Continuing their fine form from this year’s mid-day Ranis of Rink—Mumbai’s only U-16 inter-school rink football tournament for girls—Smt RSB AVM (Juhu) launched the defence of their MSSA inter-school girls U-16 football tournament in roaring fashion with a 3-1 victory over St Xavier’s (Mira Road) at the St Francis D’Assisi ground, Borivli, on Thursday. Earlier this year, the Juhu side had displayed fine teamwork combined with some individual brilliance to successfully retain their mid-day Ranis of Rink title at the Neville D’Souza turf, Bandra, beating Rustomjee Cambridge (Dahisar) in the final. And it is these very attributes that helped them deliver the goods in their MSSA season-opening encounter. Also Read: Organisers to probe chaos during Argentina-Morocco tie Undeterred by the heavy ground conditions caused by the incessant rains over the last few days, the defending champions did well to come from behind and score thrice. Stunned by an early reversal when Prisha Faldu found the back of the net for St Xavier’s, the Juhu outfit quickly regrouped and steadily controlled the proceedings while their opponents seemed rather keen on defending their slender lead. The chief architect of the Juhu side’s resurgence was the diminutive Radhika Vyas, who, apart from scoring a brilliant goal, was a constant threat to the opposition with her speedy runs down the flanks. At half-time, the Juhu outfit were trailing by a goal, but had shown enough signs that they would bounce back after the break. And that’s exactly what happened. Substitute Stuti Kothari converted a penalty to level things early in the second half after which a fine solo effort by Aarya Banjara saw them double their lead. Radhika then sealed the fate of the match with a fine finish to make it 3-1.
26 July,2024 08:02 AM IST | Mumbai | Neeraj AnandParis Olympics organisers were on Thursday investigating the crowd trouble during a chaotic football match between Argentina and Morocco that marred the opening day of sport at the Games. Argentina’s football association meanwhile called for action following the defeat for its men’s side on Wednesday. The Moroccans beat two-time gold medallists Argentina 2-1 in Saint-Etienne at the end of a game mired in confusion and crowd trouble. Argentina thought they had salvaged a 2-2 draw when Cristian Medina scored in the 16th minute of injury time as the game went on even beyond the 15 extra minutes indicated by officials. Also Read: Clay queen Iga Swiatek eyes gold; Djoko, Rafa could meet in Rd 2 But crowd trouble ensued, with projectiles launched onto the pitch and spectators invading the playing area. A firecracker was thrown at the Argentina bench. The players were taken off, before reappearing nearly two hours later to play out three more minutes in a stadium by now emptied of spectators. Medina’s goal was then disallowed for offside following a VAR review, and Morocco held on for the win. “The football match between Argentina and Morocco at the Saint-Etienne Stadium was suspended due to a pitch invasion by a small number of spectators,” said Paris 2024 organisers in a statement. Argentina coach Javier Mascherano called the incidents and the resulting confusion “a scandal” and complained that “we had a million things thrown at us.” The Argentine FA said they had made “a formal complaint to FIFA’s disciplinary committee so that the necessary measures are taken for such a serious incident.” “There is a pressing need to guarantee the security of those involved so that this beautiful sport can be played in peace,” the statement added. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
26 July,2024 07:59 AM IST | Saint-Etienne (France) | AFPNicolas Kuhn scored twice and Luis Palma netted the decider in the 68th minute to give Celtic a 4-3 victory over Manchester City in a pre-season friendly on Tuesday. Norway’s Erling Haaland, wearing the City captain’s armband for the first time, nodded home an equaliser in the 57th minute only for Honduran international Palma to tap in the winning goal on a breakaway at the University of North Carolina’s Kenan Memorial Stadium. The match was a tune-up for next month’s start of the 2024-25 campaigns for Celtic, winner of the past three Scottish Premiership crowns, and four-time defending English Premier League champions Manchester City, who began a US tour. With several top stars resting from the European Championships, City manager Pep Guardiola used the opportunity to analyse younger talent. Also Read: Manchester City suffer Haaland injury scare before FA Cup semi-final The match marked a Celtic debut for goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, the 37-year-old Dane who began his career with City in 2006. German right wing Kuhn netted a first-half brace for Celtic, playing in a fourth pre-season match. Down 3-1 at half-time, City answered seconds into the second half on 21-year-old Argentine substitute Maximo Perrone’s goal. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
25 July,2024 07:12 AM IST | Chapel Hill | AFPArgentina’s Olympic football team were given a hostile reception by fans in their opening match against Morocco, after a recent racism scandal following their senior side’s Copa America triumph. The players were met with boos and whistles when they entered the field in Saint-Etienne, while the Argentinian national anthem was also jeered. The vast majority of the 35,000-strong crowd, most of them supporting Morocco, continued to whistle at Argentina’s players during the game. The tie ended 2-2 after two-time gold medallists Argentina fought back from two goals down to snatch a point with a header from Cristian Medina in the 16th minute of added time. The fans responded to that equaliser on Wednesday by raining down plastic bottles and cups, onto the pitch. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
25 July,2024 07:03 AM IST | Paris | AFPAmidst rumours, head coach Pep Guardiola confirmed on Tuesday that star Belgian midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, will not be leaving Manchester City in the upcoming season. In recent days, there have been rumours that De Bruyne has been in contact with Saudi Pro League club Al Ittihad and is looking forward to making a shocking transfer after spending almost nine years with the club. Speaking ahead of Manchester City's friendly game against Celtic in North Carolina, Guardiola said that if someone leaves the club, then the club will talk to them. He added that there's an 85 to 90 percent chance that they will have the same squad. "Kevin is not going. If someone leaves, we're going to talk about that. Of course, until the last day, we have chances (to make transfers), I don't rule out the option to have new players but I think there is an 85/90 per cent chance we will have the same squad," Guardiola was quoted by Sky Sports as saying. Also Read: English FA could wait till 2025 to appoint Pep as boss He further added that the quality of players they have currently in the squad will be "difficult" to replace. Guardiola added that the club management will decide to sign if some players leave. "I feel comfortable, because the quality of human beings we have in the squad is difficult to be replaced, and the quality is there. But we'll see, I don't know in the last moment if someone comes for some players and they leave, we're going to decide," he added. De Bruyne displayed a disappointing performance in the recently concluded EURO 2024. He scored just one goal after playing four matches in the marquee tournament. The midfielder also attempted an assist in the game. However, De Bruyne played an important role in Manchester City's Premier League win in the 2023-24 season, even after being sidelined for the first half of the season due to an injury. He scored four goals and attempted 10 assists after playing 18 matches in the Premier League. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
24 July,2024 10:32 AM IST | New Delhi | ANILast year’s champions Don Bosco High School (Matunga) and runners-up St Stanislaus (Bandra) are looking forward to another rewarding season as the MSSA inter-school football tournament commences with the boys’ U-16 tournament at the St Francis D’Assisi High School ground (Borivli) from Wednesday. Don Bosco are drawn in a tough Group B along with Cathedral & John Connon (Fort), Campion School (Cooperage), and Bombay Scottish (Mahim). The Matunga lads take on Bombay Scottish in the opening match of the tournament today. Girls’ U-16 to start tomorrow The competition for girls’ U-16 will be conducted simultaneously and will kick-off from Thursday. Don Bosco’s long-serving coach Leslie Machado is confident that his team will extend their reign this season. “We completed a hat-trick of triumphs last season. Though most of the talented players from last year have passed out, the replacements are equally good. I started training the boys from the middle of May. They are fit and ready for action and I know they will live up to my expectations,” Machado told mid-day on Monday. Don Bosco won the MSSA title in 2019-2020 and 2022-2023. MSSA did not conduct the tournament in between (2020-2021 & 2021-2022) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Also Read: AVM Juhu do the double! Key players missing St Stanislaus head coach Roy Fernandes wants to put an end to their arch-rivals’ dominance, but his plans have taken a setback as two key members of the team—captain Zidane Fernandes (midfielder) and Ethan D’Souza (defender) are traveling to Italy for a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and will be away for nearly a month. Dependable custodian Jordan Kamble will wear the captain’s armband. Stanislaus are placed in Group C along with St Paul’s (Dadar), Don Bosco (Borivli) and St Joseph’s (Wadala). “We have a good set of players, who have been practising for over a month and are in good shape. However, the absence of Zidane and Ethan will certainly make a big difference to our performance,” said Fernandes.
24 July,2024 08:46 AM IST | Mumbai | Gordon D’CostaManchester City boss Pep Guardiola has heaped praise on midfielder Rodrigo Hernandez and said the Spaniard’s display of skills in Euro 2024 has made him a genuine contender to bag this year’s coveted Ballon d’Or award. Over the past few years, Rodri has successfully established himself as the anchor for one of the most successful sides in English football history, Manchester City. “When I saw Spain, I saw him, and he was at the level he has been playing for many years. His consistency was good. To be in the race is fantastic for him, his family, friends, and of course, Manchester City. We are so proud,”said Guardiola to reporters. Manchester City are currently on their USA pre-season tour and will play against Scottish side Celtic on Wednesday. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
24 July,2024 08:45 AM IST | Chapel Hill (USA) | IANSSmarting from his unceremonious exit, former Indian football team head coach Igor Stimac on Monday warned his successor Manolo Marquez that the journey ahead “won’t be easy” but backed the Spaniard to deliver the goods. Stimac, who was part of Croatia’s run to the semi-finals of the 1998 World Cup, was sacked last month after India’s failure to qualify for the third round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers despite getting a relatively easy draw. “Dear Manolo, Congratulations on being named the new India head coach. The journey won’t be easy, but your experience with Indian players speaks for itself and you are best suited to take the Blue Tigers to the next level! Good luck my friend,” Stimac tweeted. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
23 July,2024 08:46 AM IST | New Delhi | PTISpaniard Manolo Marquez, currently in charge of Indian Super League side FC Goa, was on Saturday named as the Indian men’s football team head coach in place of the sacked Igor Stimac. The All India Football Federation’s (AIFF) executive committee, which met here on Saturday, appointed Marquez for the top job. The AIFF said Marquez, 55, will perform the dual role of managing the national team team as well as the ISL franchise in the 2024-25 season before taking up the India job on a full-time basis. Also Read: Bhaichung Bhutia resigns from technical committee “The Committee, in the first order of the day, deliberated on the appointment of the new head coach for the Senior Men’s National Team, and selected Manolo Marquez for the job, effective immediately,” the AIFF said in a statement. “During the 2024-25 season, Mr Marquez will continue his role as the head coach of first team at FC Goa, handling both responsibilities concurrently before assuming the national coaching role on a full-time basis.” This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
21 July,2024 08:27 AM IST | New Delhi | PTILegendary footballer Bhaichung Bhutia on Saturday told the All India Football Federation’s (AIFF) executive committee that he is resigning from his membership of the technical committee, alleging that the panel was “bypassed” while appointing the national men’s team head coach. Also Read: McLaren’s Norris takes pole Spaniard Manolo Marquez, was on Saturday named India head coach. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
21 July,2024 08:24 AM IST | New Delhi | PTIAbhishek Pandey showed excellent finishing touch to score five goals in leading Dravstream SC to 9-0 win over BEST Arts & Sports Club in a Super Corporate Division match of the Mumbai Football Association (MFA) League at the Neville D’Souza ground, Bandra. Pandey received good support from teammates Prathamesh Thol, who struck two goals, Sankaip R and Arnav Ojha contributing one each.
20 July,2024 09:07 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentADVERTISEMENT
