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Tuesday 11 October 2016

ISL 2016 Last Minute Goal Exposes FC Goa Brittle Defence Vs FC Pune City

#ISL2016
#Indian #Soccer #League

Fragility is fast becoming the overarching trait that defines manager #Zico's #FC #Goa.This goes back to the last season of the Indian Super League (#ISL) in which #Goa thumped #MumbaiCity #FC by a record seven-goal margin, yet also suffered two 0-4 meltdowns against #AtleticoDeKolkata and #ChennaiyinFC, in addition to throwing away a last-minute lead in the final at home.

Dying moments of that final would've replayed in the minds of the Goan supporters on Saturday night, when #FC #PuneCity's forward Momar #Ndoye breezed past #Lucio, the home team's marquee defender, and curled in a 90th-minute winner that gave goalkeeper Laxmikant #Kattimani no chance of saving. It meant another disjoint display by Goa ended in another defeat.


ISL

FC Pune City had won only once in 14 away matches heading into this fixture and that was back in 2014 during the inaugural season. The visitors carried mental baggage of their own, even with a revamped squad. However, there's a growing belief in Goa's opponents that if you can stop Zico's men from scoring, you will, sooner or later, be gifted clear-cut openings to take full advantage of.

The Brazilian manager had a familiar moan after the match — "we created many chances but we were able to convert just once"— and to a certain extent, it's hard not to sympathise with him. Two gilt-edged chances fell to Romeo Fernandes, a second-half substitute who brought with him greater attacking emphasis, but the Indian winger shot one straight at the goalkeeper and skied the other high and wide.

On the other hand, Pune profited twice from a handful of their own opportunities. Arata Izumi converted a generous rebound into an open goal, while Ndoye found himself in space and one-on-one with Lucio. All of Pune's six shots were on target and, furthermore, they were unlucky not to have at least one, if not two, penalties (though Goa should've had one of their own too).

It's a worrying trend for Zico. Opponents, who acknowledge Goa's attacking potential, are content to sit back and then wait for the right opportunities to come by (though Pune were adventurous in patches).Owing to injuries in a revamped FC Goa squad, a new-look team is taking longer to gel — which means Goa must learn how to eke out points on the tougher days or, at the very least, not throw points away.

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ISL 2016 Chennaiyin FC Suffer Defeat At Hands Of Delhi Dynamos

#ISL2016
#Indian #Soccer #League

#DelhiDynamos #FC began their #ISL2016 campaign in style with a comprehensive 3-1 win against #Defending #Champions #Chennaiyin #FC at the Marina Arena. The home team looked a pale shadow of the team that went toe to toe against #AtleticoDeKolkata four days ago.

First of all, Delhi manager Gianluca #Zambrotta sprung a surprise by dropping his marquee signing, Florent #Malouda, to the bench. Bruno Pelissari, the Chennaiyin player who moved to Delhi Dynamos this season was benched as well. This turned out to be a masterstroke as Chennaiyin had to face five in the midfield. The defending champions could barely string a few passes at will at the center of the park. This is indicated clearly when we see Raphael Augusto had 67 (highest) passes while the highest among the other five of his teammates was a mere 37 passes. The midfield battle was Delhi's for the taking.
Chennaiyin's defence set up for a kicking

Badara Badji of Delhi Dynamos celebrates scoring during an ISL match. Sportzpics

Bernard Mendy and John Arne Riise were caught out of position as the Delhi Dynamos' attacking players ran circles around them. A team that was touted to have the strongest defence, Chennaiyin have already conceded 5 goals in 2 games!

Delhi should have had 4 or 5 goals in the first half alone. They were denied as early as the 12th minute by the referee's assistant with a contentious offside call. Duwayne Kerr also didn't help matters making two costly errors - he was saved the blushes on the first one, thanks to Kean Lewis' heavy touch following his misplaced pass and the second was the penalty he conceded that led to the first goal. 

The centrebacks where caught ball watching as Richard Gadze split the defence to send Marcelo through for the second goal. And for the third goal again, Riise was too busy keeping up with the ball than with Badara Badji leaving young Jerry Lalrinzuala to handle him. Mehrajuddin Wadoo was the lone light of comfort within the chaos that was Chennaiyin's back four.

One of the biggest reasons John Stiven Mendoza flourished was because of the pace at which Chennaiyin could transition the ball up front. Raphael Augusto played a very important role in this aspect. He had the liberty to venture forward last season with either of Harmanjot Khabra or Manuele Blasi or Zakeer Mundampara providing the defence a screen. So far in the two matches that Chennaiyin have played, Augusto seems to be wasted in a deeper role and this has clearly affected the creativity from the midfield. Jeje's pass to send Dudu through for Chennaiyin's only goal was one of the flashes of brilliance which the forward had to create.

Chennaiyin, with just a point from two games, have a week before the next match to dwell on their mistakes. They should look to put on a much better performance for their beloved home crowd come next Thursday.

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Sunday 9 October 2016

Ind v NZ Test Series - Kohli Double, Rahane Tons Flatten Kiwis On Day 2

#IndvNZ #TestSeries
#Indore
#TestMatch

Day 2: Stumps - New Zealand, 29 for 0 (9 overs) trail by 529 runs

Rahane and Kohli put India in control at the end of the first day of the third Test.
Rahane and Kohli put India in control at the end of the second day of the third Test. 

Day two of the third Test in Indore was studded with centuries from #Virat #Kohli and #Ajinkya #Rahane. The pair added 365 for the fourth wicket and en route broke a series of record, both personal and partnership ones. It was indeed a day to remember for the pair as India went through two sessions without losing a wicket.

The tiring New Zealand bowlers were punished as the duo kept collecting runs before Kohli fell in the first over after Tea for 211 while Rahane departed after for 188. Rohit Sharma then carted the bowlers away for a quick-fire half-century after which India soon declared for 557/5.

#Martin #Guptill and Tom Latham have started their innings strongly, seeing out the nine overs unscathed. New Zealand end with 28/0, with Guptill on 17 and Latham on 6.

#Rohit #Sharma came out all guns blazing with the intent of scoring quick runs. With #Jadeja, he added 53 runs in 59 balls before reaching his fifty in the bargain. India have done enough to last them across both innings.

Penalty: 
Ravindra Jadeja runs straight down the wicket. That, after a prior warning. A five-run penalty has been levied. 

Records tumbling: 
Kohli's 193* is the second highest by an Indian captain against New Zealand in Tests. Only Sachin Tendulkar's 217 in Ahmedabad in 1999 is higher.

New best scores: 
Kohli now has his second-best Test score, surpassing 169. Rahane, too, crosses his previous-best Test score of 147, getting to a score of 150-plus for the first time in Test cricket.

The last time two non-openers scored 150-plus in the same innings for India was Ganguly (239) & Yuvraj (165) vs Pakistan in Bangalore in 2007.

Kohli and Rahane surpass the Ganguly-Tendulkar stand of 281 to now being the second-highest against New Zealand in Tests. 

Century twins: 
After Kohli got to his century yesterday, Ajinkya Rahane scored his eighth Test century, his third at home, on the second day. Albeit increasing trouble against the short ball, he has emerged a winner. 

#LIVE #Score
India 557 for 5 decl
New Zealand 28/0 (9.0 Ovs)
Guptill  17 (30)

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ISL 2016: NEUnited FC Off To A Great Start This Season With Two Wins

#ISL2016
#IndianSoccerLeague
#Season3

#NorthEast #United #FC's Indian Super League (#ISL) season has got off to a dream start with two wins from two matches. After beating #Kerala #Blasters in the inaugural match of ISL 3, NorthEast United FC beat #FC #Goa for the first time on Tuesday, and the John Abraham-owned side is already looking a side to watch out for.


NEUFc 380

NorthEast were confident going into the match against Goa, with new coach Nelo Vinganda making one change to his starting XI from the opening day's victory. Nicolas Velez was on the bench and defensive midfielder Wellington Priori replaced him.

The coach's idea was to add more steel to the midfield, with more cover for the back four. The Highlanders chose to go with only one out-and-out striker in Emiliano Alfaro. The hero of the opening match, Katsumi Yusa, started the match on the right flank with Halicharan Narzary pushed on the left side.

Contrary to the rather dull opening game, this match got off to an exciting start with some brilliant end-to-end action. Yusa is proving to be a shrewd and excellent buy for the side and once again, he created brilliant opportunities for his team. He won an early free kick and earned his team the first sniff of goal in the 12th minute.

In the 20th minute, NorthEast got their lead in a rather bizarre fashion. Goa defender Lucio won an aerial duel with Alfaro and passed the ball back to goalkeeper Laxmikant Kattimani who took too many touches as he was being hounded by Alfaro.

Kattimani made a pass that hit the onrushing Alfaro's knee and got deflected into the goal. It was a howler by the Goa #Goalkeeper, who just had to pass the ball to one of his teammates, or just kick it long. Instead, he got pressurised and couldn't take the correct decision. NorthEast got their goal with some luck, but credit should go to Alfaro for keeping up the pressure on the Goa keeper. Goa knit some quick passes and tried to equalise, but when in the 62nd minute, Alfaro scored NorthEast's second goal, the Highlanders were ensured three points.

Starting the match without last season's top scorer Nico Velez, NorthEast still managed to score two goals and win, which is good news for the side, as it means the team would not have to rely on one player for goals. If they can have three or four players sharing the burden of getting the goals, they will find the task of crossing the league stage for the first time much easier.

What also helps is that 'Professor' Vingada has evidently tightened the screws at the back. In both the matches, NorthEast have defended obstinately. #Kerala were poor and didn't attack as much, but #Goa offered more in that department. Still the NorthEast defence managed to stand tall.

Subrata Paul is proving to be another great signing for the club. Considering the side already had the services of TP Rehnesh, it seemed odd that the management went ahead and signed another goalkeeper. Arjuna award winner Paul is massively experienced, and while his signing looked ideal for that reason, there were doubts if he would be able to perform as well as he used to when he was younger.

However, Paul has has brilliant, clearing doubts over his abiities. Ten minutes into the second half, he pulled off a blinder of a save when he thwarted a long-range effort from Trinidad Goncalves. Just a few moments later, he was brought into the act again and managed to save Mandar Rao Desai's shot from inside the box and Trinidad's follow-up as well.

With the 2-0 win, #NorthEast handed #FC #Goa what was just their fifth away loss in the history of the ISL. Granted, Kattimani's poor goalkeeping helped, but credit has to be given to NorthEast for their win.

Yusa and Paul have both shown their worth, but perhaps Vingada is the best signing for NorthEast. The coach's tactics, his managerial style and his transfer business cannot be understated. It's been a busy first week for the Highlanders, and their third match comes in just a couple of days' time. It will be their first away match as they face Mumbai City FC at the Andheri Sports Complex. It is already the best start for the side in the ISL, but if NorthEast can get another win, it will be an incredible start to the season, and their title prospects will brighten significantly.

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Wednesday 5 October 2016

ISL 2016: Mumbai City FC Beat FC Pune 1-0

#ISL2016

Having seen his side start its Indian Super League (#ISL) 2016 campaign with a 1-0 win over state rivals #Pune, #Mumbai City #FC coach Alexandre Guimaraes was cautiously optimistic about their prospects this season. A Matias Defederico goal in the 69th minute helped Mumbai defeat #FC Pune City at the latter's Balewadi Stadium home.

But Guimaraes stressed on the need to improve. "We didn't get enough possession of the ball, and it was only after 20-25 minutes that we found our game and the space for our players to perform. In #Defence, we have to be much more alert and not allow counter attacks. It is now a matter of recovery, rest, eating well and making adjustments. The practice we had in Dubai has shown. But we'll need to play well throughout the #Tournament. We would have to adjust fast," he said.

Though marquee player #Diego #Forlan had a quiet outing, Guimaraes wasn't too perturbed by Forlan's no show. "I think he did what we wanted him to do. He moved the way we wanted him to move. He played like a No 9. When he moves he creates distraction and that is a situation that we profit from. Other players will find him more game-by-game, and he will be able to show his ability," Guimaraes said.

The first Maharashtra derby of the season produced a fairly even match, however, and the team that took its first chance came up triumphant. Guimaraes also spoke of the number of issues that have plagued Mumbai since the start of the tournament. "The start of a tournament is always difficult, because we have to manage different situations in hours. Just 3-4 days ago, #Sony had to go to Haiti for national team duty, while we also have the situation with Bengaluru FC (Five players from Mumbai City FC are away with the I-League side on AFC Cup duty)," he lamented.

#Guimaraes heaped praise on his players, however. "In just five days, our players have shown tremendous ability through our work and have shown discipline. They understood the way we have to play against a very good team, a very well worked team. We had to be strong in our defensive organisation and with the players we have up front. It is a matter of time. We kept working and I think the result is a good start," he said.

Mumbai City FC players celebrating their side's goal against FC Pune City. Sportzpics
















The visitors were also handicapped by the non-availability of #Winger Jackichand Singh. The Manipuri international is the best Indian player in the Mumbai line-up after #Sunil #Chettri, and after appearing with the manager in the pre-match conference, was a shoe-in to play on the right wing. But according to the Costa Rican coach, Jackichand was "dealing with some leg problems" and didn't get enough practice with the team. "I decided to think about him as an energiser player from the bench. He is working hard and is doing well. The way this tournament works, everyone will have their opportunity."


Mumbai will now take on NorthEast United FC in their first home game of the season at the Andheri Sports Complex on 7 October.

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New Zealand Tour Of India Tour Reportedly Cancelled?

#IndvNZ #Cricket #Series 2016

New Zealand are preparing for the Third #TestMatch against India as scheduled despite a local media report the remainder of the tour has been cancelled by the Indian cricket board due to financial problems.

An unnamed official from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (#BCCI) as saying the board's #Bank #Accounts had been frozen after a recommendation by the Lodha Committee, a court-appointed panel set up to look into its operations.

"We have no option other than to call off the India-New Zealand series as our banks have decided to freeze BCCI accounts," the paper quoted the official as saying.

"We don't want India to be humiliated in front of the world.

"How can we function, how can we hold any games now? Who will make the payment? Freezing a bank account is no joke. An international team is here, and there is so much at stake."

India sealed the three-match test series 2-0 on Monday with a 178-run victory in Kolkata. The third Test is scheduled to start in Indore on Saturday, with a five-match one-day international series to follow.

A New Zealand Cricket spokesman said they had heard nothing from the BCCI.
The BCCI has had a long-running battle with India's Supreme Court, which has demanded a raft of administrative and governance reforms for the world's richest cricket board.

The board, run by politicians and businessmen and criticized for a perceived lack of transparency, said after a general meeting on Saturday that it had adopted a number of "important recommendations" made by the Lodha Committee but rejected others out of hand.

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SC vs BCCI Struggle-Lodha panel tells banks to defreeze BCCI accounts

#SupremeCourt vs #BCCI - Power Struggle
#Lodha #Commitee Disappointed by BCCI practices 

MUMBAI: The #Justice #Lodha #Committee clarified on Tuesday morning that the Supreme Court "has not frozen the bank accounts of the BCCI nor has it objected to the banking operations/payments relating to routine administration and conduct of cricket matches/tournaments".

The committee was reacting to TOI's exclusive report on Tuesday that said #BCCI was worried about conducting the Indore Test against New Zealand as its bank accounts had been frozen.

The committee said it had clarified to the banks in 'express terms' that it had not asked for the BCCI accounts to be frozen as it did not want cricket and the public to suffer due to the actions of board administrators. Hours after the email was sent to the #President, #Secretary, #Treasurer and the #CEO of the BCCI, it came to light that the #CLT20 surplus cash - distributed by the board to member associations - was transferred on Saturday itself, the day when the adjourned SGM was held at the BCCI headquarters.

The Lodha Committee then wrote to all state associations, saying: "It is further learnt that amounts between Rs 10-20 crore were disbursed to each association as infrastructure subsidy and Rs 28 crore as compe nsation shares from the Champions League T-20 cancellation. The banks confirm that most of these transactions were hurriedly carried out by RTGS between 29th September and 1st October."
We never ordered the banks to freeze BCCI's accounts. After reading about it in the morning, we informed them to defreeze them immediately... Either our e-mail hasn't been read properly, or it's being presented in a wrong manner

The letter adds, "In this light of events, as the actions of the BCCI to transfer these funds is contrary to this committee's directions and subjudice, you are hereby directed not to in any way transfer or disturb those funds that have been transferred as above to your association. If anything is done contrary to this express direction, it will be brought to the knowledge of the Hon'ble Supreme Court for appropriate orders on contempt."

Five state associations confirmed to TOI on Tuesday that they had received the Champions League surplus disbursement, but added that only part of the annual subsidy had been received.

BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke, who convened the SGM, could not be reached for comments. BCCI sources said Shirke had left for London on a business trip and would be accessible only after 11pm IST on Tuesday night. The board has 27 full members, apart from Railways, Universities, Cricket Club of India and the National Cricket Club. The BCCI's share of compensation from the one-time payment ran to the tune of Rs 1,600 crore. "Such decisions were neither routine nor emergent," the Lodha Committee said even as their sources clarified that any expenses related to cricket were perfectly alright.

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Sunday 2 October 2016

India Win Second Test Match Against New Zealand To Clinch Series

#IndvNZ #TestSeries 2016
2nd Test Match - Kolkata

India's bowlers propelled the hosts to a comprehensive 178-run win over New Zealand in the second Test Monday, to clinch the series and reclaim the top spot in the world rankings.

Chasing 376 runs for victory, New Zealand were bowled out for 197 in the final session on the fourth day in Kolkata, with India's Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja taking three wickets each.

Shami claimed the final wicket of Trent Boult, sparking celebrations in the Indian team who now take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series after winning the first Test in Kanpur.

The victory also sees India jump back to the top of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Test rankings after starting the series just one point behind archrivals Pakistan.

Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who took five scalps in the first innings, shared 12 wickets between them on a two-paced track at Eden Gardens that offered the seam bowlers of both sides great help.

But batsman Wriddhiman Saha was awarded man of the match for his unbeaten half-centuries in both innings against New Zealand's seamers.
Spinners also played their part after Ashwin broke New Zealand's opening stand just after lunch, trapping Martin Guptill lbw for 24.

Tom Latham also scored a gritty 74 before falling to Ashwin soon after the tea break. Ashwin got Latham on a well-crafted off-spinner that pitched and spun away from the left-hander, who was caught behind. Latham's 49-run second-wicket partnership with Henry Nicholls had raised the visitors' hopes of batting the day out, but Ashwin's partner Jadeja soon joined forces.

Jadeja claimed the wicket of Nicholls after his angled delivery got the edge of the New Zealander's bat for an easy catch at slips. Shami got some reverse swing towards the end of the day to rattle New Zealand's middle-order with the wickets of Mitchell Santner and BJ Watling.

Earlier India, who resumed the day on 227 for eight in their second innings, were bowled out for 263 with Saha scoring an unbeaten 58. The contributions of Saha, who scored an unbeaten 54 in the first innings, proved vital to India putting up decent totals.

India's pace duo of Shami and Kumar helped bowl out New Zealand for 204 in response to India's 316 in the first innings. New Zealand pacers Trent Boult, Matt Henry and Neil Wagner, who shared 14 wickets between them in the two innings, also enjoyed the seaming conditions.

India secured a 112-run lead in the first innings that proved vital in outplaying the visitors, who lost regular skipper Kane Williamson to a viral infection just before the start of the match.

Rohit Sharma's dominant 82 on Sunday gave India the upper hand in its 250th Test at home. Half-centuries from Cheteshwar Pujara (87) and Ajinkya Rahane (77) in the first innings also ensured India made a solid start.
The final Test will be played in Indore starting on October 8.

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