Mumbai City FC scripted a 2-0 triumph over ATK Mohun Bagan (ATKMB) at the GMC Stadium in Bambolim on Sunday to bag the ISL League Winners Shield and the coveted AFC Champions League spot that comes with it. Mumbai and ATKMB finished level on 40 points, but the former claimed first place with a better head-to-head record. Sergio Lobera’s side went ahead in the seventh minute via a thumping header from Mourtada Fall off a perfectly flighted free-kick from Ahmed Jahouh. In the 37th minute, Bartholomew Ogbeche doubled the lead, reacting fastest after Hernan Santana’s sublime free-kick that rattled the crossbar. ATKMB came out stronger in the second period, but Mumbai sat back and defended its lead successfully. Earlier in the day, a goal-line clearance by Ivan Gonzalez and a leaping save by Dheeraj Singh, both deep into injury time, secured FC Goa the point it needed to bag the last playoff spot, against Hyderabad FC at Fatorda. It is the sixth time in seven years that Goa has ... » Learn More about Indian Super League | Mumbai beats ATKMB to top table, bags ACL berth
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I-League | Mohammedan Sporting earns top-six spot
Pedro Manzi’s brace propelled 10-man Mohammedan Sporting to a 2-0 win over Real Kashmir FC and earned it a top-six spot in the Hero I-League at the Salt Lake Stadium here on Sunday. In another match, TRAU rallied to beat Sudeva Delhi FC 3-2 and also assure itself of a top-six berth. TRAU has 16 points from 10 matches, same as Sporting but with a better goal-difference, while Sudeva has nine from 10. Real Kashmir is second on 17 points. Aizawl FC picked up vital points in the race to stay safe from relegation by beating Chennai City FC 3-0. It was a creditable performance by Sporting, which not only kept a clean sheet despite losing its captain Kingsley Eze to a red card in the 34th minute but also handed RKFC its first defeat of the season. Manzi saw opposition goalkeeper Mithun Simantha off his lines and struck from his own half to draw first blood in the 74th minute. Five minutes later, he headed in a cross off a counterattack to help Sporting reach 16 points from 10 outings. ... » Learn More about I-League | Mohammedan Sporting earns top-six spot
Europa League | Tough ties await United and Arsenal
Manchester United and Arsenal face tough ties when the Europa League returns for the knockout stages on Thursday amid complaints over the relocation of various matches due to coronavirus restrictions. Both legs between Arsenal and Benfica have been moved to neutral venues with Thursday’s first clash taking place in Rome and the second leg in Athens. United’s trip to Real Sociedad this week has also been switched to Turin. Real Sociedad’s director of football, Roberto Olabe, criticised UEFA for what he sees as an unfair advantage should the Spanish side have to play the second leg in Manchester. The Red Devils manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, is also in favour of a return to the one-game format. “It’s not a decision we made but when one game is in a neutral venue, it’s a disadvantage to the team that doesn’t have the home game,” said Solskjaer. However, there are no guarantees that Solskjaer’s side will progress against Real Sociedad, which boasts a collection of some of ... » Learn More about Europa League | Tough ties await United and Arsenal
Bihar Cricket Association conducts auction for unsanctioned T20 league before BCCI approval
The controversy-ridden Bihar Cricket Association (BCA) has again found itself in muddy waters after organising an auction for an ‘unsanctioned’ Bihar Cricket League (T20) before getting green light from the BCCI. The Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) of the BCCI has already recommended that there should be strict guidelines before BCCI green-lights any franchise-based state T20 league and BCA on Saturday went ahead with their players' auction without getting necessary approvals. The tournament is scheduled in Patna from March 21-27 with five franchises Angika Avengers, Bhagalpur Bulls, Dharbhanga Diamonds, Gaya Gladiators and Patna Pilots. The matches will be aired on a private sports channel and the bidding was kept at Rs 50,000 per player. “As far as I know, there has been no approvals given to Bihar Cricket Association (BCA) as on February 28th evening to organise any T20 league. I don’t know how they went ahead with the auctions,” a senior BCCI official, who is privy to ... » Learn More about Bihar Cricket Association conducts auction for unsanctioned T20 league before BCCI approval
Karnataka Premier League betting: Charge sheets against 16 for spot-fixing
Bengaluru: The Bengaluru Police have filed three charge sheets against 16 people, months after starting the investigation into the Karnataka Premier League (KPL) spot-fixing scandal. "Among the 16 people chargesheeted on Friday are five players, five bookies, two KPL team owners and a member of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA)," a police officer said on Saturday. Of the 16, fourteen have already been arrested and released on bail even as two bookies, Amit Mavi and Manoj Kumar are absconding. According to the three charge sheets, the police have identified four occurrences of spot-fixing, including the 2019 final KPL between Ballari Tuskers and Balgavi Panthers. In one of the spot-fixing instances, Ballari Tuskers captain and teammate Abrar Qazi agreed to bat slowly in lieu of Rs 20 lakh. Similarly, Bengaluru Blaster bowling coach Vinuprasad and batsman M. Vishwanathan allegedly colluded to fix a match with Ballari Tuskers for Rs 10 lakh. ... » Learn More about Karnataka Premier League betting: Charge sheets against 16 for spot-fixing
Cameras capture wildlife in Inner Mongolia
During the Chinese Lunar New Year break, members of the Photographers Association of Xilin Gol League, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, gathered to document wildlife on the East Ujumchin and Ulgai prairies. Photographers captured herds of red deer, Mongolian gazelles, Siberian roe deer, as well as other wildlife — steppe wolves, corsac foxes, red foxes, Pallas's cats, golden eagles and steppe eagles. In recent years, poaching has been largely halted by the local government, which has focused its efforts on wildlife protection. Public awareness about the importance of protecting wildlife has also been raised, thanks to education online. Tang Ziye contributed to the story. ... » Learn More about Cameras capture wildlife in Inner Mongolia
HMSI to export Indian-made Honda H’ness CB350 to global markets
New Delhi: Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) is exploring the possibility of exporting its mid-sized premium bike H'ness CB350 to various markets across the globe even as it works to cater to the robust demand for the model in the domestic market, a senior company official said. The company rolls out the bike with over 90 per cent localisation from its Manesar (Haryana) based manufacturing facility. HMSI had introduced the bike in October 2020 and has already crossed the 10,000 sales mark in February this year in the domestic market. "Since this model is already meeting the European regulations, there are many countries where this model could be exported. So we are in discussion with our headquarters. Already the model is three months old in the domestic market and there is interest from other Honda companies across the globe," HMSI Director (Sales and Marketing) Yadvinder Singh Guleria told PTI in an interaction. Terming it "one model which is Made in India for ... » Learn More about HMSI to export Indian-made Honda H’ness CB350 to global markets
LaLiga | Levante stuns Atletico
Atletico Madrid stumbled to just its second defeat of the campaign as Levante stunned the hosts by two unanswered goals in LaLiga on Saturday. Levante went ahead fortuitously in the 30th minute when Morales’ effort took a double deflection to leave Jan Oblak in goal stranded. Then its goalkeeper Daniel Cardenas pulled off a string off spectacular saves in the second half as Atletico surged forward in search of an equaliser. Levante sealed the issue deep in stoppage time. With Oblak also in the visitors’ box to attack a corner, Levante’s De Frutos ran off with a breakaway and buried a long-range effort. Bundesliga leader Bayern Munich crashed to a 2-1 defeat at Eintracht Frankfurt as it gave hope to its Bundesliga title rivals. Mason Mount preserved Thomas Tuchel’s unbeaten record as the Chelsea midfielder equalised from the penalty spot to earn a 1-1 draw at Southampton on Saturday. Tuchel’s side trailed to a first half goal from Takumi Minamino. Reigning champion Bayern, ... » Learn More about LaLiga | Levante stuns Atletico
Indian Football: Mumbai City pips Bagan to win ISL winner’s shield
Mumbai City beat Bagan 2-0, book AFC Champions League spot IMAGE: A victory over ATK Mohun Bagan was all that Mumbai City FC needed to secure their first League Winners Shield and a place in the AFC Champions League. Photograph: ISL/Twitter Mumbai City FC beat ATK Mohun Bagan 2-0 in the final league encounter of the Indian Super League, on Sunday, to book a place in the coveted AFC Champions League next season. Sergio Lobera's side comfortably won after first-half goals from Mourtada Fall (7th minute) and Bartholomew Ogbeche (39th). Despite losing the top spot to Mumbai, ATK Mohun Bagan will still harbour hopes of salvaging their season with a second successive Hero ISL title. Being the team with the most goals from set-pieces this season, Mumbai drew the first blood in a similar fashion, scoring with their first shot on target. Ahmed Jahouh's free-kick fell to an unmarked Fall, whose angular header gave Mumbai the lead. The Mariners took control of the game soon ... » Learn More about Indian Football: Mumbai City pips Bagan to win ISL winner’s shield
Nirav Modi judge rebuts Katju, says no evidence of political influence
The UK judge who handed down his judgment on Thursday in favour of the extradition of Nirav Modi to face charges of fraud and money laundering in India said he had found no evidence of adverse political influence in the case, as claimed by the diamond merchant's legal team. In support of their claims, Modi's lawyers had deposed retired Supreme Court judge Markandey Katju -- of whom district judge Samuel Goozee was highly critical and dubbed the evidence as "less than objective and reliable". "Albeit, some political commentary could be described as ill-advised, there is nothing in the volumes of media, broadcasting or social media links that have been referred to me in the voluminous defence bundles that gives any indication that politicians are trying to influence the outcome of any trial, let alone NDM's (Nirav Deepak Modi) trial or that the trial process itself would be susceptible to such influence," Justice Goozee notes. "I reject any submission that the GOI ... » Learn More about Nirav Modi judge rebuts Katju, says no evidence of political influence