SAO PAULO, July 1
Angel Di Maria scored deep into extra time to give Argentina a 1-0 win over Switzerland and seal the South Americans a place in the quarter-finals of the World Cup on Tuesday.

After a tense 0-0 draw at 90 minutes and a scoreless first period of extra time, Lionel Messi broke quickly and released Di Maria, who swept the ball home before wheeling away in delight. Blerim Dzemaili almost saved the Swiss when his header hit the post but Argentina held on and now face a quarter-final with either Belgium or the United States, who play later on Tuesday.

Switzerland assistant coach Michel Pont added: "Football is brutal. Unfortunately, we didn't quite have enough strength to get through extra time.” Argentina had leaned heavily on Messi throughout the group stage, the number 10 scoring four of their six goals, and the forward was at the heart of their best work in the first half, prompting and prodding in front of the massed Swiss defence.

Switzerland, who were looking to return to the quarter-finals for the first time since hosting the tournament in 1954, went closest to scoring in a tight first half when impish playmaker Xherdan Shaqiri released Josip Drmic through on goal. The tall striker shaped to shoot but wasted the opportunity with an ill-advised chip and Argentina goalkeeper Sergio Romero gathered comfortably.

With the score tied at 0-0 at halftime, the game then opened up in the second period as Argentina began to grab the momentum, and their blue and white clad fans brought the Corinthians arena to life, chanting and bouncing in unison.

The warning signs were flashing for Switzerland when Gonzalo Higuain went close with a header before Messi drove into the box and forced Diego Benaglio into a great save. However, despite camping out in the Swiss half for long sections of the second half Argentina could not make the breakthrough and the 90 minutes ended scoreless.

Argentina looked the stronger side in extra time. And just when it looked like referee would call for a penalty shootout, Di Maria curled the ball past Benaglio to seal the late triumph. — Reuters

NO matches tonight quartersfinals: July 4 France vs Germany, Brazil vs Colombia July 5 Costa Rica vs Netherlands

PORTO ALEGRE, July 1
Germany had to battle all the way into extra-time to beat Algeria 2-1 in their last-16 World Cup clash on Monday, crushing the North Africans' dream of revenge and setting up a quarter-final duel against fellow former champions France.

The Germans were pushed hard by an inspired Algeria before goals from Andre Schuerrle and Mesut Ozil sealed victory in a tense game marked by swift Algerian counter-attacks and a second-half German barrage of the “Desert Foxes” goalmouth. The North African outsiders, representing the hopes of the Arab world, played with energy and confidence to regularly expose a static German defence but the European team's power and fitness counted in the end.

With the score 0-0 at full-time, Schuerrle dragged in a low-cross from Thomas Mueller. Ozil buried the Algerian dream in the last minute — but in a final moment of drama, Abdelmoumene Djabou grabbed a consolation goal for the brave Algerians just before the final whistle. The victory extended Germany's record of reaching at least the quarter-finals in every World Cup they have entered since 1938 and gave them their first win in three attempts against Algeria, who were playing in the last 16 for the first time. “We would have preferred to have won this differently. The Algerians did a good job. But it doesn't matter how we won, the important thing is that we're in the quarters,” said Schuerrle. — Reuters

SALVADOR, July 1
Cameroon are to investigate claims that seven of their players were involved in match-fixing at the World Cup, the country's football federation FECAFOOT said on Monday.

FECAFOOT said it had instructed its ethics committee to probe allegations of what it described as “fraud” in their three games in Brazil, particularly a 4-0 loss to Croatia in Manaus in their second Group A game.

“Recent allegations of fraud around Cameroon's three 2014 World Cup games, especially Cameroon v Croatia, as well the existence of “seven bad apples (in our national team)” do not reflect the values and principles promoted by our administration,” said FECAFOOT.

“We wish to inform the general public that, though not yet contacted by FIFA in regards to this affair, our administration has already instructed its Ethics Committee to further investigate these accusations.

“We are strongly committed to employ all means necessary to resolve this disruptive matter with the shortest delay,” FECAFOOT's interim president Joseph Owona said. The allegations against Cameroon came from convicted fraudster Wilson Raj Perumal, who had accurately forecast the result and the fact a player would be sent off in a discussion with German magazine Der Spiegel.

Cameroon midfielder Alex Song was sent off before halftime for a needless elbow in the back of Croatia's Mario Mandzukic near the halfway line, leaving his side to battle with 10 men for the majority of the game.

The game was also marred by an incident near the end when Benoit Assou-Ekotto attempted to head-butt team mate Benjamin Moukandjo.

Cameroon's federation subsequently launched an investigation into the incident but has yet to give any update on possible disciplinary action.

The latest controversy adds to a long list for African teams at the World Cup. Both Ghana and Nigeria were embroiled in disputes over money in Brazil. — Reuters

The rabble rouser

* Wilson Raj Perumal, a covicted fixer, predicted the outcome of a Camreroon-Crotia game to a German magazine.

* Born on 31 July 1965, he’s a convicted Singaporean match-fixer. Accused in several match fixing scandals, he was imprisoned for fixing in 1995 in Singapore. 

New Delhi, July 1
Newly-appointed Union Sports minister Sarbananda Sonowal has his list of priorities clearly defined. Sonowal, the Lok Sabha MP from Lakhimpur constituency in Assam, wants to make India the biggest hub for sport in the world. Sonowal aims to identify and encourage sporting excellence from a young age to improve India’s medal standings at the Olympics. He spoke to The Tribune on the sidelines of ASSOCHAM conclave here today.

Excerpts:

What is your vision as the Sports minister?

I want to make India the biggest hub for sport in the world. I want to make sport a way of life. I am confident to say that one day India will dominate the sporting world.

What are your expectations from the Indian athletes participating in the CWG and the Asian Games?

We are definitely going to get more medals than last time. We need to encourage excellence and the government is committed to putting in a lot of effort in this sector.

Is the Government ready to host the 2019 Asian Games?

We have requested the IOA to submit a comprehensive proposal to the ministry. The ministry will discuss the budget part later on.

You seem to be enjoying your days as the Sports minister considering your sporting background?

I was a champion powerlifter during my college days. My favourite sport is cricket. It has made me more involved with the ministry.

Patiala, July 1
In a major embarrassment for the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), the embassy of Poland has denied visas to the archers who were to represent India in the World University Archery Championship that begins at Legnica, Poland, from tomorrow.

The squad includes India’s top compound archer Trisha Deb, Ramandeep Kaur, Jayalakshmi, Rupal, Preeti, N Lavanya, Kawalpreet Singh, Sukhdeep Singh, Swapnil, Chaman Singh, Ruthwik and Ranjeet Kumar.

The rejection has come as a rude shock for these players, especially as some of them had to travel to Mumbai to apply for visa after being turned away at New Delhi.

The Indian contingent got an appointment with the Poland embassy in New Delhi on June 24. However, the embassy only admitted the passports of eight archers and refused to take the passports of Jayalakshmi, Swapnil, Ruthvik and Ranjeet Kumar, saying that since they belonged to the southern states, the four archers had to apply for their visas in Mumbai.

Despite difficulties in making arrangements to travel to Mumbai, the four were able to apply in Mumbai on June 26.

Meanwhile, the archers who had applied in New Delhi were asked to collect their passports on June 27 as the team had to fly for Poland on June 30.

While the archers in New Delhi reapplied on June 30, only to be refused again, the archers in Mumbai are still waiting for their passports.

Expressing annoyance over the issue, one of the archers who had applied in Mumbai said he failed to understand why players from the same contingent, representing India, had to apply at separate places. “We applied as the Indian team and not individual tourists. We have been made to run from pillar to post for no fault of ours,” he rued.

Another player said the Sports Ministry and the AIU should have intervened in the matter to ensure that Indian players could compete in the tournament. “It is really surprising that the entire Indian team has been denied visas. This is not just disappointing for the players but the entire nation as India will not be able to take part in the tournament,” he added.

London, July 1
Rafael Nadal’s charge towards a third Wimbledon title came to a juddering halt in the fourth round on Tuesday when he was sensationally beaten by 19-year-old Australian wildcard Nick Kyrgios 7-6(5) 5-7 7-6(5) 6-3.

Ranked 144th in the world, Kyrgios fired down 37 aces and played a fearless brand of tennis to topple Rafa following two hours and 58 minutes of exhilarating action. It was the first time since 1992 a man ranked outside the top 100 had beaten a world No. 1.

Former world junior No.1 Kyrgios, competing at his first Wimbledon, will next play Canada’s Milos Raonic for a place in the semifinals.

Maria Sharapova joined the list of big-name casualties in the women’s singles when she was beaten 7-6(4) 4-6 6-4 in the last 16 by Germany’s Angelique Kerber. The below-par Russian fought off six match points in the final set as she tried to keep alive her hopes of a second Wimbledon title to go with her 2004 triumph, but finally succumbed in a nerve-jangling finale.

Both players had been out of action since Saturday, after bad weather meant their fourth-round clash was postponed on Monday, and it was Kerber who was quicker into her stride, leading throughout the first set. Sharapova found her range to break back at 4-5 but some poor errors allowed the 26-year-old Kerber to win the last three points of the opening set tiebreak.

The Russian hit back to level the match and seemed to be favourite to book a quarterfinal place but Kerber, defending for all her worth to keep the more powerful Sharapova at bay, moved into a 5-2 lead in the decider. Sharapova saved a match point at 2-5 and Kerber’s nerve failed her at 5-3 as she served a double-fault on the way to dropping her serve.

The real drama was saved until the end though as Sharapova saved five more match points and looked poised to complete a remarkable comeback. Kerber would not be denied though and was celebrating when Sharapova fired a backhand long. The German will have to recover quickly as she faces Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard for a place in the semis on Wednesday.

A sore shoulder could not prevent Sabine Lisicki’s love-affair with grass from blossoming further as she reached the quarters with a 6-3 3-6 6-4 win over Kazakhstan’s Yaroslava Shvedova. Lisicki will next face French Open runner-up Simona Halep, who raced to a 6-3 6-0 win over Kazakhstan’s Zarina Diyas to become just the second Romanian woman to reach the quarterfinals at Wimbledon.

Stan sets up all-Swiss showdown with Federer

Australian Open champion Stanislas Wawrinka set up a mouth-watering quarterfinal showdown with fellow Swiss Roger Federer after edging past 19th seed Feliciano Lopez 7-6(5) 7-6(7) 6-3.

The 29-year-old’s clash with Davis Cup team mate Federer, who outclassed Spain’s Tommy Robredo 6-1 6-4 6-4, will be his third match in three days after his progress was clogged by weekend rain that made a mess of the schedule. — Reuters

London, July 1
Veteran India pacer Zaheer Khan said that it was time Ishant Sharma stepped up and spearheaded the Indian bowling attack during the upcoming five-Test series against England, starting in Nottingham on July 9.

Ishant, who is the only one out of the six frontline seam bowlers in the Indian squad to have toured England before, had a miserable outing during India’s tour match against Leicestershire.

“It is Ishant who has played the most number of matches and he has been around for a while. It is time he stepped into that role,” said Zaheer, who missed out on selection for the England tour because of a side strain. “For Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami, it is their first England tour so they will look to Ishant and (bowling coach) Joe Dawes for inputs to perform in those conditions,” he said.

Ishant had played all four Tests in England during India’s 2011 tour and took just 11 wickets in that series.

Zaheer said Shami could complement the rest of India’s seam attack very well. — PTI

New Delhi, July 1
Sandeep Jajodia, CMD of Monnet Ispat, which has been the official sponsor of Indian boxing since 2008, is set to be named the president of Boxing India (The Bout Outside the Ring) next week.

Boxing India, which has been recognised by the International Boxing Association (AIBA) as the ad-hoc body to run the sport in the country, will hold elections for the new office bearers on July 9 in Mumbai. “Jajodia is being looked upon as the right candidate for the position of president. It’s going to be a unanimous choice,” Neetal Naarang, assistant vice-president (Corporate Communications) of Monnet Ispat told The Tribune. “Everybody feels that a corporate coming into the sport administration will make the game better.”

Twenty-six state units have offered their support to Boxing India. The Indian Amateur Boxing Federation had been suspended in December 2012 before being terminated by AIBA for failing to hold fresh elections and adopt a revamped constitution. AIBA will have its Executive Committee meeting from July 16-18 in Antayla, Turkey, where it could announce the lifting of suspension on India and give recognition to Boxing India after the July 9 elections.

Colombian fans are paying tribute to defender Andres Escobar, gunned down 20 years ago after scoring an own goal in the World Cup, and hope his memory will inspire the current crop's hunt for glory. In one of the darkest chapters of football history, Escobar was shot outside a bar in Medellin on July 2, 1994, in apparent retribution for an own goal he scored days earlier hastening Colombia's exit from the World Cup in the United States. Some Colombian fans in Brazil have been carrying Escobar's photo to games as they have watched their team march into the quarter-finals with four wins out of four. And Escobar's brother, Santiago, has urged them to keep going in his honor. “We dedicate this triumph to Andres Escobar,” one fan said on Twitter after Colombia's victory over Uruguay set up Friday's quarter-final against hosts Brazil. “Andres Escobar is living through this team,” added another in a flurry of social media discussions of Escobar's legacy on the eve of Wednesday's anniversary of his death.”

BRIEFLY

Vincent handed life ban after fixing confession
London: The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced a life ban on disgraced former New Zealand cricketer Lou Vincent on Tuesday, just hours after the player admitted he was a “cheat” and had shamed his country and the sport by fixing matches. The ECB said 35-year-old Vincent had pleaded guilty to 18 breaches of the board’s anti-corruption regulations in three matches in England and had accepted the ban which barred him from playing or coaching in any form of recognised cricket.

New Zealand beat WI in third Test, win series 2-1
Bridgetown: Trent Boult captured the final West Indies wicket in the third over with the second new ball to give New Zealand a tense 53-run win in the deciding third Test in Barbados on Monday and a 2-1 series victory. New Zealand’s only previous series win in the West Indies was when they took a 1-0 victory in the two-match series in 2002. Brief scores: NZ: 293 and 331/7 dec (Williamson 161*; Roach 4/55); WI: 317 and 254 (Holder 52; Southee 3/28).

Jitu Rai becomes world’s No. 1 pistol shooter
New Delhi: After winning three medals in the ISSF World Cups in Munich and Slovenia recently, in-form shooter Jitu Rai today became world No. 1 in air pistol. — Agencies