Sports
Manchester City close gap on Arsenal with win at Chelsea
Manchester City closed the gap on Premier League leaders Arsenal to five points with victory over injury-ravaged Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The reigning champions struggled in the first half before two of manager Pep Guardiola’s substitutes combined to break the deadlock after 63 minutes, Riyad Mahrez turning in Jack Grealish’s low cross at the far post.
Chelsea enjoyed the better of the first half despite adding both former City forward Raheem Sterling and Christian Pulisic to a lengthening injury list, substitute Carney Chukwuemeka hitting the post from the edge of the area.Graham Potter will justifiably point to Chelsea’s ill-luck with absentees but the bottom line is this defeat leaves them in the unaccustomed position of 10th, 10 points off the Champions League places.
City, meanwhile, will be happy to get three points despite being nowhere near their best and on a rare night when scoring machine Erling Haaland failed to hit the target. City were nowhere near their best but the celebrations at the final whistle were a sign that this was the sort of fighting win that is the trademark of champions.Guardiola’s side struggled in the first half with three in central defence but the manager reverted to four in the second half in what was an ominous show of strength from his substitutes’ bench.And it worked to settle this tight encounter as Chelsea keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga failed to cut out Grealish’s cross and Mahrez got in ahead of Marc Cucurella to make the decisive contribution.
John Stones was singled out for special acclaim by City’s travelling fans at the final whistle and rightly so after another outstanding performance, the highlight coming with a superbly-timed tackle on Pulisic in the six-yard box with the game in the balance.City will have better days and nights than this but the main objective here against a tough opponent was a win that would make up for the disappointing home draw against Everton, and this was very much mission accomplished.
Chelsea’s fans applauded their players off at the final whistle despite this damaging defeat, putting aside their disappointment as they understood the current situation facing manager Potter. This is a club in transition under new owner Todd Boehly, with the Chelsea hierarchy operating a somewhat scattergun transfer policy, and a newly-arrived manager in Potter attempting to put his stamp on this team.
Chelsea currently look way off being contenders for a place in the Champions League, surely a minimum requirement given their outlay and ambition on a day when they confirmed another arrival in £35m defender Benoit Badiashile from Monaco.They never lacked heart or effort but were struggling from the moments they lost Sterling and Pulisic to injury, eating further into Potter’s squad.
Potter’s plight was illustrated when he sent on 19-year-old Chukwuemeka for Pulisic and he was joined by young trio Conor Gallagher, Lewis Hall and Omari Hutchinson as they tried to rescue the game after City took the lead.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was the early substitute for Sterling but suffered the ignominy of being substituted late on. He could have no complaints after a poor performance in which he looked a thoroughly spent force.This was more disappointment for Chelsea, who now face an uphill struggle to get anywhere near the clubs they would regard as their traditional Premier League rivals.
(BBC Sports)
Oman made a couple of changes in the last two fixtures without success. Shakeel Ahmed went in and out of the side in the three games, but picked three wickets against Ireland and should keep his place. Jatinder might look at giving top-order batter Karan Sonavale another go.
[Cricbuzz]
Zimbabwe marched into the Super Eight stage of the T20 World Cup with the swagger of a side that refuses to read the script, completing the group phase unbeaten after a polished six-wicket win over co-hosts Sri Lanka at Colombo’s R. Premadasa Stadium on Thursday.
Ranked 11th in the world, the African side have been the tournament’s disruptors-in-chief. Having already sent former champions Australia packing last week, they now added 2014 winners Sri Lanka to their growing list of scalps, underlining that this is no flash in the pan but a team riding a serious wave of momentum.
Chasing 179 on a surface that demanded both muscle and method, Zimbabwe found themselves at crossroads when 65 were needed off the last 36 balls. Enter Sikandar Raza, sleeves rolled up and eyes locked in.
The all-rounder flipped the contest on its head in one decisive over from Dushan Hemantha, plundering 20 runs with two towering sixes and a rasping boundary. In the blink of an eye, the asking rate dipped and Sri Lanka’s shoulders sagged.
Raza and Brian Bennett stitched together a match-defining 69 off 40 deliveries for the third wicket, mixing clean ball-striking with smart running between the wickets. Zimbabwe crossed the line with three balls to spare.
While Raza provided the late fireworks with 45 off 26 balls, peppered with two fours and four sixes, opener Bennett was the glue that held the innings together. His composed 63 off 48 deliveries, studded with eight fours, ensured Zimbabwe never lost sight of the target.
Even when Raza departed with 13 still required from two overs, Sri Lanka sensed a sniff. But Tony Munyonga calmly clubbed Maheesh Theekshana’s first delivery of the final over into the stands, draining the tension from the contest. Fittingly, Bennett sealed the deal with the winning boundary. Raza was named Man of the Match.
It was Zimbabwe’s second-highest successful run chase in T20Is.
Earlier, after opting to bat, Sri Lanka were once again anchored by Pathum Nissanka. Fresh from becoming the tournament’s first centurion earlier in the week, Nissanka produced a polished 62 off 47 balls, bringing up his seventh T20 World Cup half-century, equalling Mahela Jayawardene’s record for the most by a Sri Lankan.
He and Kusal Perera gave the innings early impetus with a brisk 54 off 30 balls for the opening stand before Nissanka added a further 46 in 43 deliveries alongside Kusal Mendis.
Pavan Rathnayake provided the late thrust, clearing the ropes twice in a 44 off 25 balls as Sri Lanka posted a competitive 178.
Zimbabwe’s bowlers, however, ensured it was a chaseable target rather than a daunting one. Veteran leg-spinner Graeme Cremer led the way with 2-27, applying the squeeze in the middle overs, while the towering Blessing Muzarabani struck twice to finish with 2-38.
Sri Lanka now turn their attention to a Super Eight showdown against England in Kandy on Sunday, a contest that promises high stakes and little margin for error. Zimbabwe, brimming with belief, head to Bombay to face the West Indies on Monday, no longer the underdogs but a side that has earned its place at the top table.
Yuhansa Peiris is set to meet Aaraa Aasaal Azim of Maldives in the girls’ singles final after emerging victorious in the semi finals of the J30 ITF Junior Week 4 tournament continued in Colombo on Thursday.
She was the only Sri Lankan player reaching the finals as Ganuka Fernando was eliminated in the boys’ semi final.
Semi Final results
Girls
Yuhansa Peiris beat Aarioda of Japan 6-4, 6-1.
Aaraa Aasaal Azim of Maldives beat Chiu Kwan Nina Wang of Hong Kong 4-6, 6-2, 7-6
Asahi Yamazaki of Japan beat Ganuka Fernando 6-4, 1-6, 6-2
Kenshin Sato of Japan beat Eunho Park of Korea 6-3, 6-1
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