22-11-2021

MonDAY, noveMber 22, 2021
9
Paine distressed
and embarrassed
by sexting scandal
SportS DeSk
Tim Paine Sunday said
Australian coach Justin
Langer wanted him to remain
as Test skipper, as he spoke of
his "distress" and
"embarrassment" over a
sexting scandal that cost him
his job, reports BSS.
The 36-year-old abruptly
quit on Friday ahead of the
Ashes series against England
over a series of lewd text
messages with a female
colleague in 2017 that he had
learnt were about to be made
public. Paine insisted it was
his decision to resign and he
wasn't pushed.
Late Glesnes strike lifts Philadelphia
in MLS Cup playoffs
SportS DeSk
Jakob Glesnes unleashed a stunning winner
from 25 yards out in the third minute of extratime
stoppage time on Saturday as the
Philadelphia Union downed New York Red
Bulls 1-0 in the first round of the MLS Cup
playoffs, reports BSS.
Norway's Glesnes came to the rescue of the
second-seeded Union, who were unable to
capitalize on their sharper play over 90
minutes and had plenty of worrying moments
in extra time.
New York struggled to create chances
throughout, failing to register a shot on goal
until Patryk Klimala made his way behind the
Union backline to force Andre Blake into a
save in the 95th minute. Kyle Duncan also had
a near-miss in the second half of extra time, his
effort from inside the area glancing off the left
post. The match looked to be heading for a
penalty shootout after Red Bulls keeper Carlos
Coronel saved a shot from Sergio Santos and
New York's Andrew Gutman's tackle denied
Cory Burke directly in front of Coronel's goal.
From a free kick on the left the ball finally fell
to Glesnes. He chested the ball down and, with
his second touch, belted his long-range arcing
shot out of reach of Coronel and into the net.
According to MLS, it was the latest goal scored
in any game in the league's 26-year history. It
sparked massive celebrations at Subaru Park,
where an hour before the game the Union
announced that Jamiro Monteiro and
Olivier Mbaizo were sidelined because of
MLS's Covid health.
the Argentina star took on a pass from kylian Mbappe on the edge of the box and sent it into the net
in the 87th minute as pSG's unbeaten run in the league stretched to five games.
photo: Ap
Sydney Sixers handed the
wooden spoon after ninth
defeat of the season
SportS DeSk
Two-time WBBL champions
Sydney Sixers finished with
the wooden spoon in the 2021
season after they were
condemned to the ninth loss
of the season by the table
topping Perth Scorchers. The
Scorchers with their
comprehensive eight-wicket
victory chasing 128, also
assured that next Saturday's
final will be played at the
Optus Stadium in Perth.
The last match of the season
was a final opportunity at
redemption for one of the
league's most intimidating
top-orders on paper. In
keeping with their indifferent
form, Shafali Verma and
Alyssa Healy began slowly,
meandering to 46 after 7
overs before both openers
were dismissed two balls of
each other by Alana King. The
legspinner took another
wicket, that of Nicole Bolton,
to finish with figures of 3 for
18 as the Sixers managed a
sub-par 128/4 with Ellyse
Perry finishing unbeaten on
39 off 37.
The target was hunted
down with ruthless efficiency
by the Scorchers batters with
Chloe Piparo scoring a breezy
unbeaten half-century in a 74-
run stand with Heather
Graham (34*).
Brief scores: Sydney Sixers
128/4 in 20 overs (Ellyse
Perry 39*; Alana King 3-18)
lost to Perth Scorchers 131/2 in
17.1 overs (Chloe Piparo 50*,
Heather Graham 34*; Stella
Campbell 1-24) by 8 wickets.
Bangladeshi archers
Rubel, Diya secure silver
SportS DeSk
The Bangladesh mixed team
comprising Rubel and Diya
lost by 1-5 sets to Korean pair
Seungyun and Royoo in the
final
Bangladesh had to be
content with runners-up
place in the recurve mixed
team event as the archers
secured a silver medal on the
last day of the Teer 22nd
Asian Archery Championship
at Bangladesh Army Stadium
in Dhaka Friday.
The Bangladesh mixed
team
comprising
Mohammad Hakim Ahmed
Rubel and promising archer
Diya Siddique lost by 1-5 sets
to Korean pair Lee Seungyun
and Royoo Su Sung in the
final.
Undoubtedly, it's a big
achievement for Bangladesh
winning the silver medal in
this prestigious stage after
surpassing India.
Earlier Tuesday, Rubel-
Diya pair made history by
reaching the final of an event
for the first time after an
intense 5-4 win over mighty
India in an exciting semifinal.
Coach Martin Frederick
was content with the archers'
performance on the day.
The German coach said,
"I'm happy with their
performance.
'I expected to score' - Messi
happy to get long-awaited
first Ligue 1 goal
SportS DeSk
Lionel Messi says he was happy to get his
first Ligue 1 goal for Paris Saint-Germain as
they beat Nantes 3-1 on Saturday, reports
AP. The Argentina star took on a pass from
Kylian Mbappe on the edge of the box and
sent it into the net in the 87th minute as
PSG's unbeaten run in the league stretched
to five games.
Messi, 34, now has four goals to his name
for the French giants, having in struck four
times in the Champions League since his
move from Barcelona.
But the six-time Ballon d'Or winner was
delighted to get off the mark domestically,
having drawn a blank in his previous five
matches in Ligue 1.
"I'm happy. We had a lot of chances, but
their goalkeeper made some good saves. But
we weren't afraid and we ended up winning,"
Messi said to Amazon Prime.
"I am happy to score this first goal, at the
Parc des Princes, in front of the fans.
"Even though I had already scored in the
Champions League, I expected to score in the
league.
PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino was pleased
to see his compatriot among the goals, but
expected his side to win by a bigger margin
despite seeing goalkeeper Keylor Navas sent
off midway through the second half.
"Yes, it was very important. We should
have scored a lot more goals. But these kinds
of matches are always open and when it is
like that everything can happen," the coach
said. "The team showed their character once
again [after Navas was sent off] and that was
great. Time is important to bond between
players and start to feel comfortable on the
pitch."
Pochettino added that he is unsure if
Sergio Ramos will be available to play
against Manchester City in the Champions
League next week.
"I don't know. His evolution is very
important. One thing to be at the training,
and quite another to be competitive," he said.
"He's in a good mood. But, please, don't
overinterpret too much. We must not
push too hard with him. It has to be done
little by little."
Man Utd to sack Solskjaer after
Watford humiliation: reports
SportS DeSk
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is to be sacked as
Manchester United manager, according to
widespread reports on Saturday following a
humiliating 4-1 defeat at Watford, reports
BSS.
Solskjaer admitted he was "embarrassed"
after his team's fifth defeat in their last seven
Premier League games.
The Times, The Guardian and the
Manchester Evening News reported that the
result of an emergency board meeting called
after the Watford defeat was to bring the
Norwegian's three-year spell in charge at Old
Trafford to an end.
Solskjaer signed a new three-year contract
in July and will reportedly be handed a o7.5
million compensation package.
The club's hierarchy stuck by Solskjaer
during the recent international break despite
humiliating home defeats to Liverpool and
Manchester City.
But worse was to come at Vicarage Road as
the struggling Hornets could afford to miss a
first half penalty twice and still run out
comfortable winners.
Solskjaer has managed to ride out the
storm during previous poor runs since taking
charge in 2018.
But United's latest slide comes after heavy
pre-season investment on Cristiano
Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane
that were expected to turn the team into titlewinners
for the first time since 2013.
Financial results released this week for the
first quarter of the season showed United's
wage bill has risen 23 percent.
However, that has not been rewarded on
the field as the Red Devils find themselves 12
points adrift of Premier League leaders
Chelsea down in seventh and out of the
League Cup. Much more was expected after
steady progress during Solskjaer's first two
full seasons in charge.
He secured back-to-back top-four finishes
in the Premier League for the first time since
the club's decline began with Alex Ferguson's
retirement as manager in 2013.
However, Solskjaer, who famously scored
United's winning goal in the 1999
Champions League final against Bayern
Munich, has failed to win a trophy since his
return to the club.
ole Gunnar Solskjaer is to be sacked as Manchester United manager,
according to widespread reports on Saturday following a humiliating 4-1
defeat at Watford.
photo: Ap
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