendly on November 15 will not be allowed to take bags into Wembley, according to Football Association (FA) chief executive Martin Glenn. Glenn said the action was being taken because security forces had informed the FA Wembley is a "prime target". Glenn told The Daily Telegraph terror attacks such as the one at the Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena last year that left 22 people dead illustrated how vulnerable such live events are. "We know from security forces that Wembley is a prime target," he said. "The next match, when America play here, for the first time we are doing a bag-drop where you can't take bags in. "You will get to airport-style security at some point. Just think of the Manchester (Arena) bombing." Security at major sporting events in Britain such as FA Cup finals and racing festival Royal Ascot has increasingly become a feature in recent years with armed police and sniffer dogs ...
We have forced India to bring back Bumrah, Bhuvi: Stuart Law
West Indies coach Stuart Law is happy that his batsmen have been able to "manufacture" changes in the Indian bowling line-up with their premier pacers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah set to play the final three ODIs. The Indian bowlers have conceded 320 plus scores on both ODIs in batting friendly conditions with both Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami failing to impress. While Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah's comeback during the second phase was always on the cards, Law feels that it's batsmen who have forced the hosts to ring in changes. "Yeah I would like to think so (on their comeback). That's probably the reason why they've (India) called back their two most experienced one-day bowlers. To our credit, we haven't shied away from it," Law said on the eve of the third ODI. He is happy that Indians are asking themselves a few questions. "So yeah, hopefully we are getting the Indians to ask questions to themselves. They are giving us plenty of questions to ask ourselves but at this stage, we
Should he stay or should he go? Loftus-Cheek in Chelsea conundrum
Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek's hopes of getting regular playing time in the Premier League are hindered by the club's wealth of talent in his position, says manager Maurizio Sarri. Sarri was speaking after 22-year-old Loftus-Cheek advertised his talents in the best possible manner by scoring a hat-trick in the 3-1 win over Belarus outfit BATE Borisov in their Europa League group clash late Thursday. Loftus-Cheek -- who is the first Chelsea player to score a hat-trick in European competition since club icon Didier Drogba 12 years ago -- has played just 33 minutes of Premier League football this term despite enjoying an impressive World Cup with England. He started England's recent friendly with Switzerland in September, but since then he has found club-mate Ross Barkley gaining preference both at Chelsea and in the England set-up as national manager Gareth Southgate is keen to select players who are playing regularly. Chelsea fans may have been chanting 'He is one of our own' .
Tearful Osaka retires from WTA Finals
Japanese sensation Naomi Osaka's WTA Finals debut ended in tears on Friday as she was forced to retire against Kiki Bertens, handing the Dutchwoman a surprise spot in the semi-finals. Bertens won the first set 6-3 in 47 minutes at the Singapore Indoor Stadium before US Open champion Osaka, who wiped away tears, forfeited the match. It was a bitterly disappointing end for the 21-year-old, who came into Singapore as the form player but lost three-set matches to Sloane Stephens and Angelique Kerber. But it was enough for Bertens to seal a final four spot in her debut at the season finale, having defeated top seed Kerber earlier in the round-robin phase. Bertens only qualified for the WTA Finals just days before the tournament after world number one Simona Halep withdrew due to injury. "It's never nice to win a match like this," Bertens said after the match. "I want to try to keep on going. I've had a lot of tough matches here." Osaka had started the match brightly, rolling through her ...
David Warner joins new T20 club
Tainted Australian opener David Warner has joined the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) team, Sylhet Sixers.The 31-year-old confirmed the same through a video, posted on the club's official Facebook page."I'm very excited to let you know that I'm now a Sixer. I can't wait to be a part of the Sylhet Sixers family. See you soon!" Warner said in the video.This is Warner's third club signing after being handed over a 12-month ban by the Cricket Australia for his involvement in a massive ball-tampering scandal at Cape Town.Earlier, he had appeared in Global T20 tournament followed by his participation in West Indies-based Caribbean Premier League.Warner's one-year ban will end in March, next year. Consequently, he will be eligible to play in tournaments like the Indian Premier League and World Cup.
India look to assert continental supremacy against Japan in ACT semifinal
Defending champions India will look to assert their continental supremacy once again when they take on reigning Asian Games gold-medallists Japan in the semi-final of the Asian Champions Trophy (ACT) hockey tournament here on Saturday. Having spanked Japan 9-0 in the round-robin stage, India will start overwhelming favourites against the Asian Games champion side. India are the only side in the tournament that remained unbeaten in the round-robin stage, having won all their matches except for a close goal-less draw against old nemesis Malaysia. India qualified as the top team with 13 points from five games. Arch-rivals Pakistan finished second on 10 points ahead of Malaysia on account of a better goal difference, while Japan were fourth with seven points. The ongoing Asian Champions Trophy being the last tournament before the season-ending World Cup in Bhubaneswar, the Indians would be desperate to prove their critics wrong with another strong performance on Saturday. Going by ...
Coast Mariners' coach shares 'no update' about Bolt's future in football
Central Coast Mariners' coach Mike Mulvey clearly stated that there is "no update" on whether former Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt will be a part of the A-League club or not.The comment came in the backdrop of media reports stating that Bolt has landed a contract offer with Mariners.The coach said that the negotiations in the matter are still going on but he has no further information about the same."There's no update. Last week I asked the club to keep me at arm's length with what was going on," goal.com quoted Mulvey, as saying."I was briefed when we got back after the game, saying negotiations are ongoing and that's basically the end of it," he added.Making his priorities clear, Mulvey said that he is currently focused on their upcoming A-League clash against Melbourne City FC."He's (Bolt) not at training, I'm concentrating on the lads that we've got here who are focused on this game on the weekend, which is how it should be," Mulvey said.Bolt, who recently switched from track to ...
Hockey: India face Japan in Asian Champions Trophy semis (Preview)
Defending champions India will be hoping to secure a spot in the final of the fifth Mens Asian Champions Trophy hockey meet when they take on Japan in the semi-final encounter at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex here on Saturday.
Coast Mariners coach shares 'no update' about Bolt's future
Central Coast Mariners' coach Mike Mulvey clearly stated that there is "no update" on whether former Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt will be a part of the A-League club or not.The comment came in the backdrop of media reports stating that Bolt has landed a contract offer with Mariners.The coach said that the negotiations in the matter are still going on but he has no further information about the same."There's no update. Last week I asked the club to keep me at arm's length with what was going on," goal.com quoted Mulvey, as saying."I was briefed when we got back after the game, saying negotiations are ongoing and that's basically the end of it," he added.Making his priorities clear, Mulvey said that he is currently focused on their upcoming A-League clash against Melbourne City FC."He's (Bolt) not at training, I'm concentrating on the lads that we've got here who are focused on this game on the weekend, which is how it should be," Mulvey said.Bolt, who recently switched from track to ...
Steve Smith makes it to AFR Young Rich list despite ball-tampering scare
Former Australian skipper Steve Smith has made it to the 2018 Australian Financial Review (AFP) Young Rich List for the first time despite being handed over a one-year suspension by Cricket Australia for his role in a massive ball-tampering scandal.In the year 2018, the 29-year-old has collected a total personal wealth of USD 27 million, news.com.au reported.Overall, the batsman is placed on 95th position in the AFR Rich List.The list is headed by Australian basketball player Andrew Bogut, who recently joined the National Basketball League's Sydney Kings.In March, Smith, along with opener David Warner, was handed a one-year ban by the Cricket Australia following a massive ball-tampering scandal that took place during the third Test match of the four-match series against South Africa at New Lands.Subsequently, the right-hand batsman had not only lost the Australian captaincy but also some lucrative associations including the Indian Premier League contract.
Villarreal beat Rapid Vienna to end home winless streak
Villarreal crushed Rapid Vienna 5-0 in a Europa League match to post their first home victory of the season in all competitions.
3rd ODI: India look to plug gaps; extend lead against West Indies
Handed a reality check after West Indies salvaged a morale-boosting tie in the second game, India will be hoping to put up an improved bowling show with their frontline pacers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah back in action for the third ODI here on Saturday. A well-oiled India hammered the Windies in the lung opener in Guwahati by eight wickets, but the gritty visitors indeed, made a statement of sorts in Visakhapatnam, by denying the hosts a victory and a chance to go 2-0 ahead in the five-match rubber. However the absence of Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah saw Indian bowling unit being clobbered for 320 plus runs in both games. With more variations in their repertoire in white ball cricket compared to the profilgate Umesh Yadav and an inconsistent Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah are expected to make a significant difference, especially in the first Powerplay and the death overs. India also have issues to ponder over with only 16 games are left before the World Cup in England next