Sports

Jun 15: Iran's players stormed the pitch at full-time as if they had won the World Cup rather than just their opening match after an own goal from Morocco's Aziz Bouhaddouz gifted them a dramatic 1-0 victory on Friday. Wasteful finishing looked to have consigned this compelling contest at the St Petersburg Stadium to a goalless draw but Bouhaddouz's mistake in injury-time means Iran emerge as the

Sochi, Jun 16: For three months, a whole nation feared it might not happen, but Neymar will take to the field with his Brazilian teammates when they kick off their World Cup campaign against Switzerland tomorrow. The world's most expensive player appears to have recovered fully from the fractured foot that required an operation in March, with the only slight concern being his possible lack of

Sochi, Jun 16: Cristiano Ronaldo scored a stunning hat-trick as Portugal snatched a 3-3 draw with Spain in a World Cup classic here Friday. Real Madrid star Ronaldo crashed in an 88th minute free-kick to snatch a point for Portugal after a second-half goal from Nacho put the Spaniards 3-2 ahead. Ronaldo's late equaliser capped a storming encounter which came after a chaotic few days which saw

Bengaluru, Jun 15: India beat Afghanistan by an innings and 262 runs in the historic one-off Test match at the M Chinnaswamy stadium here on Friday. Earlier in the day, India predictably exposed the serious limitations in Afghanistan’s batting with the visitors being skittled out for a paltry 109 in 27.5 overs at tea on the second day. With a huge lead of 365 runs, Indian captain Ajinkya Rahane

Bengaluru, Jun 15: All-rounder Hardik Pandya mixed caution with aggression en route his stroke-filled 71 as India finished their first innings on a commendable 474 against Afghanistan at lunch on the second day of the one-off Test here today. Last man Umesh Yadav also entertained the spectators with some lusty blows as his 26 off 21 balls also helped in beefing up India's total. Courtesy Pandya's

Bronnitsy, Jun 15: Lionel Messi's arrival in Bronnitsy, a quiet town with 20,000 residents some 50km southeast of Moscow, has brought an unprecedented level of attention to a place most renowned for its Archangel Michael cathedral. But as the euphoric shouts echoing around a temporary stand suggests, its selection as Argentina's team base camp has transformed it into one of the epicentres of the

Moscow, Jun 15: Finally let loose after a year-long diet of international friendlies, hosts Russia roared their World Cup intent to the rafters on Thursday with a 5-0 tournament-opening win over Saudi Arabia. The Russians served up an adrenaline-fuelled performance for an 80,000-capacity Luzhniki crowd which included President Vladimir Putin and the Saudi crown prince. The Saudis ranked three

Jun 14: Afghanistan displayed their stomach for a fight in their maiden test by claiming five wickets in the final session to leave India on 347 for six after the opening day of the one-off contest on Thursday. India`s Shikhar Dhawan and fellow centurion Murali Vijay raised 168 runs for the opening stand to vindicate the decision to bat as the hosts cruised to 280 for one after thoroughly

Bengaluru, Jun 14: Shikhar Dhawan on Thursday became the first Indian player to score a century in Test cricket before lunch, joining an esteemed list of former cricketers, including the legendary Don Bradman. The explosive Indian opener hammered 19 fours and 3 sixes as he reached his century in 91 balls on the opening day of the historic India-Afghanistan test match at Chinnaswamy stadium here

Moscow, Jun 14: Russia's football team has failed to chalk up a single victory in eight months but things could be about to improve -- according to a supposedly clairvoyant cat who predicted a win for the side in the first World Cup match. Achilles, a deaf white cat who is the official animal soothsayer for the tournament, on Wednesday chose a bowl of food bearing the host's flag rather than that