Kerzhakov salvages draw for Russia against S Korea

June 18, 2014

Cuiaba (Brazil), Jun 18: Substitute Alexandr Kerzhakov came off the bench to salvage a 1-1 draw for Russia against South Korea Tuesday in their opening game in Group H.

Draw for RussiaSouth Korea went ahead after 68 minutes when Russian goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev inexplicably let a Lee Keunho shot slip through his fingers just as Russia looked like taking control of the encounter in Culaba.

However, the lead lasted just six minutes as Kerzhakov tapped home shortly after coming on to secure a vital point for Fabio Capello’s side.

“After the goal they scored it is not easy to react,” Capello told BBC Sport.

“The players’ reaction was really good. They had two chances to score the second but that is football. Aleksandr Kerzhakov is a fantastic player, he always has chances to score goals.” South Korea dominated possession for long periods but faded as the game progressed and will probably be the more satisfied of the sides with a point.

Son Heungmin had the first opportunity of the game in the 10th minute, running at the Russian defence but blasted over from inside the area.

Russia’s first shot on target came just after the half—hour mark when Korean goalkeeper Jung Sungryong parried away Sergey Ignashevich’s free kick.

Koo Jacheol’s deflected shot went just wide off Ignashevich shortly afterwards but Korea’s best opportunity of the half fell to Son eight minutes before the break only for the Bayer Leverkusen midfielder to once again send his effort high over the bar.

The second half was a much more open affair with Victor Fayzulin testing Jung with a longe—range shot while Vasily Berezutskiy headed into the side netting from the resultant corner.

Ki Sungyueng forced a save from Akinfeev as the game ebbed and flowed but the Russian goalkeeper could count his blessings in the 57th minute when he spilled a free kick from Kim Younggwon.

Russia increased the pressure as the half progressed as Dmitry Kombarov tried his luck from distance and he also sent in a teasing cross that Jung did well to clear.

Russia were now looking the much likelier to score but the momentum swung back in South Korea’s favour when Akinfeev let Kim’s free kick slip through his fingers to hand Hong Myungbo’s side an unexpected lead.

Capello brought on Igor Denisov and Kerzhakov in an effort to find an equalizer and his gamble paid almost immediate dividends.

Alan Dzagoev’s shot was parried into the path of Kim, whose clearance hit Andrey Yeshchenko and fell into the path of Kerzhakov to tap home and join Vladimir Beschastnykh as a top goalscorer for Russia with 26 goals.

Capello’s side pushed forward in search of a late winner but South Korea held on for a deserved point.

Russia next face Belgium on Sunday while South Korea take on Algeria.

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Agencies
July 31,2020

Northamptonshire, Jul 31: Mexican Formula One driver Sergio Perez has tested positive for coronavirus, and as a result, he will miss the British Grand Prix.

The Racing Point driver was absent from the circuit on Thursday after self-isolating following what his team called an "inconclusive" test. Perez then re-tested later in the day and it returned positive.

Formula 1 is following a strict testing regime as part of the safety protocols put in place when racing resumed earlier this month, and this is the first time a driver has tested positive.

"Perez has entered self-quarantine in accordance with the instructions of the relevant public health authorities, and will continue to follow the procedure mandated by those authorities," Formula 1 and the FIA said in a statement.

"With the assistance of the local organiser of the British Grand Prix, local health authorities and the FIA COVID-19 delegate, a full track and trace initiative has been undertaken and all close contacts have been quarantined," the statement added.

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Agencies
January 9,2020

Jeddah, Jan 9: Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde criticised the new Supercopa format and said that "football has become a business and as a business it looks for income".

"The bottom line is football has become a business and as a business it looks for income. That's the reason we are all here," Goal.com quoted Valverde as saying ahead of Barca's semi-final against Atletico.

"It's a completely different format to what we're used to. It was always the first title and the opener of the season and to me, that seemed fine," he added.

The Supercopa was traditionally a two-legged affair played between the winners of La Liga and the Copa del Rey at the beginning of the season, but following last term's one-off meeting between Barca and Sevilla in Tangier, Morocco, the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) went ahead with a full revamp.

Instead of just two teams being involved, the Supercopa has been expanded to also include the runners-up from La Liga and the Copa - meaning Barca and Valencia are joined by Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. It is also set to be hosted in Saudi Arabia for the next three editions.

"It's been changed and let's see, it will be judged once it has happened. It's interesting, with four good teams, but from a sporting point of view, I'm not sure," Valverde said.

"We must bear in mind that the football we are involved in is an industry, sources of income are sought and in the same way that there are special connotations in this country, there are also in Morocco, where we played last year," he added.

Barcelona will face Atletico Madrid in the semifinal of the Supercopa at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah on January 10.

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July 28,2020

New Delhi, Jul 28: 'Your character stood out for me than the number of runs you scored," said India skipper Virat Kohli while explaining his decision to give opening Mayank Agarwal a Test debut in the 2018-19 Australia series.

Mayank Agarwal had made his Test debut against Australia in the third Test of the four-match series.

Playing the third Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Agarwal managed to register a half-century in his very first innings in the longest format.

"I had seen you play for RCB, even then you played international bowlers with conviction and you would take them on. You were performing in first-class matches in a dominating way. That is something always stood out with you, I would say your character stood out for me than the number of runs. I knew you would be fearless without having any baggage," Kohli told Mayank Agarwal in a video posted on the official website of BCCI.

In the longest format of the game, Agarwal has managed to score 974 runs from 11 matches at an average of 57.29 with three centuries as an opening batsman.

The Indian skipper also explained as to what makes him notice in a player and added that it is important that guys in the team look to face new challenges and emerge triumphantly.

"For me, the biggest marker is how a person approaches the game, so for example when you opened and we made Vihari open with you. The first opportunity we presented Vihari to open the batting, he said yes to it and that matters me to the most," Kohli said.

"I opened in my first series for India, I said yes to this opportunity and things worked out fine for me. So, a guy who wants to get into tough situations will come out either holding his head high or learning from his mistakes," he added.

Kohli and Mayank would soon be seen in action for Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kings XI Punjab respectively in the Indian Premier League (IPL) starting from September 19 in the UAE.

The comparisons between Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar keep on growing and many have picked the current Indian skipper to break the records set by Tendulkar.

Tendulkar called time on his career after registering 100 international centuries, while Kohli currently has 70 centuries across all formats.

At present, Kohli is ranked at the top spot in the ICC ODI rankings while he is in the second place in Tests rankings. Kohli has so far played 86 Tests, scoring 7,240 runs with 27 centuries at an average of 53.62.

His knock of 254 against South Africa at Pune in 2019 remains his highest Test score to date. When it comes to ODIs, the current Indian skipper has played 248 matches and has 43 centuries.

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