Budapest: Jeremain Lens scored twice to lead Netherlands to a 4-1 win over Hungary in a qualifier for the 2014 World Cup on Tuesday. Lens scored his first in the third minute, heading in a pass from the right side by Luciano Narsingh, only for Hungary to equalize four minutes later through a penalty by Balazs Dzsudzsak after Jordy Clasie fouled Zoltan Gera. The Dutch regained the lead for good...
09:11 AM, Sep 12, 2012
Saitama: Japan survived severe early pressure from Zico's Iraq to beat them 1-0 at home on Tuesday, taking a significant step towards qualifying for the 2014 soccer World Cup in Brazil. Ryoichi Maeda steered in a point-blank header in the 25th minute for the Asian champions, who lost playmaker Shinji Kagawa to a back strain an hour before kick-off. "It's three points, we'll take it," Japan coach Alberto Zaccheroni told...
07:28 PM, Sep 11, 2012
Tbilisi: Spain captain Iker Casillas says that as defending World Cup champions, it felt strange to battle in out in the qualifiers for the 2014 edition. Spain play away to Georgia on Tuesday in a match coach Vicente del Bosque describes as the first game of the defence of the title they won in South Africa in 2010, but as defending champions, Casillas thinks that Spain should qualify for 2014...
01:36 PM, Sep 11, 2012
London: England football team head coach Roy Hodgson feels that the shrinking pool of talent he can pick from will continue to get smaller - and expects no sympathy from club managers in terms of their selection policy. Following the withdrawals of Chelsea duo Ashley Cole and John Terry over the weekend, then Theo Walcott with a virus, Hodgson needed to reinforce his squad ahead of their World Cup qualifier...
01:24 PM, Sep 11, 2012
Madrid: Favourites Spain start the defence of their world title away to Georgia on Tuesday when coach Vicente del Bosque will have another chance to test the form of record marksman David Villa, recently returned from eight months out with a broken leg. The 30-year-old Barcelona striker, who sat out Spain's triumphant Euro 2012 campaign, came off the bench to score in his first game back for both club and...
12:37 PM, Sep 10, 2012
Cape Town: Didier Drogba was again among the goals as the Ivory Coast led a list of former finalists in a winning start to World Cup qualification but new African champions Zambia lost their opening game on the road to Brazil. There was also a setback for Morocco, whose coach Eric Gerets' job is now under severe threat after a 1-1 draw away at lowly-ranked Gambia. Drogba and his Chelsea...
08:36 AM, Sep 09, 2012
Rio de Janeiro: Argentina striker Lionel Messi says finishing first in the World Cup qualifying phase is not the team's priority. Argentina went to the top of the South American confederation's Conmebol standings on Friday with a 3-1 victory over Paraguay in Cordoba, reports Xinhua. Messi twice hit the woodwork before curling in a trademark free-kick in the 63rd minute at the Mario Kempes stadium. Real Madrid's Gonzalo Higuain and...
01:14 PM, Sep 08, 2012
Cordoba, Argentina: Lionel Messi's Argentina brushed aside Paraguay 3-1 to go top of the South American 2014 World Cup qualifiers at the Mario Kempes stadium on Friday. Goals from Angel Di Maria, Gonzalo Higuain and Messi, with a brilliant free kick, gave Argentina their first home win over Paraguay in a World Cup qualifier in 39 years. Argentina lead the South American group with 13 points from six matches, one...
09:01 AM, Sep 08, 2012
London: Italy were held to a disappointing 2-2 draw by Bulgaria as the rest of Europe's leading sides made winning starts in their first matches in qualifying for the 2014 World Cup on Friday. Showing little of the form that took the team to the European Championship final, the Italians were denied victory in their Group B opener when Georgi Milanov equalized for Bulgaria " ranked 89th in the world...
08:39 AM, Sep 08, 2012
Chisinau: Frank Lampard scored twice as England relied on a dominant first-half showing against Moldova to open their 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign with a 5-0 win on Friday, their biggest away victory in 19 years. Jermain Defoe " making his 50th international appearance " grabbed England's other goal before the break in Chisinau, with James Milner and Leighton Baines netting in the last 16 minutes in a comprehensive Group...
08:29 AM, Sep 08, 2012
Arlington, Texas: First-half goals by Giovani dos Santos and Javier Hernandez gave Mexico a 2-0 win over Brazil in a friendly in Dallas on Sunday. It was the second straight game in which Mexico's top two forwards each scored, indicating the Mexican attack is in top form at the right time. "This game served us well in our plans for qualifying," Mexico coach Jose Manuel de la Torre said through...
09:17 AM, Jun 04, 2012
"Our batting order needs to be assessed and we have done that," said the Delhi Daredevils mentor TA Sekar. ...
08:44 PM, May 24, 2012
New Delhi: Indian ace Achanta Sharath Kamal failed to seal the fifth Olympic qualifying spot at the Asian qualification table tennis tournament in Hong Kong on Saturday, but he still has a chance to get a London Games berth. Sharath Kamal lost 2-4 (12-10, 9-11, 9-11, 11-6, 8-11, 8-11) to Kim Song Nam of North Korea at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium. By losing the match to the North Korean, whom...
10:51 AM, Apr 22, 2012
New Delhi: The "burden" of qualification off his back, star Indian boxer Vijender Singh is now gearing up to shoulder a fresh burden - the one of heightened expectations - when he appears in his third successive Olympic Games come July. The 26-year-old Olympic and World Championship bronze-medalist, who returned to the country on Saturday after bagging a London berth during the recently-concluded Asian Qualifiers in Kazakhstan, said he is...
05:50 PM, Apr 14, 2012
New Delhi: Just being in the final was enough to fetch him an Olympic berth at the Asian Qualifiers but teen Indian boxer Shiva Thapa (56kg) Saturday said his target was never just the London ticket as he was eager to hear the national anthem during the medal ceremony - played only for the gold-medallists. The 18-year-old from Assam became the youngest Indian boxer to book a berth for the...
05:43 PM, Apr 14, 2012
New Delhi: Shiva Thapa and Sumit Sangwan struck gold on Thursday to round off a brilliant performance by India in the Asian Olympic qualifiers in Astana, Kazakhstan where the country bagged three London tickets to make it an unprecedented seven-strong contingent for the quadrennial extravaganza. The 18-year-old Shiva (56kg), who is the youngest Indian boxer to qualify for the Olympics, defeated Syria's Wessam Salamana 18-11 to clinch his second successive...
05:01 PM, Apr 12, 2012
New Delhi: Sumit Sangwan became the seventh Indian boxer to qualify for the London Olympics when he beat the 2009 Asian Championship bronze medallist Ihab Almatdault from Jordan 24-12 in the last-four stage of the Asian Qualifiers in Astana, Kazakhstan. Earlier in the day, Shiva Thapa (56kg) had become the youngest Indian boxer to make the cut for London 2012 when he reached the final by beating Japan's Satoshi Simizu...
04:20 PM, Apr 11, 2012
New Delhi: A pat on the back by none other than International Boxing Association president Ching Kuo Wu came as a shot in the arm as five Indian boxers geared up for the Asian Olympic Qualifiers semi-finals in Astana, Kazakhstan on Wednesday. Of the five in fray, only Vijender Singh (75kg) is assured of a London berth so far as his category has four slots on offer. The 26-year-old Olympic...
03:14 PM, Apr 10, 2012
New Delhi: Teen Indian boxer Shiva Thapa Monday stunned former Olympic silver-medallist Worapoj Petchkoom 16-10 to enter the semi-finals of the Asian Olympic Qualifiers in Astana (Kazakhstan) and is now just one win away from booking a berth for the London Games. The 18-year-old Youth Olympics silver-medallist notched up a comprehensive triumph over his 30-year-old Thai rival, who also happens to be an Asian bronze-medallist from the 2006 edition. "In...
04:58 PM, Apr 09, 2012
New Delhi: Vijender Singh (75kg) became the first Indian boxer to qualify for the Olympic Games for a third successive time after reaching the semi-finals of the Asian Olympic Qualifiers in Astana, Kazakhstan on Sunday. The first Indian to win an Olympic and World Championships medal - bronze in both events - Vijender outpunched Chuluuntumur Tumurkhuyag of Mongolia 27-17 to not just assure himself of an Olympic berth but also...
04:18 PM, Apr 08, 2012
