Former winner Bengaluru FC produced a late comeback to claim a point after a 2-2 draw against FC Goa in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium here on Saturday. The Blues have thus extended their unbeaten streak on home turf to seven matches this season, winning five games and drawing two. For the initial 10 minutes, FC Goa attempted to set the tone for the match. They pressed high up, recovered possession, and earned set-pieces to assert their blueprint in the game. One such free-kick came their way in the seventh minute when Dejan Drazic launched a looping delivery from the right end of the field. Sandesh Jhingan, surrounded by a host of Bengaluru players, showed tremendous aerial ability to jump and head the ball into the bottom left corner from the centre of the box to open the scoring. However, Bengaluru FC soon gained control over the game and began orchestrating the proceedings. The Blues’ offence was spearheaded by Sunil Chhetri, and high on confidence, the striker pulled off an ambitious attempt at goal from a fair distance outside of the box in the 14th minute. The precision of the shot was praiseworthy as it was directed straight at the bottom left corner before it was stopped by FC Goa custodian Hrithik Tiwari. Also Read: Siraj is getting stick from "saints" of Australian cricket, writes sarcastic Sunil Gavaskar The duo of Ryan Williams and Chhetri have developed a fine understanding this season, with the former’s timely crosses being met by the striker inside the box regularly. The home team encountered an opportunity to equalise in the 56th minute as Chhetri headed a similar delivery by Williams from the left side of the six-yard box, but it missed hitting the target by a whisker. Interestingly, despite Bengaluru FC’s repeated efforts to trouble FC Goa from a distance, it was Sahil Tavora who notched a strike from outside of the box in the 66th minute to double the Gaurs’ lead. He pulled off a peach of a strike that landed straight into the top right corner and caught the Bengaluru FC backline off guard. The goal was a culmination of a brief passage where the visitors pushed against the run of play to create opportunities up front. The Blues quickly struck back, as Williams cut the deficit in the 71st minute with a brilliant finish off a through ball by Vinith Venkatesh, who came on as a substitute for Harsh Patre in the 57th minute. Venkatesh made his presence felt by slicing through the FC Goa backline with a perfectly weighted delivery for Williams at the centre of the box, which was then netted into the centre of the goal by the latter. Jorge Pereyra Diaz too came off the bench for Bengaluru FC in the 57th minute, replacing Méndez. His introduction added firepower in the final third for the home side, and the move paid off when he slotted home a timely pass by Roshan Singh in the 83rd minute to draw the scores level. Positioned right in the middle of the FC Goa box, Diaz broke no sweat in converting the opportunity, showcasing Bengaluru FC’s laudable squad depth too. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
15 December,2024 02:37 PM IST | Bengaluru | IANSDefending champions Mohun Bagan Super Giant grabbed hold of their fifth consecutive home win by defeating Kerala Blasters FC 3-2 in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan Stadium here on Saturday night. Despite holding 56.5% of the possession, the Mariners required two late goals to secure all three points from this fixture. The Mariners strengthened their position at the top of the table, with their tally now standing at 26 points from 11 matches with the help of eight victories and two draws. Kerala Blasters FC opened the game on an assertive note, with their frontline duo of Noah Sadaoui and Jesus Jimenez teasing the Mohun Bagan Super Giant defence within the first five minutes. Whilst Noah tried to strike home from outside of the box in the second minute, Jimenez attempted a goal from inside the box with his left foot, which was saved by Vishal Kaith in the fourth minute. That didn’t deter Kerala Blasters FC from discovering options up front, as their entire midfield worked cohesively to knock on doors at the Mariners’ backline. Pritam Kotal sprinted ahead with a quick pace and curled in a cross for Danish Farooq inside the box, but the latter’s shot landed off-target past the right post. Also Read: Gukesh used that ’Bridge! The home side’s moment of reckoning came in the 33rd minute though, as Asish Rai unleashed a powerful shot from distance that was stopped by Sachin, but the rebound fell in Jamie Maclaren’s path, who comfortably slotted it into the bottom left corner to help them secure the first goal of the match. Increasingly, Kerala Blasters FC were finding it slightly difficult to construct well-coordinated attacking moves. Jimenez took matters into his own hands in the 51st minute, and Adrian Luna simultaneously helped him by pressing high on the Mohun Bagan Super Giant defence, helping the visitors recover possession. Jimenez didn’t take too much time on the ball, hammering it into the bottom left corner from the outside of the 18-yard box upon taking a quick, deft touch and equalising the score. Sadaoui sprung into action following this move, hoping to get another goal in the favour of the Kochi-based team by riding the momentum in their favour. In the following 15-odd minutes, he hit the target multiple times, most notably in the 67th minute from outside of the box. Despite the distance, his shot was well directed into the bottom right corner but kept at bay by Kaith. Kerala Blasters FC were successful in their effort of breaching past the Mariners’ defence in the 77th minute. They pushed up numbers during a set piece and Milos Drincic was placed perfectly to drill the ball into the high centre of the goal in a crowded Mohun Bagan Super Giant box to get the visitors a late advantage. That opened the floodgates for an onslaught from the Mariners, as Jason Cummings came off the bench in the 80th minute. His partnership with Dimitrios Petratos has been lethal upfront and tonight was no different, with the latter squaring up a pass for Cummings deep inside the box that was netted into the bottom left corner by the striker to bring the scores back to level terms in the 86th minute. The Mariners kept pushing forward, earning free-kicks and corners alike. In the added time of the second half, the Kerala Blasters FC defence was unable to clear their lines after a corner and Alberto Rodriguez, placed outside the 18-yard area, trusted his instincts to launch a shot into the bottom left corner to bag their third goal of the night, and notch all three points for the home side. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
15 December,2024 10:41 AM IST | Kolkata | IANSMohammedan SC will look to earn their first win at home this season as Mumbai City FC focus on maintaining their good record in the city when the two teams face off in the Indian Super League here on Sunday. This is the first time the Kishore Bharati Krirangan will host a ISL 2024-25 clash between Mohammedan SC and Mumbai City FC. Also Read: No decision on Sinner doping case before new year: WADA The Islanders come into this contest on a strong run of form when facing new opponents in the league, having won their last four such matches and having lost only one game in Kolkata in nine outings. On the other hand, Mohammedan SC are still searching for their first home victory this season, having fallen short of winning any of their five home fixtures. Their inability to keep a clean sheet in their own backyard has also hampered their prospects. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
15 December,2024 09:18 AM IST | Kolkata | PTIAs the newly-named host of the 2034 World Cup in men’s football, Saudi Arabia says it will construct or renovate 15 stadiums, create a futuristic city and expand airports in a massive buildout to accommodate millions of athletes, coaches and spectators. Also Read: Man City ‘better placed’ heading into derby clash today, feels Utd boss Amorim Constructing so many new venues is “environmentally wasteful in the extreme” because so much carbon will be emitted and scarce resources used, said Andrew Zimbalist, an economics professor at Smith College in Massachusetts who has written several books about the economics of mega sporting events. Zimbalist said the World Cup should be held in countries with a developed football culture and industry. Seth Warren Rose, founding director of the research organization Eneref Institute, said: “I’m sorry, but we’re living in a different planet. We have to prepare for that,” Rose said. “By 2034, we’ll be living in a different climate and that’s not a metaphor.” This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
15 December,2024 09:09 AM IST | New York | AP | PTIRiddled with anxiety about Manchester City’s shocking decline, Pep Guardiola will endure another sleepless night as he tries to pose more problems for Ruben Amorim in the Manchester United manager’s first taste of the Premier League’s most explosive rivalry. For the first time in years, City go into the Manchester derby mired in even more turmoil than United after a dismal run of one win in 10 games in all competitions. Wednesday’s 2-0 Champions League defeat at Juventus was City’s seventh loss in that period, an astonishing collapse for a club that has won six of the last seven Premier League titles, including their current streak of four in a row. United are hardly in peak form themselves, having won just three of Amorim’s six games in charge since he replaced the sacked Erik ten Hag. But Amorim has already inflicted one painful blow to Guardiola this season when his Sporting side crushed City 4-1 in the Champions League in Lisbon on November 5. Also Read: Spotlight on Nandini Kashyap, G Kamalini in WPL mini-auction “In our jobs we always want to do our best. When that doesn’t happen you are more uncomfortable than when the situation is going well,” said Guardiola, who could have just three fit defenders available on Sunday. “In good moments I am happier but when I get to the next game I am still concerned about what I have to do. There is no human being that makes an activity and it doesn’t matter how they do,” he added. United are languishing in 13th place after successive league losses to Arsenal and Nottingham Forest. They struggled to find any fluency in a nervy 2-1 victory at minnows Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League on Thursday. “I never think about these things. We will face a great opponent and I’m more focused on our problems, so we have a lot of issues here,” he said. “I’m more focused on what we should do on Sunday to win the game, so I’m really focused on my team.” And the 39-year-old believes City are capable of hitting back if United allow them to rediscover their rhythm. “The great teams can respond in any moment. I think they are in a better place than us in the type of understanding the game,” he said. “The way they play, the confidence they have. Even in these kind of moments.” Saturday’s results. Arsenal 0-0 Everton. Newcastle Utd 4-0 Leicester City. Wolves 1-2 Ipswich Town This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
15 December,2024 09:07 AM IST | London | AFPJavier Siverio’s double strike ensured Jamshedpur FC edge past Punjab FC 2-1 in the Indian Super League (ISL) fixture played at the JRD Tata Sports Complex here on Friday. Pulga Vidal scored for Punjab, who slipped to fifth place in the table with 18 points while Jamshedpur climbed to sixth with the same number of points from 10 matches. Punjab suffered an early jolt as Filip Mrzljak had to be replaced by Asmir Suljic after getting injured. The Red Miners stuck to their game plan of launching long balls into Punjab’s half and troubling the defence with their set pieces. Stephen Eze’s and Javier Siverio’s attempts were blocked by the defence after Jamshedpur kept winning the second ball from long throw-ins by the fullbacks. The home side eventually took the lead in the dying seconds of the first half through a similar play. Eze flicked a throw in ahead of the onrushing goalkeeper Muheet Shabir which was met by Javi Hernandez who diverted it onto the path of Siverio. The Spaniard calmly finished it past the crowd of defenders to give his team the lead. Also Read: ISL: Mohun Bagan SG move to the top of the table with 2-0 win over NorthEast The best chances of the first half did come for the Shers earlier. Nihal Sudeesh found Pulga Vidal with a fine low cross at the end of a good run down the left wing but the forward skied his shot above the crossbar. Luka Majcen hit the post just before injury time with a header from a cross by Vidal down the left wing. Punjab FC levelled the scores in the very first minute of the second half. Asmir Suljic released Luka Majcen inside the box and the Slovenian found Pulga Vidal unmarked at the far post. The Argentinian had no trouble in slotting the ball inside the net for his third goal of the season. Javi Hernandez forced a save out of Muheet with a volley from the edge of the box which was the closest both teams came to scoring. Punjab played high up the pitch winning the battle in the midfield and keeping possession of the ball but chances were hard to come by. Albino Gomes made back-to-back saves from Leon Augustine and a free kick from Pulga Vidal to keep the scores level. Jamshedpur struck the decisive goal six minutes from time again through Javier Siverio. Nikhil Barla put in a perfect cross between the two Punjab centre-backs, which was met with conviction by Siverio who headed it past the outstretched hands of Muheet. The Red Miners saw off the rest of the game to clinch all three points as Punjab suffered their third loss of the season away from home. Punjab FC will travel to Kolkata for their next fixture on December 17 against East Bengal at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
14 December,2024 09:09 AM IST | Jamshedpur | IANSReal Madrid have the chance to go to the top of La Liga all be it for just 24 hours when they make the short trip to play Rayo Vallecano on Saturday. Carlo Ancelotti's side plays after a morale-boosting win away to Italian side, Atalanta in the Champions League on Tuesday night, which eased fears that may not make the knockout phase in that competition. The win came at a price, however, with Kylian Mbappe suffering a hamstring injury, that will stop him from travelling to the Vallecas Stadium and make him a doubt for the Intercontinental Cup final that Madrid plays in Qatar on December 18. Mbappe joins left-back Ferland Mendy, Eder Militao, Dani Carvajal, David Alaba, and Eduardo Camavinga on the injury list. Alaba and Camavinga are back in training, with Ancelotti saying in his pre-game press conference that the French international could return on Saturday. With the Intercontinental Cup on the horizon, Ancelotti will also have to decide whether to rest Jude Bellingham. Bellingham has been vital to Madrid with six goals in his last seven matches, but he has also shown signs of fatigue, such as in last weekend's 3-0 win in Girona. "He is a very important figure, as well as quality, he gives a lot of commitment to the team and that is something that the players value in a leader - the commitment he has," commented Ancelotti, who added that Mbappe would travel to the Intercontinental Cup in case he recovers in time. Vinicius Jr forced his recovery from a hamstring to play in Italy on Tuesday and Ancelotti also has to decide whether to risk another player, who is vital for the cause, with Brahim Diaz and Arda Guler both offering reliable alternatives, although the coach didn't seem to be in favour of making changes. "I can rotate the team if I have players, but with a squad of 14 or 15, it's complicated, we have some very young players and it's not always positive to put them in the team," said Ancelotti. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
14 December,2024 09:06 AM IST | Madrid | IANSArne Slot insisted Darwin Nunez is still an important part of Liverpool’s plans despite the struggling striker falling below the “standard” in the Champions League win against Girona. Mired in a lengthy slump, Nunez has scored only one goal in his last 10 appearances and three in total all season. In Liverpool’s victory in Girona on Tuesday, the Uruguay international cut an increasingly frustrated figure after missing several chances. Slot admitted he kept Nunez on for an extended period, before eventually replacing him in the 71st minute, in the hope he would score a confidence-boosting goal. “All our players feel the support of our fans but he is definitely one of them,” Slot told reporters on Friday. “We all saw they did something with him when he missed a few chances on Tuesday and everyone needs an arm around you, either from a team-mate, the fans or your manager. But I also made it clear to him that he is not only judged on the goals he scores, he is also judged on the team performance and he adds something to the team performance as well with his work-rate and how much he does winning the ball back high up the pitch,” Slot said. Nunez’s position will come under increasing pressure with Diogo Jota and long-term absentee Federico Chiesa set to return to the squad for the visit of Fulham on Saturday. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
14 December,2024 06:40 AM IST | London | AFPRasmus Hojlund fired Manchester United to a late 2-1 win at Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League on Thursday, while Tottenham were held to a stalemate at Rangers. Matej Vydra opened the scoring three minutes after half-time to stun United, before substitute Hojlund scored twice in the last half-hour to seize a vital three points for the English club. A top-eight finish will see United qualify for the round of 16, while finishing ninth to 24th will earn them a playoff tie to reach that stage. Spurs drew 1-1 with Rangers in Glasgow. Hamza Igamane struck for Rangers, while Dejan Kulusevski brought Spurs back level. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
14 December,2024 06:40 AM IST | Paris | AFPDon Bosco High School (Matunga) got the better of St Anne’s High School (Malad) 5-3 via a thrilling tie-breaker to claim the boys U-10 MSSA inter-school football title at Azad Maidan on Friday. St Anne’s took the lead in the 11th minute when Jovin Gomes essayed a brilliant chip into the top left corner of the Don Bosco goal. However, after the break, Unman Chothe equalised for Don Bosco with a tap-in from close range with eight minutes remaining to take the game into the shootout. Also Read: St Anthony’s boys make it count! In the decisive tie-breaker, Don Bosco displayed remarkable composure, with Unman, Uzair Chawda, Swayam Churmure, and Daksh Rane converting from the spot. For St Anne’s, only Safwan Duduke and Manthan Jagtap were successful from the spot while Ian John and Lakshya Rajurohit missed the target. Don Bosco coach Shangreithem Chiphang was all praise for his wards. “The boys showed great determination and teamwork to secure this hard-fought victory,” he said.
14 December,2024 06:40 AM IST | Mumbai | Rufus VedanayagamJerry Mawihmingthanga and Hugo Boumous 81 scored a goal each in the second half as Odisha FC overcame a 10-man East Bengal FC 2-1 in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan Stadium, here on Thursday. With this win, the Juggernauts extended their unbeaten streak this season to five games. All three goals of the match came in the second half, with Mawihmingthanga and Boumous netting in the 55th and the 81st minutes of the game respectively, after the Red & Gold Brigade found their only strike through Lal Chungnunga in the 53rd minute. East Bengal FC were reduced to 10 men in the 43rd minute due to Jeakson Singh’s sending-off. The two sides shared the honours in the opening moments of the match. Nandhakumar Sekar embarked on an ambitious solo run from the right flank in the 23rd minute, dazzling into the box and holding his shape before making a terrific effort at goal, but was denied by an outstretched Amrinder Singh. Seven minutes later, Ahmed Jahouh’s free-kick inside the East Bengal FC box, directed to Mourtada Fall, reached the towering defender, but he ended up heading the ball off-target. Odisha FC continued exerting attack and a passage of end-to-end action unfolded with both teams offering each other abundant space at the back. Also Read: Resilient East Bengal edge past NorthEast United FC for first win of season One such move saw the trio of Isak Vanlalruatfela, Boumous, and Jerry interlink seamlessly inside the East Bengal FC penalty area in the 36th minute. Isak surged ahead on the wing and found Boumous ahead of him. The attacking midfielder crossed the ball to Jerry whose shot was kept at bay by Prabhsukhan Singh Gill. East Bengal FC were dealt with a blow in the 43rd minute when Jeakson Singh was sent off for accumulating his second yellow card of the game. He fouled Diego Mauricio and the home side was thus reduced to 10 men, handing a numerical advantage to the Juggernauts. To their credit, East Bengal FC grabbed the first lead in the contest despite that, as Lal Chungnunga pounced upon a crowded Odisha FC box following a corner kick to smash the ball into the centre of the net in the 53rd minute, as the Juggernauts’ defence was unable to clear their lines in time. They, however, got back in shape especially in their offensive movements thereafter, as Isak switched flanks to operate from the right briefly and helped his side discover a breakthrough. His run wasn’t stopped by the East Bengal FC defence and that resulted in him delivering a decisive pass to Jerry, who was positioned on the right side of the box and sliced the ball into the top right corner of the net with a sublime finish to equalise the scores. Odisha FC resumed operating on the offence as a consequence of this and got their hands on the second goal with a joint effort by Mauricio and Boumous. Mauricio had donned a free-flowing role upfront and that meant he shifted slightly on the left, drawing defenders towards him and opening up space in the middle. In one such move, he made his way into the box, before squaring up a timely pass for the onrushing Boumous, who hammered the ball home to get the visitors the important lead and sealed the three points in their favour. East Bengal FC will play their next game against Punjab FC on December 17, whereas Odisha FC will feature against Mohammedan SC on December 27. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
13 December,2024 08:40 AM IST | Kolkata | IANSADVERTISEMENT
