New Delhi, October 14
All eyes were expectedly on Alessandro Del Piero and David Trezeguet — the former Juventus teammates — as the Capital's football fans turned up in decent numbers to witness the Indian Super League match between Delhi Dynamos and Pune City FC on Tuesday.

Having witnessed a goal-fest on the opening night in Kolkata, the ISL bandwagon hit New Delhi in White and Oranje as a vociferous crowd cheered their lungs out in support of Delhi’s’ Del Piero at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

Delhi Dynamos FC captain Junker shoots at goal during their ISL match against FC Pune City in New Delhi on Tuesday. PTI

The Delhi team, owned by Den Networks, had come into the game on back of their impressive victories in the three practice matches. The match was a reunion of sorts for Del Piero and Trezeguet, but the Delhi crowd had, undoubtedly, come to see the Italy's all-time top scorer, with 345 goals, Del Piero in their home colours.

The Italian World Cup winners did not disappoint his vast legions of fans as he created half-a-dozen scoring chances for his teammates.

Fifteen minutes before the kick-off, the event's 'Fair Play Awards' trophy was unveiled, and the two teams largely stick to fair play, barring a few skirmishes.

Delhi started on an attacking note and, after a couple of passes, Shouvik Ghosh put in a long ball in the fifth minute, but was cleverly tackled by Pune defenders.

Del Piero did not make the starting line-up, but Delhi still managed to create a couple of chances. They came close to scoring in the 15th minute when midfielder Francisco Fernandez pressed in a clever pass to Mads Junker close to the 'D', but he failed to grab the ball neatly.

Another chance came in the 24th minute when Naoba Singh put in a low cross from the right flank to find Junker, who blazed it over the cross bar.

The moment Delhi fans were waiting for came in the 37th minute when Del Piero made his much-hyped ISL debut in the 37th minute. He showed his class in the 42nd minute when he found the ball in the midfield and got around the opponent to roll it for Hans Mulder, who fired wide of the left post.

Both teams played a goal-less first half. After the break, both teams started a frantic search for the first goal. In the 53rd minute, Del Piero won a free kick. He collected the ball from outside the box, ran hard towards the opponent's citadel, but was tripped by Park Kwang-il. The No.10 spot kick specialist then fired the ball straight into the wall and won a corner in the end.

Another chance came his way in the 68th minute when his left-footer from outside the box went down just wide of the left post.

Pune had a golden chance to score in the 90th minute through Dos Santos, but he only managed to hit the side-bar as the first game of the ISL in Delhi resulted in a goal-less draw.

New Delhi, October 14
Left-arm spinner Akshar Patel was today named in the Indian squad for the remaining two One-dayers against West Indies and was also picked in the 14-strong team announced for the one-off Twenty20 against the Caribbeans.

The selectors did not make any changes to the ODI squad apart from adding Patel and retaining pacer Ishant Sharma, who was brought in to replace the injured Mohit Sharma. India and Windies are currently locked 1-1 after the third ODI in Visakhapatnam was cancelled due to cyclone 'hudhud'.

In the T20 side, the selectors rewarded Manish Pandey for his decent performance in the IPL, in which he scored 401 runs in 16 matches this season at an average of 30.84 for Kolkata Knight Riders. His strike rate was an impressive 117.94 during the IPL.

Patel, on the other hand, was in good form with the ball while turning up for Kings XI Punjab this season. He took 17 wickets in 17 games at a fine average of 23.82. Pandey and Patel replaced Dhawal Kulkarni and Ambati Rayudu in the T20 side. — PTI

Mumbai, October 14
Barely a game into the Indian Super League and Mumbai City FC have been dealt a massive blow with skipper Syed Rahim Nabi ruled out for upto three weeks due to an ankle injury sustained during the team's opening match against Atletico de Kolkata.

Nabi suffered an ankle injury in the 39th minute of the match played on Sunday at the Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata.

"As per the findings of the Mumbai City FC medical team, Syed Rahim Nabi has a contusion over the left ankle due to twisting of the joint. The MRI reveals that there is neither a fracture nor a ligament/soft tissue injury. There is a suspected partial sprain of one of the ankle ligament," the club said in a statement.

"Nabi has begun his rehabilitation with the medical team saying that he could be out for up to three weeks," it added.

FC Goa eyeing perfect start against Chennayian

Margao: With a vociferous crowd behind them, hosts FC Goa will be eyeing a positive start to their campaign against Chennaiyin FC when the Goa-leg of ISL begins at the Nehru Stadium, Fatorda here tomorrow.

Much would depend whether the home team's players take to the field in accordance to the strategy chalked out by their famed tutor and manager Zico.

For the Goan fans it would be their first experience of high-level football after preferring to stay away from the mediocre display dished out at the I-League.

No doubt, the Indian players on either side, who would be brushing shoulders with some top flight foreign footballers, would become richer in experience. However, a lot would depend on their adaptability and their readiness to learn.

With former French star Robert Pires in their ranks alongside Czech Republic's Jan Seda and Miroslav Slepicka, and Brazilian Andre Santos, who joined the team last week, FC Goa would be looking to get their campaign off to a perfect start. During the one-and-half month long training camp, Zico was quite happy with the way his wards have responded to his attacking style of football.

"I am happy the way boys are playing, they have done well in the three friendly matches which we have won. Now I am looking forward for tomorrow's match and hoping to collect all three points," stated Zico. — PTI

Live on Star Sports, 7pm

Karachi, October 14
Former Pakistan off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq believes Saeed Ajmal has rectified his action to permissible limits and is ready to undergo a test to return to cricket, the country's board said on Tuesday.

The PCB will first send Ajmal, who was barred from bowling in international cricket for an illegal action, for an informal review, chairman Shaharyar Khan said.

The board had hired Mushtaq on a short-term contract to help Ajmal correct his action, which breached the 15 degrees level of tolerance allowed by the International Cricket Council for bowlers to straighten their arm.

"Saqlain has given a positive report that Ajmal has managed to remodel his bowling action to within the permissible limits of the ICC. He and Ajmal are both ready to go for the informal tests," Khan said.

"Once he clears the informal test, we will than ask the ICC to test out Ajmal so that he can be cleared before the World Cup."

Ajmal, who has been Pakistan's leading wicket-taker in all formats for the last three years, was first reported by match officials in August during the first Test against Sri Lanka. — Reuters

New Delhi, October 14
"I promise to bring back the golden days of Indian sports," these were the words Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the Asian Games medal winners, who met the "affable" leader over breakfast at his residence today.

Modi felicitated the medal-winners and some coaches. Those present included boxer Mary Kom, shooter Jitu Rai, tennis star Sania Mirza, wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt and the men's hockey team.

"It was a fantastic experience. The PM addressed us for 10 minutes, shook hands with each of us and spoke to us before heading out for an important meeting," hockey player Gurbaj Singh told The Tribune.

"Modiji told us that all our needs would be taken care of leading to the 2016 Rio Olympics. He promised to bring back the golden days of Indian sports and build more facilities in the country. He talked about India’s rich sports tradition. He is an affable leader and a powerful orator. All the athletes listened to him with rapt attention," Gurbaj added.

Gurbaj said the Prime Minister told them to write directly to him on his website — www.mygov.nic.in — or call him personally like a ‘friend’ if the sports administrators failed to perform their duties.

"Modiji told us if we have any issue related to our training, foreign exposure trips, equipment and diet, we should approach the SAI and the Indian Olympic Association. If we don't get any help from them, we can directly write to him. He assured us he would respond within a week," he said.

Modi expressed the hope that the combination of his "enthusiasm" and the "spirit" of the sportspersons would bring good results. "He cited the successful launch of Mangalyaan by our scientists to drive home his point. He said a sportsperson's achievements bring similar respect and pride to all Indians," Gurbaj said.

During the 20-minute meeting, Modi appreciated the efforts made for the "Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan" by Mary Kom and Sachin Tendulkar, and said these had much greater visibility than a Prime Minister wielding the broom. 

Pune, October 14
International Master SL Narayanan went down fighting against third seed Wei Yi of China but remained in the hunt for his Grandmaster norm after the end of the eighth round of World Junior Chess Championship here today.

The Indian challenge in the championships suffered a serious setback following Narayanan's loss. The Indian was unbeaten till the seventh round and will now have to stage a comeback to pose a challenge.

The norm chances however remained for Narayanan despite the loss and depending upon the opposition, a draw might still be enough in the next round to secure the Grandmaster norm.

Wei Yi was at his best and played out a solid positional game as white to reach 6.5 points. The Chinese went for the topical Advance variation in the Caro Kann defense and after attaining the spatial advantage went about his task of exerting pressure on both flanks.

Narayanan lost a pawn while dealing with the crisis and the resulting rook and minor piece endgame was handled in copy-book fashion by the Chinese. — PTI

Singapore, October 14
Neymar scored all four goals in a sumptuous display for Brazil as the five-times world champions routed an under-strength Japan 4-0 in a friendly in Singapore on Tuesday to maintain Dunga's perfect start since returning as coach.

The Brazilian skipper took his impressive tally to 40 goals in 58 matches after his strikes against a shabby Japanese side on a patchy National Stadium pitch deemed “far short of international standards” by Singapore's Football Association.

Neymar celebrates after scoring a hat-trick against Japan during their friendly match in Singapore. Reuters

Neymar had no problems with the poor surface, however, as the Barcelona striker entertained the 51,577 crowd with flicks and tricks around his cool finishes.

He rattled the post with a free-kick a minute before opening the scoring in the 18th minute when he rounded Japan goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima and lashed the ball into an empty net after being put clear by Diego Tardelli.

The goal allowed Brazil, who had been lethargic after the heavy travel schedule and Saturday's 2-0 win over Argentina in Beijing, to slow the tempo against the Asian champions, who were missing the injured Shinji Kagawa and opted to start with Keisuke Honda and Yuto Nagatomo on the bench.

Honda came on at the start of the second period but it was the Brazilian bench who had a greater impact, with Philippe Coutinho slipping a ball through Japan's porous backline to Neymar, who slotted home a second in the 48th minute.

Messi cameo illuminates Argentina 

Lionel Messi scored twice after coming off the bench as an experimental Argentina side destroyed Hong Kong 7-0 in a friendly. — Agencies

Reykjavik, October 14
The Netherlands suffered a 2-0 defeat away to Iceland who maintained their perfect start to Euro 2016 qualifying thanks to Gylfi Sigurdsson's first-half double on Monday.

Sigurdsson had been a doubt with an injury sustained against Latvia but the Swansea City midfielder featured from the start and was worth his weight in gold.

He scored his first goal in the 10th minute of the Group A game when he converted a spot kick conceded by Stefan de Vrij, who fouled Birkir Bjarnason inside the penalty area. Sigurdsson then doubled his tally three minutes before halftime when he fired home after being quickest to react to a loose ball after the Dutch failed to clear a corner.

The Dutch face a tough task to progress as they trail Iceland and Czech Republic. — Agencies

BRIEFLY

My ‘Clasico’ comeback is fate, says Barca's Suarez

Barcelona: Luis Suarez is likely to play his first competitive game for Barcelona in La Liga's "Clasico" against Real Madrid later this month and he says it is no coincidence his four-month biting ban expires the day before one of biggest fixtures in world soccer. The ban ends on Oct. 24, meaning Suarez could run out at the Bernabeu the following day if selected by Barca coach Luis Enrique. "You know, I’m the kind of person who believes that things happen for a reason," Suarez said on Barca's website on Tuesday. "Out of all 19 teams in the league, it’s precisely against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu that I’ll make my comeback," added the 27-year-old. "There must be a reason."

Prosecutor: Pistorius offered cash after killing

Pretoria: Oscar Pistorius offered $34,000 to the family of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp after he killed her, but the family rejected the funds because they did not want "blood money," a prosecutor said at the sentencing hearing for the double-amputee athlete. Chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel also referred to separate payments of $550 that the Pistorius camp apparently made on a monthly basis to Steenkamp's family, but said those would be paid back in full. The revelations emerged while Nel was cross-examining a social worker who testified that Pistorius should be placed under house arrest, rather than sent to prison, after his conviction for culpable homicide, or negligent killing. Social worker Annette Vergeer, one of four witnesses called by the defense, said South African jails are violent and overcrowded and that the athlete would be under particular duress .

Asiad boxing competition was concussion-free: AIBA

Laussanne: The boxers are divided on whether headguards should be reintroduced but the International Boxing Association said abolishing them has helped immensely in reducing cases of concussion with the recent Asian Games recording no instance of trauma injuries. “It was another major Elite Men's Competition during which AIBA evaluated all bouts closely in order to check concussion rates without headguards. However, in Incheon there were only two TKOs, and at the post medical tests, both of those boxers did not show any signs of concussion,” the AIBA said in a statement after its assessment of the event held in Incheon.

Two armymen win gold in Senior National Archery

Shillong: Two archers of the Army won gold medals in the Indian Round of the 22nd Senior National Archery Championship held in Delhi and qualified for the February 2015 National Games in Kerala. Rifleman Santosh Thapa won gold in the 50m category while Havildar Captain Singh won gold in 30m category of the Men's events.

Delhi to host international para event in February