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Nagaland Post, Dimapur FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 2020
PSG through to Champions League semis Gauff through to Lexington qtrs
PSG’s Kylian Mbappe in action during their Champions League quarter-final match against Atalanta.
L i s b o n, Au g 1 3 (Agencies): Paris St Germain scored two late goals, including a stoppage-time winner from substitute Eric ChoupoMoting, to beat outsiders Atalanta 2-1 and end the Serie A side’s Champions League dream in their quarter-final on Wednesday. Atalanta, in their first Champions League campaign, went ahead with a curling effort from Mario Pasalic in the 27th minute and held out until the 90th when Brazilian defender
Marquinhos equalised for the French champions. With Atalanta wilting, Choupo-Moting turned the ball home in the third minute of added time to end Qatari-backed PSG’s embarrassing run of recent quarter-final and round of 16 exits and send them into the last four for the first time since 1995. The Ligue 1 side will face either Atletico Madrid or RB Leipzig, who meet on Thursday, in their semi-final. “When I came on, I thought to myself, ‘We
can’t lose, we can’t go home like that.’ I was confident in myself, confident in the team and then the rest is the history of Paris,” said Cameroon international Choupo-Moting. “It was a crazy game, a tough game and opponents.” The first half was all about Neymar who had four good chances but squandered them all. The Brazilian burst clear of the Atalanta defence in the third minute but sidefooted wide with only goalkeeper Marco
IPL: NADA, UAE to carry out dope testing New Delhi, Aug 13 (Agencies): The Indian Premier League (IPL) Season 13 is going to be different from quite a few aspects. While it would be the first time that a full season will be played in the UAE, the players will also be subjected to random dope tests during the course of the season. The National AntiDoping Agency (NADA) a n d UA E ’s N a t i o n a l Anti-Doping Committee (NADO) have joined hands to conduct dope tests of players in the T20 league this season. The Standard Operating Procedures that will be followed in UAE during IPL will be of NADO’s, with both in out-of-competition testing to be done, as reported by the Times of India. With these being COVID19 times, the testing will be no-contact and the local authorities will be educated about the same. NADA is set to send some of its Dope Control
Officers (DCOs) to the UAE and they too will be quarantined upon arrival in the region before the testing process can begin. There are suggestions that they could be made to stay in the BCCI’s bio-secure bubble but alternatively, UAE’s NADO could also make separate arrangements for them. Whatever the case may be, it will be NADA who would bear the entire cost of these DCOs. The cost of testing each sample in Doha laboratory has been reported to be USD 350 which is an issue for NADA. The anti-doping watchdog of India, hence, might look to conduct only a limited number of tests. It would be the first time that NADA will be
doing dope testing of IPL players. Previously, it was a Sweden-based International Dope Test and Management (IDTM) that did the testing for cricketers involved in the T20 league. “We will be conducting the dope testing at the IPL like any other BCCI event, following the health and safety protocols. We will be organising the DCOs trip, either from India or the UAE or both to the match venues. NADA has discussed the issue with the UAE NADO and some amount of understanding has already been reached. We are waiting for the IPL governing council to finalise the tournament fixtures to plan accordingly,” NADA director general, Navin Agarwal, told TOI.
Sportiello to beat. He also got caught in two minds between shooting and passing to Mauro Icardi, shot wide after another mazy run which included a nutmeg and made a complete hash of another chance gifted to him by Hans Hateboer’s wayward back-pass. Despite boasting only a fraction of PSG’s spending power, Atalanta were more than equal on the pitch and went ahead when an exchange of passes ended with the ball falling to Pasalic who met it first
Sanchez doubtful for Europa League semi-final match
Milan, Aug 13 (IANS): Chilean forward Alexis Sanchez’s participation in Inter Milan’s Europa League semi-final clash against Shakhtar Donetsk to be played on August 18 is in doubt after the Serie A side confirmed he has a hamstring strain. Sanchez picked up the injury in the 2-1 quarterfinal win over Bayer Leverkusen earlier this week. “Alexis Sanchez underwent medical tests this morning in Duisburg after suffering an injury during our match against Leverkusen,” the club said in a statement. “The tests confirmed that he has suffered a strain in his right hamstring. His condition will continue to be reassessed over the next few days,” it added. The Chilean forward has contributed four goals and 11 assists in 31 appearances for Inter this season.
time to curl his shot past Keylor Navas. Berat Djimsiti should have increased Atalanta’s lead after the break but sliced the ball wide and the game turned when PSG introduced their France striker Kylian Mbappe, who had not started because of an ankle injury. Mbappe and Neymar were both denied by Sportiello but, as PSG ramped up the pressure, Atalanta finally cracked. Cameroon forward Choupo-Moting’s cross found Neymar and he touched the ball to Marquinhos for his fellow Brazilian to fire home from close range. Minutes later, Neymar sent Mbappe down the left and his low cross was turned in by ChoupoMoting. Atalanta had a chance to equalise but Luis Muriel, after breaking clear, ran the ball out of play and his team mates slumped to the ground in despair as the final whistle went. Atalanta, a rare case of a team from outside the elite group of European clubs making the last eight of the competition, are based in Bergamo which was at the epicentre of the new coronavirus pandemic in Italy earlier this year.
Lexington, Aug 13 (Agencies): American teenager Coco Gauff overcame some shaky serving Wednesday to beat No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka 7-6 (2), 4-6, 6-4 and reach the Top Seed Open quarterfinals with her third career victory over a top-15 opponent. The 16-year-old Gauff hit 10 double-faults and was broken seven times. “I guess,” she said afterward, “everything was an ‘A’ but the serving.” She was able to hang in there with steady baseline play against the hardhitting Sabalenka, who had 14 double-faults, including four in one game. It was a topsy-turvy match that lasted nearly three hours and featured a bit of confusion when Gauff and her father, Cori, got into a discussion with the chair umpire about what sort of coaching is allowed under adjusted rules the WTA put in place recently. Of more concern to Gauff was the way she was starting off points in her service games. At one point, she implored herself, “I’ve got to make the first serves. Come on.” “Just to stay calm and composed,” she said in an on-court TV interview af-
Coco Gauff
terward, “and making her play balls.” Sabalenka is ranked 11th, behind only No. 9 Serena Williams among the women entered in the hard-court tournament that is the first professional tennis event in the United States since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Gauff is No. 53 but should now return inside the top 50. Next up for her is a match Friday against No. 8 seed Ons Jabeur, who produced 10 aces
while eliminating Olga Govortsova 3-6, 6-2, 6-4. Govortsova had been seeking her first WTA quarterfinal since 2014. The other quarterfinal on that side of the draw will be Marie Bouzkova against Jennifer Brady, who beat No. 6 seed Magda Linette 6-2, 6-3 in Wednesday’s last match. Bouzkova followed up her upset of No. 3 Johanna Konta in the first round by defeating Anna Blinkova 6-4, 6-2 on Wednesday.
I’ll decide when I go, says Mesut Ozil Lo n d o n, Au g 1 3 (Agencies): Mesut Ozil insists he is the only person who will decide when he leaves Arsenal after the German star was frozen out by Gunners boss Mikel Arteta. Ozil has not played for Arsenal since the coronavirus hiatus amid reports the club are keen to get his huge salary off the wage bill. The 31-year-old earns a reported USD 458,000 per-week but has rarely provided good value since his 2013 move from Real Madrid. Ozil was absent as Arsenal beat Chelsea in the FA Cup final on August 1, but he will not allow the club to force him out before his contract expires in June 2021. Holding out hope of winning back his place next season, Ozil told the Athletic, “Things have been difficult but I love Arsenal. I’ll decide when I go, not other people. I’ll give everything I have for this club. Situations like these will never break me, they only make me
stronger.” “I showed in the past that I can come back into the team and I will show it again.” Ozil fell out of favour with Arteta’s predecessor Unai Emery, but started all 10 of Arsenal’s Premier League games after the former Gunners midfielder took charge in December. However, he has not featured in their past 13 matches in all competitions, with Arteta saying his exile was down to “football reasons”. Ozil believes he deserves another chance and he said: “You don’t play 10 games in a row if you’re unfit, not good enough or don’t behave well.” Arteta and many Arsenal players accepted a 12.5 percent pay cut in April as a result of the financial fallout from the coronavirus. But Ozil did not vote for the cut and he is concerned that “possibly the decision affected my chances
Mesut Ozil
on the pitch. “As players, we all wanted to contribute. But we needed more information and many questions were unanswered.” Ozil fears there is now an agenda against him that will make the rest of his time at Arsenal uncomfortable.
“I guess that’s because it is me and people have been trying for two years to destroy me, to make me unhappy, to push an agenda they hope will turn the supporters against me and pain a picture that is not true,” he said.
NBA: Clippers clinch No 2 seed in Western Conference Bouchard into Prague Open quarters O r la n d o, Au g 1 3 (Agencies): Paul George scored 27 points, Kawhi Leonard had 26 and the Los Angeles Clippers wrapped up the second seed in the Western Conference playoffs with a 124-111 victory over the third-seeded Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night. The Clippers will face seventh-seeded Dallas when the playoffs get going next week. The Clippers took control with 13 straight points midway through the third quarter and barely let the Nuggets get back in it. George and Leonard were big reasons why. George made two 3-pointers midway through the period, and Leonard sprinted to midcourt on a defense possession, picked off a pass at mid-court and glided in for a basket. Los Angeles took the lead for good with 10 minutes left on Lou Williams’ jumper and steadily built the advantage to double digits on the way to its second straight win over the Northwest Division champions. Williams was the third Clipper with 20-plus points, finishing with 23. Jerami Grant led the Nuggets with 25 points. It was the third time in the
Players of Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets during their NBA match.
past four games Grant, who came in averaging less than 12 points a game, went for 20 or more points. Nikola Jokic finished with 17 points and 13 assists, but sat much of the fourth quarter as coach Mike Malone chose to rest many of his top line players down the stretch. Indiana Pacers 108 – 104 Houston Rockets: Doug McDermott scored 10 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter and Indiana held off a late rampage by
James Harden — and an injury to T.J. Warren — to beat Houston. By virtue of a win in its second-to-last regular-season game, Indiana clinched at least the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference and a first-round playoff matchup with the fourth-seeded Miami Heat. The Pacers rested Warren, whom Pacers head coach Nate McMillan said is dealing with plantar fasciitis. According to reports, the injury isn’t expected to keep
Warren from playing in the postseason. Toronto Raptors 125 – 121 Philadelphia 76ers: The 76ers welcomed back Joel Embiid for a first-half cameo, then blew a late seven-point lead and watched as the Raptor’s Stanley Johnson hit a tie-breaking follow shot with 5.9 seconds remaining to clinch a fourpoint victory. Embiid, who injured his left ankle on Sunday against Portland and sat out Tuesday’s game with
Phoenix, played 14 first-half minutes and had five points and nine rebounds. Tobias Harris had a game-high 22 points and Furkan Korkmaz 21 for Philadelphia, which is locked into sixth place in the East and a first-round playoff matchup with Boston. Chris Boucher and Kyle Lowry led the Raptors with 19 apiece. Norman Powell added 17 points and Pascal Siakam had 15 for Toronto, which has clinched second place in the East. Miami Heat 116 – 115 Oklahoma City Thunder: Darius Bazley scored 16 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter, and Mike Muscala hit two 3-pointers in the final minute to lift Oklahoma City to a come-from-behind win over Miami that featured reserve players in the second half. The Thunder trailed by as many as 22 points in the fourth period but outscored the Heat 34-15 in the quarter. The first tied it with 34.8 seconds to play. After Miami regained the lead on a Solomon Hill layup, Muscala hit another 3-pointer with 5.2 seconds remaining. An attempted 3-pointer by Tyler Herro (career-high 30 points) hit off the front of the rim at the buzzer to seal Oklahoma City’s win.
Eugenie Bouchard
P r ag u e , Au g 1 3 (Agencies): Eugenie Bouchard juggernaut has reached the quarterfinals of the Prague Open after the Canadian beat Tamara Zidansek 7-6, 6-7, 6-2 in a three-hour-long thriller. It’s another great victory for Bouchard as she beat Zidansek who is ranked 71st, 259 places above Bouchard. From the starting of the match, Bouchard looked strong. Bouchard constantly attacked Zidansek especially her second serve. Both the players were hitting strong baseline strokes. Bouchard’s last match lasted over an hour, but this
match was around three hours long. A hard gritty win for the Canadian. Bouchard will face third seed Elise Mertens in the Quarterfinals. A very topsy turvy first set, with both the players breaking each other’s serve multiple times. And so the set went into the tiebreaker. Here Bouchard showed resilience and clinched the tiebreaker comfortably at 7-2 and the set 7-6. Taking momentum from the first set Bouchard looked set for a victory. And she even broke Zidansek’s serve first. But gave away the break later. Zidansek made
a quick recovery and looked strong on her serve. And once again a tiebreaker was needed to separate the two. Zidansek attacked Bouchard from the first point itself and won the tiebreaker 7-2 and the set 7-6. Thus leveling the match. In the 3rd set, Bouchard broke Zidansek in the very first game itself. But Zidansek wasn’t making life easy for the Canadian. Bouchard kept pushing. The Canadian in the first two sets gave away the break advantage. But in the third, she got her second break at 4-1, effectively asserting her claim over the match.
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