Osasuna, Elche play out 1-1 draw in Spanish league
Madrid, Nov 30: Osasuna and Elche couldn’t manage more than 1-1 in a match between teams enduring poor runs in the Spanish league. The result on Monday extended Osasuna’s winless streak to six consecutive matches, while Elche’s winless run reached seven straight league games. Ante Budimir scored in the seventh minute for Osasuna, which was coming off three losses in a row. Fidel Chaves equalized in the 19th for Elche, which stayed near the relegation zone. (AP)
Carrick to take charge of Utd against Arsenal
Manchester, Nov 30: Michael Carrick will lead Manchester United in the Premier League game against Arsenal on Thursday while manager Ralf Rangnick waits to secure a work visa. Carrick was put in charge of the team on an interim basis and has had two games at the helm – a 2-0 win at Villarreal in the Champions League and a 1-1 draw at Chelsea in the Premier League. Rangnick was hired as manager until the end of the season on Monday. He was previously working in Russia as head of sports and development at Lokomotiv Moscow. (AP)
Bayern could play Barça in empty stadium after high COVID rates
Munich, Nov 30: Bayern Munich will likely host Barcelona without spectators in the Champions League next week after the state governor said on Tuesday he will demand sports events in empty stadiums due to high coronavirus infection rates. Bavaria governor Markus Söder said his state would block fans from attending games even if there isn’t an agreement to do it nationwide. “It makes no sense to allow spectators again for the foreseeable future,” Söder told regional broadcaster Bayern 2. “If that doesn’t work on the federal level, we will do it for Bavaria alone.” (AP)
PSG president denies being in contact with Zidane
PARIS, Nov 30: Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has denied being in talks with Zinedine Zidane about becoming the French club’s next coach and gave support to the current man in charge, Mauricio Pochettino. Speaking on the sidelines of the Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris, Al-Khelaifi told L’Équipe TV channel on Monday night that PSG had “zero contact” with Zidane. Al-Khelaifi spoke following reports last week in French media of a meeting between Zidane and PSG officials in a fancy Paris hotel. Zidane, who ended his second spell as Real Madrid manager in May, is out of work. (AP)
Senegal’s Ismaïla Sarr could miss African Cup of Nations
WATFORD, Nov 30: Senegal could be without Ismaïla Sarr for the African Cup of Nations because the winger has a knee ligament injury. Sarr was hurt in Watford’s 4-1 win over Manchester United in the Premier League on Nov. 20 and will require a further scan “in around a month’s time,” the English club said Tuesday, before another update is given on his condition. The African Cup starts on Jan. 9 and players are scheduled to join up with their national teams at the end of December. (AP)
Indian eves’ hockey team departs for Asian Champions Trophy
Bengaluru, Nov 30: The Indian women’s hockey team on Tuesday departed for Korea to participate in the Asian Champions Trophy to be held in Donghae from December 5. It will be the first tournament for the Indian team since finishing fourth at the Tokyo Olympics. It will face China, Korea, Japan, Thailand and Malaysia in the single-pool competition. India will play its opening match against Thailand on December 5, before taking on Malaysia on December 6 and hosts and defending Champions Korea in the third match on December 8. India plays China on December 9 and Japan on December 11. (PTI)
Sancheti wins women’s air rifle gold at Shooting Nationals
New Delhi, Nov 30: Delhi’s Rajshree Sancheti claimed the women’s 10m air rifle gold at the 64th National Shooting Championship Competitions (NSCC) in Bhopal on Tuesday. Rajshree finished the eight-woman final with a score of 251.8, more than 1.6 ahead of silver winning Zeena Khitta of Himachal Pradesh at the M.P State Shooting Academy range. Local shooter Shreya Agrawal won bronze after ending with 227.7 following the 22nd shot of the 24-shot final. The junior women’s 10m air rifle crown was won by Tamil Nadu’s R Narmada Nithin, who shot a national finals record score of 252.1 to strike gold. (PTI)
First Black golfer, Lee Elder, passes away at 87
Washington, Nov 30: Lee Elder, who broke down racial barriers as the first Black golfer to play in the Masters and paved the way for Tiger Woods and others to follow, has died at the age of 87. The PGA Tour announced Elder’s death, which was first reported Monday by Debert Cook of African American Golfers Digest. No cause was given, but the tour confirmed Elder’s death with his family. He had been in poor health and wore an oxygen tube when he appeared at the opening of the Masters in April. (AP)