Sports

MNA Sports Desk: Brazilian forward Hulk arrives in Shanghai ahead of expected move to Chinese Super League team, SIPG. He is supposed to join Shanghai SIPG in a deal as local media is guessing that could be a record for the Chinese Super League. SIPG confirmed that more than 1,000 supporters were at Shanghai’s international airport Wednesday to welcome Hulk, who is set to move from former Russian champion Zenith St. Petersburg. But SIPG have yet to settle the signing and Sui told reporters at the airport that Hulk would undergo a medical on Thursday. Russian media have said Zenith ...

MNA Sports Desk: Argentine football legend Diego Maradona and the country’s president Mauricio Macri, as well as fans, urged Lionel Messi on Monday as they want him not to leave the national team despite his vow to quit after a humiliating defeat. Dozens of emotional fans wearing the white and sky-blue striped jerseys of the national team, adorned with Messi’s number 10, waited in the rain for the team to arrive back from the tournament in the United States. “The national team is over for me,” Messi Told the Argentine network TyC Sports. “It’s been four finals, it’s not meant ...

MNA Sports Desk: Last night, Quaresma snatches an extra-time win for Portugal. Substitute Ricardo Quaresma turned in a rebound three minutes from the end of extra time as Portugal edged a tense encounter with Croatia to book a UEFA EURO 2016 quarter-final date with Poland. Quaresma secured a 1-0 win over Croatia after the game burst into life in the last few minutes of extra time on Saturday to set up a Euro 2016 quarter-final against Poland next week. Quaresma struck three minutes from the end of the extra period after a Cristiano Ronaldo shot was saved by Danijel Subasic ...

MNA Sports Desk: Robbie Brady recorded a magnificent late winner for Ireland to put them through to the knockout phases of the European Championship for the first time with a 1-0 win over Group E winners Italy. It brought Irish football one of its most celebrated nights against a second-string Italy side, with the three points safeguarding third place in the group and setting up a last-16 tie against hosts France in Lyon on Sunday. “It’s what dreams are made of. I grew up dreaming about this stage and to go and do it in front of my family is ...

MNA Sports Desk: Messi makes Argentina fly into the Copa America final. Lionel Messi recorded his 55th international goal to be counted his country’s all-time leading scorer as Argentina thrashed hosts the United States 4-0 to comfort into the final of the Centenary Copa America on Tuesday. “We got outplayed badly by a very good team,” U.S. Soccer Federation President Sunil Gulati said. “Today is a good day to judge where we are in program overall. We’re obviously a long way off.” Messi glanced the ball over the defense to an open Lavezzi for the opener, and then doubled the ...

MNA Sports Desk: Gareth Bale scored three goals in three games as Wales overawed Russia 3-0 on Monday to reach the knockout stages of the European Championship for the first time. Since the 1958 World Cup, Wales challenged expectations to win Group B ahead of England and send Russia home with an exciting counter-attacking display that rested on more than just the talents of Bale. “I’ve never seen a better performance from any Wales team than I saw tonight. As a nation geographically we are small but if you judge us by passion, you could say we were a continent ...

MNA Sports Desk: Two Indian nationals have been arrested in Harare after for alleged accusation of rape but they are not cricketers. Reports that the arrested Indians are members of the Indian cricket team are incorrect, officials in Zimbabwe confirmed on Sunday. An article in a Zimbabwean publication claimed that an Indian player involved in the ongoing cricket tour of Zimbabwe had been picked up by police following an allegation made by a Zimbabwean woman. The two alleged were recognized as Krishna Satyanarayan, who is linked with ITW Sports, and Rajkumar Krishnan, a Zambia-based businessman. Satyanarayan works as a consultant ...

MNA Sports Desk: Argentina and Chile reach to the semifinals of the Copa America in style. On Saturday, with Chile beating Mexico 7-0 and Lionel Messi getting a goal in Argentina’s 4-1 win over Venezuela to equal his country’s all-time scoring record, the day was full of sheer display of football excellence. Lionel Messi dominated the ball during the Copa America Centenario football quarterfinal match in Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States, on Saturday. Messi is strong-minded to lead Argentina to their first cup in 23 years after a series of excruciating near-misses. The Barcelona star scored his fourth goal of the ...

MNA Sports Desk: Czechs draw with Croatia in flare-hit match in Euro 2016. A 94th-minute penalty saved a point for the Czech Republic in their dramatic 2-2 draw with Croatia as flares thrown onto the pitch marred Friday’s Euro 2016 match. With Croatia 2-1 up and with one foot in the last 16, referee Mark Clattenberg fleetingly stopped play late in the game when flares thrown by Croatian supporters landed on the pitch in Saint-Etienne. Croatia defender Domagoj Vida was penalized for handball and Tomas Necid drilled home the resulting penalty, deep in added time, to claim their first point ...

MNA Sports Desk: Reportedly, Pakistan cricket team manager, Intikhab Alam warns fast bowler Mohammad Amir before team’s England tour saying that he cannot afford to put a foot wrong on the tour of England where he was caught in a spot-fixing case six years ago. The images of Amir’s shocking over-stepping of the crease to bowl no-balls during the Lord’s Test in 2010 will re-emerge as he is all set to take the field on July 14 in the first of a four-match series. Amir and his new-ball partner Mohammad Asif bowled deliberate no-balls on the order of then Test ...

MNA Sports Desk: According to reports, Moscow summons the French ambassador over the issue of an ‘anti-Russian’ Euro 2016. Soccer fan violence fallen into global politics as this was done after the imprisonments of Russians at Euro 2016 and it was warned that an ‘anti-Russian’ mood could even harm relations between Russia and France. Sergei Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister, blamed other countries’ soccer fans of ‘unconditionally challenging actions’ at the tournament, such as crushing on the Russian flag. In the meantime the epicenter of soccer violence at Euro 2016 moved from the south of France to the far north. Police used ...

MNA Sports Desk: Anil Kumble, former captain and the country’s uppermost wicket-taker in all forms gets in the contest for Indian cricket coach. He becomes the biggest name to have applied for the high-profile post of Indian cricket team’s coach. While the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has listed the number of candidates to be 57 without specifying any names, Kumble’s application makes it exciting as by sheer weight of his stature. He would be a few notches above former team director Ravi Shastri and chairman of selectors Sandeep Patil. “Yes, Kumble has applied for the post ...

MNA Sports Desk: The Copa America Centenario exploded into debate on Sunday after a refereeing blunder sent Brazil crash to a 1-0 defeat against Peru and out of the tournament. The conquest left Brazil stressed to digest their worst performance in the Copa America since 1987, the last occasion the five-time world champions failed to make it past the group stage. Brazil, demanding only a draw to qualify for the quarter-finals as winners of Group B, looked to be on course for a place in the last eight with 15 minutes to go against Peru. But a rare foray into ...

MNA Sports Desk: Fans of England and Russia clash before and after their match at Euro 2016 last night. Clashes break out in the stands during the Group B football match between England and Russia. One England supporter was seriously injured in Marseille after being kicked repeatedly in the head, while another is reported to be in critical condition. A number of other fans were also in hospital, the British ambassador to France said early on Sunday, after a day and night of chaos in the French city. It is understood that UEFA will open disciplinary proceedings over the stadium ...

MNA Sports Desk: According to reports, Maria Sharapova has been expelled from tennis for two years. She has been given a two-year ban from tennis after she tested positive for Meldonium at the Australian Open in January. The ban has been predated to January 26, the day the Russian failed her drugs test in Melbourne – meaning it will end on January 25, 2018. The ban was at the weightier end of prospects and it means she cannot play a Grand Slam until the French Open in 2018. International Tennis Federation (ITF) reported, “In the tribunal’s view the answer is ...

MNA Sports Desk: Lionel Messi grabs a magical hat-trick in 19 minutes as Argentina romp into the Copa America Centenario quarters with a 5-0 rout of Panama on Friday. Messi had been forced to delay his debut in the tournament after a slow recovery from a lower back injury, with Argentina coach Gerardo Martino astonishingly identifying him amongst the substitutes once more. Messi missed no time in printing his genius on the tournament after coming on in the 61st minute to replace Augusto Fernandez with Argentina leading the Group D game 1-0. An exciting cameo from the Barcelona superstar began ...

MNA Sports Desk: It was an arrogant statement but correct nonetheless and will probably be an apt epitaph when Cristiano Ronaldo eventually calls time on his international career. Ronaldo is hoping that rest leaves him fit for Euro 2016. Cristiano Ronaldo clinched the Champions League this season for Real Madrid with the winning penalty. Speaking in the glossy film about his life and remarkable career released last year, he said of Portugal’s chances in international tournaments, “If we had two or three Cristiano Ronaldos in the team, I would feel more comfortable but we don’t.” He is easily Portugal’s record ...

MNA Sports Desk: Argentina shrugged off the injury absence of Lionel Messi to launch their Copa America Centenario campaign with a 2-1 victory over defending champions Chile on Monday. Goals from Angel Di Maria and Ever Banegasafea warranted three points for Argentina, who demanded sweet revenge for their defeat to the Chileans in last year’s Copa America final. Chile substitute Jose Fuenzalida scored an injury time consolation for the last year’s title holders. The Argentines will now be firm favorites to the quarter-finals as Group D champions with games in contradiction of Panama and Bolivia to come. But the Barcelona ...

MNA Sports Desk: This year, Novak Djokovic wins his maiden French Open title. He has imposed a vicious French Open thrashing on Andy Murray to become only the third man in history to hold all four titles concurrently. American Don Budge (1938-39) and Rod Laver (1962-69) are the only others to have reached the feat. Novak Djokovic got his French Open title at the 12th time of asking. And his runaway 3-6 6-1 6-2 6-4 triumph lifted him into a group of only eight men to have finished a career grand slam. Drawing a heart with his row on the ...

MNA Sports Desk: A controversial refereeing decision spared Brazil’s blushes at the Copa America Centenario on Saturday as the five-time world champions opened their campaign with a goalless draw against Ecuador. Ecuador looked to have taken a sensational lead at the Pasadena Rose Bowl midway through the second half when Brazil goalkeeper Alisson fumbled a cross from Miller Bolanos into his own net as he stooped to gather at the near post. But as Ecuador bench and players celebrated, the match officials whistled for a goal kick, after ruling that the ball had gone out of play shortly before Bolanos ...

MNA Sports Desk: Copa America Centenario is to crown the first ever America’s champion. Sure, Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay have all won the World Cup before, and at last check the Americas are in the world, but never before has a tournament been held entirely to crown the best team in the Western Hemisphere. So who will win the competition? There are nearly a dozen teams who can realistically win the tournament so trying to pick one is, well, somewhere between tough and foolish. But ranking teams? That we can do, and it’s not a ranking of which national teams ...

MNA Sports Desk: Britain’s Andy Murray beats defending French Open champion Stan Wawrinka 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 in the semi-finals on Friday to reach his first french open final at Roland Garros where he will face world number one Novak Djokovic. Breaking his clay court jinx against the Swiss, second seed Murray also becomes the first Briton to contest the Roland Garros crown since the 1930s, a landmark he did not think he would achieve. He said, “I knew today if I wanted to win I would have to play one of my best clay-court matches. I played one of ...

MNA Sports Desk: Bangladesh will have to face host England in the ICC Champions Trophy tournament opener on June 1, 2017 at The Oval in the Group A encounter. International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday announced the group seeding and fixture of the one-day-format ICC Champions Trophy where Bangladesh were placed in Group-A along with England, Australia and New Zealand. Event host and 2004 and 2013 finalist England will take on Bangladesh in the tournament opener at The Oval, which will also be the venue for a battle between former champions Sri Lanka and South Africa on 3 June, states ...

MNA Sports Desk: Sri Lankan pace bowler Nuwan Kulasekara retires from Test cricket, confirmed on Wednesday, in order to focus his attention on the sport’s shorter formats, in which he is considered a greater threat with the ball. The 33-year-old pace-man has not played a Test in almost two years and said in a letter to the Sri Lankan board that he was retiring with “immediate effect”. “I hope it will allow me to better prepare for ODI (one-day international) and T20 cricket, which I would like to continue playing for Sri Lanka subject to good performance and selection. I ...

MNA Sports Desk: Indian tennis stars Leander Paes and Sania Mirza win in respective mixed doubles matches at French Open 2016. They cruised into the mixed doubles pre-quarterfinals of the French Open along with their respective partners. While Paes and his Swiss Partner Martina Hingis, winners of three Grand Slam titles last season, beat German Colombian pair of Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Robert Farah 6-4, 6-4 in the opening round, second seeded Sania and Ivan Dodig of Croatia eased past French duo of Mathilde Johansson and Tristan Lamasine 6-4, 6-3 in their opener later in the day. However, it was curtains ...

MNA Sports Desk: Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Royal Challengers of Bengaluru (RCB) to win their maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) title last night. Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli’s hundred-run stand went in vain as Sunrisers Hyderabad registered a narrow eight-run victory to win their first Indian Premier League title at M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday. Royal Challengers Bangalore finished eight runs short of massive 209-run target as they managed 200/7 in their 20 overs to suffer their third defeat in three finals. Chasing a huge target, RCB needed their dynamic trio – Gayle, Kohli and AB de Villiers – to click ...

MNA Sports Desk: In a nail biting match last night, Real Madrid wins the Champions League title again. Real Madrid produced a gritty display of football to beat city rivals Atletico Madrid 5-3 on penalties in the Champions League final. Securing a record 11th European Cup in Milan’s San Siro stadium on Saturday, the opener came after 15 minutes with defender Sergio Ramos putting Real 1-0 up. Atletico struggled to break through Real’s defenses in a rather dull first half, with 32-year-old striker Fernando Torres failing to complete a single pass. And things continued to worsen early on in the ...