Israel lose to Kosovo in
Euro 2024 qualifiers
Pristina (Kosovo), Nov 13: Israel’s chances of reaching the European Championship finals went down after its 1-0 loss to Kosovo in their delayed qualifying game. It was the first soccer match for Israel since the October 7 attack by Hamas and the ongoing war in Gaza. It had originally been scheduled for October 15 but was postponed. Kosovo fans whistled Israeli players when they had the ball but the game passed off peacefully in Pristina on Sunday. Milot Rashica scored the only goal in the 41st minute. He controlled the ball in the area and under pressure managed a strong shot which Israel goalkeeper Omri Glazer couldn’t stop. Glazer had a busy night, including denying Vedat Muriqi twice in the second half. Israel’s first good opportunity came in the 34th with a close-range header from Eran Zahavi. Goalkeeper Arijanet Muric saved a shot from Israel’s Oscar Gloukh nine minutes from the end. Israel went down to 10 men in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time after Roy Revivo was sent off for a second yellow card. Fourth-place Kosovo has 10 points in Group I, one point behind third-place Israel. But Israel is five points behind leader Romania, which has played one game more, and four points behind Switzerland. The top two teams automatically qualify for Euro 2024 in Germany. “We are more disappointed because we cannot give some happiness or (a) smile for our people at home,” Israel coach Alon Hazan said after the game. (AP)
Prince William, Sir Alex Ferguson attend Bobby Charlton funeral
MANCHESTER, Nov 13: Prince William headed the list of dignitaries who attended the funeral of Manchester United and England great Bobby Charlton on Monday. The future king of England attended the service at Manchester Cathedral in his role as president of the Football Association. Charlton, who was widely regarded as the greatest English football player in history, died last month. He was 86. Around 1,000 guests, including former teammates and leading sporting figures, attended his funeral, while fans paid their respects as the hearse carrying Charlton’s coffin passed United’s Old Trafford stadium. Former United manager Alex Ferguson was among the representatives of United, the club Charlton played for from 1956-73, making 758 appearances. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin and England manager Gareth Southgate also attended. The funeral cortege began at Old Trafford stadium, where it passed through a guard of honour made up of United’s academy teams. (AP)
Canada win singles duels to
claim Billie Jean King Cup
Seville, Nov 13: Canada won the Billie Jean King Cup for the first time in history after defeating Italy in the final. Canada claimed a prize of 2.4 million U.S. dollars for their impressive displays this week in the most important women’s tennis team tournament. 18-year-old Marina Stakusic got the Canadians off to a perfect start as she overcame Martina Trevisan 7-5, 6-3 in the opening singles match, reports Xinhua. Trevisan had been in incredible form in Seville, arriving unbeaten to the final, but Stakusic showed the team tournaments are very different from individual ones as she overcame her ranking of No. 258 in the world to secure a famous victory. The Canadians beat the Czech Republic on Saturday to reach their first-ever Billie Jean King Cup final, while the Italians were in the final for the first time since 2013. Canada had the memory of a 3-0 win over Italy in the 2022 group stage, and in Leylah Fernandez, they had a player who went into Sunday’s tie after winning 15 of her last 16 matches in the competition. (IANS)