DSK Shivajians Dents Mohun Bagan's Title Hopes in I-League

April 10, 2016

Barabati, Apr 10: Mohun Bagan's hopes of retaining the I-League title virtually went up in smokes after they were held to a 3-3 draw by DSK Shivajians in an enthralling I-League contest at the Vidyasagar Krirangan in Barasat.

DSK

In a match that had several twists and turns, Mohun Bagan took a lead through Cornell Glenn (26th and 45+1st) but only to crumble under pressure as Derrick Pereira's side showed a lot of promise through a double strike from Juan Quero Barasso (30th and 33rd).

Haitian forward Sony Norde returned to the playing XI and revived the home team's hopes with his 42nd minute strike before Glenn made it 3-2 in an action packed first-half but it was the Pune outfit's Cameroonian recruit Aser Dipanda who gave the thousands of Mohun Bagan fans heartbreak with his 75th minute strike.

Continuing his fine show Dipanda, who had scored an equaliser against former champions Bengaluru FC in his side's previous match, scored a classic header from a Israil Gurung centre.

Mohun Bagan pressed hard for the winning goal but only to return luckless as they would rue Norde's 27th minute strike which seemed to be a goal as Subrata Pal saved the shot apparently from inside the goal-line.

Earlier, after being set up by substitute Jeje Lalpekhlua, Glenn scored on the rebound to give the home side the lead in front of a rousing support.

A minute later, they almost doubled the lead with Norde firing a shot from the left and goalkeeper Pal latching on to the ball.

The replays showed the Shivajians' custodian inside the goal-line in his follow through but without a goal-line technology, an unlucky Mohun Bagan had to return empty handed.

Adding to the misery, the Shivajians equalised in the space of four minutes with Quero scoring from a Douhou Pierre pass, beating an advancing Debjit Majumder.

Quero silenced the stadium with his double strike in a matter of few minutes when the Spaniard shot diagonally from the left with Debajit beaten by the pace of the ball.

With his partner missing a minute before, it was Norde who restored parity when he found an opening from the top of the box, beating three defenders on his way with his powerful delivery.

Glen brought the atmosphere alive with his goal, finishing with his left-footer that beat a diving Majumder for a crucial lead.

But once again, Mohun Bagan's defence crumbled under pressure as they extended their winless streak to four matches with their last win coming against Mumbai FC on March 13.

The draw meant it's an advantage for 2013-14 champions Bengaluru FC who are second placed with 26 points from 13 matches while their tomorrow's opponents East Bengal have 24 from 13.

Mohun Bagan, who now have 27 points from 15 matches, will be hoping against hope to retain the title as they face Bengaluru FC at home in their concluding round match on April 24.

Coach Sanjoy Sen, who returned after serving a four-match ban, effected three changes in his lineup. While Norde replaced Jeje Lalpekhlua, Prabir Das and Sanjay Balmuchu came in place for Pritam Kotal and Kinshuk Debnath in a defense rejig.

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News Network
June 10,2020

Kingston, Jun 10: "Enough is enough", said West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo as he opened up on the raging issue of racism and called for "respect and equality" for black people, who have faced discrimination for years.

Bravo joined the likes of his former captain Darren Sammy and Chris Gayle in denouncing racism in the wake of African-American George Floyd's killing at the hands of a white police officer in the USA.

"It's sad to see what's going on around the world. As a black man, we know the history of what black people have been through. We never ask for revenge, we ask for equality and respect. That's it," Bravo told former Zimbabwe cricketer Pommie Mbangwa in an Instagram live chat on Tuesday.

"We give respect to others. Why is it that we are facing this over and over? Now enough is enough. We just want equality. We don't want revenge, war.

"We just want respect. We share love and appreciate people for who they are. That's what is most important."

The 36-year-old, who has played 40 Tests, 164 ODIs and 71 T20Is for West Indies, said he wants the world to know that they are powerful and beautiful people and gave the example of greats such as Nelson Mandela, Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan.

"I just want our brothers and sisters to know that we are powerful and beautiful. And at the end of the day, you look at some of the greats of the world, whether it is Nelson Mandela, Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan we have had leaders who paved the way for us," he said.

Two-time T20 World Cup-winning captain Sammy had earlier alleged that a racist nickname was used to address him during his IPL stint with Sunrisers Hyderabad and demanded an apology.

Sammy said he was called 'Kalu' while he was in India. 'Kalu' is a derogatory word to describe black people.

Gayle, who too plays in the IPL, took to Twitter to back Sammy, saying that racism does exist in cricket.

"It's never too late to fight for the right cause or what you've experienced over the years! So much more to your story, @darensammy88. Like I said, it's in the game!!," Gayle tweeted.

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News Network
June 6,2020

New Delhi, Jun 6: Former West Indies pacer Michael Holding has come out in support of MS Dhoni, saying that the wicket-keeper batsman indeed wanted to win the match against England in the 2019 World Cup.

India's performance in the World Cup match against England last year has once again become a matter of debate as all-rounder Ben Stokes in his book titled 'On Fire' questioned the intent of the Indian side.

Stokes also said that Dhoni's intent was questionable as he did not go for big shots when India still had a chance to win the match.

However, Holding said that nowadays people tend to write anything in their books.

"Well, people will write anything in books these days, because people are a lot more free with their opinions and when they are writing books, they need to be making headlines at times," Holding said on his official YouTube channel.

"But, to be honest, a lot of people watching that game perhaps wouldn't have arrived to the same conclusion that Ben Stokes arrived at that India were not trying to win," he added.

Holding did say that it seemed like that India did not have the same intensity as they would have had if the match was a do-or-die match.

"It was not the game that India had to win, but I don't think anyone can say that was a team tactic to lose the game. I watched that game and it appeared to me as if India weren't putting up their 100 per cent, but I realised it was not the case when the expression on MS Dhoni's face told me that he desperately wanted to win, so I do not think it was a team decision to not try to win," the former Windies pacer said.

"But I don't think they went with the same intensity of wanting to win the game, say, if it was a do-or-die situation. If it was, we would have seen a different game," he added.

On his official YouTube channel, Holding also said that no team goes in with a set pattern in terms of chasing targets.

In the round-robin stage match against England in Birmingham, India failed to chase down the massive target of 338 and fell short by 31 runs.

That was the only game that India lost in the premier tournament last year before the semifinal loss against the Kiwis.

India's chasing approach, in particular of wicket-keeper batsman Dhoni, was criticised by many, including the fans at home.

As soon as Stokes mentioned Dhoni's lack of intent in his book 'On Fire', Pakistan fans started saying that India deliberately lost the match to knock out their neighbours.

However, Stokes clarified that he never said India lost deliberately and some people were twisting his words.

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Agencies
June 23,2020

Belgrade, June 23: Novak Djokovic tested positive for the coronavirus on Tuesday after taking part in a tennis exhibition series he organized in Serbia and Croatia.

The top-ranked Serb is the fourth player to test positive for the virus after first playing in Belgrade and then again last weekend in Zadar, Croatia.

His wife also tested positive. “The moment we arrived in Belgrade we went to be tested. My result is positive, just as Jelena's, while the results of our children are negative," Djokovic said in a statement.

Djokovic has been criticized for organizing the tournament and bringing in players from other countries amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Viktor Troicki said Tuesday that he and his pregnant wife have both been diagnosed with the virus, while Grigor Dimitrov, a three-time Grand Slam semifinalist from Bulgaria, said Sunday he tested positive.

Borna Coric played Dimitrov on Saturday in Zadar and said Monday he has also tested positive. There were no social distancing measures observed at the matches in either country and Djokovic and other players were seen hugging each other and partying in night clubs and restaurants after the matches.

 “Everything we did in the past month, we did with a pure heart and sincere intentions,” Djokovic said.

“Our tournament meant to unite and share a message of solidarity and compassion throughout the region.” Djokovic, who has previously said he was against taking a vaccine for the virus even if it became mandatory to travel, was the face behind the Adria Tour, a series of exhibition events that started in the Serbian capital and then moved to Zadar.

He left Croatia after the final was canceled and was tested in Belgrade. The statement said Djokovic was showing no symptoms.

Despite the positive test, Djokovic defended the exhibition series. “It was all born with a philanthropic idea, to direct all raised funds towards people in need and it warmed my heart to see how everybody strongly responded to this,” Djokovic said.

"We organized the tournament at the moment when the virus has weakened, believing that the conditions for hosting the Tour had been met. “Unfortunately, this virus is still present, and it is a new reality that we are still learning to cope and live with.”

Djokovic said he will remain in self-isolation for 14 days and also apologized to anyone who became infected as a result of the series. Organizers of the Adria Tour said the third stage of the event, scheduled to held next week in Bosnia, has been cancelled.

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