Arsenal crush Porto thanks to Bendtner hat-trick

Published>Wed, Mar 10 10 05:48 AM

A hat-trick from Nicklas Bendtner helped Arsenal to a 5-0 thumping of Porto on Tuesday as they overturned a first-leg deficit with nonchalant ease to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

Samir Nasri and Emmanuel Eboue were also on target as Arsenal completed a 6-2 aggregate victory to reach the last eight for the third consecutive season.

Bendtner was guilty of a series of bad misses in the Premier League win over Burnley at the weekend but he answered his critics in style with a commanding performance to crown a dazzling display by manager Arsene Wenger's side.

"It shows how quickly football can change," Wenger told Sky Sports. "I hope it won't give him too much confidence now.

"But it's good for him especially after Saturday. I hope it will give him the desire to work even harder."

Porto had never won a European fixture in England before but Arsenal's poor record of overturning first-leg deficits, a feat they had not managed for more than 30 years, gave the Portuguese side hope of defending their 2-1 advantage.

CHILLY NIGHT

That hope did not last long on a chilly north London night as they were completely outclassed.

"They controlled the match," Porto coach Jesualdo Ferreira told reporters. "They played very well but I don't think we deserved to lose by five goals.

"Arsenal are very good at provoking the opportunities they need and they have the quality to seize those moments. This defeat hurts."

Injured Arsenal skipper Cesc Fabregas, whose midfield playmaking role was filled superbly by Nasri, said in his programme notes he hoped Bendtner had saved his goals for Porto after his blunders against Burnley.

After 10 minutes the Danish striker duly obliged when he slotted the ball into an empty net after keeper Helton had bravely denied Andrei Arshavin who had been released by Nasri.

Arshavin's pace and trickery teed up Bendtner for his second on 25 minutes as Arsenal moved ahead on aggregate.

Porto enjoyed a brief spell of pressure early in the second half but after Falcao failed to convert their best chance of the night after being set up by Hulk, normal service was resumed.

Two goals in four minutes just past the hour killed off the visitors. After 63 minutes Nasri ran at pace into the Porto area and dribbled past three mesmerised defenders before steadying himself and planting a shot inside the far post.

Then Arshavin carved Porto open and his reverse pass allowed Eboue to skip around the despairing Helton and roll the ball into an unguarded net.

Bendtner completed his first Arsenal hat-trick with virtually the last kick of the game, firing a low penalty into the corner after Eboue was brought down.

Porto may have had Hulk in their ranks but for one night at least, the much maligned Dane was Arsenal's super-hero.

Source: Web Search

Arsenal crush Porto thanks to Bendtner hat-trick

Published>Wed, Mar 10 10 05:46 AM

A hat-trick from Nicklas Bendtner helped Arsenal to a 5-0 thumping of Porto on Tuesday as they overturned a first-leg deficit with nonchalant ease to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

Samir Nasri and Emmanuel Eboue were also on target as Arsenal completed a 6-2 aggregate victory to reach the last eight for the third consecutive season.

Bendtner was guilty of a series of bad misses in the Premier League win over Burnley at the weekend but he answered his critics in style with a commanding performance to crown a dazzling display by manager Arsene Wenger's side.

"It shows how quickly football can change," Wenger told Sky Sports. "I hope it won't give him too much confidence now.

"But it's good for him especially after Saturday. I hope it will give him the desire to work even harder."

Porto had never won a European fixture in England before but Arsenal's poor record of overturning first-leg deficits, a feat they had not managed for more than 30 years, gave the Portuguese side hope of defending their 2-1 advantage.

CHILLY NIGHT

That hope did not last long on a chilly north London night as they were completely outclassed.

"They controlled the match," Porto coach Jesualdo Ferreira told reporters. "They played very well but I don't think we deserved to lose by five goals.

"Arsenal are very good at provoking the opportunities they need and they have the quality to seize those moments. This defeat hurts."

Injured Arsenal skipper Cesc Fabregas, whose midfield playmaking role was filled superbly by Nasri, said in his programme notes he hoped Bendtner had saved his goals for Porto after his blunders against Burnley.

After 10 minutes the Danish striker duly obliged when he slotted the ball into an empty net after keeper Helton had bravely denied Andrei Arshavin who had been released by Nasri.

Arshavin's pace and trickery teed up Bendtner for his second on 25 minutes as Arsenal moved ahead on aggregate.

Porto enjoyed a brief spell of pressure early in the second half but after Falcao failed to convert their best chance of the night after being set up by Hulk, normal service was resumed.

Two goals in four minutes just past the hour killed off the visitors. After 63 minutes Nasri ran at pace into the Porto area and dribbled past three mesmerised defenders before steadying himself and planting a shot inside the far post.

Then Arshavin carved Porto open and his reverse pass allowed Eboue to skip around the despairing Helton and roll the ball into an unguarded net.

Bendtner completed his first Arsenal hat-trick with virtually the last kick of the game, firing a low penalty into the corner after Eboue was brought down.

Porto may have had Hulk in their ranks but for one night at least, the much maligned Dane was Arsenal's super-hero.

Source: Web Search

UK students as 2010 volunteers

Published>Wed, Mar 10 10 05:24 AM

The success of any major Games event depends on how well the volunteers deliver the goods as proved during the Beijing Olympics two years ago.

The Delhi Commonwealth Games Organising Committee (DCGOC) is looking to match that as DCGOC chairman Suresh Kalmadi has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Sheffield Hallam University to rope in 30 sports journalism students from the UK to help the 5000+ media personnel during the Games in October.

"The volunteers are the face of any major Games and we would be too happy to have the Sheffield Hallam students into our fold. We assure them all help and I am sure they will enjoy the stay and the experience of working with 30,000 other volunteers at the Delhi Games and contribute to its success," said Kalmadi.

The SHU students' main job will be to supply the media with information at different venues, while keeping them updated on instances happening on the ground and also feed the Games News Service, the official news bulletin, which is to be released by the DCGOC.

This, admitted pro-Vice Chancellor of the Sheffield Hallam University professor Michael A Smith, helps both the Games Organising Committee as well as the students of the university.

"We had 24 of them (students) from the university sent to Beijing and their work was appreciated by all concerned. But more than that, the students gained a lot in experience. That is precisely what we are expecting from our students when they come to Delhi and work with the organising committee," said the professor.

John Palmer of the Sheffield Hallam University said that the students will arrive in New Delhi on September 1, one month before the mega-event begins on October 3.

Source: Web Search

UK students as 2010 volunteers

Published>Wed, Mar 10 10 05:22 AM

The success of any major Games event depends on how well the volunteers deliver the goods as proved during the Beijing Olympics two years ago.

The Delhi Commonwealth Games Organising Committee (DCGOC) is looking to match that as DCGOC chairman Suresh Kalmadi has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Sheffield Hallam University to rope in 30 sports journalism students from the UK to help the 5000+ media personnel during the Games in October.

"The volunteers are the face of any major Games and we would be too happy to have the Sheffield Hallam students into our fold. We assure them all help and I am sure they will enjoy the stay and the experience of working with 30,000 other volunteers at the Delhi Games and contribute to its success," said Kalmadi.

The SHU students' main job will be to supply the media with information at different venues, while keeping them updated on instances happening on the ground and also feed the Games News Service, the official news bulletin, which is to be released by the DCGOC.

This, admitted pro-Vice Chancellor of the Sheffield Hallam University professor Michael A Smith, helps both the Games Organising Committee as well as the students of the university.

"We had 24 of them (students) from the university sent to Beijing and their work was appreciated by all concerned. But more than that, the students gained a lot in experience. That is precisely what we are expecting from our students when they come to Delhi and work with the organising committee," said the professor.

John Palmer of the Sheffield Hallam University said that the students will arrive in New Delhi on September 1, one month before the mega-event begins on October 3.

Source: Web Search

Former Dodgers centre fielder Willie Davis dies aged 69

Published Wed, Mar 10 10 04:48 AM

Willie Davis, the speedy former All-Star centre fielder who spent most of his 18-season Major League Baseball career with the Los Angeles Dodgers, has died at the age of 69.

Known as "Three Dog" for his ability to often hit triples and because he wore number three on his uniform for most of his career, Davis played on the Dodgers' World Series championship teams in 1963 and 1965.

Davis set a Dodgers team record in 1969 with a 31-game hitting streak and remains the franchise's all-time leader in hits, extra-base hits, at-bats, runs, triples and total bases.

"He was beloved by generations of Dodger fans and remains one of the most talented players ever to wear the Dodger uniform," Dodgers owner Frank McCourt said in a statement.

"Having spent time with him over the past six years, I know how proud he was to have been a Dodger. He will surely be missed and our sincere thoughts are with his children during this difficult time."

Davis was found dead in his California home on Tuesday by a neighbour who often brought him breakfast, Burbank police told Reuters. There were no signs of foul play and police said they expect Davis died of natural causes.

Davis spent his first 14 seasons with Los Angeles from 1960 to 1973 before going on to play for Montreal, Texas, St. Louis, San Diego and California.

During his career, Davis won three Gold Glove Awards, led the league in triples twice, and stole 20 or more bases in 11 consecutive years.

In the 1965 World Series Davis set a then record of three stolen bases in a single game. He went on to set a more dubious record in the 1966 World Series when he committed three errors in a single inning after losing two balls in the sun and uncorking a wild throw.

Source: Web Search

Former Dodgers centre fielder Willie Davis dies aged 69

Published Wed, Mar 10 10 04:46 AM

Willie Davis, the speedy former All-Star centre fielder who spent most of his 18-season Major League Baseball career with the Los Angeles Dodgers, has died at the age of 69.

Known as "Three Dog" for his ability to often hit triples and because he wore number three on his uniform for most of his career, Davis played on the Dodgers' World Series championship teams in 1963 and 1965.

Davis set a Dodgers team record in 1969 with a 31-game hitting streak and remains the franchise's all-time leader in hits, extra-base hits, at-bats, runs, triples and total bases.

"He was beloved by generations of Dodger fans and remains one of the most talented players ever to wear the Dodger uniform," Dodgers owner Frank McCourt said in a statement.

"Having spent time with him over the past six years, I know how proud he was to have been a Dodger. He will surely be missed and our sincere thoughts are with his children during this difficult time."

Davis was found dead in his California home on Tuesday by a neighbour who often brought him breakfast, Burbank police told Reuters. There were no signs of foul play and police said they expect Davis died of natural causes.

Davis spent his first 14 seasons with Los Angeles from 1960 to 1973 before going on to play for Montreal, Texas, St. Louis, San Diego and California.

During his career, Davis won three Gold Glove Awards, led the league in triples twice, and stole 20 or more bases in 11 consecutive years.

In the 1965 World Series Davis set a then record of three stolen bases in a single game. He went on to set a more dubious record in the 1966 World Series when he committed three errors in a single inning after losing two balls in the sun and uncorking a wild throw.

Source: Web Search

Bendtner's hat-trick sends Arsenal into quarter-finals

Published>Wed, Mar 10 10 04:28 AM

London, March 10 (DPA) Nicklas Bendtner scored a superb hat-trick as Arsenal produced a virtuoso performance to crush Porto 5-0 to storm into the quarter-finals of the Champions League Tuesday.

Trailing 2-1 from the first leg in Portugal, two goals from Bendtner put them in front and after Samir Nasri and Emmanuel Eboue had also scored, Bendtner completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot to seal their place in the last eight.

'It's fantastic - it's been a long time waiting to get a hat-trick so I'm very pleased,' Bendtner said.

'It didn't happen for me on Saturday but I put that behind me and today I put it right. As a club, we are desperate to win the Champions League and we will do all we can to do that this year.'

It was a fantastic performance from an Arsenal side who were missing their inspirational captain Cesc Fabregas.

Nasri, Tomas Rosicky and Abou Diaby were all at their most dominant and once Bendtner had put them ahead, the visitors never had a chance.

The Dane had missed a hatful of chances for Arsenal in the Premier League at the weekend but he made no mistake on 10 minutes when he finished easily after some last-gasp defending only resulted in the ball being played into his path.

On 25 minutes, it was 2-0 and Arsenal were ahead on aggregate as Andrey Arshavin turned the defence inside and out before Bendtner finished it off.

Nasri put the game away from Porto with the third goal on 63 minutes and Eboue scored three minutes later.

Arsenal continued to attack as the clock wound down and after Eboue was fouled by Jorge Fucile, Bendtner put the resulting penalty into the corner to complete a great night for himself and Arsenal.

Source: Web Search

Bendtner's hat-trick sends Arsenal into quarter-finals

Published>Wed, Mar 10 10 04:26 AM

London, March 10 (DPA) Nicklas Bendtner scored a superb hat-trick as Arsenal produced a virtuoso performance to crush Porto 5-0 to storm into the quarter-finals of the Champions League Tuesday.

Trailing 2-1 from the first leg in Portugal, two goals from Bendtner put them in front and after Samir Nasri and Emmanuel Eboue had also scored, Bendtner completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot to seal their place in the last eight.

'It's fantastic - it's been a long time waiting to get a hat-trick so I'm very pleased,' Bendtner said.

'It didn't happen for me on Saturday but I put that behind me and today I put it right. As a club, we are desperate to win the Champions League and we will do all we can to do that this year.'

It was a fantastic performance from an Arsenal side who were missing their inspirational captain Cesc Fabregas.

Nasri, Tomas Rosicky and Abou Diaby were all at their most dominant and once Bendtner had put them ahead, the visitors never had a chance.

The Dane had missed a hatful of chances for Arsenal in the Premier League at the weekend but he made no mistake on 10 minutes when he finished easily after some last-gasp defending only resulted in the ball being played into his path.

On 25 minutes, it was 2-0 and Arsenal were ahead on aggregate as Andrey Arshavin turned the defence inside and out before Bendtner finished it off.

Nasri put the game away from Porto with the third goal on 63 minutes and Eboue scored three minutes later.

Arsenal continued to attack as the clock wound down and after Eboue was fouled by Jorge Fucile, Bendtner put the resulting penalty into the corner to complete a great night for himself and Arsenal.

Source: Web Search

Robben magic puts Bayern through despite defeat

Published Wed, Mar 10 10 03:48 AM

FLORENCE, Italy Reuters) - Bayern Munich reached the Champions League quarter-finals on away goals on Tuesday despite a 3-2 defeat at Fiorentina in a thrilling last 16 second leg tie.

Dutchman Arjen Robben found the net from 25-metres out with a wind-assisted shot in the 65th minute to make the aggregate score 4-4 after the German side won the first leg 2-1.

Fiorentina's Juan Manuel Vargas took advantage of a Hans-Joerg Butt fumble for the opener in the 28th minute and Stevan Jovetic made it 2-0 for the hosts in the 54th before the home crowd went on an emotional roller coaster ride ending in disappointment.

Mark van Bommel levelled the tie in the 60th before Jovetic bagged his second, only for Robben to decide the tie with his splendid strike just 72 second later.

Source: Web Search

Robben magic puts Bayern through despite defeat

Published Wed, Mar 10 10 03:46 AM

FLORENCE, Italy Reuters) - Bayern Munich reached the Champions League quarter-finals on away goals on Tuesday despite a 3-2 defeat at Fiorentina in a thrilling last 16 second leg tie.

Dutchman Arjen Robben found the net from 25-metres out with a wind-assisted shot in the 65th minute to make the aggregate score 4-4 after the German side won the first leg 2-1.

Fiorentina's Juan Manuel Vargas took advantage of a Hans-Joerg Butt fumble for the opener in the 28th minute and Stevan Jovetic made it 2-0 for the hosts in the 54th before the home crowd went on an emotional roller coaster ride ending in disappointment.

Mark van Bommel levelled the tie in the 60th before Jovetic bagged his second, only for Robben to decide the tie with his splendid strike just 72 second later.

Source: Web Search

McLaren relaxed about rear wing

Published Wed, Mar 10 10 03:08 AM

McLaren have a fallback option should Formula One race stewards take issue with their new car's rear wing but are confident they will not be using it in Sunday's season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.

"We're not taking a radically different package, but you just never know what the stewards are going to do on the day," McLaren managing director Jonathan Neale told reporters on Tuesday.

"We get the best advice we can from the (governing) FIA (International Automobile Federation) in the interests of transparency," he added.

"If the stewards decide on a different course of action though it's still our duty to go racing, so we have a contingency, but I wouldn't put much effort into it."

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner questioned McLaren's rear wing last week, while saying Ferrari appeared to be more concerned about it than his own team.

However a Ferrari spokesman said at the time that he knew of no concerns while McLaren, whose drivers are world champions Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton, have consulted the FIA throughout the design process.

"We've spoken to (Ferrari team principal) Stefano (Domenicali) and some of the other team principals and colleagues there and of course everyone wants to see clarity," said Neale.

"We're doing the same on a number of other teams' developments. There's nothing untoward about it though, we're quite confident the car is legal."

Source: Web Search

McLaren relaxed about rear wing

Published Wed, Mar 10 10 03:08 AM

McLaren have a fallback option should Formula One race stewards take issue with their new car's rear wing but are confident they will not be using it in Sunday's season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.

"We're not taking a radically different package, but you just never know what the stewards are going to do on the day," McLaren managing director Jonathan Neale told reporters on Tuesday.

"We get the best advice we can from the (governing) FIA (International Automobile Federation) in the interests of transparency," he added.

"If the stewards decide on a different course of action though it's still our duty to go racing, so we have a contingency, but I wouldn't put much effort into it."

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner questioned McLaren's rear wing last week, while saying Ferrari appeared to be more concerned about it than his own team.

However a Ferrari spokesman said at the time that he knew of no concerns while McLaren, whose drivers are world champions Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton, have consulted the FIA throughout the design process.

"We've spoken to (Ferrari team principal) Stefano (Domenicali) and some of the other team principals and colleagues there and of course everyone wants to see clarity," said Neale.

"We're doing the same on a number of other teams' developments. There's nothing untoward about it though, we're quite confident the car is legal."

Source: Web Search

Google catches big ticket ads on its YouTube IPL pitch

Published>Wed, Mar 10 10 02:08 AM

Google, which has acquired the Indian Premier League (IPL) broadcast right for its user generated content website YouTube, has secured eight advertisers for the current season of the tournament. The list includes IPL team Royal Challengers Bangalore, HSBC, Coca-Cola, Samsung, Airtel, HP and others. The company has also secured advertisers in some of the international markets including UK, certain South East Asian markets and Australia as the advertisements in YouTube could be tailor-made for different markets. However, the tournament will not be available in the US because of certain legal restrictions. Globally, YouTube has an average of 400 million unique viewers. The site gets 1 billion viewers every day. In India, the average viewership of Google is around 10 million. YouTube will be streaming all the 60 IPL matches live with a push back time of 5 minutes. The commercial breaks and the strategy breaks will be similar to that of the broadcast feed. But the ads on YouTube could be different. Also, there could be country specific advertising.

A media planner, who didn't want to be named, said, "Google usually charges Re 1 per impression on its websites. And for IPL most of the advertisers have bought anywhere between 5 to 10 million impressions on YouTube."

Narasimha Jayakumar, business head, Google India, said, "The various deals that we have signed with advertisers are path breaking and they are spending a fair share of their advertising budget on YouTube." Besides, advertising opportunities during the live streaming of the matches, the other branded formats include on-demand videos of the matches, masthead on the webpage, pop ups, clips of the tournament, best 'catches' etc. "Some of the advertisers have made commitment for next year as well and that's extremely encouraging," added Jayakumar.

Anand Singh, director marketing, Coca-Cola, which is one of the advertisers on YouTube, said, "We do not strongly leverage the Internet as much as we do in other international markets. Since this is the first time YouTube is doing something like this, it provides a great opportunity to leverage our brands. It also completes our 360 degree approach towards the tournament. It helps us target the young consumers which is a very important consumer base for all our brands."

The company will be running thematic campaigns on all its brands including Coke, Sprite and Thums Up. "The beauty of the medium is that all the ads can be redirected to the fan club webpage of various brands," said Jayakumar. Coca-Cola has also bought a significant amount of airtime on the tournament broadcaster MAX and is running various on-ground activities in Delhi as a part of its association with IPL team Delhi Daredevils.

On the other hand, Google has also chalked out an elaborate 360 degree advertising and marketing plan for promoting IPL on YouTube. This will primarily include print and outdoor including bus and train wraps. "MAX is also running a ticker on its channel and the idea is to catch the audience while they are watching it on YouTube," said Jayakumar.

Source: Web Search

Google catches big ticket ads on its YouTube IPL pitch

Published>Wed, Mar 10 10 02:08 AM

Google, which has acquired the Indian Premier League (IPL) broadcast right for its user generated content website YouTube, has secured eight advertisers for the current season of the tournament. The list includes IPL team Royal Challengers Bangalore, HSBC, Coca-Cola, Samsung, Airtel, HP and others. The company has also secured advertisers in some of the international markets including UK, certain South East Asian markets and Australia as the advertisements in YouTube could be tailor-made for different markets. However, the tournament will not be available in the US because of certain legal restrictions. Globally, YouTube has an average of 400 million unique viewers. The site gets 1 billion viewers every day. In India, the average viewership of Google is around 10 million. YouTube will be streaming all the 60 IPL matches live with a push back time of 5 minutes. The commercial breaks and the strategy breaks will be similar to that of the broadcast feed. But the ads on YouTube could be different. Also, there could be country specific advertising.

A media planner, who didn't want to be named, said, "Google usually charges Re 1 per impression on its websites. And for IPL most of the advertisers have bought anywhere between 5 to 10 million impressions on YouTube."

Narasimha Jayakumar, business head, Google India, said, "The various deals that we have signed with advertisers are path breaking and they are spending a fair share of their advertising budget on YouTube." Besides, advertising opportunities during the live streaming of the matches, the other branded formats include on-demand videos of the matches, masthead on the webpage, pop ups, clips of the tournament, best 'catches' etc. "Some of the advertisers have made commitment for next year as well and that's extremely encouraging," added Jayakumar.

Anand Singh, director marketing, Coca-Cola, which is one of the advertisers on YouTube, said, "We do not strongly leverage the Internet as much as we do in other international markets. Since this is the first time YouTube is doing something like this, it provides a great opportunity to leverage our brands. It also completes our 360 degree approach towards the tournament. It helps us target the young consumers which is a very important consumer base for all our brands."

The company will be running thematic campaigns on all its brands including Coke, Sprite and Thums Up. "The beauty of the medium is that all the ads can be redirected to the fan club webpage of various brands," said Jayakumar. Coca-Cola has also bought a significant amount of airtime on the tournament broadcaster MAX and is running various on-ground activities in Delhi as a part of its association with IPL team Delhi Daredevils.

On the other hand, Google has also chalked out an elaborate 360 degree advertising and marketing plan for promoting IPL on YouTube. This will primarily include print and outdoor including bus and train wraps. "MAX is also running a ticker on its channel and the idea is to catch the audience while they are watching it on YouTube," said Jayakumar.

Source: Web Search

Man to man marking against India, says Argentine coach

Published>Tue, Mar 09 10 11:38 PM

New Delhi, March 9 (IANS) Argentina coach Pablo Lombi has some special plans for hosts India when the two teams face each other in a play-off for the seventh-eight positions at the Hockey World Cup here Friday.

'We have to cut down on the spaces against India and then get down to man to man marking. I think if we can execute our plans properly then it would be tough for India,' Lombi said after Argentina defeated Canada 4-2 and finished fourth in Pool A.

Asked if the crowd would be a factor, Lombi said: 'I don't think so. But it would be exciting to play against them. They are improving as a team and we can give them a tough fight.'

Lombi said his boys were desperate to finish seventh as it would give a massive boost to the game back home.

'We are 14th in world rankings and if we finish seventh here, it would be a great achievement for the boys. But I know it is a tough task for them as well, because we are up against a good team like India,' he said.

'The World Cup has been a big eye opener for us. No we have to start playing more international matches in a year and then only we can move ahead,' he said.

Source: Web Search

Man to man marking against India, says Argentine coach

Published>Tue, Mar 09 10 11:36 PM

New Delhi, March 9 (IANS) Argentina coach Pablo Lombi has some special plans for hosts India when the two teams face each other in a play-off for the seventh-eight positions at the Hockey World Cup here Friday.

'We have to cut down on the spaces against India and then get down to man to man marking. I think if we can execute our plans properly then it would be tough for India,' Lombi said after Argentina defeated Canada 4-2 and finished fourth in Pool A.

Asked if the crowd would be a factor, Lombi said: 'I don't think so. But it would be exciting to play against them. They are improving as a team and we can give them a tough fight.'

Lombi said his boys were desperate to finish seventh as it would give a massive boost to the game back home.

'We are 14th in world rankings and if we finish seventh here, it would be a great achievement for the boys. But I know it is a tough task for them as well, because we are up against a good team like India,' he said.

'The World Cup has been a big eye opener for us. No we have to start playing more international matches in a year and then only we can move ahead,' he said.

Source: Web Search

Argentina beat Canada, to play India for seventh-eighth place

Published>Tue, Mar 09 10 11:28 PM

New Delhi, March 9 (IANS) India will clash with Argentina for the seventh-eighth place classification match after the Latin Americans survived a late charge from Canada to prevail 4-2 in the last Pool A game of the Hockey World Cup Tuesday.

Argentina and New Zealand both collected six points. But the Latin Americans finished fourth above the Black Sticks on a better goal difference.

Argentina's Lucas Vila (29th min) struck through a penalty corner to open up a 1-0 lead at half time.

Matias Paredes (43rd min) and Mario Almada (56th) netted field goals in the second session as the world number 14 side seemed to be cruising with a 3-0 lead.

However, the complexion of the game changed late in the second half as Canada got double strikes at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium. Scott Tuper (60th) converted a penalty corner before David Jameson (65th) scored a field goal as the Canadians seemed in full flow.

But the waves of Canadians attacks failed to change the script as Tomas Argento (70th) scored in the last minute to make the final scoreline 4-2.

Canada finished Pool A on three points and would play four time winners Pakistan for the 11-12th place play-off Thursday.

New Zealand clash with South Africa Friday in the classification battle for the ninth-tenth positions.

Source: Web Search

Argentina beat Canada, to play India for seventh-eighth place

Published>Tue, Mar 09 10 11:26 PM

New Delhi, March 9 (IANS) India will clash with Argentina for the seventh-eighth place classification match after the Latin Americans survived a late charge from Canada to prevail 4-2 in the last Pool A game of the Hockey World Cup Tuesday.

Argentina and New Zealand both collected six points. But the Latin Americans finished fourth above the Black Sticks on a better goal difference.

Argentina's Lucas Vila (29th min) struck through a penalty corner to open up a 1-0 lead at half time.

Matias Paredes (43rd min) and Mario Almada (56th) netted field goals in the second session as the world number 14 side seemed to be cruising with a 3-0 lead.

However, the complexion of the game changed late in the second half as Canada got double strikes at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium. Scott Tuper (60th) converted a penalty corner before David Jameson (65th) scored a field goal as the Canadians seemed in full flow.

But the waves of Canadians attacks failed to change the script as Tomas Argento (70th) scored in the last minute to make the final scoreline 4-2.

Canada finished Pool A on three points and would play four time winners Pakistan for the 11-12th place play-off Thursday.

New Zealand clash with South Africa Friday in the classification battle for the ninth-tenth positions.

Source: Web Search

Germany quell New Zealand fightback to storm into semis

Published>Tue, Mar 09 10 11:18 PM

Defending champions Germany saw off a late challenge from New Zealand to score a thumping 5-2 victory and booked a semifinal berth in the Hero Honda Hockey World Cup here on Tuesday.

Germany went ahead 3-0 effortlessly early into the second half through goals from Christoph Menke (15th minute), Florian Fuchs (28th) and Philip Witte (47th) before the Black Sticks made a fightback with goals from Shea Mcaleese (50th) and Wilson Nicholas (54th).

The world number one Germans, gunning for a hat-trick of titles, then scored twice in the space of two minutes towards close through Moritz Furste (63rd) and Matthias Witthaus (64th) to romp home with a morale-boosting vicrtory.

After three wins and two draws, Germany ended the Pool A engagements with 11 points.

New Zealand failed to qualify for the semifinals with six points from five matches.

The Germans forwards put pressure on the Kiwis right from the word go while the Black Sticks rarely reached the opposition circle.

The incessant attack paid off and the Germans took lead in the 15th minute with Christoph Menke deflecting a Florian Fuchs' pass from the left at the roof of New Zealand goal.

Seven minutes later, Jan-Marco Montag dodged past two New Zealand defenders but his reverse stick shot inside the striking circle sailed over the crossbar.

Germany got their first and only penalty corner of the first half in the 28th minute and they double the lead from it with Florian volleying a waist-high rebound off New Zealand goalkeeper Kyle Pontifex.

New Zealand got their first penalty corner one minute from the breather and Nicholas Wilson's attempt from close range was saved by German goalkeeper Tim Jessulat.

The Germans made it 3-0 in the 47th minute with Philip Witte deflecting a Tobias Hauke shot from outside the striking circle into the goal.

New Zealand struck back scoring twice in five minutes to make it 3-2 by the 54th minute.

Shea Mcaleese scored the first Kiwi goal in the 50th minute following their second penalty corner. He guided the ball into the German net after Andrew Hayward's strike was deflected by a German defender.

Four minutes later, Wilson Nicholas, who missed a chance in the first half, scored a gem of a goal. He got the better of a German defender with a fine stickwork and then rounded off the advancing goalkeeper before blasting into empty net.

Germany then scored twice in two minutes, with Moritz Furste converting their third penalty corner in the 63rd minute and Matthias Witthaus volleying a rebound off the New Zealand goalkeeper from their fourth penalty corner few moments later.

Germany got their first and only penalty corner of the first half in the 28th minute and they double the lead from it with Florian volleying a waist-high rebound off New Zealand goalkeeper Kyle Pontifex.

New Zealand got their first penalty corner one minute from the breather and Nicholas Wilson's attempt from close range was saved by German goalkeeper Tim Jessulat.

The Germans made it 3-0 in the 47th minute with Philip Witte deflecting a Tobias Hauke shot from outside the striking circle into the goal.

New Zealand struck back scoring twice in five minutes to make it 3-2 by the 54th minute.

Shea Mcaleese scored the first Kiwi goal in the 50th minute following their second penalty corner. He guided the ball into the German net after Andrew Hayward's strike was deflected by a German defender.

Four minutes later, Wilson Nicholas, who missed a chance in the first half, scored a gem of a goal. He got the better of a German defender with a fine stickwork and then rounded off the advancing goalkeeper before blasting into empty net.

Germany then scored twice in two minutes, with Moritz Furste converting their third penalty corner in the 63rd minute and Matthias Witthaus volleying a rebound off the New Zealand goalkeeper from their fourth penalty corner few moments later.

Source: Web Search

Germany quell New Zealand fightback to storm into semis

Published>Tue, Mar 09 10 11:16 PM

Defending champions Germany saw off a late challenge from New Zealand to score a thumping 5-2 victory and booked a semifinal berth in the Hero Honda Hockey World Cup here on Tuesday.

Germany went ahead 3-0 effortlessly early into the second half through goals from Christoph Menke (15th minute), Florian Fuchs (28th) and Philip Witte (47th) before the Black Sticks made a fightback with goals from Shea Mcaleese (50th) and Wilson Nicholas (54th).

The world number one Germans, gunning for a hat-trick of titles, then scored twice in the space of two minutes towards close through Moritz Furste (63rd) and Matthias Witthaus (64th) to romp home with a morale-boosting vicrtory.

After three wins and two draws, Germany ended the Pool A engagements with 11 points.

New Zealand failed to qualify for the semifinals with six points from five matches.

The Germans forwards put pressure on the Kiwis right from the word go while the Black Sticks rarely reached the opposition circle.

The incessant attack paid off and the Germans took lead in the 15th minute with Christoph Menke deflecting a Florian Fuchs' pass from the left at the roof of New Zealand goal.

Seven minutes later, Jan-Marco Montag dodged past two New Zealand defenders but his reverse stick shot inside the striking circle sailed over the crossbar.

Germany got their first and only penalty corner of the first half in the 28th minute and they double the lead from it with Florian volleying a waist-high rebound off New Zealand goalkeeper Kyle Pontifex.

New Zealand got their first penalty corner one minute from the breather and Nicholas Wilson's attempt from close range was saved by German goalkeeper Tim Jessulat.

The Germans made it 3-0 in the 47th minute with Philip Witte deflecting a Tobias Hauke shot from outside the striking circle into the goal.

New Zealand struck back scoring twice in five minutes to make it 3-2 by the 54th minute.

Shea Mcaleese scored the first Kiwi goal in the 50th minute following their second penalty corner. He guided the ball into the German net after Andrew Hayward's strike was deflected by a German defender.

Four minutes later, Wilson Nicholas, who missed a chance in the first half, scored a gem of a goal. He got the better of a German defender with a fine stickwork and then rounded off the advancing goalkeeper before blasting into empty net.

Germany then scored twice in two minutes, with Moritz Furste converting their third penalty corner in the 63rd minute and Matthias Witthaus volleying a rebound off the New Zealand goalkeeper from their fourth penalty corner few moments later.

Germany got their first and only penalty corner of the first half in the 28th minute and they double the lead from it with Florian volleying a waist-high rebound off New Zealand goalkeeper Kyle Pontifex.

New Zealand got their first penalty corner one minute from the breather and Nicholas Wilson's attempt from close range was saved by German goalkeeper Tim Jessulat.

The Germans made it 3-0 in the 47th minute with Philip Witte deflecting a Tobias Hauke shot from outside the striking circle into the goal.

New Zealand struck back scoring twice in five minutes to make it 3-2 by the 54th minute.

Shea Mcaleese scored the first Kiwi goal in the 50th minute following their second penalty corner. He guided the ball into the German net after Andrew Hayward's strike was deflected by a German defender.

Four minutes later, Wilson Nicholas, who missed a chance in the first half, scored a gem of a goal. He got the better of a German defender with a fine stickwork and then rounded off the advancing goalkeeper before blasting into empty net.

Germany then scored twice in two minutes, with Moritz Furste converting their third penalty corner in the 63rd minute and Matthias Witthaus volleying a rebound off the New Zealand goalkeeper from their fourth penalty corner few moments later.

Source: Web Search

The Netherlands make the semis despite losing to Korea

Published>Tue, Mar 09 10 10:48 PM

New Delhi, March 9 (IANS) The Netherlands went down to a determined Asian Champions Korea 1-2 in an engrossing battle, but survived by the skin of their teeth to make it to the semi-finals where they were joined by defending champions Germany who withstood a courageous comeback from New Zealand to beat them 5-2. and top the Pool. .

Germany finished with 11 points followed by the Netherlands and Korea tied on 10 points, but the Dutch just about managed to keep their nose in front on a better goal difference of plus 10 compared to Korea's plus 8.

In the last match of the preliminaries, Argentina beat Canada 4-2 and will now meet hosts India

for the seventh-eight place Friday.

It was a matter of one goal for Korea as a 3-1 margin would have seen them through to the knock out round. And the way the Asian team swarmed the Dutch goal with breathtaking speed, another goal looked just round the corner. The Netherlands, with some good defending and lots of luck, kept the gritty Koreans at bay.

The Netherlands opened the scoring through Ronald Brouwer (1st minute) before Korea went ahead with strikes from Nam Hyun Woo (31st) and captain Jong Ho Seo (45th). Korea would now take on Spain for a fifth-sixth place play-off.

In the semi-finals, Germany will take on European champions England while the Netherlands will play Pool B toppers Australia Thursday.

It made for a nerve-wracking finish with four teams in the fray for the semi-final berths on the final day of the league match. And the two matches made for an enthralling evening.

In the first match of the day, Germany went 2-0 up in the first half, courtsey Christoph Menke's (15th minute) acrobatic slide and Florian Fuchs' (22nd) penalty corner conversion. They pumped in one more through Philip Witte's 47th minute strike before New Zealand gave them a fright with two goals in the space of three minutes. Shea McAleese (51st) converted a short corner and Nicholas Wilson (54th) brought New Zealand back in the game.

But Germany converted their last two penalty corners through Moritz Furste (63rd) and Matthias Witthaus (64th) to put it beyond New Zealand.

Germany, who were held to a draw by Korea and the Netherlands, finished their league engagement with 11 points in five matches, with three wins. They qualified for the semi-finals for a record 11th time. The only time they missed the semi-final spot was in 1971.

After New Zealand goalkeeper Kyle Pontifex twice denied Germany, Menke and Fuchs combined for a brilliant execution.

Promising striker Fuchs did the spadework from the left and pussed the ball into the open, Menke running parallel to him dived full stretch to spoon the ball high into the New Zealand goal.

Fuchs scored his fourth goal in the tournament when he sent in a rebound that came off Pontifex's stick off a penalty corner.

Germany went 3-0 up with another deflection, this time by Witte, taking advantage of a Jan Philipp Rabente's cross from the top of the circle.

New Zealand throbbed back to life with some excellent moves, taking advantage of the complacent German team.

McAleese deflected a drag flick from Andrew Hayward to open New Zealand's scoring. Wilson then showed fine ball control to breach the German defence, outpacing two defenders and dribbled goalkeeper Pontifex to slam home.

With scoreline reading to 3-2, Germans pulled up their socks as an adverse result would have made them dependent on the results of the other two pool matches for their semi-final berth.

The Germans tightened the defence before scoring two more goals.

'After we were ahead 3-0 we became casual and again dropped down by 20 percent which allowed them to come back. But we recovered well to win the match by a decent margin,' said Germany's captain Maximilian Muller.

Source: Web Search

Korea win in vain; Netherlands, Germany through to semis

Published>Tue, Mar 09 10 10:38 PM

New Delhi, March 9 (IANS) Asian champions Korea fought valiantly to beat the Netherlands 2-1 but still missed the semi-final berth as the European powerhouse scraped through on goal difference at the Hockey World Cup here Tuesday.

The Netherlands finished second in Pool A with ten points and a goal difference of +10, after Germany topped on 11 points after a fluent 5-2 win over New Zealand at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium.

Germany will now take on Pool B runners England while the Netherlands clash with Pool B toppers Australia in the semi-finals Thursday after a day's rest Wednesday.

Asian Games gold medallists Korea, who took the fourth place in the previous two World Cups, finished the Pool engagements with the same number of points as the Netherlands, but their goal difference of +8 proved to be their undoing. Korea would now take on Spain for a fifth-sixth place play-off.

The keenly contested game saw the speedy Koreans recover after conceding a first minute goal as they rattled the strong Dutch defence with snappy moves and a do-or-die approach. But in the end they fell short by a goal of making the cut.

After Germany's victory in the day's first match, Korea needed to win by at least a two-goal margin to make the grade.

Ronald Brouwer put the Dutch ahead seconds into the game, before the Koreans drew parity through a Hyun woo Nam (31st min) penalty-corner strike. In the second session, Korea pressed hard as Jong Ho Seo (45th) got the winner.

The Netherlands had the early control before the Koreans built up pressure with short and neat passes and quick running to the delight of the sparse crowd at the stadium.

The match had a sensational start as Dutch Captain Teun de Nooijer darted down the right, and backpassed from close to the goalline for Ronald Brouwer to strike home.

Undeterred by the setback, the fleet-footed Koreans regrouped and carried out several raids, but the moves ended unproductive as the solid Netherlands defence did not give any room to manoeuvre.

A great run by Young Jin Kim was blocked by the Netherlands's redoubtable goalkeeper Guus Vogels, and later the action shifted to the other end with Nooijer failing to finish after a one-two with Valentin Verga.

Korean attacks eventually met with success when they got their first penalty corner at the stroke of halftime and Nam scored with a drag flick, his fourth goal of the tournament.

Soon after the breather, Sung Hoon Yoon had only Vogels to beat, but the Netherlands goalkeeper saved the effort with Wouter Jolie picking up the rebound from the goalline.

Korea went ahead from another breakaway, that saw Sung Hoon Yoon pass the ball past Vogels at the top of the circle to Seo who only had to push the ball in the vacant goal.

Both sides missed chances and four minutes from close the Netherlands were awarded a penalty stroke, but the decision was upturned following a referral.

Even as the Koreans carried out desperate raids, the game ended with an unproductive Taeke Taekema penalty corner.

Source: Web Search

Korea win in vain; Netherlands, Germany through to semis

Published>Tue, Mar 09 10 10:36 PM

New Delhi, March 9 (IANS) Asian champions Korea fought valiantly to beat the Netherlands 2-1 but still missed the semi-final berth as the European powerhouse scraped through on goal difference at the Hockey World Cup here Tuesday.

The Netherlands finished second in Pool A with ten points and a goal difference of +10, after Germany topped on 11 points after a fluent 5-2 win over New Zealand at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium.

Germany will now take on Pool B runners England while the Netherlands clash with Pool B toppers Australia in the semi-finals Thursday after a day's rest Wednesday.

Asian Games gold medallists Korea, who took the fourth place in the previous two World Cups, finished the Pool engagements with the same number of points as the Netherlands, but their goal difference of +8 proved to be their undoing. Korea would now take on Spain for a fifth-sixth place play-off.

The keenly contested game saw the speedy Koreans recover after conceding a first minute goal as they rattled the strong Dutch defence with snappy moves and a do-or-die approach. But in the end they fell short by a goal of making the cut.

After Germany's victory in the day's first match, Korea needed to win by at least a two-goal margin to make the grade.

Ronald Brouwer put the Dutch ahead seconds into the game, before the Koreans drew parity through a Hyun woo Nam (31st min) penalty-corner strike. In the second session, Korea pressed hard as Jong Ho Seo (45th) got the winner.

The Netherlands had the early control before the Koreans built up pressure with short and neat passes and quick running to the delight of the sparse crowd at the stadium.

The match had a sensational start as Dutch Captain Teun de Nooijer darted down the right, and backpassed from close to the goalline for Ronald Brouwer to strike home.

Undeterred by the setback, the fleet-footed Koreans regrouped and carried out several raids, but the moves ended unproductive as the solid Netherlands defence did not give any room to manoeuvre.

A great run by Young Jin Kim was blocked by the Netherlands's redoubtable goalkeeper Guus Vogels, and later the action shifted to the other end with Nooijer failing to finish after a one-two with Valentin Verga.

Korean attacks eventually met with success when they got their first penalty corner at the stroke of halftime and Nam scored with a drag flick, his fourth goal of the tournament.

Soon after the breather, Sung Hoon Yoon had only Vogels to beat, but the Netherlands goalkeeper saved the effort with Wouter Jolie picking up the rebound from the goalline.

Korea went ahead from another breakaway, that saw Sung Hoon Yoon pass the ball past Vogels at the top of the circle to Seo who only had to push the ball in the vacant goal.

Both sides missed chances and four minutes from close the Netherlands were awarded a penalty stroke, but the decision was upturned following a referral.

Even as the Koreans carried out desperate raids, the game ended with an unproductive Taeke Taekema penalty corner.

Source: Web Search

North Zone beat West by 49 runs, win Deodhar Trophy

Published Tue, Mar 09 10 10:22 PM

Vadodara, March 9 (PTI) Yousuf Pathan''s 39-ball 80 went in vain as Mukesh Sharma and Rahul Dewan shared nine wickets to help North Zone beat West by 49 runs to win the Deodhar Trophy cricket tournament at the Moti Bagh Stadium here today. North, after piling up 267 for nine, thanks to Uday Kaul''s 67 off 83 balls and 48 by Shikhar Dhawan, bundled out West for 218. Pathan came out with his pyrotechnics as he cracked nine sixes and three fours but did not find much support from his colleagues. Sharma led the North bowling department by scalping five wickets for 59 runs, while he got well support from Dewan who bagged four wickets for just 18 runs. Earlier put in to bat, North lost the first wicket in fourth over in the form of Dewan (15). But Dhawan, who struck six fours, joined hands with Kaul to add 66 runs before the former was given lbw off Pathan (2/45). Despite a late slump, North crossed the 250-run mark riding on a pacy cameo by Jaskaran Singh, who made unbeaten seven-ball 25 with the help of three sixes. Replying, West batting order failed to put up a consistent show and despite Pathan''s gutsy innings, they could not achieve the target. Sharma got the prized wicket of Pathan at a crucial juncture when West was struggling at 213 for seven, which cost them dear. After departure of Pathan West tail-enders gave in as North clinched the title.

Source: Web Search

North Zone beat West by 49 runs, win Deodhar Trophy

Published Tue, Mar 09 10 10:22 PM

Vadodara, March 9 (PTI) Yousuf Pathan''s 39-ball 80 went in vain as Mukesh Sharma and Rahul Dewan shared nine wickets to help North Zone beat West by 49 runs to win the Deodhar Trophy cricket tournament at the Moti Bagh Stadium here today. North, after piling up 267 for nine, thanks to Uday Kaul''s 67 off 83 balls and 48 by Shikhar Dhawan, bundled out West for 218. Pathan came out with his pyrotechnics as he cracked nine sixes and three fours but did not find much support from his colleagues. Sharma led the North bowling department by scalping five wickets for 59 runs, while he got well support from Dewan who bagged four wickets for just 18 runs. Earlier put in to bat, North lost the first wicket in fourth over in the form of Dewan (15). But Dhawan, who struck six fours, joined hands with Kaul to add 66 runs before the former was given lbw off Pathan (2/45). Despite a late slump, North crossed the 250-run mark riding on a pacy cameo by Jaskaran Singh, who made unbeaten seven-ball 25 with the help of three sixes. Replying, West batting order failed to put up a consistent show and despite Pathan''s gutsy innings, they could not achieve the target. Sharma got the prized wicket of Pathan at a crucial juncture when West was struggling at 213 for seven, which cost them dear. After departure of Pathan West tail-enders gave in as North clinched the title.

Source: Web Search

A semis spot in pocket, Nooijer happy despite defeat

Published Tue, Mar 09 10 10:08 PM

New Delhi, Mar 9 (PTI) They suffered their first defeat of the tournament today but the Netherlands skipper Tuen de Nooijer is a happy man as they have already realised their aim -- a semifinal berth -- at the hockey World Cup here. The Dutch lost 1-2 to Korea in their last Pool A match. Nooijer said blamed the defeat on uncashed chances against the nimble-footed Koreans. "I am happy with the semifinal spot. It is pity to lose but we reached the semifinals and that''s what counts. We had some chances, especially in the final minutes but could not capitalise on them, otherwise we could have drawn the match. "But Korea played very well. They had two corners and converted one," he told reporters after coming tentalisingly close to losing their last-four stage place. Korea needed to beat Holland by a two goal margin to join Germany in the semifinals from Pool A but what they could manage was only a 2-1 result. Asked whether their dip in performance in the last two matches after three straight wins is matter of concern going into the semis where they face formidable Australia, Nooijer said, "You can''t win every match. Semifinal is a totally new match and we are confident. "Australia are big favourites. They are playing well but again semifinal is a different match. No doubt it would be a tough match." More PTI SSC AT

Source: Web Search

A semis spot in pocket, Nooijer happy despite defeat

Published Tue, Mar 09 10 10:08 PM

New Delhi, Mar 9 (PTI) They suffered their first defeat of the tournament today but the Netherlands skipper Tuen de Nooijer is a happy man as they have already realised their aim -- a semifinal berth -- at the hockey World Cup here. The Dutch lost 1-2 to Korea in their last Pool A match. Nooijer said blamed the defeat on uncashed chances against the nimble-footed Koreans. "I am happy with the semifinal spot. It is pity to lose but we reached the semifinals and that''s what counts. We had some chances, especially in the final minutes but could not capitalise on them, otherwise we could have drawn the match. "But Korea played very well. They had two corners and converted one," he told reporters after coming tentalisingly close to losing their last-four stage place. Korea needed to beat Holland by a two goal margin to join Germany in the semifinals from Pool A but what they could manage was only a 2-1 result. Asked whether their dip in performance in the last two matches after three straight wins is matter of concern going into the semis where they face formidable Australia, Nooijer said, "You can''t win every match. Semifinal is a totally new match and we are confident. "Australia are big favourites. They are playing well but again semifinal is a different match. No doubt it would be a tough match." More PTI SSC AT

Source: Web Search

Mumbai FC rally to hold Sporting to a 2-2 draw

Published Tue, Mar 09 10 09:52 PM

Margao, Mar 9 (PTI) A late goal by substitute Hiralal Chhetri helped visitors Mumbai Football Club hold Sporting Clube de Goa to a 2-2 draw in the 15th round I-League match at Nehru Stadium here today. Sporting, seeking their first win, showed lot of promise especially in the first half as they created more scoring chances, and dictating terms in the midfield. Man of the match Joseph Pereira and Bibiano Fernandes combined well together to keep the upfront busy even as they created chances but their strikers faltered at crucial junction. Sporting conceded a goal through a defensive lapse but fought back to restore parity, went ahead in the second half and looked set for their first victory but their defence once again succumbed under pressure to concede a late goal. Meanwhile, Mumbai FC''s midfield lacked the cohesion which helped their opponents to control the midfield. They relied mostly on counter moves catching Sporting''s jittery defence on the wrong foot to forge ahead in the 10th minute. Nishant Mehra who initiated the move from the middle played a wall pass with Abhishek Yadav inside the box to split the defence, the former scored from close beating keeper Felix D''souza to his left. (More) PTI MCS VKV DB

Source: Web Search

Mumbai FC rally to hold Sporting to a 2-2 draw

Published Tue, Mar 09 10 09:52 PM

Margao, Mar 9 (PTI) A late goal by substitute Hiralal Chhetri helped visitors Mumbai Football Club hold Sporting Clube de Goa to a 2-2 draw in the 15th round I-League match at Nehru Stadium here today. Sporting, seeking their first win, showed lot of promise especially in the first half as they created more scoring chances, and dictating terms in the midfield. Man of the match Joseph Pereira and Bibiano Fernandes combined well together to keep the upfront busy even as they created chances but their strikers faltered at crucial junction. Sporting conceded a goal through a defensive lapse but fought back to restore parity, went ahead in the second half and looked set for their first victory but their defence once again succumbed under pressure to concede a late goal. Meanwhile, Mumbai FC''s midfield lacked the cohesion which helped their opponents to control the midfield. They relied mostly on counter moves catching Sporting''s jittery defence on the wrong foot to forge ahead in the 10th minute. Nishant Mehra who initiated the move from the middle played a wall pass with Abhishek Yadav inside the box to split the defence, the former scored from close beating keeper Felix D''souza to his left. (More) PTI MCS VKV DB

Source: Web Search

Sushil, Alka to lead Indian teams in Minsk GP

Published Tue, Mar 09 10 09:22 PM

New Delhi, Mar 9 (PTI) Olympic bronze medallist Sushil Kumar will lead India''s men''s team while Asian Games bronze medal winner Alka Tomar will lead the women''s team in the International Grand Prix tournament in Minsk, Belarus. The Wrestling Federation of India today announced a 13-strong squad, including six women, for the two-day event beginning Friday. A seven-member men''s team will participate in the Free Style competition while the women members will represent the country in the Female Wrestling event. The squad will leave for Minsk tomorrow. Free Style Team: Vinod Kumar (55Kg), Rahul Mann (60Kg), Sushil Kumar (66Kg), Narsingh Yadav (74 Kg), Anuj Kumar (84Kg), Mausham Khatri (96 Kg), Rajeev Tomar (120Kg). Female Team: Babita Kumari (51Kg), Geeta (55Kg), Alka Tomar (59Kg), Anita (63Kg), Navjot Kaur (67Kg), Anmol (72Kg). PTI AT

Source: Web Search

Sushil, Alka to lead Indian teams in Minsk GP

Published Tue, Mar 09 10 09:22 PM

New Delhi, Mar 9 (PTI) Olympic bronze medallist Sushil Kumar will lead India''s men''s team while Asian Games bronze medal winner Alka Tomar will lead the women''s team in the International Grand Prix tournament in Minsk, Belarus. The Wrestling Federation of India today announced a 13-strong squad, including six women, for the two-day event beginning Friday. A seven-member men''s team will participate in the Free Style competition while the women members will represent the country in the Female Wrestling event. The squad will leave for Minsk tomorrow. Free Style Team: Vinod Kumar (55Kg), Rahul Mann (60Kg), Sushil Kumar (66Kg), Narsingh Yadav (74 Kg), Anuj Kumar (84Kg), Mausham Khatri (96 Kg), Rajeev Tomar (120Kg). Female Team: Babita Kumari (51Kg), Geeta (55Kg), Alka Tomar (59Kg), Anita (63Kg), Navjot Kaur (67Kg), Anmol (72Kg). PTI AT

Source: Web Search

Manchester United players are born winners: Beckham

Published>Tue, Mar 09 10 09:18 PM

Milan, Mar 9(ANI): AC Milan midfielder David Beckham claims that his former club Manchester United's players are born winners, and they have the tendency to keep pushing until the final whistle.

Beckham also warned his teammates that United will give tough competition to Milan on Wednesday.

"It doesn't matter whether there is half the game left or two minutes left, United players are born and brought up to believe they can win even with a minute left. They have that mentality, which makes it extremely hard for anyone to beat them," The Mirror quoted Beckham, as saying.

"Nobody comes to Old Trafford and gets given gifts. We're going to have to work hard and play well if we're to have a chance," he added.

Beckham further refused to accept that the tie is dead, and claims Milan will overturn the 3-2 deficit from the first leg of their last-16 clash.

"It's not over. The second goal helps us out. We know how difficult it is going to be. If we had put away the chances we had it in the first game it would be a different tie now. But we didn't and you have to put your chances away, especially against a side like United," Beckham said.

"United have quality all the way through the side and it's going to be hard to stop them. But, as I said, our second goal gives us a chance," he added. (ANI)

Source: Web Search

Manchester United players are born winners: Beckham

Published>Tue, Mar 09 10 09:18 PM

Milan, Mar 9(ANI): AC Milan midfielder David Beckham claims that his former club Manchester United's players are born winners, and they have the tendency to keep pushing until the final whistle.

Beckham also warned his teammates that United will give tough competition to Milan on Wednesday.

"It doesn't matter whether there is half the game left or two minutes left, United players are born and brought up to believe they can win even with a minute left. They have that mentality, which makes it extremely hard for anyone to beat them," The Mirror quoted Beckham, as saying.

"Nobody comes to Old Trafford and gets given gifts. We're going to have to work hard and play well if we're to have a chance," he added.

Beckham further refused to accept that the tie is dead, and claims Milan will overturn the 3-2 deficit from the first leg of their last-16 clash.

"It's not over. The second goal helps us out. We know how difficult it is going to be. If we had put away the chances we had it in the first game it would be a different tie now. But we didn't and you have to put your chances away, especially against a side like United," Beckham said.

"United have quality all the way through the side and it's going to be hard to stop them. But, as I said, our second goal gives us a chance," he added. (ANI)

Source: Web Search

Clarke still hoping to play in Test series against New Zealand

Published>Tue, Mar 09 10 08:52 PM

Sydney, Mar 9(ANI): Australian vice-captain Michael Clarke expects to play in the Test series against New Zealand despite the controversy surrounding his fiancee, Lara Bingle.

Clarke is unsure when he would rejoin the team, but he is reportedly keen to get back in time to take part in the Test series, which starts from March 19 in Wellington.

"Michael has arrived home to support Lara through this difficult time," Fox Sports quoted Chris White, Clarke's manager, as saying.

The announcement of the squad has been delayed due to his unexpected dash home to Sydney.

Earlier, Clarke had quit the tour on Monday and flown home citing personal reasons.

His departure follows recent reports in the Australian media concerning Bingle, who is reportedly suing a former boyfriend after a nude photo of her was published in a magazine.

However, it is also believed that Clarke may also have left for family reasons, as his father, Les, has been battling cancer for some time. (ANI)

Source: Web Search

Clarke still hoping to play in Test series against New Zealand

Published>Tue, Mar 09 10 08:52 PM

Sydney, Mar 9(ANI): Australian vice-captain Michael Clarke expects to play in the Test series against New Zealand despite the controversy surrounding his fiancee, Lara Bingle.

Clarke is unsure when he would rejoin the team, but he is reportedly keen to get back in time to take part in the Test series, which starts from March 19 in Wellington.

"Michael has arrived home to support Lara through this difficult time," Fox Sports quoted Chris White, Clarke's manager, as saying.

The announcement of the squad has been delayed due to his unexpected dash home to Sydney.

Earlier, Clarke had quit the tour on Monday and flown home citing personal reasons.

His departure follows recent reports in the Australian media concerning Bingle, who is reportedly suing a former boyfriend after a nude photo of her was published in a magazine.

However, it is also believed that Clarke may also have left for family reasons, as his father, Les, has been battling cancer for some time. (ANI)

Source: Web Search

Real without Benzema, have doubts in midfield for Lyon

Published Tue, Mar 09 10 08:48 PM

Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has failed to recover from injury in time for the visit of his former club Olympique Lyon in the Champions League on Wednesday.

The France international has been struggling with a groin problem and was left out of Manuel Pellegrini's squad on Tuesday along with the injured Royston Drenthe and Pepe, and suspended Marcelo and Xabi Alonso.

Real need to overturn a 1-0 first leg deficit, and to beat a side who have drawn on their only two previous visits to the Bernabeu in this competition.

The absence of former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso, one of Real's most consistent performers of late, does not help Pellegrini resolve his toughest decision, which is who to play in the middle.

The attack-minded Guti and Rafael van der Vaart came on as second-half substitutes and helped inspire Real to their 3-2 comeback win against Sevilla on Saturday, and would be popular choices on Wednesday, but the Chilean gave little away.

"The last 20 minutes of the first half against Sevilla were very good as well (as the second half)," he told a news conference.

"That midfield has played together eight or nine times and won praise for its performances against Barcelona and Valencia among others. I'm not affected by criticism.

"The atmosphere at the Bernabeu will be special and we need to try and make the most of this. It is a narrow deficit we face and I believe we can overturn it to make the quarter-finals."

Source: Web Search

Real without Benzema, have doubts in midfield for Lyon

Published Tue, Mar 09 10 08:46 PM

Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has failed to recover from injury in time for the visit of his former club Olympique Lyon in the Champions League on Wednesday.

The France international has been struggling with a groin problem and was left out of Manuel Pellegrini's squad on Tuesday along with the injured Royston Drenthe and Pepe, and suspended Marcelo and Xabi Alonso.

Real need to overturn a 1-0 first leg deficit, and to beat a side who have drawn on their only two previous visits to the Bernabeu in this competition.

The absence of former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso, one of Real's most consistent performers of late, does not help Pellegrini resolve his toughest decision, which is who to play in the middle.

The attack-minded Guti and Rafael van der Vaart came on as second-half substitutes and helped inspire Real to their 3-2 comeback win against Sevilla on Saturday, and would be popular choices on Wednesday, but the Chilean gave little away.

"The last 20 minutes of the first half against Sevilla were very good as well (as the second half)," he told a news conference.

"That midfield has played together eight or nine times and won praise for its performances against Barcelona and Valencia among others. I'm not affected by criticism.

"The atmosphere at the Bernabeu will be special and we need to try and make the most of this. It is a narrow deficit we face and I believe we can overturn it to make the quarter-finals."

Source: Web Search

Germany overcome a fighting New Zealand

Published>Tue, Mar 09 10 08:38 PM

New Delhi, March 9 (IANS) Defending champions Germany withstood a strong New Zeland fightback before scoring a 5-2 victory, and booking a semi-final berth from Pool A at the Hockey World Cup here Tuesday.

Germany went 2-0 up in the first half, courtsey Christoph Menke's (15th minute) acrobatic slide and Florian Fuchs' (22nd) penalty corner conversion. They pumped in one more through Philip Witte's 47th minute strike before New Zealand gave them a scare with two goals in the space of three minutes. Shea McAleese (51st) converted a short corner and Nicholas Wilson (54th) brought New Zealand back in the game.

But Germany converted their last two penalty corners through Moritz Furste (63rd) and Matthias Witthaus (64th) to put it beyond New Zealand.

Germany, who were held to a draw by Korea and the Netherlands, finished their league engagement with 11 points in five matches, with three wins. They qualified for the semi-finals for a record 11th time. The only time they missed the semi-final spot was in 1971.

Germany have won all their five World Cup encounters against New Zealand.

After New Zealand goalkeeper Kyle Pontifex twice denied Germany, Menke and Fuchs combined for a brilliant execution.

Promising striker Fuchs did the spadework from the left and passed the ball in the open and Menke running parallel to him, dived full stretch to spoon the ball high into the New Zealand goal.

Fuchs scored his fourth goal in the tournament when he sent in a rebound that came off Pontifex's stick off a penalty corner.

Germany had better ball posession in the first half and built up some good moves. They kept up the tempo in the second half, though they could not convert the chances.

Germany went 3-0 up with another deflection, this time by Witte, taking advantage of a Jan Philipp Rabente's cross from the top of the circle.

New Zealand throbbed back to life with some excellent moves, taking advantage of the complacent German team.

'After we were ahead 3-0, we became casual and our game dropped down by 20 per cent, which allowed them to comeback. But we came back well to win the match by a decent margin,' said Germany's captain Maximilian Muller.

McAleese deflected a drag flick from Andrew Hayward to open New Zealand's scoring. Wilson then showed fine ball control to breach the German defence, outpacing two defenders and dribbled goalkeeper Pontifex to slam home.

With scoreline reading to 3-2, Germans pulled up their socks as an adverse result would have made them dependent on the other two pool matches' result for a semi-final berth.

The Germans tightened the defence before scoring two more goals.

The fourth goal was a great exhibition of a set-piece conversion. Jan-Marco Montag stopped the ball and beautifully set it for Furste, who pushed it in.

A minute later, Witthaus scored from a rebound off a penalty corner to put it beyond New Zealand.

Source: Web Search

Germany overcome a fighting New Zealand

Published>Tue, Mar 09 10 08:36 PM

New Delhi, March 9 (IANS) Defending champions Germany withstood a strong New Zeland fightback before scoring a 5-2 victory, and booking a semi-final berth from Pool A at the Hockey World Cup here Tuesday.

Germany went 2-0 up in the first half, courtsey Christoph Menke's (15th minute) acrobatic slide and Florian Fuchs' (22nd) penalty corner conversion. They pumped in one more through Philip Witte's 47th minute strike before New Zealand gave them a scare with two goals in the space of three minutes. Shea McAleese (51st) converted a short corner and Nicholas Wilson (54th) brought New Zealand back in the game.

But Germany converted their last two penalty corners through Moritz Furste (63rd) and Matthias Witthaus (64th) to put it beyond New Zealand.

Germany, who were held to a draw by Korea and the Netherlands, finished their league engagement with 11 points in five matches, with three wins. They qualified for the semi-finals for a record 11th time. The only time they missed the semi-final spot was in 1971.

Germany have won all their five World Cup encounters against New Zealand.

After New Zealand goalkeeper Kyle Pontifex twice denied Germany, Menke and Fuchs combined for a brilliant execution.

Promising striker Fuchs did the spadework from the left and passed the ball in the open and Menke running parallel to him, dived full stretch to spoon the ball high into the New Zealand goal.

Fuchs scored his fourth goal in the tournament when he sent in a rebound that came off Pontifex's stick off a penalty corner.

Germany had better ball posession in the first half and built up some good moves. They kept up the tempo in the second half, though they could not convert the chances.

Germany went 3-0 up with another deflection, this time by Witte, taking advantage of a Jan Philipp Rabente's cross from the top of the circle.

New Zealand throbbed back to life with some excellent moves, taking advantage of the complacent German team.

'After we were ahead 3-0, we became casual and our game dropped down by 20 per cent, which allowed them to comeback. But we came back well to win the match by a decent margin,' said Germany's captain Maximilian Muller.

McAleese deflected a drag flick from Andrew Hayward to open New Zealand's scoring. Wilson then showed fine ball control to breach the German defence, outpacing two defenders and dribbled goalkeeper Pontifex to slam home.

With scoreline reading to 3-2, Germans pulled up their socks as an adverse result would have made them dependent on the other two pool matches' result for a semi-final berth.

The Germans tightened the defence before scoring two more goals.

The fourth goal was a great exhibition of a set-piece conversion. Jan-Marco Montag stopped the ball and beautifully set it for Furste, who pushed it in.

A minute later, Witthaus scored from a rebound off a penalty corner to put it beyond New Zealand.

Source: Web Search

Chinese factory ordered to stop making World Cup toy

Published Tue, Mar 09 10 08:28 PM

A Chinese factory has been ordered to halt production of a soccer World Cup mascot because of sub-standard working conditions, FIFA's branding company said on Tuesday.

Global Brand Group (GBG), the firm that manages branding for soccer's governing body, said in a statement the Shanghai-based factory would have to make changes before it was allowed to resume production of the Zakumi figurine.

Zakumi, a green-haired leopard, is the official mascot for the soccer World Cup in South Africa, which starts on June 11.

Britain's News of the World reported in January that the company paid its workers "pitiful" wages and forced them to work in squalid conditions.

GBG said an audit and inspection of the factory had found a number of ways in wich it did not meet the code of conduct for FIFA contractors.

"A corrective action plan has been put together with the manufacturer to close the gaps and make the necessary improvements," it said.

"In the interim, the approval for this factory to manufacture these figurines has been temporarily suspended affording them the opportunity to put in place corrective actions and measures to ensure the factory remedies its non-compliance."

South African trade unions last month threatened to disrupt the tournament because of the allegations.

Labour organisations were already angry that some World Cup merchandise is being manufactured outside South Africa, which has an unemployment rate of more than 25 percent.

Source: Web Search

Chinese factory ordered to stop making World Cup toy

Published Tue, Mar 09 10 08:28 PM

A Chinese factory has been ordered to halt production of a soccer World Cup mascot because of sub-standard working conditions, FIFA's branding company said on Tuesday.

Global Brand Group (GBG), the firm that manages branding for soccer's governing body, said in a statement the Shanghai-based factory would have to make changes before it was allowed to resume production of the Zakumi figurine.

Zakumi, a green-haired leopard, is the official mascot for the soccer World Cup in South Africa, which starts on June 11.

Britain's News of the World reported in January that the company paid its workers "pitiful" wages and forced them to work in squalid conditions.

GBG said an audit and inspection of the factory had found a number of ways in wich it did not meet the code of conduct for FIFA contractors.

"A corrective action plan has been put together with the manufacturer to close the gaps and make the necessary improvements," it said.

"In the interim, the approval for this factory to manufacture these figurines has been temporarily suspended affording them the opportunity to put in place corrective actions and measures to ensure the factory remedies its non-compliance."

South African trade unions last month threatened to disrupt the tournament because of the allegations.

Labour organisations were already angry that some World Cup merchandise is being manufactured outside South Africa, which has an unemployment rate of more than 25 percent.

Source: Web Search

Pakistan doubtful for C''wealth C''ship

Published Tue, Mar 09 10 08:22 PM

New Delhi, Mar 9 (PTI) Pakistan''s participation in the Commonwealth Boxing Championship is in doubt as they are yet to get the requisite government clearance to travel to India for the event, starting Friday. Pakistan, which was supposed to send a full 10-member squad for the Championship, has not intimated the organisers about whether they will be in the capital or not. "There is no news from Pakistan. The last we heard, they had not got the government clearance. Most of the teams will be here by tonight or tomorrow and there is no word from them... so I guess, their participation is doubtful," said an Indian Boxing Federation official. "We are waiting to hear from them," he added. Australia, Canada and Ghana are the countries which have officially pulled out of the competition so far. Among the foreign teams which have landed in the capital are England, Scotland, Wales and they are set to be joined by other participants by tonight. India has traditionally done well in the tournament and were champions in 2005 when Akhil Kumar (56kg) clinched a gold and Olympic and World Championship bronze medallist Vijender Singh brought home a silver.

Source: Web Search

Pakistan doubtful for C''wealth C''ship

Published Tue, Mar 09 10 08:22 PM

New Delhi, Mar 9 (PTI) Pakistan''s participation in the Commonwealth Boxing Championship is in doubt as they are yet to get the requisite government clearance to travel to India for the event, starting Friday. Pakistan, which was supposed to send a full 10-member squad for the Championship, has not intimated the organisers about whether they will be in the capital or not. "There is no news from Pakistan. The last we heard, they had not got the government clearance. Most of the teams will be here by tonight or tomorrow and there is no word from them... so I guess, their participation is doubtful," said an Indian Boxing Federation official. "We are waiting to hear from them," he added. Australia, Canada and Ghana are the countries which have officially pulled out of the competition so far. Among the foreign teams which have landed in the capital are England, Scotland, Wales and they are set to be joined by other participants by tonight. India has traditionally done well in the tournament and were champions in 2005 when Akhil Kumar (56kg) clinched a gold and Olympic and World Championship bronze medallist Vijender Singh brought home a silver.

Source: Web Search

Spain win as England save their breath

Published>Tue, Mar 09 10 07:48 PM

New Delhi, March 8 -- Spain's only chance of making it to the semifinals was to beat England by a huge margin, 10-12 goals, and hope Pakistan beat Australia by a good margin as the Kookaburras have a huge goal advantage. That was easier said than done because England have been the find of the tournament, won all their matches thus far and were assured of the semifinal spot with a round to spare. On the other hand, Pakistan have not set the turf on fire and, predictably, were beaten by the Australians. The only interest then for Spain was to ensure that they finish third in the pool and played for the fifth and sixth spot. Defeat would have opened up a chance for India to beat South Africa by a big margin and overtake them on goal difference. But Spain completed their end of the bargain and defeated England 2-0 in a match that failed to rise to rise to high standard. England, having clinched their berth in the semis, did not exert themselves much and were more interested in avoiding further injuries. They have already lost three players to injuries (two before the start of event and one after) and wanted to avoid any more casualties going into the business end of the tournament. Spain rode on goals by Pau Quemada off a penalty corner at the stroke of half-time and a field goal by Eduard Tubau in the 64th minute to seal a comfortable 2-0 victory in the Hero Honda FIH Men's Hockey World Cup here on Monday. Though Spain held the upper hand, they could not score more goals. England seems to have saved their breath for the tough semifinal. Spain had to secure third place in the pool and went on the offensive from the start. Albert Sala, Quemada, Pol Amat and David Alegre made some good attacks while for England, skipper Barry Middleton, James Tindall and Iain Mackay played well. Spain had nine shots on goal, of which four went wide. England could manage only six shots with only one on target.

Source: Web Search