Waveriders win Hockey India League
Ranchi: Delhi Waveriders defeated Punjab Warriors in a penalty shoot-out to emerge as the champions in the second edition of the Hockey India League here on Sunday evening. It came as a befitting result for last year’s runners-up Waveriders, who made their second consecutive final of the HIL. The Waveriders beat Warriors 3-1 in the shoot-out after the regulation 70 minutes ended in a 3-3 tie. The majority of the credit should go to the Waveriders’ goalie Nicolas Jacobi, who had a brilliant day under the bar and made numerous saves to guide the Delhi side to the title. Apart from making quite a few saves in the regulation time, Jacobi stood like a rock in the shoot-out to deny Warriors’ first three attempts. But it was not enough as the Waveriders scored three out of their four chances in the shoot-out to run away with the glittering trophy and Rs 2.5 crore prize purse. Last year’s champions Ranchi Rhinos came third. Earlier in the day, the Rhinos defeated Uttar Pradesh Wizards in a penalty shoot-out, too, to claim third place. The Rhinos defeated UP Wizards 3-2 in the shoot-out after both teams were locked at 1-1 after regulation time. (PTI)
Rampant Bayern beat Hannover 96
BERLIN: Bayern Munich extended their lead at the top of the Bundesliga to 19 points as they defeated Hannover 96 in a comfortable 4-0 victory on Sunday. The other match of the day ended in a 0-0 draw between Eintracht Frankfurt and Werder Bremen. Bayern scored their four through Thomas Muller (2), Thiago and Mario Mandzukic. On Saturday, second-placed Bayer Leverkusen and third-placed Borussia Dortmund suffered shock defeats while Monchengladbach remained winless after the 22nd round of Bundesliga matches. Mirko Slomka celebrated his debut as the new Hamburg coach with an astonishing 3-0 win over third placed Dortmund. Hamburg climbed out of the relegation zone and into 16th place while Dortmund stayed in third position with 42 points. Wolfsburg overpowered second placed Leverkusen 3-1 thanks to goals from Bas Dost, Luiz Gustavo and Ricardo Rodriguez. (IANS)
Aus, S Africa enter U-19 World Cup semis
Dubai: Australia and South Africa booked their places in the last-four of the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup on Sunday after winning their respective quarterfinal matches. A magnificent century by West Indies’ Nicolas Pooran went in vain as Australia reached their third successive semifinal with a comfortable five-wicket victory here, while South Africa’s Aiden Markram scored his second consecutive hundred to take his side to an easy nine-wicket win over Afghanistan in Sharjah. Australia and South Africa will clash in the second semifinal of the tournament on February 26, while the first one will be played between England and Pakistan on Monday. (PTI)
Russia closes costliest Olympics
Sochi: Flushed with pride after a spectacular showing at the costliest Olympics ever, Russia celebrates 17 days of sport-driven global unity on Sunday night with a farewell show that hands off the Winter Games to their next host, Pyeongchang in South Korea. The closing ceremony, a farewell from Russia with love, pageantry and protocol, starts at 20:14 local time precisely, a nod to the year that President Vladimir Putin seized upon to remake Russia’s image with the Olympics’ power to wow and concentrate global attention and massive resources. Its $51 billion (Rs 3.17 lakh crore) investment, topping even Beijing’s estimated $40 billion layout for the 2008 Summer Games, transformed a decaying resort town on the Black Sea into a household name. All-new facilities, unthinkable in the Soviet era of drab shoddiness, showcased how far Russia has come in the two decades since it turned its back on communism. But the Olympic show didn’t win over critics of Russia’s backsliding on democracy and human rights under Putin and its institutionalised intolerance of gays. Despite some bumps along the way, Thomas Bach is expected to use the closing ceremony to deliver an upbeat verdict on the games, his first as International Olympic Committee president. (AP)