Europa League: Liverpool stun Borussia Dortmund to reach semis, Sevila edge through

Liverpool added another fairytale comeback to the history books as they fought back from 3-1 down against Borussia Dortmund to reach the Europa League semi-finals after Dejan Lovren's towering stoppage-time header secured a 4-3 win on Thursday.
Lovren rose at the far post to rifle home his header in the first minute of added time, recalling memories of Liverpool's 2005 Champions League final comeback against AC Milan and propelling them into the last four with a 5-4 aggregate victory.
Liverpool, 2-0 down after nine minutes, will be joined in Friday's draw by holders Sevilla, who needed a penalty shootout to edge past Spanish rivals Athletic Bilbao.
Spain will have two sides in the last four after Villarreal beat Sparta Prague 4-2 and 6-3 over the two legs, while Shakhtar Donetsk defeated Braga 4-0 at home to complete a 6-1 aggregate triumph.
Liverpool's victory at Anfield was greeted by typically exuberant celebrations from manager Juergen Klopp, who spent seven years at Dortmund and would have been no stranger to the quick-fire counter attacks that earned the visitors a 2-0 lead.
Liverpool might have felt they had a slight advantage over Dortmund having snatched an away goal in a 1-1 first-leg draw, but the tables were turned in the blink of an eye after a whirlwind start by the Germans.
Liverpool were slapdash in possession, Dortmund ruthless on the counter as they brutally punishing Liverpool's errors with both early goals starting from the hosts gifting them the ball.
Dortmund played with the same intensity they did when Klopp led them to two Bundesliga titles and a Champions League final, harrying Liverpool all over the pitch and winning back the ball in dangerous areas.
The first goal arrived after five minutes as a rapid break ended with Simon Mignolet saving brilliantly from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, only for Henrikh Mkhitaryan to sweep home the rebound.

IPL 2016: Delhi Daredevils, Kings XI Punjab aim to bounce back

Having lost their respective opening matches, Delhi Daredevils and Kings XI Punjab will aim to return to winning ways when they face each other in an Indian Premier League (IPL) clash at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium here on Friday. (Full IPL Coverage | POINTS TABLE)
Delhi, the perennial under-achievers of the IPL, were thrashed by nine wickets by the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens. The Delhi batsmen were guilty of poor shot selection on a spinning track and were bundled out for a mere 98 runs after being asked to bat first.
Opener Quinton De Kock was the only Delhi batsman who looked somewhat comfortable on the difficult track before being dismissed by Andre Russell. The South African will once again have the responsibility of giving Delhi a good start before big hitters such as Carlos Brathwaite, Sanju Samson and Chris Morris bring out the heavy artillery. Much will also depend on young Indian batsmen like Mayank Agarwal, Shreyas Iyer and Karun Nair.
The Delhi bowling was rather toothless in the last match. Skipper Zaheer Khan was rather expensive, giving away 24 runs in 2.1 overs. The likes of Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Morris and Amit Mishra will hope to do better in their own den.
Brathwaite was the only Delhi bowler who did well in Kolkata and he will be hoping to continue his good form in front of his home crowd.
Punjab on the other hand, was torn apart by a whirlwind innings from Aaron Finch and went down to newcomers Gujarat Lions by five wickets.
Openers Murali Vijay and Manan Vohra had given them a promising start. But the middle-order batsmen could not built on it. A 22-ball 33 by Marcus Stoinis lower down the order helped Punjab put up a competitive total of 161/9.
The Punjab bowlers also need to pull up their socks. Former Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson was a shadow of his former self while Sandeep Sharma, Mohit Sharma, Pradeep Sahu and Marcus Stoinis also conceeded plenty of runs.
Both teams were disappointing last season as Punjab finished at the bottom of the points table while the DareDevils were a rung higher. A win on Friday could go a long way towards building up some crucial momentum as last season's laggards strive to turn their fortunes around in 2016.
The squads:
Delhi Daredevils: Zaheer Khan (captain), Amit Mishra, Shreyas Iyer, Mohammad Shami, Saurabh Tiwary, Shahbaz Nadeem, Mayank Agarwal, Jayant Yadav, Travis Head, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Imran Tahir, JP Duminy, Albie Morkel, Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper), Pawan Negi, Chris Morris, Sanju Samson, Carlos Brathwaite, Karun Nair, Rishabh Pant, Joel Paris, Sam Billings, Chama Milind, Pratyush Singh, Mahipal Lomror, Saeed Khaleel Ahmed, Akhil Herwadkar, Pawan Suyal.
Kings XI Punjab: David Miller (captain), Glenn Maxwell, Shaun Marsh, Manan Vohra, Murali Vijay, Nikhil Naik, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Akshar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Mitchell Johnson, Wriddhiman Saha (wicketkeeper), Anureet Singh, Sandeep Sharma, Mohit Sharma, Kyle Abbott, KC Cariappa, Marcus Stoinis, Farhaan Behardien, Pradeep Sahu, Armaan Jaffer, Swapnil Singh.

Klopp evokes Istanbul in Reds comeback

Liverpool - Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp revealed he had evoked the spirit of the club's famous Champions League fight back in Istanbul to inspire his team to Europa League victory over Borussia Dortmund.
Two-nil down at half-time in Thursday's quarter-final second leg, and 3-1 behind on aggregate, Klopp reminded his players of the memorable night in May 2005 when former captain Steven Gerrard inspired his team-mates to come back from 3-0 down and overcome AC Milan in a penalty shoot-out.
Divock Origi immediately reduced the arrears and although Marco Reus then struck back for Dortmund, goals from Philippe Coutinho and Mamadou Sakho teed up a storming Anfield finale that saw Dejan Lovren head home a stoppage-time winner to complete an extraordinary 5-4 aggregate win.
"It was a good atmosphere in half-time, honestly, because I was satisfied with the game; not with the goals, but with the game in general," Klopp said after the victory over his former club.
"I told the lads I was not there, but a few Liverpool players who are a little bit older and work as experts for television, they were 3-0 down at half-time and won a Champions League final.
"Even when it's not really likely, it's for sure possible and we should try it. When we scored, everybody could see it - something happened in the stadium. You could hear it, you could feel it and you could smell it."
Dortmund's third goal on the night, brilliantly set up by Mats Hummels and scored by Reus in the 57th minute, momentarily looked to have taken the wind out of Liverpool's sails, but Klopp said that his side's response revealed their depth of character.
"That's the moment in football and in life where you have to show character," said the German, who succeeded Brendan Rodgers last October.
"That's what the lads did. That was pretty cool to watch. Of course to come back in a game like this against this highest quality opponent and win, you need a little bit of luck.
"But I think everybody who saw the game has to say it's deserved."
Liverpool will learn their last-four opponents in Friday's draw and while Klopp warned that there was still a long way to go in the competition, which his club have previously won three times, he said that his side had established a benchmark for future performances.
"We will 100 percent get a real strong opponent in the semi-final. And we have to be there again, everybody," he said.
"But for tonight (Thursday), it was brilliant, outstanding, wonderful, emotional. Everything. I will not forget it because it's special. Now we have to carry on and do things like this more often."
Thomas Tuchel, who succeeded Klopp at Dortmund, was still struggling to make sense of what had happened in his post-match press conference."If you expect an explanation, I probably have to disappoint you because an explanation would mean that things are logical or tactical or at least in moments you see where a game goes to the other side," he said.
"None of this happened. We had a great reaction on the first goal of Liverpool and we scored a third one.
"With the equaliser it was an atmosphere where everybody, except our supporters, believed it was meant to be."
With Dortmund's Bundesliga hopes fading after they fell seven points behind Bayern Munich, Tuchel urged his players to clear their heads in time for their German Cup semi-final against Hertha Berlin on April 20.
"We have to turn disappointment into energy and grit in our approach," said the 42-year-old, who had seen his team go 2-0 up inside nine minutes through Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
"In Berlin the target is to reach the final, so we shouldn't be too afraid of where we are now. Our task is to deal with the disappointment as quickly as possible."

Manqele deserves Chance

Cape Town - Former Kaizer Chiefs striker Kenny Niemach believes Edward Manqele deserves to be given a chance to lead Amakhosi's attack.
Manqele has spent more time on the bench this season than on the field. Chiefs have been hit by a drought in front of goal, having only scored two goals in their last six games.
Amakhosi will also be looking for their first win in seven games against Ajax Cape Town on Saturday.
"I think he can make a change after his substitute appearance on Wednesday night," Niemach told Goal website.
"For me he is a good talent and is surely trying to find what he did wrong not to have been playing regularly since arriving at Chiefs so that he can react to it in a different way.
"I feel this is the right time for the coach to play him regular with the other strikers having failed to find the back of the net regularly."
Meanwhile, Kaizer Chiefs welcome Ajax Cape Town to the FNB Stadium on Saturday in an Absa Premiership encounter.

Manchester City can win the Champions League says Manuel Pellegrini after win over PSG

Manuel Pellegrini insisted Manchester City can win the Champions League after overcoming Paris Saint-Germain to reach the semi-finals for the first time.
Kevin De Bruyne’s 76th minute goal secured a 1-0 victory at the Etihad, earning City a 3-2 aggregate win, and booked the club’s place in Friday’s draw for the last four.
But despite the prospect of a draw which pits them against the likes of Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Real Madrid, City manager Pellegrini claimed that his team should now approach the semi-finals believing that they can end the campaign as European champions.
“Of course, because I think it is one of the targets of this club to receive every year,” Pellegrini said. “We receive a lot of criticism for different reasons, but every year we are improving.
“I am sure the target of this club is to win the Champions League, but not by winning the Champions League will the project be finished. They want to continue improving every season.
"But I never understand the criticism we get. We beat Bayern Munich in my first season and lost against Barcelona in the round-of-16.
“In the second season, we didn't play well but beat Bayern Munich again and Roma, then we lost to Barca again. This season we won the group and now we beat PSG.
"I really don't understand the criticism or they don't understand Barcelona have better players.”
De Bruyne’s goal, after Sergio Aguero missed a first-half penalty, was crucial for City in that it left PSG needing two goals in the final stages to progress.
And Pellegrini insisted that De Bruyne’s strike was a deserved goal after City had dominated.
"Kevin de Bruyne is an important player for us,” Pellegrini said. “We deserved a goal before he scored. We dominated that game from the beginning until the end.
"I trust my team so much, the penalty miss from Aguero was not the best moment, but once again, this team demonstrated the character and personality of a big team.
"I am very satisfied, not only because we won the game and qualified for the semi-finals, but because we won in the style of play we want.
“We didn't want to draw 0-0, we showed from the start we wanted to beat PSG.”

Now the real fights will happen for Anthony Joshua after Charles Martin sideshow, writes Steve Bunce

It took Anthony Joshua 292 seconds to end the 94-day reign of the luckiest heavyweight champion in the tainted, glorious and greedy history of the sport.
Charles Martin started to box to get rich, which he achieved on Saturday night at the O2 when he was gifted $5million dollars for his convenient part in Joshua's rise. Martin entered the ring as the 13th IBF heavyweight champion since the troubled sanctioning body muscled in on the boxing game back in 1983; he left the ring as their worst champion.
Joshua entered the ring camouflaged in a flowing white robe that was both regal and light; Martin ambled through his ringwalk wearing a tacky crown that resembled the top prize from a loyalty award scheme at Burger King. A glance at his soft belly and tiny shorts appeared to confirm reports that Martin's training regime had involved several battles with the fridge.
It looked like Martin's snug shorts had been made to fit his desired weight, but were instead left packed and bulging from an inability to curb his desires for food. It was just another tiny rumour during the days before the fight that added further insult to his shameful collapse.
However, there was no deceit involved, no dark arts in play to transform a fighter like Martin from the underwhelming periphery to main attraction last Saturday. It was strictly business because of a moral loophole in the boxing world that allows any fighter, with connections, to get a shot at the main prize in a sport where you get what you negotiate and not what you deserve. Martin's people - a swollen grinning troupe before the fight - secured him the riches but disgracefully failed to prepare him for the fight.

Opening up about his astonishing comeback and fitness level at 45, Australian spinner Brad Hogg today said he gets a healthy dose of constant encouragement from his wife that keeps him going, but conceded he regrets quitting Test cricket after just seven outings.
Hogg is presently enjoying his Indian Premier League stint at Kolkata Knight Riders.

“It’s good to be playing the game with someone who’s pushing you to go as far as you want. There’s talk about me when I’m going to stop and she just says play as long as you possibly can. We’re going to try get there to fifty,” Hogg said on the eve of their match against Mumbai Indians.
Hogg was the pick of KKR bowler with figures of 3/19 as Delhi Daredevils succumbed to 98 to suffer a nine-wicket defeat in their IPL opener.
Having spent much time in the shadow of the legendary Shane Warne, Hogg had called it quits in 2008 after just seven Tests and 123 ODIs.
- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/sports/cricket/ipl-2016-its-a-respectful-competition-between-sunil-narine-and-me-says-brad-hogg/#sthash.2byoRwAW.dpuf

Opening up about his astonishing comeback and fitness level at 45, Australian spinner Brad Hogg today said he gets a healthy dose of constant encouragement from his wife that keeps him going, but conceded he regrets quitting Test cricket after just seven outings.
Hogg is presently enjoying his Indian Premier League stint at Kolkata Knight Riders.

“It’s good to be playing the game with someone who’s pushing you to go as far as you want. There’s talk about me when I’m going to stop and she just says play as long as you possibly can. We’re going to try get there to fifty,” Hogg said on the eve of their match against Mumbai Indians.
Hogg was the pick of KKR bowler with figures of 3/19 as Delhi Daredevils succumbed to 98 to suffer a nine-wicket defeat in their IPL opener.
Having spent much time in the shadow of the legendary Shane Warne, Hogg had called it quits in 2008 after just seven Tests and 123 ODIs.
- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/sports/cricket/ipl-2016-its-a-respectful-competition-between-sunil-narine-and-me-says-brad-hogg/#sthash.2byoRwAW.dpuf

Opening up about his astonishing comeback and fitness level at 45, Australian spinner Brad Hogg today said he gets a healthy dose of constant encouragement from his wife that keeps him going, but conceded he regrets quitting Test cricket after just seven outings.
Hogg is presently enjoying his Indian Premier League stint at Kolkata Knight Riders.

“It’s good to be playing the game with someone who’s pushing you to go as far as you want. There’s talk about me when I’m going to stop and she just says play as long as you possibly can. We’re going to try get there to fifty,” Hogg said on the eve of their match against Mumbai Indians.
Hogg was the pick of KKR bowler with figures of 3/19 as Delhi Daredevils succumbed to 98 to suffer a nine-wicket defeat in their IPL opener.
Having spent much time in the shadow of the legendary Shane Warne, Hogg had called it quits in 2008 after just seven Tests and 123 ODIs.
- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/sports/cricket/ipl-2016-its-a-respectful-competition-between-sunil-narine-and-me-says-brad-hogg/#sthash.2byoRwAW.dpuf

Opening up about his astonishing comeback and fitness level at 45, Australian spinner Brad Hogg today said he gets a healthy dose of constant encouragement from his wife that keeps him going, but conceded he regrets quitting Test cricket after just seven outings.
Hogg is presently enjoying his Indian Premier League stint at Kolkata Knight Riders.

“It’s good to be playing the game with someone who’s pushing you to go as far as you want. There’s talk about me when I’m going to stop and she just says play as long as you possibly can. We’re going to try get there to fifty,” Hogg said on the eve of their match against Mumbai Indians.
Hogg was the pick of KKR bowler with figures of 3/19 as Delhi Daredevils succumbed to 98 to suffer a nine-wicket defeat in their IPL opener.
Having spent much time in the shadow of the legendary Shane Warne, Hogg had called it quits in 2008 after just seven Tests and 123 ODIs.
- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/sports/cricket/ipl-2016-its-a-respectful-competition-between-sunil-narine-and-me-says-brad-hogg/#sthash.2byoRwAW.dpuf

PCB to appoint new coach by first week of May

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shaharyar Khan has said that the new selection committee will be appointed next week while the new head coach would be selected by first week of May.
The PCB is on the lookout for a new coach after Waqar Younis stepped down following Pakistan's poor show at the Asia Cup and ICC World Twenty20. The cricket board also sacked the entire selection panel headed by Haroon Rasheed.
PCB has asked candidates to apply for the position of head coach by April 25 after which a committee comprising of former players Wasim Akram and Rameez Raza will take a decision on the new coach.
However, Shaharyar Khan said that the board is yet to decide whether to appoint a foreign or local coach. But he dropped a hint that the board had already shortlisted a foreign and a local candidate.
"The new coach will be appointed by first week of May and Wasim is also in India for the IPL to discuss with candidates," Khan said.
The names of former Test stalwarts Aaqib Javed, Moin Khan, Mohsin Khan and Mudassar Nazar are doing the rounds for the post of head coach while the board is said to be eyeing Tom Moody and Dean Jones as the best possible foreign candidates.
Moody is busy in the IPL while Jones recently coached the title winning Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League.
Khan said that the new selection committee would be named by late this week or next week as the board wanted the selectors to also watch the Pakistan Cup one-day tournament in Faisalabad starting next week.
He confirmed that Mohsin Khan had been offered the post of chief selector but he declined.
"Mohsin is more inclined towards coaching the national team," he added.
The names of former Test spinner Iqbal Qasim, Moin and Mohsin are also being tipped to head the selection committee. The PCB chief said the board would now make appointments after giving it proper thought as the national team had tough tours to England and Australia and there was a need to improve its rankings in all three formats.

No one had dinner after losing to India in World T20, says Mashrafe Mortaza

Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza has revealed that he and his teammates skipped dinner after their heart-breaking one-run defeat against India in the group stages of the recently-concluded World Twenty20.
Mortaza, who is holidaying in Kashmir, interacted with local youngsters.
"We were very upset with that defeat. None of us had dinner that evening. Losing is a part of the game and we did not want to lose that match," Mortaza was quoted as saying by a local website, when a local boy asked about Bangladesh not being able to score two runs off the last three balls during their group-league encounter against India.
It was a chance encounter for the locals with the Bangladeshi captain as he stopped by at a village on Srinagar-Sonamarg road on Sunday.
"On his way back to summer capital (Srinagar) from Sonamarg, he saw a few youngsters playing cricket at Kullan.
"Mortaza stopped the vehicle and met the players," the website report stated.
The seamer gave some tips to the young players and even displayed his skills by bowling a few deliveries.

Klopp: Moreno's strongest performance

Cape Town - Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was impressed by left-back Alberto Moreno's performance in their 4-1 win over Stoke City on Sunday.
The Spain international has made 28 starts in all competitions so far this campaign and his long-range effort opened the scoring against the Potters at Anfield.
"I would say Alberto had his strongest performance since I've been here," Klopp said of the 23-year-old.
"The goal gave him confidence, but he was concentrated, good in defence, very good in our build-up and changed positions, played in the half-space and so that was good."
The German manager included fringe players such as Kevin Stewart and Sheyi Ojo in his starting line-up against Stoke and was thrilled with his team's overall performance on the day.
"To be honest, the whole game was good against a really difficult side to play," he added. "For the second time, they changed their style of play against us.
"When we played the [League Cup] semi-final at Stoke, the first half they played football. We had a few good pressing moments and in the second half they changed it.
"Then when they came here, it was a long-ball festival. Today, with the wind and Peter Crouch, it was really difficult, but the big experience of Kolo [Toure] and Martin [Skrtel] ruled it in the end.
"They had big passion and good positioning in their defending. What we did with the ball in our build-up was really good for a side that had never played together before- it was brilliant, to be honest."

Di Maria 'very happy' at PSG, unlike United

Cape Town - Ahead of Paris Saint-Germain's trip to Manchester City, Angel Di Maria insisted he is happy at his current club and had a little dig at his former employers.
The Argentine winger will return to Manchester for the Champions League quarter-final against United's derby rivals on Tuesday, but the former Benfica star has little love for his previous club.
"It's not nice to say certain things, but it's more that they didn't let me settle properly than I couldn't settle," the attacker told the BBC of his time at Old Trafford.
"I started a game in one position, then the next game in another. I scored goals playing in one position, then suddenly the next game I was picked to play in a different position."
The 28-year-old was also full of praise for current manager Laurent Blanc, especially in comparison to his time under United boss Louis van Gaal.
"From the beginning he was clear where he wanted to play me and has never changed his mind," Di Maria added. "He gave me total freedom to move where I needed to move. I'm very happy here and it wasn't the case over there."Di Maria has already bagged nine goals and 11 assists in Ligue 1 this season. PSG head into the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie with the aggregate score locked at 2-2 , although Blaise Matuidi and David Luiz will both miss out due to suspension.

'Next season will be better for Chiefs'

Cape Town - Former Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Gert Schalkwyk believes the club will do well next season, after chairman Kaizer Motaung promised to open the chequebook for Steve Komphela to sign new players.
On Monday the Amakhosi boss came out in support of the former Free State Stars coach as he promised to keep Komphela at Naturena for at least two more seasons to rebuild his team, following a disastrous debut season as Amakhosi's head coach.
"I think the good thing is that Brother Kaizer has made a confession about the club’s struggles this season and the news to buy new players," Schalkwyk told Goal website.
"That should have been music to the ears of the Amakhosi supporters as they have not stopped complaining about the lack of quality players at the club.
"I also believe that things will be a bit better next season with Steve given the money to bring his own players."
Schalkwyk says that the likes of Bongani Ndulula and Edward Manqele are failing to make any contribution to the club.
Meanwhile, Chiefs are set face Mpumalanga Black Aces on Tuesday, April 11 in an Absa Premiership tie as they look to solidify their place in the top four.

Sundowns let it slip at the death

Cape Town - Mamelodi Sundowns looked set to emerge from the Stade Tata Raphael with a draw on Sunday, only to concede a late goal and lose 1-0 to AS Vita in the CAF Champions League.
Early play was tentative from both teams, with little to get the 50 000 strong crowd on their feet.
The first chance of the game saw Keagan Dolly speeding down the flank before pulling back a cross for Leonardo Castro, but his goal-bound shot was blocked and went out for a corner.
Castro was again close to getting on the scoresheet after a storming run by Mzikayise Mashaba in the 16th minute, but again the home defence came up trumps.
'Downs were also having some defending to do, Onyango as well as defenders Thabo Nthethe and Ramahlwe Mphahlele doing some sturdy work at the back for the visitors.
There were also first-half chances for Hlompho Kekana and Mphahlele, but the former shot wide while the latter had his effort blocked.
Bernard Morrison came very close to putting the hosts ahead seconds before half-time after breaking clear on goal, but he watched as his effort miss by inches.
The Premiership leaders were to have the first chances of the second half, but Tebogo Langerman and then Themba Zwane were wayward with their efforts.
When the hosts did manage to carve out a chance, they found Dennis Onyango impassable between the sticks, the Ugandan keeper doing superbly to deny the dangerous Morrison on 54 minutes.
Dolly should really have put Masandawana ahead on 66 minutes, but having done the hard work, he fluffed his parting shot.
But the Kinshasa club continued to ask questions of the Brazilians defence, with Morrison flashing an 85th-minute shot wide to illustrate that point.
Vitas continued to push forward and were rewarded for their efforts in stoppage time when Kule Mbombo scored on the rebound after Onyango had done brilliantly to deny Morrison.

Playing in IPL without donning Chennai Super Kings jersey made me emotional: MS Dhoni

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, captaining debutants Pune Supergiants in the ninth season of IPL, on Sunday said he felt emotional while stepping into the field in their Indian Premier League (IPL) opener against Mumbai Indians without wearing the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) jersey.
Dhoni skippered CSK for eight seasons since the inception of IPL and is leading Pune after the Chennai-based franchise was suspended for two years due to a betting and spot-fixing scandal. (Also read: MS Dhoni plays down speculations of rift with Ravichandran Ashwin)
"As I said it was, I knew I would play for the Pune team but the actual moment comes when you start walking with the team-sheet in your hand till that point of time its only practice and everything," Dhoni told reporters here. (Full IPL coverage)
"It was a very emotional moment...since I have started playing T20 cricket represented the Indian cricket team, Jharkhand team in few tournaments and CSK for eight years, so it was a emotional moment not to see myself in yellow."
"But at the same time as professionals, we have to move ahead and also not to prove to anyone but to prove a point to myself that I am making sure whatever I gave in for CSK, I am not leaving any inch that I am not giving for the Pune team," he added.
New team Pune began their IPL-9 campaign on a positive note, beating defending champions Mumbai Indians by nine wickets here on Saturday.

Indian Premier League 2016, Kolkata Knight Riders vs Delhi Daredevils: Live Cricket Scores

Man of the Match, Andre Russell: We just have to adjust to any surface. That is where professionalism comes into play. It wasn't the fastest of wickets, it wasn't slow either. If I get a chance to bat, I'd go out there and do something destructive. When things are going your way, you need to find ways to stay up there.
Gautam Gambhir: We were very professional. Russell got to Kolkata this morning. The way he started with the ball was commendable. He is a quality player. Once we restricted them to 98, it was half the job done. We aren't used to playing on these kind of wickets, that is why we decided to bowl first. In our chase, someone had to bat through. That is what professional teams do. It was my responsibility to do that. Robin was unbelievable, to give us that kind of start was fantastic. We've covered most of our bases, so we are happy with whatever surfaces we get.
Zaheer Khan: You learn every day. I was trying to swing it too much. Playing a game after a long time. IPL is such a long tournament, every team is going to have one bad game. And this was our first and last bad game and it's out of the way. We are giving them freedom. T20 is such a fast game, we want the intensity. 120 could have been close on this track. This team is all about letting them express themselves on the field freely.

Manny Pacquiao beats Timothy Bradley in farewell fight

Manny Pacquiao defeated Timothy Bradley by unanimous decision in the rubber match between the fighters on Saturday, prevailing in what the Filipino has said is the final fight of his career.
Pacquiao, who bounced back from a controversial split-decision defeat to Bradley in 2012 with a decisive win two years later, delivered the final blow in their welterweight clash in Las Vegas as all three judges scored it 116-110 in his favor.
With fans chanting 'Manny' at the conclusion, Pacquiao (58-6-2) maintained that he is heading into retirement and continuing his political career in the Philippines.
"I have a commitment to my family that I'm going to retire after this and we don't know," Pacquiao told ringside reporters.
"If you ask me about if I'm coming back, maybe I enjoy by being retired and serving and helping the people."
After a slow start narrowly controlled by Bradley, the 37-year-old Pacquiao seized the momentum in the middle portion following a furious fifth round.
Pacquiao then caught an off balance Bradley with a right hand to the ear to drop him in the seventh, but the American surprisingly bounced back to hurt Pacquiao during the eighth.
From there Pacquiao wrested back control, highlighted by a right uppercut that dropped Bradley in the ninth.
At the strong urging of his trainer Teddy Atlas, Bradley (33-2-1) continued to hang in for the latter rounds though he appeared in trouble at the final bell.
"Every round (I was) looking for a KO but Bradley is a very good boxer," Pacquiao said of the performance, which may go some way to helping cement his legacy after a disappointing fight against Floyd Mayweather last May.
Mayweather easily won the fight that lacked much action to retire undefeated, though Pacquiao's support team said afterwards he had suffered a shoulder injury in training beforehand and later needed surgery.

Nasri returns to give City Euro boost

Manchester - Samir Nasri celebrated his return from injury by capping Manchester City's fightback in a 2-1 win over West Bromwich Albion on Saturday that provided the perfect boost ahead of their crunch Champions League quarter-final.
Manuel Pellegrini's side are slight favourites to go through after drawing 2-2 in the first leg at Paris Saint Germain, but they will not want to rely on winning the competition for the first time to guarantee playing in the Champions League again next season.
They therefore need to secure a top-four finish in the Premier League and thanks to Nasri's close-range effort on his first start since September, City pulled four points clear of Manchester United before they play at title-chasing Tottenham on Saturday and to within two points of third-placed Arsenal.
However, the sight of Argentina striker Sergio Aguero limping off in the second half at Eastlands after being caught on the back of his foot was a concern for Pellegrini with the PSG clash looming on Tuesday.
City started with five changes to the side that drew in Paris as Pellegrini rested a number of players ahead of the second leg in Manchester.
But despite the shuffling of resources, City would not have expected to go behind after just five minutes to a West Brom side with only one win in their last 10 away Premier League games.
They had put together a solid run of just one defeat in six games to pull away from relegation danger but Stephane Sessegnon's goal was only the 12th Tony Pulis' side had managed away from home in the league all season.
Sessegnon's second of the campaign was perfectly struck on the half-volley past Joe Hart from 20 yards following a James McClean cross after an impressive West Brom break-away, sparked after referee Michael Jones had blocked an attempted pass from Pablo Zabaleta to gift possession to the visitors.
With City desperate not to drop more points after losing three of their last four home league games they needed an instant response and got it via the penalty spot just 13 minutes later.
Aleksandar Kolarov was a constant threat going forward and after he was tripped in the box by Sessegnon, Aguero drilled home his 18th league goal of the season from the penalty spot.
But that didn't trigger a major shift in power as West Brom defended in numbers to frustrate a City side again looking short of inspiration and substitute Craig Gardner dragging a shot wide in the nearest either side came to adding a second goal before half time.
Aguero tested Ben Foster nine minutes into the second half but City might have given away a penalty of their own when Eliaquim Mangala clumsily jumped into Sandro and with an hour gone Pellegrini reached for his big guns to try and force the issue.
Kevin De Bruyne and the fit again Yaya Toure were sent on and De Bruyne immediately made his presence felt, stretching the West Brom defence and playing a part as City went ahead as he played in Jesus Navas to set up Aguero.
Aguero's effort was blocked but French midfielder Nasri was on hand to cap his comeback from a serious thigh injury by tapping in his second goal of the season.
Aguero could have secured further breathing space with a chance saved by Foster.
But City were almost denied the victory they badly needed ahead of their big European night when McClean was inches away with a stoppage-time effort.

Arsenal can learn from Leicester fairytale

Cape Town - Arsene Wenger insists he has not given up on Arsenal's Premier League title challenge but admits there are lessons to be learnt from Leicester's dominance at the top of the table.
Wenger's third-placed side, who lie 11 points adrift of the leaders, head to West Ham on Saturday where they will seek the third successive victory they need to keep their slender hopes of becoming champions alive.
Consecutive wins against Everton and Watford have raised hopes they could yet end a frustrating season on a high but Wenger is realistic enough to know Arsenal's main priority is to ensure they do not get dragged back towards those clubs - including West Ham - currently on the fringe of the top four.
And if, as expected, Wenger is forced to contemplate another failed bid to deliver the title to the Emirates Stadium for the first time since 2004, the manager will point to Leicester's recruitment strategy as the key to the leaders' unexpected success.
"What we learn from Leicester City is what I knew for a long time, which is that it's not just only down to the amount of money you spend," Wenger said.
"It's down to the quality of players you bring in and sometimes the opportunities are not always necessarily linked with the amount of money.
"If you look well, they finished very strongly last season and on top of that they brought some players in who have given them something more, like N'Golo Kante. He had a huge impact."
With games running out, Wenger acknowledges Arsenal need to win virtually all their remaining matches to have any chance of a stunning title triumph.
RAISED EYEBROWS
"We know that we need nearly the perfect run and we know as well that we don't look only in front of us, we look behind us as well," he added.
"We are chased by a group of teams who can make it very difficult for us so we have just to focus on our performance and hope we finish in a very strong way.
"As long as it's mathematically possible, there's a strong possibility we can catch Leicester.
"You look at the difficulty of the Premier League and they have been very consistent but every game is very, very tight. That can go the other way."
Aaron Ramsey could return to the squad but Wenger is unlikely to change the starting line-up that has delivered successive wins.
West Ham won at Arsenal on the opening day of the season, a result that raised eyebrows at the time.
The Hammers' form since then, however, has demonstrated that performance was no one off and while last weekend's home draw with Crystal Palace dented their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League, boss Slaven Bilic and his players have not given up on reaching the top four.
"We are both fighting for a place in Europe and from their point of view, they're trying to be champions," Bilic said.
"They admitted that they must win all their remaining games, so it's a big game with a lot at stake."
The game marks the start of a defining eight days in West Ham's season with the FA Cup quarter-final replay with Manchester United on April 13 followed by a trip to Leicester next Sunday.
"We play Arsenal, then have a cup replay against Manchester United, then go to Leicester," Bilic said.
"But we are approaching the Arsenal game and then we have three days to recover and think about Manchester United. We are going to put the best team out that we can on Saturday."

Tyson Fury vs Wladimir Klitschko 2: Rematch set for 9 July in Manchester

An agreement is in place for the rematch between Tyson Fury and Wladimir Klitschko for the WBA and WBO heavyweight titles to take place in Manchester on July 9, according to the British fighter's trainer and uncle Peter Fury.
Fury senior tweeted that the long-awaited rematch will be confirmed later on Friday, and claimed the fight would take place in Manchester.
"(On) 9th July Tyson Fury vs Klitschko is coming to Manchester Uk," he wrote on Twitter.
"Official announcement coming 12 noon."
A rematch between the two has effectively been under negotiation since Fury unexpectedly outpointed Klitschko in Dusseldorf in November to win the WBA, WBO and IBF titles and become the first to defeat him in 11 years.
The 40-year-old Klitschko almost instantly activated the rematch clause that had been in the first fight's contract, which ultimately led to Fury being stripped of the IBF title through his inability to defend it against mandatory challenger Vyacheslav Glazkov.
Negotiations have been progressing slowly since then, with several venues in the UK and Germany reported to be under consideration.
Press Association Sport understands Fury's manager and promoter Mick Hennessy, who spent much of the previous week overlooking another of his fighters, the injured Nick Blackwell, has this week been working with Klitschko's manager Bernd Boente.
Fury suffered a minor back injury last month, but believes the delay in an announcement is down to Klitschko's hope that he will gain weight if given time off.
"I think they think I will put on 10 stone and self-detonate, but that's not going to happen," he said. "When I get the date, I'll go straight back in the gym and start working it off.
"I've got a back injury. An old injury flared up when I went over to help Hughie (my cousin) out for his fight (on March 26).
"I got taken to hospital and ever since then, every time I get punched in the back, it goes into a spasm, like a trapped nerve. It's a painful experience.
"But, listen, when they announce the date, I'll be ready, back injury or not."
He has also exchanged insults on Twitter with Anthony Joshua, who in London on Saturday challenges Charles Martin for what was once Fury's IBF title, over the past week.

Ben Rothwell vs Junior Dos Santos meet at UFC Zagreb, Dan Hardy previews the fight

An interesting  line up of fights will grace the UFC’s Octagon this weekend, and with three heavyweight bouts on the main card, it’s the heaviest line-up we’ve seen since UFC 146.
The main event has potential title fight connotations, as Ben Rothwell - riding a four-fight win streak - takes on former heavyweight champion, Junior Dos Santos. With a clear-cut victory, Rothwell knows that he will have done enough to demand a shot at the champion. Dos Santos, however, feels like he is still capable of holding the belt and needs a win in Zagreb to support his own case.
Although hugely experienced, with double the amount of professional contests as JDS, Rothwell has never been within reach of the UFC title. He finds himself in this position because something has changed about his approach to competition and, as a result, he has taken out four dangerous opponents. Rothwell puts this all down to his new mindset, and confidence, but it is manifesting in knockouts and submissions.
It seems as though Rothwell has found his groove, and at just the right time. The heavyweight division is has been waiting for a new contender to step in and stir things up, and it’s obvious that he has the skills required. His natural knockout power, granite chin and signature Go-Go choke are causing all kinds of problems. Most recently Big Ben submitted Josh Barnett, a high level grappler, surprising hard core MMA fans and earning a performance bonus in the process.
Junior Dos Santos, meanwhile, is a very skilled boxer. His takedown defence has always proven to be good, and he has an excellent awareness in all ranges of mixed martial arts. Having recently moved to American Top Team, he has worked extensively with former heavyweight boxing world champion, Michael Moorer, which will surely add a new dimension to his game. I expect Dos Santos to play the long game and use his footwork to stay away from Rothwell’s power, using his speed advantage to out-box his opponent.  

Leicester news: Premier League have wised up to Foxes... but it's too late to stop them - Danny Higginbotham

The conventional wisdom says that Leicester City have a difficult next two matches, against Sunderland and West Ham United, which could open the title race back up for Tottenham Hotspur. But the conventional wisdom is wrong.
For a counter-attacking side like Leicester, the easier games are not the ones against sides with nothing to play for and nothing to prove, teams who would be willing to sit back and play out the 0-0. Those are the hard games.
The easier games, in fact, are against sides who need to win, sides like Sunderland and West Ham who will throw everything at them in pursuit of the three points. Leicester play Sunderland on Sunday West Ham next Sunday and then Manchester United on 1 May. They will be relishing the prospect.
This is because the story of Leicester City’s success is turning the opposition’s weakness into their own strength. They are top of the Premier League because of how they have exploited the desperation, impatience and snobbery of other teams when facing them.
The more impatient a team is when facing Leicester, the more vulnerable they are. The more men they desperately throw forward looking for a goal, the more they are likely to concede. So the more pressure Leicester are under, the more likely they are to score. That is way Leicester have played all season and it is surely going to win them the Premier League title.
Just look at two of the outstanding wins of Leicester’s season. In December they beat Chelsea 2-1 at home, in Jose Mourinho’s final game. Chelsea looked desperate to turn their season around but Leicester sat back, had just 34 per cent possession, and beat them on the break. Or when they went to the Etihad Stadium in February, against an arrogant and complacent Manchester City side, and won 3-1, a game which I have dissected in this column before.
In those two games, and many others before, Leicester had the luxury of playing precisely how they wanted to, whether away or at home. They sat deep, surrendered possession, and waited for their opponent to take the initiative, and to open themselves up.Then they counter-attacked with their blistering pace. What always impresses me about Leicester, and this is not a word we often use in English football, is their patience. They do not chase games, and they certainly do not panic if they do not have the lead by the 75th or even 85th minute. They are happy to sit and wait until they get their chance. That patience comes from Claudio Ranieri himself, and the trust he has in his players to execute their plan.
Their winner against Tottenham was in the 83rd minute. Their winner against Norwich in the 89th. If Sam Allardyce’s Sunderland try to out-wait them on Saturday they will eventually crack too, and Leicester will take advantage of their desperation for the three points.
So Leicester invite the opposition onto them, knowing that it works in their favour. I have seen a lot of Leicester this season and I would say that as much as 80 per cent of their goals come against the run of play, especially their recent winners against Southampton and Crystal Palace. When was the last time we said that a goal for Leicester has been coming?
Only recently, with Leicester looking increasingly likely to win the title, have other teams realised what they are trying to do.
In Leicester’s first 12 home games this season, they had less possession than their opponent in 11 of them. The one where they did in fact have more of the ball was against a 10-man Bournemouth side. Leicester were delighted with this, the less of the ball they have, the better. Look at the graphic showing their average positions in the 2-1 defeat of Chelsea – the archetypal Leicester performance – and how deep Jamie Vardy could play, happy to lie in wait to attack on the break.

Argentina knock Belgium from top of FIFA rankings

Argentina reclaimed top spot from Belgium in Thursday’s FIFA world rankings, while Copa America champions Chile soared to an all-time high of third place.
Three straight wins in 2018 World Cup qualifiers helped Argentina return to the summit, five months after they were supplanted by Belgium.
Chile moved up two places from fifth, with Colombia climbing from eighth to fourth and Uruguay moving back into the top 10 as a reward for their strong start to South American qualifying.
Two-time defending European champions Spain drop three places to sixth, with world champions Germany, Brazil, Portugal and England also sliding down one spot.
FIFA Rankings as of April 7:
1. Argentina (+1)
2. Belgium (-1)
3. Chile (+2)
4. Colombia (+4)
5. Germany (-1)
6. Spain (-3)
7. Brazil (-1)
8. Portugal (-1)
9. Uruguay (+2)
10. England (-1)

Indian Premier League 2016: Batting powerhouse Royal Challengers Bangalore seek maiden title

Virat Kohli’s belligerent knock against Australia offered troubled liquor baron Vijay Mallya a sense of momentary satisfaction.
The flamboyant tycoon got rather nostalgic, so to say, casting his mind back to perhaps his only successful business decision in recent years.
Far away from the noise of TV news and in the lap of London’s luxury, Mallya reminisced picking up Kohli to fill in Royal Challengers Bangalore’s U-19 quota in 2008.
Little did the 60-year-old know at the time that his fire-breathing young star would be the batting standard come IPL’s ninth installment.
Mallya’s airline may have crash-landed, but Virat’s career has taken off to a whole new level.
Having lost almost everything that’s dear to him, winning an IPL title could offer RCB’s chief mentor a shot at some redemption.
With an array of superstars at its disposal, the Bengaluru-based franchise is tipped to go all the way every year. But the dream continues to elude this dream team.
And Kohli’s side now finds itself clubbed with the Kings XI Punjab and Delhi Daredevils as the only teams to not have had their hands on the IPL trophy.
Underachievers is the only word that comes to mind when describing the red and gold brigade.
In the eight editions so far, RCB have managed to make it to the semi-finals and final each on two occasions.
Somehow, RCB's seemingly perfect performances in knock-out matches have always eluded the team from Bengaluru when it comes to knock-outs.
Will this be the year where everything falls into place for RCB?
Here are five factors on which RCB's campaign to capture a maiden IPL title hinges on.
King Kohli
Virat’s club vs country stats show that the right-handed batsman is more prolific in India’s blue than RCB’s red. That could change this year with the evidence on offer so far. At this same point last season, even Virat was repeatedly heard terming AB de Villiers as the world’s best batsman. Now he finds himself claiming to AB’s throne, at least in the T20 format. RCB need their leader to bat just like he has been doing since the turn of the new year.
Missing Mitch
Mitchell Starc’s absence is bound to affect RCB’s prospects to some degree. The left-arm pacer was a standout performer for his side last season. Starc’s brilliance at the start and death is second to none in world cricket. New Zealand quick Adam Milne will have to step in the Aussie’s rather big shoes this term. The Kiwi boasts of genuine pace, is capable of taking any top-order batsman by surprise. RCB need him to have a big tournament.
Sizzling Samuel
Samuel Badree’s form gives RCB another reason to cheer ahead of the new IPL season. The West Indies spinner put on an absolute clinical display in the recently concluded ICC World Twenty20. From Mumbai’s Wankhede to Kolkata’s Eden Gardens, the leg-spinner showed his mastery over varying conditions. With similar wickets on offer during the two-month tournament, the 35-year-old will be RCB’s trump card in the cash-rich league.
Solid support cast
For any team to have a successful IPL run, the home-grown players need to deliver at crucial moments. In Sarfaraz Khan, RCB have an Indian player who can come to the party on big occasions. After a good domestic season, the right-handed batsman enjoyed tremendous success at the U-19 World Cup. Yuzvendra Chahal is another player, who has shown abilities to perform in high-pressure situations. The leg-spinner needs to repeat his 2015 show, by giving breakthroughs consistently.
Solid support cast
For any team to have a successful IPL run, the home-grown players need to deliver at crucial moments. In Sarfaraz Khan, RCB have an Indian player who can come to the party on big occasions. After a good domestic season, the right-handed batsman enjoyed tremendous success at the U-19 World Cup. Yuzvendra Chahal is another player, who has shown abilities to perform in high-pressure situations. The leg-spinner needs to repeat his 2015 show, by giving breakthroughs consistently.
Wily Watto
Shane Watson’s last T20I for Australia showed just why RCB broke the bank to secure his services. The Aussie is an IPL veteran, well versed with Indian conditions. His addition to the roster adds a new dimension to RCB’s already established title credentials. His explosive hitting aside, Watson’s bowling on slow Indian pitches will be a bankable asset for the team. If the all-rounder can build on his recent form, RCB will be the favourites to win this season.

Matshitse: Moleko must push himself

Cape Town - Former Kaizer Chiefs defender Peter Matshitse believes the club's second choice left-back, Kgotso Moleko, has the potential to become one of Amakhosi's greats.
The 26-year-old has played second fiddle to Siboniso Gaxa for much of his career at Naturena, having joined the Soweto club from Bloemfontein Celtic in 2013.
As such, he has made just six appearances in all competitions for Chiefs this season.
Matshitse says Moleko needs to up his game and produce the utmost level of effort if he wants to claim the full-back position from former Mamelodi Sundowns defender Gaxa.
"I think the boy has the potential and is a good player but needs to give more than he is doing," Matshitse told Goal website.
"You see, there is always pressure at Chiefs even when the player is performing well but it is never enough with Amakhosi supporters.
Matshitse says that fans want nothing less that less 100% effort and has a high expectation of each player that wears Amakhosi colours.
He added that Moleko is in Steve Komphela's plans as the coach sees him as the perfect replacement for Siboniso Gaxa.
Meanwhile, Chiefs will be switch their focus to the PSL as they travel to the Mbombela Stadium to face Mpumalanga Black Aces.
Kick-off is at 19:30 on Tuesday, April 12.

City must cut out mistakes, says Pellegrini

Paris - Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini admitted his side must not repeat the defensive errors that marred their Champions League quarter-final, first leg with Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday despite the 2-2 draw giving them the edge.
Away goals by Kevin De Bruyne and Fernandinho at the Parc des Princes mean City have the upper hand ahead of next Tuesday's return, but those strikes sandwiched a farcical goal gifted to Zlatan Ibrahimovic and an Adrien Rabiot effort for PSG.
The French champions also saw Ibrahimovic have a penalty saved by Joe Hart early on with the game still goalless, so the evening could have gone far worse for Pellegrini's men.
"In the first-half we made an important mistake that we cannot continue to do if we want to stay in the competition," said Pellegrini of the awful mix-up between Hart and Fernando that allowed Ibrahimovic to score.
"The second goal of PSG was offside. It was not a mistake of the defence but of the linesman.
"But it is important also to keep that mentality because when you receive the goal that we conceded in the last minute of the first half and then you concede a goal that is offside, it is not easy to try to recover, but I think this team has the personality and they believe in what they do.
"They always try to attack and we scored the second goal."
Nevertheless, Pellegrini refused to label his side as the favourites to advance now as City eye a first ever Champions League semi-final and the Chilean also said it was "very difficult to answer now" if captain Vincent Kompany will be back in time for the second leg in six days.
SELECTION HEADACHE
However, his opposite number Laurent Blanc is left with a selection headache for the return after both David Luiz and Blaise Matuidi picked up bookings that mean they will be suspended for the second leg.
Marco Verratti and Javier Pastore will also miss the game due to the injuries that prevented them from featuring in Paris as PSG go to England having to overcome the handicap of those away goals.
"It's not the first time we have conceded goals at home but we have shown that we can score goals away from home," said Blanc, whose side eliminated Chelsea in the last 16.
"I think if we can do better defensively we can create chances and score goals in Manchester."
He added: "When you talk about the two players who will be suspended you can add that to the negatives tonight.
"We created more chances than City and we had most of the possession. They only had two chances.
"We conceded two goals and lost two players who will be suspended for the second leg. That is a lot of things to go against us."
PSG have been knocked out at the quarter-final stage in each of the last three seasons and Blanc hopes that City will leave enough spaces for his team to get the goals needed to finally make it through to the last four this time.
"I don't think our philosophy will change in Manchester. I don't think City will just sit on their lead, but it is true that we will need to be much better defensively," said Blanc, whose side must negotiate a league fixture at Guingamp this weekend, while City are at home to West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League.

Mosimane claims PSL honours

Cape Town - Pitso Mosimane claimed yet another back-to-back Absa Premiership Coach of the Month award after overseeing a faultless start to the second round of the league campaign since January 2016.
Mosimane walked away with the Absa Premiership coach of the month for both January and February.
Joining Mosimane on stage at the Premier Soccer League’s monthly awards ceremony was Kaizer Chiefs’ Willard Katsande and Hlompo Kekana of Mamelodi Sundowns, who were both named the Player of the Month for January and February 2016, respectively.
Mosimane, whose name has become synonymous with the Absa Premiership monthly awards this season, steered his side to some memorable victories over University of Pretoria, SuperSport United, Maritzburg United, Chippa United, Free State Stars, Orlando Pirates and Mpumalanga Black Aces, during the January-February period.
In the process, the Brazilians scored 19 goals that has seen them currently lead the standings with 52 points after 23 games - 4 points ahead of Bidvest Wits.
Mosimane won the award ahead of Bidvest Wits’ Gavin Hunt and Cavin Johnson from Platinum Stars.
The judges heaped praise on Mosimane in terms of how he sets out his team to play an attractive style of football, the extraordinary performance his team displayed over the two months since the turn of the year and the manner he coaches his team to bring the best out of them.
Katsande’s efforts was recognized for his consistent display as the grafter in the heart of the Kaizer Chiefs midfield and being the source of goals for his side during January. The Zimbabwean narrowly beat Leonardo Castro and Keegan Dolly of Sundowns and Mpumalanga Black Aces’ Collins Mbesuma, to the award.
Kekana, the hard tackling Sundowns anchor-man played an integral role during Sundowns impressive winning streak in the Absa Premiership season during February. He scored once, provided a couple of assists and became the shield that protected the Sundowns defence.
Kekana’s displays in Sundowns’ incredible title-chasing run in February, had the judges convinced that he has been the unsung hero and leader of the star-studded team.
He was also singled out for continuing to hold things tight in midfield despite the loss to injury of his midfield partner Bongani Zungu.
His impressive performances also earned Kekana a recall to the South African national team set up.
Judging Panel: Farouk Khan (convenor), Brian Letsego, Baba Mthethwa, Marks Maponyane, Joe Nxumalo, Jerry Sikhosana, Cyril Nzama.

Mbesuma sets 20-goal target

Cape Town - Mpumalanga Black Aces striker Collins Mbesuma remains optimistic of reaching his target of 20 goals this season.
The leading goal poacher in the Premiership wants to add to his 14 goals in all competitions during the the run-in to the campaign.
However, Mbesuma has just six league games to reach his target, with only the promise of personal glory remaining for the Zambian as Aces have dropped out of the title race following a string of below-par performances.
"I cannot say much about that target (of 20 goals) being reached because anything can happen in football," he told KickOff.
Mbesuma says that as a striker you cannot give up because at anytime anything is possible.
He adds that his main focus is on the team and that he cannot be completely focused on just upping his goal tally.
"As a striker your job is always to score goals, but you have to understand that this must not mean that it must always be about you."

Aston Villa take no further action over Gabriel Agbonlahor holiday contact

Aston Villa will take no further action against striker Gabriel Agbonlahor following his conduct on a recent holiday in Dubai.

Agbonlahor was pictured apparently smoking a shisha pipe and the 29-year-old academy product was not considered for Saturday's match against Chelsea as the club carried out an investigation.
However, Villa tweeted on Tuesday: "Aston Villa Football Club has completed its investigation into Gabby Agbonlahor's trip to Dubai over the international break. The Club will be taking no further action."

Check out this ridiculously cheeky backheel volley

One of the greatest backheel goals ever was scored by Jordan Blondel in the French third tier on Saturday.
His side US Avranches enjoyed a comfortable 3-0 victory over Marseille Consolat in the Championnat National - with this superb goal the highpoint of the game.

Klate hails 'professional' performance

Polokwane - Bidvest Wits midfielder Daine Klate has praised his team-mates for their tremendous performance following a 6-0 thumping over Magesi FC in the Nedbank Cup Last 16.
The Clever Boys humbled the ABC Motsepe League outfit to book a place in the quarter-finals of the R7m competition at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane.
The Port Elizabeth born winger was on target for the Students on four occasions together with strikers,Sibusiso Vilakazi and James Keene, and Klate said his team-mates did not take their opponents for granted which is why they hammered them with a heavy scoring margin.
“It was obviously vital for us to give a professional performance on the day,” insisted Klate.
“We told ourselves that we won’t take them for granted and that’s exactly what we did on the day.
“We didn’t start well but once we got hold of the pitch we started putting balls in the box and got to the end of them.
“So it was a good professional performance for the whole team overall and that’s what is needed going forward.
“We didn’t want to open up at the back especially in the second half but we wanted to score more goals.”
Wits will switch the focus back to the Absa Premiership campaign as they hope to continue with the momentum against the struggling Jomo Cosmos and Klate believes that it will not be an easy battle to win.
“Obviously we are just taking it one game at a time and our next game is against Cosmos away from home.”
“It will be a very tough game because they are fighting for their lives, so we just have to go back to the training ground now, keep working hard.
“And be confident for a victory to keep the title hopes alive.

Bacela hails Bartlett influence

Cape Town - Lennox Bacela hailed Shaun Bartlett's influence at AmaTuks since his arrival and tipped his side to shock Supersport United in the last-16 of the Nedbank Cup.
University of Pretoria currently hold an unwanted record of not scoring a single goal in nine previous competitive fixtures against Matsatsansa but Bacela feels his record of seven goals in nine starts against their cross-town rivals, will give them a fighting chance.
"I have a good record against SuperSport and have scored a lot of goals against them, so I always enjoy coming up against them," he told The Sowetan.
Prior to Bartlett's appointment as head coach, Tuks had the worst attacking statistics in the league but the former Bafana striker's influence among the club's forwards has been evident with nine goals in their last four fixtures.
"Things have improved since coach Shaun Bartlett has taken over," the former Orlando Pirates striker added.
"We now have a coach who was himself a successful striker and a lot more work goes into preparing the forwards.
"The pressure is more on SuperSport because they would expect to win with their squad. That could work in our favour. We can go there and just play without fear."

Pirates send Cosmos packing

Cape Town - Orlando Pirates send Jomo Cosmos packing from the Nedbank Cup after beating them 3-1 in a Last 16 match at Olen Park on Sunday afternoon.
A brace from Tendai Ndoro was the difference on the day and saw Pirates into the quarterfinals of the competition while Charlton Mashumba was in fine form for the losing Cosmos
The Buccaneers started positively and opened the scoring in the third minute after Ndoro headed home a deep right-wing cross from Rooi Mahamutsa, 1-0.
Cosmos tried to find their way back into the match and came close to levelling matters in the 18^th minute when Maluleka broke into the box, but he saw his 14-yard effort superbly saved by the keeper.
Five minutes later Cosmos did find the equaliser when Charlton Mashumba fired the ball into the top right corner from 25-yards out, 1-1.
Pirates controlled the remainder of the half and re-took the lead in the dying seconds of the stanza when Luvuyo Memela headed home a right-sided free-kick from Mpho Makola, 2-1.
Ndoro found his second of the goal game in three minutes into the half                as he superbly turned home a left-wing cross from Thabo Rakhale from ten-yards out, 3-1.
Ayanda Gcaba came close to scoring for the Buccaneers in the 72^nd minute when he met a good cross into the box, but his header went wide of the target.
In the 80^th minute Mashumba nearly pulled a goal back for Cosmos, but his shot from distance was well-saved by the keeper.
In the end Cosmos could not break down the Pirates defence as they held on for a comfortable win.

Hunt finds negatives in 6-0 win

Cape Town - Bidvest Wits coach Gavin Hunt believes that several of his players lacked sharpness and fitness during Friday night's 6-0 Nedbank Cup win over Second Division Magesi FC.
The game was the Clever Boys' first in two weeks, their last match before that a 4-3 defeat away to Tanzania side Azam FC in the CAF Confederations Cup.
Speaking after the win against Magesi on Friday night in Johannesburg, Hunt feels his players were affected by the recent international break.
"We look short of a gallop. Some of our players - quite a few of them - certainly were way, way off where they should be," said the 51-year-old.
"But it's expected because they've been out for some time, some of them.
"It was a difficult game once the first half was over, I thought we were going to struggle in the second half, and we did.
"We couldn't get our passing going and then we scored two quickly, it's understandable, but at the end of the day at least we got a little bit of mileage in the legs again and we'll go on from next week."

Soccer star Abby Wambach arrested for DUII overnight

PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) -- Retired soccer player Abby Wambach was arrested for a DUII late Saturday night in downtown Portland.
Portland Police say Wambach, 35, was pulled over at SW 14th Avenue and Yamhill Street after she ran a red light at SW 13th Avenue and Taylor Street.
Wambach failed field a sobriety test and was arrested for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants (DUII) - Alcohol. She was taken to the police bureau's central precinct, where she failed a breath test. She was later released on her own recognizance.
"Wambach was polite and cooperative throughout the investigation," Portland Police said.
Wambach is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and has been a consistent leader and star of the US women's national soccer team since the early 2000s, until her retirement from the sport late last year.

Louis van Gaal hits back in row with former Manchester United flop Angel Di Maria

Louis van Gaal has struck back at former Manchester United winger Angel Di Maria after criticism from the Argentine.

Van Gaal sets United's sights on top three

Manchester - Manchester United have edged their way back into contention for a Champions League place in recent weeks, with manager Louis van Gaal declaring that a top-three finish is still realistic.
Van Gaal has been buoyed by the public support in recent days of Alex Ferguson, who called on United fans to be patient as the current manager awaits his first trophy with the club after almost two full seasons in charge.
Having been six points adrift of fourth-placed Manchester City in mid-February, United are now just one point behind going into the weekend's fixtures.
A 1-0 win at City two weeks ago was United's third victory in four league matches, and softened some of the disappointment that came with a Europa League exit at the hands of bitter rivals Liverpool.
Sunday's home game against Everton offers the opportunity to keep the pressure on in the chase for fourth, but Van Gaal has set his sights higher than that.
"We are still capable of being in the top three in the league," he said. "We believe in it, and the players believe in that, which is much more important. We can win the FA Cup. We have a lot to fight for.
"We have five matches at home and three away, and that is also a benefit, I think. I hope that we show that in the next match.
"If you have to succeed a man like Ferguson, the expectations are very high. He mentioned in his interview that he did not win a trophy for nearly four years. That's a good example that you cannot change a team in one year. I have said before it is a process. Many times I was laughed at, but it is like that."
United will be without midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger for the Everton game, as he is likely to miss the rest of the season after tearing knee ligaments while training with Germany during the recent international break.
United captain Wayne Rooney is not ready to return against his former club, having been absent since mid-February with knee ligament damage.
But the England striker has resumed light ball work in training and is likely to play for the club's Under-21 side soon -- either against Chelsea on Monday or Middlesbrough seven days later.
Everton are facing increasing uncertainty over the long-term future of Romelu Lukaku, which manager Roberto Martinez is doing his best to play down as he attempts to lift the club from the lowly position of 12th in the table.
The Belgium forward said during the recent international break that "it would be nice" to play in the Champions League next season, while his agent Mino Raiola has suggested that Juventus, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain are all interested.
Everton have next to no chance of qualifying for the competition themselves, lying 13 points adrift of the top four with nine games to play, yet Martinez is adamant that he is not disturbed by the ambition of his 25-goal leading scorer.
"It's not unsettling at all," Martinez said. "That should be the aspiration of everyone to be as good as you can.
"Everton want to be in the Champions League. We want to be competing to win titles. We reached the semi-finals of the League Cup this season. We are in the semi-finals of the FA Cup. We need players who can carry the expectations of the club."
Everton's ambitions have been thwarted by dreadful home form, but they have suffered only one Premier League defeat on their travels this season - at Arsenal in October - and no other side can match that record.
Centre-back John Stones will be fit to play some part on Sunday, having recovered from a minor knock suffered while playing for England on Tuesday.
Meanwhile utility player Bryan Oviedo is fit following a recent chest infection and forward Kevin Mirallas is available after serving a suspension.

Wenger plans talks with Ozil over title lament

London - Arsene Wenger plans talks with Mesut Ozil after the Arsenal midfielder claimed the Gunners had "screwed up" their Premier League title challenge.
Wenger's side are 11 points behind leaders Leicester despite sitting top at the turn of the year after a miserable run of just three wins in 10 league games.
Ozil responded to Arsenal's poor run by suggesting they had only themselves to blame for wasting the chance to win a first English title since 2004.
Wenger, speaking ahead of Watford's visit to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, made it clear he was unhappy with the Germany star's comments.
The Gunners boss will discuss with Ozil what he said to the media while away on international duty in a bid to keep his squad united at a pivotal moment in their season.
"I will make sure they don't feel that," Wenger replied when asked if he was worried such comments suggested his players had given up on their title fight.
"The statement is not welcome, I agree with you. Because we have to believe, no matter if it just one chance in 100, we have to believe. We only have a real chance if we believe.
Asked if he would discuss the quotes with Ozil, Wenger said: "We will talk about that. Yes, of course.
"You want to be fair and honest. I think the worst thing in life is to have wrong beliefs.
"So you have to make sure that you give absolutely your best, and at the end accept that if somebody is better than you, that you have given your best.
"The worst thing for us would be not to believe, and then if we had a good run it was available, possible. I believe that we have to make sure that we play with passion until the end."

Competition will better Stones - Martinez

Cape Town - Everton defender John Stones will have to learn from his costly errors this season due to the fierce competition within the squad, his manager Roberto Martinez said on Friday.
Stones, 21, was at fault for the opening goal in Everton's 2-1 Premier League loss to Swansea City in January and he conceded a last-minute penalty in a 4-3 defeat by Stoke City in December.
England manager Roy Hodgson also had to defend Stones this week after he lost possession to start a move that ended with the Netherlands scoring a penalty in Tuesday's 2-1 win at Wembley.
"His progression has been remarkable but he's still learning, he's trying to become as good as he can be," Martinez told reporters on Friday ahead of the league trip to Manchester United on Sunday.
"He's well ahead of where he should be. We should be more aware that he shouldn't be under that amount of scrutiny at this stage of his career. It's how you react to mistakes and he has strong character," the Spaniard added.
"He has to learn and has to learn quickly. The competition in our squad will force him to do that."
Everton's leading striker Romelu Lukaku, who has scored 25 goals this season, has fuelled speculation over his future after saying he intends to play in the Champions League.
With nine games left, the Toffees are 13 points behind the final Champions League spot.
"That should be the aspiration for everyone. We want to be in the Champions League and we want to be competing for titles. We want to create a positive momentum," Martinez said.
"We are relying on the performances of the players and we want ambitious players.... Rom is having a fantastic season and that is the only thing that matters."

WorldT20: Can the final top the excitement of this week’s semis?

Kohli’s brilliance not enough as Windies leave India winded

What a game! If anyone was still under the illusion that T20 matches don’t have the capacity for twists and turns in the way that tests do, yesterday’s WorldT20 semi-final will surely have changed their mind once and for all.
Seven balls into West Indies’ reply to India’s 192, the game seemed briefly to have fallen flat. With the cricket world expecting, Chris Gayle was simply unable to deliver – instead playing all round a low full-toss from that scourge of even the coolest of Thundercats, Jasprit Bumrah. Yet in the event, his failure was – astonishingly – immaterial to the resultEarlier, India’s man of the moment, Virat Kohli, had been calmness personified – at least after an early attempt to run himself out and an edgy boundary two balls later. From then on, he was magnificent. To score only a single six in a score of 89 emphasised Kholi’s terrific running and his ability to score freely without the need to clear the boundary. His eleven fours were all timing and placement – hardly the bish, bash, bosh we’ve come to anticipate in these games but no less exhilarating.Subsequently it seemed as if Kohli’s magic touch as a bowler might ultimately deal the West Indies a killer blow when he took a wicket with his first ball to put the game back in the balance. After that intervention, however, the West Indians simply carried on their merry way. Sixes flew with abandon; India, criminally, took wickets off no-balls; and West Indies’ lesser lights shone bright – which speaks perhaps to the impressive spirit within their dressing-room.
With the hosts out England have a chance to avenge their first round defeat.  If only Sunday’s final can live up to our anticipation.

Nick Blackwell latest: British boxer to wake from coma in next 'two to three days'

British boxer Nick Blackwell will be brought out of his induced coma in the next two to three days, his family have revealed.
25-year-old Blackwell suffered a small bleed on the brain during his British middleweight title fight against Chris Eubank Jnr last Saturday, in which the bout was halted during the tenth round after the ringside doctor deemed Blackwell’s left eye too swollen to continue.
Blackwell had taken a number of fierce uppercuts from Eubanks Jnr, and he collapsed after the fight before being taken out of the Wembley Arena on a stretcher and rushed to St Mary’s hospital, where he was placed in a medically-induced coma.
However, Blackwell’s family expect the Towbridge-born boxer to wake up in the next few days, according to BBC boxing correspondent Mike Costello, as doctors begin to reduce the volume of drugs that he is receiving to keep him in the coma and allow his swelling on the brain to reduce.
"I'm told the vital signs are good and doctors are cautiously optimistic," Costello told BBC Radio 5 live. "There are no major issues within the context of his condition."

Reuters) Criticising the Indian bowlers for conceding no balls at crucial juncture of the semifinal match against West Indies, former captain Sunil Gavaskar said it is “unacceptable for a spinner to bowl a no-ball”. (STATS || POINTS TABLE || FIXTURES)
“The spinners are really not expected to bowl a no-ball. Fast bowlers, in their effort to ball a yorker or a bouncer, can sometimes overstep. Thus, for a spinner to bowl a no-ball is unacceptable. This is something you got to practice in the nets,” Gavaskar told ‘NDTV’.
- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/sports/cricket/india-vs-west-indies-for-a-spinner-to-bowl-a-no-ball-is-unacceptable-says-sunil-gavaskar/#sthash.1MwcVzZZ.

Reuters) Criticising the Indian bowlers for conceding no balls at crucial juncture of the semifinal match against West Indies, former captain Sunil Gavaskar said it is “unacceptable for a spinner to bowl a no-ball”. (STATS || POINTS TABLE || FIXTURES)
“The spinners are really not expected to bowl a no-ball. Fast bowlers, in their effort to ball a yorker or a bouncer, can sometimes overstep. Thus, for a spinner to bowl a no-ball is unacceptable. This is something you got to practice in the nets,” Gavaskar told ‘NDTV’.
- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/sports/cricket/india-vs-west-indies-for-a-spinner-to-bowl-a-no-ball-is-unacceptable-says-sunil-gavaskar/#sthash.1MwcVzZZ.dpuf

Barca to honour Cruyff as Messi targets 500 goals in El Clasico

Madrid - Barcelona will honour legendary former player and coach Johan Cruyff as they look to inflict more misery upon eternal rivals Real Madrid in the Clasico on Saturday.
The most watched game in world football is Barca's first since Cruyff passed away at the age of 68 after a short battle with cancer last week.
A pre-match display involving over 90 000 fans will read "thank you Johan" with the same message carried on the Barca players' shirts.
"In what is a special match, it is without doubt extra motivation for us to try and win the game," said Barca captain Andres Iniesta.
Indeed, the emotion surrounding the occasion supersedes its importance in the title race in La Liga with Barca 10 points clear of third-placed Madrid with just eight games remaining.
A 4-0 thrashing of Real when the sides last met in November put Barca well on course to retain the title.
However, with Madrid now under new management since Zinedine Zidane replaced Rafael Benitez in January and with the front three of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema fit and in scoring form, Iniesta expects a much tougher task on Saturday.
"These games are different, it doesn't matter how the teams are playing before because we all like to beat your biggest rivals," added the Spanish international.
"We expect a difficult, close game which will be decided by small details. We have all the respect in the world for the team we will face because they deserve it."
Bale in particular will be well-rested as he was given time off by Wales boss Chris Coleman during the two-week international break preceding the game.
And he is confident that Madrid could drag themselves back into the title race if they can snap Barca's 39-game unbeaten run stretching back to October.
"They are playing very well at the moment so we have to take the game to them," said Bale.
"We have to attack them, we have to exploit their weaknesses, we have a game plan and if we perform to our maximum I'm very confident we can get the win.
"I believe anything is possible in football. We know we are 10 points behind but we will keep fighting until the league is impossible.
"At the moment it's very possible. If we win on Saturday we are seven points behind and you never know what happens."
Both coaches should be able to name their strongest starting line-ups with Barca only missing Jeremy Mathieu and Sandro Ramirez, while Madrid have a clean bill of health.
MESSI TARGETS 500TH GOAL
However, tiredness could play an important factor with two of Barca's deadly front three, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, only having arrived back in the Catalan capital on Thursday after playing World Cup qualifiers for Argentina and Uruguay respectively in the past week.
Five-time World Player of the Year Messi could also register his 500th career goal having taken his tally to 499 with his 50th goal for Argentina in a 2-0 win over Bolivia on Tuesday.
"It would be nice to score my 500th goal against Real Madrid in the Clasico, but it would be even nicer to win the game," said Messi.
Atletico Madrid can close to within six points of Barcelona at the top before kick-off at the Camp Nou as they host Real Betis earlier on Saturday.
However, Atletico coach Diego Simeone could keep a number of players in reserve as they travel to face Barca in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Valencia visit Las Palmas hoping to distance themselves from the relegation zone with Pako Ayestaran in charge for the first time following Gary Neville's sacking on Wednesday.

Magesi look to trouble Wits

Cape Town - Magesi FC will look to cause a major upset in the Nedbank Cup when they host Bidvest Wits at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium on April 1.
kick-off is at 20:00.
Current form
Magesi beat fellow lower league side EC Bees 2-1 away from home in the previous round to advance into the last 16 of the Nedbank Cup. They are the only ABC Motsepe side remaining in the competition, with the other 15 teams hailing from either the top flight or the National First Division.
Wits edged fellow PSL side Bloemfontein Celtic 1-0 in the previous round, while they come into the game having lost their most recent outing 4-3 away to Tanzania’s Azam FC to be knocked out of the CAF Confederation Cup.

Head-to-head history
This will be the first competitive match between Magesi FC and Bidvest Wits.
Nedbank Cup pedigree
Magesi are competing in the Nedbank Cup for the fourth time (though their first two showings in 2009 and 2010 were under their old name, Peace Lovers FC). In their current guise, the Limpopo side last competed in the 2013 Nedbank Cup and were eliminated in the last 32 round by Jomo Cosmos.
Wits have won the Nedbank Cup twice, with their most recent triumph arriving in 2010 when they defeated AmaZulu in the final, and they were also runners-up in 2005. Last season the Clever Boys were beaten 2-1 in the quarterfinals by eventual runners-up Ajax Cape Town.

Rakhale living his dreams

Cape Town - Orlando Pirates midfielder Thabo Rakhale is reveling in the opportunity he has been given to play for the club he has supported since he was a child.
The dribbling wizard made his breakthrough into the starting line-up last season and wants to emulate the success of his idol Steve Lekoelea.
"It's an honour for me to play. It's a dream come true. I grew up supporting Orlando Pirates," Rakhale told club's magazine.
"As we all know, Steve was playing for Pirates. Here I am today, I'm regarded as his one of his successors."
Rakhale will be in action when Pirates take on Jomo Cosmos in the Nedbank Cup Last-16 at Olen Park on Sunday, April 3.