Cristiano Ronaldo Claims European Goals Record

November 15, 2014

Cristiano RonaldoFaro, Nov 15: Cristiano Ronaldo became the European Championships' all-time top scorer as Portugal beat Armenia 1-0 to stay one point behind Group I leader Denmark in European Championship qualifying on Friday.

Ronaldo scored the winner striking from close range following a goalmouth scramble in the 72nd minute.

"We are in good shape at the moment in qualifying," Ronaldo said. "Denmark also won, but the team is doing very well at the moment, and if we win our game in hand we go top.

"The coach Fernando Santos has been able to impose a new system, bringing new players, and I think we are on the right track."

Elsewhere, Nicklas Bendtner scored twice as Denmark came from a goal down to beat Serbia 3-1. Serbia's Dutch coach Dick Advocaat said after the game that he would consider resigning.

Serbia winger Zoran Tosic opened the scoring with a low strike from 12 yards (meters) in the fourth minute.

But Bendtner equalized in the 60th and centerback Simon Kjaer headed in a free kick from Christian Eriksen two minutes later. Bendtner made it 3-1 in the 85th.

France, which has already qualified as the host of Euro 2016, drew 1-1 with Albania.

In Faro, Portugal coach Fernando Santos made three changes to the side that edged Denmark 1-0 a month ago with the return of veterans Jose Bosingwa and Helder Postiga while leftback Raphael Guerreiro earned his first cap.

Armenia had the best chances in the first half. Henrikh Mkhitaryan had a free kick saved by goalkeeper Rui Patricio and the Borussia Dortmund midfielder then released Kamo Hovhannisyan down the right flank - but Patricio parried the powerful strike from the Armenia wingback.

Roman Berezovski kept Armenia in the game after the break, tipping away a header from winger Nani in the 59th and stopping a long-range attempt from Ronaldo.

However, the Armenia goalkeeper was let down by his defenders when he denied substitute Ricardo Quaresma. Nani flicked the rebound toward Ronaldo, who beat defender Varazdat Haroyan to the ball for the winner.

Portugal nearly added a second in the 89th but the downward header from substitute Eder crashed against the post.

In Belgrade, the match was played in an empty Partizan stadium as punishment by UEFA following a qualifier between Serbia and Albania last month, when skirmishes involving players and fans broke out over an Albanian flag that was flown above the stadium by a drone.

Four minutes after Tosic scored, Serbia almost doubled the lead but goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel stopped the overhead kick from striker Danko Lazovic.

Tottenham playmaker Eriksen hit the post in the 49th before his low drive was only parried by Vladimir Stojkovic - allowing Bendtner to tap home the equalizer. Two minutes later, Denmark took the lead with Kjaer's header.

The match could have gone either way as Lazovic hit the woodwork in the 64th and Denmark rightback Peter Ankersen rattled the bar with a curling shot a minute later.

Bendtner put the result beyond doubt by chesting down a cross from Michael Krohn-Dehli to beat Stojkovic.

Serbia coach Advocaat was quoted as telling UEFA's website: "This is our first terrible match since I became the manager. If someone should be blamed then it's me. And, yes, I will think about resigning."

In Rennes, Albania defender Mergim Mavraj stunned the hosts with a header in the 40th. But France substitute Antoine Griezmann salvaged a draw by cutting inside to fire into the bottom corner in the 73rd.

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News Network
May 28,2020

New Delhi, May 28: India is not at risk of losing hosting rights for next year's Twenty20 World Cup despite its cricket board's failure to secure a tax exemption for the event, a key BCCI official has told Reuters.

Tax exemptions for International Cricket Council (ICC) events are listed as a requirement in host agreements and the BCCI was supposed to confirm they had secured one by May 18.

ESPNcricinfo, citing correspondence between the two bodies, has reported that the ICC has threatened to shift the tournament away from India over the issue.

However, BCCI treasurer Arun Singh Dhumal told Reuters that would not happen and that negotiations were continuing.

"There is no risk to the tournament," he said by telephone.

"That is a work in progress. We are discussing it with the ICC and we'll resolve it."

The BCCI encountered a similar problem when it hosted the event in 2016 when the government refused to provide a tax exemption, and there has been no change in New Delhi's stance despite the board's appeals.

Failure to secure that exemption in 2016 saw the ICC withhold an equivalent sum from India's share of revenue from the governing body's grants and it appears to be taking an even harder line this time around.

"There are certain timelines within the agreements that we collectively work towards to ensure we can deliver successful world class events and continue to invest in the sport of cricket," an ICC spokesperson told Reuters.

"In addition to this the ICC Board agreed clear timelines for the resolution of the tax issues which we are guided by."

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Agencies
January 24,2020

Mumbai, Jan 24: Former Indian cricket captain and former MP Mohammad Azharuddin on Thursday denied allegations of cheating levelled by a travel agency in Maharashtra and threatened to file defamation suit of ₹100 crore.

"Those who filed the FIR have done it only to be in the limelight. There is no truth in it. The allegations are baseless," Azharuddin said in a video message on Twitter.

Azahruddin, who is now president of Hyderabad Cricket Association, said he would soon seek advice from his lawyer and will file Rs 100 crore defamation case against those who lodged the FIR.

A case was filed in Aurangabad on Wednesday against Azharuddin and two others for allegedly cheating a local travel agent of around ₹21 lakh.

The complaint was lodged by Shahab Y. Mohammed, 49, proprietor of Danish Tours & Travels here, a former executive with the defunct Jet Airways.

"We have lodged a first information report against Mujeeb Khan (Aurangabad), Sudheesh Avikkal (Kerala), Mohammed Azharuddin (Hyderabad). No arrests have been made and further investigations are underway," Investigating Officer A.D. Nagre, of the City Chowk police station, told IANS.

According to the complainant, between November 9 and 12, 2019, Avikkal booked several international airline tickets and Azharuddin's personal secretary Mujeeb Khan promised to pay the ticket charges. He said since no payment was made, he was compelled to lodge the police complaint.

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Agencies
April 15,2020

Former Australia batsman Mike Hussey has heaped praise on MS Dhoni, saying the veteran Indian wicketkeeper-batsman is the "greatest finisher" the game of cricket has ever seen.

"Dhoni is the greatest finisher of all time that the cricketing world has ever produced," Hussey said while speaking to Sanjay Manjrekar on ESPNcricinfo's Videocast.

"Dhoni can keep his cool and make the opposition captain blink first. Dhoni also has unbelievable power. He knows that when he needs to clear the ropes, he can do it. He has that kind of self-belief. Honestly, I didn't have that kind of belief in myself," he added.

The former Australian batsman, who shared the dressing room with Dhoni for the Chennai Super Kings, said the 38-year-old Indian believes in the philosophy that he who panics last, wins the game.

"I tried not to let it reach 12 or 13 runs an over," said Hussey while talking about his ability to finish the game without much hiccups.

"And I learnt this from MS Dhoni. He is incredible. He believes that he who panics last wins the game. So Dhoni would keep his cool, and keep it longer because the pressure is on the bowler as well," he added.

The 44-year-old believes that the greatest players of the game have a few common traits like "they don't hang on to a defeat for too long. If they lose, they move on quickly. They don't let a loss or a win hamper their thinking".

"They are always consistent, and level headed whether it's MS Dhoni or Ricky Ponting."

Hussey, who played 59 IPL matches for CSK, further revealed the secret about the franchise's success in the Indian Premier League.

"And I learnt this from MS Dhoni. He is incredible. He believes that he who panics last wins the game. So Dhoni would keep his cool, and keep it longer because the pressure is on the bowler as well," he added.

The 44-year-old believes that the greatest players of the game have a few common traits like "they don't hang on to a defeat for too long. If they lose, they move on quickly. They don't let a loss or a win hamper their thinking".

"They are always consistent, and level headed whether it's MS Dhoni or Ricky Ponting."

Hussey, who played 59 IPL matches for CSK, further revealed the secret about the franchise's success in the Indian Premier League.

"Supportive owners who let coach Stephen Fleming and captain Dhoni decide how to run the team, excellent chemistry between the coach and the captain, Dhoni's leadership and lastly the foresight of the owners, Fleming and Dhoni to pick the best players, particularly the good Indian players and then stick with them for as long as possible."

"This has built an excellent continuity in the team. And once you have continuity, you build relationships and trust that otherwise takes time to grow," he added.

Hussey also said that once Dhoni bids adieu to the game, CSK would probably like to start all over again.

"That's a 60-million-dollar question, and I am equally intrigued. I believe the owners would like to keep Dhoni involved in some way or the other," said Hussey.

"However, whenever the change of guard happens, CSK might want to start all over again, build a brand, new team, and use their existing philosophy as they enter the next decade of IPL. It is definitely going to be more challenging in current times," he added.

Dhoni was supposed to lead CSK in the 13th IPL edition which now stands postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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