Cristiano Ronaldo Shatters Wales' Euro 2016 Dream, Aims For History

July 7, 2016

Lyon, Jul 7: Cristiano Ronaldo became the "Dragon-slayer" as his record-equalling ninth European Championship goal helped power Portugal past Real Madrid teammate Gareth Bales' Wales and into the Euro 2016 final.

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Ronaldo brilliantly rose above the Wales' defence to score his country's first goal in the 2-0 win in front of 50,000 fans in the Stade de Lyon on Wednesday.

Nani deflected the Portugal hero's shot for the decisive second goal that saw their country into Sunday's final against tournament hosts France or world champions Germany.

Ronaldo and Bale had not spoken in the tournament before Wednesday's match. With victory sealed, Ronaldo embraced his club teammate at the end.

"The team did a marvellous job to reach the final. I hope on Sunday you'll see me crying with joy," said Ronaldo, who as a 19-year-old wept on the pitch after Portugal lost 1-0 to Greece as hosts of the Euro 2004 final.

"I have always dreamed of winning for Portugal -- I hope it is our time now.

"I am very confident. I deserve it, Portugal deserves it, all the Portugese people deserve it."

Bale paid tribute to the three-time world player of the year with whom he has not always had an easy relationship in Madrid.

"He's a natural goal-scorer and he scored yet again," said Bale.

"We're obviously massively disappointed. We've got to be proud of ourselves first and foremost."

Amazing run

"We gave everything, we have no regrets," he added, predicting Wales would be a force in qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

"We've given everything, on the pitch, off the pitch," Bale said of Wales stunning campaign in their first major tournament since 1958 when it took a Pele goal to beat them in the World Cup quarter final.

British media called the 31-year-old Ronaldo the "Dragon-slayer" as they recounted how the sharpshooter had stunned Welsh fans brandishing flags and t-shirts with the national red dragon symbol.

Bale had the better of the first half showing off his pace and power to threaten the Portuguese goal.

But five minutes into the second period, Raphael Guerreiro curled a cross to the back post and Ronaldo leapt above James Chester to head past Wales goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey.

Three minutes later, Nani, who has just completed a move from Turkey's Fenerbahce to Valencia in Spain, instinctively pushed out his leg to deflect a Ronaldo shot past Hennessy.

Tens of thousands of fans celebrated in Lisbon's Praca do Comercio. Heads dropped in the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

Ronaldo said he had congratulated Bale on Wales' "amazing run".

"They were the revelation team. I wished him good luck and as for the rest (of the conversation) I'd rather not say."

Ronaldo is desperate to win on Sunday at the Stade de France in what could be his last big chance of winning a Euro or world title.

Portugal did not win a match in regulation 90 minutes before the semi-final.

"Maybe it didn't start as we wanted, but this is not a 100 metre dash, it is a marathon," said the captain.

'My flag, my fatherland'

Portugal coach Fernando Santos, 61, said the final will be the highlight of his long and much-travelled career.

Santos said he would be closely analysing Thursday's game between France and Germany for potential weaknesses.

"It is my country, my flag, my fatherland, so from a personal point of view it is very important for me.

"Two very strong teams face off tomorrow. I will watch the game very attentively to analyse our opponent."

Germany were boosted ahead of the Marseille game by the news that captain Bastian Schweinsteiger had recovered from injury and would start the match.

But they will still be missing centre-back Mats Hummels through suspension and striker Mario Gomez and midfielder Sami Khedira through injury.

France, like Portugal, have become stronger as the tournament has progressed and hammered Iceland 5-2 in the quarter-final while Germany needed a penalty shootout to beat Italy.

There is an air of revenge for France, whose fans have never forgotten a 1982 defeat in a World Cup semi-final when Patrick Battiston suffered serious injuries.

French coach Didier Deschamps wants a win to end a run of three defeats in major competitions -- including 1982 -- against their neighbours and rivals.

"We can't change past history, but we've got our own page to write," said Deschamps. "We're facing the best team in the world, but the lads have to believe."

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News Network
July 21,2020

Melbourne, Jul 21: Cricket Australia's chief executive Nick Hockley has said that the Indian players and staff will most likely be asked to face two weeks of quarantine before the four-match Test series.

This scenario will bring the Adelaide Oval and its newly constructed hotel firmly into view as the sort of biosecure bubble, ESPNCricinfo reported.

India and Australia are slated to face each other in a four-match Test series, which is to begin from December 4 at Brisbane.

"The two-week quarantine is pretty well-defined. What we are working on is making sure that even within that quarantine environment, the players have got the absolute best training facilities, so that their preparation for the matches is as optimal as it can possibly be," ESPNCricinfo quoted Hockey as saying.

"Certainly the fact that the Adelaide Oval has a hotel. It does provide a facility not dissimilar to Old Trafford or Ageas Bowl where the hotels are integrated into the venue," he added.

Hockley also said that an exacting standard of biosecurity and testing would be applied before the series against India as the coronavirus cases are spiking in the subcontinent.

"It's widely known and it's unlikely that international travel restrictions would have lifted by the time that India will be due to come into the country. Clearly there will be testing regimes. We will be able to test people before that they get on to the plane and it is the nature of the situation of making sure we have the quarantine arrangements in line with government and health authority protocols," Hockley said.

"The key thing for the players is that there's regular testing and that we appropriately quarantine them when they come in and all of those plans are currently in development," he added.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday announced the postponement of the T20 World Cup 2020 slated to be held in Australia from October 18-November 15 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Following the announcement, the BCCI is likely to go ahead with the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the October-November window. However, it is known where the T20 tournament will be played as cases continue to rise in India.
"I think the BCCI has made no secrets that they are considering what that means for the IPL. For us, it's about getting a bit of an understanding and certainty around what that means. Clearly, in a normal course, some of our best players are obviously top picks for those IPL teams," Hockley said.

"It's a bit premature to speculate on that. We need to understand what the plans are if any and once we understand that we will make decisions accordingly," he added.

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April 24,2020

New Delhi, Apr 24: India's World Cup-winning former opener Gautam Gambhir performed the last rites of his deceased domestic help after her mortal remains could not be sent to her home in Odisha due to the coronavirus-forced national lockdown.

Gambhir, also a BJP Lok Sabha MP, posted a tribute on his Twitter page for his employee Saraswati Patra, who was working at his residence for the past six years.

"Taking care of my little one can never be domestic help. She was family. Performing her last rites was my duty," he tweeted.

"Always believed in dignity irrespective of caste, creed, religion or social status. Only way to create a better society. That's my idea of India! Om Shanti," said the 38-year-old Gambhir, who played 58 Tests for India between 2004 and 2016.

Media reports in Odisha said the 49-year-old Patra hailed from a village in Jajpur district.

She was admitted to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital a few days ago and was battling diabetes and high blood pressure for a long period. She breathed her last while undergoing treatment on April 21.

Union Minister of Petroleum and Steel Dharmendra Pradhan appreciated Gambhir.

"Taking care of Saraswati throughout the course of her illness, he also ensured her dignity in death by performing her last rites himself since her mortal remains could not be sent to her family back home in Odisha," Pradhan, who also belongs to Odisha, tweeted.

"His act of compassion will enliven the faith in humanity for millions of poor, who are working far from their home for livelihood and will garner respect from all folds of the society."

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January 10,2020

Srinagar, Jan 10: Real Kashmir FC made a strong comeback in the second half to play out a 1-1 draw against former champions Punjab FC in their home I-League match here on Friday.

The 'Snow Leopards' equalised in the 62nd minute through Gnohere Krizo in front of a partisan crowd of 8,500 spectators after Makan Chothe had given Punjab FC the lead in the 21st minute at the TRC ground.

After Thursday's draw, Punjab FC is placed third on the table with 10 points from seven games. Real Kashmir FC remained at eighth with six points from five matches. This was Real Kashmir's third home match on the trot.

The match was a story of two halves as the first belonged to the visitors who enjoyed a 62 per cent possession of the ball, whereas the second belonged to the home side.

Both the teams were looking to gain an early advantage and Punjab FC took the lead after 21 minutes.

Confusion inside the Real Kashmir box because of a long ball from Punjab opened up an opportunity for Chothe and he made no mistake as he smashed the ball at the back of the net.

As the fans cheered on, Real Kashmir created a flurry of chances, but none of the home side players could find the back of the net. Punjab was able to hold on to their slender lead heading into the tunnel.

The second half resumed with Real Kashmir pressing high up the field and pressurising Punjab.

In the 56th minute, Real Kashmir playmaker Kallum Higginbotham cut through two defenders on the left side of the box and the ball fell to Mason Robertson, whose shot was too weak to trouble the Punjab goalkeeper.

Soon after, it was Danish Farooq who tried a curler from a distance but his shot did not have enough bend to trouble the Punjab goalkeeper. The home team's effort finally paid off in the 62nd minute.

A miscalculated header by Danilo Augusto fell at the feet of Gnohere Krizo, who was one-on-one with the keeper. He made no mistake in striking the ball into the opponent's goal to score the equaliser.

Real Kashmir was in their groove now, and Kallum came in from the right with a beautiful low cross across the face of the goal but Mason could not get a touch as the chance went begging.

The duo of Kallum and Mason were proving difficult for Punjab to deal with. In the 82nd minute, a beautiful long ball by Kallum found the head of a towering Mason, but the effort went just over the crossbar.

Within a few moments, Punjab again had another nervous moment as Chesterpoul Lyngdoh's cross from the right side hit the arm of Thoiba Singh but the referee turned down an appeal for penalty.

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