Rome, May 15 (IANS) Bologna FC lifted the Coppa Italia Frecciarossa (Italian Cup) trophy For the first time since 1973/74 with a 1-0 victory over AC Milan.After 3 minutes, Milan created the first chance when Leao beats Lucumì on the wing and sent in a dangerous cross, but Jimenez can’t finish it. Five minutes later, Bologna replied with a close-range header from Castro, but Maignan made a great save.In the 9th minute, Skorupski pulls off a double save—first on a deflection from Miranda, then stopping Jovic’s close-range shot. After these early chances, both defenses settle in, and the first half ends 0-0.The second half starts with a quick goal for Bologna after 7 minutes. Theo Hernandez tackles Orsolini, and the ball fall to Ndoye, who scored with a right-footed shot. Milan responded with three substitutions—Walker, Joao Felix, and Gimenez come on for Tomori, Jimenez, and Jovic—and a change in formation.Bologna also made changes, bringing on Pobega and Casale for Fabbian and Orsolini. Milan struggled to create chances, while Bologna tries a few long shots from Castro and Ndoye, but they miss the target. In added time, nothing changes, and Vincenzo Italiano’s Bologna hold on to win 1-0 and lift the Coppa Italia Frecciarossa.”It’s my first important trophy, an incredible joy. This is the greatest joy since I’ve been playing football, both as a player and as a coach. I managed to lift this cup to the sky after three finals lost by a hair’s breadth and I tried to give my all and I told the boys and together we managed to achieve this trophy, at Bologna, after 51 years,” said Bologna coach Vincenzo Italiano.”The disappointment comes from losing a title and the possibility of winning the cup… At the moment I have a lot of thoughts about the match and the choices made. My head is on understanding what went wrong today and what we could have done more. We must look forward and finish this championship with dignity. We have two games to finish the season well. I think I could have done a little more too. In Milan there are serious people who work and will do their analysis of the season,” said AC Milan coach Sergio Conceicao.–IANSbc/
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Madrid, May 15 (IANS) FC Barcelona will have to wait until at least Thursday night to confirm this season’s La…
Rome, May 14 (IANS) Carlos Alcaraz continued his rollercoaster ride in Rome as he reached the semifinals of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, overcoming Jack Draper in straight sets here on Wednesday. The Spaniard overcame Draper 6-4, 6-4 at the clay ATP Masters 1000, fighting back from 2-4 to claim the first set on Campo Centrale. He then let slip an early break lead in the second set, but rallied through to a one-hour, 38-minute quarter-final triumph.As well as keeping him on track for his second Masters 1000 trophy of the year (after Monte-Carlo), Alcaraz’s win against Draper also ensured he will, on Monday, rise above Alexander Zverev to No. 2 in the ATP Rankings. That will also lock the 22-year-old in as the second seed for the upcoming Roland Garros, where he is the defending champion. As the second seed, Alcaraz is guaranteed to be in the opposite half of the draw to World No. 1 Jannik Sinner at the clay major.With his Tour-leading 28th win of 2025, Alcaraz advanced to the Rome semi-finals for the first time on his second appearance. His opponent there will be defending champion and second seed Zverev or home favourite Lorenzo Musetti.Just as he had against Laslo Djere and Karen Khachanov in his previous two matches, Alcaraz produced a performance against Draper that fluctuated dramatically between streaks of shotmaking brilliance and lapses that allowed his opponent to escape from tough positions. Yet Alcaraz still found the consistency required to hold off the fifth-seeded Briton.The third-seeded Spaniard finished the match having hit 24 winners to Draper’s eight, a tally which more than made up for his 29 unforced errors to his opponent’s 18. Alcaraz was also clinical with his chances on return, converting all four break points he earned in the match, according to Infosys ATP Stats. After defeating Draper in the pair’s maiden tour-level clash on clay, Alcaraz leads the lefty 4-2 in their ATP head-to-head series.Draper would have risen above Taylor Fritz to No. 4 in the ATP Live Rankings by beating Alcaraz on Wednesday. Despite his defeat, he can reflect on another impressive step forward in his career on clay. He had won just nine tour-level matches on the surface before 2025 but has now doubled that tally after reaching the second round in Monte-Carlo, the final in Madrid, and the quarterfinals in Rome.–IANSbsk/
Guangzhou (China), May 14 (IANS) As the 2025 World Athletics Relays recently came to a close in Guangzhou, World Athletics President Sebastian Coe praised both the debut of the 4x100m mixed relay and China’s continued rise as an emerging athletics powerhouse.”History being made”, is how World Athletics President Sebastian Coe described the opening day of the 2025 World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou. Despite heavy rain, the event delivered strong performances, with several national records set and the debut of the 4x100m mixed relay making a splash on the international stage.”The first day was not the best for spectators, and certainly not ideal for the athletes, but as they always do, the athletes pushed through. The crowd came in good numbers and with great passion,” Coe said. He added that he was especially pleased with the new event’s debut, reports Xinhua.”I think, despite the conditions, we proved this new format will be a very successful addition to the sport,” he said.Relays have been a core part of Olympic track and field since the inaugural modern Games in 1896. While the mixed 4x100m relay introduces a gender-integrated competition format, Coe emphasised that the event is part of a broader effort to keep the sport fresh and engaging.”Don’t overlook the fact that our sport has long been gender equal. That’s not a new concept,” Coe said. The retired middle-distance champion noted that even when he began training at age 11, participation was evenly split between boys and girls.”And we’re one of the few sports that pays exactly the same prize money for women, whether it’s in the Diamond League or our world championships,” he said, adding that the ongoing success of the 4x400m mixed relay underscores how gender equality has long been central to athletics.”So to introduce a new mixed relay, it’s not so much about gender equality – it’s more about a new format. It’s exciting. It’s fast-paced. And it’s important that we keep unlocking new and younger audiences through these innovations,” Coe said.The 2025 event also marked the first time the World Athletics Relays were held in China. “This is the seventh edition. We’re delighted we’re here in Guangzhou because China is very important to develop our sport globally,” said Coe.Guangzhou is part of a broader 2025 athletics calendar in China, which also includes the World Indoor Championships and two Diamond League meets. In 2027, Yangzhou will host the World Road Running Championships, and Beijing will welcome the World Athletics Championships for a second time, making it the third city in history, after Helsinki and Tokyo, to host the event twice.”This is the beginning of a very exciting three-year journey. I can’t think of another country that is hosting more of our events at the moment than China,” Coe said with a smile.Asked about the impact of China’s hosting efforts, Coe was quick to respond. “What they have done has really shown many other organising committees the importance of details,” he said. “I visited one of the athletes’ hotels, and many of the athletes spoke to me about the high quality of service they received. The organising committee here is truly world-class.”During his visit, Coe toured the Su Bingtian Speed Centre at Jinan University – a state-of-the-art training and research hub named after the Asian 100-meter record holder and renowned Chinese sprinter. He also witnessed China’s men’s 4x400m team break the national record and qualify directly for the World Championships.”I spent my first morning in Guangzhou at Su’s centre. We looked at some of the technology being used, including AI for talent identification and performance analysis,” Coe said. He added that it’s inspiring to see elite athletes contributing beyond competition, helping elevate the sport and engage the next generation.As a former 4x400m relay runner himself, Coe was especially pleased to witness the Chinese team’s come-from-behind finish.Coe concluded with optimism about China’s continued rise in global athletics.–IANSbsk/
Mumbai, May 14 (IANS) Kolkata Knight Riders mentor Dwayne Bravo along some other West Indies players including Romerio Shepherd is back in India ahead of the restart of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which will resume with a match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Kolkata Knight Riders at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on May 17.Bravo, the West Indies star, spent many years in India as a star player for Chennai Super Kings, making vital contributions with his fine medium pace bowling and lower-order power-hitting. After retiring as a player, he maintained his connection with IPL first as a bowling coach at CSK before joining KKR as a mentor.On Wednesday, he confirmed his return to India for the remaining part of the IPL with a video on his Instagram handle.In the video, 9]Bravo is shown sitting in an electric vehicle in an airport and is audible saying “We are back”, as he is asked how he is (in Hindi). KKR’s overseas stars Andre Russell and Sunil Narine were also seen on Bravo’s Instagram story.Bravo had left India along with other foreign players and support staff after the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 was suspended on May 9 because of a violent conflict between India and Pakistan. India had targetted terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan as part of Operation Sindoor, in retaliation for the attack on innocent tourists by terrorists in Pahalgam, which resulted in the loss of 26 lives — 25 Indian and one Nepali.In response to Operation Sindoor, Pakistan attacked with missiles and drones some Indian cities along the northern and western border. All the airports in the northern and western parts of the country that were within the range of the Pakistan attack were closed.But with the BCCI announcing the restart of the IPL 2025 after the two countries agreed to a ceasefire, the franchises have sent urgent messages to the foreign players and support staff to return to India for the remaining matches in the IPL >KKR have two matches to play in the league phase. After playing with RCB on May 17, they will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on May 26.Though Bravo is back in India while some like Rashid Khan have not left the country, some players from Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa are reluctant to return to India as they still have concerns about their safety.Australia’s Jack Fraser-McGurk has already refused to rejoin the IPL 2025, and his franchise, Delhi Capitals, have already picked Mustafizur Rahman of Bangladesh as a replacement.–IANSbsk/
Manchester, May 14 (IANS) Manchester United fullback Diogo Dalot admitted that the team has not lived up to the standards of the club this season but said that securing UEFA Champions League qualification is the least they could do as the fans have suffered as much as the players this season.Manchester United currently sit in 16th place in the Premier League table, their worst ever domestic season by far, but can still end their season with a trophy, having reached the finals of the Europa League, where they will face England rivals, Tottenham Hotspur.“Winning the Europa League would mean less bad than the season actually is. Everybody knows this is not the standard for the club, nowhere near it. What we have been doing this season is not what this club deserves, so I think it is the least we could do for the fans because they suffer as much as us.“We have one more opportunity to be in the Champions League and to win a major competition, that is where we want to be, and if we have that opportunity, we need to grab it,” said Dalot in the press conference ahead of the finals next Thursday (IST).Joining Dalot was head coach Ruben Amorim, who has shown he is not one to shy away from having difficult and honest conversations during his brief time in England.The Portuguese head coach had blatantly said he may have to quit his current position, despite showing promise through his tenure, if the results continue after their 0-2 loss vs West Ham on Sunday.When asked about those comments, Amorim explained, “I am far from quitting. What I’m saying is since I arrived here I talk about standards. I cannot see the team having these results in the Premier League and say nothing and not take responsibility”.Although United will be expecting a tough fight against Spurs, they can take solace from the fact that the North London club is lingering below them on the points table at 17th place after having a horror season themselves.–IANSaaa/bsk/
Patna, May 14 (IANS) With their athletes bagging 10 gold medals, Maharashtra maintained their position at the top of the tally and are all set to win the team championship title with a day left for the Khelo India Youth Games 2025 to end. Thanks to their athletes’ dominance in the track and field competition, Maharashtra has a huge lead over Haryana and Rajasthan, at No. 2 and No. 3 on the medal tally on Wednesday.Host Bihar may not be among the top 10 teams in this edition of Khelo India, but they continue to make an impression. Bihar’s tally of gold medals swelled to seven with victories from an unexpected quarter, Thang-Ta, a traditional martial art practiced in North-East India. Coached by a Manipuri, Bihar won two Thang-Ta gold medals in Gaya.Every evening, on the tracks of the Patliputra Sports Complex, Bihar has come to the party. On another sweltering evening, Khushi Yadav ran a lonely race to win the 2000m steeplechase gold with consummate ease. It was Bihar’s second gold in track and field after Alka Singh’s shot put gold.The weightlifting competition, which has produced 13 youth national records, came to an end in Rajgir on Wednesday. Bihar and Jammu & Kashmir won their first weightlifting medals of the Games in a sport where Maharashtra was dominant.These Games have been all about rising talent who train at several Khelo India centres or National Centres of Excellence. The boxing competition, which also came to an end, threw up a few surprises with Mizoram’s Samuel Zadeng catching the eye with his gold in the 70 kg category.As expected, Haryana boxers dominated the ring and have caught the attention of the talent spotters.In the men’s football final in Begusarai, Jharkhand defeated Odisha for the boys’ title. Meghalaya and Mizoram finished in joint third. The final was well contested with Odisha and Jharkhand finishing 2-2 after regulation time. In the shootout that followed, Jharkhand won 5-4.On the penultimate day of wrestling competition, Haryana grapplers dominated the podium, taking three of the seven gold medals on offer. In the girls’ 69kg weight division, Haryana’s Manisha emerged the champion after defeating Rajasthan’s Palak Yadav 4-0, while the bronze medals went to Anshika Yadav of Uttar Pradesh and Sukhdeep Kumari of Punjab.In the boys’ Greco-Roman category, Haryana’s Vineet (71kg) took home the gold while in the boys’ U-17 freestyle category, Sahil enriched the state with the third gold in the 55kg category after beating Delhi’s Chirag Dahiya. The bronze medals went to the Maharashtra duo of Soham Sunil Kumbhar and Dhanraj Ganapati Jamnik.Thursday will be the final day of the competition with seven wrestling gold medals up for grabs. Even if Haryana wins all seven, Maharashtra looks home and dry with a massive lead of 20-plus gold medals.–IANSbsk/
Narainpur, May 14 (IANS) Tripura climbed to the top of Group D in the Swami Vivekananda Men’s U-20 National Football Championship after defeating Himachal Pradesh at the Ramakrishna Mission Ashram Ground on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Mizoram began their campaign with a win against Maharashtra.Tripura defeated Himachal Pradesh 2-1, while Mizoram notched up a 4-0 victory against Maharashtra. Mizoram, playing their first match in Group D, earned a comfortable 4-0 victory against Maharashtra.Lalhruaitluanga opened the scoring in the 14th minute with a shot from a distance. Laldawngzuala added a second, a few minutes later. F Malsawmtluanga curled in a free-kick from around 30 yards out just after the hour mark to make it three.Stephen Ngurchhuanmawia scored in the second half injury time to earn a big win for Mizoram, who now have three points from one game, and have gone second in the group.Tripura defeated Himachal Pradesh 2-1 in a tightly contested match. All goals were scored in the first half.Naba Kishore Singha scored both goals for Tripura. His first was a finish at the near post after he was played in behind the Himachal defence via an aerial through ball from the left in the 11th minute.Aryan Thakur levelled things up for Himachal Pradesh in the 21st minute with a deftly-placed left-footed strike, but Naba Kishore scored the decisive goal, a tap-in from inside the six-yard box, to win the match for his side.Tripura are now top of Group D, having earned six points from their two matches. Maharashtra are third, while Jharkhand and Himachal Pradesh occupy the respective bottom two spots.On Tuesday, in the Swami Vivekananda Men’s U-20 National Football Championship, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh emerged victorious in their respective matches against Manipur and Ladakh in the Group C matches. While Punjab defeated Manipur 1-0, Uttar Pradesh were victorious against Ladakh by a 4-2 margin.–IANSaaa/bsk/
Miyazaki (Japan), May 14 (IANS) Mannat Brar had the best second round among the three compatriots at the 45th Queen Sirikit Cup, but Zara Anand continued to be the best-placed Indian after two rounds of competition here on Wednesday.Mannat, who reached the semifinal of the R&A Girls’ Amateur event last year, shot 2-under 70 while Zara (73-71) shot 1-under 71. Zara moved from T-12 to T-10, while Mannat (77-70) rose from T-25 to T-15. The third player, Heena Kang (76-76), is T-28.The Indians, as a team, are lying fifth, two places up from the first round.Oh Soo-min and Jung Min-seo sprang to the fore as Korea cruised to the top of the leaderboard at the halfway stage.Oh, the defending individual champion and the tournament’s top-ranked player, followed her opening 69 with a sparkling five-under-par 67 on the Tom Watson Golf Course at the Phoenix Seagaia Resort.Also taking advantage of the ideal scoring conditions was Jung, who improved on her first-round 74 by eight strokes, matching China’s Zhou Shiyuan for the best round of the day, which was played at the Phoenix Seagaia Resort.In the event in which the best two daily scores from each of the 13 three-player teams are counted, Korea posted a formidable second-round aggregate of 11-under 133. With a 36-hole total of 16-under 272, the Koreans will take a six-stroke lead from overnight pace-setters Japan into Thursday’s penultimate round.The Queen Sirikit Cup, officially the Asia-Pacific Amateur Ladies Golf Team Championship, is an annual amateur team golf championship for women organised by the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation. The inaugural event was held in 1979. The event is named after Queen Sirikit of Thailand. Teams consist of three players. The tournament is held over 4 days with 18 holes of stroke play on each day, the best two rounds counting for the team score. Up to 2019, the event was held over 3 rounds.–IANSbsk/
Lille, May 14 (IANS) Canadian striker Jonathan David has announced his decision to leave Ligue 1 side LOSC Lille at the end of the season through an emotional post on Instagram. The 25-year-old will leave as a free agent upon the expiry of his contract.This decision follows after the striker has been linked with Serie A clubs Juventus and Napoli, while FC Barcelona and Newcastle are also interested.“I wanted to tell you myself that after so many years at the club, it’s finally time to say goodbye. I’ve had five wonderful seasons here, and I know it hasn’t always been easy, but I hope that with my goals and my celebrations, I have managed to bring you some joy. Notably, the French Championship and the League championship trophy. I think that with these two trophies, we have brought a lot of pleasure and joy,” said David in the video.David will be leaving LOSC five years after joining from KAA Gent for a 27 million Euro fee. Over the course of his stay at the French club, he has won a Ligue 1 title and a Trophee des Champions, whilst he has also netted 109 times in 231 games. This season, he has 25 goals in 48 games in all competitions. His last game for Les Dogues will be against Stade de Reims on Saturday.“I would like to thank all of my teammates, all the coaches, the staff, the medical teams, and the managers. Everyone I have met and spent months with at the club, thank you very much for everything you have given me personally over the years. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.“And finally, to the supporters, I know I did not have the easiest start, but you have always been behind me. You have supported me through all the difficult times, and for that, I truly hold you in my heart. Thank you for all the beautiful moments we have shared. You were behind the team, behind me, encouraging us, allowing us to experience seasons like the ones we had. Thank you,” he added.At just 25 years of age, David is already the top international goal scorer in Canada’s history with 32 goals to his name, followed by Cyle Larin with 30 goals.–IANSaaa/bsk/