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Nightmare for Russian goalie
BPL fixing: Ashraful banned for 8 years
Dhaka, June 18 Former Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful was banned for eight years on Wednesday after he was found guilty of involvement in match-fixing in the domestic Twenty20 competition last year. Mohammad Ashraful
Wrestlers move HC for WFI derecognition
Anand joint third in World Rapid C’ship
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At the other end, the Mexicans had a few decent chances of their own in yet another entertaining game at this World Cup, and they could have snatched a victory had their long-range shots been more accurate. Jose Vasquez, Hector Herrera and Miguel Layun all tried their luck with powerful drives from outside the box that zipped over Julio Cesar's crossbar. The draw ended Brazil's 10-match winning streak, dating back to August when they lost to Switzerland in a friendly.
CAUSING MISCHIEF
Brazil took control of the match from the outset with Marcelo and Oscar causing mischief down the left and Neymar showing bursts of brilliance when he drifted into the middle. It was a Neymar header that forced the first of Ochoa's “miracles”, the keeper scrambling across his line to beat the ball away at his right hand post. Oscar floated a free kick into the box and Thiago Silva chested it down into the path of Paulinho with just the keeper to beat but again Ochoa got his body in the way and parried the ball to safety. Brazil turned the screws after the interval. With a passionate Brazilian crowd roaring them on, Neymar came close again, twisting inside his marker and firing in a left-foot shot which Ochoa blocked with his chest. In the dying minutes Brazilian captain Thiago Silva looked certain to score with a point-blank header but again Ochoa was in the right place to beat the ball away. — Reuters |
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Dutch sneak past Aussies in a thriller
The game was marked by end-to-end action and spectacular goals — notably a stunning volley by Australia's Tim Cahill which cancelled out a goal by the Netherlands' Arjen Robben only a minute earlier. It was against the run of play when Robben opened the scoring in the 20th minute. Picking up the ball on the halfway line, he charged towards the goal like a bull to a matador and slammed the ball past Mat Ryan. Tim Cahill replied immediately, however, by crashing a fantastic 20-metre volley into the roof of the net for what will be a strong contender for goal of the tournament. It was Cahill's 5th goal in three World Cups. After that the pace stepped up as the Dutch tried to get more wind in their sails but it was the Australians who looked more threatening. Nine minutes into the second half, Australia were awarded a penalty after Oliver Bozanic hammered the ball straight at Daryl Janmaat's arm, and captain Mile Jedinak slotted the penalty home, giving Australia a 2-1 lead. In the 58th minute Robin Van Persie banged in a well-controlled shot inside the penalty area to equalise. Memphis Depay whacked in what proved to be the winner with a long-range shot 10 minutes later, sealing the game. — Reuters
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Hey ref, can I have a haircut?
Salvador, June 18 Chip away at the granite-like veneer of the man in the middle and there's a treasure trove of weird and wonderful aspects of humanity waiting to be unearthed. Take Noumandiez Doue for example. The first referee from the Ivory Coast to take charge of a World Cup game, the 43-year-old is a qualified chemist, “and I like to dance”. Any hard-up players taking part in the United States' victory over Ghana on Monday should have tapped up their ref Jonas Eriksson. The Swede is known as “the laid-back millionaire” after making a seven-figure fortune selling shares in a media rights business. A Yorkshire policeman will be keeping law and order in Colombia's second Group C run out against Ivory Coast on Thursday. Howard Webb, handed the honour of refereeing the 2010 World Cup final, says his colleagues compare him to a Hollywood star. “But unfortunately not a good looking one,” he admitted. “They say I look like Shrek, which explains why I have a picture of him as a screensaver on my mobile.” Insurance man with whistleHouse burgled? Car pranged? Then Cuneyt Cakir's your man — the Turkish referee practices as an insurance broker back in Istanbul, that is when he's not turning the pages of a Stephen King chiller. Any Belgians or Algerians of a religious nature in Tuesday's clash in Belo Horizonte will have found a kindred spirit in their referee — Marco Rodriguez. Away from football, the former PE teacher is at home behind the pulpit delivering sermons in his capacity as a Protestant preacher in a church outside Mexico City. Players needing a short back and sides — Marouane Fellaini? — need look no further than Bjorn Kuipers. The Dutchman who refereed Real Madrid's Champions League final win over Atletico last month owns a hair salon as well as a couple of grocery stores back in Holland. Meanwhile it might be best not to mess with Bakary Papa Gassama. The first Gambian to referee at the World Cup is a devotee in his spare time of buri, a Gambian take on wrestling. “I'm not really very good at it but like to do it as a hobby.” As a former High School maths teacher, American Mark Geiger shouldn't have any problems adding up the yellow cards — unlike Brazil's Sandro Ricci. He made the fatal error of dishing out a second booking but failing to send the recipient off in a domestic league game. — PTI
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Cuiaba, June 18 But Russia grabbed an important point in their opening Group H clash when substitute Alexandr Kerzhakov took advantage of a goalmouth scramble to join Vladimir Beschastnykh as his country's record goalscorer with 26. In energy-sapping conditions the game began at strolling pace. Son Heung-min was the first to inject some energy, bursting at the Russian defence and finding room only to blow it with a poor shot. Viktor Fayzulin almost opened things up at the other end in the 21st minute, cutting inside from the wing and aiming for Alexander Samedov at the far post. His cross ran just too long and the best Samedov could do was hook the ball back into the area, where the chance fizzled out. Russia started the second half with an early corner that Vasili Berezutski should have headed on target, but otherwise South Korea made the running. With none of the teams managing to score, the Russian stopper made an expensive error when when substitute Lee broke quickly and, having feigned to pass, instead shot from 25 yards. Akinfeev was placed to make a simple save but made a woeful hash of it as he flapped it over the line before collapsing after it. Capello responded by sending on Kerzhakov and within three minutes he had equalised, saving the day for Russia. — Reuters
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This is it for England, Uruguay
Opening defeats to Italy and Costa Rica respectively have left both countries in danger of elimination with little room for error in their last two pool games. Defeat in Sao Paulo would surely spell doom for either Roy Hodgson’s new-look England or two-time winners Uruguay, who were unimpressive in their 3-1 loss to Costa Rica. Both countries have question marks over their strikers with calls in British media to either drop talisman Wayne Rooney, or move him from the left to his preferred central role. Rooney set up England’s goal but missed a chance to equalise during Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Italy, in a subdued display which had many critics questioning his place. Rooney is still to score at a World Cup and when he was spotted training with the reserves on Monday, speculation rose that he had been axed. But the English FA said Rooney had requested an extra training session while other first-team regulars continued their post-match recovery. Rooney complained “sometimes (I) wonder what the press are getting at” on his Facebook page, while Frank Lampard hit out at the obsession with his teammate. “A fixation with one player can become, rather than a debate, a bit of an agenda,” he said. “So I do think we need to drop the agenda and look at the team, whoever plays.” The whirlwind surrounding Rooney has dominated the build-up for youthful England, who won praise for their bold approach against Italy, exemplified by Raheem Sterling. However, defensive fragility could return to haunt them with problems down the left, while centre-half Gary Cahill was outjumped by Mario Balotelli when heading the winner. Uruguay have their own worries at the back after their defence was repeatedly rattled by Costa Rican strikers Joel Campbell, who is on Arsenal’s books, and PSV Eindhoven’s Bryan Ruiz. They will also be missing defender Maxi Pereira, who was sent off for a foul on Campbell in the tail-end of Saturday’s game. The build-up has not been short of hyperbole with Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez calling it a “final” and captain Diego Lugano describing it as “life and death”. England’s Daniel Sturridge, who was on target with a sweet first-time finish against Italy, said it would be “do or die” in Sao Paulo. “I’m prepared to do anything, and I’m talking anything. I’m being serious. It’s do or die,” he said. — PTI Suarez to return? Key to Uruguay’s hopes of getting their campaign back on track will be the fitness of striker Luis Suarez, who missed the opener and is still a doubt for Thursday. Suarez lit up the English Premier League last season with 31 goals in 33 games but underwent keyhole surgery on his left knee last month and was not deemed fit enough to face Costa Rica. While Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez was cagey about his key striker’s chances of facing England, Suarez himself has no doubts about his fitness. “I’m 100 percent, otherwise I wouldn’t be here,” he said on Monday. “I knew it would be difficult (to be ready for) the first game, but if the proper time was left then I was going to be 100 percent afterwards. I’m training today with the team and I feel in good condition.” Other clashes Natal: Japan and Greece face a high-stakes World Cup shoot-out here tomorrow after opening match defeats which have left their participation in the tournament hanging by a thread. With Japan outmuscled by Ivory Coast 2-1 and Greece thumped 3-0 by Colombia, defeat for either side in their Group C collision could well be terminal. Whether Japan or Greece are heading for the exit will depend on the outcome of Colombia’s showdown with the Ivory Coast earlier in the day. But what is not in doubt is that neither Japan nor Greece has much margin for error. Japan’s defender Maya Yoshida believes it will be crucial for the Blue Samurai to score first. Yoshida said the Asian giants had not given up hope of progressing to the knockout rounds for only the third time in their history. “Greece lost as well,” said Yoshida. “They have a good orientation defensively so if we get the first goal they have to come forward so we will have a chance to take more initiative.” — PTI Colombia wary of Ivory Coast speed Brasilia: Colombia are planning to rely on a possession game to combat the speed and power of Ivory Coast when the two sides meet tomorrow. It is a Group C match in which there is everything to gain for two sides who began their World Cup campaigns with victories. Colombia top the group after a dominant 3-0 victory over Greece while Ivory Coast beat Japan 2-1. The Japanese struggled to make their high-tempo, high-energy gameplan work against the Africans but Colombia midfielder Fredy Guarin says the South Americans will look to bypass the physical advantages of the Elephants by making the ball do the work. He said Colombia were “ready” and “looking forward” to the match against opponents who are “powerful and very fast”. “They’re a very physically strong team who fight for every ball and will rely on their physicality to try to beat us, but with our football, our passing and control of the ball we can have success,” he said. “We have to be very intelligent, always keep the game under control, don’t give the ball away and take a breather with the ball, but above all have confidence in what we’re doing.” — PTI |
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At world cup, you got to play by the rules!
Costa Rica can't have it before the second round of the FIFA World Cup, Brazilians can have it as long as it is not 'acrobatic', Nigerians can have it only with their wives while it is a big no for Russia, Chile, Mexico, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Yes, it is sex! Most of the teams don't have an official stance, but they all have their own taboos. In order to make sure that their players are not tired with their exploits in bed, coaches have laid down the law that will force the footballers to think twice before getting laid. The Quartz website reported that teams Germany, Spain, USA, Australia, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Uruguay, and England have laid down no diktats on their players' sexual encounters, as long as they give their 100 percent on the field the next morning. Sex is a big no-no for players from Russia, Chile, Mexico, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Their players will have to channel all that sexual frustration into their on-the field game, reports The Quartz. For the French, they can have it if the romp doesn't last all night long. The team doctor has been categorical in saying that sex was good for the players but it shouldn't be an all-night activity. The Nigerian team can have sex but only with their wives and not girlfriends. But for the Costa Ricans, sex is like a prize assured to them only if they reach the second round. Caught in traffic, pele misses brazil game
World Cup fever kills two more Chinese Two more Chinese men died due to lack of sleep as they spent their nights watching the FIFA World Cup, bringing the tally to three. A 51-year-old man suffered a heart attack after the Netherlands thrashed Spain 5-1. Elsewhere, a 25-year-old man was found dead hours after the same game, reports EFE. A third man, 39, died while watching Uruguay's 1-3 loss to Costa Rica after he spent three consecutive days without sleep to watch the games. He suffered from high blood pressure and died in hospital due to a bleeding brain. The match times in China range between midnight and 6 a.m. due to an 11-hour time difference between China and Brazil. Brazil World Cup so far dope free FIFA said that 91.5 percent of the 800 players in the World Cup were tested for drugs without any positive results. According to the FIFA's Anti-Doping Regulations, the remaining players can be tested at any time during the tournament, which witnessed the first introduction of the Biological Passport, an initiative that has been "very well received by players, coaches and doctors", according to Jiri Dvorak, FIFA's chief medical officer, reports EFE. "Although we can offer excellent results in our fight against doping, this fight is still one of the most important medical FIFA activities. We are happy that for the first time in history, all players were tested through blood and urine," said Medical Committee of FIFA head Michel D'Hooghe. — Agencies
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BPL fixing: Ashraful banned for 8 years
Dhaka, June 18 “He was found guilty of all charges including match-fixing,” said Khademul Islam Chowdhury, head of a special tribunal set up by the Bangladesh Cricket Board to investigate match-fixing and spot-fixing during Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) matches. Ashraful, who confessed to match-fixing after being quizzed by ICC anti-corruption officials in June 2013, has played 61 Tests and 177 ODIs since his 2001 debut. The tribunal also announced that New Zealand batsman Lou Vincent and Sri Lanka’s Kaushal Lokuarachchi had been banned for three years and 18 months respectively after they failed to inform the authorities that they had been approached to fix matches while playing in the BPL. Vincent is also at the centre of a match-fixing investigation in England which earlier on Wednesday resulted in former Sussex player Naveed Arif being banned from cricket for life by the England and Wales Cricket Board. The managing director of BPL champions Dhaka Gladiators, Shihab Jishan Chowdury, was banned for 10 years for his part in the match-fixing scandal. — Reuters |
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Wrestlers move HC for WFI derecognition
New Delhi, June 18 The petition was mentioned before a vacation bench, which agreed to hear the matter along with the plea of Asian Games silver medallist Amit Dhankar, who too has alleged that trials have not been held for shortlisting players for the CWG. The latest petition by Joginder Kumar, Rahul Aware and Mausam Khatri sought directions to the Indian Olympic Association to not forward the name of any player who has been nominated without holding the selection trials. “In view of the introduction of the new weight categories, selection trials were even more imperative as wrestlers in a particular category would be competing against wrestlers who would have been in a different category in the erstwhile classification and as such past performance could not be used as a yardstick to replace selection trials,” their petition says. They have also sought directions to WFI to hold selection trials for the forthcoming games. In Dhankar’s petition, the high court on June 16 had issued notice to the Centre and WFI and had directed the sports body to inform it on the next date whether any selection trials have been held in the 65 kg category in which Dhankar wishes to participate. — PTI
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Anand joint third in World Rapid C’ship
Dubai, June 18 With seven points from 10 games, Anand stands joint third in the strongest ever rapid chess tournament and the Indian ace will have to make a superb finish to find himself on the podium. World champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway came up with an inspired performance on the second day of the meet to snatch sole lead on 8 points out of a possible 10 games. Carlsen is followed by Levon Aronian of Armenia who has made a grand comeback in the event to be on 7.5 points. While Carlsen made four points out of five games on day two, Aronian decimated the opposition to score a whopping 4.5 points from his five games. — PTI
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Saina progresses; Sindhu, Kashyap lose in Indonesia Australia sign Muralitharan as spin consultant Brathwaite, Bravo put Windies in control
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FORTALEZA, June 18
He was the last Mexican player to leave the pitch to a standing ovation by thousands of green-shirted supporters before being named man of the match. “We should congratulate their goalkeeper who performed at least four miracles,” Brazilian striker Fred said after a frustrating afternoon for the hosts who failed time and again to unlock a stubborn Mexican defence. Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari described Ochoa's performance as “spectacular”. 
It also meant that to make the second round of the tournament both teams need points from their final group games on June 23 when Brazil face Cameroon in Brasilia and Mexico meet Croatia in Recife. “There was a chance here, a chance there, it was very tight,” Scolari said.
PORTO ALEGRE, June 18
Sao Paulo, June 18
Pele was one of many who missed the first half of Brazil's World Cup match against Mexico on Tuesday after being caught in traffic as fans rushed to get home before kickoff. “For the first time I had to listen to the first half of a Brazil game inside a car, we were stuck in traffic,” the Brazilian soccer great told Globo TV. Widely regarded as the greatest ever player, Pele at least missed no goals with the tournament favourites being held to a 0-0 draw in Fortaleza. Much of Brazil ground to a halt for the match, the hosts' second of the tournament, with the second largest city Sao Paulo suffering near record traffic jams as scores of residents rushed back home to watch. — Agencies
