Europa League: Mousa Dembele leaves it late to put Tottenham through

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Tottenham left it late to book their spot in the last 16 of the UEFA Europa League as Mousa Dembele netted in the 90th minute to seal a 3-2 aggregate win at Lyon.

Spurs were mere minutes away from being dumped out on away goals after Maxime Gonalons had pulled the Ligue 1 side back into it in the 17th minute, trimming the visitors' 2-1 first leg lead.

Gonalons planted a free header home from Clement Grenier's well-taken free-kick to level the aggregate score at 2-2 and make it 1-0 on the night.

But Dembele saved the day for Spurs late on, driving into the bottom corner from the edge of the box to fire Andre Villas-Boas' men into the next round, where a glamour tie with Inter Milan awaits.

Clement Grenier swung in a teasing corner in the first minute, Brad Friedel was caught in two minds and Jan Vertonghen put in an emergency clearance before Lyon could pounce. Grenier tested Friedel again soon after, whipping over a looping ball, but Alexandre Lacazette could only head into the goalkeeper's arms.

Other than the lively Lewis Holtby, who was making his second start, Tottenham failed to impress. Careless defending from Benoit Assou-Ekotto allowed Lacazette to break free down the right, but luckily for the Cameroonian, referee Wolfgang Stark brought play back for a foul.

Gareth Bale, so devastating in the first leg with two stunning free-kicks, was anonymous for the first 15 minutes. The first time the Welshman had a say in the course of the game was when his shoddy marking allowed Lyon to break the deadlock after 16 minutes.

Kyle Walker fouled Lisandro and when Grenier clipped the free-kick to the near post, Bale turned away from Gonalons - who beat a rooted Friedel from eight yards.

Walker was having a poor game at right-back. The England defender was booked soon after for fouling Samuel Umtiti. He was not the only one underperforming, though. Scott Parker and Dembele were painfully slow in possession in midfield while Emmanuel Adebayor struggled up front on his own.

Spurs came out much more confidently after the break. Parker worked the ball out to Adebayor, who whipped a beautifully shaped ball to the back post, but Bale sidefooted barely an inch wide to squander a golden chance.

Lyon raced up the other end and Tottenham needed a superb save from Friedel to deny the ever-impressive Grenier. The goalkeeper then made an error trying to clear a chipped ball over the top, but Assou-Ekotto muscled past Lacazette to retrieve the ball. The forward appealed for a penalty but it was not given.

If Tottenham were going to get an equaliser, it looked like it was only going to come from Bale. Vercoutre had a nightmare trying to handle the Welshman's swirling shots last week and he looked uncomfortable punching away two similar efforts in quick succession. Adebayor then hooked the ball on to the top of the Lyon bar and Aaron Lennon had a penalty appeal turned down soon after.

Clint Dempsey went close twice soon after his introduction, and it seemed Spurs were destined to fail. Dembele had other ideas, however, dropping his shoulder to beat Grenier before hitting a powerful long-range shot beyond Vercoutre.

Source : http://www1.skysports.com/football/live/match/281016/report

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Ryder Cup: Paul McGinley handed Europe captaincy

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Irishman Paul McGinley has been named as Europe's captain for the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles. 

 The 46-year-old played in three Ryder Cups, was vice-captain in 2010 and 2012 and holed the winning putt in 2002. McGinley was preferred to Ryder Cup legend Colin Montgomerie, who captained a victorious European team in 2010 and wanted to fulfil the role again. "This is a position I'm really thrilled to be in," said the Dubliner, Ireland's first captain. "It's also a very humbling experience and I can't wait to get into the role of captain and to working with the players." World number one Rory McIlroy and Ryder Cup stalwarts Luke Donald and Justin Rose all publicly backed McGinley for the captaincy of the biennial event against the United States. And McIlroy welcomed the appointment, writing on Twitter: "Common sense prevailed in the end.... Couldn't be happier for him... Roll on Gleneagles." Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke, the 2011 Open champion, was originally the favourite but formally requested not be considered. Scotland's Paul Lawrie, Open champion in 1999, and Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez were also considered. The decision was made by the European Tour's tournament committee, led by chairman Thomas Bjorn, after a meeting in Abu Dhabi. Scotsman Montgomerie, who played in eight Ryder Cups, was seen by some as better able to oppose American choice, eight-time major champion Tom Watson. But in recent times Europe have taken the view that the Ryder Cup captain should serve for one match only, with Bernard Gallacher ('91, '93 and '95) the last man to lead the side more than once. A winner of four European Tour titles, McGinley's best campaign was in 2005 when he finished runner-up three times before lifting the season-ending Volvo Masters crown. And while the Dubliner may not have had as much individual success as eight-time European number one Montgomerie, many felt he did enough as a vice-captain (in 2010 and 2012) and as Britain and Ireland's two-time winning Seve Trophy captain to suggest he has the ability to lead Europe. "It's amazing how much you can learn when you listen and don't talk," said McGinley, referring to the media scrutiny surrounding the decision. "I knew I had the support of players and felt the more I said the more my chances would lessen." In 2009 McGinley cajoled a supposedly weaker GB and Ireland team to a 16½-11½ victory over a continental Europe side led by Bjorn. Opposite number Watson tweeted: "Congrats to Paul McGinley on your R/C Captaincy. Looking forward to our future competition. You're a class act." And McGinley said he was relishing taking on "one of my great heroes". "Tom Watson is not only a wonderful person abut a great ambassador for the game of golf," added McGinley. "I've never had an opportunity to go up against him in a playing sense. To go up against him in a captaincy sense will be a real thrill for me."










15 January 2013 Last updated at 18:14
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/golf/21034093

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Australian Open 2013: Heather Watson beats Ksenia Pervak

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Heather Watson produced a miraculous escape from three match points down to beat Ksenia Pervak and reach the third round of the Australian Open. 

The British number one, 20, looked as good as out when she trailed the Kazakh by a set and 6-3 in the second set tie-break on a blisteringly hot Court Eight. But Watson refused to buckle, finally finding her rhythm from the baseline at the crucial moment, and she battled back to win 4-6 7-6 (9-7) 6-2 after three hours and two minutes. She will play in-form fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska in the last 32. That will be a mighty test against a player who has won all 11 matches and two titles in 2013, but that is a concern for Friday. For now, the world number 50 can reflect on a day when her tennis was way below par but her fighting spirit proved irresistible. "I do make it hard for myself but a win's a win, no matter how you do it," Watson told BBC Radio 5 live. "It was a very tough one today. I wasn't sure whether I was going to get through it but I did, I kept fighting, the crowd was amazing and kept pushing me on from start to finish, and I've put myself in a position to play another match here. "You've just got to keep fighting and fighting, because it's never over until that last point's done. "She's a tough opponent, she makes every single ball. I didn't win a point until the eight or ninth point of the match. She wasn't going to give me anything, but you've just got to fight through and find a way." Pervak, 21, was the better player in the early stages, breaking to love in the opening game and deservedly edging a scrappy first set with three breaks. When she moved 2-0 clear in the second, only the noisy contingent of British fans on the outside court seemed to believe Watson was still a contender. But while the errors continued to flow from the Guernsey-born player's racquet, the winners began to come as well. Watson hauled herself back level and forced the tie-break, but it looked like merely a stay of execution when some wild errors helped Pervak to 6-3. With defeat apparently inevitable, Watson loosened up and began striking with real freedom as she pounded from side to side on the baseline. The deficit was erased and, at the second opportunity, the Briton converted set point to level the match. Pervak, ranked 82nd, immediately headed for a bathroom break and took some time to return, presumably castigating herself for letting such a golden opportunity slip by. Within 25 minutes she found herself 4-0 down in the decider against an opponent apparently struggling with cramp, but at the same time cleverly mixing up her game. A nerveless love service game gave Watson victory and, understandably thrilled, moments later she was in an embrace with the British supporters gathered courtside.











16 January 2013 Last updated at 07:39
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/tennis/21038650

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Plymouth Raiders knock Leicester Riders off BBL top spot

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Plymouth Raiders knocked Leicester Riders off the top of the British Basketball League Championship table with a dramatic 86-82 home win. 

 They were leading by just a single point with 30 seconds remaining before Matt Schneck sealed the victory. The Raiders lost twice the previous weekend but defeating Leicester moved them up to fourth in the table. Schneck was the Raiders leading scorer with 19 points, taking his Championship tally past the 1,000 mark. The result enabled Newcastle Eagles to leapfrog Leicester at the top of the table, following their 89-80 win over Surrey Heat.





17 December 2012 Last updated at 10:44
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/basketball/20756048

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Jacques Kallis is fourth man to reach 13,000 Test runs

Veteran South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis has become the fourth batsman to pass 13,000 Test runs. 

The 37-year-old reached the mark with a four through third man off seamer Doug Bracewell after tea in the first Test against New Zealand at Cape Town. He joins India's Sachin Tendulkar and Raul Dravid, and ex-Australia captain Ricky Ponting in passing the figure. "I'm probably batting as well as I've ever batted in my career," said Kallis, who was later out for 60. "Hopefully I can carry on with that form for a little while longer." Kallis achieved the milestone having played the fewest Tests of the four (159). However, Tendulkar, who tops the standings with 15,645 runs, managed to reach the 13,000 mark in fewer innings (266 to Kallis's 269). Cape Town-born Kallis, who celebrated the milestone on his home ground at Newlands, has also taken 282 Test wickets in a 17-year Test career. Having needed to score 20 to reach the 13,000 figure, he completed his 57th Test fifty in 68 balls, before departing for 60 when he edged seamer Trent Boult to keeper BJ Watling. "I love playing at Newlands so it was nice that I could get that achievement here," said Kallis. "The public have been fantastic to me. To get an ovation like that certainly means a lot to me, and these are very special moments that will live with me forever." Kallis, now on 13,040 runs, may struggle to overtake Tendulkar at the top of the list but, with no thoughts of retiring from Tests, should pass the retired Ponting (13,378) and Dravid (13,288). "When I feel that I'm not contributing to the team in the way that I think I should be, or holding some youngster up, then I'll definitely start thinking about it (retirement)," he added. "But that's certainly the furthest thing from my mind at the moment." Earlier in the day, New Zealand were bowled out for 45 - their third lowest all-time Test score - in only 68 balls, while the Proteas finished day one on 252-3, with Alviro Petersen 103 not out. Highest run-scorers in Test cricket: 15,645 - Sachin Tendulkar, India (194 Tests) - average 54.32 13,378 - Ricky Ponting, Australia (168) - average 51.85 13,288 - Rahul Dravid, India (164) - average 52.31 13,040 - Jacques Kallis, South Africa (159) - average 56.94 11,953 - Brian Lara, West Indies (131) - average 52.88 11,174 - Allan Border, Australia (156) - average 50.56 10,927 - Steve Waugh, Australia (168) - average 51.06 10,696 - Shivnarine Chanderpaul, West Indies (146) - average 51.67 10,674 - Mahela Jayawardene, Sri Lanka (137)- average 49.41 10,122 - Sunil Gavaskar, India (125) - average 51.12













 2 January 2013 Last updated at 15:29
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/20891908

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India v England: Jonathan Trott & Ian Bell lead England to series win

Monday, December 17, 2012

England completed their first series victory in India for 27 years as Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell both hit centuries on the final day in Nagpur.

  Trott scored 143 and Bell 116 not out as the tourists - who lost in Ahmedabad before winning in Mumbai and Kolkata - earned the draw they needed to secure an historic achievement. India took just one wicket all day as debutant Joe Root added an unbeaten 20. England finished 356 runs ahead on 352-4 when stumps were drawn early. Their final-day dominance was fitting because, since being beaten by nine wickets in the first Test, England have outplayed their hosts in every department. While recent Ashes victories will rank as some of England's finest displays in recent years, former captain Michael Vaughan put the accomplishment into context by describing winning a Test series in India as the hardest thing to do in cricket. It is only the fourth time in history England have won there, and it is the first time since David Gower's tourists were triumphant in 1984-85. England also inflicted India's first series loss on home soil since the legendary Australia team of Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Ricky Ponting won in 2004 - a series which became billed as "The Last Step To Greatness". Cook's team may not be "great" yet, but they certainly gave players like Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Mahendra Dhoni plenty to think about with their dominant performances. Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar outbowled India's spinners, James Anderson underlined his status as one of the best seamers in the world, while - led by the insatiable run-scoring feats of captain Cook - all of England's batsmen scored runs. Trott and Bell were the two players most in need of a good score on the final day of the match - and both delivered emphatically. The Warwickshire pair posted their highest Test scores of the year, with a century particularly welcome for Bell who averaged just 18 in India before he came to the crease when England were stuttering slightly at 94-3 on the fourth day. Scoring may have been slow, with Trott facing 310 balls and Bell 306, but it is a measure of England's progress that they suffered so few alarms on the final day after such a chastening start to the year. Both Trott and Bell were part of the side in January which was bowled out for 72 against Pakistan, on their way to a series whitewash in the United Arab Emirates. But there was no way Trott was going to allow the year to end on a sour note. He continued in a defiant manner on the fifth morning - timing the ball to perfection - as he eased a four through the leg side to bring up his eighth Test century. It appeared he might bat throughout the final day until his dismissal just before tea.

The 31-year-old chased a Ravichandran Ashwin delivery and chipped the ball into the hands of Virat Kohli at leg-slip. Bell batted similarly serenely, but did enjoy a let-off on 75 when he slashed hard outside off stump and was dropped at slip by Sehwag. He capitalised on his fortune late in the day when he completed his 17th Test century - the slowest of his international career - as he and Root, who swept Ashwin for six to compound the off-spinner's misery, closed out the historic and memorable series victory. England, who consolidated their second-placed position behind South Africa in the ICC Test rankings, travel to New Zealand for a three-Test series in March before hosting the Kiwis in the summer ahead of back-to-back Ashes contests. Listen to match highlights and Jonathan Agnew and Geoffrey Boycott's analysis of the day's play on the Test Match Special podcast. We are using archive pictures for this Test because several photo agencies, including Getty Images, have been barred from the ground following a dispute with the Board of Control for Cricket in India, while other agencies have withdrawn their photographers in protest.














17 December 2012 Last updated at 10:23
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/20752998

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Mario Balotelli: Man City striker takes club to tribunal

Italian striker Mario Balotelli will face Manchester City at a Premier League tribunal in London on Wednesday.  

Balotelli is fighting City's decision to fine him two weeks' wages for his poor disciplinary record last season. The 22-year-old missed 11 games domestically and in Europe last season because of suspensions. Balotelli appealed against the decision but an independent panel of City's board upheld the penalty. The case will now be heard by a three-man panel. The striker is expected to appear in person, along with his Italian lawyer and a representative from the Professional Footballers' Association, while City will bring their legal team. A two-week fine is the maximum penalty stipulated in standard player contracts and, although City refused to comment on the case, they are privately confident of winning. It is unusual for internal disputes between clubs and their players to go to a Premier League tribunal.

 The PFA has advised the player throughout and its chief executive, Gordon Taylor, told BBC Sport: "We try to avoid situations like this wherever possible, but the player and club have not been able to resolve this situation." City began the disciplinary process after Balotelli was sent off against Arsenal in April 2012. In all, he received nine yellow cards and three reds - one of them retrospective - during the season. Balotelli was taken off early in the second half of City's 3-2 defeat by Manchester United on 9 December, and then left out of their squad altogether for the 3-1 win at Newcastle on Saturday. After the match, City manager Roberto Mancini said: "At this moment, Mario is not in good form and for this reason he is at home. It is only for this reason. To get back into the team he needs to work in training and when he plays, he needs to play well."















17 December 2012 Last updated at 11:17
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20756755

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Luke Donald moves up rankings with Japan win

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Luke Donald moved up a place to world number two as he overtook Tiger Woods by claiming victory in the Dunlop Phoenix tournament in Japan. 

Donald followed up opening rounds of 65, 64 and 71 with a 68 for the win. The Briton had led by four shots going into the final round and ended up finishing five strokes ahead of nearest rival Hideki Matsuyama. It is the 34-year-old's first tournament win since he defended the PGA Championship at Wentworth in May. Donald's latest success rarely appeared in doubt after he birdied the fourth and eighth, while getting an eagle at the seventh. He did bogey holes nine and 10 before seven pars and a birdie on the long 18th assured him of victory.






18 November 2012 Last updated at 09:20
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/golf/20384201

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Ivan Lendl sees himself coaching the rest of Andy Murray's career

Ivan Lendl says he sees himself coaching US Open champion Andy Murray for the rest of the Scot's career. 

Murray appointed eight-time Grand Slam winner Lendl as his coach in December, and has since won Olympic gold, the US Open and reached the Wimbledon final. "As long as it works for both of us, I can see myself being with him for the rest of his career," Lendl told BBC World Service. The 52-year-old also revealed he intends to improve Murray's tennis. "I have a lot of plans where I would like to see Andy end up with his game," said Lendl, who helped the 25-year-old become Britain's first male Grand Slam singles champion in 76 years with victory in the US Open in September. But despite Murray's success, the 52-year-old Czech-born coach says the player is only at 20% of where he wants him to be, though he refuses to set a particular target in terms of Grand Slam victories. "I think [he can achieve] a lot more. I'm not going to say number of Grand Slams, I'm just going to say where Andy is now," he said. "I take 'point A' - when we started working - now he's at 'point B', and when I envisage I would say he's about 20% there." Murray has enjoyed his best year of tennis under Lendl - winning the US Open, an Olympic gold medal, an Olympic silver medal and reaching the final, semi-final and quarter-final of Wimbledon, the Australian Open and the French Open , respectively. His Olympic gold medal came with a victory over Roger Federer at Wimbledon, just a month after losing the Wimbledon final at the same venue to the same opponent. It sparked fresh debate over whether Murray could become the first male British singles Wimbledon winner since Fred Perry in 1936. "I think that [if Andy's career will be judged on whether he wins Wimbledon] is an inappropriate question because I think everybody knows he can," said Lendl. "The question is 'is he going to win Wimbledon?' and know he will give it a good crack many, many times - not just once, not just in 2013 or 2014. He has quite a few years left in him and he's going to give it a crack." However, Lendl believes nothing is guaranteed with regards to success on home turf. "As you know in sport, you cannot predict, you can only anticipate - both Andy and I would be disappointed if at the end of the day he does not win," said Lendl. "But it's also a possibility that he may win more than one, and he may not win any. "I don't know, I don't know the answer to that, but he can."










16 November 2012 Last updated at 18:14
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/tennis/20363282

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Singapore Open: Thunderstorms raise risk of 54-hole event

Friday, November 9, 2012

The Singapore Open could be cut to 54 holes for the second year running after thunderstorms forced play to be halted early for the second day.  

Half of the field did not start round two on Friday and some greens were under water with more rain forecast. England's Simon Dyson birdied four of the 13 holes he played to lead on six under with Thailand's Chapchai Nirat. World number one Rory McIlroy, who needs a top-three finish to win the Race to Dubai, is one under after 12. Lighting and heavy rain caused two suspensions before play was finally called off. Last year's event, won by Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano in a play-off, was cut to 54 holes and only finished on the Monday morning. "At present, our aim is still to complete 72 holes, weather permitting," said tournament director Jose Maria Zamora. "However, if we do suffer more delays we would then decide, in consultation with the sponsor and promoter, whether to reduce the tournament to 54 holes or complete the fourth round on Monday." McIlroy, who finished his first round in one-under-par 70 on Friday morning, birdied his last hole of the day to improve to joint 29th.

The Northern Irishman had looked in danger of missing the cut after bogeying his third hole of the second round, the 12th, and following that with a double-bogey six on the par-four 13th to slip to two over. However, the 23-year-old picked up birdies on the 18th, first and third holes to move back into contention with six holes left of his second round. Dyson's share of the lead will be short-lived when play resumes at 23:30 GMT on Friday (07:30 local time on Saturday) because the siren to halt proceedings was sounded before he had chance to knock in a bogey putt on the fifth (his 14th). Nirat, who is ranked 631st in the world, completed a bogey-free 65 on Friday morning to take the first-round lead and mixed a couple of birdies with a couple of bogeys to remain six under after nine holes of round two. Denmark's Thomas Bjorn, who led on five under at the end of day one, is among the 78 players who were unable to tee off in the second round. Europe's Ryder Cup vice-captain was joined on that mark by Italian duo Francesco Molinari and Matteo Manassero. Molinari is yet to drop a shot in his second round, having birdied three of his 12 holes while Manassero recovered from an opening-hole double bogey to record six birdies in 11 holes. England's Chris Wood improved his score to four under with three birdies in the eight holes he was able to complete. He joined compatriot Simon Khan, who also did not tee off, in joint sixth, while Paul Casey (three under) was another who stayed in the clubhouse.












9 November 2012 Last updated at 11:22
 http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/golf/20266403

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