BENGALURU: Skipper Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli helped Royal Challengers Bengaluru hammer Gujarat Titans by four wickets for their third successive IPL win on Saturday.
Chasing a modest 148 for victory, Du Plessis, who hit 64, and Kohli, who made 42, laid the foundations with a stand of 92 in 35 balls as the target was achieved with 6.2 overs to spare at Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Du Plessis’ departure triggered a collapse as Gujarat hit back with wickets from Joshua Little and Noor Ahmad to have the opposition in trouble at 117-6 when Kohli was dismissed.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik, who hit 21, and Swapnil Singh, who made 15, made sure there was no more drama as they steered the team home in an unbeaten stand of 35.
“It was important we didn’t look at the scoreboard when we went out to bat and try and play the way we play,” said Du Plessis.
“It was a bit nerve-wracking, another wicket, another wicket. Probably not the best but you’re trying to be positive, get your net run-rate up.”
Bowlers set up victory after pace spearhead Mohammed Siraj removed the openers including skipper Shubman Gill early and Gujarat lost regular wickets to be bowled out for 147 in 19.3 overs.
Siraj returned figures of 2-29 to be named man of the match but the pace bowler said he nearly missed the game after being “sick since last night.”
It was Bengaluru’s fourth win and third on the bounce in 11 matches as they jumped from the bottom of the table to seventh and keep their slim play-off hopes alive.
Gujarat’s hopes are also hanging by a thread as they slumped to their seventh loss in 11 matches.
“Very important to start from zero in our next match and move on from this game,” Gill said. “Learn from mistakes and not repeat them. All about winning from here on.”
Kohli, who reclaimed the top batting spot with 542 runs, came out roaring as he hit Mohit Sharma for two sixes in the opening over of the chase and Du Plessis soon joined in and moved ahead to raise his fifty in 18 balls.
The South African veteran smashed 10 fours and three sixes in his 23-ball blitz before being dismissed by Ireland left-arm quick Little.
Little took two more wickets including Glenn Maxwell for four as Bengaluru slipped to 107-4.
Little sent back Cameron Green and then Noor’s left-arm wrist spin silenced the home crowd when he had Kohli caught behind, but the hosts had the last laugh when Singh hit the winning six.
Earlier put into bat, Gujarat went three down for 19 inside six over before big-hitter Shahrukh Khan, who top-scored with 37, stood strong in a 61-run stand with David Miller, who hit 30 off 20 balls.
Left-handed Rahul Tewatia hit a 21-ball 35 and put on another key stand with Rashid Khan to add respect to the total.
Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli help Bengaluru stay in IPL play-off race
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Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli help Bengaluru stay in IPL play-off race
In-form Atletico Madrid look to end their Champions League slump against city rivals Real Madrid
- The round of 16 will begin this week to cap the inaugural season of a new Champions League format that featured a league phase and a playoff round
- The other last-16 matchups will include the local rivalry of German clubs Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen, and powerhouses Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool going against each other
MADRID: The Madrid derby takes center stage in the round of 16 of the Champions League, with Atletico Madrid in a commanding position to try to finally get the best of rival Real Madrid in the European competition.
Madrid, the record 15-time European champion, have been a thorn for Atletico in the Champions League over the years, beating the city rival in two finals and eliminating it from the competition the other two times they faced off in the knockout rounds.
But this Atletico arrive for Tuesday’s first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium playing some of their best soccer since coach Diego Simeone took over more than a decade ago, and showing the confidence that they can take on the long-time rivasl head-on.
The round of 16 will begin this week to cap the inaugural season of a new Champions League format that featured a league phase and a playoff round.
The other last-16 matchups will include the local rivalry of German clubs Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen, and powerhouses Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool going against each other.
Atletico Madrid enter the match against Madrid in good form and enjoying one of its best seasons under Simeone. The team is ahead of its rival in the Spanish league standings, and is only one point behind leader Barcelona.
Atletico hasn’t lost any of its matches this season against either Madrid or Barcelona. In the Spanish league, it beat the Catalan club 2-1 in Barcelona and drew 1-1 in both games it played against Madrid. Atletico hasn’t lost to Madrid in four consecutive matches, having eliminated the city rival in the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey last season.
“It’s a match with a lot of respect, against a great rival, who respects us in the same way.” Simeone said Monday. “For the city of Madrid it is spectacular that the two teams face each other and, for Spain, having a team in the quarterfinals is going to be fantastic.”
Simeone’s team finished fifth in the league phase of the Champions League, while Madrid was only 11th and had to play extra playoff games against Manchester City.
The last time Atletico faced Madrid in the Champions League, it was eliminated in the semifinals in 2017. It also lost to Madrid in the final both in 2014 and 2016, and in the 2015 quarterfinals.
Overall, Atletico has won only three of its 10 meetings against Madrid in UEFA competitions, with five losses and two draws.
“The derby is always a special match,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. “They are always very even and very competitive matches, and it’s going to be like that again tomorrow (Tuesday). Atletico is having a very good season.”
Madrid is coming off a loss at Real Betis in the Spanish league, while Atletico won 1-0 against Athletic Bilbao.
PSG vs. Liverpool
Premier League leader Liverpool finished the league phase in first place but there was little reward as they will have to take on France powerhouse Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16.
PSG struggled in the league phase, finishing in 15th place, but picked up momentum in the playoffs by routing fellow French club Brest 3-0 in the first leg and 7-0 in the return game at home, when seven different players scored.
Liverpool won seven of their eight Champions League matches this season, with the lone defeat coming at PSV Eindhoven in the final matchday, when it had little to lose.
Benfica vs. Barcelona
An in-form Barcelona, which had the second-best campaign in the league phase, will face a familiar foe in Benfica.
The two teams met in the league phase, with the Barcelona winning a 5-4 thriller in Lisbon. Benfica stunned Barcelona 3-0 at home in the group stage in 2021-22, and held the Spanish powerhouse to a 0-0 away draw in results that helped keep the five-time champion from advancing to the knockout stage at the time.
PSV vs. Arsenal
PSV Eindhoven brought one of the surprises of the league phase with its 3-2 win over Liverpool, and then it got past Juventus with an extra-time victory in the playoffs.
It will now another face another Premier League team in top form: An Arsenal squad that is second in the Premier behind Liverpool and that finished third in the league phase of the Champions League.
Bayern Munich vs. Bayer Leverkusen
The all-German encounter will feature a Leverkusen side that finished sixth in the league phase and a Bayern team that needed a stoppage-time goal by Alphonso Davies to get through the playoffs against Celtic.
Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen trails Bayern by eight points in the Bundesliga, but did not concede any attempts on target when the two played a 0-0 draw last month.
Other matchups
Last year’s runner-up, Borussia Dortmund will take on a Lille side that thrived in the league phase, finishing seventh after a campaign that included wins over both Madrid and Atletico Madrid.
Aston Villa also were a league-phase surprise, losing only once to finish eighth and set up the round-of-16 matchup against a Club Brugge squad that defeated Villa 1-0 at home in November. Brugge eliminated Atalanta in the playoffs.
Inter Milan conceded only once — in a 1-0 loss at Leverkusen — en route to a fourth-place finish in the league phase. It will face a Feyenoord team that will have Robin van Persie as its third coach in the Champions League this season.
Nottingham Forest reach FA Cup quarterfinals after Sels stops Ipswich in shootout
- The shootout followed a gripping game at City Ground that was tighter than the teams’ Premier League positions suggested
- The home side has been the league’s surprise package and sits third on the table, above Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United
NOTTINGHAM, England: Goalkeeper Matz Sels was the hero for Nottingham Forest as he saved the last penalty in a shootout to take his team past Ipswich Town and into the quarterfinals of the FA Cup on Monday.
The teams were tied 1-1 after 90 minutes and extra time and the first nine takers all converted their penalties in a nail-biting finale.
Then Sels dived to his left to stop Jack Taylor’s kick and guarantee Forest a last-eight tie at Brighton.
The shootout followed a gripping game at City Ground that was tighter than the teams’ Premier League positions suggested.
The home side has been the league’s surprise package and sits third on the table, above Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United.
But it was Ipswich, third-to-last in the league, that took the lead eight minutes into the second half when George Hirst converted a back post header.
Forest got back on level terms when Ryan Yates met Anthony Elanga’s inviting cross from the right and headed home.
Yates had a second goal disallowed just minutes later, and Callum Hudson-Odoi hit the bar with a long-range effort seven minutes from time. Although both sides pushed forward for a winner, especially in the end-to-end half hour of extra time, it went to penalties.
“It was the only penalty I was in the right corner (for)!” Sels said. “In penalties, one of the goalkeepers is going to be the hero. I am happy. Looking forward to the weekend now.”
India brace for ‘nervy times’ against Australia in semifinal
- Australia are on paper a weaker team from the one that beat India by six wickets in November 2023
DUBAI: Rohit Sharma warned his India team Monday to expect “fightbacks” and “nervy times” against Australia in the Champions Trophy last four in a rematch of the 2023 ODI World Cup final.
India hammered New Zealand by 44 runs Sunday to be unbeaten in three matches and top Group A of the 50-overs tournament played in Dubai and Pakistan.
They next face the Steve Smith-led Australia on Tuesday in Dubai for a place in the final of the eight-nation event.
Australia beat Ashes rivals England by five wickets in their opening match but their next two games were abandoned because of rain.
They are also missing several key players, but the Australians have a reputation for raising their game when it matters and beat hosts India in the World Cup final, the last time the two countries played an ODI.
“Look, it is a great opposition to play against,” skipper Rohit told reporters.
“All we have to do is what we have been thinking about the last three games and we have to approach that game in a similar fashion.
“We understand the opposition and how they play and stuff like that.”
Australia are on paper a weaker team from the one that beat India by six wickets in Ahmedabad in November 2023.
The world champions lost fast bowlers Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood to ankle and hip injuries respectively for the Champions Trophy.
They are also without Mitchell Starc, who is out for personal reasons.
Mitchell Marsh is also absent with an injury and Marcus Stoinis announced his retirement on the eve of the tournament.
“Look, Australia have been such a great team over the years,” said Rohit.
“So we will expect some fightbacks, we will expect some nervy times as well in the middle.
“But that is how the game is being played these days. And you are talking about a semifinal.”
India went in with four spinners including two all-rounders in their last group match in Dubai and came up trumps with Varun Chakravarthy returning figures of 5-42.
Rohit said he will be tempted to keep the same combination against Australia.
“He just showed what he is capable of,” Rohit said of man of the match Chakravarthy, a wrist spinner with many variations up his sleeve.
“Now it is up to us to think and see how we can get that combination right. He did everything that was asked for ... it is a good headache to have.”
India have been slammed for playing all their matches at one venue, in Dubai, while other teams shuttle between three Pakistani cities and the UAE.
India refused to play in tournament hosts Pakistan because of political tension.
Rohit dismissed the notion it gives India an advantage.
“Even for us it is a little bit of a question mark as to which pitch is being played,” said Rohit.
“Because there are four or five surfaces that are being used here. I don’t know which pitch is going to be played in the semifinals.
“But whatever happens we will have to adapt and see what is happening and what is not. And this is not our home, this is Dubai.”
Al-Nassr endure frustrating time in Iran without Ronaldo
- All still to play for in Riyadh on March 11 after 0-0 draw
- Yellows had most of the ball, as well as the chances, but were unable to find the back of the net
RIYADH: Al-Nassr were held to a goalless draw by Esteghlal in the first leg of their AFC Champions League round of 16 tie on Monday.
It was a frustrating evening for the Saudi Pro League team who were missing captain and talisman Cristiano Ronaldo with a minor injury.
The Yellows had most of the ball, as well as the chances, but were unable to find the back of the net against the well-drilled team from Tehran.
The one positive is that the tie is only at the halfway stage and plenty of football is still to be played.
Al-Nassr started brightly with Marcelo Brozovic and Ayman Yahya shooting off target in the opening minutes as the visitors looked to get behind the home defence.
The Iranians started to make their presence felt before Jhon Duran — signed from Aston Villa in January — went close with a shot in the 20th minute that was pushed away by Seyed Hossein Hosseini, who had an impressive game for the Tehran team between the sticks. Yahya seized on the rebound but his effort was headed off the line by Roozbeh Cheshmi.
Al-Nassr started to get on top and were turning possession into chances but just could not find the breakthrough, although Sadio Mane should have done better in first-half added time, firing wide after a defensive mix-up.
It was not all one-way traffic, however, and early in the second half Ramin Rezaeian and Armin Sohrabian both failed to convert headed chances for the hosts.
Duran also had opportunities later in the game but the Colombian was either denied by the busy Hosseini or the woodwork to leave the tie wide open going into the return in Riyadh on March 11.
Saudi Arabia’s other two representatives, Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli, are in action on Tuesday against Pakhtakor of Uzbekistan and Al-Rayyan of Qatar respectively.
Arab Golf Federation launches Arab Golf Series and amateur ranking system
- Working closely with the 17 national federations included, the new series will roll out through 2025, driving the growth of the sport in the region
- Following the Qatar Open, the series is set to continue with the Cedars Golf Championship, Pan-Arab Ladies & Juniors Championship, and the Jordan Open
RIYADH: The Arab Golf Federation (AGF) has announced the launch of the Arab Golf Series (AGS), a new, unified schedule of tournaments in the region which also includes an official independent ranking system. The initiative is set to transform golf in the Arab world by enhancing competition, identifying and nurturing emerging talent, and providing Arab golfers of all levels with a clear pathway to professional success.
The AGS, which officially kicked off with its first event at the Qatar Open at Doha Golf Club, sets out a new schedule of tournaments that adopts Arab Golf Federation member’s amateur open events. The series will be rolled out across men’s tournaments in the region and will then expand to competitions across women’s and junior fields. Working closely with the 17 national federations included, the new series will roll out through 2025, driving the growth of the sport in the region and promoting Arab golfing ability on the global stage.
The new regional rankings, revealed as part of AGS, will offer a structured system that rewards performance and provides a pathway for Arab golfers to progress to the highest levels. By earning ranking points, players can leverage their success to qualify for elite and professional tournaments, creating new opportunities for rising stars to compete at elite levels.
The ranking system will follow a structured, points-based mechanism in line with global best practices. Factors such as strength of field, number of players, and average tournament scores will be taken into consideration when calculating ranking points for each event, ensuring player performance is assessed fairly and able to contribute to their overall standing.
In addition to the competitive doors that the initiative will open, exposure to more elite tournaments will also increase the ability for Arab golfers to access critical scholarships through the AGF’s expansive programs.
Following the Qatar Open, the series is set to continue with the Cedars Golf Championship, Pan-Arab Ladies & Juniors Championship, and the Jordan Open. A full 2025 regional calendar will also be confirmed, further expanding competitive opportunities for Arab golfers.
The Arab Golf Federation, which represents the collective interests of 17 member federations, aims to streamline the governance of golf in the Arab world and enhance its overall development by creating enhanced and accessible opportunities for its members. With this key announcement, AGF will leverage its extensive network and expertise to oversee the roll-out of the new series and ranking system, ensuring it aligns with the unique needs and aspirations of Arab players and future golf champions from the region.
