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Messi equals record as Barca beats Ajax Rayudu ton steers India to easy win
Ambati Rayudu’s unbeaten 121 powers India to a 6 wicket win over Sri Lanka in second ODI
Ambati Rayudu celebrates his maiden ODI ton, India v Sri Lanka, 2nd ODI, Ahmedabad, November 6.
AHMEDAbAD, NovEMbER 6 (AGENCIES): Ambati Rayudu’s ton took India to a six-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the second One-Day International (ODI) match at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday. This win took India to a 2-0 lead in the five-match ODI series. Rayudu’s knock of 121 runs included 10 boundaries and four huge sixes. Chasing a target of 275 runs, India got off to yet another cautious start, where neither of the openers shikhar Dhawan or Ajinkya Rahane looked to play risky shots. They were happy to see the new ball through. However, they lost the wicket of Rahane early with the score on 18 when Rayudu walked out to join Dhawan in the middle. After promoting Suresh Raina at number 3 in the order in the last match, Kohli decided to play Rayudu at one drop this time around. Even as Rayudu looked scratchy in the middle early on, Dhawan went along scoring freely. Angelo Mathews too erred in the tactic of spreading out the field and offering the batsmen easy singles. Dhawan launched his attack after reaching his 10th ODI half-century. The left-hander struck an 80-ball 79, including seven boundaries and a huge six. He took Thisara Perara and Seekkuge Prasanna for some special treatment. However, in his attempt to dominate the leg-spinner, proved to be his undoing as he holed out a catch to the fielder
at deep square leg. Dhawan added 122 runs for the second wicket with Rayudu. Earlier in the day, skipper Mathews won the toss and elected to bat on a pitch that looked to be a good batting wicket. Sri Lanka and India both made one change each to the sides that played at Cuttack in the first ODI. While the hosts brought in all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja for the injured Varun Aaron, Kusal Perera came in for Upal Tharanga in the Sri Lankan lineup. The conditions were good for batting with very little on offer for the bowlers. Indians struck early as Umesh Yadav dismissed opener Kusal Perera for a duck. Tillakaratne Dilshan, in company of Kumar Sangakkara looked to resurrect the innings. The opener looked dangerous at times, being especially sever to Ravichandran Ashwin. He smashed the off-spinner for four consecutive boundaries off his first over and the last over of the Powerplay. A couple of quick wickets had reduced the visitors of 64 for three in less than 14 overs. However, at that point Mathews walked out to bat and stitched together a valuable partnership of 90 runs for the fourth wicket to provide an ideal platform for the lower middle order to fire in the death overs. In the process of the partnership, Sangakkara brought up his 89th half-century. The 86-ball knock of 61 included just four boundaries. Easy singles and rare hits to the fence were a feature of the partnership.
AMSTERDAM, No vEMbER 6 (AP): Lionel Messi's brace gave Barcelona a 2-0 victory Wednesday over 10-man Ajax and moved him level with Raul Gonzalez's all-time Champions League scoring record of 71 goals. Messi scored his 70th Champions League goal in the 36th minute with a soft header after Ajax failed to clear a free kick and linked with substitute Pedro Rodriguez for his second on the night in the 76th. The win assured Barcelona of qualification for the knockout stage of Europe's top club competition as Paris Saint-Germain beat APOEL Nicosia 1-0 to stay top of Group F. Ajax played the last 20 minutes with 10 men after defender Joel Veltman was sent off for his second yellow card. Veltman also was red carded last year when Ajax beat Barcelona 2-1 in Amsterdam. "The record wasn't the goal for today, that was the three points that qualified us for the next round and that's why we are leaving feeling happy," Messi told Canal Plus television. "We played against a team that plays football well and, if you let them, move you from one side of the pitch to the other. It was difficult for us to pressure them because of their mobility, but we took advantage of the chances we got. Later, they went down to 10, but in general the match was even." Messi notched his record-leveling goals in his 90th match in Europe's top club competition. Former Real Madrid and Schalke striker Raul took 142 matches to reach his tally. "Messi is absolutely the best player I have ever seen as player or coach," said Barcelona coach Luis Enrique. His strikes came a night after Cristiano Ronaldo,
Barcelona's Lionel Messi is tackled by Ajax's Niklas Moisander during the Group F Champions League match between AFC Ajax and FC Barcelona at ArenA stadium in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Wednesday, November 5. (AP Photo)
who has scored 70 Champions League goals, failed to find the net in Real Madrid's 1-0 victory over Liverpool. Ajax had the best of the early exchanges and Lucas Andersen shot just wide in the 18th minute after a surging run by 19-year-old winger Anwar El Ghazi. Andersen, Lasse Schone and El Ghazi all stretched the Barcelona defense as Ajax piled on the pressure, but Frank de
Boer's team could not convert its possession into a goal and Barcelona made them pay. "We made a game of it in the first half," De Boer said. "It's a shame we weren't rewarded for our good play." Jasper Cillessen did well to save a 35th-minute Messi free kick but Ajax failed to clear and center back Marc Bartra hooked the ball back into the area for Messi to score with a soft header that Ricardo van Rhijn just
failed to clear off the line. Neymar almost doubled Barcelona's lead five minutes after the break when he shrugged off two defenders but his shot struck the outside of the post. Messi showed he is more than just a goal scorer when his perfectly weighted through ball put Luis Suarez one-on-one against Cillessen but the former Ajax striker shot straight at the goalkeeper and Messi's rebound shot curled into
the side netting. Suarez was playing his first Champions League match for his new club since serving out his long suspension for biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup. But this night was all about Messi. After Veltman was sent off, the Argentina star ruthlessly exposed the space in Ajax's back four as he played a one-two with Pedro and slid to poke the ball past Cillessen for his record-equalling goal.
Kerala Blasters beat Goa FC 1-0
KoCHI, NovEMbER 6 (AGENCIES): Two substitutes, Milagres Gonsalves and Andrew Barisic combined brilliantly to give Kerala a win in their maiden home game in the Indian Super League as Kerala Blasters beta FC Goa by a solitary goal at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi, courtesy a goal from Milagres Gonsalves in the 63rd minute. Kerala Blasters missed Iain Hume due to injury and made a total of four changes with Avinabo Bag, Raphael Romey, David James and Saumik Dey drafted in from the defeat against Mumbai City FC. It was only a solitary change for FC Goa as Robert Pires returned from suspension to take his place in the starting lineup with Andre Santos missing out with a knock.
Both teams had half chances to get ahead within the first ten minutes. First it was the home side with Ishfaq Ahmed being played on, down the right by a brilliant Stephen Pearson through ball but he failed to find CS Sabeeth in the box with his cross straight to Jan Seda in goal. Then on the eighth minute, it was Zico's boys who missed with Gregory Arnolin putting his header just high after Bruno Pinheiro swung in a freekick from the left. Just two minutes later, Arnolin was again in the mix as he flicked a header to the far post from a corner kick only to see Romeo Ferandes heading it inches wide. Blasters then pushed forward and got two chances both of which involved Sabeeth. First it was Stephen Pearson who had a
give and go with Sabeeth outside the box before he surged in but smashed his shot wide off the post. Narayan Das doing just enough to put him off. Then in the 18th minute, Sabeeth took advantage of a drop in concentration from Das, getting on the end of his clearance. Das however made amends and put in a last ditch tackle to dispossess the striker who just had the goalkeeper to beat. In the 73rd minute, just before he was taken off, Pires almost played the perfect ball to put Miroslav Slepicka through but it was an excellent covering challenge by Sandesh Jhingan to avert the danger. Sachin Tendulkar's side had a chance to double the lead in the 83rd minute after Gregory Arnolin lost the ball infront of his goal. Penn immediately swept it wide
Milagres Gonsalves of Kerala Blasters FC celebrates a goal during match 23 of the Hero Indian Super League between Kerala Blasters FC and FC Goa held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kochi, India on the 6th November.
to find Avinabo Bag on the right who sent in a lovely teasing ball across the face of the goal with three yellow shirts in the box. It was
Arnolin whose diving interception almost flew into his own net but thankfully for the French defender went wide.
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