AFP

MOSCOW: England edged Colombia 4-3 on penalties to halt a run of five successive shootout defeats at major tournaments and book a quarter-final clash against Sweden at the World Cup.

Harry Kane fired England ahead with his tournament-leading sixth goal just before the hour in Moscow, converting a penalty after he was hauled down by Carlos Sanchez at a corner.

Gareth Southgate’s team looked to be heading into the last eight in regulation time until Yerry Mina equalised with a 93rd-minute header as the giant Colombian defender scored for the third game in a row.

Neither team could find an advantage in extra-time and so a bad-tempered match went to a nailbiting penalty shootout.

David Ospina dived superbly to his left to repel Jordan Hend-erson’s third penalty for England, but Manuel Uribe hit the crossbar before Jordan Pickford saved from Carlos Bacca.

Eric Dier drilled home the decisive spot-kick as England won for just the second time in eight penalty shootouts and reached the quarter-finals for the first time since 2006.

Colombia were dealt a huge blow before kick-off as James Rodriguez failed to shake off a calf injury, the Bayern Munich midfielder not even fit enough for a place on the bench.

The 26-year-old was the Golden Boot winner with six goals

in Brazil four years ago, when Colombia reached the quarter-finals for the first time.

Kane, Raheem Sterling and Dele Alli were among nine players recalled for England after Gareth Southgate rested the majority of his first-choice side for their final group game against Belgium.

Kane scored a combined five goals in the wins over Tunisia and Panama, and the Tottenham striker went close when his looping header back across goal landed on the roof of the net.

Sterling then did well to spin past the imposing Davinson Sanchez although his left-footed strike was charged down, while

Kieran Trippier curled wide from a free-kick.

Wilmar Barrios was booked for leaning his head into the chest of Jordan Henderson as the game grew into an increasingly fiesty affair.

Pickford made his first save from a fizzing long-range effort from Juan Fernado Quintero,

while Jesse Lingard sliced over after Colombia half-cleared a cross.

A member of the Colombia coaching staff appeared to delib-erately barge Sterling as the Man-chester City player headed towards the half-time at the interval, escaping with just a telling-off.

Kane made the breakthrough on 57 minutes after he was wrestled to the ground at a corner by Carlos Sanchez, the same player who was shown the first red card of the tournament in a 2-1 loss to Japan.

The England captain faced a lengthy wait as several Colombia players protested to the referee but he kept his nerve to beat north London rival Ospina, lifting his penalty just over the Arsenal goalkeeper’s out-stretched leg.

Alli nearly added a second when his diving header at the far post flashed over the bar, with Lingard appealing for another spot-kick after he was caught by Davinson Sanchez.

Juan Cuadrado blazed over with 10 minutes to play, and it appeared Colombia’s hopes were up when Pickford made a terrific save to turn behind Manuel Uribe’s spectacular long-range strike.

But Mina rose powerfully to meet the resulting corner, with Trippier only able to help the ball in via the underside of the crossbar in the third minute of added-on time.

Substitute Danny Rose almost struck an extra-time winner when his angled shot whistled beyond the far post, and Eric Dier headed over unmarked at a corner before England’s luck deserted them again in all too familiar fashion.

Then, unlike so many times before, luck finally smiled on them in the shootout.

SPORTWednesday 4 July 2018

PAGE | 19 PAGE | 24Bring on Brazil, say

Belgium after dramatic Japan victory

Sweden edge past Switzerland to book place in quarter-finals

E | 19 PAGl, say

matic ctory

SwedSwitzplace

England players celebrate after winning the penalty shootout.

England’s Jordan Pickford saves a penalty from Colombia’s Carlos Bacca during the shootout at the Spartak Stadium in Moscow, Russia yesterday.

SWEDEN 1-0 SWITZERLAND

COLOMBIA 1-1 ENGLANDENGLAND WIN ON PENALTIES (3 - 4)

YESTERDAY'S RESULTS

JULY 06, 2018

URUGUAY VS FRANCE5.00PM

BRAZIL VS BELGIUM9.00PM

JULY 07, 2018

SWEDEN VS ENGLAND5.00PM

RUSSIA VS CROATIA9.00PM

QUARTER FINALS

COLOMBIA ENGLAND

1 111111111Y. MINA - 90'+3'ENGLAND WIN ON PENALTIES (3 - 4)PENALTIES (3 4)

KANE - 57' PEN

England prevail in Moscow thriller

Pickford the hero as Kane’s boys end penalty jinx to reach quarter-finals

18 WEDNESDAY 4 JULY 2018SPORT

Loew stays as German coach despite debacleAFP

BERLIN: Germany coach Joachim Loew (pictured) will remain in his job despite the World Cup holders’ shock elim-ination in the group phase in Russia, the German Football Association (DFB) said yesterday.

The DFB said Loew, who has been in the job for 12 years, had told German football chiefs he wanted to carry on and oversee the “rebuilding” of the national team.

Loew, who won the World Cup with Germany in Brazil in 2014, was told he continued to enjoy “the support of the entire leadership” despite the team’s failure to progress from the first round for the first time in 80 years.

In one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history, Germany finished bottom of their group after defeats to Mexico and South Korea in Russia.

Shortly before the tour-nament, Loew signed a con-tract extension until the 2022 World Cup.

Loew said: “I am very grateful for the confidence that the DFB has again shown in me and I feel a lot of support and e n c o u r a g e m e n t despite the justified criticism of our elimination.

“I am still hugely disap-pointed, but now my team and I would like to get started o n t h e rebuilding. I will analyse with my team, hold discussions and draw conclusions before the start of the new

season. That all takes time, but it will be done by the time inter-national matches start in September.”

Senior players in the Germany team including Sami Khedira, Toni Kroos and Thomas Mueller have given Loew their backing, yet could all face the axe after p o o r displays.

There a r e , however , reports of player dis-gruntlement in other quarters.

Frankfurt-based newspaper FAZ quoted unnamed Germany players who said the squad was deeply divided between senior and younger players in Russia.

Timo Werner and Julian Brandt, both 22, were given less playing time than the players

who won the World Cup in 2014.

There was also reportedly resentment

about the special status given to captain and goal-keeper Manuel Neuer.

Neuer played all three group games,

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had just returned after he was

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Other complaints included the choice of Germany’s isolated World Cup base in south-west Moscow which many players hated, and the clumsy handling of the scandal involving Mesut Ozil and Ilkay Gundogan.

The players’ loyalty to Germany was brought into question on the eve of the World Cup after they met Turkey president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whom Gundogan presented with a jersey signed “to my president”.

Both players were booed by German fans during pre-W o r l d C u p friendlies, which overshadowed preparations for the finals.

Ozil refused to comment on the controversy

during the World Cup, while Gundogan

gave a single interview in which he said the furore was “a difficult experience”.

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playing time than the players who won the World Cup in

2014.There was also

reportedly resentmentabout the special status given to captain and goal-keeper Manuel Neuer.

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I am very grateful for the confidence that the DFB has again shown in me and I feel a lot of support and encouragement despite the justified criticism of our elimination: Germany coach Joachim Loew

We have not been practising penalties, says AkinfeevREUTERS

KHIMKI: Russia goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev, who saved two penalties to carry his team past Spain and into the World Cup last eight, has not been prac-tising spot kicks with his team-mates, he said yesterday.

The Muscovite twice denied Spain from the spot on Sunday, including kicking away Iago Aspas’s final shot to help his team win the shootout 4-3 fol-lowing a 1-1 draw on Sunday.

“We definitely have not trained in it (penalties),” he told reporters at their base on the outskirts of Moscow.

Akinfeev said the team had hoped to beat Spain in regular time and not have to go to penalties.

“But the game was long and all the emotions were gone in those 120 minutes,” he said yesterday.

The Russians, whose triumph triggered wild cele-brations around the country, next face Croatia in the last eight, and Akinfeev said the euphoria would now need to subside.

“Let’s all put it all aside, please, and concentrate on the next game,” he said.

“The team created a holiday that evening. But it is already history, and we want to write new history now. We will try and fight.”

“This tournament shows that we are sincere in what we are doing, and that is why it is going so well so far,” added the Russian star.

Russia’s win over the 2010 world champions has boosted the confidence of what was the lowest-ranked team going into the tournament, and has whetted the hosts’ appetite for more success.

It is the first time in the

post-Soviet era that Russia have reached a World Cup quarter-final.

“It is no secret that each victory adds to confidence,” midfielder Yuri Gazinsky told reporters.

“Especially victory over Spain. I think that the country believed in us and maybe many had doubts ahead of the match with Spain.”

“But I hope we have proved that they can believe in us and we do represent the country. So we will do everything possible to go further. We created a small miracle for the country,” he said.

Russia take on the Croats, who also went to penalties as they eliminated Denmark, in Sochi’s Fisht Stadium on Sat-urday evening.

Russia’s goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev walks after news conference, yesterday.

Algeria, Tunisia consider joining Morocco in future World Cup bidREUTERS

NIZHNY NOVGOROD: Algeria and Tunisia are consider joining Morocco in a joint North African bid to host the 2030 World Cup, government officials said.

Morocco last month lost out to a joint North American bid in the vote for the 2026 finals and immediately signalled its intention to try again, despite having bid five times and come up short each time.

“Algeria will study a possible candidacy of the Maghreb countries for the organisation of the World Cup,” Algeria sports minister Mohamed Hattab told reporters.

“An application from the Maghreb with Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia can be achieved through existing infrastructure as well as future projects.

“When we look at our cities, with the sporting and cultural facilities present, we are able to consider that we can host major world events,” he said.

Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay last year launched a three-nation South American bid to host the 2030 tournament, seeking to mark the centenary of the first World Cup, hosted by Uruguay in 1930.

There have also been hints about a British bid, with the Football Association holding talks last month with the other home nations about the possibility of joining forces, according to reports. Morocco and Tunisia played at the World Cup in Russia but were eliminated at the group stage, while Algeria reached the second round in Brazil four years ago.

A FIFA vote to decide the 2030 hosts is not expected before 2022, when the World Cup is headed to Qatar.

Brazil’s Neymar lies on the pitch after sustaining an injury during their last-16 match against Mexico in Samara on Monday.

Real Madrid deny Neymar bid as Ronaldo rumours swirlAFP

MADRID: Real Madrid have dismissed as “absolutely untrue” reports of a 310m euro ($360m) bid for Paris Saint-Germain’s Neymar that sparked rumours he could serve as a replacement if superstar Cristiano Ronaldo leaves the Spanish giants.

The colossal transfer claim, which would dwarf the $222m deal that made Neymar the world’s most expensive player last year, was made by Spain’s public television station TVE on Monday evening.

Real were quick to

knock it down, saying in a statement they had not been consulted by TVE before the broadcast.

“Real Madrid have made no offer of any kind to PSG or the player,” added the European champions, the home of Ronaldo since 2009. TVE stood by its reporting however, saying on its website that the claim came from sources it con-sidered to be the “most reliable”.

The report came hours after Neymar’s Brazil saw off Mexico 2-0 in the World Cup last 16 in Russia to set up a tantalising quarter-final clash with Belgium.

Despite Real’s strong rejection, the transfer rumour mill swirled at the possibility of a galactico swap, following hints that both Neymar and Ronaldo could be unhappy at their star-studded clubs.

Neymar, 26, moved to PSG last year and went on to score 19 goals in just 20 league games before suf-fering a foot injury in Feb-ruary that required surgery in Brazil.

He only returned to France in May, fuelling speculation that he could seek to leave the club after just one season.

Ronaldo, who had

shined in the World Cup before his Portugal side was beaten by Uruguay on Sat-urday, cast doubt over his commitment to Real after winning the Champions League in May.

“It was very nice to be in Madrid,” he said, adding that “in the next few days I will give an answer to the fans”.

He later walked back the statement, but doubts over his future at Madrid have lingered.

Real Madrid has also been thrown into flux after coach Zinedine Zidane stepped down in June having steering the club to

a third successive Cham-pions League trophy.

His replacement Julen Lopetegui said in June that Ronaldo is a player he wants “at his side always”.

The colossal transfer claim, which would dwarf the $222m deal that made Neymar the world’s most expensive player last year, was made by Spain’s public television station TVE.

19WEDNESDAY 4 JULY 2018 SPORT

Bring on Brazil, say Belgium after dramatic Japan victoryREUTERS

ROSTOV-ON-DON: Belgium passed a test of character with a display of true grit that bodes well for a World Cup quarter-final against Brazil, coach Roberto Martinez said after they came from 2-0 behind to beat Japan 3-2 in injury time.

“In the World Cup you want to be perfect -- but it’s about getting through, it’s about winning,” said the Spaniard, who was hired after a side packed with English Premier League talent collapsed against Wales in the Euro 2016 quarter-final.

“This is down to the person-ality, to the focus, to the desire, to the never-give-up-attitude of this group of players,” said Mar-tinez after substitute Nacer Chadli slammed home four minutes into stoppage time on Monday, breaking the hearts of Japan fans whose side scored twice early in the second half.

“It was a test of character and you see the reaction of our subs coming on to win the game,” he said.

“It tells you everything about this group of players.”

His other substitute, Mar-ouane Fellaini, scored Belgium’s 74th-minute equaliser. Run

ragged at times by the skilful and determined Samurai Blue, who are 58 places behind them at 61st in FIFA’s world rankings, the Red Devils will look hard at their defensive frailties and difficulties in turning pressure into goals before they face Brazil in the quarter-final in just four days.

“No negatives today, it was about getting through,” Martinez insisted, offering the highest of praise for Japan’s skill and tactics. “It is a day to be very proud of these players.

“Keep believing in Belgium.”

For the Brazil game, he said, his side would draw on the lessons of Rostov, when after an apprehensive first half as heavy favourites they had to attack with “nothing to lose” to get back into the match.

Against Brazil, who Martinez believes are the best side in the tournament, no one will expect too much from Belgium and the players are relishing that oppor-tunity to try and cause an upset.

Captain Eden Hazard said that at 2-0 his side were having flashbacks to their humbling defeat by Wales two years ago.

“But the reaction today was huge,” Hazard said. “

Maybe this was the kind of game we needed,” he added.

Now, he said, “playing Brazil is a dream.”

Goalscorer Chadli called his winner “a goal for an entire nation”.

Martinez’s 65th-minute sub-stitutions, putting on Chadli for Dries Mertens and Manchester United’s towering Fellaini in the centre in place of Yannick Car-rasco on the left, paid off.

At times his decision to rest almost his entire first team in a

largely meaningless final group win over England on Thursday had looked questionable as Belgium struggled to find each other in the face of buzzing Jap-anese defence across the park.

But, as Japan coach Akira Nishino conceded, the strength in depth on the Belgian bench, well blooded after beating England 1-0, was to make the difference in the last 25 minutes.

“The substitutions worked well,” Chadli said. “We’re all here to give it our all... The bench told us to just go for because we were just not in the game.”

Belgium’s forward Romelu Lukaku celebrates at the end of the Russia 2018 World Cup round of 16 match against Japan in Rostov-On-Don on Monday. INSET: Belgium’s coach Roberto Martinez encourages his players during the match.

It was a test of character and you see the reaction of our subs coming on to win the game. It tells you everything about this group of players: Belgium coach Roberto Martinez

AFP

NIZHNY NOVGOROD: Nigerian captain John Obi Mikel revealed he was told four hours before his country’s crucial World Cup game against Argentina that his father had been kidnapped back home and would be shot if the player reported it to authorities.

Mikel said in a statement yesterday from his management company that he hid the news from his team-mates and coaches in Russia and “had to shut it out of my head and go and represent my country first” in the crucial match against Argentina.

Nigeria lost last week’s group match in city of St. Petersburg by 2-1 after a late Argentina goal and was eliminated from the World Cup.

Mikel ’s father, Michael Mikel, was freed by Nigerian police in the southeastern state of Enugu on Monday.

John Obi Mikel says he learned of his dad’s kidnapping through a telephone call just before the Argentina game, but didn’t tell anyone because he didn’t want it to be a distraction for the team.

It’s the second time his father has been kid-napped in Nigeria.

Nigeria’s Obi hid dad’s abduction, played Cup match

Coach Nishino ‘devastated’ after defeatAFP

ROSTOV-ON-DON: Japan coach Akira Nishino admitted his desperate disappointment after seeing the Blue Samurai bow out of the World Cup in an agonising 3-2 defeat against Belgium on Monday in the last 16.

“I feel it was a tragedy, but I have to accept the defeat as a fact, I feel devastated and very disappointed,” said Nishino.

“We started off very well, but at the end, right at the very end, to concede a goal like that is not expected.

Nacer Chadli’s 94th-minute strike at the end of a counter-attack gave Belgium a stunning come-from-behind 3-2 victory in their last-16 tie to floor the Japanese in Rostov. Team Japan had been 2-0 up after scoring twice early

Japan’s coach Akira Nishino during the last-16 game against Belgium in Rostov-On-Don on Monday.

in the second half through Genki Haraguchi and Takashi Inui.

The Japan players slumped to the turf at the end, and Nishino said they were too stunned to talk it through immediately afterwards.

Instead of facing Brazil in a mouth-watering quarter-final in Kazan on Friday, Japan are heading home while Belgium march on.

“I told the players to take a shower in the changing room, because they were just standing around stunned. I will talk to them when we are back at the hotel,” said Nishino.

“We were determined to disrupt a Belgium side at their best, but at the end we couldn’t really match them.”

Belgium pulled a goal back

via a freak Jan Vertonghen header in the 69th minute, and substitute Marouane Fellaini then equalised five minutes later.

The match was heading for extra time when Keisuke Honda opted to try his luck from a long-range free-kick in injury time.

Thibaut Courtois saved the attempt, and Belgium broke from the corner that followed to snatch the winner and book a last-eight tie with Brazil.

“We wanted to decide the match with a late free-kick and I thought we were going into extra-time, but we didn’t expect that kind of super counter-attack,” the coach said.

“My players didn’t expect to see the ball carried into our half in a flash on time which decided the game.”

I feel it was a tragedy, but I have to accept the defeat as a fact, I feel devastated and very disappointed: Japan coach Akira Nishino.

Japan’s Hasebe, Honda call time on international careerREUTERS

ROSTOV-ON-DON: Keisuke Honda and captain Makoto Hasebe have announced their retirement from international football following Japan’s elim-ination from the World Cup at the hands of Belgium on Monday night.

Honda, 32, came off the bench late in the last-16 clash with Roberto Martinez’s side, but was unable to prevent his side from slipping to an agonising 3-2 loss.

“Today we showed how we can proceed as Japanese football,” the former AC Milan midfielder told reporters after the match.

“I might have finished my career for the national team, but I’m happy because we have many young players following us, and I think that they will

make new history for Japanese football.”

Japan held a two-goal lead in the 52nd minute following strikes from Genki Haraguchi and Takashi Inui, but Jan Ver-tonghen and Marouane Fellaini

levelled the scores before Nacer Chadli’s injury time goal secured a dramatic win for Belgium.

“This is the last World Cup for me,” Honda added.

Honda, who scored 37 times in 98 appearances for his country, was used as an impact player off the bench in his third World Cup and had a couple of chances to grab a winner for Japan before the dramatic denouement.

Hasebe, the midfielder, who plays in Germany for Eintracht Frankfurt, made 114 caps for Japan.

“I would like to express my gratitude to my colleagues who fought together for about 12 and a half years since 2006, and to all the Japanese people who supported me so much,” the captain said in a post on Instagram.

Keisuke Honda

Makoto HasebeFIFA tweets to praise Japan

REUTERS

MOSCOW: It took a great escape in injury time to get there after being two goals down to Japan, but Belgium can now view their quarter-final against Brazil free of the weight of expecta-tion.

“When you play against Brazil, you need to understand they are the best team in the competition,” coach Rob-erto Martinez said after a final charge up the park four minutes into stoppage time gave Belgium a 3-2 win and a tough date in Kazan on Friday.

“We can enjoy it from the first minute,” the Spaniard said, describing the fixture as a childhood dream for footballers. “I don’t think anyone expects us to go through to the semi-finals.”

In a goalless first half on Monday, where the Japanese gave a side ranked third in the world by FIFA no space and threatened on the break, his players displayed “a fear of not being able to fulfil the tag of being favourites”, said Martinez.

Only once they were 2-0 behind with half an hour to play and “nothing to lose” did the Red Devils “almost enjoy the opportunity of getting back into it”, he added.

So against Brazil, “we can really enjoy it from the first second.”

He refused to take questions on his tactics, praising the Japanese and the “hunger” of his own players, though Bel-gians at home are asking plenty of questions about the strength of his three-man defensive line and the sharp-ness of an attacking force which had knocked in nine in three games in the group phase.

Brought in from Everton after quar-ter-final disappointments at the last World Cup and Euro 2016 to provide some Premier League collective steel to a “golden generation”, Martinez silenced any critics with a double substitution.

Yannick Carrasco and Dries Mertens had danced past lesser oppo-sition in support of Eden Hazard and striker Romelu Lukaku but the Samu-rai Blue’s pressing left them at sea.

On 65th minute, Martinez threw on West Bromwich Albion winger Nacer Chadli and Marouane Fellaini, the tow-ering Manchester United midfielder.

Within 10 minutes, after a lucky goal from Tottenham Hotspur full-back Jan Vertonghen, Fellaini had headed the equaliser.

As extra-time loomed, a quick throw out from goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, a run through the middle by Kevin De Bruyne to feed Thomas Meu-nier on the right and a cross that Lukaku deftly left for Chadli had the Belgians in heaven in just 10 seconds.

“Miracle men,” was the simple headline in Brussels’ Le Soir.

Friday’s encounter with Brazil will test whether they can make good on tactical and technical promise but the ‘miracle’ of Rostov suggests Martinez has brought mental steel and strength in depth.

Captain Hazard confessed it felt like Euro 2016 all over again, when a cou-ple of key injuries saw the Belgians surrender 3-1 to modest Wales.

Meunier, too, admitted that he had thought, “It’s all over.”

Against Brazil, he said: “We’ll have more tough moments. But it will be a great game. It’s now or never for Bel-gium do show we have the talent and what they call the ‘golden generation’.”

20 WEDNESDAY 4 JULY 2018SPORT 21WEDNESDAY 4 JULY 2018 SPORT

When you play against Brazil, you need to understand they are the best team in the competition: Belgium coach Roberto Martinez

Belgians shift focus to Brazil

Ball possession no longer the law for achieving Cup success

REUTERS

SAMARA: When Spain won the World Cup in 2010 by guarding possession with near infinite zeal a new maxim was etched into football’s text book of received wisdom - hog the ball and you win the match.

Such was the dominance of Vicente del Bosque’s elegant side, whose devotion to metronomic pass and move also helped them win the 2012 European Champi-onship, that few dissenting voices could be heard.

Other ways of playing that did not involve passing teams to death were supposedly con-signed to the dustbin of football history, along with “kick and rush” and Herbert Chapman’s W-M formation, with possession football heralded as the peak of the sport’s technical and tactical evolution.

If further evidence was needed we were told to look at Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona, who kept the Spanish top flight and Champions League in a virtual choke hold for a few years from 2009.

Yet if the World Cup in Rus-sia has taught us anything, it is that possession is no longer the law in football and what was once deemed the only route to global glory is seemingly now a shortcut out of the tournament.

The three sides who have bossed the ball the most in Rus-sia, Spain, Germany and Argentina have all said “do-svi-d a n i y a ” b e f o r e t h e quarter-finals.

Spain averaged 69 percent of the ball in their four games, peaking with a 75 percent share in their last-16 clash with Russia, according to FIFA statistics.

It did not translate into goals or glory, however, as they were sent packing on penalties after labouring like an ageing heavy-weight, seemingly bewildered that his once formidable jab was now little more than a minor irritation.

Germany arrived as world champions, but left after the group stage having racked up a 67 percent possession average in their three matches, which ended in two defeats and one desper-ate stoppage-time win over

Sweden.

Argentina fared little better having struggled through their first three matches and scraped into the knockouts and they were dispatched by France in the last 16, ending the tourna-ment with a 64 percent possession average.

France won their match 4-3, having only had the ball 41 per-cent of the time and if that sounds counter-intuitive then Uruguay’s last-16 win over Por-tugal was even more remarkable.

Oscar Tabarez’s side mus-tered 39 percent possession but completed a 2-1 win that far from being a smash-and-grab looked more like a perfectly-executed gameplan.

“There is very often this mis-taken assumption that ball possession leads to scoring opportunities,” Tabarez said.

“But even if you don’t have much ball possession you can still inflict yourself on opponents in different ways.”

Perhaps it is too early to sound the death knell for pos-session football, which still has remarkably successful proponents.

Guardiola’s Manchester City side blitzed their way to the Pre-mier League title, often giving opponents little more than a sniff of the ball.

Yet with even the smallest nations at the World Cup now capable of manning the barri-cades with rigidly organised defences, jealously guarding

possession is no longer the cure-all it was once

perceived to be.

Upsets and tears, Asia makes an impact but little progressREUTERS

KAZAN: South Korea hammered the Germans, and Japan very nearly did the same to Belgium, but Asia’s representa-tives are once again heading home before the business end of the World Cup gets going.

The Samurai Blue looked like provid-ing the biggest shock yet of a tournament riddled with upsets when they led the richly talented Belgians 2-0 with half an hour to play on Monday, only to lose 3-2 in the last minute of stoppage time. Under-standably, the Japanese were shattered by the end to their dream of reaching the last eight for the first time and becoming Asia’s first World Cup quarter-finalists since the continent hosted the tournament in 2002.

“This is football. It is a bitter pill to swallow, but a result that we have to accept,” Shinji Kagawa said.

“I wanted to create a new chapter in history, but we have realized what a big wall in world soccer we have to climb.”

It is a wall that Asian teams have man-aged to scale only twice: when South Korea reached the semi-finals on home soil in 2002, and their cousins in the North got to the last eight at the 1966 World Cup in England.

A contingent of five Asian countries competed in Russia for the first time, and at least there were four victories to cele-brate - a stark contrast with the 2014 finals when the continent went winless.

Japan’s victory over 10-man Colom-bia in their opening fixture was the first competitive win for the continent over a South American side, while South Korea’s defeat of the defending champions in their final group match was simply extraordinary.

Iran also opened with a smash-and-grab raid of a win over Morocco but they were always up against it in a group that also featured Spain and Portugal, while Saudi Arabia beat Egypt in a final fixture that was the deadest of dead rubbers.

Only Australia, part of the Asian con-federation since 2006, were unable to register a victory, once again illustrating

that organisation and fighting spirit will not get you far at the World Cup if you cannot find the net.

The South Korean players were in tears when they realised that their 2-0 win over Germany in Kazan would not send them through to the last 16, but defeats in their first two matches had left them with only the slimmest of chances.

Japan likewise might have felt unlucky on Tuesday morning, but they only made it to the second round because they had fewer yellow cards in the group stage than Senegal.

Asia will host the World Cup for the second time in Qatar in 2022, when auto-matic qualification for the hosts means the continent could be represented by six teams.

China will still need a serious upturn in fortunes if it is to join the many Chi-nese sponsors in Qatar, and it may even have to wait until the floodgates open for the mooted 48-team World Cup in 2026 for a place on football’s biggest stage.

At the very least, though, the per-formances of Japan and South Korea might stop Asia being the first point of call for those who want to argue that the World Cup is already too big.

Japan’s Takashi Inui (right) is consoled by team-mate Keisuke Honda after they lost to

Belgium in their FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match on Monday.

We can ‘control’ Mbappe: SuarezAFP

NIZHNIY NOVGOROD: Luis Suarez is confi-dent Uruguay can nullify the threat from France’s teenage sensation Kylian Mbappe, as they prepare for their World Cup quar-ter-final clash later this week.

Talking to reporters at the South American team’s Bor training camp near Nizhny Novgorod, where Friday’s last-eight match takes place, Sua-rez said he had faith in the defence, which has conceded just one goal in the tournament so far.

“Everybody knows he’s (Mbappe) a really good player, but I think we have a really good defence to control him,” said the Barcelona striker.

Mbappe, 19, was the star in France’s thrill-ing 4-3 victory over Argentina.

The Paris Saint-Germain youngster scored twice and his pace and skill also forced a penalty from which France scored their first goal.

Suarez said there were more threats from France than just Mbappe, picking out Antoine Griezmann, who he said had a “brilliant left foot”.

Mbappe and Griezmann have been singled out by Uru-guay coach Oscar Tabarez as the main threats to the South Americans but he sug-gested they would not get the same space afforded to them by the Argentine team.

Suarez was less convinced by recent claims that Griezmann was half-Uruguayan because he plays with Diego Godin and Jose Gimenez at Atletico Madrid, drinks mate tea and even turned up at the airport wearing a Uruguay shirt to greet his teammates when they qualified for Russia.

“Antoine, no matter how much he says that he’s half-Uruguayan is French and does not know what the Uruguayan feeling is,” said Suarez.

“He does not know the dedication and effort that Uruguayans make from boys to be able to succeed in football with so few people.”

The Barcelona star added that the team would have to “wait and see” if his striking partner Edinson Cav-ani, who picked up a calf muscle injury in Uruguay’s 2-1 win over Portugal last-16, will be ready for Fri-day’s match.

AFP

NIZHNIY NOVGOROD: Streetwise and tough yet with a razor-sharp edge, Uruguay

have moved serenely into the World Cup quarter-finals, side-

stepping the chaos that has swamped former winners Argen-tina, Germany and Spain.

Uruguay have shown in Russia they are extremely difficult to beat yet sometimes underwhelming -- factors you could have predicted from them before the World Cup.

A low-key start and an 89th-minute winner that gave them a forgettable 1-0 win over an Egypt side missing Mohamed Salah has now given way to real hope they can win their third World Cup.

With a defence built around the central pairing of Jose Gimenez and the vastly experienced 32-year-old Diego Godin -- they also play together at Atletico Madrid -- Uru-guay have won all four games in Russia, conceding a solitary goal.

They are also the only side to have beaten Russia, overwhelming them 3-0 in the group stage in what appeared to be a reality check for the host nation before they want on to stun Spain in the last 16.

Uruguay extinguished Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal on a thrilling night in Sochi to reach the quarter-finals, with Edinson Cavani scoring two brilliant goals.

Next up the grizzly, experienced World Cup campaigners take on a young France -- including

the exciting Kylian Mbappe and Atletico’s Antoine Griezmann -- in Nizhny Novgorod on Friday, bid-ding for a place in the semi-finals.

It is a tough assignment for France and any hope that their stars will enjoy the same space they found in their 4-3 win against a disorgan-ised Argentina have already been extinguished.

“France’s strongest points are the attackers, Griezmann and Mbappe,” Uruguay’s veteran coach Oscar Tabarez said in his under-stated yet determined way after the Portugal victory.

“If you let France have space it will be very difficult.”

“El Maestro” Tabarez has been in charge of Uruguay for 12 years and has not only forged a strong team who rarely fail to deliver on the big stage, but also a side with an immense work ethic and huge experience.

At this World Cup, goalkeeper Fernando Muslera and star striker Luis Suarez both col-lected their 1 0 0 t h caps.

T h e m a i n doubt for France is Cavani, who has a calf muscle injury that forced him off against Portugal. He did not train on Tuesday.

Cavani has played 105 times for his country. If he has not recovered in time, he could replaced by Cristhian Stu-ani, who has played 42 times for Uruguay, just 16 fewer than Griez-mann has appeared

for France. And they are marshalled by Godin, currently 121 caps and counting.

“We always think about not let-ting our opponent play, that’s one of the things that bothers them,” midfielder Diego Laxalt told AFP.

“We try to make sure that strik-ers don’t feel comfortable, it’s a good option.”

But in this topsy-turvy World Cup, one thing for Uruguay has notably changed.

Surprisingly, the team that have received the fewest yellow cards in Russia -- just one -- are Uruguay,

known in the past to resort to the dark arts to win. At the

last World Cup, Luis

Suarez was involved in a notorious biting scandal and as back in 1986 Uruguay were labelled “liars and cheaters” by Alex Ferguson after a bad-tempered match against Scot-land. This time, only Rodrigo Bentancur has been booked.

It is a remarkable transformation.

They have five fewer yellow cards than France and it is the Euro-peans who have to reshuffle because of a suspension to Blaise Matuidi.

“In reality, I think Uruguay has been a strong, aggressive opponent, but without any bad intention towards the opponent,” said Suarez on Tuesday, adding that they should be proud of their disciplinary record in Russia.

Uruguay also have a reputation as World Cup party poopers -- including Ghana in 2010 -- and history is on their side.

The two nations have met three times in the World Cup and Uruguay

have not lost once.

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Argentina’s Lionel Messi (left) and Nigeria’s John Obi

Mikel vie for the ball during their FIFA 2018 World Cup

Group D football match in Saint Petersburg in this June

26 file photo.

France’s Kylian Mbappe during training yesterday.

Belgian fans celebrate after their team won the FIFA 2018 World Cup Round of 16 match against Japan at the Rostov

Arena Stadium in Rostov On Don, Russia on Monday.

Spain averaged 69 percent of the ball in their four games, peaking with a 75 percent share in their last-16 clash with Russia, according to FIFA statistics.

Germany arrived as world champions, but left after the group stage having racked up a 67 percent possession average in their three matches.

Argentina were dispatched by France in the last 16, ending the tournament with a 64 percent possession average.

Asia will host the World Cup for the second time in Qatar in 2022, when automatic qualification for the hosts means the continent could be represented by six teams.

Marcelo, Costa back at training for Brazil

AFP

SOCHI: Brazil were given a boost in the build-up to their World Cup quarter-final against Belgium as Marcelo and Douglas Costa both took part in training yesterday.

“Good news! Douglas Costa was released to return to training with the rest of the squad and took part in today’s activity,” said the Brazilian Football Confeder-ation (CBF) on their Twitter account, @CBF_Futebol.

The Juventus winger has only featured once in Bra-zil’s campaign in Russia so far, coming off the bench in the 2-0 victory against Costa Rica in their second group outing.

He suffered a thigh injury in that game and missed the wins over Serbia in their last group match, and Mex-ico in the last 16 on Monday.

Brazil won both games 2-0 and now face Belgium in the last eight in Kazan on Friday.

Marcelo missed the Mexico game with a back prob-lem, with Filipe Luis filling in at left-back in his absence.

Tite’s squad are due to train at their base in Sochi on Russia’s Black Sea coast for the last time on Wednes-day, before heading to Kazan ahead of the Belgium clash.

Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro will miss that game due to suspension, with Fernandinho of Man-chester City expected to replace him in the starting line-up.

AP

LONDON: Two-time champion Petra Kvitova made a stunning first-round exit from Wimbledon yesterday as she lost 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 to unseeded Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus.

The eighth-seeded Kvitova entered the tournament as one of the favorites despite having withdrawn ahead of the third round at Eastbourne last week with a right hamstring complaint.

However, that didn’t appear to be affecting her as she rallied to level the match by winning the second of two closely fought sets.

Despite the 2011 and 2014 Wimbledon champion being vastly more experienced than Sasnovich - who has never been beyond the third round at a Grand Slam - Kvitova was the one overcome by nerves in the deciding set.

“The nerves were there again,” Kvitova said. “I just tried to kind of fight with myself.” As Kvitova faltered, the other major contenders on her side of the women’s draw advanced in style.

After losing just one set on her way to the Wimbledon title a year ago, Garbine Muguruza picked up exactly where she left off, beating British wild card Naomi Broady 6-2, 7-5 on Tuesday.

The No. 3-seeded Muguruza saved the only break point she faced and could have ended the encounter more swiftly had she taken advantage of her own chances.

“I’m pretty happy with my serve and controlling the emo-tions,” Muguruza said. “You know, to be back in a Grand Slam is always difficult, so I’m excited with the way I’m playing.”

The usual adulation afforded to the reigning champion

fulfilling the honor of opening proceedings on Centre Court on Day 2 of the tournament was tempered by the nationality of Muguruza’s opponent. Muguruza was shown respect but the British crowd backed Broady.

However, the 2016 French Open champion quickly dis-pelled any thoughts of an upset by breaking Broady’s opening service game, and did it again to take the first set 6-2.

Broady saved six break points in the second set before succumbing to Muguruza’s con-stant pressure in the 12th game.

The Spaniard failed to build upon her dominant display at last year’s Wimbledon as she exited the US Open in the second round and this year’s Australian Open in the fourth.

However, her best tennis - and both of her Grand Slam titles - have come during the European summer, and a run to the French Open semifinals last month suggests that may be the case once more.

Only an inspired per-formance from eventual champion Simona Halep knocked her out at Roland Garros, and with grass being better suited to Muguruza, she is a major contender at Wimbledon.

“The fact that it’s different surfaces, it helps,” Muguruza said.

Her next opponent will be

unseeded Belgian Alison Van Uytvanck.

The top-seeded Halep, playing her first match since winning the French Open, recorded a comfortable 6-2, 6-4 win over Japan’s Kurumi Nara.

Johanna Konta, who knocked out Halep on the way to the semifinals a year ago, made it through to the second round by defeating Natalia Vikh-lyantseva of Russia 7-5, 7-6 (7).

Australian trio Daria Gavrilova, Ashleigh Barty, and Samantha Stosur all advanced with straightforward wins.

The 26th-seeded Gavrilova cruised past US lucky loser Caroline Dolehide 6-2, 6-3. She will face Stosur in the next round, after the 2011 US Open champion defeated Shuai Peng of China 6-4, 7-5.

Meanwhile, the 17th-seeded Barty defeated Swiss opponent Stefanie Voegele 7-5, 6-3 to claim her first main-draw singles victory at the All England Club. She will next face British wild card Gabriella Taylor or 2014 runner-up Eugenie Bouchard.

There were also surprise defeats on the men’s side of the draw as both David Goffin and Dominic Thiem lost.

The 51st-ranked Matthew Ebden upset 10th-seeded Goffin of Belgium 6-4, 6-3, 6-4, before seventh-seeded Thiem retired hurt with his opponent, Marcos Baghdatis, leading 6-4, 7-5, 2-0.

American Jack Sock, seeded 18th, was up by two sets but still lost 6-7 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-4, 7-5, 6-2 to Matteo Berrettini.

There were no such diffi-culties for former champions Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, who both won in straight sets.

Nadal moved into the second round with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 win over Dudi Sela of Israel, while Djokovic eased past Tennys Sandgren of the United States 6-3, 6-1, 6-2.

The second-seeded Nadal hadn’t played a match since claiming his 11th French Open title last month, but showed little sign of rust as he cruised to victory against Sela.

Djokovic earned his 59th match victory at the All England Club. That puts him level with John McEnroe in fifth place on the all-time list, behind only Roger Federer, Jimmy Connors, Boris Becker and Pete Sampras.

Juan Martin del Potro improved to 9-0 in the first round of Wimbledon with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 win over Peter Gojowczyk of Germany.

The fifth-seeded Argentine will next face Feliciano Lopez, who broke Roger Federer’s record by appearing in a 66th consecutive Grand Slam singles tournament as he defeated Fed-erico Delbonis of Argentina 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.

22 WEDNESDAY 4 JULY 2018SPORT

Red Bull are in running for both F1 titles, says HornerREUTERS

PARIS: Red Bull have to be considered contenders for both Formula One champi-onships this season, team boss Christian Horner said yesterday.

The former world cham-pions are third overall, 58 points adrift of leaders Ferrari in the constructors’ standings, after nine races.

They are the only team to have won grands prix with both their drivers this season, however, and are matching Ferrari and champions Mer-cedes with three wins.

“I think we definitely have an outside chance,” Horner, whose team won four titles in a row between 2010 and 2013 and before a change in the engine regulations, told reporters at the team’s factory ahead of the British Grand Prix.

“Our Achilles Heel has been not scoring with both cars, either through reliability or other incidents.

“Formula One is full of ifs, buts and maybes but if you look at the positions we were in, and should have been in, then we should be leading the championship today.” Aus-tralian Daniel Ricciardo is 50 points behind Ferrari’s leader Sebastian Vettel but won in China and Monaco.

Dutch team mate Max Vertappen, triumphant in Austria last weekend, is three points behind Ricciardo and has scored as many points as Mercedes’ reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton from the last five races.

Neither of the Red Bulls finished in Bahrain and Azerbaijan, while Mercedes had a double retirement in Austria that ended Hamilton’s record run of 33 successive races in the points. Ferrari have so far avoided such a wipeout.

Horner said Red Bull were closing the gap and there was still a long way to go, with cir-cuits like Hungary and Sin-gapore playing to the team’s strengths.

Froome leads Team Sky’s Tour chargeREUTERS

PARIS: Chris Froome will lead Team Sky’s lineup for the Tour de France, the team announced yesterday, a day after cycling’s world governing body cleared him in a doping case.

Defending champion Froome will be seeking a fourth straight Grand Tour win when he starts the gru-elling race on Saturday.

On Monday, the UCI cleared him of any wrongdoing over his positive test for an asthma drug at last Septem-ber’s Vuelta a Espana which he won. Froome, 33, was also vic-torious in the Giro d’Italia in May while the investigation was continuing.

“The last twelve months have been the hardest but also the most incredible of my career,” Froome said.

“I have never started the Tour de France after riding the Giro d’Italia and it has meant a completely different approach to my season.” However, he said he had learnt a lot from riding the Spanish event straight after the Tour de France last year.

Froome is looking to emulate Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain as a five-time Tour de France winner.

Atletico Madrid’s Fernandez signs contract with Al SaddTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Football giants Al Sadd have signed a two-year deal with Spain’s Gabriel Fernandez.

The 34-year-old former Atletico Madrid midfielder, who arrived in Doha yesterday, can extend the contract to a third season provided both parties agree to renewing the deal.

Fernandez was received at the Hamad International Airport by Al Sadd officials Turki Al Ali, general manager of the club, Mohammed Ghulam Al Balooshi, sports director of the club, and Ahmed Al Ansari, media officer.

Fernandez said he was thrilled to feature for Al Sadd in the new QNB Stars League season that kicks off in August.

“It is a new challenge for me. I have decided to play in Qatar especially after many years of playing in the Spanish league,” Fernandez said.

“I am trying to play this game with all strength and great motivation,” he added. “This is a new experience for me to play in a new club,” he said.

“I have seen many places in Doha and I have seen the prep-arations (Qatar is making) for hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup, including the Khalifa Inter-national Stadium, which is a great football venue. I am quite

sure of the success of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar,” he told the club website.

The Spanish star said that he plans to employ all his expe-rience to support Qatar and Qatari football.

He said: “I will try very hard to consolidate the concept of European thought in Qatar and try to help Qatari players to develop during this period.”

He added: “My goal with Al Sadd will be to compete and win titles. The AFC Champions League quarterfinals will be our first stop.”

Fernandez, known as Gaby, began his career at Atletico Madrid before moving to Getafe and Real Zaragoza. He returned to the Spanish capital in 2011

helping the side win the La Liga, the King’s Cup and the European Champions League twice and reaching the Champions League final on two occasions.

Meanwhile, Al Sadd have kicked off their pre-season training at the club premises.

Coached by Jesualdo Fer-reira, Al Sadd players partici-pated in fitness drills and fea-tured in set-piece action during the first session held at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.

Club officials Turki Al Ali, General Manager, Mohamed Ghanem Al Ali, Head of Football, and Mohammed Ghulam Al Balooshi, Sports Director, were also present to watch the players in action.

The training session was attended by a large number of

non-international players who will continue training on a daily basis until July 12. Al Sadd will have their pre-season tracing camp in Bad Haring in Austria until July 28.

In Austria, Ferreira’s side is scheduled to play friendlies on July 19, 23 and 27 before returning to Doha for the start of the new QNB Stars League season.

Al Sadd’s Saad Al Dosari, Meshaal Barshim, Ibrahim Majid, Pedro Miguel, Abdel Karim Hasan, Salim Al Hajri, Boualem Khokhi, Hassan Al-Haydos, Akram Afif and Ali Asad will be away from the camp as they are part of the Qatar national team training.

The new QNB Stars League season starts on August 4.

Sulaka and Bugshan opt to play for Al KhorTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Al Khor have roped in experienced Rebin Sulaka to beef up their backline ahead of the new QNB Stars League. Al Khor have also managed to sign a deal with Mohamed Ahmed Bugshan from Al Shamal Club.

Sulaka, a Swedish Iraqi player, is one of the tallest members of the side at 1.93 meters.

The 26-year-old, who played for Al Markhiya last season, has already joined Al Khor at their pre-season training camp in the Netherlands.

The club said Bughsan, a Yemeni left-back, will be reg-istered as a resident after QFA’s decision to renew the contract with Yemeni players as residents.

With Adel Al Sulaimi taking over as coach for Al Khor, the QNB stars League outfit will be looking to get positive results in the new season that kicks off on August 4.

A strong defense and centre is one of the targets for coach Al Sulaimi.

Al Khor finished 8th in the last QNB Stars League season.

Former Atletico Madrid midfielder Gabriel Fernandez signs a two-deal with Qatar’s Al Sadd in the presence of club officials in Doha yesterday.

Djokovic and Nadal through at Wimbledon, Kvitova out

Spain’s Rafael Nadal’s celebrates winning his first round match at the Wimbledon against Israel’s Dudi Selaat at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London, Britain, yesterday.

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic celebrates winning a point against Tennys Sandgren of US during their men’s singles first round match at the 2018 Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon, yesterday.

23WEDNESDAY 4 JULY 2018 SPORT

Finch dazzles as Australia smash Zimbabwe AFP

HARARE: A slew of records tumbled as Australia destroyed Zimbabwe by 100 runs in the Twenty20 tri-series at Harare Sports Club yesterday.

Australian captain Aaron Finch powered his way to 172, a new world record high score in T20 internationals, and his opening partnership with D’Arcy Short put up 223, another world record.

Australia reached 229 for 2, the highest total ever scored against Zimbabwe in a T20I.

Finch cracked his first six in the fourth over of the morning, and with his third he brought up a 22-ball half century.

That was his fastest in Twenty20 internationals.

Australia took 75 from the Powerplay, with Finch doing the bulk of the scoring while Short was content to turn the strike over to his big-hitting partner.

When the team hundred came up halfway through the 10th over, Finch had 74 runs to his name, while Short had managed just 19 from the 24 balls he had faced.

Short soon began to find the

middle of his own bat, though, and took a brace of sixes off Ryan Burl’s legspin to take his strike rate to over a run a ball.

Finch, meanwhile, brought up his second T20I hundred at

the end of the 14th over, taking just 50 deliveries.

Four overs later, his 15th four took Australia’s score to 200, and Finch then moved beyond 150 with a swipe to deep midwicket.

He then surpassed his own world record high score of 156 with his ninth six.

Short eventually fell swinging across the line at fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani to

be caught for 46, while Finch fell in bizarre circumstances in the final over.

Stretching out to hit a full delivery from Muzarabani, he over-balanced and kicked his own stumps to be out hit wicket.

While Muzarabani finished with two wickets to his name, left-arm spinner Tendai Chisoro was the only bowler to escape severe punishment.

It appeared Zimbabwe might make a fist of their huge chase when openers Solomon Mire and Chamu Chibhabha rushed past

40 in the fourth over, but once they were dismissed regular wickets quickly stalled the innings.

Left-arm spinner Ashton Agar raced through four overs conceding just 16, while Andrew Tye’s seamers were even more effective.

Tye took 3 for 12 as Australia inflicted one last record against the host Zimbabwe, who slumped to their largest-ever defeat in T20Is.

Zimbabwe will take on Pakistan today in the tri-series’ next match.

ICC unveils tougher sanctions for ball tampering, sledgingAFP

DUBLIN: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday unveiled tougher sanctions for ball tampering and sledging in a bid to improve on-field behaviour in the sport.

The changes come in the wake of a ball-tampering scandal in South Africa in March that saw Steve Smith stripped of the Aus-tralian captaincy and suspended from inter-national and domestic cricket for a year. Teammates David Warner and Cameron Bancroft were also banned.

“It is vital that there is a strong deterrent to both players and adminis-trators to ensure we have high standards of conduct in our game. We have more than a billion fans and we must not give any of them any reason to doubt the high levels of integrity within our sport,” said ICC chairman Shashank Manohar.

Changes to the ICC’s code of conduct included the introduction of a raft of tougher sanctions, to be introduced later this year, for cheating (other than ball-tampering), per-sonal abuse, audible obscenity, disobeying

an umpire’s instructions, and changing the condition of the ball, the Dubai-based gov-erning body said.

Ball tampering will now be considered a level-three offence, for which the

maximum sanction is 12 suspension points, the equivalent to six Test matches or 12 one-day internationals.

“The board also agreed to consider how member boards can be held liable for its players’ behaviour with appropriate sanc-tions to be imposed on boards when the accumulated number of offences by its players exceed certain thresholds,” the ICC said in a statement.

ICC Chief Executive David Richardson added: “There is a clear desire here to reclaim cricket’s unique proposition as a game that people can trust in and for us all to live the spirit of cricket in a way that is relevant in the 21st century.

“With regard to building a culture of respect, the board agreed that members should treat each other with respect as well as ensuring that their teams respect each other, the game and the match officials.”

After its five-day annual conference in Dublin, the ICC also agreed a plan for sta-bilising the financial, cricket and man-agement structures at Zimbabwe Cricket.

Australia’s captain Aaron Finch plays a shot during the third match of the T20 Tri-Series at Harare Sports Club, yesterday.

Bangladesh recall half-fit Mustafizur for Windies ODIsAFP

DHAKA: Bangladesh yesterday included half-fit pace bowler Mustafizur Rahman in their squad for a three-match one-day international series against the West Indies later this month.

Mustafizur has been out of competitive cricket since he hurt his left big toe in May during an Indian Premier League match for the Mumbai Indians.

The 22-year-old missed a three-match Twenty20 interna-tional series against Afghanistan in June and was also excluded from the Bangladesh squad for the two-Test series against the West Indies, beginning on Wednesday in Antigua.

“He has yet to regain his full fitness. Yet, we included him in the ODI squad because we have some time in our hands,” said chief selector Minhajul Abedin.

“We will see him how he goes in a four-day match against Sri Lanka A next week. If he can prove his match fitness, only then he will travel with the squad,” he said.

Minhajul added they have

already included uncapped pacer Abu Jayed as back-up to Mustafizur, which raised the number of players in the squad to 16.

Jayed, who played three Twenty20 internationals but has yet to make his debut in other formats, was one of the four players to get his maiden ODI call up in a revamped squad that last played a 50-over game in January.

Top-order batsman Nazmul Hossain, off-spinner Nazmul Islam and pacer Abu Hider were the other three new additions while selectors also recalled batsmen Liton Das and Mosaddek Hossain.

Opener Imrul Kayes, middle-order batsmen Nasir Hossain and Mohammad Mithun, pacer Abul Hasan, all-rounder Mohammad Saif Uddin and off-spinner Sunzamul Islam have been excluded.

The first two matches of the series will be held in Guyana on July 22 and 25 while St. Kitts will host the final ODI on July 28.

Bangladesh squad: Mashrafe Mortaza (Capt), Shakib Al Hasan,

Tamim Iqbal, Anamul Haque, Liton Das, Mushfiqur Rahim, Sabbir Rahman, Mahmudullah Riyad, Mosaddek Hossain,

Nazmul Hossain, Mehedi Hasan, Nazmul Islam, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Abu Hider and Abu Jayed.

Steve Smith of Toronto Nationals hits out during a Global T20 Canada match against Winnipeg Hawks at Maple Leaf Cricket Clubin King City, Canada on Monday.

AustraliaA Finch hit wicket b Muzarabani ........................172

D Short c Moor b Muzarabani .............................. 46

G Maxwell (not out) ................................................. 0

M Stoinis(not out) ..................................................... 1

Extras (LB5, W5) ..................................................10

Total (2 wkts) ........................................ 229Did not bat: T Head, N Maddinson, A Carey, A Agar,

A Tye, J Richardson, B Stanlake

Fall of wickets: 1-223 (Short), 2-228 (Finch)

Bowling: Nyumbu 3-0-44-0; Muzarabani 4-0-38-

2; Mpofu 4-0-53-0; Chisoro 4-0-19-0; Burl 2-0-30-

0; Chibhabha 2-0-19-0; Mire 1-0-21-0

ZimbabweC Chibhabha c Carey b Richardson 18

S Mire c Stoinis b Stanlake 28

H Masakadza st Carey b Agar ............................... 12

T Musakanda lbw b Agar .......................................10

P Moor c & b Tye ....................................................19

E Chigumbura c Short b Tye.................................... 7

R Burl c Richardson b Tye .....................................10

T Chisoro c Agar b Maxwell .................................... 6

C Mpofu c Short b Stoinis ........................................3

B Muzarabani (not out) ............................................ 1

J Nyumbu (not out) .................................................. 6

Extras (LB1, W8) .................................................... 9

Total (9 wkts) ........................................129Fall of wickets: 1-42, 2-57, 3-71, 4-90, 5-98,

6-101 , 7-108, 8-121, 9-122

Bowling: Stanlake 3-0-39-1; Richardson 4-0-23-1;

Agar 4-1-16-2; Short 2-0-20-0; Tye 4-1-12-3; Max-

well 1-0-7-1; Stoinis 2-0-11-1

SCOREBOARD

India’s Kannanur Lokesh Rahul celebrates scoring his half century during theTwenty20 t match against England at Old Trafford cricket ground in Manchester, northwest England, yesterday.

Kuldeep, Rahul lead India to T20 win over EnglandAFP

MANCHESTER: Kuldeep Yadav claimed his maiden Twenty20 international five-wicket haul and KL Rahul struck his second century in the format as India began their tour of England with an impressive eight-wicket victory at Old Trafford yesterday.

Left-arm spinner Yadav fin-ished with 5-24 as England were restricted to 159-8 after they collapsed from 94-1 fol-lowing India skipper Virat Kohli’s decision to insert the hosts at the toss.

Jos Buttler was the only England batsman to cause the India attack any trouble on his way to 69 from 46 balls before he also fell victim to the beguiling spin of Yadav.

India then confidently chased down the total in 18.2 overs as Rahul -- dropped on 17 by Jason Roy -- mixed finesse

with some brutal hitting as he whacked five sixes and 10 fours en route to an unbeaten 101 off 54 balls.

England’s form in ODI cricket has seen them climb to number one in the world in that format, but their T20 side remains a work in progress.

After they whitewashed Australia 5-0 in their ODI series and won the only T20, hopes were high against India.

However, their explosive top order toiled against Yadav which will be of particular concern for the respective limited overs and Test chal-lenges ahead during the remainder of the English summer.

India removed Roy in the fifth over when he mistimed a pull shot off seamer Umesh Yadav (2-21) through midwicket and ended up chopping on to his stumps for a 20-ball 30.

EnglandJ Roy b U Yadav ..................................................... 30

J Buttler c Kohli b K Yadav ................................... 69

A Hales b K Yadav .................................................... 8

E Morgan c Kohli b K Yadav ....................................7

J Bairstow st Dhoni b K Yadav ............................... 0

J Root st Dhoni b K Yadav ...................................... 0

M Ali c Raina b Pandya ........................................... 6

D Willey (not out) .................................................29

C Jordan c & b Yadav .............................................. 0

L Plunkett (not out) ..................................................3

Extras (LB2, W5) ......................................................7

Total (8 wkts) ........................................159Did not bat: A Rashid

Fall of wickets: 1-50, 2-95, 3-106, 4-107, 5-107,

6-117, 7-141, 8-149

Bowling: Kumar 4-0-45-0 (4w); U Yadav 4-0-21-

2; Chahal 4-0-34-0 (1w); Pandya 4-0-33-1; Kul-

deep Yadav 4-0-24-5

IndiaR Sharma c Morgan b Rashid .............................. 32

S Dhawan b Willey ...................................................5

KL Rahul (not out) ................................................101

V Kohli (not out) ....................................................20

Extras (LB1, W4) .....................................................5

Total (2 wkts) ........................................ 163Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-130

Bowling: Willey 4-0-30-1 (2w); Jordan 4-0-27-0;

Plunkett 4-0-42-0 (2w); Rashid 4-0-25-1; Moeen

2.2-0-37-0

Result: India won by eight wickets

Man-of-the-match: Kuldeep Yadav

SCOREBOARD

Bangladesh Mustafizur Rahman plays a shot during the Nidahas Twenty20 Tri-Series match against India at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo in this March 14, 2018 file picture.

AFP

SAINT PETERSBURG: Sweden reached the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time in 24 years after Emil Forsberg’s deflected shot earned a scrappy 1-0 win over Switzerland yeserday.

This was far from a classic at the Saint Petersburg Stadium and if Colombia or England’s players were watching on from Moscow, they could be forgiven for feeling bullish about their prospects in the last eight.

Switzerland’s Michael Lang was sent off in injury-time for a last-ditch push on Martin Olsson and referee Damir Skomina downgraded his penalty to a free-kick on the edge of the area. But the game was already up.

Forsberg’s second-half strike, which deflected off the unfortunate Manuel Akanji, means Sweden are through to the World Cup last eight for the first time since 1994 in the United States.

Their route to the quarters has not been easy and, what they have lost in the individual brilliance of Zlatan Ibrahi-movic, they appear to have gained in grit, determination and collective spirit.

Their next opponents would be foolish to take them lightly.The one blemish on the victory was a yellow card for defender Mikael Lustig, who will now be suspended for the quarter-final in Samara on Saturday.

Both sides had been hampered by sus-pensions here too, with Switzerland more badly affected. They were without both Fabian Schaer and captain Stephan Lich-tsteiner at the back, prompting Johan Djourou and Lang to come in.

For Sweden, Gustav Svensson replaced Sebastian Larsson in midfield.

After back-to-back penalty shoot-outs, Brazil versus Mexico and Belgium’s pulsating comeback against Japan, there was always a danger this last-16 tie would struggle to deliver, even on low expectations.

It was a contest that lacked quality, particularly in the final third, where both teams were often painfully imprecise.

Victor Lindelof slipped on the ball in the first 10 seconds and that set the tone for the first half, which was largely a col-lection of mishit passes, heavy touches and skewed shots.

There were chances and Sweden had

most of them. Marcus Berg blasted over when set free early on and then saw his finish blocked following a poor clearance by Swiss goalkeeper Yann Sommer.

After a slow start, and Lustig’s foul on Josip Drmic, Switzerland grew in confi-dence and should have scored when Blerim Dzemaili snatched at Steven Zuber’s pull-back.

At the other end, Albin Ekdal was even closer, and completely free, when he side-footed Lustig’s cross over.

Rather than let loose, both teams tightened after the interval, and Forsberg’s goal came out of the blue. With space on the edge of the box, his dummy did for Granit Xhaka before the shot was helped in by the outstretched foot of Akanji.

Switzerland twice went close to grabbing an equaliser, as Djourou’s header dribbled agonisingly across the goal-line and substitute Haris Seferovic drew a late save from close range. Olsson was pushed in the back by Lang with only Sommer to beat in injury-time, with Skomina initially awarding a penalty but changing his decision to a free-kick after he consulted the replay. Lang’s red card stood and Sweden held on.

SPORT 24WEDNESDAY 4 JULY 2018

Sweden’s Emil Forsberg scores their first goal past Switzerland’s Yann Sommer during the FIFA 2018 World Cup round of 16 match at the Saint Petersburg Stadium in Saint Petersburg, Russia, yesterday.

Emil Forsberg of Sweden celebrates after scoring a goal during the FIFA 2018 World Cup round of 16 match at the Saint Petersburg Stadium in Saint Petersburg, Russia, yesterday.

Sweden edge past Switzerland to book place in quarter-finals

Maradona offers to coach Argentina for free AFP

BUENOS AIRES: Diego Maradona wants to return to the position of Argentina coach and is willing to work for free, as Jorge Sampaoli faces pressure to resign following their World Cup travails.

Speaking on his “Hand of God” television show, the 57-year-old Maradona, who coached Argentina for two years from 2008-10, said it was painful to see the current state of the national team.

“I would return to leading

the national team and I would do it for free, I wouldn’t ask for anything in return,” Maradona said on his programme, which runs on Venezuelan channel Telesur.

Sampaoli is resisting intense pressure to resign following Argentina’s 4-3 defeat to France on Saturday during a World Cup campaign that was fraught with tension and disputes.

The coach is believed to have lost the support of his players with some claims attributing team selection and tactics to captain and star Lionel Messi.

Sampaoli, though, has another four years to run on his contract, meaning the Argentine Football Association (AFA) would have to pay a reported $15m (12.9m euros) to sack him.

“Hopefully God will give me the strength to return to the bench,” said Maradona, whose own World Cup coaching cam-paign in 2010 ended in an igno-minious 4-0 thumping by Germany in the quarter-finals in South Africa.

“I’m 57, watching my country, which was beaten by a team that isn’t one of the best in

the world -- it really hursts to see everything that we’ve built destroyed so easily.” Maradona was a genius as a player, leading Argentina to World Cup glory in 1986 and again to the final four years later.

But his coaching career has been far less glamorous despite his stint in charge of the national team, in which he presided over a record-equalling 6-1 defeat to Bolivia. His last two jobs were in the United Arab Emirates, most recently failing to guide Fujairah to promotion from the Emirati second division last season.

Croatia’s Subasic remembers tragic friendAFP

ZAGREB: Goalkeeper Danijel Subasic, the hero of Croatia’s dramatic World Cup win against Denmark, has revealed he wears a T-shirt in honour of a friend who died after hitting his head on a concrete wall during a match.

Subasic has been the focus of frenzied media attention since he saved three Denmark penalties in a shootout on Sunday to ensure Croatia’s place in the quarter-finals in Russia.

On most of the photos in the Croatian press he is seen in a T-shirt he wears under his jersey, featuring a portrait of Hrvoje Custic under the caption “Forever”.

The two played together for their hometown team NK Zadar when in 2008 Custic tragically hit his head on a concrete wall surrounding the pitch during a First Division match. He died a few days later.

Subasic, 33, always plays in a T-shirt with Custic’s image under his jersey, sometimes with the caption “Where are you, my angel?”

“My Hrvoje will always be with me, and not only on a T-shirt but also in my heart,” Subasic said before the World Cup in Russia.

Subasic remained modest about his performance on Sunday.

“Penalties are a lottery, this time luck was on our side,” the Monaco goalkeeper told the press.

NK Zadar were also the first team of Croatia captain Luka Modric and the two played there together.

SWEDEN SWITZERLAND

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