Boca win in Copa Libertadores
Rio de Janeiro: Footballer Bruno Henrique scored twice to help Flamengo beat Brazilian rivals Internacional 2-0 in the first leg of their Copa Libertadores quarterfinal.It took until the 75th minute for the hosts to break the deadlock at the Maracana stadium, with Henrique poking in a first-time effort after Gerson’s lay-off on Wednesday. Henrique, who last week earned a maiden Brazil call-up for September friendlies against Peru and Colombia, then showed superb skill by controlling a Gabriel Barbosa pass and turning in the same motion before firing another shot past goalkeeper Marcelo Lomba, Xinhua news agency reported.The result means that even a loss by a margin of one goal in next week’s return leg in Porto Alegre will be enough for Flamengo to progress to the semifinals of South America’s premier club competition.In Wednesday’s other quarterfinal, six-time champions Boca Juniors won 3-0 against LDU Quito.Ramon Abila gave the visitors an early lead before Jefferson Orejuela was shown a straight red card for a rash challenge on Emanuel Reynoso just before halftime.Reynoso then made it 2-0 just after the interval, after which Kevin Minda was dismissed for abusive language toward the referee Emanuel Reynoso. LDU Quito’s night went from bad to worse when Luis Caicedo turned the ball into his own net nine minutes from time. (IANS)
Ahmed extends stay at Aston
Birmingham: Ahmed Elmohamady has signed a one-year contract extension with Aston Villa, the club confirmed on Thursday. Elmohamady joined Aston Villa back in 2017 and has made over 40 appearances last term.The Egyptian international is elated over the contract extension and is looking forward to continuing his stay. “I am absolutely delighted to extend my contract. Playing for Aston Villa is unbelievable. It’s a great club and the fans are unbelievable. I am looking forward to continuing my stay here,” the club’s official website quoted Elmohamady as saying. (ANI)
Sri Lanka to play in Pakistan
Colombo: Sri Lanka will return to Pakistan after a nearly two-year absence for three short-form cricket games later this year, the sports minister said Thursday. “We are not in a position to send the team to Pakistan to play the two Tests, but we will be in Pakistan for about eight days to play the ODIs or the T20 matches,” Harin Fernando told reporters in Colombo. No dates were announced, but the minister said the games would be scheduled for later this year. Citing safety fears, Fernando said two Tests could instead be played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where Pakistan has held many of its home series. International teams have stayed away from Pakistan over security concerns. In October 2017, Sri Lanka played a T20 match in Lahore for the first time since a terror attack near the same venue in March 2009. That attack left eight people dead and seven Sri Lanka players and staff injured. (AFP)
Warriors beat Patna Pirates
Chennai: Bengal Warriors came up with an all-round performance on Thursday to defeat former champions Patna Pirates 35-26 in a Pro Kabaddi League match at the Nehru indoor stadium here.Raider Maninder Singh, with a Super 10 (10 raid points), and defender Rinku Narwal who impressed with a High 5 (5 tackle points), were the stars for Bengal who forced two all-outs on the rival team in a fast-paced second half. All-rounder Monu came in for Korean raider Jang Kun Lee in the Patna Pirates lineup as coach Ram Mehar Singh tried to halt their bad run of form by bringing in more balance to the starting seven. The three-time champions started on the front-foot with star player Pardeep Narwal looking ominous. (PTI)