Wales beat Turkey to close on Euro 2020 knockout stage

Wales caretaker manager Robert Page with Turkey coach Senol Gunes after their match at Baku Olympic Stadium in Azerbaijan where Wales won 2-0. (Reuters)
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Updated 16 June 2021
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Wales beat Turkey to close on Euro 2020 knockout stage

  • Turkey faces an uphill challenge to reach the knockout stages after losing their first two Group A matches without scoring
  • Turkey coach dropped Juventus defender Merih Demiral who scored an own goal in Friday's defeat against Italy

BAKU: Aaron Ramsey and Connor Roberts scored as Wales took a huge step toward reaching the last 16 at Euro 2020 with a 2-0 win over Turkey in Baku on Wednesday.
Turkey is facing an uphill challenge to reach the knockout stages after losing their first two Group A matches without scoring.
Wales, semifinalists five years ago, should have won more convincingly, but wasted several chances including a second-half penalty which was blazed over by captain Gareth Bale.
Turkey coach Senol Gunes dropped Juventus defender Merih Demiral after he scored an own goal in Friday’s tournament-opening defeat in Italy.
Robert Page kept the same Wales side from Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Switzerland in Baku.
A hostile crowd was expected due to the close links between Ankara and Baku due to a centuries-long relationship solidified with Turkey’s support of Azerbaijan in last year’s conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Every early Wales touch was welcomed with whistles from the 30,000 crowd, with up to 4,000 Turkish fans having traveled, including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
In a very open first half an hour both sides had very good chances to open the scoring including Turkey skipper Burak Yilmaz, whose effort was deflected out for a corner, and Wales’ Ramsey.
With opportunities at both ends as the two teams refused to sit back, the Crescent Stars had two efforts blocked by last-gasp defending on the 30-minute mark.
With two minutes of the half remaining the vocal home support were stunned into silence by Ramsey’s opener.
Bale found Ramsey free in the box and the Juventus man chested the ball down before side-footing coolly past Ugurcan Cakir, making amends for missing two glorious earlier chances.
The muted crowd rediscovered their voices after the interval as Turkey pressed forward for an equalizer, their best chance falling to Yilmaz who sent his volley from close range high into the stands.
The game remained open going into the final 30 minutes and Ramsey was just stopped from adding a second as Cakir blocked with his foot, before Bale had an opportunity to seal the three points.
He charged into the box and was tripped by Zeki Celik but the one-time most expensive player in the world fired his penalty over the crossbar.
Page brought Ethan Ampadu on for the tiring Joe Allen, one of just two players remaining from the starting team in the semifinal defeat to Portugal in 2016, with a quarter of an hour left before Gunes sent on Halil Dervisoglu to partner Yilmaz up front.
Turkey, who were knocked out of the group stage in France at the previous tournament, applied incessant pressure in the closing moments.
With three minutes left the previously dropped Demiral had a golden chance but his free header from a Hakan Calhanoglu corner was wasted.
A scuffle broke out in the Wales box at the start of injury time after a collision on the floor and Ben Davies, Chris Mepham and Yilmaz were shown yellow cards before Page’s men claimed a second goal.
Bale powered into the box from a short corner, found Roberts and the Swansea right-back claimed his second international goal to send the 400 Wales fans into pandemonium behind the goal.
Turkey face Switzerland in the Azeri capital on Sunday while Wales head to Rome at the same time.


Cricketers are now for all seasons

Updated 20 sec ago
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Cricketers are now for all seasons

  • Leading professionals, male and female, can play top class cricket all year round, irrespective of weather conditions

It is the start of October in the UK. The English and Welsh cricket season staggered to its conclusion, buffeted by rain and winds with occasional outbursts of sun. Autumn is here and I am put in mind of one of England’s most famous romantic poets, John Keats. His final poem, “To Autumn,” began: “Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness; Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun.”

September 2024 has not evoked a repeat of Keats’ experience. Although there are mists, the sun-induced mellowness has been largely lacking. Instead, rain has meant the determination of important cricketing issues was subject to uncertainty. England and Australia played a five-match One Day International series. England lost the first two matches but then won the next two, turning the final match at Bristol into a series decider.

Rain was forecast for the afternoon and arrived around 4 p.m., after 20.4 overs had been bowled. At 20 overs in a 50-over match, an adjusted target score formula is activated. Australia was sufficiently far ahead in its run chase that, when the match was eventually abandoned, they were declared both match and series winner. The conditions for watching were not pleasant; apart from the constant threat of rain, a strong and gusty breeze made day seem colder.

Nevertheless, the crowd was stoical. The ground has a stated ODI capacity of 15,000 and it was sold out. There are those who regard the scheduling of an England v Australia series at this time of year as bordering on farce. Others, including cricket authorities, argue that the demand exists — all matches were sell-outs and great entertainment was provided by some of the world’s leading players. On top of that, the series provided an opportunity to stage matches at venues which do not regularly host internationals against top opposition.

Whilst the series was being played, the final matches of the county cricket season were unfolding against a backdrop of capricious weather. Matters of promotion and relegation had to be decided, with most teams hoping the weather would not be the ultimate arbiter. Despite several matches losing at least a day’s play, fair conclusions, based on relative performances, emerged. In a twist of fate, Lancashire were relegated from Division 1 and changed places with their historic rivals, Yorkshire, who finished second in Division 2.

An outside observer of English and Welsh cricket with an overall knowledge of the global game might regard the scheduling of such important matches at this time of year as unwise, given the probability of rain and cold weather influencing the outcomes. As has been discussed in previous columns, the reason is The Hundred.

In order to appeal to its target audience of parents and young children it is scheduled for the school holidays in August. All other first class cricket tournaments are scheduled around it. This regime is unlikely to change in the short term. The privatization of The Hundred is now underway, with the longer effects of this process subject to much crystal ball-gazing.

Confirmation came this week of the sale of the private company which owns Hampshire cricket to GMR Global Pte Ltd. It will acquire a majority stake in Hampshire Sports & Leisure Group. No immediate change of personnel will occur other than at main board level, where two new directors will be appointed by GGPL. The transaction, termed as a “definitive agreement,” has been heavily trailed and is expected to be concluded in September 2026. As well as holding a 50 percent stake in Delhi Capitals, GMR also owns shares in the Dubai Capitals and the Pretoria Capitals, as well as investing in US Major League Cricket team the Seattle Orcas.

Cricket’s globalization process is set to expand. Negotiations will proceed throughout the British autumn for the sale of The Hundred. Although the season has ended in Europe and North America it has opened in Asia, central and southern Africa and Australasia. As if to remind us that rain’s detrimental effect on cricket is not limited to Europe and North America, it washed out play on two and a half days of the second Test match between India and Bangladesh in Nagpur.

Rain has also fallen heavily in the UAE, where the women’s T20I World Cup is being played in day-time temperatures in the mid-30s. Originally, the tournament was scheduled to take place in Bangladesh but was moved because of civil strife. This will be the first women’s T20 World Cup to be held at a neutral venue. If it feels like a women’s T20I World cup was played not too long ago, you would be right; the knock-on effect of the global pandemic forced the 2023 edition in South Africa to be held a year later than originally planned.

Ten teams will participate, divided into two groups of five, playing in a round-robin format. The top two from each group will qualify for the semifinals. Australia is the firm favorite to retain the trophy, having won the last four editions and six of the eight to have been played, England and the West Indies being the other winners in 2009 and 2016, respectively.

Since the first edition, women’s cricket has progressed a long way to the point where this will be the first women’s global tournament since the ICC announced equal prize money for both men’s and women's tournaments. The winners will receive USD 2.34 million, an increase of 134 percent over 2023’s prize money.

This reflects the dramatic increase in appeal of women’s cricket to spectators, broadcasters, sponsors and marketeers. Women have proved that they can play cricket to a high standard and attract funding. The leading professional cricketers, both men and women, can play cricket all year round, irrespective of weather conditions. Autumn, for them, has a different meaning compared with Keats. It is a time to fly away to warmer climes, leaving others to discuss the game’s future landscape.


Dubai Basketball to host Serbia’s Mega MIS in battle of unbeaten rivals

Updated 39 min 31 sec ago
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Dubai Basketball to host Serbia’s Mega MIS in battle of unbeaten rivals

  • Both teams go into Round 3 of Europe’s ABA League searching for a third straight victory

DUBAI: Dubai Basketball welcomes Serbia’s Mega MIS to the Coca-Cola Arena on Saturday night for a highly anticipated ABA League game that means one side will lose their perfect start to the season.

Dubai Basketball has stormed on to the scene with an undefeated start to their inaugural ABA League season after a thrilling 86-84 victory over Serbia’s defending champions, Crvena Zvezda, on the opening night, followed by their first road triumph, a 92-84 win over Slovenia’s Cedevita Olimpija.

Dubai might be facing their toughest contest yet, as Mega MIS — last year’s semi-finalists — are also unbeaten and looking to top the league’s standings.

However, Dubai Basketball’s captain, Klemen Prepelic, who was named the ABA League’s Fantasy Player of the Week for a stellar Round 2 performance, has been focused on his team’s preparations, and has called on Dubai fans to show up in force, creating an atmosphere like the one that nearly took the roof off the Coca-Cola Arena in their opener against Crvena Zvezda.

He said: “Our fans here in Dubai, they’re as much a part of the team as any one of us on the roster. When our fans show up in force, they really are the ‘sixth man,’ this place (Coca-Cola Arena) gets loud. We all experienced (last week) what our fans can do in big moments, the incredible atmosphere; they can make Coca-Cola Arena the toughest place for opponents to play, and we want to experience that again, all season long.”

Fans can expect a stellar contest, with both sides impressing so far and a sudden rivalry emerging. For Dubai Basketball, Prepelic is the team’s top points scorer with 39 as well as 14 assists and 8 rebounds while American Nate Mason will also be a threat with a 100 per cent record from his five free throws that have contributed to his 38-point tally.

Mega MIS, known throughout the world for producing NBA superstars, like NBA champion and three-time league MVP, Nikola Jokic, will not be short of confidence as they also aim for a 3-0 record. Filip Jovic (33), Kosta Kondic (32) and Mihailo Petrovic (30) have all passed the 30-point barrier in the opening two games so far.


‘Latino Night’ brings top boxing talent to Riyadh Season

Updated 03 October 2024
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‘Latino Night’ brings top boxing talent to Riyadh Season

  • Boxing fans in for a treat as fight card will be free on Nov. 16
  • Unification battle has Gilberto Ramirez vs. Chris Billam-Smith

LOS ANGELES: On Nov. 16, the Kingdom will host “Latino Night” featuring some of the world’s top fighters as a part of Riyadh Season, and will be free for viewers across the globe, it was confirmed at a press conference here on Wednesday night.

The event, organized by Golden Boy Promotions, will take place at The Venue, one of the new zones of Riyadh Season. The main event will be co-promoted by BOXXER.

During the press conference, it was confirmed that “Latino Night” will be the first Riyadh Season event offered free to boxing fans worldwide. DAZN will stream the event, with additional broadcasters in the region to be announced soon.

The event is expected to be one of the largest celebrations of Latino talent in boxing.

It will feature a unification battle between World Boxing Association cruiserweight champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez of Mexico and World Boxing Organization champion Chris Billam-Smith of the UK, who enters the fight after three consecutive title defenses.

In the co-main event, former unified champion and US Olympian Jose Ramirez will face dangerous undefeated contender and WBO No. 1-ranked challenger Arnold Barboza Jr. in a 12-round lightweight title eliminator.

The card includes a highly anticipated lightweight bout between Mexico’s William “El Camaron” Zepeda and former International Boxing Federation world champion Tevin “2X” Farmer in a 10-round clash.

Oscar De La Hoya, chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, said he and Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, “share the same vision of bringing the best fights to the fans.

“From the world title unification fight to matchups between former champions and rising contenders, as well as a star-studded undercard, this event will showcase everything that’s great about the sport of boxing.”

Golden Boy Promotions’ Chief Business Officer Felipe Bouton said: “We are thrilled to work with Riyadh Season to promote ‘Latino Night’ and expand Golden Boy’s global footprint.”

The night will open with a 12-round WBA super-lightweight title eliminator between WBA No. 1 contender Kenneth “Bossman” Sims Jr. from Chicago and Oscar “La Migrana” Duarte.


ICC Women’s T20 World Cup begins in UAE today as Pakistan face Sri Lanka

Updated 03 October 2024
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ICC Women’s T20 World Cup begins in UAE today as Pakistan face Sri Lanka

  • Pakistan to feature against arch-rivals India at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Oct. 6 
  • Semi-finals set to take place on Oct. 17 and 18 while winner of series to be decided on Oct 20

ISLAMABAD: The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 will begin today, Thursday, in the UAE with the Pakistan women’s team under the leadership of Fatima Sana taking on Sri Lanka in their opening match at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

Ten teams are featured in the 18-day tournament, with the Pakistan women’s team slotted in Group ‘A’ alongside Australia, India, New Zealand and Sri Lanka. Bangladesh, England, Scotland, South Africa and the West Indies are in Group ‘B’.

“We have prepared well for the mega event,” Captain Fatima Sana said in a statement released by the Pakistan Cricket Board. “The series against South Africa at home before coming to the UAE helped us know our strengths and allowed our batters to show their form.

“The two practice games have also helped us in assessing the conditions here and now has provided us with clarity regarding the right combination of players in the tournament.” 

The PCB said Pakistan would feature against arch-rivals India at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium (DICS) on Oct. 6 and then be in action against defending champions Australia on Oct. 11 at the same venue. Their last group match will be against New Zealand on Oct. 14.

As per the format of the tournament, the top two sides from each group will qualify for the semifinals set to take place on Oct. 17 and 18 while the winner of the tournament will be decided on Oct 20. 

Pakistan have featured in two warm-up games against Scotland and Bangladesh prior to the start of the tournament and also took part in various practice sessions to acclimatize to the conditions.

15-member squad for the tournament:

Fatima Sana (captain), Aliya Riaz, Diana Baig, Gull Feroza, Iram Javed, Muneeba Ali (wicket-keeper), Nashra Sundhu, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Syeda Aroob Shah, Tasmia Rubab and Tuba Hassan

Traveling reserve: Najiha Alvi (wicket-keeper)

Non-traveling reserves: Rameen Shamim and Umm-e-Hani


Messi strikes for two as Miami clinch MLS Supporters’ Shield

Updated 03 October 2024
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Messi strikes for two as Miami clinch MLS Supporters’ Shield

  • Messi made it 2-0, taking advantage of a poorly assembled wall to curl a laser-precision free-kick into the corner past the stationary Columbus keeper Patrick Schulte
  • The champions of MLS is determined by the winner of the MLS Cup playoffs — where Eastern Conference rivals the Crew and Miami could meet again

WASHINGTON: Lionel Messi scored twice as Inter Miami beat the defending Major League Soccer champions the Columbus Crew 3-2 to clinch the Supporters’ Shield awarded for the best regular season record.

Messi had been subdued until the 45th minute when he put Inter ahead — chesting down a long ball into the box and getting a lucky bounce off Crew defender Malte Amundsen before poking home.

Minutes later, Messi made it 2-0, taking advantage of a poorly assembled wall to curl a laser-precision free-kick into the corner past the stationary Columbus keeper Patrick Schulte.

But 20 seconds after the start of the second half, Columbus pulled a goal back when the ball fell to Diego Rossi just inside the box and he cleverly curled his shot into the far corner.

Straight from the restart, Columbus gifted Miami a third when Schulte raced off his line but with defender Rudy Camacho in his way, he dropped the ball to Luis Suarez who headed into the unguarded goal.

The Crew battled back again though and made it 3-2 through a Cucho Hernandez penalty after Noah Allen handled in the box.

But once again, the momentum Columbus had gained was lost when Camacho was sent off for a second yellow card after a studs up challenge on Federico Redondo.

Seven minutes from the end though, the Crew had a glorious chance to grab a point — and deny Miami their celebration — when a penalty was awarded for handball against Ian Fray after a VAR review.

But this time Colombian Hernandez’s penalty was weak and Miami keeper Drake Callender dived to his right and saved.

The champions of MLS is determined by the winner of the MLS Cup playoffs — where Eastern Conference rivals the Crew and Miami could meet again.