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Greece out after loss to Russia Greece's Vassilis Torosidis reacts after their Group D Euro 2008 soccer match against Russia at the Wals-Siezenheim stadium in Salzburg on Saturday. — Reuters photo
Poland seek win for graceful exit
Austria are contenders, says Herzog
Dhoni blames loss on top-order failure
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Santosh Trophy
No pressure due to mail: Younis
T20 will blow away ODIs: KP
Jaques, Katich put Oz in charge
Preeja qualifies for Olympics
Woods slips; Mediate leads
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Greece out after loss to Russia
Salzburg (Austria), June 15 The Greeks needed at least a draw to stay in contention in Group D, but Konstantin Zyryanov's 33rd-minute goal, combined with Spain's 2-1 win over Sweden, left the surprise 2004 champions with nothing to play for in their third and final match. The result also put Spain into the European Championship quarterfinals.
Zyryanov's third international goal in 14 appearances came after Sergei Semak had acrobatically collected a long cross from Diniyar Bilyaletdinov and sent it back across goal, with goalkeeper Antonis Nikopolidis chasing the loose ball. "That's football," Greece coach Otto Rehhagel said. "The Russians were very fast. That's it." Greece nearly equalized in the 87th when Angelos Charisteas knocked the ball into an empty net, but Fanis Gekas had been whistled for offside. Spain leads Group D with six points, and is assured of playing in the knockout round no what happens against Greece on Wednesday in Salzburg. Russia and Sweden play at the same time in Innsbruck with one of the two advancing. Greece became the fourth defending champion to be eliminated from the first round of the European Championship. Germany was knocked out at the same stage in both the 1984 and 2000 tournaments, and Denmark followed up its remarkable run to the title in 1992 by going out in the first round in '96. The Greeks dropped their five-man defence from the opening match in favour of a more attacking formation. And even though the defenders were playing far more forward than usual, the Greeks failed to create any great opportunities to score in the first half. The introduction of Giorgos Karagounis for the injured Giourkas Seitaridis late in the first half sparked some more forward movement, but most of Greece's chances were barely a threat to Russia and its goalkeeper Igor Akinfeyev. "We couldn't convert out chances," Rehhagel said. "We had a couple but couldn't score - that's the problem with Greek football. We're not a team that scores many goals. "I had hoped we could score one tonight but it didn't happen." Russia, despite playing without the suspended Andrei Arshavin or the injured Pavel Pogrebnyak, still attacked relentlessly, with Roman Pavlyuchenko leading the way. Pavlyuchenko had been questionable for the match with a right thigh injury, but he started and had shots early in each half that Nikopolidis had to save, one by tapping over the bar in the 14th. Greece's best chance for a goal came in the 20th when captain Angelos Basinas sent in a free kick. Charisteas missed a chance to head the ball from close range, but Igor Semshov almost scored an own-goal as the ball went off his foot and then his chest before just missing wide while Charisteas gave chase. Ioannis Amanatidis had a chance in the 50th, but he couldn't reach Basinas' free kick. The Greek team's one shot on goal in the first half came from Christos Patsatzoglou, whose effort from the center of the field went straight at Akinfeyev. — AP
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Poland seek win for graceful exit
Bad Tatzmannsdorf, Austria, June 15 ''We have let our fans down so far and they have been our driving force so we really have to do everything we can to give them something to cheer,'' Zewlakow told reporters. ''Also if there is merely a one-in-a-million chance we go through to the last eight we have to fight until the bitter end to seize the opportunity.'' To have any chance of advancing Poland must win by two goals in Klagenfurt and hope Austria defeat Germany in Vienna by a more slender margin. Croatia are already through as Group B winners but Zewlakow does not expect any favours. ''We know they will be relaxed and probably start with a number of second-string players eager to prove their worth and impress their coach,'' he said. ''They are on a high while the atmosphere in our camp took a dip after our opening 2-0 defeat to Germany and it's time we lifted ourselves.'' Coach Leo Beenhakker, who dismissed Poland's chances of progressing after Thursday's 1-1 draw with Austria, has changed his mind. ''We still believe we can reach the knockout stage and we are completely focused on the task,'' said the Dutchman. ''Naturally we will send out an attacking line-up against Croatia because we need to score some goals.'' While Beenhakker appears set to retain his 4-3-3 formation, counterpart Slaven Bilic made it clear he would rest several players. ''It would be madness to field first-choice players who are on one yellow card and we also have a few with minor knocks and bruises who need a break,'' said Bilic. ''We have pride to play for, just like against England at Wembley, so we are completely determined to field a strong team aiming to continue our winning streak.'' —
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Austria are contenders, says Herzog
Vienna, June 15 A point from tomorrow's match in Vienna would be enough for Germany to go through as Group B runners-up behind Croatia. But victory for Austria could take them into the last eight at the expense of their arch-rivals, providing Poland do not beat Croatia by a bigger margin. ''Our team has developed a lot through 2008. When people first started talking about this tournament there were a lot of jokes about us, some jokes even that we should not be taking part,'' said Herzog, alluding to a petition signed by 10,000 people urging the team to withdraw. ''Now it is all the more satisfying to show that we have a real chance of advancing beyond our group — and doing so with a final match against our arch-rivals Germany,'' he told reporters at the team's base in Stegersbach. The odds are stacked in favour of Germany — three times world champions and three times European Champions. However, recollections of 'Cordoba', venue of Austria's 3-2 win over holders West Germany at the 1978 World Cup in Argentina, have left the nation giddy with excitement. ''This is the game we have all been looking forward to... we have a chance to make history from Austria's point of view,'' said midfielder Rene Aufhauser. Herzog said he expected Germany would respect Austria, though they would attack from the first moment and approach the game with supreme confidence. ''They simply have this mentality and this has been their strength in the last few decades.'' —
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Dhoni blames loss on top-order failure
Dhaka, June 15 Visibly shaken after the loss, Dhoni said the 315-run target set by Pakistan last night would not have been much of a challenge had his top-order played sensibly. “We lost wickets at regular intervals. It is very important to see yourself in the last five or seven
overs, if you have wickets in hand. If you see the wicket it was a flat wicket,” he said. “Even 300-odd is really chaseable if you have wickets in hand. They were 100 for one in 25 runs and that went against our bowlers. They played some good shots and that really put the bowlers under pressure. We did not get a good start. Losing wickets at regular intervals was the killer,” he
added. Dhoni admitted that sending Suresh Raina up the order instead of himself was a mistake but that alone cannot be considered the reason for the defeat. “It was a mistake. I should have come ahead of
Raina. Having made that mistake, I cannot really help it now. That decision was taken in a positive frame of mind. If Yuvraj would have played through and Raina would have rotated the strike better instead of taking singles when Yuvraj was batting,” he rued. — PTI |
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Santosh Trophy
Srinagar, June 15 Punjab, who lost to Services in the quarterfinal league stages of the tournament, displayed an all-round performance and broke Services’’ heart in the 54th minute of the match when substitute Balraj Singh converted a spot kick after a Services defender handled the ball inside the box. Down by a goal, Services, who qualified for the Santosh Trophy final after a hiatus of 39 years, went all out in search of the elusive equaliser but a determined Punjab defence came in their way on all occasions. Punjab was undoubtedly the better side on display and their striking trio of Amandeep Singh, Balraj and Balwant Singh, posed serious threats to Services goal. The titleholders could have won the encounter by a bigger margin but Services skipper and custodian Robikanta Singh ensured that his team remained in the hunt till the end. Services too had several chances to level the scores but Punjab goalkeeper Karanjit Singh was in supreme form. Services paid the price for relying heavily on their star striker Sochungmi Raleng who was nowhere near his lethal best today as Punjab defenders gave him little opportunity to break free. Raleng, who emerged as the most promising player of the tournament, top scoring with 13 goals from eight games, had little to offer and was later substituted in the 70th minute. Earlier, the opening half was full of action as both the teams started the game at a brisk pace in search of the lead. However, it was not to be as the first 45 minutes ended goalless. Although both sides enjoyed equal ball possession in the first half, it was the eventual winners, who played more attacking football while Services preferred their traditional style of controlling the pace of the game. Services first chance came early in the fifth minute when a Shaji D’Silva header went inches wide of the bar. Punjab responded back in the following minute and launched a counter attack but Sukhwinder Singh’s right footer sailed way over the cross bar. The title defenders had the best chance of breaking the deadlock in the opening half but an unmarked Harvinder Singh’s shot from the top of the box went wide. The closest Services came to scoring a goal in the first half was in the 36th minute but K.P. Kaboi’s scorching left footer went straight to Karanjit. Jammu and Kashmir striker Ishwaq Ahmed, who plays for Mohun Bagan, was rewarded with Rs 50,000 for fair-play while Relang was adjudged the player of the tournament for his 13 goals which included two hat-tricks. — PTI
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No pressure due to mail: Younis
Karachi: Senior Pakistan batsman Younis Khan today asserted that there was no pressure on the players following PCB chairman’s strong reaction after the humiliating defeat at the hands of the archrivals India in the league stage of the tournament.
After Pakistan’s crushing 140-run loss to India in the group stages, PCB chairman Nasim Ashraf had shot an e-mail to the team manager Talat Ali seeking an explanation. Younis, who cracked a century in the summit clash, said the e-mail did not have a negative impact on the morale of the team. “No there was no pressure on us because of either the mail sent by the chairman or due to his arrival in Dhaka for the final. He in fact is a very loving person and he met us and boosted our confidence and self belief,” Younis told reporters on his arrival here. After the exciting win over India last night, seven members of the victorious Pakistan team including Younis, Kamran Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Umar Gul, Salman Butt, Mohammad Yousuf and Misbah-ul-Haq returned home today . Younis attributed the big defeat against Indian in the league stages to lack of practice for his teammates during the Indian Premier League. “As it is there is a big difference between Twenty20 cricket and 50-over matches so most of the players were out of touch,” he added. “The defeat to India in the group match did rock us and we worked hard in last three days to prepare a plan and practiced according to the plan for the final.” He pointed out that in comparison the Indian players were all in good form as they featured regularly in the IPL games for their respective teams. Younis, who was signed up by the champions of the inaugural edition of the IPL — Rajasthan Royals – played just one match in the entire 44-day extravaganza. Younis had a lot of praise for Tanvir saying the IPL had raised the left-armer’s stock and also assured that youngsters like Wahab Riaz, Fawad Alam and Nasir Jamshed were good for the future of Pakistan cricket. “Fawad Alam is also doing good, I think by the time Yousuf and I retire, Fawad will be ready to take the responsibility of the middle order. Sohail Khan didn’t get the chance in the tournament but he is also a good find,” he said.—
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T20 will blow away ODIs: KP
London, June 15 "I definitely think the longer form of one-day cricket will, in a couple of years, probably be something of the past," Pietersen told 'BBC Sport'. "For sure. The way that cricket is going now, Twenty20 is definitely here to stay. We are entertainers. Everybody, I think if you asked them, would rather watch Twenty20 cricket," he added. The 27-year-old said the Twenty20 storm will, however, not impact Test cricket much except for making the longest format of the game more result oriented. "Test match cricket will always be there because that's where you make your name. Everybody remembers your Test stats and not too many people remember your one-day stats," he explained. "(Due to Twenty20) you're going to get Test matches ending in three-and-a-half or four days and guys scoring 400 in
one-dayers," he added. But the man whose 158 against Australia at The Oval in 2005 helped secure the Ashes for England was confident about the future of Test matches. "Test cricket is the best, it's amazing. I love the challenges over the five days and the different situations you get yourself into," Pietersen explained. "That thrill of scoring a Test match hundred, nothing beats that." The 2007 50-over World Cup in the Caribbean suffered in comparison to the shorter, more exciting, inaugural World Twenty20 later in the year. "I think it (Twenty20) will be the new form of one-day cricket for sure," Pietersen said. "I reckon in the next couple of years 50 overs is probably going to be something of the past." — AFP |
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Jaques, Katich put Oz in charge
Bridgetown (Barbados), June 15 Australia reached 330 for three in their second innings when stumps were drawn on the third day of the Test at Kensington Oval. The tourists now lead by 365 runs with seven wickets standing, after Katich and Jaques dominated most of the day with a 223-run opening stand that was broken about half-hour before the tea break. Jaques reached his landmark, when he drove left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn through extra cover for his 10th four before Fidel Edwards poached him just before tea. It was the left-hander’s highest score in the three Tests. Katich soon after reached his milestone, when he miscued a hook at a bouncer from Jerome Taylor through backward square leg for a single. It was Katich’s second hundred of the series, following his 113 in the first innings of second Test in Antigua, and his highest score in 26 Tests. But unlike his opening partner he made sure he kept his wicket all the way through to the end. Katich hardly offered a chance during his marathon innings, but he was dropped on 145, when Dwayne Bravo at leg-slip put him down off Benn, after he flicked at a delivery lined on leg-stump. Australia however, lost two wickets in the final period to lift the spirits of West Indies, after a long, hard day. —
AFP West Indies 1st Innings 216 Australia 2nd Innings Jaques c Ramdin b Edwards 108 Katich not out 148 Ponting c Morton b Powell 39 M. Hussey c Bravo b Benn 18 Clarke not out 0 Extras: (B-4, LB-2, W-2, NB-4, Pen-5) 17 Total: (for 3 wkts in 112 overs) 330 Fall of
wickets: 1-223, 2-299, 3-330 Bowling: Powell 16-6-40-1, Edwards 14-3-52-1, Taylor 14-2-36-0, Gayle 16-3-45-0, Benn 36-5-107-1, Bravo 14-2-39-0, Marshall 2-2-0-0 — AFP |
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Preeja qualifies for Olympics
London, June 15 Sreedharan finished second behind local Jo Pavey yesterday with a new national record timing of 32:04.41s, an improvement of more than a minute from her previous record of 33:19.71s set in Kolkata on May 13 last year. So far there is no qualification from India in this event and if none other athlete makes the cut in 'A' category — which has higher benchmark — in the competitions to be held till July 23, Sreedharan will represent the country at the Beijing Games. Surendra’s best not good enough
However in the men's section, it was heartbreak for Surendra Singh, who broke a 32-year-old record in 10,000m run (28:48.72s) set in 1976 Montreal Olympics by Hari Chand, with a timing of 28:22.79s but fell short of breaching the Olympic qualifying time. Surendra was running in UK Olympic trials at Watford, outside of London. By breaking the record, he improved his personal best by more than 30 seconds. Surendra exploited perfect weather conditions with an average of 2min 52sec per kilometer till the nine-km mark and surged ahead in final kilometer which he completed in 2min 49sec. Teammate Sandip Kumar finished fourth with a new personal best of 29:17.97s Rajeev Ramesan clocked his personal best in 800m with a timing of 1:47.20s to win the overall 800m run, while Sajeesh Joseph grabbed the second place with a timing of 1:47.67s. Indian team will come back to Watford on June 18 to take part in BMC Gold Races. Indian athletes have set three national records after arriving to London. Team India is training at Newham Sports Academy run by Olympic gold medalist Tessa Sanderson, OBE at Newham, host borough of London 2012 Olympics. — PTI |
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Woods slips; Mediate leads
San Diego, June 15 The 45-year-old American Mediate, who joined the PGA Tour 22 years ago and is chasing his first major title, began the overcast, cool day a shot off the pace yesterday, but posted two birdies and a bogey to reach three under heading into the back nine. Briton Westwood curled in a birdie putt at the 10th to move into second place at one under par. Woods double-bogeyed the first hole and was tied with fellow-American Davis Love III at level par, a stroke ahead of 2006 champion Geoff Ogilvy of Australia, Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez and American D.J. Trahan. The world number one lost a great chance to make up ground at the 612-yard par-five ninth when his eagle putt grazed the left edge and ran about four feet past. — Reuters |
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Salzburg (Austria), June 15
Srinagar, June 15
