I-League: Salgaocar move to 2nd spot
Margao (GOA): Salgaocar FC kept pace at the top of the table after a 2-0 victory over traditional football rivals Dempo Sports in the Round 21 clash of the I-League here on Wednesday. The victory meant Salgaocar are now unbeaten in five matches and have kept a clean sheet in four consecutive games. The turnaround came about after Dudu Omagbemi joined them during the transfer window this year. The Nigerian striker failed to score for the first time since joining the side but that was no problem for Salgaocar as goals from Bikash Jairu (18th minute) and Darryl Duffy (23rd minute) gave Derrick Pereira’s team a comfortable win. The win kept Salgaocar within sniffing distance of the title and the former I-League champions are now just four points adrift of leaders Bengaluru FC (33 to 37 points). Both teams have played 19 matches. (PTI)
Pune FC suffer first AFC Cup defeat
Singapore: Pune FC suffered their first AFC Cup defeat, going down 3-1 to Tampines Rovers FC in a Group H Round 3 encounter at the Jalan Besar Stadium here on Wednesday. Attacker Riga Mustapha (15th minute) gave Pune FC the lead with a penalty kick conversion before striker Miljan Mrdakovic (38th) pulled the hosts level in the first half. Second half strikes from midfielder Closa Gonzalez (61st) and Mrdakovic (69th) handed Tampines Rovers all three points. With this loss, Pune FC slipped down to fourth place in Group H, behind leaders Kitchee SC (7 pts), Nay Pyi Taw FC (4 pts) and Tampines Rovers (3 pts) midway through the group stage. (PTI)
Jwala-Ashwini look to roar back
New Delhi: India’s top doubles shuttler Ashwini Ponappa is not losing her sleep over recent setbacks at international tournaments and wants to roar back to form with partner Jwala Gutta at the Indian Open Super Series next month. Ponnappa, along with Gutta, failed to even qualify for the All England Championship before making the first round exit at the Swiss Open this season. “We are not losing heart even though we have lost. You have to see we got some tough draws. We are looking to get back to the form at the Indian Open. It’s about learning from our mistakes. We are getting better with each tournament. When you play well, you know that you are going in the right direction,” Ashwini told PTI here. The India Open Super Series will be played at the Siri Fort Sports Complex from April 1-6 here. Ponappa, who will be defending her doubles title with Jwala at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow later this year, also exuded confidence of putting up a good show at the quadrennial event. “It’s still some time to go for CWG. We are working in that direction,” said Ashwini, who partners Tarun Kona in the mixed doubles. After the Indian Open, the Bangalore shuttler will be seen in action at the Singapore Open. (IANS)
IPL not for making comeback: Gambhir
New Delhi: Determined to fight his way back into the national side, Gautam Gambhir on Wednesday said he would be happy grinding it out in the domestic circuit for long rather than using the Indian Premier League as a “platform” to make a “personal comeback”. Once considered as Indian batting’s mainstay, Gambhir now finds himself in cricketing wilderness owing to his indifferent form, but the out-of-favour opener has not lost hopes of returning to international cricket and would be happily plying his trade in the Deodhar Trophy for North Zone and Kolkata Knights Riders in the IPL. “I will never use the IPL (as a platform). I will use the IPL as a platform to do well for my side KKR. What all matters to me is good showing for KKR. I don’t play the IPL for my personal comebacks. I play IPL for my team and do well for them. Performing for KKR is all that is in back of my mind,” Gambhir told PTI. “It’s (domestic cricket) the stepping stone for making it to the Indian team. Till the time love for the game is there, I don’t mind playing at any platform, be it domestic, IPL or the international cricket. I love the game and that’s what really matters to me,” Gambhir said on the sidelines of an event. (PTI)