U-19 I-League: Reds edge past RWFC
SHILLONG: Shillong Lajong FC defeated Royal Wahingdoh FC 3-2 in an I-League Under-19 Rest of India Group B Zone match at the Lammual Stadium in Aizawl on Wednesday. Head Coach Alison Kharsyntiew made five changes to Lajong’s line up bringing in Klainbor Khongsit, Allen, Frolicson Dkhar, Rakesh and Sheen Stevenson Sohktung. The Reds went into the lead in the after skipper Hardy Cliff Nongrbi converted from a set piece in the 10th minute. Lajong juniors doubled the lead just six minutes later with Nabin being the provider this time as he put Sheen Steven Sohktung through to make it 2-0 for the Reds. Down by two goals, the Royals began to find their foot thereafter and came up with the equalizer in the 34th minute when Sushil Meitei found the back of the nets. Barely 10 minutes after the break RWFC equalized with another shot at the nets. As the second half wore on, both teams pressed hard and continued to create chances. Lajong finally scored the decisive goal after an unmarked Precious fed the ball to Hardy who made no mistake as he slotted the ball home past the young Wahingdoh custodian in the 61st minute. Both Lajong and RWFC have failed to qualify for the Final Round of the U-19 I-League.
United beat NFU in close encounter
SHILLONG: United XI defeated NFU by three wickets in closely contested league match of the Super Division Shillong Cricket League organised by the Shillong Cricket Association at the SCA Cricket Ground, Polo on Wednesday. Nitesh Sharma hammered 73 runs of 80 balls, while Kamal Sharma hit a steady 33 runs of 38 balls as NFU battered the United XI attack to pile up 201 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in the allotted 40 overs. Andrew Thabah retained figures of 3/21 while Babloo Passah scalped two wickets for United. In reply, United XI reached the target with just two balls to spare, losing 7 wickets in the process. Babloo Passah scored 70 runs of 79 balls while Peter Anglican scored 67 runs of 71 balls. Bishu Upadhaya and Lakhan Singh bagged a wicket each for NFU.
Next match, Febraury 12: 1st Semi Final-First Division: 1st MLP v/s Madanryting SC
Arsenal climb to fourth after holding off Leicester
LONDON: Arsenal got back on track after their derby misery with a 2-1 victory over Leicester that lifted the Gunners into fourth place in the Premier League on Tuesday. Arsene Wenger’s side had slumped to a dispiriting late defeat against north London rivals Tottenham on Saturday, but they rebounded at the Emirates Stadium thanks to first half goals from Laurent Koscielny and Theo Walcott. It was hardly Arsenal’s most dominant display and they had to survive a Leicester fightback in the second half following Andrej Kramaric’s strike for the visitors. But Wenger, whose team will drop back down to fifth if Manchester United beat Burnley on Wednesday, will be relieved to see his team’s morale wasn’t damaged by that derby defeat at the weekend. (Agencies)
Balotelli ends goal drought to sink Tottenham
LIVERPOOL: Mario Balotelli scored his first Premier League goal for Liverpool as the Italian’s late strike secured a 3-2 win over Tottenham on Tuesday that boosted their hopes of a top-four finish. Brendan Rodgers’ side had twice led through Lazar Markovic and a Steven Gerrard penalty only to be pegged back by goals from Harry Kane and Mousa Dembele in a thrilling encounter at Anfield. Balotelli, who hadn’t scored a league goal since arriving from AC Milan in August, came off the bench to deliver the decisive blow with seven minutes left when he tapped home to secure a vital success against one of Liverpool’s rivals for a Champions League spot. (Agencies)
QPR end long search for Premier League away points
LONDON: Managerless Queens Park Rangers climbed out of the relegation zone with a 2-0 win at Sunderland which would have impressed their ‘dream manager’ as they earned their first Premier League away points this season. Leroy Fer and Bobby Zamora scored first half goals for the west Londoners who won away at the 12th time of asking after chairman Tony Fernandes hinted on Twitter at the appointment of a ‘dream manager’ to replace the departed Harry Redknapp. ‘It’s a very important result,’ QPR interim boss Chris Ramsey told Sky Sports. ‘It’s been a long time coming. ‘We have had some good away performances but we just haven’t had the rub of the green. ‘It’s nice from a visual point of view to see yourselves above the (relegation) line. We need to stick together and continue to perform like that. ‘The goals that we got were great and a good quick fast start was important for us. The boys kept the momentum up throughout the game.’ QPR have climbed to 17th but are still embroiled in a fierce relegation battle and only lead Aston Villa, who are now in the drop zone after losing 2-0 at Hull City, on goal difference. (Reuters)
Capacity crowd expected at opening World Cup matches
Melbourne: The cricket World Cup is set to start on a rousing note with capacity crowd expected at all the four venues across Australia and New Zealand over the weekend. Two matches have already sold out, while only limited tickets remain for the games in Melbourne and Hamilton, according to ICC. The tournament’s Local Organising Committee chief executive John Harnden said he was delighted with the response of the fans. “We’ve already sold over 8,25,000 tickets a few days before the first ball is being bowled. “We’re very close to being at full capacity for Australia versus England on Saturday at the MCG. There’s a few thousand tickets left and I’d urge people if they want to be there, to buy now and don’t leave it until the last moment. “The message to everyone is there are still great tickets available, there’s a lot of games over the tournament and don’t miss out. If you want to be here, if you really want to be part of history make certain you come,” Harnden said. The tournament kicks off with double headers over the weekend. Co-hosts New Zealand take on Sri Lanka in one of the opening fixtures at Christchurch on Saturday. On the same day, tournament favourites Australia will face-off with traditional rival England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The Adelaide Oval will host the event’s most awaited match between arch-rivals India and Pakistan on Sunday. (PTI)