Margao (Goa), October 15
In a pulsating Indian Super League (ISL) encounter, Chennaiyin FC edged out hosts Goa FC 2-1 as forward Balwant Singh became the first Indian goalscorer in the tournament at the Jawahar Lal Nehru stadium, here today.

Chennaiyin, co-owned by Abhishek Bachchan and MS Dhoni, went ahead through Balwant’s 32nd minute strike. Marquee player Elano latched onto a poor clearance and made his way into the box, and Balwant was on hand to fire the ball home. Ten minutes later, they doubled their lead, with Elano scoring via a beautiful curling freekick.

Goa, co-owned by Virat Kohli and coached by Zico, came with renewed vigour after half time but Chennai’s defence withstood the home team’s initial attacks. Goa eventually tried to claw their way back into the game as central defender Gregory Arnolin netted a goal from close range. But Chennaiyin made sure their ISL campaign began with a win.

The highlight though remained on Balwant, who was more than pleased with his effort and his team’s performance. “It is an absolute honour to become the first Indian scorer in ISL. You always have to work hard to get into the team because there are so many quality foreigners,” Balwant said.

Chennai coach Marco Materazzi was also happy with the outcome and said, “The boys put up a good performance and dominated possession. In the second half we came under pressure but our defenders did a good job to deny the home team the equaliser.” 

Goa’s coach Zico though was disappointed with a losing start but did manage to put up a brave front after the defeat. “The boys played their hearts out till the end, especially in the second half which they dominated. They created ample scoring chances but failed to convert,” Zico said. 

Today’s Match
NorthEast vs Atletico
Live on Star Sports, 7pm

New Delhi, October 15
Cracking the whip against the IOA and National Sports Federations (NSF), the Sports Ministry on Wednesday reminded them to place their audited annual accounts and balance sheet on their websites by June 30 of every year for the accounts relating to the previous financial year.

The latest communication by the Ministry followed its two previous orders, dated July 17 and August 6, to the IOA and NSFs on the utilisation of funds and suo-moto disclosure of information for the various activities carried out by them, including expenditure incurred on officials' junkets abroad.

The Ministry also asked the IOA and NSFs to get their accounts audited by chartered accountants on the panel of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), failing which financial assistance to them could be stopped.

"The IOA and NSFs are required to get their accounts audited by chartered accountants on the panel of the CAG. In a communication sent to the all concerned, failure to follow the instructions may entail stoppage of financial assistance, non renewal of recognition and others," the Ministry said in a release.

"The Ministry has noticed that the IOA and most of the NSFs have not furnished information sought earlier. It is also noticed that the NSFs are not hosting the information on their website with regard to their important activities such as details of ACTC, annual audited accounts and balance sheets etc. The latest communication has conveyed to the IOA and NSFs that all the aforesaid instructions shall form integral part of the National Sports Development Code of India, 2011," the statement added.

So far, only All India Football Federation (AIFF), Hockey India (HI) and All India Chess Federation (AICF) have provided the information to the Ministry.

Para-Asian Games squad announced

The Sports Ministry has cleared a 135-member Indian contingent for the Para-Asian Games, to be held in Incheon, South Korea, from October 18 to 24. "The contingent includes 87 athletes, three guide runners, 40 coaches and escorts and five officials. India will take part in athletics, badminton, swimming, shooting, powerlifting, table tennis, blind judo, archery and wheelchair fencing," a PIB release said.

Dharamsala, October 15
Dharamsala, known for its fickle weather, is giving a scare to the India-West Indies series. The crucial fourth ODI — both teams go into the contest tied 1-1 after three matches — at Dharamsala is facing a rain threat. The weather department has predicted light showers in the afternoon of the match day (October 17).

Faced with the rain threat, the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) is keeping one eye on Met Department and the other on local deity Indrunaag — the god of snakes and rains who is believed to hold a great sway in determining the weather conditions.

The story of the Dharamsala's deity is indeed an interesting one. The locals believe that his temple, albeit a small one, is one of the most sacred in the town, and it protects the town from natural calamities.

With Dharamsala famous for frequent rains, the legend of Indrunaag acquires great significance as the deity is often invoked. Be it a wedding or any other social gathering, it's a tradition here to visit the temple, offer prayers and seek blessings for the smooth conduct of the function.

It's the same when it comes to conducting a cricket match. The BCCI and the HPCA officials, too, visit the temple to seek the blessings of the local deity for a trouble-free event.

The temple is roughly seven kilometers from Dharamsala on Khaniara road, from where one road leads to Chola village. Perched on top of the town and on the foothills of the mighty Dhauladhar, one gets a charming view of the Kangra valley and Shivalik hills.

It is the most happening place in the town with trekkers and paragliders frequenting the place all round the year. Almost every teenager in Dharamsala has a story of his own of this place - someone has had his first smoke here, someone else came here for his first date. From here the stadium looks like a giant maroon bowl, a place where something important happens.

The day temperatures have fallen drastically in the last two to three days with rains bringing down the mercury. The temperatures are fluctuating between 22 degrees Celsius during the day to 10 degrees in the evening.

Curator Sanjay Chauhan is expecting a lively pitch as usual with good pace and bounce.

"There will be a nice carry even in dry conditions and you will see balls going past shoulder height regularly. In case it rains the conditions will suit swing bowlers," he said.

Two separate practice pitches have been prepared for both teams. The West Indies will practice on the West end and the Indian team will be practicing on the east end.

Hosting 2nd ODI

Dharamsala has hosted an ODI only once before — India took on England in January 2013. In the match, India lost half their side for less than 80 runs before posting a modest 226. The hosts went on to lose the game.

Chandigarh, October 15
The Indian hockey team witnessed a rare high moment when it won the Asian Games. Becoming the Asian champions after 16 years brought the oft-criticised team much needed praise. It wasn’t an outstanding show by the team but it was a performance which surely deserved gold. What stood out was the composure the team showed throughout the tournament. The team shed the ill repute of crumbling in pressure situations. If the fightback against Pakistan in the final after falling a goal behind showed the growth of this relatively young team, the calm finishing in the high-pressure penalty shootout showcased the character of the next generation players. The five players who took the penalties are all less than 25 years old. Manpreet Singh and Akashdeep Singh, the youngest of the five, spoke to The Tribune about handling the pressure of expectations, preparation for the shootout etc.

Manpreet Singh and Akashdeep Singh, both former trainees of the Surjit Hockey Academy, Jalandhar, have become key players in the current team. file photo

Excerpts:

In the final, you fell behind very early in game. It was a start similar to the pool match against Pakistan, which you had lost. What was going on in your mind?

Manpreet: We had a bad start to the game and it shook us a little. We were under pressure to score but we didn’t change our strategy. We played our normal game. We had confidence in our ability to find an equaliser. Even after scoring we didn’t change our game. In the pool game we had gone on the offensive after finding the equaliser, which had backfired. We didn’t want to risk a repeat.

What was your strategy for the penalty shootout? All of you followed a pattern — turning your back to the goalkeeper, then feigning right and going left. It turned out to be very successful.

Manpreet: We had studied the videos of the semifinal between Pakistan and Malaysia. In that shootout, we noticed that the Pakistan goalkeeper was weaker on his left side. The Malaysians shook him to his right and he was slow in turning left.

Akashdeep, you went first in the shootout. What was the pressure like?

Akashdeep: There was a lot of pressure. But we had practised a lot for a shootout scenario. After every training session we would practise the penalties. And we had done our research about Pakistan. The pressure was there but I tried not to over-think. Once I was moving, the training kicked in, I guess.

It was high-percentage finishing. But Manpreet, you missed because the umpire penalised you for a contentious foul.

Manpreet: I still don’t understand why I was penalised. The umpire said that I blocked the keeper. But the ball was always in front of me.

Did you feel that maybe it wasn’t going to be your day?

Manpreet: Yes, for a moment I did. I was so confident going into the penalties. In practice I rarely missed. I was really disappointed. But my teammates reassured me that we still had our most experienced players, Birendra Lakra and Dharamvir Singh, to go. I had a lot of confidence in PR Sreejesh as well.

And when Dharamvir scored the winning goal?

Akashdeep: It was an unmatched feeling. The joy was overwhelming. I guess it showed in our wild on-field celebrations.

Manpreet: I remember everyone rushing in to hug Dharamvir. It was joyous relief. It was all pent up emotions that came out on the ground that day. We had worked really hard over the last one year. This was a huge goal, to become Asian champions and more importantly qualify for the 2016 Olympics. The expectations were really high. We needed this win.

What did Terry Walsh say after the victory?

Manpreet: The first thing he said was that we have qualified for the Olympics and we should really be proud of ourselves.

Did he discuss the final?

Manpreet: No, we will do that when the camp starts on Thursday. He just told everyone, individually, that we played well.

You now have time to rest after long. Have you had time to go home, and how was the reception?

Manpreet: I haven’t had the time to go home; I had to go to Malaysia because my fiancée’s mother was unwell and had to be admitted in hospital. We have been in Delhi for the last two days for the felicitation ceremonies. Now the camp for the Australia series will start.

Akashdeep: It was good to spend some time at home after so many months in training. And it was gratifying how everyone congratulated me and told me how proud they were of us. 

Belgrade, October 15
The politically-sensitive Euro 2016 qualifier between Serbia and Albania was abandoned on Tuesday following a brawl between players from both sides after a flag stunt.

The Group I game, with no away fans permitted, was interrupted when a flag depicting the so-called Greater Albania, an area covering all parts of the Balkans where ethnic Albanians live, was flown over the terraces and pitch by what appeared to be a remote controlled mini drone near the end of the first half.

A Serbian player eventually grabbed the flag at the Partizan stadium, prompting an angry reaction from Albanian players and an unsightly melee ensued.

Riot police then moved in when around a dozen fans invaded the pitch and attacked the Albanian players, forcing them to retreat into the tunnel as flares were thrown from the terraces. After a delay of around half an hour, English referee Martin Atkinson abandoned the game, which stood at 0-0.

“What happened is something we can’t comprehend at the moment,” Serbia captain Branislav Ivanovic told reporters.

“On behalf of my team, all I can say is that we wanted to carry on and that we shielded the Albanian players every step of the way to the tunnel (after the riot broke out).

“The Albanian team said they were unfit physically and mentally to carry on after talking to the officials and they will now decide the fate of this match. We can only regret that football took a back seat but it is difficult to draw any conclusions or make any comments now.”

Albanian captain Lorik Cana told Albanian television: “I saw my players being attacked and hit even inside the tunnel, and even by the stewards. We were not in the right psychological or physical state to continue playing.”

Portugal win, Germany held to a draw by Ireland 

A towering header deep into injury-time from Cristiano Ronaldo gave Portugal a 1-0 win over Denmark in their Euro-2016 qualifier on Tuesday. In the Germany-Ireland game, Sunderland A.F.C. defender John O'Shea's injury-time equaliser helped Republic of Ireland to hold world champions Germany to a 1-1 draw and earn a point in a dramatic Euro qualifier. — Reuters 

London, October 15
Marussia expressed shock and anger on Wednesday at media allegations that French driver Jules Bianchi had ignored warning flags and been told to go faster by the Formula One team before he crashed and suffered critical head injuries in Japan.

The British-based team issued a statement rejecting what it referred to as 'entirely false' reports about events at Suzuka 10 days ago. “The Marussia F1 Team is shocked and angered by these allegations,” it said. Marussia said Bianchi had slowed when the yellow warning flags, which tell drivers to be prepared to stop, were waved by track marshals following an earlier accident in the same location involving Adrian Sutil's Sauber. “It’s clear from the transmission and the transcript that at no point leading up to Jules' accident did the team urge Jules to drive faster.” — Reuters

Pune, october 15
S.L. Narayanan, the pick of the Indian players in LIC World Junior Chess Championship, held compatriot and fourth seed Vidit Santosh Gujrathi to a draw and earned his first GM norm Wednesday. In the Girls section, 18-year-old P.V. Nandhidhaa defeated Pratyusha Bodda in a dramatic fashion to make her third WIM norm and complete the requirements for her WIM title. Incidentally, Pratyusha also made her WIM norm.

“My IM title was confirmed last month and this is my first GM norm,” said the shy and soft spoken 16-year old Narayanan while Nandhidhaa was visibly excited. “I made my first two norms in 2011 and 2012 and then missed making my final norm on seven occasions. Today I was very lucky as my opponent blundered on the last move in a dead draw position,” said Nandhidhaa. — IANS

BRIEFLY

Sushil, six other athletes to train in US
New Delhi: Wrestler Sushil Kumar and six other national athletes will be heading to the US in the first week of November to train at the Ohio-based SPIRE Institute, an official Olympic Training Centre, through a Sheru Classic initiative. Double Olympic medallist wrestler Sushil, who skipped the Asian Games at Incheon, is now keen to board the U.S. flight to have a feel of the largest indoor sports complex of the world, which is also the home of US wrestling. “The training facilities, technological support, personalised training and guidance offered by the SPIRE will surely give us added boost to perform better and fetch great results at the global level,” said Sushil.

Indore Open: Myneni, Sanam move into quarters
Indore: Saketh Myneni toppled Belgian seventh seed Kimmer Coppejans to move to the singles quarterfinals of the ATP Indore Open here on Wednesday. Myneni, who is ranked 451, overcame the 202-ranked Belgian 1-6 6-3 7-6(4) in a close to two-hour second round contest of the USD 50,000 Challenger tournament. Sanam entered the quarterfinals with a hard-fought 4-6 7-6(5) 6-3 win over compatriot and qualifier N Vijay Sundar Prashant after battling for two hours and 14 minutes in his second round.

Women boxing: Beniwal, Pinki enter final
Raipur: Preeti Beniwal, Sweety, Sarjubala, Rebecca Lalinmawil and Pinki Rani were among the boxers to have entered the finals of their respective categories in the Monnet Steel Elite Women's National Championship here on Wednesday. In the feather weight (54-57 kg) category, Beniwal defeated Anjima Khakhalry 3-0. In the light fly (45-48 kg) category, Haryana's Sweety thrashed Saroj by a similar margin. In the same section, Sarjubala of Manipur out-punched Musskan Sindhu of Punjab 3-0. In the fly weight (48-51 kg) category, Mizoram's Lalinmawil got the better of Manipuri girl Nengneihat Kom 3-0. In another bout in the same category, Pinki Rani defeated Tohibala Chanu of Arunachal Pradesh 3-0. In a feather weight bout, RSPB's P Basumatary beat H Chaoba Devi of Manipur 3-0. In bantam weight bouts, Meena Kumari defeated Jamuna Devi 3-0 while Haryana girl Sonia got the better of Chhoto Loura 2-0— Agencies