World Cup 2014: All you need to know about giant-killing Costa Rica

June 21, 2014

Rio de Janeiro, Jun 21: When Group D earned the moniker of the Group of Death the 2014 World Cup, nobody gave a thought to little Costa Rica. They were assumed to be collateral damage as the three former champions in the group – Italy, England and Uruguay - did battle for the right to progress to the second round.

costa ricaExcept someone forget to tell Costa Rica they should just lie down and play dead. The Central American team that could made sure the group lived up to its moniker by beating Uruguay and Italy to go through to the knockouts for only the second time in its history. That means England is already out of the tournament and either Italy or Uruguay will soon follow.

Here are 10 things you need to know about the Costa Rican football team:

- Costa Rica were ranked 28th in the world coming into the tournament. Their three opponents in the group are all ranked in the top 10.

- They finished second in their qualifying group for the 2014 World Cup behind the United States.

- Costa Rica last made the second round in 1990, the year they qualified for the World Cup for the first time. This is the team’s fourth World Cup, which makes them the most successful team from Central America.

- Costa Rica is also the first Central American team to win a game at the World Cup, beating Scotland 1-0 in 1990. They finished second in their group behind Brazil that year before losing to Czechoslovakia in the round of 16.

- Costa Rica is the third most successful team in the CONCACAF region, after Mexico and the United States. They have won the CONCACAF tournament three times –1963, 1969 and 1989.

- According to the International Business Times, the total market value of the Costa Rican team is 32 million euros, ranking them 29th out of the 32 teams in the World Cup. In comparison, Italy’s market value is 350 euros, England’s is 362 million euros and Uruguay’s 236 million euros. Clearly, money doesn’t always buy better football.

- Joel Campbell, who is on contract at Arsenal, is the only Costa Rican player in any of Europe’s top five leagues. Bryan Ruiz, who scored the winner against Italy, used to play for Fulham but is now with PSV Eindhoven in the Dutch Eredivisie

- The foundation of Jorge Luis Pinto’s side is a stingy back line. Costa Rica have conceded just seven goals in their qualifying campaign. They have conceded just one in two games so far in this World Cup.

- Costa Rica finished 31st out of 32 teams in the 2006 World Cup, the last time they played in the tournament.

- This is Columbian coach Pinto’s second spell with Costa Rica. He coached them the first time in 2004-05, with much less success.

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Agencies
January 25,2020

Headingley, Jan 25: England have become the first team in the world to score 500,000 runs in Test cricket. They achieved the feat during the ongoing fourth and final Test against South Africa being played at The Wanderers.

On Friday - the opening day of the Test match -- England captain Joe Root's single through the covers took the Three Lions to a landmark 500,000 run-mark in the longest format of the game. They achieved the feat in their 1022nd Test match.

Australia comes second in the list, with 432,706 runs in 830 Tests. India, meanwhile, are third, with 273,518 runs in 540 Tests, followed by West Indies (270,441 runs in 545 Tests).

In the third Test played at St George's Park in Port Elizabeth, England had become the first team to play 500 Test matches on foreign soil. Australia are the second team to play the most away Test with 404 matches they have played so far.

India have played 268 Tests on foreign soil in which they have won 51, lost 113 and 104 have ended in a draw.

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News Network
June 20,2020

Jun 20: Bengaluru FC (BFC) have signed Brazilian striker Cleiton Silva for a one-year deal, the ISL club said in a statement on Saturday.

As per the agreement, BFC have the option of extending Silva's contract for another year.

The 33-year-old, who started his career with Brazilian side Madureira, moved to Thailand where he spent the better part of the decade playing for Muangthong United and Suphanburi, apart from stints in Mexico and China.

Silva, who also operates on the wing, became the first foreign player to reach the 100-goal mark in Thailand and finished top scorer of the Thai League 1 for two seasons. He also tops the charts of the all-time leading scorers of the League.

His biggest success came at Muangthong where he racked up 57 goals in 79 appearances and won three major trophies in as many seasons at the club.

The Brazilian, who was in talks with the Blues last season before the deal didn't materialise, said he was glad to have finally made the move.

"I've signed with Bengaluru FC because I want to be a champion and this is a club that is always after titles. I have that opportunity once again at BFC. I want to make the club and its fans happy. I have been following the club for some time now because we were in talks a while ago. And I liked what I saw. I am looking forward to making my way to Bengaluru and am excited to meet my new teammates, the fans and embrace the city," said Silva.

Silva, thus, became BFC's first new foreign signing of the season after the club had handed extended deals with Juanan Gonzalez, Dimas Delgado and Erik Paartalu.

Bengaluru FC coach Carles Cuadrat said Silva's addition was an important one, given his penchant for scoring.

"Cleiton has a proven track record when it comes to scoring and this is an area we needed to strengthen on the squad. The goals aside, he even has an eye for a quality final pass and we're looking forward to working with him," he said.

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Agencies
March 6,2020

Mumbai, Mar 6: Former India batsman Virender Sehwag expressed excitement over the upcoming Road Safety World Series and said he is looking forward to playing with Sachin Tendulkar again.

"I am very excited about this tournament because I will get another chance to play with Sachin. We have played many international matches together and there was a gap and then we played an All-Star match and now again getting a chance. I am looking forward to playing with Tendulkar," Sehwag told media persons.

In the opening match of the Road Safety World Series, India Legends will play against West Indies Legends on March 7. The main aim of the Series is to create awareness about road safety and change people's mindset towards their behaviour on the roads.

Sehwag hailed the initiative of Road Safety World Series and said: "I think it is a very good initiative by the government that they are working towards creating awareness regarding road safety. Awareness regarding road safety is important for everyone."

Road Safety World Series, a five-nation T20 cricket tournament, will showcase some of the biggest names in cricket from India, Australia, Sri Lanka, West Indies, and South Africa.

Players who will feature in this series include Tendulkar, Sehwag, Brian Lara, Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Brett Lee, Brad Hodge, Jonty Rhodes, Muttiah Muralitharan, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Ajantha Mendis and many more. Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar is the Commissioner of the Series.

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