(Football news) Luka Jovic has been linked with a move to Fiorentina on loan for quite a while now but now things have changed as Real Madrid have agreed to sell Jovic on a permanent basis. It is an unusual transfer with a lot of unusual terms. Real Madrid will let Jovic leave for free despite the Serbian having 3 years left on his contract. Fiorentina will pay the strikers wages but Real Madrid will pay a compensation to Jovic as Fiorentina cannot match his current Real Madrid wages. Jovic will sign a 2 year deal with an option to extend for 2 more years. The Los Blancos get 50% of any future sale from Fiorentina.

The deal is very complicated but one thing is pretty clear that Real Madrid are taking a massive loss on the player. The club signed Luka Jovic for €60 million from Eintracht Frankfurt and paid him £166,000 per week as wages. Jovic has only played 36 games for the team and despite being a pure goal scoring striker, he has scored only 3 goals. Real Madrid signed a 21 year old Jovic in 2019 which was the same window they brought in Eden Hazard, Ferland Mendy, Eder Militao and Rodrygo. The latter 3 have settled into the team well while the other two have truly struggled. Jovic was on a 6 month loan period at former club Frankfurt to try and bounce back but he couldn't bring his old form back.

The obvious reason why Jovic hasn't been able to settle at Real Madrid is Karim Benzema. The Frenchman is one of the best players in the world who is rarely injured or rested. The reason for Jovic's failure is definitely more than just that. Jovic never made the most of his opportunities even though they were limited. Other youngsters like Eduardo Camavinga and Fede Valverde were also given limited opportunities but they made the most out of it. Now it's time for Jovic to start fresh in a new league with Fiorentina. His career could still shoot up if he puts in good performances with Italy. Because of the sell-on clause Real Madrid will also be hoping for the same.

Real Madrid have been spending big on young players and one of them was bound to fail. Madrid might have to rethink their strategy if this becomes a regular occurrence but it hasn't yet. Failure of Jovic next to the success of Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr is in fact a good ratio for Real Madrid. Carlo Ancelotti has been thinking about using Hazard through the centre according to reports which could be a good idea. Real Madrid could also sign a back-up for Benzema in the coming weeks.

Also read: Eden Hazard to play in a new position at Real Madrid next season

(Football news) Arturo Vidal has rejected Boca Juniors for Flamengo after leaving Inter Milan on a free transfer. The 133-cap Chile midfielder who turned 35 recently chose the Brazilian giants over the famous Argentine club on an 18-month deal. The former Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Juventus star was linked with a reunion with Antonio Conte at Tottenham earlier this summer but he will face disciplinary action from Inter after revealing in an interview earlier this month that he wanted to join Flamengo. Alexis Sanchez is also expected to follow him out of the 2020/21 Serie A champions as he is also expected to join Flamengo. The 33-year-old might struggle for a high-profile move after two disappointing years in Italy since departing Manchester United but he needs to take a massive wage cut to join the Brazilian club

The central midfielder hasn’t had the best of times at Inter as he has scored three goals and registered six assists across all competitions when Inter finished two points behind league champions AC Milan. The 35-year-old leaves Europe after a successful career that saw him play for some of the world's biggest clubs including the likes of Juventus, Bayern Munich, and Barcelona after he left Bayern Leverkusen in 2011. He was touted as a potential transfer target by Manchester United and Tottenham but never made the switch to the Premier League which was subsequently the only major league he didn’t play. Vidal becomes only the second Inter Milan player to join Flamengo in two years after Gabriel Barbosa sealed a move to the club for an undisclosed fee in 2020.

Meanwhile, Sanchez also looks for a departure from the Nerazzurri and he could immediately rejoin his Chilean compatriot at Flamengo, who have already inquired about the 33-year-old’s availability with his representatives. At the moment, Flamengo are in talks with Sanchez and it will be seen if they can convince the Chilean to make the switch to join Vidal. Ever since Alexis Sanchez left Arsenal he has really been the same, he struggled at Manchester United who paid his massive wages and then he joined Inter on an initial loan deal but last season he secured a permanent move. He helped Inter win the Supercoppa by scoring an extra-time goal against Juventus in January. Sanchez is looking for a move since Inter have signed Henrikh Mkhitaryan and are potentially signing Paulo Dybala, which would subsequently mean that his playing time would reduce at Inter.

Also read: Luuk de Jong is set to rejoin PSV Eindhoven from Barcelona
 

(Football news) Clement Lenglet is closing in on a departure from Barcelona and looks to complete a surprising move to join Premier League side Tottenham on loan. The centre-back has decided Spurs is his best option currently and will move if the two clubs can agree a loan fee. According to latest reports, Lenglet is just “one step away” from leaving Barcelona and heading to north London.

The two clubs are said to be in “advanced talks” after Roma dropped their interest in the Frenchman. The reports also add that the clubs are currently discussing contract details as personal terms don’t seem to be an obstacle. Barcelona wants Tottenham to pay all of Lenglet’s salary, but Spurs are hoping that the Catalans will help them out in that regard. Barca are still hoping the majority of the outgoings in the squad will be done before Monday which is when the first-team squad are due back for pre-season training at the Ciutat Esportiva. Lenglet had joined Barcelona from Sevilla in 2018 and enjoyed a couple of positive seasons but the 27-year-old fell down the pecking order in the Barcelona squad. Given his very high wages, Barça have been intent on getting rid of the defender for quite some time now.

There has been interest in Lenglet’s services from France and Italy but it now seems that Tottenham Hotspur is where the French international will be heading this summer. As per Gianluca Di Marzio, the loan signing of Lenglet from Barça will be until the summer of 2023 as there has been no mention about the percentage of wages that Tottenhman would be paying and how much burden Barcelona will have to bear. Nevertheless, Lenglet’s impending exit will be a huge relief for Barcelona who want to finally offload the player this summer. There could be a possibility that Barca include a buy option in the contract, which could be activated once the loan spell is done. 

Tottenham have been on the hunt for a new left-sided centre-back for a while now and have been linked with the likes of Inter Milan star Alessandro Bastoni and RB Leipzig ace Josko Gvardiol. They failed in their attempt to capture them as Antonio Conte’s side quickly turned their focus towards Lenglet and have virtually sealed the deal for the French ace. It is a good move for Lenglet after hardly playing any first team football with Barca for 2 years. The move also comes at a good time for the player as this year he may have an outside chance of making the France World Cup squad. It is now on Tottenham if they agree on a mandatory buy option in the contract.

Also read: Richarlison is set to join Tottenham for £50m from Everton

(Tennis news) Rafael Nadal continued his quest for a calendar Grand Slam after progressing into the second round of Wimbledon with a 6-4 6-3 3-6 6-4 win over Francisco Cerundolo. The Spaniard won the first two sets but his Argentinian opponent took the third. With momentum on his side, Cerundolo broke early in the fourth set but Nadal fought back to secure the victory on Centre Court. 

Speaking after the match, Nadal said “All the credit to Fran, he started to play great, he was a very tough opponent. For me it was obvious I hadn't been here for three years on this amazing surface and it is amazing to be back. It is not a surface we play very often and I had not put a foot on a grass court in the past three years." The Spaniard’s involvement at Wimbledon was doubtful after being forced to use anaesthetic injections at Roland Garros. The 36 year old has since undergone radiofrequency ablation treatment in order to be match ready for Wimbledon. 

In other news, Italy's Matteo Berrettini was forced to withdraw from Wimbledon after contracting COVID-19 while Canadian sixth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime was defeated 7-6 (7-5) 4-6 7-6 (11-9) 7-6 (7-5) to American world number 45 Maxime Cressy. Stefanos Tsitsipas secured a -6 (7-1) 6-3 5-7 6-4 over Swiss qualifier Alexander Ritschard while Denis Shapovalov fought back to defeat Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech 6-1 6-7 (6-8) 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 6-1. 

Also read: Serena Williams knocked out of Wimbledon’s first round

New Delhi, Jun 26 (Football News) The Indian women's team suffered a 0-2 defeat against Mexico in their last match of the 6th Torneo Female U-17 Football Tournament in Vilesse, Italy on Sunday.

Mexico netted one in each half to wrap up the match, with Katherin Sillas and Alice Gallegos getting on the scoresheet.

The game had a rather frantic start as both the sides looked to settle down to a good rhythm.

India custodian Melody Chanu was called into action early on, as she often came off her line to punch Mexican crosses and corners away from danger.

At the 14th minute, Chanu produced another save, but Katherin Sillas was present to turn the rebound into the net.

The first half came to an end as Mexico took their slender lead into the dressing room.

India had a good chance from a free kick but defender Purnima Kumari went over the cross-bar. Minutes later, Chanu was once again called into action as she produced another diving save.

India head coach Thomas Dennerby brought on Misha Bhandari and Pinku Devi in place of Naketa and Nitu Linda, with just a few minutes left on the clock.

However, Mexico soon scored in the third minute of added time through Alice Gallegos to secure the victory. 

Also Read : 'Real Madrid is in the wrong hands' claims former player Asllani

News Source : PTI

Udine (Italy), Jun 23 (Football News) India's Under-17 women's football team suffered a humiliating 0-7 defeat against Italy in the opening match of a four-nation tournament at Grandisco D'lsonzo stadium here.

The Thomas Dennerby-coached side started off the match by trying to press the opposition high up the pitch and entice mistakes from them.

Tackles were flying in from both sides and it was Italy, who were awarded a free-kick in the fourth minute. Beatrice curled the free-kick but she narrowly missed the target.

Italy almost took the lead in the 10th minute as Dragoni had just Indian goalkeeper Monalisa to beat but the latter stretched and produced a wonderful save to deny the Italian.

However, India's resistance soon lay in tatters as just one minute later, Maria Rossi put the ball into the back of the net.

In the 22nd minute, Monalisa was again called into action by Dragoni, but the former again parried the ball out for a corner.

India came the closest to scoring on the half-hour mark when Anita tried a long-range effort to catch the Italian defence off-guard but her shot missed the target by a whisker.

The floodgates opened after that as Anna Longobardi and Giulla Dragoni scored in the 31st and 33rd minutes, respectively, to give the Italians some much-needed cushion.

In the 36th minute, Kajol missed the target by a whisker as India trailed Italy by a 0-3 margin at the half-time break.

Italy picked up right from where they left off in the first half as Manuela Sciabica scored in the 48th minute.

Couple of quick-fire goals followed after that and within 15 minutes of the second half, Italy had extended their lead to six goals.

Dennerby made some changes in the 60th minute as Neha, Rejiya, Babina and Pinku came on for Nitu, Lynda, Kajol and Shelja, respectively. Marta Zambomi scored the final goal of the game in the 67th minute as she stretched Italy's lead to 7 goals. On an exposure tour, the Indian team will compete in two tournaments to gear up for the U-17 women's World Cup in India during October-November. 

Also Read : Atletico Madrid are set to sign Axel Witsel on a free transfer

News Source : PTI

(Swimming news) Italy’s Thomas Ceccon has broken the 100m backstroke world record at the World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, taking victory in 51.60 seconds, 0.25secs better than Ryan Murphy's previous record which was set in 2016. Four time Olympic gold medallist Murphy from the USA received the silver medal while Hunter Armstrong was third. British Olympic champion Tom Dean received the bronze medal in the 200m freestyle category. 

17 year old Romanian teenager David Popovici broke the world junior record he set in qualifying by winning the gold medal while 19 year old South Korean Hwang Sun-woo won the silver medal. However, it was Thomas Ceccon who enjoyed the centre stage and the Italian said in an interview “I have no words, there was an Olympic champion in 2016 (Murphy) and other strong people in the field, I'm pretty happy. I didn't think of any record or time before the start, I just swam my own race. For me, it's simply unbelievable.” 

Italy had a good time at the World Championships as 17-year-old Benedetta Pilato also won the gold medal in the women's 100m breaststroke. She defeated Germany’s Anna Elendt by just 0.05secs, becoming the first Italian to win the world title while Lithuania's 2012 Olympic champion Ruta Meilutyte was third. In an emotional post race interview, Pilato said “I'm super happy, it was my dream and it came true tonight.” 

In other results, American swimmer Katie Ledecky, 25, claimed her second gold medal by winning the women's 1,500m freestyle after securing gold at women's 400m freestyle on the opening day. Britain's Freya Anderson, 21, achieved her personal best of 1:56.05 seconds to qualify fastest for the women's 200m freestyle final. She said “It's a big confidence boost, I've been struggling to get down to a 1:56-low, so I'll take it - but there's always ways to do better."

Also read: Apeksha Fernandes breaks long-standing record in 200m butterfly

(Football news) Aleksandar Kolarov is set on a career to become a sporting director and scout after confirming his retirement from football. Kolarov at the age of 36, spent two years at Inter Milan after three years at Roma since leaving Manchester City in 2017. The Serbian had his most successful tenure when the Serbian international spent seven years at City, helping them to their first two Premier League titles, plus one FA Cup and two League Cup successes. Now that his contract with Inter came to an end, Kolarov called his career off and will now look to move into the backroom staff of football rather than pursue taking up a coaching or punditry career. 

Kolarov made 247 appearances for City in total and became a firm favourite at left back. He scored 21 goals and assisted 37 times for Manchester United. Kolarov then went on to join Roma in 2017 from Manchester City and spent a total of three seasons with the club, tallying 132 total appearances while collecting 19 goals and 21 assists. Kolarov is known for his free kicks when he played for City under Mancini and Pellegrini. Till now, he has won 11 major honours in his long career. In his final season with Inter he featured in almost no game at all as it had become clear that he was not needed on the pitch anymore. Kolarov will bow out as a Serbian legend and was in contention to play in this years World Cup at Qatar but since he’s retired he won’t be able to feature in the biggest footballing spectacle this season

In a statement, he said: "I always knew that sooner or later this moment would come. Although I am sorry that I am closing one chapter of my life, I am grateful that I managed to achieve what has always been my dream. I thank all the people who followed me in this first part of my career. First of all, to every teammate in the teams in which I played as well as in the football team of Serbia, my homeland, which I have always represented with great pride.

"I thank the clubs, presidents, managers, coaches and technical staff, doctors, economists, physiotherapists and all those who helped in my career, and worked hard from the background. I am coming to the end of this phase in my life, feeling great satisfaction with what I have achieved. I hope that with my daily proving on and off the field, I have at least partially repaid this wonderful game and all those who supported me. Now I am already focused on my 'other' life in the world of football. I will soon start training as a sporting director and scout at the National Football Centre of the Football Federation of Italy in Kovercan."

Also read: Real Madrid to send Luka Jovic on loan to Fiorentina

(Football news) Liverpool identified 18 year old right-back Calvin Ramsay as a long-term replacement for Trent Alexander-Arnold; as Aberdeen are set to bank a club-record £6.5m fee for the talented defender; Ramsay was named SFWA Young Player of the Year. Liverpool have agreed a £6.5m deal to sign the young Scottish right-back with them paying an initial £4m up front and £2.5m in add-ons. The 18-year-old is now due to travel to Liverpool to undergo a medical

Liverpool had been locked in talks with the Scottish club for quite some time after Jurgen Klopp's side made an initial £4m offer, with £2m in add-ons. However, it is understood that Aberdeen were holding firm for at least £5m up-front, with £5m in add-ons. The £6.5m fee was agreed for Ramsay as he will become Aberdeen's record sale, surpassing their current record of £3m when they sold Scott McKenna to Nottingham Forest. The Dons have also received an extra £1m for the centre-back after Forest were promoted to the Premier League.

Ramsay is set to become Liverpool's third signing tof summer after the arrivals of Darwin Nunez for a club-record £85m deal and Fabio Carvalho, who they signed from Fulham.
It was revealed that Ramsay's preferred choice was to join Liverpool, out of a number who showed interest in him as clubs from England, Germany and Italy, all scouted him. Last season he registered six assists and scored one goal for Aberdeen. He also had the highest expected assist average rate for any player across the whole Aberdeen squad which was 0.2 per 90 same compared to Alexander-Arnold who also topped the metric chart at Liverpool last season.

Both players have benefits of taking set-pieces, Ramsay at a young age is trusted with set piece duty so early into his career, giving us an indication how threatening his deliveries are. Although he can deliver dangerous swinging balls into the box he is not yet at Alexander-Arnold’s level as the club hierarchy believe that Ramsay will learn a lot from Trent at the same position. Calvin Ramsay has strong ball carrying ability which can help Jurgen Klopp’s side in quick counter attacks. He is a signing for the future and certainly to keep an eye on his development at Liverpool. 

Also read: Fabio Vieira set to join Arsenal for a reported fee of €35m
 

New Delhi, Jun 17 (Football News) India's U-17 women's team will travel to Italy and Norway for competing in two tournaments as part of its preparation for the upcoming FIFA U-17 World Cup.

India is hosting the U-17 Women's World Cup in October-November.

The young tigresses will play two tournaments during their exposure tour – the 6th Torneo Female Football Tournament in Italy from June 22-26 and Open Nordic Tournament WU16 in Norway from July 1-7.

This will be the first time the team is participating in the Nordic tournament.

India will face Italy on June 22 at the Gradisca d'lsonzo Stadium. Apart from India, Chile, Italy and Mexico will also be participating in the event, according to a press release issued by All India Football Federation.

In the Open Nordic Tournament WU16 in Norway, eight teams will compete against each other - Netherlands, India, Norway, Iceland, Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland and Sweden.

India will face Netherlands on July 1 at the Strommen Arena.

Head Coach Thomas Dennerby who took charge of the team earlier this year has selected 23 players who will be playing the international games.

List of 23 players: Goalkeepers: Monalisa Devi, Hempriya Seram, Keisham Melody Chanu.

Defenders: Astam Oraon, Kajal, Bhumika Mane, Naketa, Purnima Kumari, Shubhangi Singh, Sudha Ankita Tirkey, Varshika Midfielders: Babina Devi, Gladys Zonunsangi, Misha Bhandari, Pinku Devi, Nitu Linda, Shailja Forwards: Anita Kumari, Kajol Dzouza, Neha, Rejiya Devi Laishram, Shelia Devi, Lynda Kom Serto.

Also Read : Tottenham Hotspur congratulate Sunil Chhetri for equalling Puskas's tally of 84 goals

News Source : PTI

(Football news) In an upcoming documentary named ‘Pogmentary’ which was released on Amazon Prime, Paul Pogba claimed that Manchester United offered him ‘nothing’ despite the club offering him two contract extensions worth more than £290,000, a 3.5% increase on his previous deal. The player is now on the verge of joining Juventus as a free agent as his agents are finalising a four year contract with the Turin based club despite interest from Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid.

In a preview of the Pogmentary, Pogba is seen speaking to his agent Mino Raiola, asking him “Did Manchester (United) make a second offer?” His Italian agent, who has since passed away, replied with “Yes. They absolutely want you to stay. For me, the offer doesn't reflect that. I told them, 'If you want him to stay, don't make that offer'. I will make them understand that if they really want you to stay and they want to build a project around you, this time they have to act differently and put the money on the table." After hearing his agent's comments, Pogba is heard replying “They're bluffing. How can you tell a player you absolutely want him and offer him nothing? Never seen that."

The Frenchman has also claimed that Manchester United didn’t show adequate care for the player while he was recuperating for an injury, resulting in Pogba only managing to regain his confidence after joining the French national team. As things stand, the 29 year old is expected to announce his final decision in the coming days and if he returns to Juventus, he would make a return to the club where he has spent 4 successful years already. It could very well be the last big move of his career as he would be 34 years old by the time he leaves the Italian club. Manchester City were also interested in Pogba’s signature and despite considering their offer, the Frenchman decided not to join the rivals of his boyhood club. 

Overall, Pogba would be disappointed by his time at Manchester United. His time at Old Trafford has been underwhelming to say the least, with his only decent season coming when he signed for a world record fee. The player has failed to justify his hefty price tag and despite moments of brilliance, Pogba has largely been unable to replicate the form he has shown with the French national team. The player has been unjustly criticised by the British media as well for his haircuts, fashion sense and his happy-go-lucky attitude, with underlying hints of racism a possible reason behind his treatment by many publications. A move back to the Serie A might not be the best for the Frenchman, as he has already won all there is to achieve in Italy and it would signify a lack of ambition from Pogba. In an ideal world, he should have stayed back at Manchester United and been a part of Erik ten Hag’s rebuilding process to take his boyhood club back to the summit of world football.

Also read: Dani Alves leaves Barcelona after the club refuses to extend his contract

New Delhi, Jun 15 (Football News) The DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai will host the summit clash of the U-17 Women's World Cup on October 30 while the semi-finals will be played in Goa, FIFA and Local Organising Committee (LOC) announced on Wednesday.

Bhubaneswar is set to host India's three group stage matches beginning on October 11.

The official draw will take place on June 24th.

The 24 group stage games will conclude on October 18 and the matches will be shared among all three host states – Odisha, Goa and Maharashtra.

The quarter-final round of games will be held on October 21 and 22 following which the semi-finals will be held on October 26.

The Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar will see hosts India compete in all three group stage games on October 11, 14 and 17.

Meanwhile, the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai and the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda will equally share the four quarterfinal games.

LOC Project Directors, Ankush Arora and Nandini Arora, in a joint statement said, "We are extremely grateful to FIFA, our host states and all other stakeholders for their continued support in the aligned vision of uplifting women's football.

"The launch of the schedule is a significant moment on the road to the historic tournament. The preparations for hosting India's second FIFA competition are progressing as per timelines and we remain confident of delivering a highly successful tournament, one which will provide a platform for future stars of women’s football to shine." A total of 32 games contested by 16 teams will decide the winner of the seventh edition of the biennial youth tournament over 10 match-days, with each venue hosting double headers on each matchday.

Promoting women in leadership, the LOC has equipped the Indian footballing ecosystem with 162 female coaches in the grassroots through its legacy initiative, the Coach Education Scholarship Programme. Further editions of both, the coaching programme and the football carnival, are planned in the lead up to the 11th October kick off. 

Also Read : Germany score five past European champions Italy in the Nations League

News Source : PTI

(Football news) Italy suffered a humiliating 5-2 defeat to Germany in the UEFA Nations League. Goals from Joshua Kimmich, Ilkay Gundogan, Thomas Muller and a brace from Timo Werner. Italy managed to score consolation goals from Wilfried Gnonto and Alessandro Bastoni but it was a bittersweet situation for Roberto Mancini’s team who have failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup. The result meant that Germany became the first team since 1957 to score five goals past Italy and it was also the first time Germany defeated Italy in a competitive fixture. 

At just 18 years of age, Wilfried Gnonto became Italy’s youngest ever goalscorer. The last time Italy lost a game this badly was against Yugoslavia 65 years ago when they succumbed to a 6-1 defeat in the Central European International Cup. Speaking after the match, Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma said: "We are angry, there are no excuses tonight. We have to look each other in the eyes and restart in order to show that this is not the real Italy. We lacked everything tonight. We are very sorry for the fans, especially the Italians living in Germany. We all made mistakes tonight. I made a big one and I take responsibility for that." 

As for Germany, the result would ease the pressure on Hansi Flick’s team who had failed to win a single match at the UEFA Nations League before facing Italy. Die Mannschaft are now unbeaten in 13 games and are now one point behind group leaders Hungary. In other results, Belgium defeated Poland 1-0 to apply pressure on the Netherlands who defeated Wales 3-2 to remain above their rivals in Group A4.

Also read: England suffer worst defeat in 68 years against Hungary

(Football news) Hungary handed an embarrassing 4-0 defeat to Euro finalists England in a UEFA Nations League group 3 match. The loss was the worst defeat England had suffered in 68 years and it was also their heaviest home defeat since 1928. Manager Gareth Southgate benched the likes of Raheem Sterling, Mason Mount, Harry Maguire, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish for the game. The weak link was the left back spot which doesn't have a natural player as Reece James had to play on that side. New faces Marc Guehi, Conor Gallagher and Jarod Bowen were given a start.

In the 16th minute the English defence went to sleep as Roland Sallai scored from a long free kick. Hungary had another set piece which was hit directly towards goal but was cleared off the line by James. After a disappointing 1st half performance, Southgate responded by replacing Bowen with Raheem Sterling. The substitution didn't work as Hungary doubled the lead in the 70th minute via Sallai who got his 2nd goal of the night. 10 minutes later, Zsolt Nagy got Hungary's 3rd with an absolute rocket from outside the box. Things got worse for the home side as John Stones got a 2nd yellow for elbowing a player off the ball. 1 minute before full time Daniel Gazdag made it 4-0 to the visitors.

England had 69% possession and 10 shots but only 2 on target. In their four Nations League 2022/23 matches, England have lost 2 and drawn 2. Despite their runners up finish at the Euros and all the hype, England still have a few holes to fill. Manager Gareth Southgate has come under heavy criticism recently for his negative tactics. Fans and experts have said that Southgate's overly defensive and safe tactics don't allow the players to play to their full potential. This generation of England have been extremely successful but the argument is whether they have achieved it based on the talent of the players or tactics of Southgate or both. England have one more international break left before the World Cup where they will play Italy and Germany. Southgate will have a lot of questions to answer in those two games. 

Also read: Manchester United keeping tabs on Ajax winger Antony

Chennai, Jun 11 (Chess News) Rahul Srivatshav P of Telangana has become India's 74th Grandmaster, achieving the title after breaking the 2500 (Elo points) barrier in live FIDE ratings during the 9th Cattolica Chess Festival 2022 in Italy.

The 19-year old player reached the 2500 Elo live rating mark after drawing his 8th round game against Grandmaster Levan Pantsulaia in the Cattolica event.

His current Elo rating is 2468.

Srivatshav had already secured five GM norms and achieved the title when he crossed the rating threshold of 2500 on Friday.

To become a GM, a player has to secure three GM norms and cross the live rating of 2500 Elo points.

"India one more step closer to getting 100 Grandmasters! Meet our newest addition to the elite club, 19-year-old Rahul Srivatshav from Telangana, India's 74th Grandmaster! A big congratulations to Rahul, his coach and family!," All India Chess Federation president Sanjay Kapoor tweeted on Saturday.

Bharath Subramaniyam had become the country's 73rd GM in January. The legendary Viswanathan Anand is India's first GM, which he became way back in 1988. 

Also Read : My CWG hopes are dwindling, I'm sinking into depression: Gymnast Ashish Kumar

News Source : PTI

Stavanger (Norway), Jun 11 (Chess News) Young Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa emerged winner in the Norway Chess Group A open chess tournament here with 7.5 points from nine rounds.

The 16-year old GM, the top-seed, was in fine form and remained unbeaten through the nine rounds. He finished the tournament with a win over fellow Indian V Praneeth, an International Master, late on Friday.

Praggnanandhaa (Elo 2642) finished a full point ahead of second-placed IM Marsel Efroimski (Israel) and IM Jung Min Seo (Sweden).

Praneeth with six points was joint third but was placed sixth due to an inferior tie-break score.

Apart from beating Praneeth, Praggnanandhaa posted wins over Victor Mikhalevski (in round 8), Vitaly Kunin (round 6), Mukhammadzokhid Suyarov (round 4), Semen Mutusov (round 2) and Mathias Unneland (round 1). He drew his other three games.

The Indian teenaged star has been putting in impressive performances in recent times and had beaten world number one Magnus Carlsen for a second time in the Chessable Master online event and lost a close final to China's Ding Liren.

The GM will be part of the India B team in the open event of the 44th Chess Olympiad in Chennai next month.

Praggnanandhaa's coach R B Ramesh congratulated him after the win and said it will help boost his confidence.

"Congratulations to him for the victory. He was the top seed, so it is not a surprise that he won the tournament. He played well in general, drew three games with black pieces and won the remaining games. It will help boost his confidence," Ramesh said. 

Also Read : Norway Chess: Anand beats Tari in final round; settles for third place

News Source : PTI

Gothenburg, Jun 10 (Golf News) Indian golfers Diksha Dagar, Shubhankar Sharma and Tvesa Malik endured a rough start at the Volvo Car Scandinavian Mixed and run the risk of missing the cut.

Diksha with a 2-over 74 was the best of the three Indians at 114th place, while Sharma and Tvesa carded 4-over 76 each and were T-140th.

All three will need solid second round cards to make the weekend. The top 65 and ties will make the cut.

Diksha had two birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey, while Tvesa had three birdies but also three bogeys and two double bogeys.

Sharma, who has missed four cuts in last five starts, looks likely to miss another one. He had two birdies, four bogeys and a double bogey.

Meanwhile, Italian amateur Carolina Melgrati produced a spectacular opening round of 7-under 65 to be in a four-way share of the lead.

The Volvo Car Scandinavian Mixed is a co-sanctioned event between the LET and DP World Tour with 78 men and women each playing for the same prize fund of USD 2 million and one trophy with Henrik Stenson and Annika Sörenstam as hosts.

Melgrati, 19, who finished T4 at last week’s Ladies Italian Open, landed an eagle on par-5 11th besides six other birdies against just one bogey on eighth.

Melgrati was joined at the top of the leader board by Scotland’s Craig Howie, France’s Matthieu Pavon and Spain’s Santiago Tarrio, who all carded rounds of 65.

Four players were tied for fifth place including England’s Liz Young and Sweden’s Linn Grant after they both fired rounds of 6-under 66.

At the end of the first day, 16 players are Tied-11th on four-under-par including local LET winner Julia Engström, German duo Karolin Lampert and Leonie Harm, France’s Anne-Lise Caudal, England’s Rosie Davies and Italy’s Virginia Elena Carta. 

Also Read : India's Udayan Mane lies third in weather-hit ADT event

News Source : PTI

(Football news) Former Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo could make a return to management with Turkish club Fatih Karagumruk. The Istanbul-based outfit, who have the likes of Fabio Borini and Emiliano Viviano as they finished eighth in the Turkish Super Lig last season but have ambitions to reach Europe this season. Reports in Italy suggest that they are the favourites to hire Italian legend Pirlo, who hasn't taken another coaching job since being sacked by Juventus in May last year. 

The Istanbul-based outfit was promoted to the Turkish top-flight in the 2019-20 season and have defied all odds they would struggle by finishing eighth in both campaigns since.This was a personal defeat for Pirlo to be sacked out of Turin after only one season as he has been without a job since May 2021. Pirlo doesn’t need the money, after all, he was one of the best players in the world for quite some time, but too much free time does not look good on his CV. Now Pirlo is on his way back, but not where we expected it to be. The 43-year-old has previously been linked with a lot of Serie A clubs, but according to Fabrizio Romano, Pirlo's contract is more or less in place.

Playing in Süper Lig, Karagumruk finished in the 8th place this season, 8 points from the Europa League place in 4th place. Andrea Pirlo won the Coppa Italia in his first season as the manager of Juventus but still got sacked by the Juventus hierarchy. Pirlo did well in his first season as a rookie manager as he was only fired by Juve because of their high standard at the club. Some fans will call for his return after the disappointing campaign under Allegri, which didn’t even deliver a trophy this season. However, the Bianconeri will probably keep faith with Allegri this season, and Pirlo’s best bet remains to find another club in the process.

Also read: Spain get first win at the Nations League after defeating Switzerland

(Football news) Germany and England will both be out to secure their first UEFA Nations League as both suffered disappointing starts to the campaign, both would eye a victory when they renew their historical rivalry in Munich on Tuesday night. Hansi Flick's side started the proceedings in League A Group 3 with a 1-1 draw against Italy, while the Three Lions suffered an embarrassing 1-0 loss to Hungary. 

In the first match they were unlucky to go behind after some strong play from debutant Wilfried Gnonto down the right-hand side allowed Lorenzo Pellegrini to convert from close range with 70 minutes gone, but Joshua Kimmich quickly scored for a wasteful Germany who had plenty of chances to win the match but ultimately they shared the points. In doing so, Germany maintained their unbeaten run in all tournaments to 10 games since their Euro 2020 elimination at the hands of England in the round of 16, and they find themselves second in the rankings of League A Group 3 as they aim to progress to the finals for the first time in this tournament.

Die Mannschaft have tried and failed on two previous occasions to progress to knockout stages of the Nations League as they continue to ramp up their preparations for the 2022 World Cup, as they look to improve upon their group-stage calamity in 2018. A tally of two wins from their 11 Nations League matches is not upto the mark for top side like Germany, but they are still unbeaten at home in this tournament.

England had not failed to score in 14 matches before their embarrassing 1-0 loss to Marco Rossi's Hungary at the Puskas Arena, but Southgate's side have subsequently gone three games without a goal away from home in the Nations League as England will travel to Munich to face Germany at the Allianz Arena. Last time they faced each other, the Wembley Stadium was bouncing when England dumped Germany out of the Euros with a 2-0 win in the last-16 stage 12 months ago. The last time the Three Lions triumphed on Mannschaft turf was in a friendly in 2016, when Eric Dier scored a 91st-minute winner last time

Germany possible starting lineup:

Neuer; Kehrer, Sule, Rudiger, Raum; Gundogan, Kimmich; Gnabry, Muller, Musiala; Havertz

England possible starting lineup:

Pickford; James, Stones, Maguire; Alexander-Arnold, Rice, Phillips, Saka; Sterling, Kane, Grealish

Also read: World champions France draw against Croatia at the UEFA Nations League

(Football news) Udinese winger Gerard Deulofeu is very close to signing for Napoli. Deulofeu has reportedly agreed personal terms with Napoli, with a salary of  €2 million net per season plus bonuses. The Spaniard has a contract with Udinese until 2024 but they are looking to cash in on him now with Napoli negotiating the transfer fee with his parent club who are looking for an estimated €16m.

The former Barcelona winger joined Udinese last year after leaving Watford permanently and last season he scored 13 goals in 34 Serie A matches which helped Udinese to finish in 12th which was subsequently the joint-best finish for the club in the last nine seasons. Reports claim that Deulofeu has been flattered by the interest from Napoli and his interest is deterring the Spaniard from a move to England, where West Ham were interested in him but having spent the last two campaigns in the Serie A, he preferred to stay in Italy. Deulofeu’s excellent campaign this season in front of the goal was his best season  in the league since playing for Barcelona’s B team, having mixed scoring success in England while playing for Everton and Watford.

The Spainard first came to England when he left Barcelona on loan for the 2013/14 season and moved to Goodison Park on a season-long deal. In his first loan period with Everton, he scored four times in 29 games. After a season-long loan with Sevilla, Everton eventually signed Deulofeu permanently, and he went on to play 46 more times for the Toffees, scoring four goals for them. Deulofeu then briefly left Everton on loan to play for AC Milan before he permanently  returned to Barcelona for a season. Watford then signed the winger on loan for the 2017/18 campaign, before re-signing him permanently after that for the next two seasons.

With Watford he showcased his talent as he helped them reach the FA Cup final in the 2018/19 season. He then left on loan to Udinese for a season, when the Hornets suffered relegation from the Premier League, he left them and joined Udinese permanently. While West Ham were said to be interested in but are set to miss out Deulofeu to Napoli this summer. Leo østigård is also set to join from Brighton for a reported fee of 3 million. Last season, the central midfielder played 15 games for Genoa and impressed a lot of the big clubs in Italy as the likes of Napoli and Lazio took interest in him. His performance helped get his first cap for Norway as he is currently in the Norway UEFA Nations league squad. 

Also read: Fikayo Tomori is set to sign a contract extension with AC Milan
 

(Football news) Argentina’s talisman and captain Lionel Messi scored all five goals in the game as they ran riot in a friendly against European minnows Estonia. It is only the second time in his career that he has scored five in a game, 10 years on from doing it for the first time against Bayer Leverkusen when they won 7-1 that day. The Argentines were high on confidence since they swept aside Italy 3-0 in the Finalissima, a first game between the champions of Europe and South America on Wednesday. In that match, Messi provided two assists and he was once again in vintage form after a disappointing first season with PSG. He opened the scoring with a penalty and his fourth goal subsequently moved him above Ferenc Puskas in the highest international goal scorers list as he scored 84 goals for Hungary.

Lionel Messi gave the newly-crowned ‘continental champions’ a much deserved lead from the penalty spot after eight minutes, when he calmly scored the penalty as he shot into the corner with the Estonian goalkeeper rooted to the spot. On the stroke of half-time, he scored a second goal when Papu Gómez brilliantly picked him out from inside the penalty area and Messi picked out the far corner with ease to make it two. He then went on to claim his eighth international hat-trick after just 68 seconds in the second half, when a cross from the right was brilliantly steered into the net by the PSG forward. Messi's goals in Pamplona stadium demonstrated his vast array of skills and showed the world why is the current Ballon d’Or holder. His third goal was a classic Messi type when he scored the goal with a predatory finish, showing off his trademark precision to direct Nahuel Molina's cross into the bottom corner from 12 yards.

Messi wasn’t done there either and then scored his fourth when the Estonian defence stopped playing for some reason as they allowed him to breeze through and turn the goalkeeper for the easiest goals of his five goals he scored. Soon number five followed, as this milestone was achieved for the first time in a single game for the Copa América holders. Julian Álvarez’s effort was blocked as the ball eventually broke back to Messi’s way for another routine finish. With this win it extended Argentina’s unbeaten run to 33 games. Their next match will be against the number 1 side in the world, Brazil on Saturday.  Estonia on the other hand will face Malta in  their Nations League campaign.

Also read: Ronaldo leads Portugal to comfortable win; Spain score late equaliser

(Football news) Former Manchester United star Nemanja Matic has come to an agreement over a contract worth €6 million a year with Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma. The Serbian is likely to sign a contract for one season with the option of another year. The midfielder will be playing under Jose Mourinho for the third time in his career as he has accompanied him to Chelsea, Manchester United and now AS Roma.

In football it is quite rare to see a manager have so much trust in a player and take them along wherever they go. Harry Redknapp is particularly known for this when he expressed his love for Niko Kranjcar who he had signed multiple times. Jose Mourinho has been successful with this tactic since he signed for Chelsea in 2004, as he brought in a few of his trusted players from FC Porto and particularly maintained his trust in Ricardo Carvalho when  he signed the defender for Real Madrid and Chelsea. There could be a similar move on the cards, as Mourinho could be on course to bringing Nemanja Matic to the capital city.

Nemanja Matic is all set to be reunited with Mourinho for the third time, as the midfielder bid adieu to the Manchester United fans this season. Many Premier League clubs were interested in the Serbian, but he is likely to move out of England, with Italy looking like his probable destination. Roma along with Juventus have been eying a move for the central. However, playing under Mourinho again has seemingly enticed Matic towards joining the Italian capital club rather than move to Turin. Mourinho has been silent about the Matic links although recent personal terms between the club and the player have been agreed. Roma have made an offer of €6 million per year to the midfielder which he reportedly has accepted 

The Serbian will most likely accept the offer, which is only for one season, but it has an option of  extending it by another year. For the 33 year old, it may be his last major contract before he retires. While it is a big investment in terms of salary for Roma, they can accommodate the wages since Henrikh Mkhitaryan joined Inter. He was signed by Manchester United for £40 million from Chelsea to play under Mourinho after impressing the manager during his second stint with them. The veteran Serb is now set to link up with the ‘Special One’ and hopefully get regular first time football.

Also read: Rasmus Kristensen is set to join Leeds United for a fee of 10million

Fubine Monferrato (Italy), Jun 5 (Golf News) A late double bogey on the Par-4 17th spoiled Vani Kapoor's card and she dropped from top-20 to finish tied 31st at the Ladies Italian Open golf tournament here.

Vani ended with cards of 73-72-72 for a total of one-over 217, while another Indian Amandeep Drall (74-71-74), at three-over, was T-39th.

Other Indians Tvesa Malik, Ridhima Dilawari and Neha Tripathi missed the cut.

Morgane Metraux of Switzerland, who had a 69 in the regulation final round, eagled the first extra hole in a three-way play-off with amateur Alessandra Fanali (67) and England's Meghan MacLaren (67).

Metraux birdied three of the last four holes at Golf Club Margara and needed a birdie on the par-5 18th hole to win outright in regulation play, but her putt from six feet lipped out and she was tied on 10-under-par 206 with MacLaren and Fanali.

Vani opened the final round with a bogey but steadied herself with a birdie on the Par-5 fifth for the third time in three days. She added birdies on 11th and 16th and looked set for a top-20 finish.

Then came the double bogey and she finished with a par on Par-5 18th for 72.

Amandeep birdied the fifth and then had a disastrous run of four bogeys in six holes between 10th and 15th before finishing with a birdie for 74.

After MacLaren and Fanali both made two-putt birdies in front of a large gallery, Metraux then holed a 20 foot eagle putt to earn the victory, before embracing her father, Olivier, who was acting as her caddie.

Following her tie for third in the Mithra Belgian Ladies Open last week, Metraux moved up to 10th position on the Race to Costa del Sol Ranking, while MacLaren, who was tied for second, moved up to sixth place.

Another Italian amateur, Carolina Melgrati was tied for fourth place with South African Casandra Alexander, while Lee-Anne Pace, also of South Africa who held a three-stroke lead after she holed out for eagle on the fourth hole, had to settle for sixth place.

The third Italian player in the top 10 was Roberta Liti, who shared seventh position with Kim Metraux and Nuria Iturrioz from Spain.

The LET now moves to Sweden for the Volvo Car Scandinavian Mixed, hosted by Henrik and Annika, a mixed gender event with the DP World Tour. 

Also Read : Lahiri misses cut by one shot, Smith leads at Memorial Tournament

News Source : PTI

(Football news) England are continuing their preparations for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar with their first UEFA Nations League clash against Hungary at the Puskas Arena on Saturday evening. In contrast, the hosts will not be there at the biggest stage of all, and off-field controversy continues to linger ahead of this fixture. Last time they played and won in Hungary as the mode was dampened by a torrent of racist abuse hurled down from the stands back in September's World Cup qualifier, as now the match is going to take place behind closed doors.

An appearance in the World Cup finals since 1986 still eludes Hungary as those who saw the recent fixture saw Roland Sallai net the only goal in a 1-0 friendly success over Northern Ireland which was a third win from five matches in all competitions for the Magyars. On a more negative note, Hungary welcomed England to Budapest having won just two of their last six home matches in all competitions against the Three lions. In the nations league their wins have been against European minnows in San Marino and Andorra, so after their wins then won back promotion to the A tier going up against the big teams

There may be mixed feelings for England in this year's Nations League as Three Lions should not turn their noses up to a piece of silverware 12 months on from their Euro heartbreak . Gareth Southgate will be sticking around until 2024 following his new contract back in November, which came after England eased into the 2022 World Cup unbeaten in 10 Qualifying matches and also topping Group I in the process. In the recent matches five goals were scored and only one was conceded as England claimed a victories over Switzerland and Ivory Coast in international friendlies, with Southgate still finding his best XI, he will take this period to assess this situation and the Nations League provides the last-chance to figure this out before the World Cup.

Hungary possible starting lineup:

Gulacsi; At. Szalai, Orban, Lang; Nego, A. Nagy, Schafer, S. Nagy; Sallai, Szoboszlai; Ad. Szalai

England possible starting lineup:

Pickford; James, Stones, Maguire, Trippier; Rice, Bellingham; Saka, Mount, Grealish; Kane

Also read: Italy host Germany to try and bounce back from Finalissima defeat

(Football news) There is only one European spot left in the World Cup. Ukraine and Wales will fight for that one spot in the Playoffs final. The winner of the match will be pitted in a World Cup group with England, Iran and USA. The match will be played at the Cardiff City stadium where the atmosphere is expected to be electric as always. Ukraine fans made their presence felt in their last match against Scotland and Sunday will be no different.

Ukraine finished 2nd in their group behind France. After defeating Scotland a few days ago, they have earned their place in this final. Wales on the other hand edged Czech Republic to finish behind Belgium in their group. A Gareth Bale masterclass led them to victory over Austria and now they are just one step away from reaching their first ever World Cup. On paper the two teams are pretty evenly matched but there is one player who could be the difference between the two sides and that is Gareth Bale. Even though Bale hasn't had enough game time at club level with Real Madrid, he has shown in the past that he can deal with it.

Apart from Bale, Aaron Ramsey and Ben Davies will also be very important for Wales. As for Ukraine, captain Andriy Yarmolenko and Oleksandr Zinchenko are absolutely crucial for them. Dan James' pace is going to be very difficult for Wales to handle. The battle between Davies and Yarmolenko will be one to look out for in the game. The good thing for Wales is that they rested their players in the Nations League clash against Poland while all of Ukraine's first choice players had to play against Scotland.

Wales possible starting XI:

Hennessey; Rodon, Ampadu, Davies; Roberts, Ramsey, Allen, Williams; Wilson, Bale, James

Ukraine possible starting XI:

Bushchan; Karavaev, Zabarnyi, Matvienko, Mykolenko; Malinovskyi, Stepanenko, Zinchenko; Yarmolenko, Yaremchuk, Tsygankov

In these sorts of games temperament often proves to be more important than quality. It will be important for the teams to be patient and not rush into anything. Some reports since the past year have stated that Gareth Bale will retire from professional football if Wales don't qualify for the World Cup which gives the Welsh players something more to play for. As for Ukraine, football is the one thing that has the ability to give joy to their people in these testing times and a qualification for the World Cup will be an incredible achievement.

Also read: Italy host Germany to try and bounce back from Finalissima defeat

(Football news) Italy have had a rough couple of matches recently. After failing to qualify for the World Cup for the 2nd time in a row they were completely destroyed in the Finalissima by Argentina. It has been shocking in many ways as it's not even a year since Italy won the Euros. Germany on the other hand have had some failures at big tournaments. Now under Hansi Flick they are going through a rebuild of sorts. The two teams along with England and Hungary will be fighting for a spot in the Nations League finals essentially making it the group of death. 

After a terrible performance against Argentina, Roberto Mancini is expected to make a few changes. Giorgio Chiellini's international retirement means that Leonardo Bonucci will have a new defensive partner. Marco Verratti could return to the line-up after recovering from his injury. As for Germany, Marc Andre Ter Stegan, Matt Hummels and Julian Draxler aren't even in the squad. Thomas Muller should start the game along with club teammates Leroy Sane and Serge Gnabry. Chelsea duo Timo Werner and Kai Havertz will also be in contention to start while Marco Reus is a doubt due to fitness issues.

Italy possible starting XI:

Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Bonucci, Bastoni, Biraghi; Barella, Verratti, Tonali; Bernardeschi, Belotti, Insigne

Germany possible starting XI:

Neuer; Kehrer, Rudiger, Schlotterbeck, Raum; Kimmich, Musiala; Gnabry, Muller, Sane; Werner

The key battle is going to be in the midfield between Joshua Kimmich and Marco Verratti. The winner of this battle is likely to lead their side to victory. The match will feature two of the best keepers in the world as both Manuel Neuer and Gianluigi Donnarumma are very important for their respective teams. The pace of Germany on the counter attack is going to be a huge problem for Italy and their fullbacks will have to be extremely cautious with their approach. 

Also read: A day full of surprises in the UEFA Nations League

(Football news) A couple of weeks ago Paulo Dybala announced that he will leave Juventus after his contract expires at the end of the season. He played his last home game against Lazio and got a heartwarming and emotional goodbye from the Juventus fans. A lot of clubs are interested in signing the Argentine but Juventus' rivals Inter Milan look to be the front runners at this moment in time. 

Dybala joined Juventus from Palermo at the age of 22. In his 7 years at the club the forward has won a total of 12 trophies. He was an integral part of the Juventus team that dominated the Serie A and played in the 2016/17 UEFA Champions League final. Dybala's form has significantly dropped in the past couple of seasons and his recurring injury issues haven't helped either. It is surprising that Juventus have decided to let Dybala go that easily because he is a player adored by the fans. Dybala is just 28 years of age and still has so much to offer but unfortunately for the Bianconeri fans it will be for some other club.

When asked about his future the forward said "I am quite calm, the people who I work with are taking care. In Italy I am very comfortable. I would still like to know other leagues like the Premier League, La Liga… but I’m happy in Italy.” Inter Milan have already lost Ivan Perisic who has joined Tottenham Hotspur for free while Alexis Sanchez will also leave the club for free. Lautaro Martinez who has been constantly linked with a move away from San Siro has also publicly said that he wants to stay at the club. Romelu Lukaku has been linked with a potential return although it will be a very difficult deal to pull off. Dybala will be a perfect signing for Inter and the fact that he is free makes it even better.

Also read: What will Antonio Rudiger add to Real Madrid's squad?

(Football news) Valencia are close to appointing AC Milan legend Gennaro Gattuso as their new head coach according to Fabrizio Romano. The final details are currently being confirmed and the deal will be made official soon. Gattuso, who was a tenacious midfielder himself with Milan, entered coaching in 2013 with Sion. Since then he has managed big clubs in Italy, with Palermo, OFI Crete, Pisa, Milan Primavera, Milan and Napoli. He did not have a job last season but looks to take his coaching credentials to Spain.

Valencia had a dismal season as they finished ninth in La Liga and although they made it to the final of the Copa del Rey they were no match to Real Betis at La Cartuja.  Issues have been a plenty behind the scenes as there was some disagreement with coach Jose Bordalas and owner Peter Lim which seems to have taken its toll at Mestalla. Gattuso is entering a tough situation but he has experienced a similar situation when he managed AC Milan. Financial issues would mean that several high-profile players will exit Valencia this summer and it is going to be a challenge to build a competitive team with a low budget. It has been reported that he will sign with the Spanish club for the next two years with a 3 million contract plus bonuses per season. He is set to become the third Italian manager in the history of the club after Ranieri and Prandelli. 

After almost a year of absence from football, Gennaro Gattuso returns to the bench and he will have do it in the La Liga with an ambitious owner like Peter Lim's Valencia who officially announced his farewell to Pepe Bordalas, who had a contract until 2023, and has decided to back the former Napoli manager and hopefully bring some stability in the club.The deal was led by Jorge Mendes as he negotiated a a two-year contract with a salary of 3 million plus bonuses for the eventual if they win La Liga or for qualification in the Champions League or in the Europa League. Gennaro Gattuso is known for his dogged, hard-working and fiery management style which he hopes to bring back to Valencia.

Also read: Juan Mata leaves Manchester United after eight years at the club
 

(Football news) Ukraine defeated Scotland 3-1 at Hampden Park to book their place in the World Cup playoffs final against Wales. Scotland will be extremely disappointed by their performance as it is now the 6 consecutive World Cup which will not feature a Scottish team. The Ukrainian team have given their countrymen something to cheer about in these difficult times. Ukraine have only qualified for the World Cup finals once when they reached the Quarter finals in 2006. They will have a chance to make their 2nd appearance with only Gareth Bale's Wales team standing in between. 

Scotland lined up with Billy Gilmour in midfield while Scott McTominay was played on the right side of a 3 man defence. The tension and pressure on the game was clearly visible as there were some hard tackling and clumsy fouls from the very beginning. The referee handed out two yellow cards in the very first 11 minutes both to Ukraine. Ruslan Malinovskyi who came very close to scoring in the 9th minute but his shot was saved by Craig Gordon. Ukraine broke the deadlock in the 33rd minute as Andriy Yarmolenko chipped the goalkeeper from 12 yards. 

4 minutes into the 2nd half the visitors doubled their lead after Roman Yaremchuk headed Alexander Karavaev's cross into the net. John McGinn had an incredible opportunity to pull one goal back when he had a free header inside the 6 yard box in the 67th minute. The Aston Villa midfielder missed the target completely as Hampden screamed in agony. The hosts did eventually pull a goal back with 12 minutes left via Callum McGregor. The stadium was absolutely buzzing after the goal as Scotland got a lifeline to keep their World Cup dreams alive. In the end it was too little too late as Ukraine negotiated the game really well and even got a third goal via Artem Dovbyk.

Ukraine now have the momentum to take to the Cardiff City stadium where they will take on Wales. Scotland in the end were outplayed at home in what was a complete lacklustre display. Captain Andy Robertson looked like a shadow of the player he was this season. Playing so many games for Liverpool has definitely taken a toll on him. Scotland now have 3 UEFA Nations League matches to focus on where they will look to give their fans something to cheer about.
 

Also read: Argentina dismantle Verratti-less Italy to lift the Finalissima trophy

(Football news) Los Angeles FC are on the verge of finalising a deal to bring veteran Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini to Major League Soccer. The deal still hasn’t been signed between LAFC and Chiellini, as the Italian is leaving Juventus after 17 decorated seasons with numerous league titles under his name. LAFC hopes to finalise the deal later this week as they need his experience in the club, considering they are the top of thel MLS standings with 29 points (9-3-2) at the international break and will like to remain there.

The 37-year-old Chiellini bid farewell to Juventus fans in mid-May as the longtime club captain’s career included nine consecutive Serie A championships from 2012-20, along with five Italian Cups. The dependable centre back also retired from the Italian national team, as he played his final match on Wednesday night against Argentina at Wembley Stadium in London, where Italy lost the match 3-0. He finishes his international career with 117 matches for Italy, more than all but four players in the Azzurri's history.Chiellini played in more matches for Juventus than any player except Alessandro Del Piero and Gianluigi Buffon. The three were teammates from 2005-12, and now the retired Del Piero lives part-time in Los Angeles, where he owns the fashionable Italian restaurant N10 and Chiellini looks set to give him company in LA.

Since LAFC started playing as a second team in 2018, it hasn’t often followed the well-worn path of its crosstown rivals with the LA Galaxy in signing football superstars on the back end of their careers. Instead, LAFC has built its roster around Mexican striker Carlos Vela, who was still in his prime, with a supporting cast largely filled with younger talents particularly from South America. With Chiellini, it offers them an opportunity to add top-end talent on LAFC’s back line, which has been terrific all season and with Chiellini’s imminent arrival we can expect them to be defensively very strong. LAFC are performing well under first year coach Cherundolo, whose game is based upon defence stability as this season LAFC have yielded just 16 goals while scoring a league-high 29.

Also read: Argentina dismantle Verratti-less Italy to lift the Finalissima trophy

(Football news) Copa America winners Argentina defeated Euro winners Italy 3-0 to claim the Finalissima trophy. Italy were well and truly outplayed by Lionel Messi and company at the Wembley stadium. Italy didn't create a single clear goalscoring chance while Argentina were on their A game for the entire 90 minutes. The Finalissima as a whole can be considered a success which should make it a regular occurrence with the next one set to be in 2025. This was Italian captain Giorgio Chiellini's last game for his country as he announced his retirement before the clash. An injury kept Marco Verratti out of the team which ended up costing Italy a lot.

Italy had a couple of decent chances in the early minutes of the first half. Argentina found their feet little by little and got the first goal via Lautaro Martinez. Lionel Messi after a fantastic run set it up on a plate for Martinez. In injury time of the first half, Martinez played a inch perfect through ball to Angel Di Maria who out paced Chiellini before chipping Gianluigi Donnarumma to double Argentina's lead. Chiellini's last international game didn't go to plan as he was subbed off at half time along with two others. Roberto Mancini tried to turn things around but Argentina were just too good. The South American team had so many chances to make it three but the European champions held on. Paulo Dybala got the 3rd goal with the last kick of the game.

This generation of Argentina has somewhat underperformed at big tournaments but things have changed. The main thing that has changed is the workrate of these players has been incredible and the defense is more solid than ever. Argentina has put the world on notice that they are amongst the favorites for the Qatar World Cup. Messi now has two international trophies in his cabinet which is the same as his long term rival Cristiano Ronaldo. It was another heartbreak for Italy who now desperately need a rebuild. The UEFA Nations League presents them with a good opportunity to start the process. 

Also read: Bayern Munich announce Corentin Tolisso's departure

Fubine (Italy), Jun 1 (Golf News) Tvesa Malik, who is still seeking her first top-10 finish of the year on the Ladies European Tour, will lead the Indian contingent at the 26th edition of the Ladies Italian Open at the Margara Golf Club here.

The field of 126 players, include five Indians and has players from 28 countries.

Tvesa recorded a best finish of T-26 at the Aramco Series-Bangkok individual event and last week she was T-45 at Jabra Ladies Open.

In 2021, Tvesa had a series of top-10 and top-15 finishes and also came close to winning her maiden title by finishing second in Belgium.

She finished 19th in the Order of Merit.

The other Indians in the field, include Vani Kapoor, who has played in South Africa, Australia, Thailand and Europe this week, Amandeep Drall, Ridhima Dilawari and Neha Tripathi.

Last year's tournament was played behind closed doors due to COVID-19 pandemic and the winner was the French golfer Lucie Malchirand.

Malchirand will be joined by strong names, including Lee-Anne Pace and Caroline Hedwall.

Malchirand will try to become the first player since Laura Davies (1987-1988) to win back-to-back titles here.

Six of the current 10 best players on the Race to Costa del Sol will also be in the field -- Johanna Gustavsson from Sweden (ranked second), Tiia Koivisto from Finland (ranked fifth, who won last week's Jabra Ladies Open), South Africa's Lee-Anne Pace (sixth), England's Meghan MacLaren (eighth), Spain's Ana Pelaez (ninth and who recently won the Comunidad de Madrid Ladies Open) and Scotland's Michele Thomson (10th).

They will be joined by Spain's Carmen Alonso and Nuria Iturrioz, England's Alice Hewson, Gabriella Cowley, Annabel Dimmock and Lily May Humphreys and Finland's Ursula Wikstrom (runner up in 2021), as well as Sweden's Caroline Hedwall and Linnea Strom. 

Also Read : Milind leads in men's section, Avani tops among women in IGU Trials for WATC

News Source : PTI

(Football news) Wembley will host the first Finalissima since 1993 where the UEFA Euro winners Italy will take on Copa America winners Argentina. There were two previous editions of the contest when it was known as Artemio Franchi Cup in 1985 and 1993 respectively. France won in 1985 by defeating Uruguay while Argentina defeated Denmark to win 1993. Now the match has returned and it promises to be better than ever. 

In the last international break Italy faced a massive upset as they lost to North Macedonia in the World Cup qualifiers playoff. This will be the 2nd consecutive World Cup which will not feature Italy. Italy did however have an excellent campaign in the Euros. They will be looking to make up for their World Cup failure by winning the Finallisma trophy. Argentina have had an incredible couple of years internationally. They went unbeaten in the Copa America as they won the trophy after 29 years. Messi and co. will be looking to clinch another trophy before the World Cup to assert their dominance.

Italy possible playing XI:

Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Bonucci, Chiellini, Emerson; Barella, Jorginho, Verratti; Bernardeschi, Scamacca, Insigne

Argentina possible playing XI:

Emiliano Martinez; Montiel, Romero, Otamendi, Acuna; De Paul, Paredes, Lo Celso; Messi, Martinez, Di Maria

Ciro Immobile is the big miss for Italy after the striker was ruled out due to an ankle injury. Domenico Berardi, Moise Kean, Nicolo Zaniolo and Andrea Pinamonti have also pulled out of the squad due to injuries. Argentina on the other hand have a fully fit squad with a lot of depth. Lionel Messi will lead the attack which will also have Di Maria and Lautaro Martinez. Italy's defence as usual will be solid as a rock and won't be broken down easily. The battle between the two midfield trio is going to be very crucial in the game. 

Also read: Scotland host Ukraine in the World Cup qualifier playoffs

(Football news) Argentina star forward Angel di Maria has said he will retire from international football after this year's World Cup in Qatar. Although Di Maria will continue playing club football, it will be the end for his illustrative career for Argentine at the international level later this year. The 34 year old has played 121 times for the national side and scored 24 goals. His highlight of his international career was when he scored the winner last July as Argentina beat Brazil 1-0 to win the Copa America and lift their first major title in 28 years.

Di Maria left PSG this summer and he has yet to decide where he will play his club football next season and there is a strong possibility he might head to Italy and play for Juventus. He said continuing at the international level “would be a bit selfish after so many years and having achieved what I wanted to achieve”. Argentina have another chance to win some silverware when they take on Italy in the “Finalissima” as the Copa America winners, and the reigning European champions face each other today at the Wembley Stadium. Angel Di Maria hasn’t always been a fan favourite for the clubs he has played for but in Argentina he is considered to be a part of the golden generation of talent alongside Messi, Aguero and Dybala.

Di Maria made his debut for Argentina in September 2008 and then went on to play a key role in their World Cup campaign two years later, in which they reached the quarter-finals. Di Maria has already competed in three FIFA World Cups and the FIFA World Cup 2022 will be his fourth World Cup appearance. He went onto win the U20 World Cup and  the Olympic gold with Argentina, Di María scored the decisive goal for Argentina’s 2022 in the Copa America final. Di Maria has had his fair share of disappointment at the international level as he has lost two Copa America finals and the World Cup final in 2014 during his 121-cap career. 

"After this World Cup, it will be time. There are a lot of lads who are at the international level, who are getting better, and little by little they are going to show that they are at this standard," Di Maria told reporters ahead of Argentina's match against Italy on Wednesday.

Also read: Scotland host Ukraine in the World Cup qualifier playoffs
 

Dubai, May 28 (Badminton News) Paralympic gold medallist Pramod Bhagat was made to toil hard by fellow junior Nehal Gupta before emerging winner in three games to enter the semifinals of the fourth Fazza Dubai Para Badminton International 2022 here on Saturday.

Bhagat, who won two gold medals at the recent Bahrain Para Badminton International 2022, came back from a game down to beat Gupta 18-21 21-15 21-11 in the men's singles SL3 event.

"I took time to get my rhythm in the match. By that time, Nehal started playing well. He is improving fast and is highly skilled. He has a bright future," said Bhagat, who will next face Japan's Daisuke Fujihara, the Paralympic bronze medallist, in mixed doubles.

By definition, the SL3 category is for players with movement moderately affected one side of the body, both legs, or the absence of limbs.

In men's singles SL4 category, Tarun Dhillon also advanced to the semifinals with a 21-15 20-22 21-14 win over Korea's Cho Nadan.

SL4 is for players with movement affected at a low level on one side of the body, in both legs, or the minor absence of one limb.

The Haryana-based shuttler also entered the men's doubles SL3-SL4 semifinals partnering Nitesh Kumar.

Joshi, Parmar, Ramadass, Kaur in semis too *********************************** The women's SL3 semifinal line up has three Indians with reigning world champion Manasi Joshi set to face Australia's Celine Aurelie Vinot while Mandeep Kaur will meet experienced Parul Parmar in the other last-four match.

Joshi is also through to the mixed doubles SL3-SU5 semifinal partnering Ruthick Ragupathi after they pulled off a come-from-behind win over the new pairing of Bhagat and Manisha Ramadass 21-12 16-21 19-21.

SU5 is for players with movement affected at a low level in one arm, a high degree in the non-playing arm the absence of one limb, or the minor loss of one limb.

Meanwhile, Parmar and Palak Kohli have also advanced to the women's doubles SL3-SU5 semifinals.

Ramadass also progressed to women's singles SU5 event, defeating Italy's Rosa Efomo De Marco in straight games 21-17 21-11.

She will play Cathrine Rosengren of Denmark in the semifinals. 

Also Read : Sen to train with Axelson in Dubai, Sindhu gets approval to take fitness trainer on tour under TOPS

News Source : PTI

(Football news) Tottenham are closing in on a deal to sign Inter Milan player Ivan Perisic. According to Fabrizio Romano, he confirmed yesterday that Antonio Conte will now definitely stay on as the Spurs for another season following his role in the club. With his future sorted Tottenham and their hierarchy can start working on bringing in their summer targets with Perisic looking likely to be their second signing this week after buying Fraser Forster for free this week

The 33-year-old has been an integral cog in Simone Inzaghi’s squad and has subsequently scored ten goals and provided eight assists in 49 appearances in all competitions this season and the Croatian has now bagged 55 goals in 254 matches since joining Inter in 2015 as it included a loan spell at Bayern Munich also. In a series of tweets yesterday, Romano claimed that Inter Milan ‘have not received any official answer from Perisic yet after the last bid to extend his contract’ with Tottenham closing on him and beating the likes of Chelsea and Juventus for his signature. Reports in Italy already claim that the 33-year-old has already signed a three year deal with Tottenham and will be earning somewhere around £100,000-a-week. 

Spurs have been targeting Perisic for a long time along with Chelsea and Juventus, but the fact that he won the Scudetto under Conte last year drove him to Spurs. Antonio Conte was always keen on purchasing Perisic since he is somewhat of a utility player. In 2020 he went on to lift the Champions League title on loan at Bayern Munich. Conte had a meeting with Tottenham's director of football Fabio Paratici on Friday to discuss the club's future and the players to buy in the summer under his management, and it has been reported that he wants to sign several players to bolster the squad. 

The Croatian has a vast CV, winning 113 caps for his country and scoring in the 2018 World Cup final. He joined Inter in 2015 from Wolfsburg but initially he was out of favour with the previous managers but Conte helped him revive his career. Antonio Conte has a long wish list of potential new signings beyond Perisic, which includes his Inter team-mate Alessandro Bastoni, Djed Spence and Pau Torres

Also read: Real Madrid take on Liverpool in historical Champions League final

(Tennis news) Rafael Nadal comfortably defeated Jordan Thompson 6-2 6-2 6-2 in the opening round of the French Open. The Spaniard has suffered from a chronic foot injury in the season so far but will hope to secure the Roland Garros title at a venue he has traditionally excelled in throughout his career. The victory against Thompson was his 106th at the French Open, the most wins at a single Grand Slam (Roger Federer is in 2nd place with 105 wins at Wimbledon). 

Speaking after the match, Nadal said “Of course the confidence is higher when you win in Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Madrid, or Rome. Without a doubt, things are easy in this world to understand, no? When you are winning more matches and more tournaments you have better confidence. When this is not the case, things are different. But I never expected to be winning 15 Monte Carlos and Romes, so that's the situation today. 

“I got injured, and that's it. What happened is past and here we are. We are in Roland Garros. I am here to try my best. And how is my level of confidence? How the things would be or if I didn't get injured, I don't know. We never know. So I'm not a big fan of thinking about the things that could happen if... 'if' is a dangerous word. And then it's the moment to accept the situation and to have the confidence to put all my effort into every single day, to get better and better. Let's see how far I can keep going."

Speaking about Wimbledon, Nadal said “In the end, I understand both sides. I respect and I understand Wimbledon's position, without a doubt, but on the other hand, I understand and I respect too that the ATP is protecting its members. That's it. Is not that one is doing a negative thing and the other one is doing the good thing. Everyone is half. In my personal opinion, (they) have good reasons to make the decisions that they make today. Hopefully ATP and Wimbledon can be together and sit together and negotiate a better future for both sides."

In other results, World Number 1 Novak Djokovic defeated Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka 6-3 6-1 6-0. The in-form Serbian, who recently won in Rome, dropped just four games against Nishioka to seal his passage into the second round by wrapping up the match in just under two hours. Speaking after the match, Djokovic shared his thoughts about Wimbledon as the Grand Slam will not be a ranked event due to the actions taken by the ATP, WTA and ITF. He said “I think collectively I'm glad that players got together with ATP, the governing body of the men's tennis, and showed to the Grand Slam that when there is a mistake happening, and there was from the Wimbledon side, then we have to show that there is going to be some consequences."

Meanwhile, Naomi Osaka crashed out of the first round of the French Open after losing to Amanda Anisimova 7-5 6-4. The Japanese tennis player had withdrawn from the 2021 French Open due to her mental health and raised her doubts about playing in Wimbledon next month. She said “I would say like the decision is kind of affecting, like, my mentality going into grass, like I'm not 100 percent sure if I'm going to go there. I would love to go just to get some experience on the grass court, but at the same time, for me, it's kind of like - I don't want to say pointless, no pun intended, but I'm the type of player that gets motivated by... seeing my ranking go up.” 

In other results, defending champion Barbora Krejcikova lost to French teenager Diane Parry 1-6 6-2 6-3 while Iga Swiatek extended her unbeaten run to 29 with a win against Ukrainian qualifier Lesia Tsurenko 6-2 6-0. Britain's Harriet Dart narrowly lost to Italy's Martina Trevisan 6-0 6-2 while Emma Raducanu overcame Czech qualifier Linda Noskova 6-7 (4-7) 7-5 6-1. The British number 1 said after the match “I mean it was an absolute battle. I have to say Linda is playing some amazing tennis and she really came out there firing. 

“As soon as I dropped my ball speed, she was all over me and killing me from the end of the first set. So, it was definitely really challenging in the second set to hold on and keep holding my serve and break back a couple of times. I am really proud of the way I fought but all props to Linda as she played an amazing match. Honestly, I have no expectations of myself. You know I am really happy to be able to compete here after Rome. I really fought hard to be here in this second round and I am looking forward to trying to stay as long as possible."

Also read: Dominic Thiem crashes out of Roland Garros while Alcaraz secures win

(Motorsport) Formula 1 has confirmed that the 2022 Russian Grand Prix, which was cancelled due to the host country’s invasion of Ukraine, will not be replaced with another venue. The ongoing season was originally meant to be a record breaking 23 race calendar with the Russian GP scheduled to be the 17th race of the season on September 25th. 

After the cancellation, Formula 1 had planned to change the venue to Qatar or Turkey but they have now decided to not fill in the vacant slot. The Sochi Autodrom event was meant to kickstart one of the two triple headers after the summer break but due to the cancellation now, there will be a week’s break before the Singapore-Japan double header. 

One of the biggest reasons for Formula 1 to not replace the Russian Grand Prix despite the options available is due to the logistical and EU freight rules. A venue like Qatar was out of question due to the heat in September and since the country is also set to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup just two months later. The cancellation of the Russian Grand Prix means that the country will not be hosting Formula 1 events until the foreseeable future as well.

F1 2022 calendar for the rest of the season

22 May: Spain (Barcelona)
29 May: Monaco (Monaco)
12 June: Azerbaijan (Baku)
19 June: Canada (Montreal)
3 July: Great Britain (Silverstone)
10 July: Austria (Spielberg)
24 July: France (Le Castellet)
31 July: Hungary (Budapest)
28 August: Belgium (Spa-Francorchamps)
4 September: Netherlands (Zandvoort)
11 September: Italy (Monza)
2 October: Singapore (Marina Bay)
9 October: Japan (Suzuka)
23 October: USA (Austin)
30 October: Mexico (Mexico City)
13 November: Brazil (São Paulo)
20 November: Abu Dhabi (Yas Marina)

Also read: Formula 1: Mercedes hope to salvage their season at Spanish Grand Prix

(Football news) 17 year old Gavi is reportedly close to extending his contract with Barcelona till 2027. According to Fabrizio Romano all that is now left to complete are a few final details and that Gavi will sign a contract until 2027 with a €1 billion release clause in his contract. Barca now have already secured the futures of Pedri, Ansu Fati, and Ronald Araujo and it looks as though Gavi is now about to join his teammates in signing a new long-term contract at the Camp Nou and start a new era of La Masia graduates.

With 46 appearances in all competitions this season, the teenage midfielder maestro has established himself as a first team player in the squad. He has also scored twice and assisted six goals in La Liga this season. This news will certainly be music to the ears of Barcelona fans as Gavi had just over a year left on his current contract and was reportedly a Liverpool target  according to Spanish reports and the Reds were prepared to increase the midfielder's current salary by 50%. Gavi had even rejected three contract proposals from the Catalans, fueling rumors of a transfer but ultimately he stayed loyal and signed a long term contract extension with the club.

His steady rise to fame hasn't failed to transcend international boundaries, with Gavi becoming the youngest-ever debutant for Spain's national team at just 17 years and 62 days. The midfielders started in their UEFA Nations League semi-final victory over Italy in October last year and played a crucial role in that match. Since then he has become a regular in the Spanish national team also. Gavi’s tenacity and the willingness to win the ball back makes him one of the brightest prospects in the future, his game play being similar to Xavi will eventually bring the best out of this teenager. 

Also read: Robert Lewandowski's future hangs in the balance amid Barcelona links
 

New Delhi, May 17 (Shooting News) India's women pistol shooters have made it five gold out of five after the trio of Manu Bhaker, Esha Singh and Rhythm Sangwan trounced hosts Germany 16-2 in the 25m pistol team final at the ISSF Junior World Cup in Suhl on Tuesday.

India also picked up a silver medal in the 50m rifle 3 positions mixed team competition when Pankaj Mukheja and Sift Kaur Samra went down 12-16 to Poland's Michal Chojnowski and Julia Piotrowska in the gold medal match.

India's medal tally has now swollen to 11 gold, 13 silver and four bronze medals. With India set to emerge champions, Italy, lying second with four golds and with shotgun events still left on the roster, will look to reduce the gap at the top.

The Indian women's pistol team reached the gold medal round, finishing second to the German trio of Michaela Boesel, Vanessa Seeger and Mia Fuchs in the second qualification stage.

The Indians shot 431 to the Germans' 437 out of a maximum possible 450. In the final though, India did not give the hosts a whiff of a chance and finished the match quite clinically in the end.

Pankaj and Sift were fourth in the first qualification round and then second in the second, to make it to the gold medal round in the 3P mixed team event. They did put up a fight, but the Polish pair finished stronger to win the second gold for their country in the competition.

Parinaaz Dhariwal has also made it through to the semi-final stage of the women's skeet finishing fourth with a score of 109 in the qualification. 

Also Read : Junior World Cup Shooting: Sift Kaur Samra makes it 10th gold for India

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, May 16 (Boxing News) Nikhat Zareen (52kg), Manisha (57kg) and Parveen (63kg) continued their stellar run at the IBA Women's World Boxing Championships in Istanbul on Monday by advancing to the semifinals but five other Indians bowed out after suffering quarterfinal losses.

Confirming their first World Championships medals with a place in the semifinals, Nikhat out-punched England’s Charley-Sian Davison 5-0 while young Parveen got the better off Shoira Zulkaynarova of Tajikistan with an identical margin.

Manisha, on the other hand, dispatched Mongolia's Namuun Monkhor in a hard-fought quarterfinal by a 4-1 split decision.

However, it was the end of the road for Nitu (48kg), seasoned campaigner Pooja Rani (81kg), Anamika (50kg), Jaismine (60kg) and Nandini (+81kg).

Continuing her stellar run from the prestigious Strandja Memorial tournament where she won the gold earlier this year, Nikhat handed India its first medal at this year's tournament with an impressive victory.

The 25-year-old Telangana boxer was all pumped up in her highly physical bout against Davison. Both boxers were attacking each other ferociously in the first round.

However, the second round was a one way street as Nikhat pounded her opponent with terrific body shots to tire her out while also landing clean and sharp punches.

With the two rounds in the bag, Nikhat then displayed her defensive skills as she no longer felt the need to be on the offensive in the final few minutes of her quarterfinal bout.

"My opponent was taller than me today, so my strategy was to block her right hand which is her strength. I am delighted to give India the first medal, hope I can win the gold," Nikhat said after the bout.

The former junior world champion will next square off against Caroline De Almeida of Brazil, who thrashed the 2018 Commonwealth Games silver winner Carly McNaul of Ireland by unanimous decision.

In another bout, the 24-year-old Manisha moved around the ring and used her long reach to great effect as she threw clean punches in the closely fought last eight contest. She will take on Italy's Irma Testa next.

In the fourth Indian bout of the day, Parveen initially seemed hesitant to attack and looked out of depth but as the seconds ticked away and coach Bhaskar Bhatt and the support staff encouraged her to go forward and attack from the sideline, the Haryana boxer gained confidence to notch up a memorable win.

She will be up against Ireland’s Amy Broadhurst in the semifinal.

Anamika and Jaismine fell short of securing medals on their debut appearance at the world event after enduring 0-5 and 1-4 losses respectively.

Anamika lost to Rio Olympic bronze medallist Colombia's Ingrit Valencia and Jaismine succumbed to Rashida Ellis of USA.

Nandini, who had received a first round bye, was handed a 0-5 loss by Morocco's Khadija Mardiin in her opening bout.

Nitu ended her campaign with a 2-3 split verdict quarterfinal loss to reigning Asian champion Alua Balkibekova of Kazakhstan, while two-time Asian champion Pooja went down 2-3 also via a split verdict to Australia's Jessica Bagley.

There was a bit of confusion with Pooja's result as the announcer mixed up the name of the two boxers.

Nitu, who is a two-time youth world champion, started the bout cautiously, enticing her opponent to come at her but struggled to land punches herself.

The Indian tried hard to break Balkibekova's defences as the Kazakh boxer moved around swiftly. Nitu managed to up the ante in the final round but it was too late as the judges ruled in her opponent's favour.

India won four medals, including a silver and three bronze, in the last edition of the tournament. 

Also Read : Boxing World C'ships: Nikhat Zareen secures India's first medal in Istanbul

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, May 16 (Shooting News) Sift Kaur Samra won the women's 50m rifle 3 positions (3P) event to make it 10 gold medals for India at the ongoing International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Junior World Cup in Suhl, Germany.

The Indian men's 3P team won a silver and Anish and Vijayveer Sidhu bagged silver and bronze respectively in the men’s 25m rapid fire pistol. The women’s 3P team will fight for a bronze.

India now has 10 gold, 12 silver and 3 bronze for a total of 25 medals from the world’s premier junior shooting championship and sit pretty at the top. Second placed Italians are way behind with four gold and three bronze medals.

Sift Kaur Samra beat Norway's Julie Johannessen 17-9 in the gold medal encounter late on Sunday to take India’s gold tally to double digits. Ashi Chouksey of India also won a bronze in the event.

On Monday, it was the men's 3P team who first got India on board, going down 12-16 to Italy.

Shivam Dabas, who also won an individual silver in the event, Pankaj Mukheja and Avianash Yadav first topped qualification with a combined effort of 1315 and then were second in the elimination round to the Italians to set up the gold medal clash. 

Also Read : Indians clean-sweep women's 25m pistol at Suhl Junior World Cup

News Source : PTI

(Football news) Juventus on Wednesday lost 4-2 against Inter Milan at the end of extra time in the Coppa Italia final. The loss meant that Juventus will end the season without a single piece of silverware. After the game, captain Giorgio Chiellini confirmed that he will be leaving the club after 18 years. The Italian is likely to go to the MLS, bringing an end to his incredible career at Juventus.

Giorgio Chiellini joined Juventus at the age of 20 and has worked his way up to a legendary status at the club. He is a part of one of the best defence quartets in the world along with Leonardo Bonucci, Andrea Barzagli and Gianluigi Buffon. In his career at Juventus, Chiellini has seen everything from a relegation to Serie B to 9 consecutive Serie A wins. He has been with the club through thick and thin but both parties have now decided that it is time to move on. Individually the Italian has been a part of the Serie A team of the season 5 times and has won the Serie A defender of the year award 3 times. He was a part of the UEFA team of the year in 2017 and the France football World XI in 2015.

Chiellini is widely considered as one of the greatest defenders of his generation. He led the Italian side to a victory in the Euros last year, showing that even at the age of 36 he still had that quality. One of things he hasn't been able to achieve is the UEFA Champions League winners medal despite reaching the finals twice. Known for his aggressive defensive ability and courage; the Italian is possibly one of the last of his kind. Football doesn't produce defenders like Chiellini very often these days. It will be tough for Juventus to replace the great man but Merih Demiral, Matthijs de Ligt and Daniele Rugani will be fighting for his spot.

Also read: Benzema equals Raul to become the 2nd top goalscorer for Real Madrid

(Football news) Juventus solidified their UCL status after they won 2-1 against the giant killers Sassuolo. The win moved Juve to 66 points from 34 matches, which is one point behind Napoli in third and eight clear of AS Roma in fifth in the race for European football next season. The match began with Sassuolo having the better of the opening chances, as they deservedly took the lead when Italy forward Giacomo Raspadori drilled a powerful shot past Wojciech Szczesny at his near post in the 38th minute.

Juventus really struggled in the first half but with their first real attempt at goal moments before the end of the first half, the visitors levelled through Paulo Dybala, who fired a powerful shot from inside the penalty area. Alvaro Morata thought he had scored early in the second half, but his header was brilliantly saved by Andrea Consigli as they had several close chances that Juve missed in the second half but late in the match Kean turned smartly and struck a shot which the goalkeeper let through his legs as Kean struck the winner two minutes from time. Mid-table Sassuolo, who have 46 points had little to play for in terms of their league position, as they were determined to make Juve's life hard in Emilia-Romagna, and would have gone in front even earlier had Szczesny not made fine saves to deny Domenico Berardi and Raspadori.

Their opener did come through a very well worked move by the Sassuolo players as Raspadori  strike went past Szczesny at his near post from a tight angle. A goal out of nowhere got them back. Dybala, who has recently announced  that he is leaving at the end of the season, gave a reminder to everyone of his quality . Juve dominated in the second half, with Consigli making brilliant saves to keep the scores level before Kean stepped off the bench to win it late on. The victory means Juventus have taken 12 points from losing positions in Serie A since the start of 2022, which is at least five more points than any other team in this period.

"The team has grown a lot, but we have to manage games better," Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri told Sky Sport Italia. "I don't think about changing a lot of players, but we will need one or two players [signings]. The team is having a good season.

"There is a bit of tiredness, but I thank the guys. Now we have a good advantage over the fifth spot, we are one point behind Napoli and we have to keep working."

Also read: UCL classic between Manchester City and Real Madrid ends 4-3,
 

(Tennis news) Wimbledon organisers have confirmed that players unvaccinated against COVID-19 will be permitted to participate in this year’s tournament. This means that World Number 1 Novak Djokovic will be competing in the tournament and attempt to defend his title, after defeating Italy's Matteo Berrettini in last year's final to win the Wimbledon title for the sixth time. 

Chief executive of the All England Club, Sally Bolton, said: "The requirements set out by the government to enter the UK do not include mandatory vaccination, therefore whilst of course it is encouraged, it will not be a condition of entry to compete at the Championships this year." Earlier this year, the Serbian was deported from Australia due to his vaccination status and couldn’t compete at the Australian Open as well as enter the United States for any tournament.

"We are planning to return to a normal Championship this year. And so we don't intend to implement any of the Covid-19 measures that we saw last year in any substantial fashion. But we are, of course, keeping it on our radar in case we need to take further action when we continue to engage with DCMS, public health officials and with other sports. But this means that players will be able to return to their own choice of accommodation. We will see full capacity crowds for the whole event. And we're absolutely thrilled to welcome back the wider tennis family to Wimbledon this year."

Despite the lack of competitive action so far, Djokovic will undoubtedly be one of the favourites to win his seventh Wimbledon title. With most countries relaxing their COVID-19 regulations, the Serbian can now expect an almost full calendar in the clay and grass events. The Wimbledon Championship will begin from 27 June to 10 July.

Also read: Emma Raducanu splits with coach Torben Beltz after just five months

(Football news) Giorgio Chiellini is set to retire from international football after Italy’s friendly against Argentina in June. Having made 116 appearances for Italy, the 37 year old defender was part of the team that failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Speaking after Juventus’ 2-1 win against Sassuolo, Chiellini said “I'll say goodbye to the national team at Wembley. Where I experienced the pinnacle of my career winning the Euros. I'd like to say goodbye to the Azzurri with a nice memory. That will certainly be my last game with Italy.”

Chiellini made his debut for Italy in 2004 and was central to the national team’s famous Euro 2020 victory against England on penalties. Alongside Andrea Pirlo, Chiellini is joint fifth in the list of Italy’s most capped players with only Daniele de Rossi, Paolo Maldini, Fabio Cannavaro and Gianluigi Buffon making more appearances. 

Despite his decision to retire from international football, Chiellini is expected to continue in his role for Juventus. The Italian defender said “My love affair with Juventus is not ending, it will never end. Of course, from now to the end of the season I do have to evaluate everything, and talk to my family about what is best. Let's reach fourth place [in Serie A] first and win the Coppa Italia, then we'll sit down with my two families - at home and Juventus - to figure out what is best for everyone. It was the same last summer, I took time and didn't sign the new contract until after the Euros. At my age, you can't look too far into the long-term, but that's only natural, it's all fine."

Also read: Leeds go five points clear of relegation zone with draw against Palace

(Football news) Inter take on AS Roma which could have tremendous repercussions on the Scudetto race this season. Inter reached the Coppa Italia final in midweek with a Derby win over AC Milan. They would return to the top of the Serie A table with their fifth successive victors. AS Roma kept their unbeaten run going with a late equaliser at Napoli and are ending the season on a high as they also have Conference League semifinals with Leicester City also. Despite trailing Milan by two points, the Nerazzurri still have a game in hand which could be crucial  for the Scudetto. Napoli are yet to be totally discounted out of the title race but their defeat to Roma makes things look bleak.

Inter now face their toughest fixture on paper, but Inzaghi’s men will be confident as they are unbeaten in their last nine league matches against Roma and have not lost against them at San Siro since 2017. The capital club on the other hand are in the form of their lives and have become Serie A’s most durable outfit going without defeat for 12 games while winning seven times in the process. That is their best streak in a single campaign since 2016, but it was only kept intact by a brilliant Stephan El Shaarawy's stoppage-time equaliser at the Stadio Maradona on Monday. That result elevated them to 5th and only 5 points behind Juventus in 4 place but whatever the outcome, Jose Mourinho’s side have exceeded all the expectations. 

Inter Milan possible starting lineup:
Handanovic; De Vrij, Skriniar, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Brozovic, Calhanoglu, Perisic; Martinez, Dzeko

Roma possible starting lineup:
Patricio; Mancini, Smalling, Ibanez; Karsdorp, Cristante, Oliveira, Zalewski; Pellegrini, Mkhitaryan; Abraham

AC Milan who are chasing their first title since 2011 face a very tricky away test to Lazio, which could potentially decide their faith in the Scudetto race. The Rossoneri will arrive at Stadio Olimpico having seen a 13-match unbeaten run ended by their city rivals Inter in the Coppa Italia semi finals, while their hosts are heading into the match having won four of their last six Serie A games to stay in the race for European football next year. The Rossoneri have relied on an unbreachable defence to stay undefeated in the Serie A, their streak of six successive clean sheets in the league is the club's best since 1994.

AC Milan have conceded only seven top-flight goals in 2022, only Liverpool have conceded fewer goals throughout the top five European leagues, so Lazio have a major task at hand if they are to cause a major upset on Sunday. But their captain and talisman Ciro Immobile has been bailing out his side constantly, as he moved to 25 Serie A goals for the season with a dramatic late equaliser to deny his old club Torino victory. He followed that performance with a hat-trick against Genoa, a week earlier, and the Italy international remains two goals clear of Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic in the Capocannoniere standings with just five games left to play. He will be the key man against this watertight AC Milan defence, who will be looking to bounce back after a disappointing defeat to their city rivals 

Lazio possible starting lineup:
Strakosha; Lazzari, Felipe, Acerbi, Marusic; Alberto, Leiva, Milinkovic-Savic; Anderson, Immobile, Zaccagni

AC Milan possible starting lineup:
Maignan; Calabria, Kalulu, Tomori, Hernandez; Bennacer, Tonali; Saelemaekers, Diaz, Leao; Giroud

Also read: Bundesliga: Bayern take on Dortmund in the Der Klassiker classic

Antalya, Apr 21 (Archery News) The new-look Indian archery teams without some big names produced disappointing performances to get eliminated in the quarterfinals in the season-opening World Cup Stage 1 here on Thursday.

The men's recurve trio of Tarundeep Rai, Sachin Gupta and Jayanta Talukdar got the top billings in the qualifying but the team failed to live up to expectations, going down to their rivals from the war-ravaged Ukraine 1-5 (58-58, 53-56, 55-58) in a lop-sided contest.

The Indians started off with a solid shot of 58/60, but they slipped to 53/60 in the second set, hitting thrice in the red ring (8-8-8) to fall 1-3 behind.

Their 55/60 in the third set was not enough as the Ukrainian trio of Artem Ovchynnikov, Usach Mykhailo and Oleksii Hunbin sealed the issue with a 58/60.

There was worse in store from the fourth-seeded women's trio of Ridhi Phor, Ankita Bhakat and Simranjeet Kaur who capped poor scores of 52/60 twice to lose to lower-rung Italy 2-6 (52-57, 55-46, 52-53, 54-55) and get eliminated.

The only set the Indians won was when their Italian rivals shot a below-par 46.

It remains to be seen how the Indian recurve archers fare in the mixed pair and individual events that will get underway on Friday.

In the compound section, Priya Gurjar and Rajat Chauhan were the best finishers with quarterfinal exits.

Priya lost to Chen Yi-Hsuan of Chinese Taipei 136-143, while Chauhan was ousted by Jean Philippe Boulch of Luxembourg 146-149.

Former Asian Games gold medallist Abhishek Verma lost in the second round in a tight shoot-off finish (9-10) against Frenchman Quentin Baraer after being locked 146-all.

So far, India have assured one medal in the compound men's team event by advancing to the final where they will take on France on Saturday.

India had some big upsets in the selection trials last month as three of the four Tokyo Olympics-returned archers -- including the star couple of Atanu Das and Deepika Kumari -- failed to make the cut.

The only Tokyo Olympian to make the cut was veteran Army man Tarundeep Rai who was joined by another old warhorse in Jayanta Talukdar, who made an International comeback after six years.

The recurve women's team, on the other hand, are mostly youngsters.

The compound team is also without four-time World Championships silver medallist Jyothi Surekha Vennam. 

Also Read : Indian compound archers in final of team event, assure of medal in World Cup Stage 1

News Source : PTI

(Motorsport) The 2022 Formula 1 season makes its way to Italy and the Tifosi will be in the stands, unfurling their Ferrari banners and cheering on the most successful team in the sport’s history. After all, why not? Scuderia Ferrari have had little to celebrate in over a decade but they have won two of the three races in the season so far and look favourites to win the elusive World Championship. 

The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix weekend will also feature the sprint race, which means that the qualification process will involve more wheel-to-wheel action rather than the standard qualifying rounds to determine the grid positions for the race. Drivers will be racing 21 laps around the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, a.k.a Imola with all 20 drivers placed in grid positions based on the qualification process on Friday. 

One of the major changes as compared to 2021 with regards to sprint races is that instead of only the top 3, the top 8 will secure points which amount to a total of 36 instead of 26. This means that sprint races are more important than ever before as winning all the three sprint races in a season almost amounts to a race win in itself (24 points). There will only be two practice sessions this weekend, one fewer than the usual and the race itself will be 63 laps.

In terms of points, the race winner gets 25 points (26 if they manage to get the fastest lap) while the 10th place gets a single point. Mercedes will be one of the teams looking to improve their season as the Silver Arrows have been experiencing some drastic 'porpoising issues' and are expected to make improvements to the car ahead of the race. Team principal Toto Wolff said "There's been a lot of hard work over the Easter weekend in the factory to bring improvements to the car and get it ready to head to the next race, and that shows the team's dedication to turning the situation around. Of course, we must be realistic, it will take time to make the gains we want, but we're learning as much as we can from each race and finding avenues to push us forward."

Also read: Charles Leclerc wins Australian GP while Max Verstappen suffers DNF

(Football news) Inter Milan were the biggest winners from this week as they won 2-0 against Hellas Verona while their title rivals all dropped some crucial points. Two goals in the first half put the result beyond Hellas as Nicolo Barella scored from a fine half-volley and a tap in for Edin Dzeko on the half hour mark did all the damage for the hosts. Danilo D'Ambrosio had the best chance to score a third goal for Inter late on but he fired the shot too close to Verona goalkeeper Lorenzo Montipo, who saved it brilliantly.

Before last weekend's hard-fought win over Juve, Inter had won one of their previous seven league games which had allowed AC Milan to pull clear at the top of the table but after two successive draws by the leaders, they are now 2 point behind leaders with a match in hand. Barella scored his first goal since January on the end of an Ivan Perisic cross, who then assisted Dzeko for his 13th Serie A goal of the season. Verona did show some fight in the second half, with Kevin Lasagna arrowing a fierce strike just over the top, but Inter defended well and remained in control of the match.

"I know how hard we work, I know how much the boys care, I know that we have brought home a [Italian] Super Cup," coach Simone Inzaghi said.

"But I know that by coaching Inter there may be criticisms at times, which is right that they should be made, yet I have always had confidence. I know the path we are pursuing.

"There are seven to go, we are all there, we will have to fight in every game because the pitfalls in this Serie A are always around the corner."

Napoli’s first Scudetto since 1990 took a major blow as they lost 3-2 against Fiorentina. Napoli were chasing the game after Nicolas Gonzalez hammered the visitors into a 29th-minute lead. Dries Mertens then equalised for the hosts eight minutes into the second half, but then Jonathan Ikone's drilled shot found the bottom of the corner in the goal and then a superb solo goal from Arthur Cabral stunned the crowd in the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium. Napoli's top scorer Victor Osimhen got one back six minutes from time, but it was too little too late, as Spalletti's side remained in third level on points with Inter and two points behind AC Milan.

AC Milan suffered a second successive 0-0 draw against Torino as they failed to capitalise on their rivals' losing and now find themselves susceptible to the defending Champions who are just 2 points behind them, with a game in hand. The only notable chance came in the first half when Davide Calabria strike was well saved by the Torino keeper, with Milan looking nervous in their first title since 2011.Torino took advantage of their uncertainty and improved after the interval, with Mergim Vojvoda denied by a excellent stop from Mike Maignan before Italy striker Andrea Belotti fired into the side netting.

Milan never really asserted their dominance in the match and followed their goalless draw with Bologna on Monday with another tame stalemate in Turin. With this result they are on 68 points from 32 matches, two clear of Inter, who have a game in hand. Torino stayed 11th with 39 points. Milan were without injured striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic again, therefore they lacked potency up front, as their struggles in front of goal continued.

"We didn't create much but many situations could have become dangerous," Milan coach Stefano Pioli told the media. "I can't say anything about the spirit and the determination, we are just missing a spark.

"It is a positive result but we are missing the victory. The favourites have had missteps for two or three weeks, it's a competitive championship and there are difficulties for everyone.

"We know we can do better. I don't see an anxious or nervous team."

Also read: Bundesliga: Bayern get a narrow win while Dortmund also get a victory

The other results were:

• Empoli 0 - 0 Spezia
• Cagliari 1 (Pedro) - 2 Juventus (De Ligt, Vlahovic)
• Genoa 1 (Patric(og) - 4 Lazio (Marusic, Immobile x3)
• Sassuolo 2 (Traore x2) - 1 Atalanta (Muriel)
• AS Roma 2 (Perez, Smalling) - 1 Salernitana (Radovanovic)
• Venezia 1 (Henry) - 2 Udinese (Deulofeu, Becao)
   

(Football news) Napoli in pursuit of their first Scudetto since 1990 will face their toughest task when they take on Fiorentina on Sunday. Three wins on the spin have helped Luciano Spalletti's side have pulled within a point of the Serie A summit. Napoli previously beat both Verona and Udinese 2-1, as they picked up more points in Serie A during the second half of the season (27, with eight wins, three draws and just that one defeat) than any other team. Their success at Atalanta meant that they have lost only one league match outside of Naples this season and - winning 11 times in the process and are still three points clear of third-placed Inter but they do have a match in hand.

At home, Napoli have won only three of their last eight league games and have suffered four of their five Serie A defeats this season at the Maradona Stadium. They have only the seventh-best home record in the league, 29 points from 15 games. Fiorentina have secured 14 points from their last seven matches and currently sit 8th in the Serie A standings, they are also 4 points off AS Roma in 5th place but have a game in hand. Fiorentina have conceded in each of their last 11 away games and should they fail to keep a clean sheet against Napoli, they will reach the dreadful record of conceding in 12 games for the first time since 2010.

AC Milan failed to take advantage of extending their four point lead over their title rivals as they drew to Bologna, now they face a very crucial encounter with Torino. Milan have found the back of the net just four times in their six recent league and cup matches and are running out of firepower at the top end of the field when they need it most with just seven games remaining in the Serie A. The once most dominant club in Italy, have not been crowned Italian champions since 2011 but finished runners-up to Inter last season, and have the fate of the Scudetto in their own hands, so getting victories against mid table clubs has become a necessity for Milan. Last time Milan met Torino, they thrashed them 7-0.

Inter Milan take on Hellas Verona and will be entering the contest as heavy favourites after their controversial victory over Juventus. The champions have 11 fewer points than from their first 30 games they played in Serie A last season, but they still remain in the mix for the Scudetto this season as they are just four behind city rivals Milan, with an extra fixture to play. The visit of Verona should hold few fears as they won 3-1 in the reverse fixture at the Stadio Bentegodi earlier this season. Hellas Verona are the team Inter have faced the most without ever tasting defeat since the turn of the century. They are unbeaten against them in 21 games, with 17 wins and four draws; the last time they lost against the Scaligeri came over 30 years ago: back in February 1992.

Also read: Manchester City to take on Liverpool in a potential title decider

The other fixtures are:

• Empoli vs Spezia
• Cagliari vs Juventus
• Genoa vs Lazio
• Sassuolo vs Atalanta
• Venezia vs Udinese
• AS Roma vs Salernitana
• Bologna vs Sampdoria

New Delhi, Apr 8 (Boxing News) Three Indian pugilists, including world championship silver medallist Amit Panghal, punched their way into the finals of the Thailand Open boxing tournament in Phuket on Friday.

Ananta Pralhad (54kg), Sumit (75kg) and Panghal (52kg) assured India of at least a silver as they advanced to the finals.

Manisha (57kg), Pooja (69kg) and Bhagyabati Kachari (75kg), on the other hand, signed off with bronze medals after losing their respective semifinal bouts.

Seven Indian boxers will fight for gold as Ashish Kumar (81kg), Monika (48kg), Govind Sahani (48kg) and Varinder Singh (60kg) had entered the finals of their respective events on Wednesday.

Competing in his first international tournament since the Tokyo Olympics, Panghal (52 kg), the silver medallists at the 2019 world championships, dominated the bout, landing a flurry of punches to beat Tran Van Thao of Vietnam by unanimous decision.

In another men's bout, Sumit stamped his authority to get the better of Kazakhstan's Ayatulla Takiz and confirm his place in the final.

In the women's 54kg semifinal, Ananta out-punched Vietnamese boxer Bui Tron Thai to register an authoritative 5-0 win.

However, Manisha, Pooja and Bhagyabati were unable to advance to the finals.

While Manisha and Pooja lost to Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist, Italy's Irma Testa and Thailand's Baisin Manikon, respectively by an identical 1-4 margin, Bhagyabati fell to a 0-5 defeat at the hands of Hergie Bacyadan of Philippines.

The gold medallists at the tournament will earn USD 2,000 each, while the silver and bronze winners will pocket USD 1,000 and USD 500. respectively.

The Indian contingent had won eight medals, including one gold, four silver and three bronze, in the last edition of the tournament, held in 2019.

Also Read : Ashish Kumar, Govind Sahani, Varinder Singh and Monika enter finals of Thailand Open

News Source : PTI

Lima (Peru), Apr 4 (Shooting News) India opened their account at the ISSF World Cup for shotgun as the trio of Kynan Chenai, Manavaditya Singh Rathore and Shapath Bharadwaj won the bronze medal in men's trap team event after beating Brazil via a shoot-off here.

In the bronze-medal match, both teams were tied at 5-5 after five series of five shots each, before India clinched third place in the first shoot-off shot which Brazil missed.

The trio had finished fourth out of 11 teams in qualification, with a combined score of 205 out of 225. The effort set up the Brazil match-up, who had finished third in qualification with a score of 207.

However, India turned the tables on them in the medal match. USA beat Spain, also via a shoot-off to clinch gold.

Veteran Shagun Chowdhary in the women's trap also had a good outing as she narrowly missed out on a medal, finishing fourth.

Shagun shot 111 in the qualifiers to make it to the second semi-final in sixth place. She then made it to the gold medal match, topping the second semi-final with a stunning 24 hits out of 25.

In the medal match where the top two of the two semi-finals fought it out, Shagun hit only nine 'birds' out of the first 15 hits to be eliminated first in fourth place. Italy won gold and bronze in the event while the USA won silver.

In the trap mixed team event, Kynan Chenai and Rajeshwari Kumari also made it past the qualification stage of 10 teams, finishing fifth with a score of 132 out of 150. They made it to the bronze medal match, eventually going down to Spain by a margin of 2-6, to miss out on a podium finish.

The tournament concludes on Wednesday, when the skeet mixed team medals are going to be decided. 

Also Read : Haryana dominate national pistol trials as Naveen wins men's 10m competition

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Apr 4 (Boxing News) Boxer Monika (48kg) upstaged two-time World Championship medallist Josie Gabuco of the Philippines to enter the semifinals along with two other Indians at the Thailand Open here on Monday.

Ashish Kumar (81kg) and Manisha (57kg) are the two other Indian pugilists who also made their way into the last four with contrasting wins against their respective Thai opponents.

The 26-year-old Monika, who hails from Rohtak, prevailed 4-1 over experienced campaigner Gubuco, who won gold and bronze medals at the World Championships in 2012 and 2008 respectively.

She will now face Vietnam's Trinh Thi Diem Kieu, who received bye in the last round.

Competing in his first international tournament since the Tokyo Olympics, last edition's gold medallist Ashish notched a 5-0 win against local boxer Aphisit Khankhokkhruea in the 81kg quarterfinals. The Indian will now clash win Indonesia's Maikhel Roberrd Muskita in the semifinals.

It was a good day in the ring for Manisha, who recently qualified for the upcoming World Championships as well as Asian Games, as she defeated two-time Youth Asian champion Thailand's Porntip Buapa 3-2 in the 57kg quarterfinals.

However, Renu (54kg) and Monika (63kg) lost their opening round clashes.

While Renu gave a tough fight to Italy's European U-22 champion Sirine Charaabi, it wasn't enough as the Indian lost 2-3 in the quarterfinal clash.

Monika, on the other hand, went down in the quarterfinals, losing to Youth Olympic champion local boxer Panpatchara Somnuek by RSC verdict (Refree Stops Contest) in the third round.

On the third day of the competition on Tuesday, Sumit and Gaurav Chauhan will play their quarter-finals against respective opponents from Kazakhstan. Sumit (75kg), who received bye in the last opening round, will take on Timur Nurseitov while Gaurav (91kg) will fight against 2018 Youth Olympics champion Aibek Oralbay.

The tournament features 130 boxers -- 74 male and 56 females.

Gold medal winners will earn USD 2000, while silver and bronze winners will pocket USD 1000 and USD 500 respectively.

The Indian contingent had won eight medals, including one gold, four silver and three bronze, in the last edition of the tournament, held in 2019.

Also Read : India's Minakshi bows out of Thailand Open after close defeat  

News Source : PTI

(Football news) Liverpool defeated Watford 2-0 with Diogo Jota and Fabinho on the scoresheet. Ever since his debut for the Reds, nobody has scored more goals than Jota who scored his seventh header for Liverpool. Joe Gomez provided the perfect measured cross and the Portuguese forward headed it past Ben Foster. Fabinho then doubled the advantage by scoring from the penalty spot, helping his team keep pace with City at the top of the table.

Meanwhile at Turf Moor, reigning champions Manchester City comfortably defeated Burnley 2-0. Kevin De Bruyne gave his side the lead just five minutes from kick off when he latched onto a cushioned pass by Raheem Sterling and blasted a first time shot into the back of the net. Ilkay Gundogan doubled the advantage in the 25th minute with Sterling providing the assist yet again. The result meant that City retained their one point advantage over Liverpool after 30 matches played.

In what can be considered as their best performance of the season, Burnley thrashed Chelsea 4-1 at Stamford Bridge and secured their first North London derby victory in 83 years. Few would have predicted this scoreline when Antonio Rudiger scored a 40 yard screamer in the 48th minute but Vitaly Janelt managed an equaliser just two minutes later. To make matters worse for the hosts, Burnley scored their second when Bryan Mbeumo combined with Christian Eriksen and the Danish midfielder found the back of the net. 

At the hour mark, Janelt found the net once again after a brilliant pass from Ivan Toney while substitute Yoane Wissa capitalised on a poor clearance by Rudiger to score the fourth. The result is a massive accomplishment for Burnley, not only because of the quality of their opponents but Burnley are now 11 points clear of the relegation zone and fans will remember this victory for years to come.

Manchester United’s hopes of securing qualification for the Champions League next season were dealt with a major blow as they drew 1-1 against Leicester City at Old Trafford. The Foxes took the lead in the 63rd minute through Kelechi Iheanacho but Fred scored the equaliser just three minutes later. It could have been worse for the hosts as James Maddison was denied a late winner after a VAR review found Iheanacho guilty of a foul on Varane during the build up leading up to the goal. The result means Manchester United are seventh in the Premier League, level on points with West Ham who have played a game more.

Also read: World Cup 2022 draw announced: Spain to face Germany in Group Stage

New Delhi, Apr 3 (Boxing News) India's Minakshi bowed out of the Thailand Open after a close first-round defeat to local boxer Jutamas Jitpong in the women's 51kg event in Phuket on Sunday.

Minakshi fell short in a hard-fought bout as the boxer from Thailand won by a 3-2 split verdict.

In the first round, both the boxers played from a distance and gauged each other’s strategy before upping the ante in the second round, which saw a lot of clinching and exchange of punches.

The final round witnessed some fierce and attacking boxing between both the pugilists. Minakshi landed some clear punches but that was not enough in the end.

Six Indian boxers, including five women, will be in action on Monday.

In the women’s section, Monika (48kg) will face two-time world championships medallist Josie Gabuco of the Philippines in the opening round, while Renu (54kg) will square off against Sirine Charaabi of Italy.

The 2019 Asian Championships bronze medallist Manisha (57kg) will take on Porntip Buapa of Thailand, while Monika (63kg) and Bhagyabati Kachari (75kg) will be up against locals Panpatchara Somnuek and Pornnipa Chutee respectively.

Last edition's gold medallist Ashish Kumar will open his campaign against local boxer Aphisit Khankhokkhruea in the 81kg quarterfinals. It will be the Indian's first international tournament since the Tokyo Olympics.

In the last edition of the Thailand Open, held in 2019, the Indian contingent signed off with a haul of eight medals, including one gold, four silver and three bronze. 

Also Read : Thailand Open: Men and women boxers handed contrasting draws, Minakshi to begin Indian challenge

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Apr 2 (Boxing News) Indian women boxers were handed relatively tough draws compared to their male counterparts at the Thailand Open International boxing tournament, beginning in Phuket on Sunday with Minakshi (51kg) kick-starting the country's challenge on the opening day.

While Minakshi will face Jutamas Jitpong of Thailand in her first bout, Monika (48kg) will face two-time world championships medallist Josie Gabuco of Philippines in the opening round.

2019 Asian Championships bronze medallist Manisha (57kg), who recently qualified for both the upcoming World Championships and Asian Games, will be up against two-time youth Asian champion Porntip Buapa of Thailand.

Renu (54kg), on the other hand, will take on U-22 European champion Italy's Sirine Charaabi.

The Boxing Federation of India has fielded a 15-member strong squad in the tournament, which will be played till April 10.

It will also be the first tournament for the 2019 World Championships silver medallist Amit Panghal (52kg) and Ashish Kumar (81kg), who won the gold medal in the last edition in the 75kg, since the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Panghal and Ashish will open their campaigns against opponents from Thailand -- Thanakon Aonyaem and Aphisit Khankhokkhruea respectively -- in the quarterfinals of the men's competition.

The reigning national champions Rohit Mor (57kg) and Sumit (75kg) will also have easy starts to their challenge in the last-eight stage.

While the Indian contingent consists of eight men and seven women, Govind Sahani (48kg), Ananta Chopade (54kg), Varinder Singh (60kg) and Pooja (69kg) are the four pugilists who will begin their campaign in the semifinals.

With participation of 130 boxers, including 74 male and 56 females, the tournament will witness high-voltage competition in presence of top boxers from Asia, Europe, Oceania and Africa.

In the last edition of the Thailand Open, held in 2019, the Indian contingent signed off with eight medals -- one gold, four silver and three bronze.

Gold medal winners will earn USD 2000, while silver and bronze medallists will fetch USD 1000 and USD 500 respectively. The tournament will also see additional prize money for the best boxer of the tournament and the best team of the competition.

Indian Squad: Men: Govind Sahani (48kg), Amit Panghal (52kg), Ananta Chopade (54kg), Rohit Mor (57kg), Varinder Singh (60kg), Sumit (75kg), Ashish kumar (81kg) and Gaurav Chauhan (91kg) Women: Monika (48kg), Minakshi (51kg), Renu (54kg), Manisha (57kg), Monika (63kg), Pooja (69kg) and Bhagyabati kachari (75kg). 

Also Read : Paris Olympics: Boxing events for male reduced, changes also in weightlifting and shooting

News Source : PTI

(Football news) Euro 2016 and Nations League 2019 winners Portugal have still not guaranteed their place in the 2022 Qatar World Cup. After finishing 2nd in their qualification group, Portugal were pitted against Turkey for the play off semi final which they won 3-1. They now have one more barrier in their way which is North Macedonia.

North Macedonia in 2021 played in their first major tournament at the Euros. They managed to finish 2nd in their World Cup qualification group ahead of Romania, Armenia and Iceland. In their playoff semi final, North Macedonia shocked the world by defeating European champions Italy. They are now one step away from creating history by reaching the World Cup finals for the first time in their history.

Portugal will be boosted by the return of Joao Cancelo who has served his suspension. Pepe has also recovered from Covid and should start in the heart of the defence which means Danilo Pereira can go back in midfield. Manchester United duo Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot are the two players likely to make way for Cancelo and Pepe. As always, all eyes will be on Cristiano Ronaldo to produce something extraordinary as he has done so many times for club and country.

If Portugal do qualify, the 2022 World Cup could be Ronaldo's last and if not he might even hang up his international boots. The bigger picture is that this is one of the strongest Portuguese squads ever and if they still fail to qualify for the World Cup it will be a big disappointment. North Macedonia will be high on confidence after their emphatic win over Italy and will back themselves to get the job done and book their tickets to Qatar.

Also read: Poland to take on Sweden for a place in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar

Johannesburg, Mar 25 (Golf News) Tvesa Malik landed an eagle on her second nine in an even par 73 second round that positioned her Tied-20th in Joburg Ladies Open, here.

Tvesa was the best-placed Indian in the large six-member contingent from India.

Vani Kapoor, who seems to have taken a liking for South Africa after a series of decent results earlier in the season, shot 3-over 76 and was T-42, while Amandeep Drall (78) was T-68.

Diksha Dagar, who won the South African Women’s Open in 2019, shot 79 and was T-79 while Siddhi Kapoor struggled to 84 and was way behind at T-123rd.

Tvesa, who missed the cut in her first start of the season in Saudi Ladies International last week, played in the afternoon when the wind was up.

She started from the 10th and was one-over for the first nine, which was the back nine of the course.

Another bogey on the third put her at 2-over before she eagled the Par-5 fifth. A bogey on 16th meant she ended at even par 73.

The 36-year-old Maria Hernandez gave herself the perfect birthday present with a two-shot lead in the opening round.

The Spaniard made the most of an early start and the tranquil conditions to fire a four-under-par 69 that featured five birdies to set the early clubhouse lead that went unchallenged.

Alexandra Swayne from the US Virgin Islands, Germany's Luisa Dittrich, Smilla Soenderby from Denmark and Italy's Virginia Carte tied for second on two-under.

South Africans Nicole Garcia and Ivanna Samu finished a further stroke back in a tie for eighth.

Sweden's Linn Grant – a two-time winner on the Sunshine Ladies Tour this season and the current Investec Order of Merit Leader – and 2020 Investec South African Women's Open champion Alice Hewston from England are also at one-under alongside Manon De Roey from Belgium, Finland’s Noora Komulainen and Frenchwoman Emma Grechi. 

Also Read : Hitaashee Bakshi cards 7-under 65, moves into lead at 6th leg of Hero WPGT

News Source : PTI

(Football news) Uruguay produced a clinical performance as they beat Peru 1-0. Uruguay earned the win over Peru from a goal from Giorgian de Arrascaeta's goal three minutes before halftime. Peru were adamant to qualify and did everything in their power to grab the equaliser as a late looping shot was held by keeper Sergio Rochet who had crossed the goal line but the referee waved away their claims for an equaliser. Peru's defeat meant that Ecuador qualified regardless of their result against Paraguay

It took Uruguay 40 minutes to register their first shot, but as the match progressed they were starting to find some rhythm, and their attacking intentions were clear. Their first real opportunity came when left-back Matias Olivera slipped in Darwin Nunez, who’s cross to the far post was met by Gimenez's stretching shot which subsequently came back off the bar and Giorgian De Arrascaeta slammed home the loose ball. With this result Peru occupied the 5th spot meaning they have to play a match with an Asian team to earn qualification to Qatar this year.

Ecuador sealed their spot at the World Cup finals despite losing 3-1 at Paraguay and while the defeat was not the ideal way to secure qualification but in doing so they have finished as the fourth best side in South America. They have qualified alongside regional powerhouses Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay and have now qualified for the four of the last six finals which is a better record than the likes of Chile, Colombia, Paraguay and Peru. Robert Morales had put Paraguay ahead after just 10 minutes and then an unfortunate own goal from Piero Hincapie on the stroke of half time gave the hosts a 2-0 lead at the break. Miguel Almiron made it 3-0 in the 54th minute before Jordy Caicedo scored a consolation goal for Ecuador in the dying stages. This was Paraguay's first win in eight games but not enough for them to qualify for the WorldCup finals.

Brazil strengthened their position at the top of the CONMEBOL qualification table with a comprehensive 4-0 victory over Chile, who failed to qualify for the World Cup finals after a long time. Brazil were in control from start to finish as a Chile victory would have needed a large dose of luck and a flawless display from the former Copa America champions. Any chance of a victory vanished when right-back Mauricio Isla foolishly fouled and brought down Neymar when there was no immediate goal threat as Neymar made no mistake and calmly slotted home the penalty.

Another mistake almost immediately led to Brazil doubling the lead, when Claudio Bravo kicked his goal kick straight to Anthony who’s pass was dummied by Neymar and reached Vinicius Junior, who found space to score his first senior international goal for Brazil. Chile briefly thought they were back in the game after half-time, when substitute Joaquin Montecinos set up Arturo Vidal, but the goal was ruled out for offside. By the end of the match the final scoreline could have been bigger than 4-0, as Brazil rounded off their rout with their attacking strength with goals from substitutes Phillipe Coutinho and Richarlison sealed off an easy win.

Also read: Italy fail to qualify for the World Cup after defeat to North Macedonia
 

(Football news) Portugal won 3-1 against Turkey to book their place in the World Cup Qualifier play-offs. There were quite a few surprises in the lineup as Diogo Costa was preferred over Rui Patricio and Jose Sa in goal. Danilo Pereira started in central defence instead of midfield while Porto winger Otavio earned a start ahead of the likes of Joao Felix. Fernando Santos decided to go with an attacking midfield of Joao Moutinho, Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva which clearly lacked physicality. 

Otavio repaid the faith shown in him by scoring the opening goal and assisting Diogo Jota's 2nd in the first half. Portugal played well but struggled a little to play out from the back. Luckily for them, Turkey didn't make the most out of their mistakes. In the 2nd half, the home side tried really hard and came very close to getting the 3rd goal but Burak Yilmaz scored an incredible team goal against the run of play. With the game in a delicate situation at 2-1, Jose Fonte fouled Enes Unal in the box and the referee after a VAR check awarded the penalty in the 85th minute. Yilmaz stepped up and hit the spot kick over the bar to break Turkish hearts.

Portugal kept control of the ball as substitute Raphael Leao set up Matheus Luis who sealed the game in injury time. Portugal would have liked a far more relaxed and controlled game but the win is the most important thing. Ronaldo was extremely unlucky in front of goal as he hit the woodwork once and also missed an open goal. He was however brilliant in his linkup play and was perfect in the role of a target man. Bernardo Silva as usual put in a shift and was all over the park. Portugal will have Joao Cancelo back in the side and will be hoping that Pepe can also recover from Covid for the next game against North Macedonia which will determine their participation in the World Cup.

Also read: Real Madrid set to offload upto 7 to significantly reduce wage bill

(Football news) Reigning European champions Italy failed to qualify for their second consecutive World Cup after losing 1-0 at home to North Macedonia, thanks to a second half stoppage time goal by Aleksandar Trajkovski. Four years ago, when Italy didn’t qualify for the World Cup in Russia, it was the first time since 1958 that the Gli Azzurri didn’t make it to the prestigious tournament but hopes were high after their Euro 2020 victory that Roberto Mancini’s team would not only qualify but were one of the favourites to lift the coveted Jules Rimet Trophy in Qatar.

The match was held in Palermo and Italy got off to a dominant start but failed to find the back of the net. Despite 32 attempts on goal, Italy simply weren’t clinical enough and were punished in the 92nd minute when Trajkovski scored to set up a final qualifying match against Portugal for a place in the 2022 World Cup. Few would have predicted such a shocking result despite Italy missing the likes of Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini because of injuries as even the makeshift defence wasn’t troubled, especially in the first half.

Domenico Berardi had an excellent opportunity to score the opening goal after a misplaced pass by North Macedonia goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski but the Sassuolo forward's shot lacked intent and was easily saved by the goalkeeper. Ciro Immobile was also wasteful in front of goal, blasting his shot wide from a dangerous position while Berardi failed to hit the target once again. With nerves kicking in, Italy’s finishing became even more woeful and Mancini gave Joao Pedro his debut but it was North Macedonia who struck in the stoppage time against the run of play in a move which was their only meaningful opportunity throughout the match.

Speaking after the match, Italy midfielder Jorginho said “It is a huge disappointment. It hurts, it hurts so much. We have always created and dominated matches but we have not been able to finish teams off. It is not to blame anyone in particular but it is the reality. I don't know why we haven't been able to do this, I am also involved in this, and it hurts me to think about it." 

Also read: Marcelo Brozovic signs a new contract extension with Inter Milan

(Football news) Portugal have been a victim of bad luck in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. About a year ago in Portugal's qualifier game against Serbia, the score was level at 2-2.  Ronaldo scored what was a clear stoppage time winner as the ball had crossed the goal line but the linesmen didn't spot it and in the absence of goal-line technology, the goal wasn't given. Ronaldo furiously walked out of the field and threw away his captain's armband. 

After that Portugal won all their matches until the 2nd last one against Ireland which ended in a 0-0 draw. In their last game against Serbia, they only needed a draw to achieve direct qualification but Alexander Mitrovic's last minute winner pushed them to 2nd place. Portugal now have a very difficult task of the playoffs where they have to overcome Turkey and one of Italy and North Macedonia for a spot in the Qatar World Cup.

Portugal coach Fernando Santos has said that his team is used to dealing with pressure situations as they have won 2 out of 2 major finals they have played in. Playoffs of the World Cup isn't really a new thing as they had to go through the playoffs to book their place for the Brazil 2014 World Cup. They defeated Zlatan Ibrahimovic's Sweden in a two legged play thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese talisman gave one of the best individual performances on the international stage by scoring a hat-trick for the ages in the 2nd leg. After finishing 2nd behind Russia in their 1st Round group, Portugal were pitted against Sweden.

In the 1st leg at Lisbon, Ronaldo scored a header in the 82nd minute to give Portugal a 1-0 lead. At the return leg in Sweden, the forward once again gave Portugal the lead early on. Zlatan Ibrahimovic then scored twice to bring the tie on level terms at 2-2 with Portugal having the advantage because of the away goal. With Sweden needing another goal, Ronaldo killed their dreams with 2 goals to take Portugal to the World Cup finals. All 3 Ronaldo goals were him sprinting from the halfway line using his blistering pace and incredible finishing.

This time around the format is different and the task is even more difficult. Ronaldo doesn't possess that incredible pace anymore but his finishing has gotten better if anything. Portugal are severely understaffed and any of the two games could be the last time we see Ronaldo in a Portugal shirt. Anybody who has seen him play over the years wouldn't put it past him to do something special once again even if the chances are bleak.

Also read: European Champions Italy face North Macedonia in World Cup qualifier

(Football news) The government of the United Kingdom has made amendments to Chelsea’s operating licence, which means that fans can now buy tickets for certain matches and the club has access to £30m. As per Section 10.3 of Chelsea's amended operating licence, it says: "Under this licence, subject to the conditions below, the Parent may pay the Club up to £30,000,000.00 in respect of cash flow or liquidity issues faced by the Club."

Chelsea’s parent company is Fordstam Ltd which is owned by Roman Abramovich and was sanctioned by the UK government on March 10th. As per the amendments of the licence, Chelsea fans can now buy tickets for away games, cup matches and women’s fixtures. As a result, fans will be in attendance for Chelsea’s FA Cup semi final match against Crystal Palace at the Wembley Stadium on April 16th and 17th. However, only season ticket holders and those who purchased the tickets before the sanctions were imposed are eligible to watch Chelsea’s home games at Stamford Bridge.

Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston said: "The Government has today made alterations to the licence to Chelsea Football club so that fans will be able to access tickets to away matches, cup games and women's fixtures. I would like to thank fans for their patience while we have engaged with the football authorities to make this possible. Since Roman Abramovich was added to the UK's sanctions list for his links to Vladimir Putin we have worked extensively to ensure the club can continue to play football while ensuring the sanctions regime continues to be enforced." 

A spokesperson said: "Chelsea FC have requested and the Premier League agreed that this revenue will be donated to charity to benefit victims of the war in Ukraine. The beneficiary charities will be announced in due course after consultation with the club." This means that revenues from future FA Cup and Champions League matches will go via the Premier League to the relevant organiser or the home team as per the sanctions. However, fans can continue to buy home and away tickets for the Women’s Super League and the Women’s FA Cup tickets will be sold to the competition's organiser rather than the club itself.

Also read: European Champions Italy face North Macedonia in World Cup qualifier

(Sports news) Top leaders from the global sporting world will be sharing their views at the seventh edition of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)’s global sports summit ‘Scorecard 2022’, which begins here on Friday. 

A two-day annual flagship conclave for the business of sports in India, under the aegis of the National Committee of Sports of the CII, will be conducted virtually on Friday and Saturday with the theme being ‘Priorities and Potential for a New World for Sport’. The inaugural session will witness eminent speakers, including Anna Iwarsson, Vice Chairperson of Swedish Sports Confederation and Tanmaya Lal, Ambassador of India to Latvia and Sweden.

“We are delighted to announce the seventh edition of CII’s annual global sports summit Scorecard. We have witnessed some highly meaningful and enlightening discussions in the past editions and the tradition will continue this year too as we have top influential names from the global sporting world gracing the event. Owing to the pandemic, unfortunately this year, too, the summit will be held virtually as we look forward to yet another successful edition,” said Mr Anupam Goswami, Chairman, CÍI National Committee of Sports.

With Covid-19 pandemic hitting sports globally and the industry is yet to recover fully from the recent third way of the deadly virus, sports also witnessed emergence of new modes of consumer and fan engagement, technologies, data analytics and other developments that are creating a new world of sports globally and in India too in the last couple of years.

“Indian sporting Industry has been continuously growing with each passing day and there are several factors that are causing this flourish. CII’s global sports summit Scorecard, provides you an opportunity to understand the various aspects of the business of sports with great details direct from the industry leaders and experts,” said Vivek Singh, Sr Vice President Sportscom Industry Confederation and Jt Managing Director, Procam International.

La Liga India’s Managing Director Jose Antonio Cachaza, Mrinalini Sharma, CMO, Co-Founder of Premier Handball League and Achyuta Samanta, President of Volleyball Federation of India will talk about the league system on the second day of the event. 

Among other leading names from the sports world, who will be part of the summit will be Adille Sumariwalla, President of Athletics Federation of India and Raninder Singh, President of National Rifle Association of India. The industry leaders will shed light on several other topics such as state of sports, resumption of sports in states and in schools, rise of esports and employment opportunity in Indian sporting industry.

Also read: European Champions Italy face North Macedonia in World Cup qualifier

(Football news) The qualifiers of the 2022 Qatar World Cup is reaching its final stage which is the playoffs. Only one out of Austria, Wales, Sweden and Czech Republic will make it to the elusive tournament. The semi finals will be Australia vs Wales and Sweden vs Czech Republic. The winners of the two matches will face off in the final.

Sweden comfortably finished 2nd in their qualification group behind Spain while Czech Republic qualified because they won their Nations League group. The Czechs are aiming to go to the World Cup for the first time since 2006 while Sweden are hoping to achieve back to back World Cup finals qualification after making it to the quarter finals in Russia. Sweden have a fully fit squad but Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Emil Krafth are suspended for the first game but will be available in the final if their team qualifies. The hero of the Euro 2020 Patrik Schick is a major miss for the Czech Republic as he is out with a calf injury. 

Austria also qualified after winning their Nations League group. Wales on the other hand narrowly edged the already qualified Czech Republic to finish 2nd behind Belgium. The good news for Wales is that Gareth Bale is fit and ready to play even though he has only played 77 minutes since November. As for Austria, all eyes will be on Bale's club teammate David Alaba who will captain the side. Alaba will without question be Austria's most important player but it will be interesting to see what position he plays. He can play centre back, left back and CDM. The manager needs to figure out which position he will be most influential in.

Also read: European Champions Italy face North Macedonia in World Cup qualifier

Kolkata, Mar 23 (Football News) I-League club RoundGlass Punjab FC has appointed Dutch Ed Engelkes as the team's new head coach with immediate effect after mutually parting ways with Englishman Ashley Westwood.

The development was confirmed by the club on Wednesday.

The 58-year-old Englelkes brings with him rich experience of working with big Dutch football clubs like AFC Ajax and AZ Alkmaar, and the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) over a number of years.

He was also involved with various footballing institutions across multiple levels.

"The club would like to thank Ashley for his immense contribution and efforts, and wish him all the very best for the future," RoundGlass Punjab FC Football Director, Nikolaos Topoliatis said in a release.

"With Ed, we have a highly-experienced coach, who is already well-versed with our vision and objectives. We hope to continue building on our start in the I-League and move forward." 

Also Read : European Champions Italy face North Macedonia in World Cup qualifier

News Source : PTI

(Football news) 2021 was an incredible year for the Italian national team as they won the Euros in emphatic style under Roberto Mancini. The end of the year wasn't so great after they lost the UEFA Nations League semi final against Spain and two back to back draws in the World Cup qualifiers meant that they finished 2nd in their group behind Switzerland. They now have to beat North Macedonia and will have Portugal or Turkey waiting for them if they do.

North Macedonia finished 2nd in their group behind Germany and now have a chance to make it to their first ever World Cup finals. It will be a very difficult task as Italy will be at full strength and are likely to deploy the same team that won the Euros 6 months ago. The big question mark is over the fitness of veteran duo Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci who have struggled with injuries recently. Italy do have the home advantage which is massive in these circumstances.

Levante's midfielder Enis Bardhi is very crucial for North Macedonia. He will be the anchor in the centre of the park. Italy are naturally a defensive side but may have to lead the charge in this game. The Italians cannot afford to miss out on the World Cup as they failed in the playoffs last time around and hence couldn't make it to Russia. The task won't be easy but given that they are European champions and Nations League semi finalists, Italy are the favourites ahead of Portugal, Turkey and North Macedonia.

Italy Possible Starting XI:

Donnarumma; Florenzi, Bastoni, Mancini, Emerson; Jorginho, Barella, Verratti; Berardi, Immobile, Insigne.

North Macedonia Possible Starting XI:

Dimitrievski; S. Ristovski, Velkovski, Musliu, Alioski; Nikolov, Ademi, Bardhi; Churlinov, M. Ristovski, Trajkovski

Also read: Injury hit Portugal host Turkey to keep World Cup dream alive

(Football news) Portugal have had the worst possible luck in the World Cup qualifiers. It all started one year ago when Portugal's qualifier game against Serbia was tied at 2-2. Ronaldo scored the winner in stoppage time where the ball had clearly crossed the line but the linesmen didn't spot it and in the absence of goal-line technology, the goal wasn't given. 

Portugal then won all their matches until the penultimate one against Ireland which ended in a goalless draw. In the last game against Serbia, Portugal needed a draw to achieve direct qualification but Alexander Mitrovic scored a last minute winner. Portugal now have a tough challenge of the playoffs where they have to beat Turkey first and if they manage to do that they have to play one of Italy and North Macedonia for a spot in the Qatar World Cup. Turkey on the other hand narrowly edged Norway to finish behind Netherlands in their group. 

Qatar 2022 was touted to be Cristiano Ronaldo's last World Cup campaign but as things stand his country may not even qualify for it. Portugal will be without Nelson Semedo, Renato Sanchez, Ruben Neves and Ruben Diaz who are injured while Pepe is out due to COVID-19 and Joao Cancelo is suspended for the game against Turkey but will be available if Portugal qualify for the next one. Portugal are very understaffed as their two first choice center backs and right backs along with two midfielders are unavailable. Turkey have all their players available but will have a difficult task of playing in away conditions. 

Portugal Possible Starting XI:

Rui Patrício; Rafael Guerreiro, José Fonte, Gonçalo Inácio, Diogo Dalot; Danilo Pereira, Bruno Fernandes, João Moutinho; Bernardo Silva, Diogo Jota, Cristiano Ronaldo.

Turkey Possible Playing XI:

Uğurcan Çakır; Zeki Celik, Merih Demiral, Caglar Soyuncu, Ridvan Yilmaz; Abdülkadir Ömür, Hakan Calhanoglu, Dorukhan Toköz, Kerem Aktürkoğlu; Burak Yilmaz, Cengiz Ünder

Also read: Is Dani Carvajal's downfall Real Madrid's biggest concern?

New Delhi, Mar 19 (Shooting News) The trio of Prithviraj Tondaiman, Zoravar Singh Sandhu and Vivaan Kapoor lost 2-6 to Kuwait in the men's trap final to clinch a silver as India finished a disappointing ninth in the the year's first International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup for Shotgun in Nicosia, Cyprus.

India was represented by an 11-member shotgun contingent in the event, according to a release issued by the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI).

In the 12-team qualification round, the Indian team shot admirably well for a score of 214 out of 225, enabling a second-place finish to Kuwait, who topped with 217.

The Kuwaiti dominance then extended in the final as the Indians came out second best. Poland beat Turkey 6-4 to bag the bronze medal.

Among other notable performances, two-time Olympian Mairaj Ahmad Khan shot 119 out of 125, including two perfect series of 25 each, but still missed out on a semifinal spot by a point. He finished ninth among medal contenders in a field of over 100.

Close to 350 athletes from around 50 countries participated in the Shotgun World Cup in Nicosia, where 14 nations won medals.

Italy finished at the top of the standings with three of the 10 gold medals on offer, while Turkey came second and Slovakia third. 

Also Read : Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar wins men's Air Rifle T2 trial

News Source : PTI

The Para Rowing Foundation was established to help para rowers pursue excellence in the field. Providing them with opportunities, intense training, honed equipment and coaching is helping para rowers achieve their potential and compete at the biggest stages in the world. The sole mission of the organisation has been to remove the barriers of development of para rowers and help them meet the high demands of the sport.

In this exclusive interview, Marilyn Koblan, Co-Founder of the Para Rowing Foundation speaks about being inspired to come up with this initiatives and her objectives, helping para athletes meet the demands for the sport, overcoming challenges, milestone achievements and future goals.

Q 1) As Co-Founder of the Para Rowing Foundation, what inspired you to come up with this initiative and what are your objectives?

I began the Para Rowing Foundation with a co-founder after realising that I was able to try the sport of rowing as an adult and other people were not able to have the same opportunities that I had to give sport a go. Athletes with disabilities needed a chance to be able to try the sport, explore their athleticism and see if they could be athletic as well. Either after recuperating from an injury or trying it for the first time. As a female athlete, I often came across the word no, and because of who I was, I couldn't try a particular sport because of who I was. That was the sort of my inspiration for giving other individuals with disabilities a way to explore the sport.

Q 2) How is the Para Rowing Foundation helping athletes meet the demands of the sport?

Well, we offer opportunities by creating them and also supporting opportunities that exist for athletes with disabilities within the sport of rowing. With expertise in para experience coaching, individualised equipment and some medically informed information that we can also pass along to coaches to help them have their athletes reach their fullest potential and hopefully help para athletes pursue this sport to whatever degree they want. We often will work with people who have started right out of rehabilitation after an accident or a trauma. all the way up to people who are Paralympians and are already at the Paralympic level and trying to give them more experience together, more opportunities for coaching and let them pursue their sport to their ultimate degree, their ultimate potential.

Q 3) What are some of the biggest challenges that you have faced as Co-Founder of the Para Rowing Foundation? How did you overcome them?

I think COVID was a challenge for everyone. We started as an organisation, our first training camps were in 2019 and the very next year was 2020 which is when the pandemic began. At first, that was a big stumbling block, how do we reach athletes? How do we get them the experiences that we were hoping to create an offer with them, and as it turned out, 2020 then created a pivot moment for us where we were able to reach athletes globally, and have virtual competitions, support para athletic competitions virtually and then also, we started to offer travel and training grants for people that were attending qualifiers in Gavirate, Italy where the Paralympic qualifiers were occurring and support coaches and athletes in that way so that they had that finances weren't the barrier as it’s obviously an expensive sport and anything we could do to assist with that and remove that barrier, make it less of a barrier so they can participate. 

Overcoming it sort of happened because we had no other alternative. We could not do training camps around the world because our vision was that we would bring para athletic training and equipment and training camps around the world to where athletes were and so we had one in Portugal, we had had one in the United States and Vermont and all of a sudden the world closed down and we couldn't do that anymore. In a way it actually broadened our influence in being able to help athletes and those that support them to do more by making those pivots.

Also read: Nigel Smith is changing India's cycling culture one step at a time

Q 4) What are some of the milestone achievements that the Para Rowing Foundation has achieved so far?

There are two that I can think of on the opposite end of the spectrum, one is, we watched the Paralympics and Tokyo and watch the rowing events and were able to cheer for seven or eight athletes from different nations around the world, pursuing their medals in this phenomenal experience that they're having at the Olympics and and just that expanse of being able to cheer for people no matter what country, no matter what club, that was a great, great joy I have to say. Then on the on the other end of experience on that spectrum there was a rower who wanted to learn how to row but had never done it before, and the Para Rowing Foundation found an experienced  coach, provided the equipment and shipped it to them so that they could borrow everything that they needed to be able to give the sport of para rowing a try. I would have to say both are equally moving to me because our goal is to grow the sport.

Q 5) What are your short and long term goals for the Para Rowing Foundation? How do you plan to achieve them?

Some of the short term goals are to get up and up and moving again this year in-person with athletes and meeting in small group trainings, which is also sort of a pivot for us so that we can make sure everybody's safe stays safe and healthy while being in-person again, because the experience of having a coach share their knowledge in person and bringing a community together, cannot be substituted for and so that would be our short term goal this year. Regarding the long term goal it would be to continue to have a broader expanse of ways that the Para Rowing Foundation can help support athletes with disabilities and those that work in that arena to make the community broader and stronger and have people who are not involved in the sport understand the athleticism required for somebody to be able to row down a 2000 metre course, using part of their body instead of their whole body to row.

I think our long term goals are to be involved with a lot of global initiatives and amplify things and be able to be part of the dialogue that brings para rowing to within the realm of of sport discussions and I appreciate the opportunity to talk to your group, I noticed that rowing is something that would be a newer conversation and the fact that you reached out about rowers with disabilities is amazing and wonderful and I'm excited for people to learn more about it and they can always reach out to us as well if they have questions.

Liverpool, Mar 9 (Football News) Liverpool could cope with its first Anfield loss in a year to still overcome Inter Milan and reach the quarterfinals of the Champions League.

Leading 2-0 from the last-16 first leg in Italy, Lautaro Martinez's swerving shot that reduced the deficit in the 61st minute gave the Italian champions a hope of a comeback.

But within two minutes, Inter's task was made more difficult when Alexis Sanchez was sent off after his follow-through on Fabinho earned him a second booking.

Liverpool held on to lose 1-0 and advance 2-1 on aggregate. The 2019 Champions League winners are in the quarterfinals for the fourth time in five years despite its first loss in the competition this season.

Liverpool had chances to level. Mohamed Salah volleyed against the post and Luis Diaz's close-range shot was deflected over by Arturo Vidal.

"We struggled in the beginning," Salah said. "We managed to hold the ball up more in the second half. The most important thing is we qualified. Hopefully we'll be better in the next game." Inter went out with only the consolation of being the first team to win at Anfield since Fulham 366 days earlier.

"The difficulties we had were pretty close to what I expected,” Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp told broadcaster BT Sport. “Inter are a really good side and set up for these kind of games. They are really fighters and I'm happy we don't play this type of team every week." Liverpool is still in contention for a quadruple after winning the League Cup last month, then reaching the quarterfinals of the FA Cup and closing Manchester City's lead at the top of the Premier League to six points with a game in hand.

Inter's focus now returns to trying to catch AC Milan in Serie A, with two points to make up and a game in hand.

"We did our best at Anfield," Inter coach Simone Inzaghi said. "And we come out of these two games as a better side, strengthened." 

Also Read : Bala Devi advises young girls to ignore negative comments from people, rather focus on themselves

News Source : PTI

Cattolica (Italy), Mar 8 (Chess News) Indian Grandmaster S L Narayanan emerged winner in the Grandiscacchi Cattolica International Open here on Tuesday while his compatriot R Praggnanandhaa finished runner-up.

Narayanan and six others, including Praggnanandhaa, finished equal first on 6.5 points after nine rounds. However, Narayanan took the top spot on the basis of a better tie-break score.

The 24-year old Indian GM, the top-seed, remained unbeaten through the nine rounds. He drew against Pier Luigi Basso (Italy) in the ninth and final round on Tuesday.

He posted four wins and secured five draws to score 6.5 points. The wins came against Italian Alex Dobboletta, compatriot Akshat Khamparia, Jobaova Baadur (Georgia) and Belarusian Sergei Azarov. Among his drawn games, one was against Praggnanandhaa.

Praggnanandhaa too finished with four wins and five draws. He scored wins over Sauat Nurgaliyev (Kazakhstan), Nikolas Wachinger (Germany), Dutchman Lucas Van Foreest and Meruert Kamalidenova (Kazakhstan). In the final round, Praggnanandhaa shared the point with Lorenzo Lodici of Italy.

India's Pranav Anand, an International Master, secured ninth spot with six points while another Indian Akshat Khamparia took the 11th place scoring the same number of points. 

Also Read : Five most influential female athletes of the past century

News Source : PTI

(Motorsport) Formula 1 has confirmed that the emilia-Romagna Grand Prix will remain on the calendar until 2025. The track returned to F1 in 2020 for the first time since 2006 as a way to fill the gaps due to the COVID-19 pandemic and ended up retaining its place in the 2021 and 2022 seasons with this season’s race scheduled for April 24th. This means that two races will be held in Italy for the foreseeable future, one being at Monza which is called the Italian Grand Prix while the Imola Grand Prix is named after its surrounding Emilia-Romagna region.

Formula 1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali was born in the Emilia-Romagna region and said this in a statement “I am delighted that we will be continuing our excellent partnership with Imola for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix until 2025. The circuit is iconic and has been part of the history of our sport and they have done an incredible job of hosting two races during the pandemic. It is a proud moment for our Italian fans to host two races and for all our fans around the world to see this fantastic circuit on the calendar for the future."

“I want to thank everyone involved in making this happen and the work of the Emilia-Romagna Region, in particular the President of the Automobile Club of Italy, Angelo Sticchi Damiani, President of Emilia-Romagna, Stefano Bonaccini, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the City of Imola. We are all looking forward to being back in Imola in April to thrill our fans.”

President of the Automobile Club of Italy, Angelo Sticchi Damiani, said: “Today's agreement ratifies the presence of the Formula 1 Rolex Grand Prix of Made in Italy and Emilia Romagna at the Enzo and Dino Ferrari Circuit in Imola until 2025. Imola, it's great history and the strong tie of its territory to the world of engines deserved this recognition. This is not only a great success for sport in Italy but also a great enrichment for the top international motorsport series that has confirmed in its calendar for several years one of the most difficult races, but also the greatest, and the one that's mostly loved by both drivers and teams.

“Of course, the long negotiations carried out by the Automobile Club of Italy managed to achieve the desired goal thanks to the important support received from various local authorities. Among all, I would like to underline the enthusiastic work of the Emilia Romagna Region and its President Stefano Bonaccini."

President of Emilia Romagna, Stefano Bonaccini, said: “It's an extraordinary result for the Emilia-Romagna region and for the Motor Valley. The confirmation that the Made in Italy and Emilia-Romagna Formula 1 Grand Prix that will be held at the Enzo and Dino Ferrari Autodrome in Imola until 2025 is a reward to an important team effort that involved the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ice (i.d. the Italian Trade Agency), the City of Imola, ACI, CON.AMI and Formula 1, of course.

“After two successfully organized editions, a unique event of great international appeal and absolute prestige was confirmed in the long run along the Via Emilia despite the limitations imposed by the pandemic and while preparations are already underway for the 2022 edition.

“The event will allow us to turn the spotlight on both a region which is home to great champions and world-famous motorsport brands and Italy, a country rich in unique, internationally renowned excellence in all fields, starting from the automotive industry. For us, this is a great source of pride and a precious opportunity to discuss values, knowledge and professionalism that translate first and foremost into work, innovation and the ability to do business together and with great passion.”

Previously known as the San Marino GP, the Imola track hosted the first Italian GP in 1980 and became the San Marino Grand Prix venue from 1981 to 2006. The track is also infamous for being the venue where legendary Formula 1 driver Ayrton Senna met with a fatal crash in 1994. The race on 24th April at the Enzo e Dino Ferrari International Circuit will be the fourth in the 2022 season’s 24 race calendar while the Italian GP race will take place in September and will be the 16th race of the season.

Also read: Formula 1 team Haas terminate Nikita Mazepin’s contract

(Motorsports news) MotoGP 2022 season is set to kick off on 6 March in the Losail International Circuit in Qatar and this season guarantees to be one of the most interesting and most open seasons ever. 2021 saw every manufacturer take home a podium and which meant that it was the closest top-15 finish of all time. More records were broken, new winners emerged, and a few pieces of history were created when France got its first premier class World Champion. We bid adieu to the greatest bike racer of all time in Valentino Rossi but that's already a chapter in the history books and now we're about to uncover the mysteries of 2022 and welcome the new gen in MotoGP.

Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo is set out to retain his World Championship after he became the first Frenchman to win the MotoGP title last season. If Quartararo can manage to defend his crown then he will become the second-youngest rider after Marc Marquez to win consecutive World Championships but heading into the new season, the 22-year-old has voiced his displeasure with the top speed of his Yamaha bike in pre-season testing, the defending world champion is adamant he will fight and give his best to compete against his main rivals. 

His main threat will be Marc Marquez who after two injury-plagued years, will finally return to his full fitness as he bids to create history by joining the great Valentino Rossi on nine MotoGP titles. Marquez suffered a horrific fractured arm which he sustained in a 2020 Jerez crash and it had ruled him out of action for 12 months, before a training incident towards the end of 2021 saw him diagnosed with diplopia (severe double vision). After 265 days out of action due to the arm fracture, Marquez returned to race action in April 2021 and the Spaniard has since shown glimpses of his usual best, he didn’t really put serve pressure on his shoulder but still managed to win two races. An earlier indication is that he is back and back with vengeance to regain his World Championship crown. 

Pecco Bagnaia ended the 2021 season with three consecutive victories and helped his team Ducati win the constructors championship also. He will hope that he can replicate his end season form this year and hope to become the first Italian after the great Valentino Rossi to become a Premier Class Winner in MotoGP. Last year, Bagnaia finished runner up in the riders Championship in 2021 with nine podiums and four wins to his name. The Italian will be looking to carry across his incredible form from the end of 2021 into 2022 for a title charge.

Quartararo: “Well it will make life more difficult but for the show and everyone it will be nice to not have that big difference. I remember maybe 10 years ago we had a few riders and then the rest, but now basically everything is so tight and the level of riders is really high. Now I think it’s the closest ever and it will be fun.”

Bagnaia: “It’s something good for the show, but I think years ago, the way of working was different. Now you have to do the time attack. I was feeling years ago, I was doing the time attack my first year in MotoGP and with the lap time I did in 2020 I was fifth, and this year like 17th; a big difference. I think it’s the way to work on the test.”

Marc Marquez: “Of course as you say in the test it was very close but it’s not the first year that in the test it was very close. Let’s see during the first four or five races we will understand who the top guys are. Anyway it will be interesting to have equal bikes, equal level between the riders and this makes everything more interesting.”

MotoGP 2022 rider and team full line-up:

• Aprilia Racing

#12 Maverick Vinales
#41 Aleix Espargaro

• Ducati Lenovo Team

#43 Jack Miller
#63 Francesco Bagnaia

• Gresini Racing MotoGP Ducati

#23 Enea Bastianini
#49 Fabio Di Giannantonio

• Mooney VR46 Racing Team Ducati

#10 Luca Marini
#72 Marco Bezzecchi

• Pramac Racing Ducati

#5 Johann Zarco
#89 Jorge Martin

• LCR Honda

#30 Takaaki Nakagami
#73 Alex Marquez

• Repsol Honda Team

#44 Pol Espargaro
#93 Marc Marquez

• Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

#33 Brad Binder
#88 Miguel Oliveira

• Tech3 KTM Factory Racing

#25 Raul Fernandez
#87 Remy Gardner

• Team Suzuki Ecstar

#36 Joan Mir
#42 Alex Rins

• Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP

#20 Fabio Quartararo
#21 Franco Morbidelli

• WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team

#04 Andrea Dovizioso
#40 Darryn Binder

Also read: Aston Martin on track to become title contenders by 2025: Mike Krack

Full 2022 MotoGP calendar:

6 March - Qatar, Losail
20 March – Indonesia, Mandalika
3 April – Argentina, Termas de Rio Hondo
10 April – USA, Circuit of the Americas
24 April – Portugal - Portimao
1 May – Spain, Jerez
15 May – France, Le Mans
29 May – Italy, Mugello
5 June – Catalunya, Barcelona
19 June – Germany, Sachsenring
26 June – Netherlands, Assen
10 July – Finland, KymiRing
7 August – Great Britain, Silverstone
21 August – Austria, Red Bull Ring
4 September – San Marino, Misano
18 September – Aragon
25 September – Japan, Motegi
2 October – Thailand, Buriram
16 October – Australia, Phillip Island
23 October – Malaysia, Sepang
6 November - Valencia, Ricardo Tormo
 

Cairo, Mar 3 (Shooting News) The Indian trio of Shri Nivetha, Esha Singh and Ruchita Vinerkar combined to win the gold medal in the women's 10m air pistol team event of the ISSF World Cup here.

The Indians shot 16 in the gold medal contest to finish on the podium for the country's third medal, and second gold, in the year's first World Cup on Wednesday night. India lead the standings with three medals -- two gold and a silver.

Germany's Andrea Katharina Heckner, Sandra Reitz and Carina Wimmer settled for the silver medal after managing 6 in the fight for the top prize.

The three Indian women had topped the qualification stage 2 with a total score of 574 on their way to the gold medal match.

Behind the Indians were Heckner, Reitz and Wimmer, with 571.

Esha, Shri Nivetha and Ruchita had also topped qualification stage 1 with a total score of 856.

Earlier in the day, Olympian Saurabh Chaudhary, Gaurav Rana and Uchaganve Kedarling Balakrishna missed out on a bronze medal in the men's 10m air pistol team competition.

In the bronze medal match, the Indian pistol team finished with a total of 6 to finish at fourth place, behind Italy's Torracchi Alessio, Monna Paolo and Tesconi Luca, who aggregated 16.

In the Qualification Stage 2, the Indians totalled 581, ahead of their Italian counterparts (577).

In the first qualification, the Indians aggregated 765.

Before that, the Indian team of Rudrankkash Balasaheb Patil, Divyansh Singh Panwar and Srinjoy Dutta failed to secure a place in the bronze medal contest by a point in the men's 10m air rifle team event.

The Indian men's rifle team aggregated 624.1, only a point less than Czech Republic's Ales Entrichel, Jiri Privratsky and Filip Nepejchel's total score of 624.2.

The Czechs went on to win the bronze medal ahead of Austria.

The Indian team of Shreya Agarwal, Ayushi Gupta and Rajshree Sancheti finished seventh in the qualification stage 2 of women's 10m air rifle team event with a total score of 625.0.

Eight other countries besides India have claimed the 10 gold medals distributed so far, but none have more than one yet.

Germany and Italy are joint second on the table with one gold, two silver and one bronze medal each. A total of 17 countries have won medals so far.

Over 500 athletes from 60 nations are taking part in the World Cup which has 20 medal sets on offer. There are no finals scheduled on Thursday. 

Also Read : Saurabh and Co miss out on team bronze in men’s air pistol

News Source : PTI

Cairo, Mar 2 (Shooting News) The Indian trio of Olympian Saurabh Chaudhary, Gaurav Rana and Uchaganve Kedarling Balakrishna missed out on a bronze medal in the men's team air pistol event of the ISSF World Cup here on Wednesday.

In the bronze medal match, the Indian pistol team finished with a total of 6 to finish at fourth place, behind Italy's Torracchi Alessio, Monna Paolo and Tesconi Luca, who aggregated 16.

In the Qualification Stage 2, the Indians totalled 581, ahead of their Italian counterparts (577).

In the first qualification, the Indians totalled 765.

Earlier in the day, the Indian team of Rudrankkash Balasaheb Patil, Divyansh Singh Panwar and Srinjoy Dutta missed out on a place in the bronze medal contest by a point in the men's team air rifle event of the year's first World Cup.

The Indian men's rifle team aggregated 624.1, only a point less than Czech Republic's Ales Entrichel, Jiri Privratsky and Filip Nepejchel's total score of 624.2.

The Czechs went on to win the bronze medal ahead of Austria.

The Indian team of Shreya Agarwal, Ayushi Gupta and Rajshree Sancheti finished seventh in the qualification stage 2 of women's 10m air rifle team event with a total score of 625.0. 

Also Read : Indian shooters finish 4th in men’s team air rifle, women end 7th

News Source : PTI

Dubai, Feb 27 (Archery News) Indian archer Pooja on Sunday created history by becoming the first to enter the final in an individual section of the Para World Championships here.

The 24-year-old came back from 0-2 down to defeat Hazel Chaisty of Britain 6-2 to assure India at least a second silver medal from the ongoing tournament.

In her quest to become the first para archery world champion from India, Pooja will take on Italy's Petrilli Vincenza later in the day.

India are also in the fray for a second medal in the day, and third overall, as Pooja and her namesake and senior teammate Pooja Khanna will fight for a team bronze, taking on their rivals from Mongolia.

The compound mixed pair of Shyam Sundar Swami and Jyoti Baliyan had earlier opened India's account with a silver medal -- the country's first medal in the World Archery Para Championships.

India have participated in two World Championships -- Beijing 2017 and Den Bosch 2019 -- when Rakesh Kumar came close to winning a bronze medal.

Qualified as fourth seed, Pooja began her campaign by defeating Pooja Khanna 7-1.

In the quarters, she overcame a stiff resistance from Svetlana Barantseva to emerge 6-4 winner. 

Also Read : India eyes elusive medal at World Archery Para Championships

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Feb 26 (Boxing News) Indian boxer Nandini (+81kg) ended with a bronze medal in the 73rd Strandja Memorial Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria after going down to former world champion Lazzat Kungeibayeva of Kazakhstan in the semifinals.

Nandini lost 0-5 in the bout held late on Friday night.

Former youth world champion Nikhat Zareen (52kg) and Nitu (48kg) are the only Indians left in fray after they advanced to the finals of their respective weight categories.

While Zareen defeated Tokyo Olympics and world championship silver-medallist Buse Naz Cakiroglu, Nitu pummelled her Ukrainian rival Hanna Okhota, who threw in the towel at the end of the second round in bouts held last evening.

The two will fight their final bouts on Sunday.

Nitu will be up against Italy's Erika Prisciandaro, a former youth world championship bronze-medallist.

Zareen will square off against Ukraine's Tetiana Kob, a three-time European Championships medallist, including a gold back in 2009. Zareen had won a gold medal at the Strandja Memorial's 2019 edition.

India won two medals in the last edition with Deepak Kumar and Naveen Boora securing silver and bronze respectively.

The performance of the men's squad was underwhelming this time with none of the seven in fray managing to enter the medal rounds.

In all, the tournament featured over 450 boxers from 36 countries, including traditional powerhouses such as Kazakhstan, Italy, Russia, France and Ukraine, where Russia launched a military operation on Thursday despite global appeal for restraint. 

Also Read : Nitu, Anamika through to quarters of Strandja Memorial boxing tourney

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Feb 22 (Hockey News) Indian women boxers Nitu (48kg) and Anamika (50kg) advanced to the quarterfinals of the 73rd Strandja Memorial Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria, after clinching impressive opening-round wins.

Nitu outpunched Russia's Chumgalakova Iuliia 5-0, while Anamika defeated local hope Chukanova Zlatislava 4-1 to make the last-eight stage on Monday.

However, Shiksha (54kg) and Akash (67kg) lost their respective bouts to bow out of contention.

While Shiksha lost to Kazakhstan's former world champion Dina Zholaman, Akash was bested by Germany's Deniel Krotter. Both of them lost by an identical 0-5 margin.

The tournament features over 450 boxers from 36 countries, including traditional powerhouses such as Kazakhstan, Italy, Russia and France.

A 17-member Indian contingent, including seven men and 10 women, is participating at the tournament.

India won two medals in the last edition with Deepak Kumar and Naveen Boora securing silver and bronze respectively. 

Also Read : Boxing: Sumit stuns world silver-medallist, 3 other Indians lose openers in Strandja Memorial

News Source : PTI

(Football news) A group of investors or a consortium led by Boston Celtics co-owner Stephen Pagliuca has agreed to buy into Italian Serie A club Atalanta. The deal is the latest U.S led investment in Italy's top flight league following the takeover of clubs like Genoa, AC Milan, Fiorentina, Spezia, AS Roma and Venezia. Nine of the 20 top-flight Italian clubs are now controlled by foreign investors as they include China’s Suning Group at Inter Milan and Canadian Joey Saputo at Bologna also. 

Atalanta Bergamasca Calcio investor group would buy 55% of La Dea, the holding company owned by Italy's Percassi family, which owns around 86% of the club currently and will give away their 31% share. The Percassi's, whose group owns cosmetics chain Kiko Milano and manages Starbucks stores in Italy, will keep a stake of 45% in La Dea and remain the biggest single shareholder in an equal partnership  deal. Under the deal, Atalanta is valued at around 500 million euros including their debt as Antonio and Luca Percassi will remain chairman and CEO of Atalanta. Pagliuca, who is also co-chairman of investment firm Bain Capital and the co-owner of the historical basketball franchise Boston Celtics, will also be the co-chairman of Atalanta BC. 

Atalanta over the recent years has become the best of Italy's provincial clubs, but under Percassi ownership since 2010 it has punched above its weight and become a feature in the as one of the top teams in Italian football. The team has qualified for the Champions League in the past three seasons and has also achieved three consecutive third-place finishes in Serie A. The club estimation still stands at 52 million Euros of profit in 2020 despite the impact of Covid. The total club value according to the accountancy firm KPMG was 364 million euros. The Percassi family was advised by BofA Securities, Studio Gatti Pavesi Bianchi Ludovici and Deloitte to complete the takeover with Pagliuca. The investors were assisted by Legance and Kirkland & Ellis, Alvarez & Marsal and Pirola, Zei, Pennuto & Partners to complete the takeover.

Pagliuca said: “Atalanta and the Boston Celtics share the same sporting values: team spirit and a unique bond with their fans and communities. We believe that the Percassi family has built very solid foundations on which to work together for a global strengthening of the brand, with the aim of encouraging further diversification and revenue growth, allowing the club to become increasingly competitive on an Italian and international scale.”

“My family and I have taken this opportunity to partner with a group who shares our vision to continue the growth and success of our team, choosing to remain committed to the club that over the last ten years has delivered exceptional results, that perhaps no one would have expected from a so-called ‘provinciale. Atalanta, in whose ranks I played in the ’60s, is and will remain in my heart as it is in the heart of thousands of fans who support it. Great challenges await us and my conviction is that the partnership with such high-profile investors will speed up our path of growth.” said Antonio Percassi.

Also read: Inter suffered a shock defeat to Sassuolo as AC Milan couldn’t take advantage
 

New Delhi, Feb 21 (Boxing News) Indian boxer Sumit Kundu (75kg) upstaged world championship silver-medallist Dzhambulat Bizhamov of Russia to enter the second round but three others lost their opening bouts in the 73rd Strandja Memorial Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Competing in only his second senior international tournament, reigning national champion Sumit prevailed 5-0 over his opponent on Sunday to set up a clash with Ukraine's Oleksandr Khyzhniak.

However, Narender Berwal (+92kg), Varinder Singh (60kg) and Lakshya Chahar (86kg) lost their opening round clashes.

Narender went down 2-3 against Spain's Ayoub Ghadfa Drissi while Varinder and Chahar lost to Russians Artur Subkhankulov and Sharabutdin Ataev by 5-0 and 4-1 margins respectively.

The second day of Europe's oldest international boxing tournament will see four Indian boxers starting their campaigns.

Shiksha will face reigning Asian champion Dina Zholaman from Kazakhstan in the 54kg category, while Nitu (48kg) and Anamika (50kg) are the other two Indian women who will begin their campaign.

Among men, Akash Sangwan (67kg), who received a bye in the opening round, will fight German pugilist Deniel Krotter in his second round bout late this evening.

The tournament, features over 450 boxers from 36 countries, including traditional powerhouses such as Kazakhstan, Italy, Russia and France.

A 17-member Indian contingent, including seven men and 10 women, is participating at the tournament.

India won two medals in the last edition with Deepak Kumar and Naveen Boora securing silver and bronze respectively. 

Also Read : Indian boxers handed tricky draws at Strandja Memorial, Nikhat to start in quarters

News Source : PTI

Sofia, Feb 20 (Boxing News) Indian boxers were handed tricky draws at the Strandja Memorial tournament here even as Nikhat Zareen will begin her campaign in the quarterfinals.

Sumit and Anjali Tushir are set to face tough opponents in their respective opening-round bouts.

Zareen, who clinched a gold medal in the 2019 edition, has received a bye in the 52kg opening round.

Apart from Zareen, Nandini (+81kg) is another Indian boxer to feature directly in the last-8 stage.

However, in the 66kg category, Tushir will face a stiff challenge from two-time World Championships medallist Russia’s Saadat Dalgatova in the opening round.

Among men, Akash has been given a bye in the 67kg opening round while Sumit (75kg) is drawn to start his campaign against the World Championships silver medallist Russia’s Dzhambulat Bizhamov on Sunday.

A 17-member Indian team of seven men and 10 women is participating in the tournament which is the first of the Golden Belt Series and also a testing event for International Boxing Association’s World Boxing Tour format.

Varinder Singh (60kg) will begin India's challenge on Sunday against Russian Artur Subkhankulov in the men’s 60kg category. Sumit, Lakshya Chahar (86kg) and Narender Berwal (+92kg) are the other Indians to be seen in action on Day 1.

Europe’s oldest international boxing tournament, which was first held in 1950, will be played till February 27.

With over 450 participants from 36 countries, including strong boxing nations such as Kazakhstan, Italy, Russia and France, the highly competitive tournament is the first exposure trip for Indian boxers this year.

India won two medals in the last edition with Deepak Kumar and Naveen Boora securing silver and bronze respectively. 

Also Read : Indian Pro boxer Chandni goes down to Shin Bo in WBO Asia Pacific title clash

News Source : PTI

(Football news) Arsenal will be looking to boost their chances of a top four finish by securing three points against Brentford at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners ended their five match winless streak after defeating Wolves 1-0 but find themselves without Takehiro Tomiyasu (calf) and Bernd Leno (COVID-19) for the upcoming match. Emile Smith Rowe or Nicolas Pepe are set to feature in the starting lineup due to Gabriel Martinelli’s suspension alongside Granit Xhaka, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Thomas Partey and Alexandre Lacazette.

As for Brentford, Christian Eriksen remains unlikely to feature, especially in the starting lineup while Tarique Fosu-Henry, Julian Jeanvier and Mathias Jorgensen are injured. Thomas Frank could name an unchanged lineup but it’s also possible that Ivan Toney could start ahead of  Yoane Wissa, while Shandon Baptiste and Frank Onyenka will hope to force their way into the starting lineup at the expense of Mathias Jensen and Vitaly Janelt. Arsenal are expected to secure all three points in the fixture but it’s far from a straightforward fixture for the Gunners.

In-form Liverpool are set to face relegation-threatened Norwich City at Anfield, looking to close the gap on league leaders Manchester City. Jurgen Klopp’s team will be without Diogo Jota as the Portuguese international has a swollen ankle. Luiz Diaz, Roberto Firmino and Joel Matip are expected to feature in the starting lineup while Norwich City will be without Tim Krul, Jacob Sorensen and Andrew Omobamidele. Adam Idah, Lukas Rupp and Ozan Kabak are expected to be available for Dean Smith’s team but anything less than three points would be a massive upset for Liverpool and will end their title ambitions.

Also read: Manchester United defeat 10 man Brighton to move into fourth place

Having been crowned champions of the world recently, Chelsea shift their focus back on the Premier League as they face Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Saturday. For Tuchel’s team, Reece James is still recovering from a hamstring injury and is expected to be unavailable for the fixture. Ben Chilwell is another long term absentee for the Blues while Mason Mount remains doubtful due to an ankle ligament injury. However, Ruben Loftus-Cheek is expected to feature in the squad alongside Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech. 

As for Crystal Palace, their top scorer Conor Gallagher is ineligible to play against his parent club while Nathan Ferguson is a long-term absentee. Cheikhou Kouyate should be available for selection after his involvement in the AFCON alongside Marc Guehi and Michael Olise. Chelsea are expected to get their ninth successive win over Palace at Selhurst Park and remain in sight of league leaders Manchester City.

Reigning champions Manchester City will look to consolidate their lead on top of the table by defeating Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium. Pep Guardiola’s team are currently nine points ahead of second place Liverpool while Spurs are eighth and are aiming for a top four finish at the end of the season. Kyle Walker is expected to be back for the Citizens alongside Jack Grealish and Gabriel Jesus while Ilkay Gundogan may also be involved in the starting lineup. 

As for Spurs, Eric Dier is expected to feature in the starting lineup but Japhet Tanganga is unavailable and Oliver Skipp remains doubtful. Antonio Conte is expected to feature Emerson Royal and Sergio Reguilon as wing backs while Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Lucas Moura,  Son Heung-min and Kane are expected to start. City have a good record against Tottenham, having won six of their last seven games against the London based side and the reigning champions are expected to secure all three points in this fixture as well. 

(Football news) Barcelona take on Napoli after being eliminated from the Champions League group stage for the first time in 17 years as Xavi’s side will have vengeance in mind and go all out for the Europa League trophy this season. The club from Catalunya dropped into the Europa league after finishing third in their Champions League group, while Napoli face Barca because they finished second in their group behind Spartak Moscow. 

This is not the tournament that Barca will want to be competing in, but honestly it represents their only realistic chance of winning a trophy this season after  been eliminated from the Copa del Rey and also sit fourth in La Liga subsequently 15 points behind leaders Real Madrid after they suffered a disappointing f 2-2 draw with Espanyol in the derbi Barceloni. Barcelona, who last played in the UEFA Cup back in 2003-04, reached the fourth round of the competition before losing out to Celtic in the quarterfinals. Barcelona last faced  Napoli in the round of 16 stage in the Champions League in 2020 where Barca rode on Messi’s brilliance and ran out 4-2 winners on aggregate, drawing 1-1 in Italy before winning the reverse fixture 3-1 at Camp Nou.

Napoli have been eliminated in the round of 32 on five occasions in their history and would want that history doesn’t repeat itself again as both teams are equally matched, and seeing the current form both clubs are Napoli start as favourites. Luciano Spalletti's side will enter this contest on the back of a 1-1 draw with Inter Milan in Serie A  which has in turn left them in third position in the table, just two points behind leaders AC Milan, so they are very much in the title race this season. The Gli Azzurri have won six, drawn six and lost eight of their previous 20 matches against Spanish clubs in UEFA competition, while they have lost on seven of their 10 visits to Spain and their record, especially against Barca, is not that great.

For Barcelona, they will be without the services of Samuel Umtiti, Ansu Fati, Sergi Roberto and Alejandro Balde through injury, while Clement Lenglet, Ronald Araujo and Memphis Depay remain doubts as Sergio Dest will slot to right back as Dani Alvaes is not registered with the Europa League squad. For Napoli, Matteo Politano and Hirving Lozano are both injured, while Axel Tuanzebe has not been included in the Europa League squad. 

Dortmund take on the Scottish giants Rangers as both teams are hoping to earn a place in the next stage of the competition. Borussia Dortmund got themselves back to winning ways after suffering an embarrassing loss against Bayern Leverkusen as they defeated Union Berlin 3-0 this weekend. The German giants dropped down from the Champions League after finishing third in Group C, they missed out on a round of 16 place by goal difference, as Sporting Lisbon and Ajax finished above them. This tournament is the only chance they stand to win some silverware this season as they got knocked out of the DFB Pokal Cup and are 9 points behind runway leaders Bayern in the league.

Rangers have not conceded a single goal in their last three matches currently and head into this fixture with a bit of confidence especially after their poor form at the start of the year around but have been showing impressive results in all competitions.The reigning Scottish champions struggled at the start of the year, which also led to their bitter rivals Celtic overtaking them in the Scottish Premiership and going on top of the league. But since being beaten by the Hoops they have scored 10 goals in three games. The club does not have a great history against German teams in European competition; they have been beaten seven of their previous eight matches as their last win came in 1998. For Dortmund , Erling Braut Haaland could be available but Mateu Morey and Marcel Schmelzer remain absentees for the club. For Rangers most of their squad is fit as Alfredo Morelos will be set to start up front.

Also read: Liverpool rally past Inter to take a 2 goal advantage to Anfield

The other fixtures are:

• Zenit vs Real Betis
• Sheriff vs Barga
• RB Leipzig vs Real Sociedad
• Porto vs Lazio
• Atalanta vs Olympiacos
• Sevilla vs Dinamo Zagreb

Bengaluru, Feb 15 (Tennis News) India's Sidharth Rawat secured a straight-set win over compatriot Mukund Sasikumar to enter the last 16 but it was curtains for local favourite Ramkumar Ramanathan in the men's singles at the Bengaluru Open 2 ATP Challenger, here on Tuesday.

The 28-year-old Rawat beat Sasikumar 6-4 6-4 to emerge as the only Indian in the single draw.

However, seventh seed Ramkumar's gallant fight ended with a 6-4 3-6 2-6 loss to France's Mathias Bourgue.

Doubles pair of Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan and Purav Raja, meanwhile, quelled the challenge of Australians Thomas Fancutt and Jason Kubler 6-3 7-5 to enter the quarterfinals.

It was an exodus of fancied players in the first round with the biggest casualty being the defending champion and eighth seed Chun-hsin Tseng crashing out of the tournament.

Tseng, who had won the Bengaluru Open 1, went down tamely to Greece qualifier Markos Kalovelonis 2-6 2-6 in a match that lasted just 62 minutes.

A total of five seeded players bit the dust in their opening encounters on Tuesday.

Top Indian player, Ramkumar began with a bang earning a break in the opening game which set the tone for the rest of the set, which he eventually won 6-4.

However, his luck ran out in the second set and he also lost his composure as the match progressed with his French rival breaking his serve in the second game and winning the set 6-3.

He kept the pressure up against the crumbling nerves of Ramkumar, whose best shot was an ace which came at the fag end of the third set but could not stop Bourgue from walking into the pre-quarterfinals.

Among the top players in fray, Swiss Antoine Bellier felled fourth seed Federico Gaio of Italy 6-4 6-3, Andrey Kuznetsov of Russia won a long-fought battle against fifth seeded Czech Vit Kopriva 6-1 1-6 6-3, while runner-up last week Czech Borna Gojo survived a scare against qualifier Dominik Palan before prevailing 4-6 6-3 6-4. 

Also Read : Lehecka makes his debut into the top 100 of ATP rankings

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Feb 12 (Sports News) Kashmiri skier Arif Khan, who will create history on Sunday when he takes part in the men's giant slalom event of the Beijing Winter Olympics, says he knew 10 years ago that he would one day represent the country in the global showpiece.

Hailing from a village in Kashmir's Baramulla district, one of the most-frequented tourist spots of the valley, Khan will become the first Indian to compete in two events in a Winter Olympics -- in men's slalom and giant slalom. His slalom event will be held on February 16.

Taking to skiing seemed natural to Khan as his father Yasin owns a ski equipment shop at Gulmarg which is near his village. He was introduced to skiing at the age of four by his father who had made a small ski slope just outside the shop.

Khan began competitive skiing when he was 10 years old and at 12, he won a gold medal in the slalom at the national championship.

In 2011, Khan won two gold medals -- in the slalom and giant slalom -- at the South Asian Winter Games in Dehradun and Auli.

"So, I was the fastest skier in India by then. After the gold medals, I knew that I will one day represent the country in Winter Olympics, it was going to be only a matter of time," Khan told PTI from the Games Village in Beijing.

"I should have qualified (for Winter Olympics) earlier but it did not happen due to certain reasons. So, it will be a dream come true moment (on Sunday). I am proud to represent 1.4 billion Indians and to put my region in Olympics map," said the 31-year-old.

India had declared a diplomatic boycott of the Games after China fielded the regimental commander of the People's Liberation Army, who was injured during the 2020 military face-off with Indian soldiers in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh, as a torchbearer for the event's Torch Relay.

"It was the country's decision and the call from the government and I have no issues with that. You cannot go against the decision of the government of your country. I was happy with whatever I was doing," Khan said.

"I was feeling great for my people back home. A lot of people sent me messages for this great moment. I knew that entire India would see me holding the (national) flag during the opening ceremony (on February 4) and they must be proud of me." Khan has taken part in four FIS World Ski Championships so far, starting from 2013. His best result has been 45th in the giant slalom at the 2021 edition in Italy.

Just before leaving for Beijing, Khan had said that he would be happy if he can make it to the top-30 in his events.

"It's a difficult and complicated event, you never know what will happen on a day. You have to be conscious about your movement, balance of your body, of your skiis, the speed till the last gate.

"I am hoping for a good performance but under such conditions it is difficult to predict anything. I am trying to keep my balance on the ice. I need to carry with my balance till the last gate if I want to finish in top numbers. I am doing fine in that regard.

"I am not feeling any pressure. The conditions are superb here -- food, training, accommodation etc. We are allowed to go only within the close loop, so there is no COVID fears also. We are being tested everyday and it's not a hassle." He said the skii course in Beijing -- or for that matter in other top class events -- is much different from the ones he had trained and so adjustment is not easy.

"The ice is different here, it is injected ice. These are used in this kind of top global events. These are costly to maintain and you don't get it during training. I have done training for the past few days after arriving here and getting used to it. But you never know, you can't predict how you will fare." Before the Beijing Games, Khan had trained at Innsbruck in Austria.

Slalom and giant slalom are two of the five events in Alpine skiing. The athletes are required to ski down a vertical slope through 'gates', which consist of of two plastic poles.

A skier will run two races and the competitor with the lowest combined time across the two courses is deemed the winner.

Slalom is more difficult technically than giant slalom as the former has the shortest course and fastest turns with the least spacing between the 'gates'. 

Also Read : Puneri Paltan beat Haryana Steelers in PKL

News Source : PTI

(Football news) England, Scotland, Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and Wales have announced a joint bid to host the Euro 2028 tournament after dropping plans of hosting the 2030 FIFA World Cup. After what has been described as “an extensive feasibility study" by the FA, the five football associations came to the collective decision after taking into account the economic impact, political landscape of football and the costs involved. 

The decision to drop out of the 2030 FIFA World Cup bid appears to be a smart move, especially considering that the chances of it going in their favour was slim to begin with. The government has said that it has “accepted” the decision of the five football associations from dropping the World Cup bid but remains committed to hosting the prestigious tournament in the future. If the Euro 2028 bid is accepted, there is still no guarantee that all five nations will secure automatic qualifications for the tournament without having to go through the pre-qualifiers.

A joint statement from the football associations of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland said: "On balance, the five associations have decided to focus solely on an official bid to host UEFA EURO 2028, and have agreed not to bid for the 2030 FIFA World Cup. Hosting a UEFA EURO offers a similar return on investment, with the European tournament carrying a far lower delivery cost and the potential of the benefits being realised sooner. 

“It would be an honour and a privilege to collectively host UEFA EURO 2028 and to welcome all of Europe. It would also be a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate the true impact of hosting a world-class football tournament by driving positive change and leaving a lasting legacy across our communities. We believe the UK and the Republic of Ireland can offer UEFA and European football something special in 2028 - a compact and unique five-way hosting collaboration that will provide a great experience for the teams and the fans."

The Euro 2020 saw the Wembley Stadium hosting eight matches including the semi-finals and finals. The match between England and Italy saw significant crowd trouble at the venue which may go against their Euro 2028 bid. Hampden Park in Scotland was also the venue for four Euro 2020 matches while Dublin's Aviva Stadium was also a venue for four matches but the venue was changed to St Petersburg and London due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Euro 2028 could also be the biggest iteration of the tournament in history as UEFA is considering increasing the number of teams to 32.

In announcing its part in the joint bid, Football Association of Wales president Stephen Williams said: "Here in Wales, The Red Wall has a special affinity with the European Championships and for us to potentially see Cymru participating as a host country at UEFA EURO 2028 is an exciting prospect. I'm incredibly proud that the Football Association of Wales is supporting this bid alongside the football associations of Northern Ireland, Scotland, England and the Republic of Ireland. The positive impact that this will have on Wales as a whole is immeasurable and will leave a long-lasting legacy."

Swift action will need to be taken as the UEFA deadline to submit bid applications ends on March 23rd. On 30th March, the bid requirements will be made available to all the interested parties while UEFA will announce the list of bidders on April 5th and the final dossier submission deadline is on April 12th. UEFA will announce the hosts of the Euro 2028 in September 2023. 

Also read: Senegal lift their first AFCON title after beating Egypt on penalties

Bengaluru, Feb 7 (Tennis News) India's Arjun Kadhe booked a slot in the main draw of the Bengaluru Open but Saketh Myneni exited the ATP Challenger tournament following a first round drubbing here on Monday.

Kadhe, who entered the Qualifying event as an alternate, knocked out Austrian Alexander Erler 6-3 6-4.

In the main draw he is set to compete against Turkey's fifth seed Altug Celikbilek in the first round.

Sasikumar Mukund, though, could not clear the Qualifiers, losing 3-6 2-6 to Croatia's third seed Borna Gojo in the final round.

Myneni, who has been included in the Indian Davis Cup team as a reserve member for next month's tie against Denmark, lost the men's singles first round 1-6 1-6 to Italy's Gian Marco Moroni.

Prajnesh Gunneswaran and Ramkumar Ramanathan will open their campaign on Tuesday against Mathias Bourgue and Max Purcell respectively.

Rishi Reddy and S D Prajwal Dev have been given wild card entries into the main draw.

Yuki Bhambri and Divij Sharan will compete in the doubles as a team.

Kadhe and Adil Kalyanpur have also entered as wild card entrants. 

Also Read : We have shown to world, India can pull off big events despite COVID-19 challenge: Tata Open Organisers

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Jan 31 (Hockey News) Veteran India hockey goalkeeper PR Srejeesh on Monday won the prestigious World Games Athlete of the Year for his 2021 performances, becoming only the second Indian to receive the accolade.

In 2020, Indian women's hockey captain Rani Rampal became the first Indian to win the honour for her performances in 2019.

Sreejsh beat competition from sport climber Alberto Ginés López of Spain and Italy's wushu player Michele Giordano for the award.

"I'm very honoured to win this award. First of all, a big thank you to FIH for nominating me for this award, and secondly thanks to all the Indian hockey lovers around the world, who voted for me," Sreejesh said in a statement.

Sreejesh, a former India hockey captain and part of the Tokyo Olympics-bronze medal winning side, received 1,27,647 votes, whereas Lopez and Giordane accumulated 67,428 and 52,046 votes respectively.

Sreejesh was the only Indian nominated and was recommended by the International Hockey Federation (FIH).

In the FIH Stars Awards in October, Sreejesh was named the goalkeeper of the year for 2021. 

Also Read : India will look to build on their recent showings in FIH Pro League, say coach and captain

News Source : PTI

Pune, Jan 31 (Tennis News) India's Yuki Bhambri registered a sensational come-from-behind win over Jozef Kovalik of Slovakia in the men's singles opening round of the Tata Open Maharashtra tennis tournament here on Monday.

The 29-year-old Indian, who started directly in the main draw in South Asia's only ATP 250 meet, secured a 6-7 (10), 6-2, 7-5 win in his opener.

After losing the hard-fought first set, the former junior world number one, who made a comeback in the international circuit recently after a two-year break due to an injury, started the second with 2-0 lead and looked in good touch.

He didn't let the momentum shift before bagging the set easily and levelling the scores.

In the decider, the Delhi-born player converted a break point to take the scores at 3-3 and then added one more set point to keep himself ahead in the game.

Though the 29-year-old Slovakian tried his best to make a comeback into the contest, Bhambri held his nerves and clinched the decider to advance into the second round.

Prajnesh Gunneswaran is the other Indian who will be in action in the singles main draw later on Monday. He will take on fifth-seed German Daniel Altmaier.

Earlier, France's Quentin Halys sent World No. 82 Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania packing with a stunning 6-1, 6-2 win.

The World No. 141 Halys of France looked quite confident against the higher-ranked opponent as he hardly gave any opportunity to Berankis.

In the other round-of-32 match, former World No. 39 Moldovan Radu Albot faced a tough challenge from Federico Gaio of Italy in the second set but managed to sail through with a 6-2, 7-6 (7-3) victory.

Meanwhile, the top-seeded Australian pair of Like Saville and John-Patrick Smith lived up to the expectations as they defeated Stefano Travaglia and Bernabe Zapata Miralles 6-1, 6-4 in straight sets.

In the other doubles opening round match, the French duo of Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul outclassed the third-seeded pair of Szymon Walkow and Jan Zielinski 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) to move to the quarterfinals.

Also Read : Tata Open Maharashtra 2022 to be broadcasted on Star Sports

News Source : PTI

(Football news) Manchester United’s Amad Diallo is set to sign for Scottish club Rangers on loan until the end of the season. The 19 year old was signed by the Red Devils for £37.2m from Atalanta but has only made nine appearances for the club, scoring one goal. Diallo was born in Ivory Coast but moved to Italy at the age of 10 and joined Atalanta at age 15. He made his debut for the club in 2019, becoming the youngest player to score on his Serie A debut at the age of 17 years and 109 days old. 

Diallo’s move to Rangers is a positive one for his development as the 19 year old has not received enough opportunities at Manchester United. The Red Devils have Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood and Jadon Sancho as options on the wing and with Cristiano Ronaldo and Edinson Cavani as attacking options, it would have been unlikely for Diallo to get an opportunity even in the Carabao Cup. Moreover, with Ianis Hagi injured for Rangers, Diallo’s loan spell could prove to be fruitful with plenty of gametime.

In an interview after being unveiled as a Rangers player, Diallo said “I am delighted to join Rangers until the end of the season. It is fantastic for me at this stage of my career to have the opportunity to come to such a big club that is challenging on a number of fronts and will give me some excellent opportunities to test myself in many environments." Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst said “I am really pleased to add Amad to our squad for the rest of the season. He is a player who I have been aware of for some time, and when the opportunity to sign him came up, we were very keen to make it happen. He will add a lot to our squad and provide even more competition for the players in the forward areas."

Despite having limited experience, Diallo is one of the hottest prospects in world football. The fact that Manchester United paid £37.2m should be evidence of the Ivorian’s potential. The 19 year old can play on either wing for Rangers or in the number 10 role and brings both versatility and energy to Rangers. He’s a left-footed player who likes to cut inside, has good dribbling and an eye for making the right pass as well as a low centre of gravity. He might be a diamond in the rough, but Diallo certainly has the ability to propel Giovanni van Bronckhorst's side to their second Scottish Premiership title.

Also read: Sule to leave Bayern Munich on free in the summer in search of a new challenge

(Football news) The Serbian striker who has been in red hot form this season will be joining Juventus for a reported fee of 75 million Euros. Dusan Vlahovic’s medical is due on Saturday and he would be eligible to make his debut for the club in their next match on February 6th. The Serbian is moving to the Allianz Stadium after refusing to sign a new contract with Fiorentina earlier this season. Arsenal and Tottenham were admirers of Vlahovic but were unable to meet Fiorentina's asking price as Fiorentina are now targeting Basel's Arthur Cabral as a replacement for Vlahovic.

Vlahovic came into the main stage last season when he scored 21 goals in 40 appearances for Fiorentina, and has since continued his impressive form with 20 goals in 24 games in all competitions this season. Vlahovic joined Fiorentina from Partizan Belgrade in 2018. He is not only making an impression in Italy, but the striker also has also got seven goals in 14 games for Serbia. Vlahovic has got 17 goals in 21 Serie A appearances this season, making him the league’s joint top scorer with Ciro Immobile. The fee would be the biggest in Serie A history for a winter break transfer. The current record came when AC Milan paid 40 million euros to Brazilian club Flamengo for Lucas Paqueta in January 2019. For Vlahovic, it has been a rapid rise to stardom as the 21-year-old went from cheering on Partizan Belgrade in the stands to making his club debut less than a month after his 16th birthday in early 2016 before moving to Italy two years later. 

This season Juventus have been struggling to score goals since Cristiano Ronaldo’s sudden departure but with Vlahovic in the team it looks like that problem will no longer exist as he will not only bring plenty of goals but also can become a Juventus mainstay considering his age. Juventus have been looking for a goalscorer since the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo. Allegri hopes that the Serbian will work well with Dybala, who is not at the best level of his career at the moment to propel them in the league and also help them in the Champions League. This move would also mean that Alvaro Morata will sign with Barcelona should this deal be completed within the coming days

Fiorentina's sporting director, Daniele Prade, told Sportitalia: "It's an important valuation, over €70m as a lump sum with no swap deals and no payment structures. The president [Rocco Commisso] has imposed it on us. All of our doors are open in this situation, because we need to understand what the players and their agents really want to do. We received some important offers for him. Offers that were very substantial but we never got any feedback from his agents. On our side, there has always been great transparency. I refer to what Joe Barone [Fiorentina's chief executive] said, all our doors are open.

Also read: Dusan Vlahovic the man in demand after rejecting his latest contract offer

"We're ready to sit down at a table and talk. We made various important offers for a contract extension, and we also have had a few offers to sell him in a strong way "I'm saying this because our club makes €75m a year and we can't afford to lose a valuable asset for free. They were all valid and satisfactory offers, with payment methods that suited us. We couldn't go ahead with the deal because there was never any contact with the player's agents."

Marianske Lazne (Czech Republic), Jan 23 (Chess News) Indian Grandmaster M R Lalith Babu emerged victorious in the Marienbad Open 2022 chess tournament here.

He remained unbeaten through nine rounds and accumulated 6.5 points to finish half a point ahead of Icelandic GM Hannes Stefansson, the runner-up.

Lalith Babu won four games and drew the other five to take the top position.

His wins came against Czech players Vaclav Finek, Karel Malinovsku, Daniel Sorm and Jakub Kusa.

The 29-year old Indian GM drew his final round match against Stefansson late on Saturday to seal the top spot. It was a third straight title for Lalith Babu. He had previously won in Thailand, followed by one in Italy.

"Kickstarted 2022 by achieving hat-trick championship, by winning my 3rd event Marienbad Open 2022!," the Indian GM tweeted. 

Also Read : Tata Steel Masters: Carlsen beats Praggnanandhaa to grab lead; Vidit Gujrathi suffers first defeat

News Source : PTI

(Football news) Manchester United closed the gap to two points with fourth placed West Ham after a 3-1 win over Brentford in the Premier League. The result meant that the club won their 300th Premier League away game, becoming the first team to do so with second place Chelsea on 259. Cristiano Ronaldo was reintroduced into the starting XI after recovering from a hip problem while Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial were on the bench. For Brentford, Jonas Lossl was handed a debut in goal while Sergi Canos, Mathias Jensen and Mads Sorensen also featured in the starting lineup. Thomas Frank opted to drop Shandon Baptiste, Kristoffer Ajer, Alvaro Fernandez and Rico Henry on the bench for one of the biggest matches the Brentford Community Stadium has seen in a very long time.

It was all about luck and David De Gea for Manchester United in the first half as Brentford completely dominated the proceedings but were very unlucky to not score a goal. The hosts also came close to scoring the opener in the 13th minute when Bryan Mbeumo passed to an unmarked Jensen but De Gea was quick to react and saved the ball with his feet. Victor Lindelof was forced to make two blocks in quick succession, denying Vitaly Janelt while Alex Telles stopped Mads Sorensen's shot from resulting in a corner. Christian Norgaard’s effort from Jensen’s pullback hit the crossbar soon after and the stadium grew louder with every attempt at Manchester United’s goal.

Despite having the majority possession, Ralf Rangnick’s team failed to create opportunities with their first attempt coming from Diogo Dalot whose shot from distance failed to hit the target and test goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. It was evident that while Brentford didn’t have as big names as Manchester United, they worked harder and ran 4.5 kms more than the visitors in the first half. It was evident that Rangnick was unhappy with the first half performance and the players responded appropriately with the second half beginning with Ronaldo’s header from Fernandes’ cross grazed the crossbar. The visitors then broke the deadlock when Fred’s cross found Anthony Elanga who found the back of the net with his second touch.

Manchester United almost scored their second goal when Scott McTominay’s long-range effort was parried unconvincingly by Lossl. However, the Red Devils scored their second of the night when Ronaldo chested the ball into Fernandes’ pass who unselfishly passed to Greenwood in front of goal and the 20 year old tapped the ball into the net. With the game quickly slipping away from Brentford, Thomas Frank made three substitutions but Manchester United’s momentum provided them another goal as Fernandes provided the assist for substitute Rashford who scored the third goal for his side and his first since October.

Brentford did manage to score a consolation goal when Fred failed to clear a long throw by Sorensen and Toney capitalized on the opportunity to score from two yards out. Speaking after the match, Thomas Frank said “"It was one of those nights, fair play to David de Gea. We get those chances again, one will go in the back of the net. Our intensity killed them, we showed that in the first half. We played the Brentford way. It was a miracle they weren't two goals down by half-time. He was by far the best Manchester United player today. Their first goal changed the momentum of the game. Of the three goals, the second is most disappointing and difficult to come back from. The way we smashed them in the first half was fantastic. I'm so proud of my team."

Also read: Premier League: Chelsea’s dip in form continues after draw against Brighton

(Motorsports news)19 January 2022, London: With the first season of Extreme E just finishing, it is now one month to go until Extreme E’s sport for purpose campaign is back with new faces, a new team, and a new continent to visit, but with the same amount of thrilling wheel-to-wheel on track action being showcased across the toughest terrains on the planet.

Building on the success of its debut year in 2021, Extreme E Season 2 ‘ The Race For the Planet’ promises to captivate on and off track on a another level, whilst delivering on its overall purpose to tackle climate change through sport, starting with the Desert X Prix in NEOM, Saudi Arabia, 19-20 February.

Alejandro Agag, CEO and Founder of Extreme E, said: “Using our sport for purpose platform, Extreme E delivered truly groundbreaking action in its first season, on and off the race course, and now we are ready to go and do it all again, with more experience and more determination than ever.   

“As we embark on the second chapter of our story, we are proud to finally welcome Zak Brown and his McLaren team to the party and know they will make a huge impact, which we are all excited to see. We also add a new continent to our journey as we take our voyage to South America, a hugely important home, both for motorsport fans and the climate. 

“In all this, however, we cannot lose sight of our overall purpose, that we are all together in a race for the planet. We feel more passionately than ever about the importance of using the platform of sport to raise awareness for climate issues and the solutions we can all be part of, under the great direction of our Scientific Committee, as we as a global community strive to keep temperature rise levels below 1.5°C. This is the race we can, and must win, and we all need to play our part.”   

The inaugural Extreme E season was a thriller and went down to the wire, with Rosberg X Racing (RXR) taking the Championship on count back of victories after finishing the campaign tied on points with perennial fastest qualifiers in Season 1, Lewis Hamilton’s X44.

Nico Rosberg, inaugural Extreme E Champions RXR Racing Founder and CEO, said: “Winning the inaugural Extreme E championship was just incredible. But our team is about more than just winning. We’re also here to promote an important message. A key reason we exist is to drive awareness, educate and help tackle climate change and we aim to leave a lasting legacy that drives localized change in each location that Extreme E visits. Last year we were able to achieve some incredible things through this series and that was just the beginning. Looking forward to an exciting new season and hopefully another win for RXR!”

As well as returning to Saudi Arabia, Italy and possibly Senegal, Extreme E will make its highly-anticipated debut in South America with its final two X Prix of the campaign taking place in Antofagasta, Chile, and Punta del Este, Uruguay.

Excitement for Extreme E Season 2 is boosted further with motorsport giants McLaren joining the Championship for 2022.

McLaren has been a leader in electric motorsport from the outset, supplying the battery powertrain to the FIA Formula E Championship for the Gen 1 and Gen 2 seasons, employing the same technology pioneered in the McLaren P1 hypercar. With its entry into Extreme E, McLaren Racing will continue to build its know-how and expertise in the all-electric racing space.

Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing, said: “From the outset, McLaren Racing has never been afraid to push new boundaries. This new venture is true to our roots of innovation and bravery. Extreme E is paving new ground in motorsport as a force for good in confronting some of the biggest challenges facing our world today and in the future.”

World Rallycross ace Tanner Foust was announced as the team’s male driver in August 2021 before Emma Gilmour was signed up to become McLaren’s first-ever female driver during the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow last November.

Both drivers will bring plenty of off-road prowess to the Extreme E grid for Season 2. Foust is a four-time and current U.S. Rallycross Champion (2019, 2012, 2011, 2010) and has also won four X Games gold medals (2013, 2010, 2007), alongside two Formula Drift Championships (2008, 2007). Gilmour became the first and only female to date to win a New Zealand Rally Championship event and also won the FIA Women in Motorsport and Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) cross country rally selection in 2015. The New Zealander also competed in two rounds of Extreme E Season 1 for Veloce Racing.

Extreme E’s Legacy Programmes are integral to the series and aim to provide both social and environmental support at each race location. Project selection is led by the location’s scientist and all five members of our independent Scientific Committee actively support these programmes.

The sport for purpose Championship selects projects that prioritise the empowerment of local communities, build resilience by helping the vulnerable to adapt to climate change, provide long lasting sustainable solutions and promote renewable energy sources that will grow economies while reducing carbon emissions. The series will continue to work with world leading experts in science, education and environmental research, to ensure the Championship’s credibility and effectiveness. 

Extreme E is the only motor racing series in the world today that mandates that every team taking part must field both a male and female driver. This was a world first in motorsport, and as well as providing opportunities at the highest level of sporting competition, the series is strengthening this commitment to development at the grassroots level in its second season. 

At the 2021 season finale in Dorset, UK, Extreme E was delighted to host an event for 50 local schoolgirls with the female motorsport initiative Girls on Track UK.  Girls on Track UK (formerly known as Dare To Be Different) is an initiative started back in 2016 by former Formula One test driver, Susie Wolff. Now managed by governing body Motorsport UK, as part of FIA’s global Girls on Track programme, it focuses on inspiring, connecting and showcasing females in motorsport as well as through science, technology and math (STEM). 

The girls, all aged between 11 and 12 years-old, got to experience life behind the scenes of Extreme E – as well as being shown the many future potential career opportunities within the sport, with the series intention being to build on this work and inspire girls all over the world with these memorable insights throughout this new season.

With less than five weeks to go until the opening X Prix of the campaign, Extreme E Season 2 is all set to be another spectacular campaign.

Also read: Maserati joins Formula E from the 2023 season

(Football news) Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski retained the title of FIFA’s Best Men's Player of the Year at The Best of 2021 ceremony, thereby equalling Cristiano Ronaldo’s record (with two awards) after a successful season in which he scored 41 goals. Lionel Messi finished second while Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah came third. In the women’s category, Barcelona’s Alexia Putellas won the FIFA’s Best Women’s Player of the Year award. 

Meanwhile, Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel beat Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola and Italy national team’s manager Roberto Mancini for the Manager of the Year award after leading his side to the Champions League trophy. Chelsea and Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy won the Goalkeeper of the Year award over the likes of Manuel Neuer and Gianluigi Donnarumma while Sevilla’s Erik Lamela won the Puskas award for his “Rabona” in Tottenham Hotspur’s match against fierce rivals Arsenal.

The Fair Play award was given to the Denmark team and staff after their timely action when Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest at the Euro 2020 while the Best Fan award was given to fans of Denmark and Finland for their unified chanting to express support for Eriksen when he was taken off the pitch. Cristiano Ronaldo was given a special award for breaking the international men’s goalscoring record and was also the first footballer to win back to back Men’s Player of the Year awards in the first two years since the ceremony began.

Also read: Late Courtois heroics help Real Madrid clinch the Spanish Super Cup title

FIFA FIFPro Men's World XI

Gianluigi Donnarumma - Paris Saint-Germain, Italy
David Alaba - Real Madrid, Austria
Ruben Dias - Manchester City, Portugal
Leonardo Bonucci - Juventus, Italy
Jorginho - Chelsea, Italy
N'Golo Kante - Chelsea, France
Kevin De Bruyne - Manchester City, Belgium
Cristiano Ronaldo - Manchester United, Portugal
Erling Haaland - Borussia Dortmund, Norway
Robert Lewandowski - Bayern Munich, Poland
Lionel Messi - Paris Saint-Germain, Argentina

(Motorsports news)17 January 2022, London: X44 have become the winners of the first ever Extreme E Sustainability Award after topping the standings in the series’ inaugural Count Us In Challenge aimed at tackling the climate crisis.

Extreme E and Count Us In came together ahead of Season 1 to launch the Extreme E Count Us In Challenge - a campaign using the power of sport and the excitement of motor racing to inspire fans to take practical steps on climate change.

The sport for purpose series asked fans to take real pledges to lead a less carbon intensive lifestyle to reduce their footprint and, in doing so, urge governments, cities and businesses to accelerate progress on climate action. 

The Extreme E Count Us In Challenge includes a variety of actions available to fans to contribute towards a greener future, including not using single-use plastic, walking and cycling more, eating more plant-based foods and driving an electric vehicle. Each step is attributed to the fans’ favourite team, and the team with the most steps at the end of Season 1 would win the inaugural Extreme E Sustainability Award. 

This was achieved by X44, who claimed the award with 792 steps pledged, with JBXE (749 steps) and Rosberg X Racing (RXR) (422 steps) completing the top three. In total, the Extreme E Count Us In Challenge inspired 1,231 fans to take 3,207 steps saving 1,241,223 KG CO2.

The Extreme E Count Us In Challenge will return for Season 2 with fans once again urged to take climate action through their passion for the sport.

Alejandro Agag, Founder and CEO of Extreme E, said: “I am delighted that we have been able to present X44 as the winners of the Extreme E Sustainability Award via the series’ first-ever Count Us In Challenge.

“Sport is an incredible platform to not only raise awareness of the climate crisis, the single biggest threat to our planet today, but also inspire action to tackle it. At Extreme E we will continue to push the boundaries and shine a spotlight on the issues we face, along with the need to act now to help protect our futures.

“Our first season working with Count Us In has been a huge success and I am looking forward to us building on this momentum for Season 2 to go further in taking climate action.”

Sébastien Loeb, X44, said: “I was very happy to learn that X44 won the Extreme E Sustainability Award for 2021. I joined the team hoping to discover more about the environment while doing what I love, and I have learned so much from the series and the different places we visited - in fact I even bought my first electric car last year!

“To know that our fans have come on this journey with us and are making their own commitment to have a positive impact on the planet is inspiring and I feel good about what we can achieve when we work together.”

Shivani Rudra, Count Us In, said: “Through the Extreme E Count Us In Challenge, teams and their fans have demonstrated their commitment to a cleaner, healthier, thriving future for all.

“By taking meaningful, simple steps in their own daily lives, Extreme E fans have not just reduced their own carbon emissions, but they’ve added up to a growing movement of people and communities showing leaders it’s time to accelerate progress on climate action.

“Huge congratulations to X44 and its fans for their engagement in Season 1! We look forward to continuing to work with Extreme E and the teams in Season 2 to further their legacy through their passionate fanbase.”

Extreme E aims to accelerate the adoption of clean and electrified transport to help protect people and the planet, with the Extreme E Count Us In Challenge also supporting the UN's Race To Zero campaign.

In 2022, Extreme E will continue to race across the world’s most remote environments to demonstrate the performance and benefits of electric vehicles and clean technology, whilst highlighting the impact that climate change is already having on these ecosystems, such as melting ice caps, deforestation, desertification, retreating mountain glaciers, and rising sea levels.

Extreme E Season 2 begins in Neom, Saudi Arabia (19-20 February), before heading to Sardinia, Italy (7-8 May), Senegal or Scotland (9-10 July), Antofagasta, Chile (10-11 September) and Punta Del Este, Uruguay (26-27 November). 

Also read: Honda's Quintanilla takes runner-up spot in the Dakar Rally, Hero finishes with best-ever performance

(Football news) Inter continued their golden run as they picked up their first trophy of the season by beating Juventus 2-1 in what was a drama filled final. The home crowd, reduced to 50% capacity due to COVID-19 restrictions, exploded with joy when the Chilean substitute profited from a defensive mix-up to strike in the 120th minute and decided the 'Derby of Italy' clash between two historic rivals.

In the first half  Juventus took the lead and struck in the 25th minute when McKennie headed home from six yards. The lead lasted only 10 minutes, as Mattia De Sciglio tripped Edin Dzeko in the area to give Martinez the chance to bury a spot kick. In the second half, Denzel Dumfries went closest with his header but it was palmed onto the post by Mattia Perin, as it became the first Supercopppa to go to extra time since 2016. A penalty shootout was looming on the horizon as both sides appeared to be struggling to create chances. But in the dying moments of the match a moment of hesitation in the defence cost Juve, as Alex Sandro tried to chest a cross back to Perin, allowing Matteo Darmian to pounce on the weak pass who then set up Alexis Sanchez who buried the ball in the back of the net cooly.

This was Simone Inzaghi’s first trophy ever as he was  happy with the performance and the result, and so is the club President Zhang, he stated.“He was very happy, he congratulated us and the players asked for a gift,” he stated. “I think he’ll make them happy.”Of the match, he stated that “We came up against a great team who showed what Juve are all about. They didn’t give us too many problems, but we also played a great match.They were always in it, they wanted to win”

He added. “Beating them is never easy, even if I’ve done it before against them in the Supercoppa. I’m very happy with how things went.”Of goalscoring hero Alexis Sanchez, Inzaghi stated that. I think everyone always wants to play, from time to time I have to make decisions. Remember that Gagliardini was the best player against Lazio, but he didn’t play a single minute here,” he added. I have four very good forwards, today Vidal also contributed, and Dimarco was important for the decisive goal.  We have to keep on going like this, Inter hadn’t won a Super Cup for twelve years. It’s been too long for this club.”

Also read: Griezmann-less Atletico Madrid take on Athletic Club in Super Cup semi-final

"The more a champion plays, the better he is, and he does things nobody else can do. Today it was like that. I thought I would start because I was in form, I respect the coach but I was hungry to win... I felt like a caged lion."Sanchez told the media after starting the game on the bench

(Football news) The reigning Italian Champions Inter Milan face the reigning Coppa Italia champions Juventus at the San Siro to see who wins the first silverware of this season. This encounter of league and cup winners will be just the second Derby d'Italia in the Supercoppa, after the 2005 edition and giving it an even greater occasion.

Inter will be making their tenth appearance in the Supercoppa as it will subsequently be the club's first since 2011 when they lost to their city rivals Milan. The Nerazzurri have a 5–4 winning record in Supercoppas, having lifted the trophy in 1989, 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2010, but will now look to break that decade-long duck. Having ended Juve's Serie A dominance by claiming the Scudetto last season, Simone Inzaghi's side will bring a long unbeaten run with them into their attempt to consolidate outright supremacy in the Italian game in this new year.

Juventus is Italy's most decorated club and have claimed the Supercoppa trophy nine times since it was introduced in 1988. They are the defending champions after defeating Napoli at Sassuolo's Mapei Stadium and will make their tenth consecutive appearances in the Supercoppa. Juventus have been champions for the last nine seasons as the Turin giants were finally defeated by their Inter counterparts. Last year they faced Inter across two legs in the Coppa Italia semi-final last season and they defeated them on their way to lifting the trophy for the 14th time in their club history. Allegri has imposed some authority on a situation after their dismal start to the season as now after few victories under their belt, his rejuvenated side return to San Siro hoping to win against a inform Inter team.

Also read: Andre Onana joins Inter on a free transfer in the summer

For Juventus, they will be without the suspended Juan Cuadrado and Matthijs de Ligt while both Leonardo Bonucci and Danilo are sidelined due to injury. The major blow to their season happened when Fedirco Chiesa tore his ACL and might be out of the rest of the season. For Inter, the majority of their side is fit and firing as Edin Dezko and Lautaro Martinez are going to start up front again.
 

Chennai, Jan 9 (Chess News) Fourteen-year old Bharath Subramaniyam on Sunday became India's 73rd chess Grandmaster, securing the third and final GM norm at an event in Italy.

The Chennai-based player scored 6.5 points from nine rounds along with four others to finish seventh overall in the event held at Cattolica.

He obtained his third GM norm here and also touched the requisite 2,500 (Elo) mark.

Fellow Indian player M R Lalith Babu emerged winner in the tournament with seven points, winning the title on the basis of a better tie-break score after he tied with three others including top-seed Anton Korobov (Ukraine).

He finished with six wins and one draw while losing two games - against Korobov and Lalith Babu.

Bharath achieved his first GM norm after securing 11th place at the Aeroflot Open in Moscow in February 2020. He secured the second norm after placing 4th in the Junior Roundtable Under 21 tournament in Bulgaria with 6.5 points in October 2021.

To become a GM, a player has to secure three GM norms and cross the live rating of 2,500 Elo points.

His coach M Shyam Sundar, a GM himself, congratulated Subramaniyam and tweeted: "Congratulations Bharath for becoming the latest GM of India!! Let's focus on new goals in this new year!!" Subramaniyam had become an International Master at the age of 11 years and 8 months in 2019.

Mitrabha Guha had become the country's 72nd GM in November last, two days after Sankalp Gupta became the 71st GM. 

Also Read : Thalaivas face Steelers, Dabang Delhi K.C. hope to maintain unbeaten run

News Source : PTI

(Tennis news) Day 7 of ATP Cup saw the first semi final match between Spain and Poland. Spain was the runner up in the 2019 edition and reached the finals last year. Now they have a second chance at winning the title as the opponents will be decided in the match between Russia and Canada.

Spain defeated Canada 2-1

Things went according to plan in the first match as it looked like Pablo Carreno Busta wanted to save as much energy as possible for the final. The world number 20 had magical footwork and Jan Zielinski could only take notes as he could not interrupt the flow. The Spaniard hit 11 winners in both the sets and had only 1 unforced error in the second as opposed to 2 in the first set.

Zielinski was in good spirits as he saved a matchpoint by playing a trick drop return which even shocked the crowd as they started cheering him on and then he hit a blazing forehand cross court winner to save another. It got the crowd going but after 53 minutes it was time for both of them to sit and cheer for their teammates as Spain was now in the lead.

The second match was filled with intense competition between Roberto Bautista Agut and Hubert Hurkacz. The players had met each other twice before with Roberto winning both and each match had a tie break. Both of them did honour the tie break tradition as this time there were two and it took almost 3 hours for the 2nd point to emerge.

The stats were enough to read what was going on the court. Hurkacz hit 61 winners, 24 aces and came to the net 46 times in which only lost 10 of them. Roberto had 28 winners, a single ace and came to the net 27 times while losing just 6 of them and both of them won 108 points. Hubert was leading in the first set tie break by 4-2 until Roberto started attacking every point and went on to win the set in 55 minutes which was longer than the first match itself.

In the second set, Roberto’s smash hit the net cord and went wide as Hubert broke his serve in the first game which was the overall tone of the set. Hubert leveled the score in half an hour as the match now looked in favour of Hurkacz. Roberto became more defensive in the set as he came to the net thrice, in the previous set he did the same 11 times and ended up doing 16 times in the third set. In the final set, Roberto had three match points before the tie break but Hurkacz’s skill at the net saved him. In the tiebreak Hurkacz again came into the front and saved two more match points until a forehand volley went into the net as Spain won the tie and the team mobbed Roberto as he walked in the box.

In the final doubles match, Poland signed off with a victory as Zielinski and Szymon Walkow won the last two sets after losing the first one to Pedro Martinez and Albert Ramos-Vinolas.

Pablo defeated Zielinski 6-2, 6-1, Roberto defeated Hurkacz 7-6(8-6), 6-2, 7-6(7-5), Walkow and Zielinski defeated Martinez and Ramos-Vinolas 4-6, 6-3, 10-6.

Also read: Russia prevail over Italy to reach semi finals of ATP Cup

Adelaide, Jan 8 (Tennis News) India's Rohan Bopanna and Ramkumar Ramanathan upstaged fourth seeds Tomislav Brkic and Santiago Gonzalez in straight sets to reach the final of the Adelaide International, here on Saturday.

The unseeded Indian duo ousted the Bosnian-Mexican duo 6-2 6-4 in the doubles semifinals.

The Indians will now lock horns with top seeds Ivan Dodig of Croatia and Brazilian Marcelo Melo in the summit clash of the of the ATP 250 event.

It will be an interesting match as the 41-year-old Bopanna and Dodig have often paired up together, the most recent being in the US Open in September when the duo was knocked out in the third round.

Bopanna and Ramkumar, who have paired up for the first time on the ATP tour, have enjoyed a good week so far.

The two have notched straight-set wins in the tournament barring the second round match against the American duo of Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow when they were stretched to a super tie-breaker.

The Adelaide event is a tune up tournament for the Australian Open, starting January 17 in Melbourne. 

Also Read : Russia prevail over Italy to reach semi finals of ATP Cup

News Source : PTI

(Tennis news) In day 6 the final group stages of the ATP Cup saw the top two teams of two groups qualify for the semifinal. The day also had exits from top two teams from Group C and B as Italy fell short of making it into the final stages even though they had a strong team and Britain missing out the spot by a whisker.

Russia defeated Italy 2-1

Russia picked up its biggest victory so far as they became the third team to qualify for the semifinals. Jannik Sinner put Italy on front with a top class performance over Roman Safiullin as the Russian could not handle the power of the next gen. In the second singles match, Daniil Medvedev kept the hopes alive with a three set win over Matteo Berrettini as he only committed 13 unforced errors and played it safe. The pressure was on Medvedev but the world number 2 did not let his country down after losing the second set, the final set saw the Russian excel as he kept the rallies long.

In the final doubles match, Medvedev and Safiullin were again in the danger zone after losing the first set but did not let the Italians celebrate in the next two sets as they will now aim for a second consecutive title.

Sinner defeated Safiullin 7-6(8-6), 6-3, Medvedev defeated Berrettini 6-2, 6-7(5-7), 6-4, Medvedev and Safiullin defeated Berrettini and Sinner 5-7, 6-4, 10-5.

Australia defeated France 2-1

France ended their journey in the event without a victory as Australia too reached the finish line with an inspiring victory. Arthur Rinderknech gave the home crowd bad news in the opening match as France got their first point, Alex De Minaur was” le destructeur” as he beat Ugo Humbert after losing the first set. In the second set, the Aussie lad saved crucial breakpoints to take the match into the final set. In the doubles, John Peers and Luke Saville saved three match points as they made sure not lose their way at home.

Rinderknech defeated James Duckworth 6-4, 7-6 (8-6), Alex defeated Humbert 3-6, 7-6(7-2), 6-1, Peers and Saville defeated Fabrice Martin and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 6-2, 5-7, 11-9.

Britain defeated USA 2-1

Britain had hopes of qualifying for the semifinal but it suffered a major breakdown in the first match. Cameron Norrie fell in the last few points of the match which proved to be crucial for the team as Taylor Fritz gave the first point to his team. In the second match, Daniel Evans resisted strong serves against John Isner to give the team chances for a semifinal finish with a win against John Isner. In the final match, Evans again played a key role with Jamie Murray to secure the final point of the tie.

Fritz defeated Norrie 7-6(7-4), 3-6, 6-1, Evans defeated Isner 6-4, 7-6(7-3), Evans and Murray defeated Fritz and Isner 6-7(7-3), 7-5, 10-8.

Canada defeated Germany 2-1

Canada put an end to Britain’s wait as they grabbed the final semifinal spot of the event. The two youngsters confirmed the victory in the first 5 hours of the match. Denis Shapovalov hit 10 plus winners in each set as the left hander did half the job but the next match was a difficult one.  Felix Auger-Aliassime was up against Alexander Zverev as it was expected the German would halt the opposition from reaching the last four but Felix left it all out on court to clinch the match and the tie. The 21 year old lost 6 points at the net out of 23 and saved 7 breakpoints out of 9 to give the team a last four place. In the doubles match, Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz were too late as they won a point for the German side.

Shapovalov defeated Jan-Lennard Struff 7-6(7-5), 4-6, 6-3, Felix defeated Zverev 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, Kevin and Tim defeated Steven Diez and Brayden Schnur 6-3, 6-4.

Also read: Poland and Spain end group stage with victories at ATP Cup

(Tennis news) Day 4 of the ATP Cup witnessed Italy and Russia recording vital victories as the knockout stages are going to be held later this week. Group B and C played their matches and still have one more match to go before the semifinals.

Russia defeated Australia 3-0

Russia continued its title defence by blanking the home team for its second consecutive victory. Roman Safiullin gave the early lead once again by taking out James Duckworth in the first match. Daniil Medvedev got his first victory of the season by beating Alex De Minaur as the doubles saw both the Russian singles players pitting against seasoned doubles players and finished the ordeal.

Safiullin defeated Duckworth 7-6(8-6), 6-4, Medvedev defeated Minaur 6-4, 6-2, Medvedev and Safiullin defeated John Peers and Luke Saville 7-6(9-7), 3-6, 10-6.

Italy defeated 3-0 France

Italy recorded its first win of the event as it now hopes for a spot in the semifinal. France have confirmed their exit from the semifinal race with their second consecutive defeat as they are in the bottom place of Group B. Jannik Sinner gave the right signal at the start as he defeated Arthur Rinderknech in straight sets in which the second set was stretched to the tie break. In the second match, Matteo Berrettini confirmed their first victory as he beat Ugo Humbert. In the final doubles match, Berrettini and Sinner regrouped to make it three out of three.

Sinner defeated Rinderknech 6-3, 7-6(7-3), Berrettini defeated Humbert 6-4, 7-6(8-6), Sinner and Berrettini defeated Fabrice Martin and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 6-3, 6-7(7-9), 10-8.

Germany defeated USA 2-1

Jan-Lennard Struff came out on top against John Isner who hit 34 aces in the opening match which lasted over 3 hours. The second match saw Alexander Zverev take on Taylor Fritz and give the Germans the victory. In the final doubles match, Isner and Fritz did not let themselves be whitewashed as they bageled the first in their way to take the last point of the tie.

Struff defeated Isner 7-6(9-7), 4-6, 7-5, Zverev defeated Fritz 6-4, 6-4, Isner and Fritz defeated Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz 6-0, 6-3.

Canada defeated Britain 2-1

Group C has now seen the four teams win one match and lose the next as Canada got their first victory at the event. Daniel Evans gave Britain the first point as he won the match of single handed backhands against Denis Shapovalov who had not played the earlier match due to fatigue. Felix Auger-Aliassime then carried his form from the previous season to beat Cameron Norrie as Canada got back their hopes for a semifinal spot. In the doubles match, both the next gen players upset Joe Salisbury and Jamie Murray to end the tie with a crucial win.

Evans defeated Shapovalov 6-4, 6-4, Felix defeated Norrie 7-6, 6-3, Felix and Shapovalov defeated Salisbury and Murray 6-4, 6-1.

Also read: Argentina and Spain closing in on top finish at the ATP Cup

(Football news) Romelu Lukaku has issued a public apology to Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel, his team-mates and supporters over his recent interview in which he expressed his desire to return to Inter Milan after just six months at Stamford Bridge. The Belgian striker said it’s up to him to “restore trust” and is now in contention for Chelsea’s Carabao Cup semi-final fixture against Tottenham after being dropped in the weekend’s 2-2 draw against Liverpool.

In an interview on the club’s website, Lukaku said “To the fans, I'm sorry for the upset that I caused. You guys know the connection that I have with this club since my teenage years, so I totally understand you guys being upset. Obviously, it's up to me now to restore your trust and I'll do my best to show commitment every day on the training ground and in the games, trying to make sure that we win games. And also to the manager, I apologise, and also to my team-mates and the board, because I think it was not the right moment also and I want to move forward from this and make sure that we start winning football games and that I perform for the team in the best manner.”

Lukaku and Tuchel had a meeting on Monday to clear the air after the striker's recent comments and the German manager said that the Belgian feels responsible and determined to "clean the mess up". Tuchel said “First of all, we were even in the background happy that we took the time that it needed to look calmly on it and talk calmly. He has apologised and is back in the squad for today's training [session] later. We have had enough time to clear the air and move on. For me, the most important thing was to understand and clearly understand and believe that it was not intentional. He did not do this intentionally to create noise in front of such a big game."

Thomas Tuchel has also revealed that Lukaku will be fined for taking part in the interview with Sky Italy. He also praised the close relationship he has with the Chelsea board after forging robust links with directors Petr Cech and Marina Granovskaia. “There will be some disciplinary actions," said Tuchel. "Something happened, he will be fined and of course, he needs to accept it. It's not about I push my opinions through or the club pushes their opinions through. We are adults and we reflect on the situation. The more the story went on, I had a clear opinion and I was happy that was OK with the club to go with it.

“We have a very open, close relationship and we can find very quick solutions, without any political interference, putting any disturbing factor aside and just looking at the isolated issue. We went from there. It was very nice to be a part of it. Between Petr, Marina and me, it was very calm, quick and open. Maybe we will still have a bit of smell still from it of course. He can handle it, but he also has no other choice. He cannot expect everybody to be super happy the very next day. But he's still our player and we have good, good reasons and a lot of reasons to make him play for us, and to convince him and to fight hard that he's our player. We're happy he's our player, we will protect him."

Also read: Was Tuchel right in axing Lukaku from the squad against Liverpool?

(Tennis news) Day 3 of the ATP Cup saw Argentina and Spain maintain their perfect record for the second time. The teams will be looking to win matches in the next two days as the bottom placed teams will be eliminated and won’t proceed to the knockout stages later in the week. There were two matches in Group A and two in Group D as Norway along with Greece lost their second consecutive tie.

Chile defeated Serbia 2-1

Chile secured their first victory in the event with a long fought victory over Serbia. The three matches altogether spanned for over 6 hours as Chile is now second placed behind Spain in Group A. Cristian Garin had a bumpy start against Dusan Lajovic as the Serbian took the first set even though there were many chances of breaking the serve for both the players. In the later stages of the second set, Lajovic started getting cramps which brought down his game and finally losing the set and retiring midway of the match.

Filip Krajinovic had stalled Chile for a period of time as he secured the first point for Serbia with a win over Alejandro Tabilo. Krajinovic held on to every bit of hope he could in the final set as it was won over a tie break. In the doubles, the young Chilean pair of Tomas Barrios Vera and Alejandro Tabilo confirmed the win in an hour and 20 mins as the tie finally came to an end.

Garin defeated Lajovic 4-6, 6-4, 3-0, Krajinovic defeated Tabilo 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(7-5), Tomas and Alejandro defeated Nikola Cacic and Matej Sabanov 6-4, 3-6, 10-7.

Poland defeated Georgia 3-0

Poland recorded their second victory in as many matches as they are one win away from making the semifinal stage. Kamil Majchrzak demolished Aleksandre Bakshi as he won under an hour to give Poland a satisfying victory and then in the second match there was a little hope from the Georgia camp. Hubert Hurkacz played Aleksandre Metreveli instead of Nikoloz Basilashvili and was taken aback losing the first set in a tie break. Hurkacz then re-energised and sealed the tie for Poland.

In the doubles, Szymon Walkow and Jan Zieliński completed a full sweep with a win over Aleksandre Bakshi and Aleksandre Metreveli.

Majchrzak defeated Bakshi 6-1, 6-1, Hurkacz defeated Metreveli 6-7(5-7), 6-3, 6-1, Walkow and Zieliński defeated Zieliński and Metreveli 6-7(2-7), 6-2, 10-6.

Spain defeated Norway 3-0

Spain maintained their winning record as they did not lose a single set in three of the ties against Norway. Pablo Carreno Busta got off to a flying start as he had no trouble against Viktor Durasovic in the opening match and Roberto Bautista Agut continued his fine form by beating Casper Ruud for victory. The young Spaniards Davidovich Fokina and Pedro Martinez once again laid down the final touches by beating Lukas Hellum-Lilleengen and Andreja Petrovic in the doubles match.

Pablo defeated Viktor 6-3, 6-3, Roberto defeated Ruud 6-4, 7-6(7-4), Fokina and Martinez defeated Andreja and Lukas 6-4, 6-1.

Argentina defeated Greece 3-0

Federico Delbonis gave the early positive news for Argentina with a smooth victory over Michail Pervolarakis. The second match gave a classic lesson on defense and tackling high balls with ease as Diego Schwartzman toppled Greek god Stefanos Tsitsipas to confirm their second win. In the final match, Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni beat Markos Kalovelonis and Petros Tsitsipas in a close encounter for a clean slate.

Delbonis defeated Pervolarakis 7-6(7-5) ,6-1, Schwartzman defeated Tsitsipas 6-7(5-7), 6-3, 6-3, Gonzalez and Molteni defeated Kalovelonis and Petros 6-3, 4-6, 11-9

Also read: Australia overpower Italy as Humbert puts up a show against Russia in ATP Cup

Adelaide, Jan 4 (Tennis News) On an all-win day for Indian tennis players, Sania Mirza and the pair of Ramkumar Ramanathan and Rohan Bopanna emerged victorious in their respective first round matches, albeit in contrasting fashion, in the ATP and WTA tournaments, here on Tuesday.

Sania and her Ukrainian partner Nadiia Kichenok overcame a first-set thrashing to knock out second seeds Gabriella Dabrowski and Giuliana Olmos 1-6 6-3 10-8 in the WTA 500 event.

In the ATP 250 men's event, the Indian combination of Ramkumar and veteran Bopanna, pairing up together for the first time on the ATP tour, had an easy day out.

They trounced American Jamie Cerretani and Brazilian Fernando Romboli 6-2 6-1 to set up the pre-quarterfinal with eighth seed American pair of Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow.

"We had a good match. Both of us served And returned well. We combined well and stuck to the plan," Ramkumar told PTI.

"We had practiced once with the same team before the draw which helped us.

"I am always happy to play with Bops (Bopanna), who is so experienced and is someone who has always been of good support and helps me with my tennis with all the experience he has," he added.

Since India will host Denmark on grass courts in New Delhi in their next Davis Cup tie in March, it is a possibility that Bopanna and Ramkumar, who has developed a fantastic serve and volley game, may pair up for the doubles.

This tournament will give them that opportunity to find out what works for them, if at all the captain decides to field them as a team.

Interestingly, Ramkumar got a chance to play with Denmark's top singles player Holger Rune in the singles Qualifiers and lost 4-6 6-7(7) in a close first round match.

Rune, ranked 103, eventually qualified for the main draw.

The match must have given him a fair idea of what to expect from Rune when he lands in Delhi for the Davis Cup.

"It was a good match. I think, I started off a bit slow where I got broken in the first game. But After that it was an extremely close and hard fought match "I was just a bit unlucky to not have converted those set points. He played good on a few of them and he is quick, so all credit to him. Hopefully I can get him back on grass," Ramkumar said.

The Adelaide event is a tune up tournament for the Australian Open, starting January 17 in Melbourne. 

Also Read : Australia overpower Italy as Humbert puts up a show against Russia in ATP Cup

News Source : PTI

(Tennis news) The second day of the ATP Cup got off to a startling start as the results ignored all the predictions. Russia seems to be the most motivated at the start of the season as joined by Australia. The teams will have to pull up their socks as the next round matches will have to be careful as it will determine the top positions in the group and any more prediction fails are expected tomorrow.

Russia defeated France 2-1

Ugo Humbert played one of the best matches at the event as he brought down world number 2 Daniil Medvedev as France got off to a shocking start. Russia’s Roman Safiullin got his inspiration from Humbert as he pulled off an upset win over Arthur Rinderknech to bring things back to normal. In the doubles, the pair of Medvedev and Safiullin pulled the plug for France for a final victory to seal the tie.

Humbert defeated Medvedev 6-7(7-5), 7-5, 7-6(7-2), Safiullin defeated Rinderknech 2-6, 7-5, 6-3, Medvedev and Safiullin defeated Fabrice Martin and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 6-4, 6-4.

Australia defeated Italy 2-1

The home crowds made sure their heroes did not lose in front of them as they cheered on when they beat the most powerful team in the event, Italy. Alex De Minaur's speed was too much for Matteo Berrerttini’s forehand as the Australian wore his cape to give his team an early lead. In the second match, Jannik Sinner took the perfect revenge over Max Purcell as he only gave away four games on his way to victory. The doubles killed all the suspense in the match as it gave the crowd a straight set win over Berrettini and Simone Bolelli.

De Minaur defeated Berrettini 6-3, 7-6(7-4), Sinner defeated Purcell 6-1, 6-3, John Peers and Luke Saville defeated Berrettini and Bolelli 6-3, 7-5.

USA defeated Canada 3-0

Taylor Fritz had to sweat it out for 2 and half hours as he got the much needed win against  Felix Auger-Aliassime for the first point for the USA. Denis Shapovalov had to withdraw from the second singles match due to fatigue as Brayden Schnur replaced him and faced the giant John Isner who sealed the win for the team with a high intense performance. In the doubles, Shapovalov made a return with Felix only to be defeated by Fritz and Isner who showed no signs of tiredness from the earlier singles matches.

Fritz defeated Felix 6-7(6-8), 6-4, 6-4, Isner defeated Schnur 6-1, 6-3, Isner and Fritz defeated Shapovalov and Felix 6-4, 6-4.
 

Britain defeated Germany 2-1

Germany suffered a setback in the opening tie as for Britain things went just as they planned. In the first match, Cameron Norrie put up a good fight against Alexander Zverev in the first set but the next set was totally one sided to give Germany the first point. In the second match, it was a battle of 31 year olds where Daniel Evans played his heart out against Jan-Lennard Struff to come in line with Germany. In the third match, it was between two singles and doubles players as Kevin Krawietz partnered with Zverev and Jamie Murray got along with Evans. The German team lost in the final match to lose the tie as Britain played out a well designed and managed victory.

Zverev defeated Norrie 7-6(7-2), 6-1, Evans defeated Struff 6-1, 6-2, Jamie and Evans defeated Zverev and Krawietz 6-3, 6-4.

Also read: Argentina sets the benchmark against Georgia on opening day of ATP cup

(Tennis news) The first day of the ATP cup saw four ties take place as only the Serbia vs Norway tie is yet to finish. There are still two matches remaining in the tie as only the first singles has been completed with Serbia taking the lead. Group A and D were in action on the 1st day as Stefanos Tsitsipas withdrew from his opening match showdown due to a right elbow injury. Tsitsipas as of now will still be seen in action in the next few matches.

Spain defeated Chile 3-0

World number 20 Pablo Carreno Busta started the proceedings for Spain as he was up against Alejandro Tabilo. Tabilo made most of his chances in both the sets as Busta had to cover the lead but made up for his poor start with a dominating performance in the end. Tabilo put up a brave show as he was ranked 100 places below Busta but did not let Chile down with his performance as he took the Spaniard to the tie break in the second set. Busta defeated Tabilo 6-4, 7-6 (7-4).

Roberto Bautista Agut brought his new celebrations onto the court as he bageled the opening set against Cristian Garin. Garin was two places above Roberto but could not match the Spaniard’s A game as the first set got over in half an hour. In the second set, Roberto continued his onslaught as he took the first four games until Garin won his first game of the match but the party never started for him as Spain closed out the tie with two straight set wins. Roberto defeated Garin 6-0, 6-3.

In the doubles match, it was the turn for youngsters to blow the final whistle as Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Pedro Martinez defeated Tomas Barrios Vera and Alejandro Tabilo. Spain lost a set only in the doubles match as Tomas and Alejandro scrambled to try and get hopes up and did come close but it was a hat trick of victories for Spain. Alejandro and Pedro defeated Tomas and Tabilo 7-6(7-3), 4-6, 10-7.

Argentina defeated Georgia 3-0

Argentina gave a warm welcome to Georgia to the event but it did not last long. Federico Delbonis only lost three games in the opening match against Aleksandre Metreveli as the first singles match wrapped up in no time. Delbonis was making his event debut and his forehand took the chance to push Metreveli further away from victory. Delbonis defeated Metreveli 6-1, 6-2.

Diego Schwartzman followed his teammate with a surprisingly swift victory over Nikoloz Basilashvili. Basilashvili is known to possess one of the fastest groundstrokes on the ATP tour but the firepower did not ignite as Schwartzman confirmed victory for the team with the second victory. Schwartzman defeated Basilashvili 6-1, 6-2.

In the third match of the tie, Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni put their experience together to beat Saba Purtseladze and Zura Tkemaladze. With the win already on their hands, the Argentinian pair did not want a single point taken from the tie as they too played like their singles players for a comprehensive win. Gonzalez and Molteni defeated Purtseladze and Tkemaladze 6-1, 6-2. Argentina had the same scores in all the three matches as the team only lost 9 games in the tie.

Poland defeated Greece 2-0

Greece suffered a huge setback as Tsitsipas had to withdraw in the second singles match against Hubert Hurkacz. Kamil Majchrzak opened up with an impressive performance against Michail Pervolarakis With constant support from the sidelines, Majchrzak did not let the spirits down to get the points on board. Majchrzak defeated Pervolarakis 6-1, 6-4.

The second singles match result was predicted as soon as Aristotelis Thanos was set to face Hurkacz. Hurkacz was a 1000 places above Thanos in the rankings and the match went as expected for Poland. Hurkacz secured the tie in under an hour and conceded three games in the process. Hurkacz defeated Thanos 6-1, 6-2.

Also read: Sinner and Berrettini boost Italy's chances of maiden title at ATP Cup 

(Football news) Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku has expressed his unhappiness at the situation he finds himself in at Chelsea and has questioned manager Thomas Tuchel’s system in an interview with Sky Italy. The 28 year old moved to Chelsea this summer for a record fee of £97.5m after spending two seasons at Inter Milan, winning the Scudetto earlier this year. Lukaku rejoined Chelsea a decade after he first joined the club and has scored seven goals in 18 appearances, resulting in the striker completing 90 minutes only once in Chelsea’s last 13 matches.

Speaking to Sky Italy, Lukaku said “Physically I'm doing great. I'm just not very happy with the situation, but that's normal. I think the boss has decided to play a different formation but I have to stick at it and get on with it professionally. I'm not happy with the situation but it's my job and I mustn't give up." The Belgian striker was in prolific form for Inter Milan, scoring 34 goals in 51 appearances in his first season followed by 30 goals (24 in the Serie A) as the I Nerazzurri won their first Scudetto in 11 years. 

Lukaku added: "I don't think any of it should have happened the way it did. The way I left Inter and the way I communicated with the Inter fans. I'm annoyed about that because it's not the right time now but it wasn't the right time when I left either. I always said that I love Inter and I'll play for them again. I really hope so. I fell in love with Italy. "Now is the right time to talk about it and tell people what really happened, without saying anything bad about anyone, because I'm not like that.

"I want to really apologise to the Inter fans because I don't think I should have left Inter the way I did. I should have spoken to you guys first, especially after everything you did for me, for my family, my mum, my son. I'll never forget that. I hope from the bottom of my heart to go back to Inter and not at the end of my career but when I'm still at a good enough level to win more trophies."

If we are to analyze what Lukaku meant by Tuchel changing the formation, it raises more questions than answers. Tuchel previously employed a 3-4-2-1 formation but after the Belgian striker signed for the club the manager said “We now have the chance also to play with two strikers, like they did at Inter with [Lukaku], or to continue with three strikers. We will see now how this works out." 

However, it’s unclear if Lukaku is referring to a strike partner as the Belgian has only partnered with TImo Werner five times this season while he consistently had Lautaro Martinez or Alexis Sanchez alongside him at Inter Milan. However, the more obvious answer seems to be that the Belgian is unhappy with his playing time at the club, having suffered an injury which has resulted in others being given more time. In the interview, Lukaku said “I think I'm in a moment where the boss could play me a little more but I have to respect his decisions, continue to work and wait for my time to come. We're trying to find a middle ground where we can meet, a system which can help the team perform at its best because right now we're in a complicated situation. The boss made a choice, I have to keep working and at some point we will talk with Tuchel and see how it's going."

Also read: Arsenal face City and Chelsea take on Liverpool in blockbuster weekend fixtures

(Tennis news) Novak Djokovic is on the edge of breaking more records in the 2022 season. Djokovic will not be playing at the ATP Cup and will be eager to make his return at the 2022 Australian Open. He has played 62 matches this year and only lost 7 of them including a 27-1 record at the Grand Slams.

Djokovic’s 2021 season was a constant reminder that the next gen will have to pull off a near impossible stunt to take the Grand Slam titles away from the big three. The Serbian won his record 9th Australian Open for a hat trick of victories at Melbourne. Djokovic had an early exit at Monte Carlo as Daniel Evans handed him the first defeat of the season, at Belgrade it was a semifinal exit and Aslan Karatsev did not hesitate in a three setter match.

The world number 1 then met his arch rival Rafael Nadal at Rome in the final as it took almost 3 hours when Nadal finally lifted the trophy. It was the Spaniard’s 28th victory over Djokovic and was trailing by one in their career head to head meetings. Djokovic then got a second chance at home as he won his second title of the season, at Roland Garros the 34 year old became the first man to defeat Nadal twice at the event. Djokovic recorded his 30th victory over the king of clay and went on to win the title after losing the first two sets against Stefanos Tstisipas.

Djokovic then moved on to grass as he was one Grand Slam away from equalling Roger Federer and Nadal’s record of 20 titles. Although he looked a bit hungover from clay madness as he dropped the first set in the opening round against world number 253 Jack Draper but did not drop a set after that until the final. The record books had to be edited as Djokovic won his 20th major.

Djokovic was aiming to repeat Steffi Graf’s Golden Slam in 1988, his hopes took a huge hit when Alexander Zverev defeated him in the semifinals of the Tokyo Olympics. The 20 time major winner was visibly upset in his bronze medal match, even throwing the racquet at one point as the pressure took a toll on the champion. His next stop was at US Open, he got the Tokyo revenge over Zverev in the semifinals but Daniil Medvedev got his for the Australian Open loss. Medvedev played so well that even Djokovic’s cheeky smile disappeared and he lost the opportunity to be in the likes of Rod Laver who was the last one to win a calendar slam four decades back.

Djokovic got the final laugh over Medvedev at Paris Masters but his all year charm was turned to dust at the US Open. Although he was on top this year, the pressure has affected him to the extent that he was in tears in the middle of the match against Medvedev in the final at US Open. The record breaking run came to an end which clearly devastated Djokovic, a similar picture was painted earlier when Federer lost the Melbourne final to Nadal in 2009 as it moved the Swiss player to tears.

The 2022 season has mainly two targets. The first one is to stop the big three from winning any more Grand Slams and the second is for the big three to win a few more until they bid farewell from the game. A few more heartbreaking victories can hurt the big three more than any physical injury as the next gen will be focused on starting a new era and the time has come.

Also read: Sinner and Berrettini boost Italy's chances of maiden title at ATP Cup

(Tennis news) The third edition of the ATP Cup is due to start from January 1st 2022 as the 16 teams have been divided into four groups. Former champions Serbia will be without Novak Djokovic as defending champions Russia are also without Andrey Rublev, Aslan Karatsev and Evgeny Donskoy. There are strong chances for the third time that a team will get its maiden trophy. Italy seems to be one of the favourites as they have their top players participating. Here are the top four teams to watch out for at the season opening tournament.

Italy: Group B

The strongest team in the event has four players in top 40 including two players in the top 10 and a doubles player ranked in the top 25.  Among the top three ranked singles players, the oldest is Lorenzo Sonego who is 26 as the youngest is Jannik Sinner aged 20. Sinner and Matteo Berrettini will be leading the attack in singles as Simone Bolelli can team up with Sonego or Fabio Fognini for the final blow in doubles. 

They can run into trouble against Daniil Medvedev when they play against Russia other than that Italy can finish as table toppers or can come second behind Russia. Group B will be one of the most competitive as compared to the rest of the groups as France and Australia will take every opportunity they get.

Great Britain: Group C

Britain has a complete set up for singles and doubles as they have seasoned players to stir up trouble. Cameron Norrie alongside Daniel Evans will be on the singles front while Joe Salisbury and Jamie Murray will be up for the doubles matches. Norrie has been the top player on his team this season and if the matches go till the decider then their doubles pair are also capable of making a comeback.

They can face tough competition from Germany as Alexander Zverev will be making the move in singles, Canada can pose problems with Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov forming a match winning singles combination. Britain will also be facing the US team which can field Taylor Fritz and out of form John Isner in their attack; they also have doubles multiple Grand Slam winner Rajeev Ram and next gen star Brandon Nakashima.

Spain: Group A

Spain will be playing without their hero Rafael Nadal but has Tokyo Olympics Bronze medalist and world number 20 Pablo Carreno Busta who is ranked just one below Roberto Bautista Agut. Their singles squad looks to be sorted but the doubles pair will have to be tested as youngsters Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Pedro Martinez will have to provide support for the team.

The seniors in the team will have to do double duty as it will get tiring but if their singles matches go well then the workload will vanish. They will be up against Chile in the opening match as Spain will also play against Norway and Serbia.

Argentina: Group D

The team has the oldest players on their side with their youngest player being 29 years old. Diego Schwartzman and Federico Delbonis can be in the singles tie as Federico Coria can also walk in for crucial points. Their senior most player, Maximo Gonzalez aged 38 will be working his magic in doubles with Andres Molteni, the team has work to do but has the strongest chance to top Group D.

Argentina will be facing Greece, Poland and Georgia as their doubles pair will hold the final call on crucial matches. Stefanos Tsitsipas will be on top of Greece as Hubert Hurkacz will do the same for Poland but both the players don’t have enough support and experience like Argentina. The 2022 season will start in grand fashion as 16 countries will battle with each other and one will walk away with the trophy after 9 days of combat on court.

Also read: Novak Djokovic and Andrey Rublev withdraw from ATP Cup

New Delhi, Dec 27 (Wrestling News) Tokyo Olympics bronze medal-winning wrestler Bajrang Punia reached Moscow on Monday for a 26-day pre-season training camp scheduled till January 21.

This is Bajrang's first training stint after the performance in Tokyo.

"This is my first training camp after the Olympics and I'm hoping this turns out to be a very good one," mentioned Bajrang from Russia in a statement.

"I've chosen Russia as its wrestlers win the most medals in the Olympic Games and World Championships. I will draw benefit from training with the experienced wrestlers here." The Sports Ministry's Mission Olympics Cell (MOC) approved his trip at an overall cost of Rs. 7.53 lakh.

Jitender and Anand Kumar have accompanied Bajrang as his sparring partner and physiotherapist respectively.

Bajrang is set to compete in international meets including UWW Ranking events, the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham as well as the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

"I have to compete in Ranking Series in Italy and Turkey this February and then the Asian Championships in Mongolia in April. I'm going to give my best as I aim is to change the colour of my medal in Paris 2024," Bajrang added. 

Also Read : India's Ritu Phogat to face Stamp Fairtex in MMA finals

News Source : PTI

(Football news) Ever since the 3rd wave has hit the world of football the Premier League is the only league which has had fixtures cancelled. Leagues in Spain, France, Germany and Italy despite having positive cases are functioning smoothly. One of the main reasons is that the Premier League has the least percentage of vaccinated players amongst the top five leagues.

Many managers have called for the games to be called off till the next year but the F.A is adamant to continue the games if possible. Two boxing day fixtures have already been cancelled and there is a high possibility that more cancellation will take place. The reason the F.A is reluctant to postpone fixtures is due to the constraints later. After the turn of the year the fixtures come hard and fast. Teams in Europe will have a difficult time. There are not enough windows to fit in the postponed fixtures. Which once again brings the question of the amount of games that are played in world football. The Premier League is also the only team to have matches during the Christmas period which has been subject to debate.

Also read: Liverpool vs Leeds and Wolves vs Watford postponed due to COVID-19 cases

Manchester United boss Ralf Rangnick was recently asked about his thoughts on the fixture list in England. The German said that the Carabao Cup has to be abolished. England is the only country that has two cup competitions. France Football cancelled their 2nd cup competition in 2020. It may be something that the Premier League could potentially look at. The Carabao Cup is nowhere near as prestigious as the F.A Cup and wouldn't be missed that much if it didn't exist.

Due to there being only one cup competition in the La Liga, the Copa del Rey doesn't start till January for the 1st division clubs which gives them more midweek fixtures in the first half of the league. The downside to cancelling the Carabao cup is the revenue it generates for the lower division clubs. With the FIFA World Cup happening in December next year it may be a very good idea to have just 1 cup competition in England just like it is in every other country. 
 

(Football news) Italian football club Inter Milan and Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen have parted ways with the termination of the 29 year old’s contract by mutual consent. Eriksen has been suspended from playing in the Serie A due to having a cardiac device fitted and hasn’t played a professional game since Denmark’s Euro 2020 match against Finland in June where he received life-saving treatment on the pitch.

Eriksen is ineligible from playing in Italy due to an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator as per the health regulations but is free to continue his career in another country with different rules. Having joined Inter Milan in January 2020 from Tottenham, Eriksen’s contract was due to expire in 2024 and the midfielder has played 60 matches for the Italian outfit, winning the Serie A last season and scoring eight goals. The 29 year old recently resumed training at Odense Boldklub, a Danish club where he started his career. 

In a letter to Christian Eriksen released by Inter, the club said “We can still remember that moment, of excitement mixed with expectation. When you're waiting for something you know will be good, you almost want to wait a bit longer so you can enjoy it more.

"Jan. 28, 2020: the curtains were raised at La Scala theater, the stage where first appearances are always special. And when class met elegance, Christian Eriksen and Inter, it couldn't be anything but special. There was the Danish maestro weaving his magic in our midfield.

"The thud of the ball striking the bar melted into the 'ohhh' of amazement from the Nerazzurri faithful as Christian fired off a rocket free kick from a ridiculous distance, mere centimeters away from glory. From that moment, we knew this was a composer of the finest music.

"We shared moments of class, battles, unexpected goals, like when he scored straight from the corner flag against Napoli, along with a few disappointments, like in the summer of that interminable 2019-20 season, when we went on a magnificent run, only to just miss out.

"Another free kick, another derby, in the Coppa Italia. An iconic moment in Inter's recent history. A splendid, crucial strike -- not just to send us through to the next round, but also to give renewed energy to the story of Christian and Inter, a bond which grew stronger game after game.

"Christian was a key figure in our march to the Scudetto -- a team effort which Eriksen contributed to with his vision, intuition, passing, assists and goals, including some big ones. Against Napoli. Against Crotone, in what ultimately clinched the title. Then another delightful free kick to celebrate the title at San Siro on the last day of the season.

"That is our final, happy, wistful memory of Christian on the pitch in an Inter shirt. Because sometimes life takes a turn for the unexpected and sends you down a path you didn't imagine.

"Every Inter fan, every football fan, looked on in silence, hoping for Christian. Seeing him back in Appiano Gentile with his teammates, as Italian champions, was a joy to behold and one we will never forget.

"Although Inter and Christian are now parting ways, the bond shall never be broken. The good times, the goals, the victories, those Scudetto celebrations with fans outside San Siro -- all this will remain forever in Nerazzurri history. All the best, Chris!"

Also read: Premier League: Liverpool defeat Newcastle but Chelsea held against Everton

(Motorsport news) 16 December 2021, Dorset: The action got underway in Dorset today as the nine sides took the Jurassic X Prix course for the first time ahead of Extreme E’s Season 1 Finale.

The 3.8 kilometre course has a unique set of challenges for the Extreme E grid, with a mixed surface of clay, sand, gravel and mud dominating the terrain in Dorset, giving the teams a good amount of variables to overcome if they are to get big points in the final X Prix of the campaign.

The potential threat of showers, a sight so common across the United Kingdom at this time of year, may offer a further challenge for those out on the course.

After a brief shakedown session, the pace setters in Free Practice were ACCIONA | Sainz XE Team who posted a combined time of 10:10:006 to head the standings. In second were ABT Cupra XE, nine seconds adrift and continuing their recent good form out on course.

Championship challengers X44 were third quickest, just over 10 seconds behind ACCIONA | Sainz XE Team’s leading time, and 13 seconds faster than title rivals and Championship leaders Rosberg X Racing who finished the session in fourth.

XITE ENERGY RACING enjoyed a trouble-free session to complete the top five. Veloce Racing had a new driver line-up this weekend in the form of returning Jamie Chadwick and debutant Lance Woolridge, but showed no signs of slowing their speed to finish sixth fastest.

Laia Sanz, ACCIONA | Sainz XE Team: “Many things can happen in every race, but we need to be confident. We have been a bit unlucky this season so I am hoping for more good luck this weekend.

“The season has been great, but challenging – I came from two-wheel racing and everyone else has plenty of experience on four wheels. I think I am improving, though, and definitely feel like I have the best teacher in Carlos [Sainz Snr.].

“The start will be crucial on Sunday and I hope we can continue to do well for Qualifying.”

Jutta Kleinschmidt, ABT Cupra XE: “It’s completely different out there, but it is Extreme E after all – we have to face many conditions.

“The challenge has been to find the right speed, particularly over the Knife Edge section, and that will be key. If the wipers are not working you might not see anything!

“We had a good Free Practice session, though, and we’re looking forward to Qualifying.”

Sébastien Loeb, X44: “It felt really muddy out there, but the car coped well which was great.

“It feels like a rally stage with fast and slow corners, with big jumps, and overall the course looks great.

“We don’t have a lot to lose – mathematically the Championship is still possible so we just need to concentrate, push hard, and then we will see. Hopefully this weekend we can pull everything together to finish the season as well as possible.”

Molly Taylor, Rosberg X Racing: “It has been great to experience so many incredible places this season. We are excited to be here and it has been a great adventure to this point. We just need to keep our heads down and keep doing the job.

“The terrain is very different to the other courses, mainly down to the mud! It is cool we have experienced so many different terrains throughout the season. It’s a lot of fun out there, though, with a lot of sliding around – it has a bit of everything.

“We need to have a solid weekend – there is all to play for and we are looking forward to it.”

Oliver Bennett, XITE ENERGY RACING: “I’ve actually driven here before – one of my first ever rallies took place here so it is a little bit familiar.

“The mud is deep and slippery, so it is very easy to go off-line, and that makes it a bit like a home from home!

“From what we have seen so far it is going to be entertaining.”

Jamie Chadwick, Veloce Racing: “Its good to be back and feels like a long time since I was in the paddock.

“It has definitely helped my driving to compete in different series – when I went back to W Series earlier this season I really felt the benefit of competing in the opening two X Prix.

“I think we can enjoy the weekend. Lance and I are racing without pressure and a fresh mindset. We’re going to enjoy it and take what we can.”

Lance Woolridge, Veloce Racing: “It is great to finally be here. I’ve been working closely with the team for the past year and I am really looking forward to Qualifying now.

“We’ve set a goal of getting into the Final this weekend and hopefully that can lay some solid groundwork for Season 2 next season.”

There was disappointment for JBXE, Andretti United Extreme E and SEGI TV Chip Ganassi Racing, though, who finished the session in seventh, eighth and ninth, respectively, with all three teams encountering difficulties out on the course.

Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky, JBXE: “I expected it to be muddy, but the start-line was insane!

“Nevertheless, I have been really impressed with how the ODYSSEY 21 handles the conditions – it should make for an interesting race. Visibility will be a big challenge and the start will be really tough.

“We want to have a good weekend – our team is based in the UK, while our team boss Jenson [Button] is also here. We came in late to the series and did no testing before the season started and so I am really proud of what we have achieved together. We are now just looking forward to a fun weekend trying to take the car over the finish line.”

Catie Munnings, Andretti United Extreme E: “It’s a home race for me and for the team, which is really special for everyone. It’s certainly been a year to remember.

“Its pretty high-speed out there and quite narrow, which reminds me of rallying. It’s really fun to drive. The conditions improved as the Free Practice session went on so Qualifying will be interesting, but I think everyone just wants to have a good race to end the year now.

“You might see a different approach from me when attacking the Knife Edge, though!”

Kyle LeDuc, SEGI TV Chip Ganassi Racing: “It’s a good layout and a fairly trouble-free course, although we did have a couple of issues in practice.

“We’ve got to get people excited and this track should be something for the fans to tune into. There should be some good spots for racing to get people hyped.

“The start is going to be massively crucial for us.”

The Finals will be shown in more than 200 countries by 85 broadcasters including ITV, Sky Sports, BBC digital channels and BT Sport in the UK,  FOX Sports in the USA, Prosieben MAXX in Germany, Mediaset in Italy as well as Eurosport across most European Markets.

A full list of broadcasters can be found here.

PLEASE NOTE ALL TIMINGS ARE GMT

Saturday 18 December 

1000 – 1200 GMT      Qualifying  Round 1

1300 – 1500 GMT      Qualifying  Round 2

Sunday 19 December

1000 – 1130 GMT       Semi Finals

1200 – 1400 GMT      Final

Also read: Extreme E reveals Jurassic X Prix course ahead of final race

(Football news) RB Leipzig have yet again appointed a young manager in the form of Domenico Tedesco as the club acted quickly after the departure of Jesse Marsch. The 36 year old who previously coached Schalke and Spartak Moscow, has signed a contract to 2023 and will be on the bench for their  home against Borussia Moenchengladbach. He is a former youth coach at Hoffenheim and Stuttgart as the Italian-born Tedesco has limited Bundesliga experience having spent less than two seasons at Schalke but in those seasons he took them to Champions League also. This year he left Spartak Moscow.

Tedesco hasn't coached in the Bundesliga since he was fired by Schalke after a humiliating 7-0 defeat to Manchester City in the Champions League. Schalke were subsequently relegated the season after he left the club as they finished bottom with just three wins in 34 games. After Schalke, Tedesco spent two seasons in Russia with Spartak Moscow where he helped them finish second in the 2020/21 season. RB Leipzig will be hoping he has the same impact as Nagelsmann as both base their game on the same footballing philosophy.

Domenico Tedesco was born in Italy and raised in Stuttgart in Germany, as he started his coaching career at the youth teams of VfB Stuttgart and Hoffenheim. His first major role in management was with second-tier side Erzgebirge Aue, before prompting Bundesliga side Schalke offered him the job that summer. Schalke had finished the 2016/17 campaign 10th as then club’s sporting director Heidel decided a change was required. Heidel is known for giving both Jürgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel a start at Mainz, and this time he offered 31-year-old Tedesco his first top-flight experience. It was no surprise as Tedesco led Schalke to a second-place finish in his first season in charge, and in so doing helped them return to the UEFA Champions League for the first time in  four years.

Also read: RB Leipzig sack head Jesse Marsch after a string of poor results in the league

Domenico Tedesco has a huge task of guiding this young and exuberant side back to the top, currently RB Leipzig are suffering their worst starts since winning promotion back as they lie 11th in the table, although they won midweek against Man City, Tedesco needs to instill a certain playing style that the Red Bull franchises are known for. Tedesco’s gameplan often revolves around his defense as we saw with his Schalke team, in contrast to the high-intensity style that Leipzig fans have become accustomed too, as he needs to firstly find the proper balance in the team and mainly move them up the league table. Former Cologne coach Achim Beierlorzer, who was Marsch's assistant, was in temporary charge for Leipzig's 2-1 win over City, is now leaving the club. Tedesco will be allowed to bring his own coaching set up as well
 

(Football news) According to reports, Fiorentina have reached an agreement with Lille for the transfer of Jonathan Ikoné with a baseline fee of €21m. The move will also see his former club Paris Saint-Germain receive between 45% and 50% of the fee as part of the sell-on clause in his 2018 transfer, as a result the league leaders will gain around €10m from this move. The 23-year-old Ligue 1 winner, who was under contract with LOSC until 2023, will now move to Italy in January, although the full details are still to be ironed out. Leipzig had also registered some interest in the number 10.

Jonathan Ikone was one of the key members in last year's title winning run for Lille, but this season the French international has often been a substitute this season, seeing his playing team reduced under Jocelyn Gourvennec and only appearing in 16 league matches. The 23 year old has made 143 appearances for Lille scoring 16 goals and assisting 25. The versatile attacker has established himself as one of Ligue 1’s most exciting talents since swapping his boyhood club Paris Saint-Germain for Lille back in the summer of 2018. Last season, the young Frenchman played a vital role to claim their first Ligue 1 title in 10 years for Lille, scoring four goals and providing five assists in 37 top-flight appearances.

Also read: Messi overtakes Pele to become the second ever highest goalscorer in football as he sets sight on Ronaldo’s tally

Ikone is a player who doesn’t score many goals but provides an attacking threat from the right or even from the center, the four-cap France international has averaged 1.2 shots per league game in 2021/22, one key pass and 0.8 dribbles, placing him in the top-five amongst his teammates. Fiorentina have got themselves one of the most promising young French players in the squad and maybe the right move especially with Vlahovic still in the club. These can form a formidable duo and once Vlahovic leaves the club he might have the potential to replace him also. 
 

(Tennis news) The 2021 season saw a lot of next gen players taking the centre stage as the older players struggled to get their form on court. There have been some players who have had a poor run this season which saw their rankings drop and though they are expected to hit back the critics next season, it is a sign of the dominance of the latest sensations on court. Given below are some of the players who couldn't get their mojo up and working.

Fabio Fognini: Italy

The 34 year old is the second oldest in the list but has won the most titles among the four. This season, he finished with 22 wins and 22 losses, his last title came 2 years ago at Monte Carlo Masters 1000. The Italian team was the runner up in the ATP Cup where Fognini won two matches out of four, he lost to Denis Novak of Austria who was ranked 100 at the time. Fognini began the year ranked 17 and ended the season ranked 37. He is known for his comebacks at the Grand Slams and usually has a powerful groundstroke with minor movement but his on court behaviour has been known to create issues. He was the world number 9 two years ago which remains his best till date.

Benoit Paire: France

Paire is known for his backhand drop shots which has a great amount of spin and his powerful forehand return of serve which has been measured upto 183 km/ hour. He has a huge swing for his forehand and a very unorthodox style of play, he is known to play it too casually sometimes. Paire won his last title in 2019 at Lyon and reached the finals at Auckland last year, but this year he hasn't been able to progress beyond the quarterfinals. Paire has played 43 matches this year in which he won 13 of them and was ranked at 28 at the start of the year, now he is in 46th position.

Adrian Mannarino: France

The only left hander in the list, Mannarino has a shorter swing than Fognini in his forehand but is also known for his backhand dropshots from the baseline. Mannarino most famous dropshot was in 2017 at Rome against Pablo Cuevas where he hit a backhand drop shot from the baseline which made a bounce on the other side of the court and spun back into his own court. Mannarino is a crafty left hander, his best finish this year came at Mallorca where he reached the semifinals. His first title came 2 years ago and then reached a final last year which was his 9th career runner up finish. This year he won 14 matches out of the 40 played which resulted in his ranking drop from 34 in the start of the year to 71 by the end of the season.

Grigor Dimitrov: Bulgaria

The only one handed backhand player in the list, Dimitrov played 42 matches this season in which he won 24 of them. His best run came at the Indian Wells where he reached the semifinals defeating Daniil Medvedev in the fourth round. Dimitrov started the year by reaching three consecutive quarterfinals, at the Australian Open he defeated Dominic Thiem in the fourth round even bageling the world number in the third set. After that his best winning streak was 2 matches for a few months until in San Diego and Indian Wells where he reached back to back semifinals. The Bulgarian last won a title in 2017 at the Nitto ATP Finals and last reached a final three years back at Rotterdam. Dimitrov started the year with a ranking of 19 and now is 28th, his career best ranking of 3 came four years back. 

Also read: India to host Denmark for next Davis Cup tie in March

New Delhi, Dec 6 (Tennis news) India have got their first home Davis Cup tie since February 2019 as they have been pitted against Denmark in World Group I contest, scheduled for March 4-5 next year.

India travelled to Finland (2021), Croatia (2020) and Kazakhstan (2019, Pakistan tie) for their last three ties.

India hosted Italy at home in February 2019 and lost 1-3 in Kolkata.

Even though Denmark has a singles player in Holger Rune (103), who is higher-ranked than all the Indian players, it can still be considered a favourable draw for the hosts.

It will be the first tie between the two nations since September 1984 when India won 3-2 at Aarhus.

The two teams have not clashed much as the only other time they played was in 1927 when Denmark whitewashed India 5-0 in the quarterfinal in Copenhagen.

"Thank God, after many ties, we have got a home match. Previous two ties were tough for us, we played Croatia who made the Davis Cup finals. Then we played Finland and everyone thought Finland was an easy team, which was not the case," India coach Zeeshan Ali told PTI.

"India on paper are supposed to be a strong team but except Ramkumar Ramanathan, who is 190 in the world, we don't have anyone in top-200 in singles. We don't have anyone in top-100 for long.

"We were always underdogs but we always had the players to perform very well in Davis Cup but right now we are struggling, so whoever we are playing it's going to be a challenge," he said.

Zeeshan felt a lot would depend which players will be available for the tie.

"The last time we did not have our number one player with us, then Yuki was down with injury. If we have a full strength team, if Sumit is fit by March and Yuki is also available, we have a very good chance of beating Denmark in India," he said.

Prajnesh Gunneswaran (215) has dropped out of top-200 and Nagal, who recently took a break to undergo hip injury, is now ranked 218.

Ramkumar re-entered top-200 after winning a Challenger recently.

Also Read : Croatia’s Borna Gojo is amongst the best performers at the Davis Cup

news Source : PTI

(Tennis news) The Davis Cup came to an end yesterday as Russia triumphed over Croatia to win their third title. Even though Russia was the most powerful team, there were many others who played well above their expectations to give their country crucial points. Given below are some of the notable performances from the Davis Cup this year.

Borna Gojo: Croatia

Borna was arguably the hero for Croatia as the world number 279 was making his second appearance at the Davis Cup. He won three matches this time and three of them were against opponents ranked in the top 70. His best win came against Italy in the quarterfinals as he was up against world number 27 Lorenzo Sonego in the first match.

In the first set, Sonego was 4-1, 40-30 until Borna took three consecutive games to level the score. Sonego held his serve the next game as Borna did the same as it went to a tiebreaker and after more than an hour, Borna took the set. Sonego hit back in the second set but in the third set Borna took hold of an early break as he fell on the court when he won the match which was crucial for Croatia.

Feliciano Lopez: Spain

Feliciano Lopez was up against Andrey Rublev in the final match of Spain against Russia in group A. Lopez had made his ATP debut in 1997, a month before Andrey Rublev was born. Rublev was the favourite as he was a top ranked player who was known for his hard hitting while Lopez had to play the singles as their top three players could not play this time. The last time Lopez played a singles match was in 2019 against Edmund Kyle and the last time he won was in 2016 when he defeated Ramkumar Ramanathan.

Lopez style is serve and volley which has died out in recent years and Rublev played from the baseline with his rocket shots. Lopez lost the first set but when the clock struck an hour, Lopez took the second one as his volleys kept getting better and Rublev could not find a way past him. In an hour and 45 minutes, Lopez gave Spain their first point in the tie but a surprise win for Russia in the doubles gave them the spot in the knockout phase.

Zsombor Piros: Hungary

Piros was playing in his third Davis Cup and had beaten John Millman in the opening tie against Australia. In the second tie, he was up against a much higher ranked opponent as Croatia’s Marin Cilic had experience too in his hand. Piros lost the first as his comeback was too late but in the next set his grunts kept getting louder and his shots were finding the target as the scores were level. In the third set, it looked over for Piros as he was down 1-4 but took the next five games in one of the best matches at the tournament.

Mikhail Kukushkin: Kazakhstan

Kukushkin has been representing Kazakhstan in the Davis Cup since 2008. Kukushkin had lost the first match in the group stage against Sweden but won the second one as the team progressed into the quarterfinals against Serbia. Kukushkin was up against Mimoir Kecmanovic who was ranked more than 100 places above him, Kukushkin took the opening set and was leading 4-2 in the second until Kecmanovic took the next four games to deny him a straight set win.

In the final set, Kecmanovic took a 5-3 lead and had two match points which Kukushkin saved like a true tennis veteran and went to save another two. After 3 hours and 23 points in the final set tie breaker, Kukushkin finally won the match to give Kazakhstan an edge over Serbia but lost the doubles match as it couldn’t enter the last four.

Also read: Russian team looking stronger than ever with third Davis Cup title

(Tennis news) Russia seems to be having no trouble as of now as they only needed 3 hours to beat Sweden for a place in the semifinal of the Davis Cup. Russia didn’t have to play the third rubber as the doubles team can get the maximum rest, Andrey Rublev looked a bit out of form in the second and third set in the opening match as he was stretched by Elias Ymer who is 166 places below him. In the second match, Daniil Medvedev beat Mikael Ymer in just over an hour as Mikael even broke the World number 2 a couple of times but did not pose a major issue.

The results were as expected in both the matches but Rublev survived a scare in the second and third set. In the first set, Elias was aided by huge forehands as he took a 2-1 lead but an unforced error in the 4th game prevented him from breaking Rublev who seized the opportunity with 5 consecutive games to take the set. In the second set, Rublev was down 0-2 as Elias played like a top 50 player with quality groundstrokes to keep the Russian camp at bay. 

Rublev leveled the scores with powerful serves and even went on to take a 5-3 lead as victory was just a game away but Elias took the next four games to take the set. Elias even hit service return winners as Rublev had no answer in the last few rallies of the set, Elias tested Rublev even more in the final set as both players held their serves which called for a tie breaker. In the tie break it was Rublev who had a good start and kept the momentum going his ball striking made Elias exhausted. With a backhand unforced error, it was the end of the first tie as Rublev secured victory as Russia got its first point of the match.

In the second match Medvedev faced Mikael who has been quite a player this year with a runner up finish at Winston Salem and had defeated Frances Tiafoe, Albert Ramos Vinolas on the way. Mikael also defeated Carlos Alcaraz twice this year and reached the third round at French Open and Australian Open. But in the tie against Medvedev, Mikael was down 1-3 in the first set until he won the next three games to take a one game lead over him. Medevedev took the next game to seal the first set and in the second set saw Mikael down with a 0-3 lead. Mikael fought back with two back to back games with frequent visits to the net which worked well and in the end Medvedev raced for a third straight win at the event.

Russia defeated Sweden 2-0

Rublev defeated Elias 6-2, 5-7, 7-6(7-3), Medvedev defeated Mikael 6-4, 6-4.

The first semi final will take place today between Serbia and Croatia. Serbia had to play all the three matches against Kazakhstan in the quarterfinal as Novak Djokovic won the singles and doubles to confirm the semi final place. Miomir Kecmanović will play a major part as his victory will give the team enough confidence as Djokovic showed his supremacy in the previous match and will be able to do it again. As for Croatia, their doubles team of Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic have won the last three matches but will need Marin Cilic to be in form and Borna Gojo will have to play like how he played against Italy. Predicted score is 2-0 or 2-1 for Serbia.

Also read: Novak Djokovic wins back to back matches to push Serbia into the semifinals at Davis Cup, Russia faces Sweden in quarterfinals

(Football news) Maurizio Sarri has reportedly reached an agreement with President Claudio Lotito to stay at Lazio till 2025, but he expects the club to invest in the transfer market. Sarri, who arrived at the Olimpico ahead of 2021-22 season is expected to pen a new deal until June 2025 with the club or a deal until June 2024 with an option for a further year extension. The former Scudetto and Europa League winner with Juventus and Chelsea has been assigned the task to bring back the glory days and finally compete in the forefront for Lazio.

Sarri’s current contract costs around €11 million gross on the budget  around €6 million net in the two-year period and with the renewal, the figures would rise past €20 million gross in total. Claudio Lotito wants Sarri to instill his playing philosophy in the team as he believes in his capability and experience. The first thing promised by him is to invest in the squad, the Lazio squad lacks quality and it is not upto the standards of the big teams in Serie A. Although having a weakened squad Lazio have produced clinical performances against the likes of Inter and AS Roma. 

Lazio are currently 8th in Serie A and are 10 points behind Atalanta at fourth, as the coach has  targeted some players in the transfer market. According to reports in Italy, he is looking for a new full-back, goalkeeper and a striker to support Ciro Immobile. Sarri would like to instill his playing style in Lazio but he hasn’t been able to do that, mostly because he hasn’t got the right personnel in the team. This season, Lazio are having a topsy turvy start as they have lost five matches and won six matches only, as they currently have 21 points from 15 matches.

Also read: Stefano Pioli extends his contract till 2023 at AC Milan as he looks to win his first league title this season

Maurizio Sarri when asked about his contract extension said, “I always want to win games, However, the difficulties are evident. In the three games after the national break, we scored three points. We also scored a few points after the Europa League. If you look at normal games, on the other hand, we have a very high average. It’s not an easy problem in today’s football, because unlike in the past, we always play every three days. It’s not a tactical problem, but a mental and unconscious problem. The nervous system is discharged. 

“On Sunday, we already knew we were going to lose during the warm-up. It was evident. It gave me a sense of frustration. You need to have clear ideas. Liverpool didn’t win immediately with Klopp. The first year they finished 11th and eighth in the second. We need a broader view. I’m not Klopp, that’s clear. The problem is not tactical. The team is passive, and you lose, tactics don’t matter. We need to recharge after a tiring moment and in this moment, we sometimes succeed, others not. I have never talked about names to the club,  just mentioned the needs. In my opinion, you need to sit down and plan two or three transfer markets ahead. You can’t stand in the window looking for opportunities.”
 

(Football news) AC Milan bounced back in style as they defeated Genoa 3-0. Milan came into the game looking for an important victory after back-to-back league losses to Fiorentina and Sassuolo as they took control early when Zlatan Ibrahimovic fired home a 10th-minute free kick just before half-time as Junior Messias pounced on a deflected shot to send a looping header over Salvatore Sirigu fingertips. In the second half, Brahim Diaz teed up Messias in the box for his second goal of the game and third in two games for Milan as he neatly placed the finish into the bottom corner. Messias continues a remarkable career journey that has gone from delivering fridges to now becoming a star in Milan, he moved to Italy from Brazil in 2011 and initially managed playing amateur football with a job of delivering fridges before slowly climbing up the football ladder. With this result AC Milan moved within a point of Napoli at the top of the table as they have 35 points from 15 matches.

“Today I did the best I could. These guys make me enjoy myself and make me feel young.Unfortunately we lost the last two games but the season is still long. There are ups and downs over the years,”Ibrahimovic said.

Inter Milan continued their amazing form as they beat Spezia 2-0. The champions took a deserved lead after 36 minutes when Gagliardini met Martinez's backheel flick to sweep home a well placed finish. Inter wasted a lot of chances as Joaquin Correa rattled the underside of the crossbar before Martinez calmly dispatched his penalty in the 58th minute following a handball in the penalty box. Inter stayed on 34 points in third, one behind AC Milan in second and two behind leaders Napoli. 

“We did what we needed to, which is to win at home, but the pitch wasn't in a good state. We struggled to play our game, we hope it improves. We are fighting for important things, the pitch must be at its best." Martinez said after the match.

Juventus went back to winning ways as they won 2-0 against Salernitana, in the first half Dybala fired Juve in front in the 21st minute after his shot went in the bottom corner, but Salernitana were close to an equaliser when Luca Ranieri hit the post after the break. In the second half Juve asserted their dominance as Alvaro Morata came off the bench and doubled his side's lead by flicking a cross through the goalkeeper's legs in the 70th minute. With this result Juventus remain seventh with 24 points from 15 games, seven points away from the top four and 11 behind leaders Napoli, while Salernitana are bottom of the league with eight points.

“Juventus has given so much to all of us and there are moments in life when it is time to give back. Now we need to stay close to this club, and we will come out of it together," Juve captain Giorgio Chiellini said after the match.

Napoli couldn’t extend their lead at the top as they drew 2-2 against a spirited Sassuolo side. Luciano Spalletti's side looked set to maintain their three-point lead at the top, second-half strikes from Dries Mertens and Fabian Ruiz put Napoli in a comfortable position, but a superb goal from Gianluca Scamacca on the half volley with 19 minutes remaining put the hosts back in the game before Gian Marco Ferrari snatched a draw in the final minutes with a bullet header. Sassuolo thought they had won right at the end, in which Spalletti was sent off when Gregiore Defrel slotted home a powerful shot but the referee was called to check a Domenico Berardi foul on Amir Rrahmani as VAR ruled out the goal. With this result AC Milan are just one point behind in second and Inter Milan are two  points behind in third following their respective wins over Genoa and Spezia. 

"It would have been a shame not to draw a match that I think we played on equal footing with Napoli, we kept playing at 2-0 and we deserved to draw," said Sassuolo coach Alessio Dionisi

"He (Ruiz) is having issues as is Koulibaly ,It'll be difficult to get them back in time, but we'll see because we have good doctors here” Spalletti said after the game.

Also read: Premier League: Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea secure three points to keep title race in the balance

The other results were:

• Fiorentina 3 (Callejon, Vlahovic, Sottil) - 1 Sampdoria (Gabbiadini)
• Atalanta 4 (Pasalic x3, Koopmeiners) - 0 Venezia
• Bologna 1 (Svanberg) - 0 AS Roma
• Verona 0 - 0 Cagliari

(Tennis news) Croatia became the first team this year to qualify for the semifinals of the Davis Cup as they beat Italy in a highly tense quarterfinal. Italy was expected to go through the last four but found trouble from the start as world number 279 Borna Gojo got the first point for Croatia with a win over Lorenzo Sonego who is ranked almost 250 places above him. Jannik Sinner kept the team alive with a three set win over Marin Cilic as the youngster played through the pressure and proved how much he has grown over the past few months.

In the final match, Croatia had the advantage as their doubles pair were the best in the world and they did what they were supposed to do. Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic won the tie for Croatia and did not even face a breakpoint in the match. The loss in the first tie against Borna proved to be too costly for the Italians as their singles players were all top ranked and experienced. Croatia had the doubles tie sorted as it was the singles which were a concern but Borna turned it all round for the team. Croatia were the first unseeded nation to win the Davis Cup when they defeated Slovakia in 2005. Their second title came in 2018 when they defeated France and now they have a chance to win a third one.

Croatia defeated Italy 2-1

Borna Gojo defeated Lorenzo Sonego 7-6(7-2), 2-6, 6-2, Sinner defeated Cilic 3-6, 7-6(7-4), 6-3, Mektic and Pavic defeated Sinner and Fabio Fognini 6-3, 6-4, 

Great Britain will face Germany in the next quarterfinals today. 10 time champions Britain are the favourites to progress into the semifinals as they have higher ranked singles and doubles players. Cameron Norrie and Daniel Evans will spearhead the singles team for Britain as Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski will be looking to win the doubles tie. For the Germans, they have won the title three times and had lost at the same stage to the same team in 2018.  Jan-Lennard Struff is leading the singles tie along with Dominik Koepfer but their doubles pair did the trick against Austria as they won the final tie. The pair of Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz will once again try to push the team when they are up against a spirited opponent.

The expected score will be 3-0 or 2-1 for Britain but will be an upset if Germany scrapes through. Norrie is the highest ranked player in both the teams and his win will provide a good chance as their doubles pair are also the favourites. With Croatia's result against Italy now an upset in the singles will be a huge motivating factor for Krawietz and Puetz as Jan-Lennard or Dominik will have to pull off something sensational for the team to enter the last four.

Also read: Russia end hopes for defending champion Spain in Davis Cup, Kazakhstan reaches quarterfinals

(Tennis news) Defending champions Spain’s run came to an end as powerhouse Russia sealed their place into the Davis Cup quarterfinals. Russia had won the title back in 2002, 2006 and are now in contention for a third title; they had lost the semifinals in 2019 to Canada. Feliciano Lopez did inspire the team in the opening tie as he beat world number five Andrey Rublev in the opening tie but it proved to be insufficient as Daniil Medvedev beat Pablo Carreno Busta to bring back the game for Russia. In the final match, Rublev and Aslan Karatsev beat Feliciano Lopez and Marcel Granollers to progress into the last eight. Lopez had played the singles in both their ties and won both of them even though he did not expect to win especially against Rublev.

“This is above any expectations to be honest,” Lopez said. “For me, it is just amazing to be representing my country at 40 years old. I did not expect to play singles, but we had some issues, so I took that role. Today, playing against Andrey, World No. 5, at this stage in my career in my hometown, is above my expectations.”

Russia defeated Spain 2-1

Lopez defeated Rublev 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, Medevedev defeated Carreno Busta 6-2, 7-6(7-3), Rublev and Karatsev defeated Lopez and Granollers 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.

 Kazakhstan reached the quarterfinals for the first time since 2018 as it won all of its matches against Canada. Mikhail Kukushkin started the tie with a win over Brayden Schnur as trick shot enthusiast Alexander Bublik confirmed the victory when he won his match against Vasek Pospisil. In the final doubles match, Andrey Golubev and Aleksandr Nedovyesov made it three out of three as they beat Peter Polansky and Brayden.

Kazakhstan defeated Canada 3-0

Kukushkin defeated Brayden 6-3, 6-7 (5-7) , 7-5, Bublik defeated Pospisil 6-2, 7-6 (8-6), Golubev and Nedovyesov defeated Polansky and Brayden 6-4, 6-7 (8-6), 6-1.

Croatia also secured their place into the quarterfinals with a hard fought victory over Hungary. Nino Serdarusic gave the team a good start by winning the first tie but Zsombor Piros played one of the best matches this year to upset Marin Cilic to take the second one. In the final match, the pair of Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic proved they are the world number one as they beat Fabian Marozsan and Peter Nagy to march into the quarterfinals.

Croatia defeated Hungary 2-1

Serdarusic defeated Marozsan 6-4, 6-4, Zsombor defeated Cilic 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, Mektic and Pavic defeated Marozsan and Nagy 7-6(8-6), 6-2.

Quarterfinals lineup

Russia vs Sweden, Britain vs Germany, Italy vs Croatia, Serbia vs Kazakhstan 

Also read: Feliciano Lopez and Carreno Busta deliver as Spain begins title defence with victory at Davis Cup

(Football news) With the 2022 Qatar World Cup just being a year away, Euro 2020 winners Italy and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal will be hoping to qualify for the ultimate stage in international football through the play-offs where only three teams from 12 will earn their ticket to the Middle East. However, as it turns out that only one of the two heavyweight nations will book their place at next year’s World Cup as both the teams have been drawn in the same qualifying playoffs bracket.

The format is such that out of the 12 teams, 10 of which finished as runners up have been split into three teams of four with a semifinal and final played amongst them. The winning team from each path is guaranteed qualification for the World Cup in Qatar which means that either Italy or Portugal will not be eligible for the tournament. The reigning European champions Italy and the 2016 European Champions Portugal will play their home games against North Macedonia and Turkey and if both were to defeat them, they will face each other in the final.

Not being able to qualify for a World Cup would be a disaster for either of the teams as four times World Champions Italy had already failed to qualify for the 2018 iteration in Russia, missing out on the World Cup for the first time in 60 years. Moreover, Roberto Mancini’s team is the current Euro 2020 champions and would undoubtedly be one of the favourites to win if they do qualify. For Portugal, it would probably be Cristiano Ronaldo’s last opportunity to win the World Cup as the Portuguese superstar will be 37 years old by the time the World Cup begins. He will undoubtedly want the ultimate footballing glory at least once in his career before he hangs up his boots.

One thing is for sure, it will be a loss for both fans and the players as one of the European heavyweights will fail to qualify for a tournament as prestigious as the World Cup. Both teams have the potential to win the Jules Rimet Trophy and for many players in the Italy and Portugal squads, it would be their last opportunity to do so. What we do know is if both the sides were to meet in the finals of ‘Path C’, they will give their all to qualify for the World Cup.

Also read: Premier League: Chelsea to face Man Utd at Stamford Bridge while Arsenal, Liverpool and City expected to secure three points

(Tennis news) Spain had lost three crucial players before the start of the match at the Davis Cup but 40 year old Feliciano Lopez gave Spain exactly what it needed as he put the first point on the scoreboard when he beat Roberto Quiroz in straight sets. Next, it was the turn of Tokyo Olympics Singles bronze medalist Pablo Carreno Busta who had a tougher battle than his team mate, he lost the first set and could not end the match early onto the third set as a tiebreaker brought things to a conclusion. 

In the doubles, Busta and Marcel Granollers gave them their third and final victory in a match which lasted for almost 3 hours as it also had two tiebreaks. Spain is up against a tough Russian team on 28th November.

Spain defeated Ecuador 3-0

Lopez defeated Quiroz 6-3, 6-3, Busta defeated Emilio Gomez 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5), Busta and Marcel Granollers defeated Gonzalo Escobar and Diego Hidalgo 6-4, 6-7(5-7), 7-6(7-2).

Italy’s youngsters were on fire as they won both their singles rubber to confirm victory over USA. The first match was a clash between world number 26 Reily Opelka and world number 27 Lorenzo Sonego but it was the Italian who gave the perfect start as he defeated Opelka in straight sets. In the second match, Jannik Sinner had played at the Nitto ATP Finals a few days earlier and paid no heed to size as John Isner was bageled in the second set to confirm victory for the Italians. 

In the doubles match, US Open winner Rajeev Ram paired with former US Open winner Jack Sock as they got a consolation point by defeating Fabio Fognini and Lorenzo Musetti. Italy will next play against Colombia today.

Italy defeated USA 2-1

Sonego defeated Opelka 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), Sinner defeated Isner 6-2, 6-0, Rajeev and Jack defeated Fognini and Musetti 7-6 (7-5), 6-2.

Captain Viktor Trovicki would not have expected any other result from Serbia as they won all the three matches against Austria. Austria was missing the company of injured Dominic Thiem who went out the season early and it did reflect on the team. Dusan Lajovic played a long match against Gerlad Melzer as two of the sets needed an hour to settle when he finally gave Serbia its first point. In the second match, Novak Djokovic did the complete opposite as he closed out two sets under an hour to confirm victory for Serbia and in the doubles the pair of Nikola Cacic and Filip Krajinovic added the finishing touches. Serbia is up against Germany today.

Serbia defeated Austria 3-0

Lajovic defeated Melzer 7-6(7-5), 3-6, 7-5, Djokovic defeated Dennis Novak 6-3, 6-2, Cacic and Krajinovic defeated Oliver Marach and Philipp Oswald 7-6(7-4), 4-6, 6-3.

Also read: Croatia blanks Australia in Davis Cup opener, Spain in trouble as Carlos Alcaraz tests positive

(Tennis news) With the end of the ATP season, the Davis Cup will be starting today as players get ready to represent their countries on court. It will be held in Madrid, Innsbruck and Turin with a total of 6 groups where each group will comprise three countries, it will be a round robin format at first and then will proceed to the knockout stages. The final is scheduled to be held in Madrid. The event is being held after a year’s gap due to the COVID-19 pandemic which cancelled last year’s event, in 2019 Spain defeated Canada in the final to win their 6th title.

Each tie will consist of two singles and one doubles match and it will be best of three sets. The top players are expected to play as defending champion Spain will be without Rafael Nadal although Carlos Alacarz will be making his debut for the team along with Jannik Sinner who will play for Italy.

At the top of the singles for Britain is Cameron Norrie, the 26 year old is 12th in the World Rankings after winning the ATP Masters 1000 in the Indian Wells. The left-hander had made an unbelievable comeback from two sets to beat Roberto Bautista Agut on his Davis Cup debut in 2018. If Norrie can live up to his potential, he will lead the attack along with world number 25 Dan Evans, doubles specialist Joe Salisbury who made the doubles at the ATP Finals in Turin and Neal Skupski.

Russia has one of the top players in their team as Daniil Medvedev will spearhead the attack along with Andrey Rublev, Karen Khachanov, Aslan Karatsev and Evan Donskoy. Khachanov and Karatsev have not been in top form in recent months which means Medvedev along with Rublev will be expected to bring crucial points in singles. The team had won the ATP Cup at the start of the season.

USA will open their tie with tough competitors Italy as both the teams have the top players. Sinner, Fabio Fognini, Lorenzo Sonego and Lorenzo Musetti will battle against John Isner, Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock in addition to Rajeev Ram in the doubles match.

Colombia made their entry after defeating Argentina as doubles pair of Robert Farah and Juan Sebastian Cabal will lead the attack as the singles players are all ranked out of the top 100 and their experience is also very limited. There will be three matches as each group will start out their day in respective venues.

Also read: Davis Cup set to move to Abu Dhabi for the next five years

(Football news) With the international fixtures all done and dusted, Italian football is back with some mouthwatering fixtures. Juventus will hope that the international break acts like a blessing in disguise as they will want to go on a string of positive results but it won’t be easy as they face their former manager Maurizio Sarri’s Lazio. The fight at the summit of the table is intensifying, with both Napoli and AC Milan are level on points and just separated on goal difference.

Juventus face Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico with both teams sitting outside the top four as it will be an intriguing watch to see which manager comes out on top. While the fifth-placed hosts have been undermined by inconsistency, Juve trail Lazio by three points and three places in the standings after a miserable first 12 matches of the domestic campaign. For Lazio, their talisman Ciro Immobile will be sidelined for this crucial encounter as he has got a calf injury, while Pedro also might be out after spraining his ankle. For Juventus they have to be without Rodrigo Bentancur and Giorgio Chiellini, but one positive for the Juve fans is that Paulo Dybala’s injury does not seem to be serious as he can start off the bench. 

Juventus Vice-President Pavel Nedved said, “it was time to rejuvenate the squad’ at the Allianz Stadium. We aim to be competitive in Italy and Europe. We won for many years, and it was time to rejuvenate the squad  – Juventus. With the right mix of experienced players like [Gianluigi] Buffon, [Giorgio Chiellini] and [Leonardo] Bonucci, and young players like Chiesa and De Ligt.We have tried to build the present and the future of the club, with the aim of being competitive in Italy and in Europe, to continue winning.”

Fiorentina host AC Milan at the Artemio Franchi as Dusan Vlahovic comes up against his idol Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The Rossoneri have won 10 of their 12 league games following a Milan derby draw, while Fiorentina have been inconsistent as they have both won and lost half of their fixtures. Milan could become the second team in Serie A history to win 16 away games in a single calendar year after Napoli racked up 18 away wins four years ago. They are also one of just two sides yet to lose a single point from a winning position in Serie A so far this term. For Fiorentina, they will be without their star defender Nikola Milenkovic as he picked up a red card against Juventus, Lorenzo Venuti and Gaetano Castrovilli are the injury concerns for La Viola. For Milan Samu Castillejo, Junior Messies and Mike Maignan are long term injuries as Theo Hernandez also looks doubtful for the clash.

Vlahovic told the broadcaster, “I certainly like Ibra more for his character and the desire to never give up . He never allowed anyone to command him, then the monstrous plays… Let’s leave it. When we lost 3-2 in Florence, I took advantage of the fact that he might not be very angry and asked him for the shirt. He signed it for me, we took a photo and wrote the dedication in our language. He told me to continue and never give up. I’m not very good at speaking when I meet an idol.”

Current Serie A leader Napoli face their tough test this season as they face Inter at the San Siro. In 34 head-to-head encounters between the two sides, the record is fairly even. Inter Milan have won 12 games, lost 13 and drawn nine. For Simone Inzaghi’s side this is an opportunity to close the gap between the runaway leaders as they can cut down the lead to 4 points if they win the fixture. For Inter they are going through a mini injury crisis with Edin Dzeko among those who looked to be out but who should be at least be available in the matchday squad, they will missing centre back Stefan De Vrij as he will be replaced by Alessandro Bastoni who apparently has recovered from his muscle injury, Lautaro Martinez is another doubt for this fixture. For Napoli, they will have Kalidou Koulibaly back following his suspension for a red card as Luciano Spaletti will have a full squad to choose from.

Also read: Serie A: AC Milan hold on for a draw against Inter as Napoli also drop points against Hellas Verona

The other fixtures are:

• Atalanta vs Spezia
• Verona vs Empoli
• Genoa vs Roma
• Bologna vs Venezia
• Sassuolo vs Cagliari
• Torino vs Udinese
   

Kampala Nov 18 (Badminton news) World number one Pramod Bhagat defeated Deada Jean Yves Yao from Ivory Coast in under 22 minutes in the Uganda International Para Badminton tournament here on Thursday.

This was his second win in the singles SL3 category. The score read 21-13 21-9.

The ace shuttler also won his mixed doubles match where he partnered Palak Kohli. The pair defeated India's Shanthiya Viswanathan and Uganda's Bashir Mutyaba in straight sets 21-11 21 12.

In SL3 classification, athletes with lower limb impairment compete.

Sukant Kadam, in SL4 category, did not break a sweat in beating Nigeria's Ousmane Habi Adamou in 18 minutes. The world number five breezed past his opponent to win 21-4 21-5 in straight games.

He along with Jyothi Jyothi also won their first mixed doubles round against Italy's Davide Posenato and Rosa Efomo De Marco 22-20 21-17. The match lasted for 29 minutes.

Also Read : BWF gives Prakash Padukone lifetime achievement award

News Source : PTI

(Football news) France comfortably made it into next year's World Cup after a 2-0 victory over Finland. On the other hand Finland missed out on playoff position after Ukraine won 2-0 against Bosnia Herzegovina. For France it was a straightforward victory as substitute Benzema combined with Mbappe for the first goal in the 66 minute, the provider of the first goal then got into the act after Mbappe curled a glorious strike into the far corner, this was Mbappe’s fifth goal in two matches for France. Reigning world champions France have now scored in their last 18 games, matching a record that dates back to 1999-2000. With this result France finished the Group with 18 points, 6 points clear of Ukraine.

"We wanted to finish on a high and we're happy we did it. Now we're looking forward to the World Cup. With the team we have it's natural to think about (winning) it”, said Benzema

Belgium already secured their qualification last match week, drawing 1-1 against Wales, who will go into the playoffs in order to qualify for Qatar 2022. Roberto Martinez handed a lot of debuts as Kevin De Bruyne silenced the home team at 12 minutes after he scored a beautifully curled goal but Wales levelled shortly after the half an hour mark when Daniel James cross evaded everyone and found Kiefer Moore who took a touch and scored. As it transpired, the draw was enough to seal what could be a crucial home advantage in March's play-off semi-finals. Wales had already guaranteed a play-off place thanks to their success in the Nations League, and their point against Belgium was enough to secure second spot in Group E despite the third-place Czech Republic's win over Estonia.

“When the crowd is behind us like it was tonight, we'll take on anyone. I was a blubbering wreck in the huddle with the players at full-time – a very emotional time for me. We're not done yet, we're dreaming of a World Cup but it's definitely achievable.We're always going to miss Gareth Bale but there's so much he brings to this team off the pitch too, just having him around the dressing room.I couldn't be prouder. I was very emotional at the end. We'll go against anyone at home. We respect the teams but we don't fear anyone. Bring it on. To be part of a World Cup would be unbelievable.'' said boss Page
Netherlands won 2-0 against Norway, which was a costly loss as they missed out on a playoff spot to Turkey. Netherlands on the other hand booked their place at the World Cup after missing out on the last two editions. Two late goals from Steven Bergwijn and Memphis Depay made sure that this time around they topped the group and earned automatic qualification. Norway have not qualified for the finals of a World Cup since France 1998, while they have not reached a European Championship since 2000. As a result Turkey now have the chance to qualify after a 2-1 comeback win over Montenegro

Also read:FIFA 2022 World Cup qualifiers: Kane drives England to Qatar as Italy suffered a shock draw and will have to play in the playoff
 
The other significant results were:
Montenegro 1 (Beciraj) - 2 Turkey (Akturkoglu, Kokcu)
Bosnia 0 - 2 Ukraine (Zinchenko, Dovbyk)
Czech Republic 2 (Brabec, Sykora) - 0 Estonia

Sports medicine is an integral but an often underappreciated aspect of the sporting industry, especially in India where in comparison to other aspects of the medical field, it’s still finding its own feet but is quickly growing with the rise of sporting leagues in the country. To know more about sports science and medicine, Dr. Aashish Contractor, Director: Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine at Sir H.N. Reliance Foundation Hospital spoke exclusively to SPOGO about how the industry has grown over the years, it’s accessibility across all levels of sport, the awareness of sports medicine amongst athletes, adopting practices from the western world and much more!

Q 1) Please share your view on sports medicine in India? Has sporting leagues / participation in sports, helped in bringing some much needed attention to the industry?

Firstly, it’s important to realize that when we use the word sports medicine, it actually covers a very large area of services. Traditionally, people view sports medicine as if somebody gets injured, the treatment of that injury is sports medicine. While that is definitely one aspect of sports medicine, it’s certainly not the only aspect and it’s very limiting to think of it in those terms. Sports medicine, or rather a better terminology is sports science and medicine tends to also include things like sports physiology (exercise physiology), biomechanics, nutrition, strength and conditioning, sports psychology and all of this falls under the broad umbrella of sports medicine with sports injuries being just one aspect of it.

If we look at this broad array of sports medicine, certainly there is no question that its presence is increasing in India over the last few decades and it’s getting unquestionably more and more. When defined in those terms, the sports medicine industry is growing. The presence of sporting leagues has definitely brought some much needed attention to the industry. Starting with the IPL, the emphasis on fitness, strength and conditioning, nutrition, psychology has definitely increased. Obviously, the IPL is the major league in the country but as the other leagues are coming up they are also helping in spreading the movement.

Q2) How has the sports medicine industry grown over the years and how do you envision it to evolve in the future?

Sports injury physiotherapy has been around there for a long time and has been constantly evolving as it is getting more sophisticated. The other services have home grown professionals and even today a large majority are those who have worked and returned from Western countries, but now more courses are offered in India as there is rapid interest growing in the local market.

Q 3) According to you, what is the reason athletes travel abroad for treatment, is it because we lack the infrastructure or we do not have adequate experienced doctors to cater to the sports medicine segment? Is anything being done to rectify the issues?

From what I see, athletes are usually travelling abroad for surgeries. There are surgeons who specialise in certain surgeries and the volume of sports speciality surgery is higher in the west. Surgery is done specially for sports, but today there are skilled surgeons across India and the need for athletes to travel abroad for surgeries has lessened. In terms of sports, the number of orthopedic doctors have increased a lot over the past decade.

Q 4) What must be done to ensure sports medicine is accessible to athletes across all levels, especially the grassroots?

Wherever the government and it's authorities are involved, they at the very least need to have a good sports physio with emphasis being on the term 'very least'. It's been a bit of a chicken and egg situation in the past where there have been individuals who haven't been trained properly and because of that the services weren't utilised. Other side of it is where because the services weren't asked for, people didn't get trained. I think all of that is changing, as more trained people are available, services will be more accessible and the cost factor will also drop.

Also read: My aim is to create opportunities and make sports accessible to all - Jay Jhaveri, Founder of Sportsfort

Q 5) Do you think there is enough knowledge and information amongst the athletes, about the need of sports medicine, as this is a critical component of any athletes’ performance lifecycle?

It's a bit of a mixed bag in my opinion. Today most athletes certainly recognise the benefits and requirement of having a physio as a part of their team. In the other aspects of sports medicine it is certainly growing. It could've been more but it is growing.

Q 6) Currently, Italy is said to have the best public pre-medical screenings with athletes needing to obtain periodical certification of eligibility to compete in sports. Do you think a similar practice needs to be widely adopted in India across sports?

The Italy screening is always been an area of debate in the sports medicine world, there is an European camp which tends to believe in screening and using in ECG’s, whereas Italy is unique because they use ECG’s for everyone from high school formal teams and upwards, the thing is that it is not the same in certain parts of Europe and completely different in America. There has been a controversy that doing this will save lives or in the long run it is not safe and may cut so many careers short. The thing that happens is that when you see the abnormalities on the ECG, you then tend to do further testing and there are some other abnormalities you can live with or some of them you have to get treated. I think today on a country wide level we need good screening programs and protocols, it is not necessary we follow the Italian method of screening, we can follow an Indian model as well.

Q 7) Recently, footballer Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest during a Euros group stage match and was resuscitated by a defibrillator. Do sporting events in India also ensure such medical equipment is accessible in case of emergencies and if not, why?

The awareness is certainly increasing and as far as I know the major events have medical equipment that include ambulances and defibrillators, in the smaller events it is non-existent but the main goal is to raise awareness and personally I’m trying to get medical equipment in the well known clubs at least. To answer your question, yes, the awareness is increasing but a lot of improvement is required.

(Football news) The Qatar 2022 World Cup has been marred by controversy ever since the country was announced as a host on 2nd December 2010. There have been allegations of bribery to FIFA officials amounting to an estimated $880 million in secret deals to the human rights violations. Moreover, the World Cup is traditionally held in the summer months but with temperatures in Qatar reaching upto 50 °C (122 °F), the 2022 edition will be held in the months of November and December, resulting in a complete overhaul of club calendars for the year as the international tournament will take place in the middle of the domestic seasons.

According to a media report, an estimated 6,500 migrant workers from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka have lost their lives in Qatar during the preparations for the 2022 World Cup with harsh working conditions, wage abuse, lack of rights to migrant workers cited as some other factors that have resulted in protests amongst international football teams against the World Cup. Despite Qatar’s government telling Al Jazeera that they have made several reforms over the years to improve working conditions and labour rights, it has done little to pacify many who are appalled by the death toll and the state of affairs leading to the tournament.

Amnesty International have sent a letter to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, asking the football authority to use its leverage against the Qatari authorities to end the abuse of migrant workers. The Netherlands national team have publicly expressed support for the migrant workers by wearing t-shirts emblazoned with the words “Football supports change”. The Norwegian players wore t-shirts stating “HUMAN RIGHTS” and “On and off the pitch”. The German team wore black shirts, each with a single letter that spelled “HUMAN RIGHTS” when they stood together. 

In August 2020, Qatar announced changes to the labour law, including removing the need for an NOC - requiring the employers permission to switch jobs and said it has “always been transparent about the health and safety of workers”. A spokesperson said “Since construction [of stadiums] began in 2014, there have been three work-related fatalities and 35 non-work-related deaths,” a representative said. “The SC [organising committee] has investigated each case, learning lessons to avoid any repeat in the future.” 

Qatar’s Government Communication Office (GCO) in a statement said that the country “has made substantial progress on labour reforms and it continues to work with NGOs… to ensure that these reforms are far-reaching and effective. We have improved health and safety standards for workers, strengthened the capacity of labour inspectors… increased the penalties for companies that violate the law.” With England having qualified for the 2022 World Cup, Gareth Southgate’s players are also expected to join the Netherlands, Norway and Germany players by expressing solidarity with the migrant workers.

Also read: FIFA 2022 World Cup qualifiers: Kane drives England to Qatar as Italy suffered a shock draw and will have to play in the playoffs

(Football news) England secured a safe passage to Qatar 2022 as they routed San Marino 10-0, this was the first time that England hit double figures in a competitive game. England's captain Harry Kane scored all four goals in the first half including two penalties, to move his international goal tally to 48 which is tied with Gary Lineker and only five goals away from Wayne Rooney to become the country’s all time leading goal scorer. Kane finished 2021 with 16 goals for England which is also a national record for a calendar year. Goals from Harry Maguire, Emile Smith Rowe, Tyrone Mings, Tammy Abraham, Bukayo Saka and an own goal from Filippo Fabbri sealed a historic win for the three Lions. With this result England finished on top of Group I with 26 points, six points clear of second place Poland on 20 points.

"Fantastic. It came to the last game and we were expected to win tonight but we've done a good job. Fantastic to go through," the 28-year-old Kane said

England coach Gareth Southgate said, “If we left him for another half an hour, we would have had Wayne Rooney's family on the phone. He is a phenomenal goal scorer. We wanted to give him the chance tonight and he took it well. We cannot do anything about the level of opposition, but the mentality and the way they applied themselves was terrific.”

Northern Ireland produced a spirited performance against the European Champions Italy to deny them an automatic qualification spot as they drew 0-0. Now subsequently Italy will have to qualify for Qatar 2022 the hard way as they are into the playoffs, Italy knew that they had to win after Switzerland beat Bulgaria 4-0  as the Jorginho penalty miss will hurt even more. The Azzurri's were not at their usual best, they were missing captain Giorgio Chiellini, first choice striker Ciro Immobile and key midfielder Marco Verratti but Italy still had a lot of match winners on the field. The Italians hardly created any clear cut opportunities as they kept bumping against a green and white wall. With this disappointing draw Switzerland topped the group C with 18 points as Italy finished second with 16 points.

Italy coach Roberto Mancini  after the match said, “We can't do anything about it now, we have this game in March and will try to give our best. At the moment we are struggling to score goals, despite dominating possession. Northern Ireland put everyone in defence and we struggle to break sides like that down.We missed two penalties in the two key matches, that means that we had things under our control, but if you don't create chances you're going to find yourself in difficulty, I have faith, let's see in March, but we might even win it”

Switzerland against all odds stamped their ticket to Qatar 2022 after a 4-0 win against Bulgaria. In the first half, Switzerland dominated from the get go but couldn’t really score before half time but in the second half Noah Okafor converted with a header after Xherdan Shaqiri found him with a inch perfect cross, the second goal came in the 57th minute after Ruben Vargas lashed home a finish at the near post, and two late goals from Cedric Itten and Remo Freluer capped of an historical night in Lucerne. 

Shaqiri said, “It's like a dream for me in my 100th game for Switzerland," an excited Shaqiri told reporters. “I have to pay a big compliment to the team. We believed in it, we went into this match with confidence. Seldom has a day been as beautiful. We also have to say thank you to (coach) Murat Yakin”, Shaqiri said. “It was not easy for him to follow in Vladimir Petkovic's footsteps. He did a great job, the team is in excellent shape. It's fun to play with this team. A lot of players were missing, it would be nice if everyone could have been there ... we're all going to Qatar together!"

Also read: FIFA 2022 World Cup qualifiers: Portugal get shocked as Spain and Croatia qualify for next years World Cup

The other results were:

• Scotland 2 (Souttar, Che Adams) - 0 Denmark
• Austria 4 (Arnautovic x2, Trimmel, Ljubicic) - 1 Moldova (Nicolaescu)
• Poland 1 (Swiderski) - 2 Hungary (Schafer, Gazdag)
• Albania 1 (Cekici)(pen) - 0 Andorra

The fixtures for today are:

• Finland vs France
• Netherlands vs Norway
• Wales vs Belgium
• Bosnia vs Ukraine
• Czech Republic vs Estonia

(Football news) Portugal suffered a massive dent in their hopes to qualify for Qatar 2022 as they lost 2-1 against Serbia. With this loss, Ronaldo and co will head into the March playoffs with the other group runner ups in a bid to reach the World Cup next year. In the first half, Portugal got off to a dream start as Renato Sanches scored within the first 2 minutes after Bernardo Silva robbed Nemanja Gudelj off the ball at the edge of the box and fed the ball to Sanches who drove past Rajkovic from 15 metres. However, the lead did not last for too long as Tadic’s deflected shot from 20 metres was spilled by Patrico’s in the 33rd minute. The story of the second was completely different, both the sides looked cagey as second half substitute Mitrovic had the last laugh after he rose highest to meet Tadic’s cross from the right to score one of the most important goal in Serbian football history.

Dragan Stojkovic after the match said, “We came here to play football and having been the better side, we earned it all. We are reaping the rewards of hard work and the belief that we would be able to defy the odds and beat Portugal. We are overjoyed, for our country and the people first and foremost. We deserved to win tonight as the lads showed so much character. This is a massive accomplishment for Serbian football. The team showed maturity and composure under the most intense pressure and I would have said the same thing if it had stayed 1-1 and we got confined to the playoffs."

When asked about the World Cup playoffs, Santos said, “It looked like it was going to be, but it wasn't. We scored the goal, we had the initial moments. But then we started to drop deep. The players tried. But then we didn't turn the game on. Every time we did, we created problems. But most of the time we couldn't. Serbia were better. We tried. Our DNA is to have the ball on our feet and play. Bernardo Silva wanted the ball, but he was the only one. We played with fear and anxiety. It's my responsibility. We'll be in Qatar. We know we didn't do what we should, but we'll be there. We've always played to win and think about the offensive moment. But it doesn't always turn out as we want. And it's my responsibility."

Spain confirmed their place in Qatar next year with a 1-0 victory over Sweden, Luis Enrique’s side knew that a point would have been enough for them to qualify but the pressure on La Roja was a lot. Spain as usual started dominating possession but without making proper inroads at Robin Olsen’s goal, on the other hand Sweden were sitting back and playing on the counter. The Swedes created the best opportunities through Emil Forsberg and Alexander Isak on the counter attacks. It looked like the game would head for a draw but when Dani Olmo’s stunning strike rebounded off the woodwork, Morata calmly slotted the ball into the net. It will be Spain's 16th appearance in 22 World Cups and the last time they failed to qualify was in 1974.

“We knew it was a life and death situation and we wanted to qualify at any cost. Nobody said it was going to be easy and I'm happy for our people," Sergio Busquets told reporters.  

Luis Enrique after the match said, “I have taken off a 100 kilo backpack. I have felt more pressure in this qualifying phase than in the Euros or the ‘Final Four’ of the Nations League, I have taken a great weight off my shoulders. I am focused on having a good World Cup and I know that if a coach does not win, he receives criticism. This is how this wonderful circus of football can be and I accept it. When there is salsa, we dance salsa. And when it’s time to dance pegaditos, we do that. What really motivates me is seeing the response of the players and of all the people who are part of the Federation.”

The 2018 runners up Croatia qualified for the World next year after a narrow 1-0 victory over Russia. A late own goal from Fyodor Kudryashov saw Croatia leapfrog Russia in Group H on the last matchday. Germany finished off their qualification campaign in style after a 4-1 victory over Armenia. Goals from Havertz, two from Gundogan and Hofmann were enough to secure the three points for them, With this result Germany finished with 27 points, eleven clear of North Macedonia.

Also read: FIFA 2022 World Cup qualifiers: England overwhelm Albania as Italy held to an unwanted against Switzerland
   
The other results were:

• North Macedonia 3 (Alioski, Elmas x2) - 1 Iceland (Porsteinsson)
• Slovenia 2 (Zajc, Cerin) - 1 Cyprus (Kakoullis)
• Malta 0 - 6 Slovakia (Rusnak x2, Duda x3, Morlacchi)
• Greece 1 (Masouras)  - 1 Kosovo (Rrahmani)
• Luxembourg 0 - 3 Ireland (Duffy, Ogbene, Robison)

(Football news) Heartbreaking reports have emerged from Barcelona as Sergio Aguero who had been ruled out for 3 months after heart problems might be forced to hang up his boots. Aguero had to be subbed off at the 42nd minute against Deportivo Alaves after he complained about chest pains.

The Argentine’s incredible career may come to a premature end which is something football fans all around the world would not want to happen. After 10 glorious years at Manchester City, Aguero returned to Spain where he previously played for Atletico Madrid. His tenure didn't start well as he picked up an injury before the season started and his mate Lionel Messi who was one of the reasons he signed for the Blaugrana left the club.

The 33-year-old has struggled with injuries for the past couple of seasons and had to wait for 2 months after joining Barcelona to make his debut. This time he has been officially ruled out for 3 months but now the issue has been reported to be much more severe than it seemed at first. Despite the reports, Aguero said via twitter that he is following the instructions of the medical experts and will see his progress after 90 days. The striker also said that he is always positive in any situation.

Also read: Barcelona re-sign Dani Alves five years after his departure from Camp Nou

Christian Eriksen also had a similar issue after he collapsed at the Euros. The Danish midfielder isn't allowed to play in Italy but can continue his career elsewhere. The cases of heart problems in footballers are rising day by day. What is surprising is that the medical staff is not able to diagnose any of these problems. The ridiculous amount of fixtures being played in football these days is definitely one of the reasons. VAR could be identified as another with the play being allowed to continue further than it was before causing players to work more and unnecessarily. The good thing is that the issue has now come to light and hopefully football doctors all around the world can come up with a solution.

If Aguero's career is indeed over then what a career he has had. With 282 career goals including that iconic last minute goal against QPR, Aguero's name will be written in football history in gold letters. His absence is a huge blow to new Barcelona manager Xavi who would've surely loved to have Kun at his disposal.

(Football news) England almost confirmed their place for next year's World Cup as they won 5-0 against Albania. Gareth Southgate’s side need just a point from their last match to confirm their automatic qualification spot for Qatar 2022. In the first half, England were in rampant form, Harry Maguire started the party with a header but then England just went strength to strength as Harry Kane completed a first half perfect hattrick, Jordan Herderson also got in on the action as England just completely killed the game in the first half. The second half failed to live upto expectation, the hosts continued to maintain control of the match as Albania did stifle some threats but the second remained goalless. With this result England moved to 23 points, three clear of Poland.

Southgate said “Form is always temporary, what pleased me most was his all-round performance. We know he’s going to score goals. I liked the way he was aggressive in his hold-up play and running in behind. His link play was on song. We had good movement around him, particularly from Raheem Sterling and Phil Foden. We’ll make a decision on the team on Monday. There are a few thousand England fans going to San Marino. We’ve still not qualified for the World Cup. We want to put a performance on.”

Italy could have secured their position in next year’s World Cup but couldn’t as they drew 1-1 against Switzerland. In the first half the visitors took the lead when a rocket of a strike from Silvan Widmer found the back of the net in the 10th minute, eventually the Euro 2020 champions found their way back as Givoanni Di Lorenzo made it 1-1 before the break. In the second half there were plenty of opportunities for both of the teams, Italy had the best chance in the 90th minute but Jorginho skied his penalty over the bar. With this result it all comes down to the final match as both the teams are level on 15 points but Italy are ahead on goal difference.

Roberto Mancini said after the match,  “We missed a penalty in the first leg and one in the return, these things happen. Jorginho felt like kicking it and it’s right that he did. He is one of the penalty takers in the teamIn the first half we suffered and struggled. Then we came out well but missed the winning goal against Northern Ireland. We started with an advantage, and that’s not a small one. If we play well and score the goals we didn’t score today. It was a difficult game and we were conditioned by the goal conceded, it’s a shame that we didn’t score in the second half.”

Already qualified Denmark continued their amazing run in the World Cup qualifiers as they won 3-1 against Faroe Island. Goals from Olsen, Larsen and Maehle were enough to maintain their perfect record in the qualification record but they also conceded their first goal this qualification campaign. Poland maintained their World Cup qualification dream as they secured second place in Group I as they won 4-1 against Andorra. Two goals from Robert Lewandowski, Jozwiak and Milik were enough to seal all three points for them. Scotland also confirmed second place in Group F with a 2-0 victory over Moldova as goals from Patterson and Adams was enough for them to move to 20 points from 9 matches.

Also read: FIFA 2022 World Cup qualifiers: Sweden get shocked, Germany hit cloud nine with a victory as Portugal held to an unlikely draw

The results of the other fixtures were:

• Austria 4 (Arnautovic(pen), Schaub x2, Sabitzer) - 2 Israel (Bitton, Peretz)
• Hungary 4 (Szoboszlai x2, Gazdag, Vecsei) - 0 San Marino
• Northern Ireland 1 (Stakus)(og) - 0 Lithuania

Today's fixtures are:

• Bosnia vs Finland
• Norway vs Latvia
• Belgium vs Estonia
• France vs Kazakhstan
• Montenegro vs Netherlands 
   

(Football news) European champions Italy will face Switzerland at the Stadio Olympic on Friday with the likes of Niccolo Zaniolo, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Ciro Immobile currently injured. Roberto Mancini has already announced a strong squad for the fixture with the likes of Gianluigi Donnarumma, Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini, Nicolo Barella, Jorginho and Lorenzo Insigne expected to feature. There is also a possibility that Lazio’s Danilo Cataldi and Torino’s Tommaso Pobega could be handed their debuts.

For Switzerland, goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, Nico Elvedi, Steven Zuber, Breel Embolo, Gregor Kobel and Granit Xhaka are currently injured while Yann Sommer, Fabian Schar, Remo Freuler and Xherdan Shaqiri are expected to feature. The two sides have met 59 times with Italy winning 29 games, 23 draws and seven losses. Roberto Mancini’s team will not just be the favourites to win this particular encounter but one of the favourites to win the World Cup in Qatar and any result apart from a win for the Gli Azzurri will be an upset.

Germany will have a lot to prove at the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup, having endured extremely disappointing campaigns in the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the Euros this year. However, the team looks to have found its form under coach Hansi Flick and became the first team to qualify for the Qatar World Cup with a 4-0 victory over North Macedonia. Germany will take on Liechtenstein who are currently at the bottom of Group J with only one point from eight matches so far.

Germany are in fine form, winning four out of their last four matches and have a 100% record against Liechtenstein, winning all five of the previous fixtures. Timo Werner, Florian Wirtz and Nico Schlotterbeck are currently injured while a positive COVID-19 result of Niklas Sule has resulted in Joshua Kimmich, Serge Gnabry, Jamal Musiala and Karim Adeyemi to self isolate. Despite the number of absentees, Hansi Flick’s side are expected to secure all three points and maintain their impressive form in the World Cup qualifiers.

Also read: Bundesliga: Bayern on course for their 11th consecutive title after Dortmund dropped all three points to RB Leipzig


In Group B, Greece will host Spain in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, hoping to make amends after their 2-0 defeat to Sweden and are currently in third place with nine points. It’s a must win game for them if they have any hope of qualifying for the World Cup but face a tough test in Spain who have won back to back matches against Georgia and Kosovo and are currently 2nd in the group with 13 points. Luis Enrique will be hoping for a positive result as La Roja need only a point to secure qualification to Qatar and a win will ensure they go ahead of Sweden at the top of the group.

For Greece, there are no injuries but Pantelis Chatzidiakos is suspended after receiving a red card against Sweden. For Spain, Ansu Fati is currently recovering from an injury and has been replaced by Raul de Tomas. Yeremi Pino is also injured and has been replaced by Brais Mendez while Diego Llorente takes the place of Eric Garcia who is also injured. Anything less than a win will be a big blow for Greece and the home side will be under immense pressure with what’s at stake heading into the match.

Fernando Santos’ Portugal are set to face off against Republic of Ireland in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, the Seleção das Quinas are currently 2nd in Group A behind Serbia by one point but have a game in hand and will be looking to make it count in the upcoming fixture. The last time the two teams met, Cristiano Ronaldo scored a brace in the 89th and 96th minute to secure all three points and the 36 year old is looking in fine form for his national team, scoring a hat-trick against Luxembourg in the last match. Portugal are expected to win this fixture and it’s likely that Ronaldo will be on the scoresheet again, having already scored 11 goals in nine appearances for the national team so far.

Hailing from Hyderabad, 15 year old Veeravamsham Vaishnavi is already making a name for herself in the sailing world. This year, she has already won the silver medal at the Monsoon Regatta, the gold medal at the 35th Hyderabad sailing week, a bronze medal at the Radial YAI Senior national and has now set her sights on bigger and better honours.

In this exclusive interview with SPOGO, Veeravamsham Vaishnavi speaks about her journey in sailing, her idols in the sport, the influence of her coach Mr. Suheim Sheikh and the Yacht Club of Hyderabad, her experience at the World Sailing Championship in Italy, overcoming challenges and her future goals.

Q 1) When did you first start sailing and what made you get into the sport?

I started sailing in September 2017, the uniqueness of the sport is what caught my interest as I had never heard about sailing before. My coach and mentor Mr. Suheim Sheikh has played a big role in motivating me in my career.

Q 2) Who do you look up to in sailing and why?

I look up to Mr Vishnu Saravanan because I like the way he sails, with style and confidence. In addition, the fact that he is an Olympic sailor motivates me to become more like him, he’s very inspiring!

Q 3) How has the journey transformed since joining the Yacht Club of Hyderabad under coach Mr. Suheim Sheikh?

Ever since I’ve joined the Yacht Club of Hyderabad, I’ve been very happy as they have given me a platform to perform at both the National and International tournaments, something I could never have imagined and that exposure has given me a lot of confidence both personally and professionally. I feel blessed to have Mr. Suheim Sheikh, my coach and mentor in my journey as a professional sailor.

Also read: Awareness in sporting activities has led to the demand of sports health science professionals in India - Dr. Rakesh Chakule, Sports Injury & Sport Medicine specialist

Q 4) You had participated in the World Sailing Championship in Italy, what impact did it have on you?

The experience in Italy was very good, I learned a lot of things that improved my qualities as a sailor and I also became familiar with the international sailing rules. I have realized that to improve myself professionally, I need to participate in more International Championships and compete at the highest level.

Q 5) What are some of the challenges that you faced and how did you overcome them?

Sailing is a lot more challenging than it may appear. Some of the challenges we face are wind, waves and weather.

a) Determining the position and maintaining direction depends on the knowledge of wind and the current weather

b) Keeping a calm and clear mind before Championships and executing plans perfectly.

c) Reading the mind of the opponent and observing their mistakes to gain an advantage 

Q 6) What are some of your future goals and how do you plan to achieve them?

My future goal is to get into the army or the defence forces and I also want to become a sailing coach in the future.
 

(Tennis news) The Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals will begin from tomorrow as the young superstars will battle with each other for the crown. The withdrawal of defending champion Jannik Sinner has made way for Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune making his debut at the event as Felix Auger Aliassime has also skipped the event since he is playing at the ongoing Stockholm Open. This year all the 8 players will be making their debut and these are the top four players to watch out for.

Carlos Alcaraz

The Spaniard is the highest ranked player in the field and also the youngest player. The 18 year old had reached the fourth round at Paris Masters by beating world number 9 Jannik Sinner in the third round, he also reached the semifinals at Vienna by beating Mario Berrerttini on the way. One of the rising stars this year, Carlos became the youngest quarterfinal at the US Open in the open era and can make it big here this time. Carlos won his first ATP tour title at Umag this year. Carlos is an aggressive baseliner who uses his raw power in his groundstrokes.

Sebastian Korda

The 21 year old is the oldest player in the draw, Korda started the year with a runner up finish at Delray Beach and reached the quarterfinals at Miami Masters 1000. Korda won his first ATP tour title at Parma without dropping a set and went on to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon. One of the most skillful players in the draw, Sebastian can play from the baseline as well as come up on the net for some neatly played volleys.

Brandon Nakashima

Brandon made a breakthrough this year when he reached two consecutive finals in two weeks at Los Cabos and Atlanta. He defeated John Isner in straight sets at Los Cabos and lost to him in the finals at Atlanta, he again defeated the giant server at the US Open. Brandon also defeated Fabio Fognini at San Diego and also reached the quarterfinals at Antwerp. Brandon has the ability to play well in pressure along with returning strong serves which was clearly evident in matches against Isner.

Hugo Gaston

Gaston was ranked 103 in the world before his quarterfinal run at Paris Masters which pulled his ranking to 67. He was the final player to qualify for the event and with his current form is the dark horse. Gaston has incredible court coverage although he is one of the shortest players on tour as he is 5 feet 8 inches and defeated Alcaraz at Paris which involved coming back from 0-5 to take the next seven games to win the match. Gaston is the second oldest player after Sebastian and can manage more upsets when he lands in Italy.

Also read: Novak Djokovic gets US Open revenge over Daniil Medvedev at Paris Masters, Tim Pütz and Michael Venus win doubles title

(Football news) The 30 year old midfielder collapsed during Denmark's match against Finland at Euro 2020 and needed to be treated on the field before being rushed to the hospital. He was subsequently fitted with an ICD (implantable cardioverter defibrillator) to monitor his heart beat and it also sends shocks to the heart if necessary, but the Italian FA have ruled out Eriksen’s fitness as they cannot rely on ICD heart starter and therefore he is not allowed to play in Serie A.

Italy bans players both professional and amateur players from competing in the league if they have any significant heart abnormalities and the FA revealed that the Dane must have it removed to play in Italy again, as it will show that he would have no further heart problems. This will certainly make Erisken move out of Italy and go somewhere else. Former Manchester United player Daley Blind was also fitted with an ICD after being diagnosed with heart muscle inflammation, but has continued to play for Ajax as well as play for Holland internationally. 

In a club statement on Thursday, Inter Milan said: "With reference to the registration rights of the player Eriksen, it should be noted that following a serious injury which occurred during the European Championship in June 2021, the player has been temporarily inhibited by the Italian medical authority from sporting activity in the current season. Although the current conditions of the player don't meet the requirements of achieving sporting fitness in Italy, the same could instead be achieved in other countries where the player could resume competitive activity,"

Leading NHS cardiologist Dr Scott Murray claimed: “It probably is (the end of his career) for him. The Italians stop people participating in sport if they are found to have a significant cardiac abnormality, it's in law. They've been doing that for a long time, beyond 20 years and they've reduced the death rates from cardiac arrests in sport from beyond 3 percent down to below one percent. He (Eriksen) comes from an Italian club so he must have had all of the tests before he started (playing for Inter). The Italians are the best at screening for heart disease in competitive athletes. Italy has the greatest pre-participation screening in the world which tries to reduce events, but he still has an event on the pitch. So even if you screen, it can still happen. It's going to be difficult for him to eliminate, he's still going to (be) that 0.01 percent of people who will still have something happen”

According to the rumour mill Erisken might be tempted to go back to Dutch side Ajax if there is a possibility, the Everdivise does not have the same restrictions as Serie A which could mean he would be able to continue playing with an ICD. It is thought that the nineteen-time Italian champions do not expect to sell Eriksen for a fee, but instead will terminate his contract and allow him to join another club.

Also read: Three things Antonio Conte has to fix immediately at Tottenham Hotspur

The risk of playing with a heart problem is quite serious as we saw with Sergio Aguero who has been ruled with a cardiac evaluation, after he complained of chest pain during Barca’s 1-1 draw against Alaves. Heart issues are something that over the past years have been taken very seriously as the intensity and physical exertion of the sport sometimes takes toll on the body, the FA’s have made it mandatory for clubs to conduct regular medicals of the players to check their fitness and any other problems.
 

(Football news) Tottenham Hotspur have announced that Antonio Conte will take over the role of Head Coach until the summer of 2023 with an option to extend. The London based side sacked Nuno Espírito Santo after just 4 months yesterday after Spurs lost to Manchester United 3-0. Conte has a wealth of experience and success as a manager, having won a hat-trick of Scudettos for Juventus, winning the Premier League with Chelsea and leading the Italy national team to the quarter-finals of Euro 2016. He also guided Inter Milan to their first Serie A title in 11 years in 2020/21, thereby ending Juventus’ dominance.

Antonio Conte said: “I am extremely happy to return to coaching, and to do so at a Premier League club that has the ambition to be a protagonist again. Tottenham Hotspur has state-of-the-art facilities and one of the best stadiums in the world. I can't wait to start working to convey to the team and the fans the passion, mentality and determination that have always distinguished me, as a player and as a coach. 

“Last summer our union did not happen because the end of my relationship with Inter was still too recent and emotionally too involved with the end of the season, so I felt that it wasn’t yet the right time to return to coaching. But the contagious enthusiasm and determination of Daniel Levy in wanting to entrust me with this task had already hit the mark. Now that the opportunity has returned, I have chosen to take it with great conviction.”

Commenting on the appointment, Managing Director - Football, Fabio Paratici, said: “We are delighted to welcome Antonio to the Club. His track record speaks for itself, with vast experience and trophies in both Italy and England. I know first-hand the qualities Antonio can bring to us, having worked with him at Juventus, and look forward to seeing his work with our talented group of players.”

Conte is expected to be in charge of Tottenham’s match against Vitesse in the Group Stage of Europa Conference League which will be broadcast on Friday, 5th November at 1:30 am IST.

Also read: Tottenham Hotspur sack Nuno Espírito Santo after just 4 months

Belgrade, Nov 1 (Boxing news) Indian boxers Nishant Dev (71kg) and Sanjeet (92kg) made the quarterfinals of the AIBA Men's World Championships following impressive victories in their last-16 stage bouts here.

Nishant defeated Mexico's Marco Alvarez Verde 3-2 in a late night bout on Sunday to set up a clash with Russia's Vadim Musaev.

Sanjeet, a quarterfinalist from the previous edition, got the better of Georgia's Giorgi Tchigladze 4-1 to enter the last eight stage for a second successive time.

He will face Italy's Aziz Abbes Mouhiidine.

Later tonight, Rohit Mor (57kg), Akash Sangwan (67kg), Sumit (75kg) and five-time Asian medallist Shiva Thapa (63.5kg) will look to secure quarterfinal berths.

Rohit will face Kazakhstan's Serik Temirzhanov, while Akash will fight Cuba's Kevin Brown. Sumit will also be up against a Cuban in Yoenlis Hernandez.

Thapa will be fighting France's Lounes Hamraoui.

The gold winners at the showpiece will walk away with a prize money of USD 100,000.

The silver medallists are to be given USD 50,000, and both bronze-medallists will be awarded USD 25,000 each. The total prize purse stands at a whopping USD 2.6 million.

India are being represented by its reigning national champions across weight categories.

Also Read : AIBA Men’s World Boxing Championships features ‘Fair Chance Team’ for the first time

News Source : PTI

Bengaluru, Oct 26 (Swimming news) Three national records were rewritten, including one by ace Indian swimmer Srihari Nataraj, who bettered his own mark, on the opening day of the 74th Senior National Aquatic Championships here on Tuesday.

Nataraj improved his own national record of 55.63s in the 100m backstroke by clocking 55.10s.

Nataraj's personal best in the event is 53.77s which he clocked in Italy earlier this year to directly qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.

However, that is counted as the "Best Indian Performance" and not national record. A timing is only considered a national record when it has been achieved at the National Aquatic Championships.

Dominating the race right from the start, Nataraj got off to a strong start and was ahead of the pack in the first 50m and took further lead in the second 50m after a good turn.

Siva S of Karnataka finished second with a time of 57.60S, while Zavier Michael D'Souza of Goa won bronze clocking 58.96s.

"It’s good to be racing again after the Olympics. Though not my personal best, I am quite happy to have gone under the national record.

"I have tapered only for seven days for this meet. My focus will be on the FINA World Short Course meet this December in Abu Dhabi,” Nataraj said.

In another brilliant swim, Delhi's Kushagra Rawat came up with a sensational effort in the 400m freestyle for men as he eclipsed Sajan Prakash's record of 3:54.93 seconds set in 2018 in Trivandrum.

Rawat clocked 3:53.68s to create a new national record. He was more than three body-lengths ahead of second place finisher Aneesh Gowda of Karnataka, who timed 3:59.66s.

Shoan Ganguly of Karnataka took home the bronze with a timing of 4:00.14s.

Meanwhile, in the 100m backstroke for women, 14-year-old Ridhima Veerendrakumar shocked Olympian Maana Patel of Gujarat as the youngster from Karnataka beat her for the gold medal.

Though Ridhima missed the national record of 1:04.33s held by Maana since 2018, she finished the race with a timing of 1:04.40s to take a gold.

Maana clocked 1:05.31s and Nina Venkatesh of Karnataka finished third with a time of 1:06.39s.

In the 50m butterfly for men, two-time Olympian Prakash lived up to the billing as he clinched the gold with a time of 24.90s It was a close race with Mihir Ambre of Maharashtra and Adhitya D of TNSA giving a tough fight but Prakash, representing Kerala Police, did well to finish the race ahead of the two who ended up settling for silver as both clocked 25.08s.

In the 4x200m freestyle for men, team Karnataka broke Railways Sports Promotion Board's record set in 2016.

The team comprising of Sambhavv R, Aneesh S Gowda, Tanish George Mathew and Srihari clocked 7:37.65 to erase the previous record of 7:45.24s.

Also Read : Para-swimmer Mukundan granted bi-partite quota for Tokyo Paralympics

News Source :PTI

The Indian Premier League is undoubtedly one of the hottest properties in the sporting industry, with a value estimated to be around 7 billion dollars before the events that occurred yesterday which saw two new franchises from Lucknow and Ahmedabad being added to the existing eight. A combined amount of 12,715 crores was spent on the two teams from The RPSG Group, who spent a whooping INR 7090 crores, by far the highest bid at the auction while the surprise winners were CVC Capital, who bid INR 5625 crores.

Who are the owners?

RSPG Ventures Ltd, owners of the Lucknow franchise are previously acquainted with the Indian Premier League, having owned the Rising Pune Supergiant in 2016 and 2017 which featured the likes of MS Dhoni, Ben Stokes and Steve Smith. They have not only owned an IPL team but are the current owners of ATK Mohun Bagan in the Indian Super League (ISL) and the RPSG Mavericks Kolkata from the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) League. Their Lucknow franchise will be competing at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium which has the capacity to seat 50,000.

CVC Capital were the surprise winners of this auction as the Adani Group were favourites to be named as one of the franchise owners. The private equity firm has been very active in the sports industry, having owned Formula 1 from 2006 to 2017, investments in rugby, international volleyball and La Liga. CVC had also entered a consortium to buy a stake in the media business of Italy’s top football league, the Serie A but the deal eventually fell through due to disagreements with some clubs.

Here are all the bidders from the auction:

The lowest bid came from none other than Manchester United’s owners, the Glazer family bid an extremely conservative sum of 4128 crores for the Ahmedabad franchise and 4023 crores for the Lucknow franchise and many fans from the two states would have breathed a sigh of relief, especially considering the dire state of affairs at one of the most iconic club in world football, straddled by debt from the Glazers.

The two new franchises are set to take part from the 2022 season onwards where there would be 10 teams and 74 matches, each team would play 7 matches home and away. According to reports, the 2011 model is likely to be replicated where 10 teams were split into two loose groups where 70 league matches were played followed by four play-off games. 

For the existing owners of the eight other franchises, the valuations of the two winning bids would be music to their ears as it will invariably increase the value of their own properties. When Jindal South West (JSW) bought 50% ownership of Delhi Capitals from GMR Group, the franchise was worth an estimated 1100 crores and JSW paid half of that. The total expenditure at the auction for the new franchises lays a benchmark for future negotiations in partial or full ownership of the existing franchises, as and when the situation occurs.

How sustainable is the business model?

With a massive amount of money paid for the two new IPL franchises, the question remains if it’s a good financial decision. For any franchise, there are three main revenue streams: central rights income (share of media rights and central sponsorship), team sponsorship and gate revenue. When Star India bought the rights for the Indian Premier League in 2017, each franchise received an estimated INR 200 crores as revenue. With the inclusion of two more franchises, it’s estimated that each team will now receive between INR 275 - 300 crores as revenue for the next 10 years.

However, it’s important to note that the two new franchises have to pay their bid amount in a 10 year period, after which a 20% franchise fee from it’s overall revenue to the BCCI. What this means is that the new franchises will take a lot longer to start making profit and are looking at the IPL as a long term investment. According to Amit Mathur, a seasoned cricket administrator, an investment of this nature doesn’t make sense. He took to social media to say:

One thing is clear, few would have predicted in 2008 that the Indian Premier League would become as lucrative a business opportunity as it is today and as former England captain Michael Vaughan rightly said “With two new franchises going for huge numbers it is very clear the IPL is the most powerful aspect of the game now." 

Also read: Team's valuation would be a multiple of a few times over 10 years: Goenka

(Tennis news) Matteo Berrettini’s sparkling season continued as he qualified for the season ending championship for the second time. The Italian reached the fourth round of the Australian Open and then went even further by reaching the quarterfinals of the French Open. His Wimbledon performance was his first breakthrough in the Grand Slams where he lost in the finals to Novak Djokovic.

This season, Berrettini has had 40 victories in 50 matches. After losing in the quarterfinals of the US Open to Djokovic in September, he climbed to a career-high No. 7 in the ATP Rankings. In April, the Italian won the Serbia Open in Belgrade, defeating Aslan Karatsev of Russia. In May, he reached his first ATP Masters 1000 final, losing to Alexander Zverev of Germany and in June, he won the Cinch Championships in London, defeating Cameron Norrie of Great Britain.

He became the first Italian male tennis player to reach the fourth round of every Grand Slam tournament at the French Open. He has been impressive on all surfaces and excels in a team setting, as he powered Italy to the ATP Cup finals in January. Berrettini, an aggressive all-court player with a booming serve that can reach speeds of 146 mph (235 km/h), blasted his way to the No. 8 ranking in 2021 across all surfaces, the highest for an Italian male in more than four decades. He won two Championships, one on grass and the other on clay.

To finish off points, he uses his attacking groundstrokes and net game, and he has been known to serve-and-volley. Many have compared him to Fernando González and Juan Martin del Potro because of his aggressive style, which is based on huge serves and forehands. His play style has earned him the moniker "The Hammer."

“My words aren’t going to describe the happiness I feel in my heart," said the world number seven. “2020 was a tough year for me on and off the court. Here I am about to play my second ATP Finals and I can’t believe it.

“I always have to remember where I started. I didn’t dream about this, because it was so big, but now it’s happening. I want to do my best."

Berrettini will compete at the ATP Finals against world number one Novak Djokovic, U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev, and Andrey Rublev, with Casper Ruud and Hubert Hurkacz next in line.

Also read: Unvaccinated tennis stars will be allowed to compete at the Australian Open after fulfilling two weeks hard quarantine and regular testing

(Motorsports news) The action got underway in Sardinia today as 18 drivers had their first taste of the 7-kilometre Enel X Island X Prix course, it was the most anticipated and challenging experience so far this season.

Solid rock bases and water splashes were the new challenges in the Extreme E field, and being able to master these difficult conditions quickly ensures there is a lot of scope to improve in the series’ inaugural European round.

Alejandro Agag, Founder and CEO of Extreme E, said: “We love this location and it’s great also to see St. Helena from the course. It’s really great to be in Europe and the response we have had to the race has been fantastic.

“I would like to thank our hosts, the Italian Army, and the region of Sardinia which is truly an amazing place. It is also great to have the Island X Prix’s title sponsor, Enel X, here this weekend. We have a very long relationship with Enel X, first from Formula E and now with Extreme E.

“Sardinia has proven to be a very different setting to our last race in the Arctic in Greenland. It’s been great watching the cars out on the course, especially as it’s really tough here. We will have to see how it is with the dust and if we have rain over the weekend. We have many things in motion, and so we will have to see how it is tomorrow and during the racing on Sunday.”

Michele Cecchini, Head of E Motorsport at Enel X, said: “We at Enel X are very proud to be here as part of this championship. It’s extremely fascinating in terms of sustainability and how we can improve motorsport, and we are super excited to be a part of that.

“We want to develop technologies, we want to develop effective solutions and we believe that in motorsport we can really define what the real requirements are. We like the idea of accelerating what we are doing with motorsport, particularly in Sardinia. 

“It has been hard to see what has happened here in Sardinia, and so alongside developing sustainable solutions we are very pleased that we have been able to be part of the recovery programme here.”

A brief Shakedown session was followed by Free Practice, seeing the cars back on the course for the first time since August certainly set the tone for tomorrow’s qualifying runs and Sunday’s all-important Finals. 

Championship challenger X44 was the fastest out of the blocks in the Free Practice session, posting a total time of 11:53:421 to lead the field. SEGI TV Chip Ganassi Racing were second quickest, just under 20 seconds off X44’s pace. Behind them were the early Free Practice pace-setters Veloce Racing, who ensured they finished third fastest. XITE ENERGY RACING enjoyed a solid start to the weekend and ended the session in fourth ahead of Championship leaders Rosberg X Racing who completed the top five in the practice session.

The top-two last time out in Greenland endured a troubled start to the Enel X Island X Prix. Both Andretti United Extreme E and JBXE suffered significant damage in Free Practice which meant they were unable to complete their respective runs, with both squads in a race against time to get their cars fixed ahead of tomorrow’s qualifying sessions.

Sébastien Loeb, X44, said: “I have some good memories from Sardinia in WRC, so I like this surface to drive on. It is a bit different from what we had in the other events with a lot of sand and big ruts, so you know it is hard. It is a bit more like a rallying style of driving, with more routes and some tight corners.

“Hopefully it will be fine for us and hopefully the other teams will find the solutions to the different problems they had so we will have a good fight this weekend.”

Sara Price, SEGI TV Chip Ganassi Racing, said: “I like this kind of terrain – it reminds me of home and also the Baja. It is going well so far and we just want to keep it that way, so we’re going to go out there and do the best we possibly can.”

Carlos Sainz Snr., ACCIONA | Sainz XE Team said: “In terms of driving I really like the course. It is very complete – you have low, medium and high-speed elements and I would say it is a complete course. It is challenging and that’s good.

“We are hoping for a good weekend, but we have unfortunately not started well. We had an issue in practice which meant we couldn’t complete the run – we lost our power steering which meant that I nearly lost the car on the course. It is a pity, especially for Laia [Sanz] being unable to get a true feel for the car. It means we go into qualifying with a lot of unknowns, but hopefully we can prepare well and have a good run tomorrow."

Molly Taylor, Rosberg X Racing, said: “You have to take every corner as it comes. It is interesting because you can see that there is a lot of attrition and typically on a course like this it is more of an endurance course, but then you only have 7-kilometre of it so it is also a sprint. Managing that is certainly a challenge here. We just need to take every corner as it comes and see where we’re at and put our best foot forward.”

Catie Munnings, Andretti United Extreme E, said: “When I did the course walk, I was really nervous about it as it’s really rough and bumpy. I would say it’s one of the hardest courses we’ve had in the championship, especially after coming off smooth Greenland - but I’ve actually really enjoyed it. I thought it would be one of those things where you are trying to survive, but I managed to get in the flow with it.

“Timmy [Hansen] touched a rock on his run and that broke a rear damper. It wasn’t a perfect run for me either, but the sectors were fast and we’ll look to build on that tomorrow.”

Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky, JBXE: “We had a rough start. Neither Kevin nor I managed to do a lap in free practice so it is going to be tough for sure for tomorrow. But we had a good weekend in Greenland, we showed good pace, and we just want to keep going that way. 

“We have been watching the others, though, so we will try to figure out what are the best lines and then just drive after what we see. It is a challenging course, so I think it is about pushing where you can push and keeping it safe where you have to keep it safe.”

Qualifying for the Enel X Island X Prix gets underway tomorrow and will be shown across a number of broadcasters including Mediaset in Italy, Fox Sports in the USA, ITV, Sky Sports, BBC digital channels and BT Sport in the UK, Teledeporte in Spain, Prosieben MAXX in Germany, as well as Eurosport across most European Markets. 

Also read: Setanta Sports to broadcast Extreme E in Ukraine

All times CEST
 
Saturday 23 October
1100 – 1300 CEST      Qualifying  Round 1
1600 - 1800 CEST      Qualifying Round 2
 
Sunday 24 October
1200 – 1330 CEST     Semi Finals
1600 – 1800 CEST     Final 
 

(Motorsport news) Mercedes have installed a sixth Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) in Valtteri Bottas’ car ahead of the United States GP with the Silver Arrows using twice as many engines than the permitted limit in the Finnish racing drivers car. Bottas has had too many penalties in the last few weeks, with fresh power units installed in Italy, Russia and now the USA, which would result in a five place grid penalty.

Team principal Toto Wolff said in an interview “We've unfortunately had since mid year some reliability issues that keep coming back. I think we understand now much better what it is, but it means that there is no durability in running them and that means potential DNFs.The penalty is less than the previous one but it's still not nice because it's such a tight battle. Even if you're on the pole, you're going to have a difficult time to have back."

The unexpected inclusion of a sixth ICE component has raised doubts about Hamilton’s car as well, with only six races to go it’s a genuine possibility that the seven time World Champion may need another replacement to avoid a possible DNF and as a result, incur a grid penalty which would provide Red Bull’s Max Verstappen with an advantage in an already tight title race.

Three Mercedes powered cars will have a grid penalty at the United States GP as Sebastian Vettel’s Aston Martin and George Russell’s Williams have multiple elements being changed in their engines including Turbos and MGU-Hs. With Bottas incurring a grid penalty, it’s fair to say that we will indeed see a Verstappen vs Hamilton battle for the top spot with six points separating the two drivers at this stage of the season with only six races to go.

Also read: United States GP Preview: Six points gap, six races to go as title race heats up between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton

(Football news) With the Serie A heading into the month of November, Napoli will look to maintain their two point lead over AC Milan as they face Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma, for Milan they will be taking advantage of this situation as they face Bologna away from home. The fixture of the week is probably between Juventus vs Inter as both clubs look to consolidate their position in the table.

After a miserable start to the season, Juventus have bounced back remarkably and will take Inter Milan in the ‘Derby of Italy’. Juve vs Inter has become one of the biggest rivalries in recent times as both clubs have regained ambition to win the Scudetto. Although Juventus haven’t looked at their ruthless best, what they have done over the past few weeks is that they have grinded out results, which in turn has helped them move up the table. Inter will be hoping for a different outcome after they suffered a defeat to Lazio last week, Inzaghi’s will be hoping that they take confidence from the Champions league win over Sheriff. For Juventus, Dybala and Morata both will be fit for the match as for Inter most of their first team will be fit.

Napoli take on AS Roma in a mouth watering fixture in store for the fans, Jose Mourinho’s side suffered an embarrassing loss against Bode in the Conference League as they will be hoping for a better performance this weekend. Napoli on the hand will be full of confidence after a dominant victory in Poland against Legia Warsaw, they will aim to win their 9 match in a row which will be their clubs best ever start. Mourinho had rested all his starters against Bode midweek but he must bring the likes of Tammy Abraham and Pelligrini back into the starting XI, for Napoli Osimhen is in red hot form and will be one of the key players to watch out for.

AC Milan take on Bologna in what is a must win match for Stefan Poli’s side as they need to maintain pressure on the top of the table. The Rossoneri suffered a midweek loss to Porto in Champions league and would hope to leave that result behind and focus on their domestic form which has been outstanding, with only two points dropped so far. AC Milan’s 22 points is the club's best start since 1954-55, but the task in hand will be difficult as both Theo Hernandez and Brahim Diaz will be ruled out because of Covid 19. While new signings such as Mike Maigan and Alessandro Florenzi are both out, Zlatan could make an unexpected start for Milan this week.

Also read: UCL Review: Rampant Ronaldo completes Manchester United's Remontada; Barcelona stay alive after win against Dynamo Kiev

The other fixtures to keep an eye on are:

• Atalanta vs Udinese
• Verona vs Lazio
• Fiorentina vs Cagliari
• Sassuolo vs Venezia
• Torino vs Genoa
• Sampdoria vs Spezia

(Motorsport news) With Extreme E’s Enel X Island X Prix on the horizon - which has been supported by the Automobile Club Italia (ACI), Regione Sardegna and Esercito Italiano - the electric off-road series is excited to reveal a thrilling course that brings the nine teams and 18 world-class drivers to the shores of Sardinia.

The Mediterranean island will present one of the toughest challenges to date for both the drivers and the ODYSSEY 21. Coming off the back of a hot Italian summer, which saw a record high of 48.8 degrees centigrade in Sicily, the dry terrain will be baked hard compared with the relatively forgiving sands of Saudi Arabia and Senegal.

Inland from the coastal town of Porto Pino on Sardinia’s southwest coast, the undulating course sits within the Capo Teulada training area. The elevation change is not as dramatic as Saudi Arabia or Greenland, with a modest change of 28 metres, but it is the rutted terrain that will provide the toughest challenge.

The start of the course provides a unique opportunity for the drivers, with a multi-lane section offering very different approaches before the cars rejoin and resume battle. Doing their homework on the course will form a crucial part of team preparation, as the optimal combination of speed and distance could prove elusive.

Having rejoined the main course, the drivers will take a sharp left and traverse a more open, but bumpy plain. Another left followed by a right will take the all-electric SUVs over one of the small inland hills, before a fast, downhill section leads them into the first of two water splashes. Small trees and bushes form the scenery of the next section of the course, which the cars will carve their way through before dipping their Continental tyres in the water for a second time.

The course then winds its way through narrow turns and over more inland rises, before heading out to one of the fastest sections. This long, flat run down to a tight ninety-degree left turn will provide a good opportunity to exploit Hyperdrive.

More carefully navigated turns bring the drivers to the last section of the lap. A short, twisting portion is soon followed by a fast trip over the largest inland hill, where the ODYSSEY 21s are likely to go airborne. The drivers will then need to hit the brakes for a short but steep ten metre drop and another ninety-degree left-hander.

Also read: United States GP Preview: Six points gap, six races to go as title race heats up between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton

A fast and flat section leaves just a final right turn to go, finishing off the striking seven-kilometre course of the Enel X Island X Prix.

Championship Drivers Timo Scheider and Tamara Molinaro have been testing the course ahead of racing getting underway this weekend.

Timo Scheider said: “The challenge is really high this time. It will be totally different to what we’ve seen in the entire season. We have a solid rock base here and water splashes which are brand new to the challenges we’ve had so far this year, but for me the biggest challenges in Sardinia are the hidden bumps.

“We have some medium to high speed corners so weight transfer is very crucial, you have to be super sensible on the surface, the hidden bumps will create trouble I’m sure so for people watching it at home, it will be mega. The drivers will have to be very focused.”

Tamara Molinaro adds: “Like always in Extreme E, for sure it’s very difficult,” she said.

“It’s really tricky in some places with bumps and compressions that you can’t really spot from being in the car, so it will be an interesting weekend. We have a really hard compact gravel, which has a different grip level compared to the surfaces we’ve seen so far.”

Shakedown and Free Practice are set to start tomorrow with Qualifying on Saturday and Finals on Sunday. A number of global broadcasters such as Mediaset in Italy, ITV, BT Sport, Sky Sports and BBC digital channels in the UK, Eurosport throughout Europe, FOX Sports in the USA will be broadcasting the event.

(Football news) England will be playing their next UEFA game behind closed doors with one more game suspended after crowd trouble both inside and outside the stadium during the Euro 2020 final. A number of ticketless fans fought stewards and police officers and made their way into the stadium, violating the permitted capacity of fans in the stadium and COVID-19 protocols.

UEFA’s disciplinary investigators have cited an ineffective security operation around Wembley Stadium for the final between hosts England and Italy as the reason for the crowd trouble. The FA will also face four charges relating to the behavior of the fans as violence erupted outside the stadium in what was England’s first major final since 1966. The ban will take effect in England’s UEFA Nations League match in June 2022 with a possible second ban - which is currently suspended for a probationary period of two years for the "lack of order and discipline inside and around the stadium”. 

The FA have also been fined 100,000 euros (£84,560) for "the invasion of the field of play, for throwing of objects and for the disturbances during the national anthems". A statement by the FA read “Although we are disappointed with the verdict, we acknowledge the outcome. We condemn the terrible behaviour of the individuals who caused the disgraceful scenes in and around Wembley Stadium at the Euro 2020 final, and we deeply regret that some of them were able to enter the stadium.

"We are determined that this can never be repeated, so we have commissioned an independent review, led by Baroness Casey, to report on the circumstances involved. We continue to work with the relevant authorities in support of their efforts to take action against those responsible and hold them to account."

Due to COVID-19, only 60,000 tickets were handed out in a 90,000 capacity stadium which meant that ticketless fans were aware that they would have seating if they forced their way into the stadium. With the kick off scheduled at 8 pm, the Olympic Way leading to Wembley Stadium was already packed with fans by 3 pm, which made it difficult for fans with tickets to enter the stadium. The security and COVID check cordons were breached by 5:45 pm with ticketless fans outnumbering the police and stewards.

It was too late by the time a lockdown was enforced around Wembley Stadium at 6 pm as police horses were being brought to restore order as thousands of ticketless fans had already made their way inside and refused to move from seats. 49 arrests were made while 19 police officers were injured while confronting volatile crowds. The debacle at the Euro 2020 final will dampen England’s hopes of hosting the World Cup 2030.

Also read: Premier League: Alexandre Lacazette’s late equalizer denies Patrick Vieira a memorable win against his former club

(Football news) It was back in 1954 when a defender named Cesare Maldini arrived in Milan after a few years at Triestina. Before long, Cesare became the captain of the Rossoneri and led his side to four Serie A league titles and one European Cup during his twelve years at AC Milan, featuring in 412 appearances for the club in all competitions. Cesare Maldini is what one might describe as a Rolls Royce defender with excellent technique, dynamic passing range, good physical attributes and the ability to read the game well. For his contributions, he is still remembered as a world class defender and one of Italy’s greatest ever defensive players but his biggest gift was not the trophies he won for AC Milan, it was his son Paulo Maldini.

Paulo made his debut for AC Milan at the tender age of 16 on January 20th 1985. At his time at AC Milan, Paulo Maldini won five Champions League titles, 7 Scudetti, two Intercontinental Cups, one Club World Cup, five European Super Cups, five Italian SuperCups, a Coppa Italia and more individual accolades than can be counted. Paulo Maldini is regarded as one of the best left backs in his history of the game and just like his father, Paulo served as captain for both AC Milan and Italy and was fondly referred to as "Il Capitano" ("The Captain"). The defender won a total of 25 trophies in 25 years at Milan and when he finally retired in 2009, the Rossoneri retired the number 3 shirt in a fitting tribute to a player and captain who has given the club so much.

However, just like his father before him, the Maldini legacy continues to this day through Daniel Maldini, the third generation from his family to represent the Rossoneri. A product of Milan’s Youth Team since 2010, Daniel had been steadily rising through the ranks right from the Under-10 to Under-19 level until his senior debut in February 2020. In his first start for AC Milan, Daniel scored his first goal in a 2-1 away win against Spezia. Despite starting his career as a defender, just like his father and grandfather before him, Daniel plays as a free roaming attacking midfielder and is known for his playmaking skills, dribbles, vision and ball control. The 20 year old will undoubtedly hope that his career can be as successful as his father and grandfather in another illustrious period in the club’s history.

In an era of money and a lack of loyalty amongst footballers, the Maldini dynasty is something that can probably never be replicated at any other club. When Daniel made his sixth appearance for AC Milan, it also marked an important milestone as the Maldini family had made 1000 appearances in the Serie A for just one club. Given the number of matches that AC Milan have played in Serie A history, the ‘Maldini’ name has been at the back of a Rossoneri shirt for roughly a third of the club’s history. A staggering record to say the least and one that will be very difficult to replicate. The Maldini legacy continues at AC Milan for the foreseeable future and it’s a breath of fresh air in an industry that is increasingly becoming money oriented over old values such as loyalty, history and love.

Also read: Premier League: Leicester City defeat Manchester United, Liverpool thrash Watford as Man City and Chelsea get three points

(Motorsport news) A record number of 23 races will be held in the Formula 1 2022 season with the season kicking off in Bahrain on March 20th followed by the Saudi Arabian GP the weekend after. The world’s most premier racing competition will also return to Melbourne’s Albert Park for the first time in two years in what has traditionally been the opening race of the season.

The Chinese GP has not been featured in the 2022 calendar, instead Formula 1 will return to Emilia Romagna GP at Imola for the fourth reason after Melbourne. More excitingly, America will be hosting two Formula 1 races for the first time since 1984 with the Miami GP in May featuring an unfamiliar circuit for both drivers and fans around the Hard Rock Stadium, home to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins.

The calendar will then shift it’s attention to Europe with the Spanish and Monaco GP followed by races in Baku (Azerbaijan GP) and Montreal (Canadian GP). The British GP at Silverstone will be held on July 3rd. Two triple headers are scheduled for the 2022 season, the first being in Belgium, Netherlands and Italy just like this season and the second in Russia, Singapore and Japan.

Formula 1 will return to Marina Bay (Singapore) and Suzuka (Japan) for the first time since 2019 before concluding the season with races in the USA, Mexico, Brazil and Abu Dhabi. The 2022 Formula 1 season will end on November 20th, a day before the start of the 2022 Football World Cup in Qatar. Despite a 10 year agreement in place for a Qatar GP, the race is absent from the 2022 calendar as the deal starts from the 2023 season.

Also read: Mercedes refuse to rule out fifth engine change for Hamilton despite a possible grid penalty

On the announcement, CEO Stefano Domenicali said: "We are excited to announce the 2022 calendar as we prepare to enter a new era for the sport. This season has been incredible so far with great battles on the track, large audiences tuning in and fans returning to the races after the impact of the pandemic.

"We look forward to welcoming more fans back next season and hope 2022 feels more normal than the life we have all experienced in the past two years. We are very pleased with the interest in Formula One from places that want to host races and the growth of the sport, and believe we have a fantastic calendar for 2022 with destinations like Miami joining famous and historic venues. The pandemic is still with us, and we will therefore continue to be vigilant and safe - to protect all our personnel and the communities we visit."

Formula 1 are yet to confirm which of the 23 races will feature the Sprint format.

Provisional 2022 F1 calendar

20 March: Bahrain (Sakhir)
27 March: Saudi Arabia (Jeddah)
10 April: Australia (Melbourne)
24 April: Emilia Romagna (Imola)
8 May: Miami (Miami)
22 May: Spain (Barcelona)
29 May: Monaco (Monaco)
12 June: Azerbaijan (Baku)
19 June: Canada (Montreal)
3 July: Great Britain (Silverstone)
10 July: Austria (Spielberg)
24 July: France (Le Castellet)
31 July: Hungary (Budapest)
28 August: Belgium (Spa-Francorchamps)
4 September: Netherlands (Zandvoort)
11 September: Italy (Monza)
25 September: Russia (Sochi)
2 October: Singapore (Marina Bay)
9 October: Japan (Suzuka)
23 October: USA (Austin)
30 October: Mexico (Mexico City)
13 November: Brazil (Sao Paulo)
20 November: Abu Dhabi (Yas Marina)

(Football news) Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois gave a damning assessment of football’s global calendar and blamed governing bodies such as FIFA and UEFA for prioritizing revenue over player welfare in a post match interview after UEFA Nations League third place play-off. The 29 year old called the match ‘pointless’ as both countries made wholesale changes to their starting line-up.

Courtois did not mince his words in the post match interview and said “This game is just a money game and we have to be honest about it. We just play it because for UEFA it's extra money. Look at how much both teams changed [line-ups]. If both teams would have been in the final there would have been other players in the final playing. This just shows that we play too many games.”

Courtois also criticized FIFA for considering proposals of staging the World Cup every two years. He said “They [UEFA] made an extra trophy [UEFA Conference League]… it is always the same. They can be angry about other teams wanting a Super League but they don't care about the players, they just care about their pockets. It's a bad thing that players are not spoken about. And now you hear about a European Championship and a World Cup every year, when will we get a rest? Never."

If the proposal to host a biennial World Cup does go through, football players will be playing more games than ever before and Courtois says the schedule will only result in more frequent injuries. So in the end top players will get injured and injured and injured. It's something that should be much better and much more taken care of," said Courtois.

"We are not robots! It's just more and more games and less rest for us and nobody cares about us. Next year we have a World Cup in November, we have to play until the latter stages of June again. We will get injured! Nobody cares about the players anymore. Three weeks of holiday is not enough for players to be able to continue for 12 months at the highest level. If we never say anything it [will be] always the same."

Courtois is currently plying his trade at Real Madrid, one of the founding clubs of the European Super League which ironically was a money making concept for a select few clubs. However, it’s been clear that UEFA and FIFA have long enjoyed their monopoly at domestic and international competitions and perceived the Super League as a threat to the status quo. It’s about time player welfare is given a higher priority than generating revenue because the current international and domestic calendar is reaching a dangerous tipping point and may not be sustainable for years to come.

Also read: Cristiano Ronaldo scores record breaking 10th international hat-trick to make it 58 hat-tricks in all competitions for club and country

(Football news) Italy finished 3rd behind France and Spain in the UEFA Nations League after defeating Belgium. After the Euro triumph, Roberto Mancini has guided Italy to a respectable 3rd place finish in the Nations League making them firm favourites in the World Cup next year.

The first half much like the final was a goalless stalemate. Thibaut Courtois pulled off a few good saves including a one vs once against the in-form Federico Chiesa. Belgium did come close to taking the lead when Alexis Saelemaekers hit the bar. Italy were the better side as they created more chances and were also much more effective with the ball. 

Also read: France comeback from a goal down to defeat Spain in the UEFA Nations League final

The second half started with a bang as Nicola Barella scored a volley to break the deadlock just 1 minute after the restart. Belgium weren't able to create chances so Roberto Martinez finally brought on Kevin De Bruyne. Minutes later Michy Batshuayi fired a shot past Donnarumma which hit the crossbar again. Italy extended their lead in the 63rd minute after Chiesa won a penalty for Domenico Berardi to score.

Belgium created three very good chances, one of which again hit the woodwork. Charles De Ketelaere pulled a goal back in the 86th minute. Italy managed the game well to protect their advantage and won the game. Roberto Martinez' Belgium have been number 1 in the World rankings for 3 years but have failed to win any trophy. Although they were missing Romelu Lukaku and Eden Hazard, the performance was not up to the standard.

(Football news) The 2nd addition of the UEFA Nations League has been a huge success with 2 very entertaining semi-finals. Football fans all over the world will be hoping for an even more action packed final between Spain and France. Spain booked their place in the final by beating a 10-man Italy while France defeated Belgium in dramatic fashion to reach the finals.

Spain Squad

Goalkeepers: Unai Simon, David de Gea, Robert Sanchez.

Defenders: Cesar Azpilicueta, Pedro Porro, Eric Garcia, Pau Torres, Aymeric Laporte, Inigo Martinez, Sergio Reguilon, Marcos Alonso.

Midfielders: Sergio Busquets, Rodri Hernandez, Pedri, Mikel Merino, Koke, Gavi, Bryan Gill, Pablo Fornals.

Forwards: Ferran Torres, Pablo Sarabia, Mikel Oyarzabal, Yeremi Pino.

France Squad

Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris, Mike Maignan, Benoit Costil.

Defenders: Lucas Digne, Leo Dubois, Lucas Hernandez, Presnel Kimpembe, Jules Kounde, Benjamin Pavard, Dayot Upamecano, Raphael Varane, Theo Hernandez.

Midfielders: Matteo Guendouzi, Paul Pogba, Adrien Rabiot, Aurelien Tchouameni, Jordan Veretout

Forwards: Wissam Ben Yedder, Karim Benzema, Moussa Diaby, Antoine Griezmann, Anthony Martial, Kylian Mbappe.

Strikers of both the teams Karim Benzema and Ferran Torres are in excellent touch. Torres scored twice against Italy while Benzema scored a goal that laid the foundation for France's comeback against Belgium. 

Spain will play possession based football trying to attract the press and play between the lines. France on the other hand usually stay compact and play on the counter. The biggest concern for the Spanish defence will be Kylian Mbappe's pace. Spanish fullbacks Caesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso aren't the quickest and may struggle to keep up with the PSG forward who will keep switching wings.

France will go for a 3 man back line because of the absence of N'golo Kante and not having a proper CDM in the squad. The front three of Kylian Mbappe, Karim Benzema and Antoine Griezmann will have the license to move around freely to exploit spaces. Presnel Kimpembe was left out of the side to accommodate a pacey back 3 of Raphael Varane, Jules Kounde and Lucas Hernandez. It'll be interesting to see if he does return to the starting XI.

After an impressive performance on his debut against Italy, Barcelona youngster Gavi should retain his place in the side. The midfielder brings much needed pace and energy that add to the quality of Koke and Sergio Busquets.

Also read: UEFA Nations League preview: Belgium and Italy lock horns for the 3rd place after semi-final disappointment

(Boxing news) Boxers from 105 different countries are to take part in the XXI AIBA Men’s World Boxing Championships in Belgrade, Serbia. There are 650 registered boxers, which is a record in the tournament’s history.

The contest will be held in 13 different weight categories for the first time in the history of AIBA. The weight classes were extended from August 2021, and the Belgrade Championships will become the first major competition with such a format. The event will feature Andy Cruz Gomez, Roniel Iglesias, Arlen Lopez, Julio La Cruz, as well as Lazaro Alvarez, all from Cuba who are all AIBA World champions.

Belgrade will also welcome such top-class boxers as Hovhannes Bachkov (Armenia), Loren Alfonso Dominguez (Azerbaijan), Wanderson de Oliveira and Abner Teixeira (Brazil), Javier Ibanez and Radoslav Pantaleev (Bulgaria), Yuberjen Martinez Rivas (Colombia), Billal Bennama and Sofiane Oumiha (France), Nelvie Tiafack (Germany), Sanjeet Sanjeet and Sachin Kumar (India), Simone Fiori (Italy), Reito Tsutsumi (Japan), Saken Bibossinov and Aibek Oralbay (Kazakhstan), Azat Usenaliev (Kyrgyzstan), Enkhmandakh Kharkhuu (Mongolia), Eumir Marcial (Philippines), Vsevolod Shumkov and Dzhambulat Bizhamov (Russia), Atichai Phoemsap (Thailand), Tsotne Rogava (Ukraine), Mirazizbek Mirzahalilov, Hasanboy Dusmatov and Shakhram Giyasov (Uzbekistan).

The prize fund is set at $2.6 million by AIBA. Gold medalists of each category will receive $100,000, while silver medalists are to be given $50,000, and both bronze medalists(semi-finalists) will be awarded $25,000.

“I believe that this World Championships will start a new chapter in AIBA’s history. We have a record number of participants competing in 13 new weight categories, which is a sign of boxing’s strength and extensive global development. We are providing our athletes with the best opportunities to succeed and we will do our utmost to ensure a fair chance and fair fights for every participant. I am truly looking forward to the opening of the Championships in Belgrade,” said AIBA President Mr. Umar Kremlev.

The AIBA Men’s World Boxing Championships are scheduled for October 24th – November 6th, 2021.

Also read: AIBA to ensure “Fair Chance, Fair Fight” at World Championships

(Football news) After losing their semi-final games, Belgium and Italy look to end the tournament on a high with a 3rd place finish. A new change in format means that the match will go straight to penalties if the scores are level at the end of 90 minutes instead of the classic 30 minutes of extra time.

Both teams lost the semis due to one bad half. Italy had a terrible first half against Spain where they conceded 2 goals and lost the game there. Belgium on the other hand gave away a 2 goal lead to concede 3 against France. Roberto Martinez and Roberto Mancini will be hoping that their respective sides go out and end the tournament well to take that momentum into the World Cup next year.

Belgium Squad

Goalkeepers: Koen Casteels, Thibaut Courtois, Simon Mignolet.

Defenders: Toby Alderweireld, Dedryck Boyata, Timothy Castagne, Jason Denayer, Thomas Foket, Jan Vertonghen.

Midfielders: Kevin De Bruyne, Leander Dendoncker, Thorgan Hazard, Alexis Saelemaekers, Youri Tielemans, Hans Vanaken, Axel Witsel.

Forwards: Michy Batshuayi, Yannick Carrasco, Charles De Ketelaere, Romelu Lukaku, Dodi Lukebakio, Leandro Trossard.

Italy Squad

Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Donnarumma, Alex Meret, Salvatore Sirigu.

Defenders: Francesco Acerbi, Alessandro Bastoni, Giorgio Chiellini, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Emerson Palmieri, Rafael Toloi, Federico Dimarco.

Midfielders: Nicolo Barella, Bryan Cristante, Jorginho, Manuel Locatelli, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Marco Verratti.

Forwards: Domenico Berardi, Federico Bernardeschi, Federico Chiesa, Moise Kean, Lorenzo Insigne, Giacomo Raspadori.

Belgium captain Eden Hazard has withdrawn from the squad after suffering yet another injury in the match against France. Leonardo Bonucci will be unavailable due to suspension after his red card against Spain. Apart from that the two teams are likely to go with the same starting XI.

This will be the first time these two sides meet since the Euro 2020 quarter-finals. Italy won that game 2-1 and were eventually crowned champions. The result could be completely different this time as Italy will be without their first choice striker and first choice centre-back.

Also read: France come back from a two goal deficit against Belgium to book a place in the UEFA Nations League final

(Football news) A 30 player shortlist was announced with Lionel Messi, who won the Copa America with Argentina favourite to be awarded his seventh Ballon D’Or with the likes of Jorginho, who won the Euro 2020 and Champions League, N’Golo Kante, Robert Lewandowski and Cristiano Ronaldo the leading contenders.

Five Chelsea players are amongst the nominees including Cesar Azpilicueta, Jorginho, Kante, Romelu Lukaku and Mason Mount. Kante was awarded the UEFA Player of the Match in the semi-final legs against Real Madrid while Lukaku enjoyed a successful domestic campaign in Italy by winning the Serie A title and Mason Mount won the Champions League with Chelsea and reached the Euro 2020 finals with England.

Premier League champions Manchester City also have five players shortlisted while Man Utd have two. Harry Kane is amongst the 13 nominated Premier League players for his successful Euro 2020 campaign while Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah is also shortlisted.

Nominees

Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea), Nicolo Barella (Inter Milan), Karim Benzema (Real Madrid), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United), Ruben Dias (Manchester City), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund), Jorginho (Chelsea), Harry Kane (Tottenham),
N'Golo Kante (Chelsea), Simon Kjaer (AC Milan), Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich), Romelu Lukaku (Chelsea), Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City), Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan), Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain), Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain), Luka Modric (Real Madrid), Gerard Moreno (Villarreal), Mason Mount (Chelsea), Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain), Pedri (Barcelona), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City), Luis Suarez (Atletico Madrid)

Also read: Germany take on Romania as England and Denmark look to consolidate their position in the 2022 World Cup

London, (Motorsports news): Extreme E, the pioneering sport for purpose, have been rewarded with The Sustainability title at the prestigious Leaders Sports ceremony held at Twickenham Stadium.

The category is set out to recognise organisations that use sport as a catalyst to promote and combat environmental and ecological issues within society, using sport as a vehicle to spread awareness and initiate changes.

This is something central to Extreme E which, in its first season, has successfully shown a new way to deliver motorsport events in a sustainable fashion through all-electric vehicles and zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell car charging. The championship also powers its paddock with a second-life battery, utilising a ship to transport its freight in order to reduce carbon emissions all while inspiring fans to take actions to reduce their carbon footprint through its Extreme E Count Us In Challenge.

Julia Fry, Head of Communications at Extreme E, said: “We are delighted to win this accolade from Leaders Sports, an organisation which recognises the strongest players in the industry. As our first award, in our inaugural season this will always be very special, and we are honoured to receive this huge endorsement for our efforts to create the most sustainable motorsport championship possible.

“Our thanks must go out to our supporting agencies at Aurora Worldwide Media, North One, NEP, Interstate Creative Partners and MPA Creative, who have all played a huge role in our success. I would also like to thank our partners for their faith and vision at the beginning of the championship journey, with special thanks to Philipp von Hirschheydt of Continental, Rodrigo Barjas Amado of Niobium, Tommaso Buti of LUISAVIAROMA, Marc Coltelli of EY and Julien Tornare of Zenith, for believing in this series from the start.

“This is just the start of the journey and there is far more to come yet.”

The series was up against some tough competition including Formula One, Southampton Football Club, and Formula E.

Extreme E has future targets around climate change, they are planning to raise awareness of the issues faced globally and inspire action, while also promoting the benefits of clean mobility. It works with its own Scientific Committee made up of world-renowned academics that inform the series and help select long-lasting positive Legacy Programmes at each race location, and  have included planting one million mangroves in Senegal. In addition, climate education in collaboration with UNICEF in Greenland.

The penultimate X Prix, the Island X Prix will take place in Sardinia, Italy from 23-24 October.

Also read:  Extreme E releases their calendar for 2022 season

(Football) France defeated Belgium by 3-2 in the UEFA Nations League Semi Final. Belgium were leading by 2 goals at half time but couldn't manage to hold the incredible French attack. 

Didier Deschamps started his side with a 3 at the back formation to compensate for N'golo Kante's absence. Roberto Martinez set out his regular 3-4-3 formation. Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard were given the freedom of movement. Unlike the 1st Semi Final the game had a very cagey start with both teams defending well. Kevin De Bruyne had one shot on target which forced Hugo Lloris into an excellent save.

The game blew wide open when Yannick Carrasco broke the deadlock by wrong footing Lloris with a near post finish. Romelu Lukaku doubled the lead just before halftime with a wonder goal. France came out in the 2nd half with more intent and a very high press tactic which was working wonders. After some missed chances, Karim Benzema pulled one back in the 62nd by getting a shot away through 3 Belgian defenders.

Also read: Spain end Italy's undefeated streak to reach the UEFA Nations League final

France continued to attack and got their equaliser when Antoine Griezmann won a penalty for Kylian Mbappe to score. Both teams were attacking to try and win the game in normal time. Romelu Lukaku looked to have won the game in the 87th minute but VAR intervened and ruled it out for a marginal offside call. Theo Hernandez then scored his first international goal to win it for France in injury time.

Belgium went very defensive and negative in the 2nd half trying to soak up the pressure. But the French attack was too good to not score two goals with so much possession.  France will now play Spain for the Nations League title while Belgium will play Italy in the 3rd place match.

(Football news) Belgium are all set to play France in the Nations League semi final for a chance to play Spain in the final. France will be looking to bounce back from their shocking round of 16 exit at the Euros while Belgium will be very keen to end their trophy drought.

France Squad

Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris, Mike Maignan, Benoit Costil.

Defenders: Lucas Digne, Leo Dubois, Lucas Hernandez, Presnel Kimpembe, Jules Kounde, Benjamin Pavard, Dayot Upamecano, Raphael Varane, Theo Hernandez.

Midfielders: Matteo Guendouzi, Paul Pogba, Adrien Rabiot, Aurelien Tchouameni, Jordan Veretout

Forwards: Wissam Ben Yedder, Karim Benzema, Moussa Diaby, Antoine Griezmann, Anthony Martial, Kylian Mbappe.

Belgium Squad

Goalkeepers: Koen Casteels, Thibaut Courtois, Simon Mignolet

Defenders: Toby Alderweireld, Dedryck Boyata, Timothy Castagne, Jason Denayer, Thomas Foket, Jan Vertonghen

Midfielders: Kevin De Bruyne, Leander Dendoncker, Thorgan Hazard, Alexis Saelemaekers, Youri Tielemans, Hans Vanaken, Axel Witsel

Forwards: Michy Batshuayi, Yannick Carrasco, Charles De Ketelaere, Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku, Dodi Lukebakio, Leandro Trossard.

Also read: Spain end Italy's undefeated streak to reach the UEFA Nations League final

The last game between these two teams was in the 2018 World Cup Semifinal. France grabbed a narrow 1-0 victory on that occasion. Karim Benzema is in red hot form at the moment having scored 10 and created 7 goals in 8 games for Real Madrid this season. Romelu Lukaku on the other hand has had a decent start to his 2nd spell at Chelsea with 4 goals in 8 games. 

N'golo Kante will be a big miss for France after recently testing positive for Covid. Mattéo Guendouzi could make his senior international debut in the absence of Kante. Thomas Meunier was initially named in the squad by Roberto Martinez but the fullback had to withdraw after an injury. 

It is high time that this 'Golden generation' of Belgium wins a tournament. Despite being no. 1 in the world rankings for quite a while Belgium has never played in a tournament final. The Nations League will be a perfect time to do this. As for France there wouldn't be a better way to bounce back from the Euro disaster than winning the Nations League.

(Football news) Spain defeated 10 man Italy 2-1 in the Nations League semi final. The loss ended Italy's 37 game unbeaten streak. Spain will play the winner of France Vs Belgium for the Nations League championship while Italy will play the loser for a third place finish.

Spain started the game in classic La Roja fashion with lots of possession and patient build up. They took the lead in the 17th minute after Mikel Oyarzabal set up Ferran Torres with a beautiful cross. Italy tried getting back into the game but Spain's low block and heavy press was making life very difficult for them. Things went from bad to worse when captain Leonardo Bonucci was sent off after picking up two yellow cards in 12 minutes. His first yellow card was for dissent while his second one was for a clumsy elbow hit. Roberto Mancini decided not to bring on a centre half which ended up costing his team. Ferran Torres scored his second with a header just before half time thanks to another sublime delivery from Mikel Oyarzabal

Mancini did make the necessary change by bringing on Giorgio Cheillini. Luis Enrique's side came with the clear tactic of sitting deep and breaking on the counter. Lorenzo Pellegrini did pull back a goal in the 83rd minute but the man disadvantage proved to be too much for the Italians. Federico Chiesa was the standout player for Italy, assisting the goal after a great run from the halfway line. His work rate and pressing in particular was commendable and drew applause from the San Siro crowd.

17-year-old midfielder Gavi had a dream international debut. Enrique took a big gamble by calling up and starting Gavi who has very little first team experience with Barcelona. The youngster repaid his manager's pace by dominating the midfield. Gavi was all over the pitch with his countless challenges and intricate passing. The performance of Gavi and Torres indicates a very bright future for Spanish football and there might be a new era of dominance for La Roja once again.

Also Read : Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund close to agreeing deal for Newcastle United takeover

(Sports news) As it prepares to take centre stage upon the conclusion of both the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, the Milano Cortina 2026 Organising Committee used this week’s Delivery Partners Meeting to share important progress updates with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and International Paralympic Committee (IPC).

Speaking about the meeting, the IOC’s Milano Cortina 2026 Coordination Commission Chair, Sari Essayah, said: “We must congratulate the team in Milan for the ongoing progress during these difficult times. Strong foundations set by the continually evolving Organising Committee have made this possible. Throughout all of their updates, we were really encouraged to see their avid determination to create Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games that are sustainable. This is fundamental to the future of the Olympic Games, as outlined in Olympic Agenda 2020+5 and the New Norm ”.

She continued: “We heard that Milano Cortina 2026 continues to build on strong engagement following the launch of its new brand in March, with several exciting initiatives planned for the coming weeks. This will culminate, early next year, when the eyes of the world turn towards Italy as Beijing 2022 hands over the Olympic and Paralympic flags. Having seen the passion, excitement and professionalism within the Organising Committee, it’s clear that Milano Cortina 2026 is on time and ready to step up into the spotlight this winter.”

Giovanni Malagò, the President of the Milano Cortina 2026 Organising Committee, also reflected on the positive meetings. He said: “Our relationship with the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee is excellent and essential to have the best workflow, now and for the following months. We are proud to have received positive feedback on the achievements of the Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026 during recent times. Of course, we are aware that the next months will be very important for us because, at the end of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, we will officially acquire the title of ‘Host Country of the next Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games’. This will be a reason for pride but also an assumption of more responsibility that we will be able to manage efficiently, thanks to the passion and expertise of those who are working every day to make the Olympic and Paralympic Games 2026 the Games for all.”

The discussions with the IOC and IPC tracked the developments made since the last Coordination Commission meeting in April this year.

The team from Milano Cortina 2026 talked about their learnings from the Games Education Programme held during Tokyo 2020. There, several members of their Committee obtained access to invaluable knowledge that is helping them advance their delivery plans.

Latest news on the ongoing development of their venue design were also given. There are a number of innovative solutions for events, such as combining the freestyle events in Livigno. As part of this discussion, the onboarding of ski mountaineering was proposed. This follows the decision by the IOC Session in Tokyo this year to admit the sport to the Milano Cortina 2026 programme at the request of the Organising Committee.

There were also a number of operational and business matters discussed. A highlight of Milano Cortina 2026’s organisational design was presented. To display the growth of the Milano Cortina 2026 team, it was noted that the Organising Committee staff have recently moved into new headquarters. Situated in the Allianz Tower in Milan, these offices are set to be officially inaugurated later this month.

This topic also presented an open door to explain the development of close relationships with the local organising committees whose areas of expertise will help deliver Olympic and Paralympic events in each of the host regions.

On the theme of building relationships, the Milano Cortina 2026 team gave a report to show their continued efforts which is helping them to grow their brand following the launch of their Games emblems earlier this year. This has been supported by the establishment of their ambassador network, which includes former international footballer Francesco Totti, Olympic gold medallists Federica Pellegrini, Alberto Tomba and Deborah Compagnoni, and Paralympic gold medallist Bebe Vio.

The foundation of all of these are a very ambitious sustainability and legacy strategy, which aligns with the goals of the IOC and IPC in this area. With their concentration on the economic, environmental and social impact the Games will have, Milano Cortina 2026 earned praise for what they have done in such a short period of time.

About their future plans, the Milano Cortina 2026 team explained how they will capitalise on the handover from the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. A number of national engagement programmes are set to be announced soon, they will be aimed at generating excitement amongst the local population whilst also sharing the best of Italy with the world.

The Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 will take place between 6 and 22 February, while the Paralympic Winter Games will be held from 6 until 15 March.

Also read: My goal is to win a medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics and make the country proud - Indian athlete Ankita Dhyani

(Football news) The England team of this generation has reached new heights having played the World Cup semifinal in 2018 and Euro final in 2021. There was a period of time when England was never the team to look out for. The famous 'Golden Generation' of English football that included the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Gary Neville, John Terry, Ashley Cole, Paul Scholes, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney and the captain David Beckham never found success in big tournaments. 

In 2001, England were pitted in a 2002 World Cup qualifiers group with arch rivals Germany. According to the format back then only the top team of the 5 team group would achieve direct qualification while the 2nd placed team had to play a playoff in order to qualify. Before their last game against Greece on 6th October 2001, England were on 16 points while Germany were top of the group with 17 points. Thanks to their superior goal difference England needed just 1 point from the game to qualify for the World Cup.

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England conceded in the 36th minute and had to chase the game from there. Teddy Sheringham's 68th minute equaliser was almost immediately cut out by Demis Nikolaidis. Trailing 2-1 England got a free-kick in David Beckham's range around the 3rd minute of extra time. The England captain left Old Trafford in a frenzy when he launched the free-kick into the top left corner leaving the goalkeeper with no chance.

England ended up qualifying for the World Cup. Although Germany had to go through a playoff game against Ukraine, they did qualify for the World Cup and won the silver medal as well. In hindsight if Beckham hadn't scored the goal there is a high chance that England would've still made it to South Korea and Japan for the tournament.

20 years later the goal is still fresh in the memory of football fans not just in England but all around the World. In the quarter finals, England were defeated by the eventual champions Brazil. Had it not been for David Beckham's magical right foot, there may have been a World Cup played without England.

(Football news) The Athletic Bilbao striker has not missed a single La Liga game since April 2016 and played his 203 league matches in a row to beat the previous record which was held by former Real Sociedad player Juan Larrañaga. Five coaches have come and gone in the Athletic dugout but one thing remained ever present was his name on the team sheet.

The gravity of this record sometimes will go unnoticed but it's truly an amazing feat especially in modern day football where the sport is much more physical, with high intensity football played day in day out and also the amount of fixtures an average footballer plays becomes very difficult to stay fit. The centre forward has been with Bilbao since the youth level and was promoted to the first team in 2014, since then he has been an integral part of the squad. Williams in 2019 signed a contract extension with Bilbao till 2028, a nine year renewal which is the most in the club's history. In 242 appearances in the La Liga he has scored 48 goals and provided 33 assists for Athletic Bilbao.

His streak of games started off against Atletico Madrid on 20th April 2016 when subsequently he was making a comeback after a long term injury, which had kept him out for the majority of the 2015/16 La Liga season. After playing the final 5 matches of the season he went on to play all 38 games from the 2016/17 season till now. He was first spotted by former Barcelona coach Ernesto Vaverde who handed out his debut against Cordoba aged just 20, later on he went to become the clubs talisman with Aritz Aduriz forming a deadly partnership with him. Inaki Williams biggest attribute to his game is his pace and the fact that he is keeping himself injury free in such a demanding sport is quite a remarkable feat.

Athletic's coach Marcelino Garcia Toral spoke about Inaki and said: "Inaki Williams is such an important player for us. He has stand-out abilities compared to other players. He is very quick, he stretches the opposition defence, he gets stuck in. Like any striker, he goes through more and less prolific spells, but his attitude is always incredible. His performance is excellent and he will improve because he wants to. He has been in the first team for many years and yet he is only 26 so as a striker he is moving into his peak years. Together with his teammates, we think he’ll be a cornerstone of this club for many years to come," 

Also read: UEFA Nations League Preview: Italy look to add another trophy as they take on Spain in the 1st Semi final

While speaking about his childhood and wanting to add to Athletics legacy Inaki said, "I miss those days. I was very happy. The only responsibility we had was going to school and then playing football. It was a beautiful time, I had come to Lezama to watch training sessions with my godfather. Then we would go to the park to play football. I also spent a lot of time playing football with my brother Nico. Summers of endless football, my mother used to shout at us on the street to get us to come back home. You always dream of winning a title with Athletic. You see images of when Athletic won the league, the team out on La Gabarra,  I wasn’t even born back then! You hear (Jose Angel Iribar) talking about those times and you get goosebumps. Now we are in with a chance of winning two trophies, and an opportunity to leave our mark. We all dream of making Athletic champions again, it's all we want,"
 

(Football news) After their triumph earlier this year, European champions Italy take on Spain in the Nations League semi final. The last time these two teams met was in the Euro semi finals where Italy won on penalties.

Squads:

Italy

Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Donnarumma, Alex Meret, Salvatore Sirigu

Defenders: Francesco Acerbi, Alessandro Bastoni, Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Emerson Palmieri, Rafael Toloi, Federico Dimarco

Midfielders: Nicolo Barella, Bryan Cristante, Jorginho, Manuel Locatelli, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Marco Verratti 

Forwards: Domenico Berardi, Federico Bernardeschi, Federico Chiesa, Moise Kean, Lorenzo Insigne, Giacomo Raspadori

Ciro Immobile and Matteo Pessina were named in the initial squad but had to withdraw due to injury. The pair was replaced by Moise Kean and Federico Dimarco

Also read: Does Casemiro fit into Carlo Ancelotti's midfield plans for Real Madrid?

Spain

Goalkeepers: Unai Simon, David de Gea, Robert Sanchez.

Defenders: Cesar Azpilicueta, Pedro Porro, Eric Garcia, Pau Torres, Aymeric Laporte, Inigo Martinez, Sergio Reguilon, Marcos Alonso.

Midfielders: Sergio Busquets, Rodri Hernandez, Pedri, Mikel Merino, Koke, Gavi, Bryan Gill, Pablo Fornals.

Forwards: Ferran Torres, Pablo Sarabia, Mikel Oyarzabal, Yeremi Pino.

Luis Enrique once again did not name a single Real Madrid player in the squad. Eric Garcia and Pablo Sarabia are in the squad despite poor performances this season. Barcelona youngster Gavi earned a surprise maiden call up. Brahim Diaz and Marco Asensio's good start to the season wasn't enough to convince the manager. Sergio Ramos is yet to feature this season due to injury and it'll be interesting to see if the 35 year old ever plays for Spain.
Italy haven't lost any of their last 37 games. Roberto Mancini's side are in red hot form at the moment. Spain on the other hand had a good Euros with a young squad that exceeded the expectations but it is tough to see Italy lose the game. Having said that, Italy did needed penalties to beat Spain the last time. The winner of the game will face either France or Belgium in the finals while the loser will play the 3rd place match.

(Tennis news) Jannik Sinner defended his title at the Sofia Open as he beat Gael Monfils in straight sets. Sinner has won three titles this season and all of them in hardcourts, he has now entered the top ten rankings and is the youngest of the group.

Sinner has faced Monfils at the US Open in the third round and has three victories over Monfils in four matches. Sinner played aggressively right from the start in the final as Gael kept returning the ball, Sinner kept hitting forehands across the court to take the first set. In the second set, Monfils came into form as he hit speeding forehands and even slam dunked a smash but Sinner’s form was not affected as he came into the net to finish off points against Monfils. Sinner defeated Monfils 6-3, 6-4.

Monfils has had a rough year as he is yet to win a title, his last title came a year back at Rotterdam. The 35 year old has reached the finals for the first time this year and his best performance at Metz where he reached the semifinals losing to Pablo Carreno Busta. As for Sinner, his first title came at the same tournament a year back and has won multiple titles this year and now has a chance to play in the world tour finals given his performance at the handful of tournaments left in the season. 

Sinner started the year with a title at Melbourne and then reached the quarterfinals in Dubai but his highlight was reaching the finals of the Miami Masters 1000 where he lost to Hubert Hurkacz. He also reached the semifinals in Barcelona and the fourth round of the French Open. The 20 year old has already qualified for the Next Gen ATP finals which will begin next month, he won it in 2019 and can continue his winning streak at home in Italy.

Sinner had won the title here last year beating Vasek Pospisil in the final and this time had not dropped a set while capturing the title. With his third title of the year, Sinner has slowly transformed himself into a probable for the majors next year. This season has seen the youngsters play the major role in most of the events, especially in the second half of the year. With one more month to go in the tennis calendar, Sinner will look to climb up the rankings ladder.

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Lima, Oct 1 (Shooting news) Rising Indian woman skeet shooter Ganemat Sekhon won a silver medal at the ISSF Junior World Championship here.

This was India's fifth medal of the day.

The Chandigarh shooter, who picked up her first senior ISSF World Cup stage medals in New Delhi earlier this year, went down in a shoot-off to American Alisha Fayth Layne, after both were tied on 46 hits in the 60-shot final.

Sara Bongini of Italy won bronze.

It was a fruitful Thursday for the country with Manu Bhaker claiming gold in the women's 10m air pistol leading an Indian 1-2 in the event with teammate Esha Singh claiming silver.

Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil of Mumbai had begun the medal rush with a silver in the men's 10m air rifle and Ramita followed that up with a bronze in the women's 10m air rifle.

The second Indian in the women's skeet final, Raiza Dhillon could not get going and finished sixth after hitting 14 of the first 20 targets.

India also finished outside the medals bracket in the men's 10m air pistol with Naveen finishing fourth, Sarabjot Singh sixth and Vijayveer Sidhu ending eighth after all three had made the finals.

In men's skeet, none of the three Indians in the fray, Rajveer Gill, Abhay Singh Sekhon and Ayush Rudraraju could make it to the six-man finals.

Also read : 36-member batch of Indian shooting contingent reaches Peru for Jr World Championship

News source : PTI