Sports

Breda (Netherlands), Jul 1: India were held to a narrow 1-1 draw by hosts Netherlands but it was enough for the last year's runners-up to enter their second consecutive final of the Champions Trophy hockey tournament on Saturday. India scored through Mandeep Singh (47th minute) from a penalty corner rebound but the goal was nullified by Thierry Brinkman (55th) five minutes from the hooter

Sochi (Russia), Jul 1: Cristiano Ronaldo declined to comment on his international future after bowing out of the World Cup following Portugal's 2-1 defeat by Uruguay. The Real Madrid star exited his fourth World Cup in disappointment after two goals from Edinson Cavani saw the Uruguayans advance to the last eight on Saturday. However, Ronaldo, who will be 37 by the time of the next World Cup

Kazan, Jun 30: Teenager Kylian Mbappe scored two goals in four minutes to send France charging into the World Cup quarter-finals and Lionel Messi home with a thrilling 4-3 win over Argentina on Saturday. The 19-year-old forward's electric pace caused Argentina problems all afternoon and his twin strikes helped France overturn a 2-1 deficit and set up a quarter-final date with Portugal or Uruguay

Kuala Lumpur, Jun 30: P V Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth continued their impressive run at the Malaysia Open, progressing to the semifinals of the women's and men's singles competition with a straight-game wins in the USD 700,000 world tour super 750 tournament here on Friday. In a clash between Olympic silver and gold medallists, it was Sindhu who emerged victories with a 22-20 21-19 result in a 52

King City, Jun 30: Steve Smith made his comeback from cricket exile on Thursday in front of a sparse crowd in a sleepy, rural town north of Toronto where the former Australia captain helped kick off the inaugural Global T20 Canada league. Smith, playing for the Toronto Nationals, showed few signs of rust in his 41-ball innings of 61, which included eight fours and a six, before being stumped and

Dublin, Jun 30: A ruthless India demolished Ireland by 143 runs to clinch the series 2-0 as spinners yet again tormented the hosts after authoritative batting show by the visiting batsmen in the second and final Twenty20 International, here on Friday. India posted a massive 213 for four after being asked to take the first strike and then bundled out the hosts for a mere 70 in 12.3 overs. It was

Kazan/Russia, Jun 30: Didier Deschamps may be tempted to execute a "no Messi, no Argentina" strategy when preparing for Saturday`s round of 16 clash but the France manager must also be mindful of getting the most out of his own marquee players. France`s smooth advance to the knockout rounds with two wins and a draw has made them favourites to beat an Argentina side who were thrashed by Croatia and

Jun 29: Japanese salarymen dashing to work Friday exchanged high fives with bleary-eyed football fans celebrating after the country reached the last 16 of the World Cup -- most blissfully unaware of a backlash against their team. Japan lost 1-0 to Poland in Russia on Thursday in a match that ended in farce as the Samurai Blue ran down the clock knowing unless they picked up a pair of yellow cards

Kaliningrad, Jun 29: A brilliant strike by Adnan Januzaj lit up an otherwise insipid clash as Belgium beat England 1-0 to secure top spot in World Cup Group G in Kaliningrad on Thursday. Januzaj's superb second-half goal sent Belgium into a last 16 clash with Japan while England will now advance to a second round meeting with Colombia on Tuesday. By finishing second in the group, England have

Kazan, Jun 28: France and Argentina took different paths to the knockout stage but have much in common at this World Cup. Both teams are filled with big-name players, both like to play an entertaining style and both have failed to impress so far. Forty years after their last meeting at soccer's biggest tournament, the former champions meet on Saturday in Kazan for a spot in the quarterfinals