14
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Sport
Friday, August 29, 2014
Tendulkar backs new Indian Super League n AFP, Mumbai
Nita Ambani (3rd R), director of Reliance Industries, poses with promoters and owners of football teams during the launch of the Indian Super League (ISL) football tournament in Mumbai yesterday. Batting superstar Sachin Tendulkar threw his weight behind the upcoming ISL, saying it was the way forward to unearth football talent in the cricket-mad country. The eight-city franchise-based ISL tournament is to be played in October-December AFP
Sanchez sends Arsenal through
Napoli blown away by Bilbao, Centreback Moti turns GK to lift Ludogoretsto wanted -- on the tactical side, on the ter Slovakian Marek Hamsik had given Bulgarian club Ludogorets into the CL n AFP, Paris technical side, and on the mental side,” the visitors the lead early in the sec- group stage for the first time at the exA goal by Chilean star Alexis Sanchez saw Arsenal scrape into the Champions League group stages on Wednesday as they beat a plucky Turkish outfit Besiktas 1-0 in their play-off second leg clash for a 1-0 aggregate victory. Arsene Wenger’s side managed to hold on despite being reduced to 10 men -- like the first leg when Aaron Ramsey was red-carded -- after Mathieu Debuchy was sent off for a second bookable offence in the second-half. “We produced the performance we
RESULTS Malmo (SWE)
3-0
said Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who may still have to sign a striker as Frenchman Olivier Giroud will be out for up to four months after undergoing surgery on a broken tibia.
Arsenal have qualified for the CL for the 17th season in a row His Besiktas counterpart, the former Croatia national handler Slaven Bilic will have to content himself with the Europa League. A double by Aritz Aduriz -- aided by some woeful Napoli defending -- and Ibai Gomez saw the hosts to victory af-
ond-half. It ended the hopes of Napoli’s Spanish boss Rafael Benitez of adding another Champions League title to the one he won with Liverpool in 2005 and leaves only two Italian representatives in the competition, champions Juventus and runners-up Roma. Sweden’s Malmo, beaten in the 1979 final by Nottingham Forest, and German outfit Bayer Leverkusen eased through, the latter also ensuring Germany has four clubs in the draw. Meanwhile, Defender Cosmin Moti was forced into goal for a penalty shootout and made two saves to send
1-0
n AFP, London
Besiktas (TUR)
Sanchez 45+1 Arsenal win 1-0 on aggregate
Leverkusen (GER)
4-0 Copenhagen (DEN)
Son 2, Calhanoglu 7, Kiessling 31-p, 65 Bayer Leverkusen win 7-2 on aggregate
Athletic Bilbao (ESP) 3-1
Napoli (ITA)
Aduriz 61, 69, Hamsik 47 Gomez 74 Athletic Bilbao win 4-2 on aggregate
Ludogorets (BUL)
1-0
St Bucharest (ROM)
Wanderson 90 Ludogorets win 6-5 on penalties after tie finished 1-1 on aggregate after extra-time
Ludogorets defender Cosmin Moti is congratulated by his teammates after they through to the CL group stage for the first time on Wednesday INTERNET
Rooney gets nod as England captain n AFP, London
Villa and QPR fall victim to League Cup giantkillers
Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney will take over from Steven Gerrard as England captain, manager Roy Hodgson announced during a press conference at Wembley Stadium on Thursday. The 28-year-old forward has won 95 caps since making his debut against Australia in February 2003, scoring 40 goals, and was also named captain of United two weeks ago.
n AFP, London
Since his debut in February 2003, Rooney (40) has scored 11 more goals than any other England player He succeeds Liverpool midfielder Gerrard, who stepped down after England’s group-phase exit at the World Cup, and will begin his tenure as permanent captain in next week’s friendly at home to Norway. “I think Wayne’s an obvious choice and he certainly deserves it,” Hodgson told journalists. “His commitment to the cause, his experience, the fact he’s already captained England in the past, and now he has the responsibility at Manchester United - all these factors weighed on my thought process.l
Del Piero to sign for Delhi n AFP, Mumbai Italian World Cup winner Alessandro Del Piero was set to be unveiled as the Indian Super League’s latest marquee signing Thursday as organisers spoke of sparking a football “revolution” in the cricket-mad country. Reports said the 39-year-old had agreed to play for the Delhi Dynamos in the 10-week tournament which begins in October and has been modelled along the lines of cricket’s cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL). Del Piero’s signing was expected to be confirmed later Thursday at a press conference called by ISL organisers, who have already persuaded former French star David Trezeguet and ex-England goalkeepr David James to sign up. Eight city-based teams are due to take part in the tournament which runs
from October 12 to December 20. Several of the franchises have tie-ups with European football giants such as La Liga champions Atletico Madrid who are the co-owners of Atletico Kolkata. While India are only 150th in the world rankings, football draws big crowds in some parts of the country - particularly the east - and has been dubbed the game’s “sleeping giant” by world governing body FIFA president Sepp Blatter. The English Premier League (EPL) draws big TV audiences and team owners are hoping to replicate the success of the IPL, the domestic Twenty20 cricket tournament that attracts some of the biggest names in the game. Organised by the All India Football Federation, the ISL is being backed by India’s Reliance Industries, which is controlled by the country’s richest man Mukesh Ambani, and by sports management giant IMG. l
Eto’o calls time on Cameroon
Salzburg (AUT)
Rosenberg 11-P, 84, Eriksson 19 Malmo win 4-2 on aggregate
Arsenal (ENG)
pense of Steau Bucharest. The victory has now created a headache for club management who may need to play games outside of the country due to a lack of a suitable stadium. In the final minute of extra time, Ludogorets keeper Vladislav Stoyanov was sent off after bringing down Steaua’s Fernando Varela and with all three subs having been used Moti was forced into goal. Romanian Moti, who has spent most of his career with Steaua’s bitter rivals Dinamo Bucharest, actually took the first kick for his team, confidently converting.l
Batting superstar Sachin Tendulkar on Thursday threw his weight behind the upcoming Indian Super League (ISL), saying it was the way forward to unearth football talent in the cricket-mad country. “There is a lot of sporting talent in the country, but no platform to showcase the talent. Perhaps ISL is the answer,” Tendulkar said in Mumbai at the launch of the eight-city franchise-based tournament to be played in October-December. Tendulkar, who retired last year as the leading run-getter in both Test and one-day cricket, is co-owner of the Kochi franchise in the new league that has been modelled on the lines of cricket’s cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL). While the 40-year-old’s fame and fortune is due to his exploits on the cricket field, he said that the most important thing was for Indians to develop and nurture a love of sport. “My vision for India is sport for all. It is not about being professional but staying healthy and fit,” he said. Meanwhile, Italian World Cup winner Alessandro Del Piero, 39, was set to play for Delhi Dynamos and also serve as a brand ambassador for the ISL, a source associated with the league told AFP. “He is on board, a formal announcement will be made shortly,” the source added. l
A fine curling effort by journeyman Adam McGurk heaped the pressure on English Premier League strugglers Queens Park Rangers manager Harry Redknapp as fourth tier Burton beat them 1-0 in the second round of the League Cup on Wednesday. QPR, who came into the game on the back of a 4-0 hammering by Spurs last weekend, were not the only Premier League outfit to fall prey to giantkillers as Aston Villa also exited beaten 1-0 by third tier side Leyton Orient, Romain Vincelot’s goal three minutes from time proving the difference. They joined several other Premier League sides, most notably Manchester United, to fail to make it through to the third round. Both last season’s finalists did make it to Wednesday’s third round draw with holders Manchester City getting a home draw with Sheffield Wednesday while Sunderland, who beat Birmingham City 3-0 on Wednesday, will host Stoke in an all Premier League tie. Redknapp, whose side are yet to win in three matches this season, was
phlegmatic about the humiliating defeat which earned Burton a home game with Championship side Brighton. His Aston Villa counterpart Paul Lambert, who could be facing a second successive battle againast relegation, was left extremely disappointed by the defeat to Orient. “Leyton Orient took their chances and we didn’t take ours. Darren Bent, who is deadly from that range, would normally get you one. “The goal we conceded was poor and I didn’t think we were strong defensively. “The team I picked was strong. I expected us to win the game.” While both Redknapp and Lambert will probably be given some more time that is unlikely to be the case for David Hockaday, the manager of second tier ailing giants Leeds United, as they went out 2-1 to third tier Bradford City. Club owner Massimo Cellino, a renowned firer of coaches from his days in Serie A, apparently toyed with the idea of sacking him on Sunday after a 4-1 defeat by Watford and their exit on Wednesday will not have done the inexperienced manager’s cause much good.l
Cameroon’s four-time African player of the year Samuel Eto’o confirmed on Wednesday that he was calling time on his international career just days after he was stripped of the captaincy of the national side. “I inform you that I am ending my international career... Thank you to all Africa, and to all my fans for your unconditional support,” the 33-year-old forward announced on his Twitter account. Eto’o, who had not been named in Cameroon’s 25-man squad for the qualifiers for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations which begin in September, played his
ENGLISH LEAGUE CUP DRAW Chelsea Arsenal West Brom Crystal Palace Leyton Orient Cardiff Sunderland Derby Liverpool MK Dons Man City Burton Swansea Shrewsbury Fulham Tottenham
v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v
Bolton Southampton Hull Newcastle Sheff Utd Bournemouth Stoke Reading Middlesbrough Bradford Sheff Wed Brighton Everton Norwich Doncaster Nottm Forest
Ties to be played on September 23-24
RESULTS Aston Villa Birmingham City
0-1
Leyton Orient
0-3
Sunderland
2-1
Leeds United
1-0
Queens Park
3-0
Portsmouth
Vincelot 87
Jordi Gomez 77, Johnson 87, Wickham 88
Bradford City Knott 84, Hanson 86
Burton Albion Rangers
Smith 82
McGurk 77
Stoke City
Walters 16, 47, Crouch 90
last game for The Indomitable Lions during their mediocre World Cup campaign in Brazil. Eto’o, who on Tuesday signed a two year contract with English Premier League side Everton, played just one match - a 1-0 defeat to Mexico - in his fourth World Cup campaign (1998, 2002, 2010, 2014). Capped 116 times, he won two Africa Cup of Nations titles in 2000 and 2008, a competition in which he is the all-time leading scorer with 18 goals. He is also Cameroon’s record scorer with 56 goals. His biggest triumph with the national side was winning Olympic gold in Sydney in 2000.l
Alonso retires from Spain duty, set to join Bayern n AFP, Berlin German champions Bayern Munich on Thursday announced they had agreed terms with Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso for his move from Real Madrid. Alonso was to have a medical in Munich on Thursday while Bayern finalise the deal with Real with whom Alonso is under contract until 2016, the German club said. The move comes after Alonso on Wednesday announced his retirement from international football. The 32-year-old was a key member of the Spanish sides that won European Championships in 2008 and 2012, as well as their first World Cup in 2010. “I quit the Spanish National Team. The hardest thing is knowing when to say goodbye, and after thinking about it, I think that my time with the National squad has come to an end,” the 32-year-old said in a statement on the Spanish football team’s official website. “It has been a glorious period with the Spanish team that started more than 11 years ago, I have formed part of an historical generation that has fulfilled the dreams of millions of fans.”
However, Alonso’s final international tournament ended in catastrophe as the holders crashed out of the World Cup in Brazil in the group stage following defeats to the Netherlands and Chile. At Bayern he will link up with former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola who has endured a difficult start to the
season with injuries to Javi Martinez, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Rafinha and Thiago Alcantara. He also lost central midfielder Toni Kroos in the close season, the German international going to Real Madrid. The injuries saw Bayern bolster their defensive options on Wednesday by signing Moroccan international fullback Mehdi Benatia on a five year deal from Italian Serie A side Roma. l