Daily Sports News

Benzema to replace Ronnie?

The enigmatic French striker is said to be the replacement of C.Ronaldo as his record transfer move is nearing completion, if reports are to be believed. Man U are poised to invest some of the €95m from the sale of C.Ronaldo on the Lyon striker.

In the past few years, Benzema has been linked with all European superpowers. Though he might have expressed his desire to stay at Lyon, an offer from the Red Devils is too hot to ignore, as they launch a €35m for the 21 year old.

President of OL, Jean-Michel Aulas, had appeared to have allayed any transfer speculation when he stated to Le Progres yesterday,

“We spoke a lot and it’s true that there are many clubs after [Benzema], but only after the [2010] World Cup. We interrogated his agent and we are not under the impression that he will leave in the short term.”

This somewhat contradicted a statement made to Le Dauphine Libere last week, when Aulas said,

“Kaka will not stay at Milan and will go to Real . Ribery and Cristiano Ronaldo will perhaps leave. We are entering a spiral of craziness and I would not say that Karim is untransferrable.”

Benzema, too is willing to leave the club and has said

“If president Aulas received an offer and pushed me to go, I would be obliged.”

This comment was made after France’s recent 1-0 victory over Turkey. But all of this depends on Tevez’s future at Old Trafford. Inter, Juventus and Milan from Serie A, Real Madrid and Barcelona have also expressed interest in the striker in the past.

Maicon to Madrid?

Maicon and his agent have both told the press this week that they are unhappy about the Brazilian being under-appreciated by Inter. Real Madrid is known admirers of the star, who is arguably the best right-back in the world, and there has been much talk of a €40 million bid for the player….

But with Sergio Ramos as a right-back will Real want another player?

Pirlo coming to the Bridge?

Andre Pirlo is one of the most under-rated players in the world. As per reports it seems he is wanted by his old manager Carlos Ancelotti and there are murmurs that Leonardo, the new Milan manager is not satisfied with his performance. Moreover, the player himself hinted on a move this summer.

Milan Vice President Adriano Galliani has declared that Pirlo will stay at Milan 99.9 per cent, but he also said that about Kaka and Andriy Shevchenko.

India were taught a lesson in T20, as they were beaten comprehensively by the Windies, as they won with 7 wickets in hand. The current T20 ICC champions struggled as they faced impeccable fielding and classy bowling from the Windies not to mention some sensible batting. The West Indies were always a good team, with the likes of Gayle, Sarwan, Chandrapaul, Bravo and Edwards…. But they could never perform cohesively on the big stage and India were the poor team to face them when they did!!! India were never tested during this ICC tournament and they failed in their first test. The current champions have a lot of work to do if they are to retain their title.

The tone, was set by Taylor in the first over, troubling Gautam Gambhir with the bouncers. Edwards took the cue, and removed his Deccan Chargers team-mate, Rohit Sharma, with a bouncer. He troubled Suresh Raina too with the short-pitched stuff until the latter played back to a full delivery and edged it to Denesh Ramdin. The Indians couldn’t get their pulls right and they perished due to their poor execution.

As they say, “Cathes win Matches”, and the Windies proved the quote. Simmons took a blinder to send Gambhir back to the pavilion. And then it was the Indians turn to consolidate. Dhoni and Yuvraj started slowly. But under pressure to get going, Dhoni cut Bravo straight to sweeper-cover. Two balls later, Yuvraj picked the same fielder out, but was dropped by Andre Fletcher. India would have been 71 for 5, but for the drop. Whereupon, Yuvraj played a little gem to pull India out of all sorts of trouble, but it would stay the second-best effort of the night.  His shot playing managed to get the Indians to a defendable total and a late cameo from Harbhajan helped them, as he scored boundries off the last three balls.

Then as the Windies turn to bat came, they put up a good show despite losing Fletcher and Gayle early. Bravo, being promoted up the order once again showed, why he is claimed one of the best in T20, with a 66 from 36, 48 of the runs coming off the Indian spinners. By the time Simmons was dismissed, it was Chandrapaul’s turn as they wrapped up the innings comfortably, without any problem. It was Bravo’s bravardo which put the Windies through as he pulled off the match winning knock and took 4 wickets to get the Man of the Match award. Everything is going right for the Windies and with this momentum they can win this trophy hands down. However, there is a lot of introspection to be done for the Indians if they are to retain their crown.

The English football team was having a field day against Andorra but the same couldn’t be said for their cricket team. Well, it was the opposite as they were completely outplayed, as South Africa won the match comfortably by 7 wickets.

The home side never got going and was all out for 111 as they lost their last seven wickets for 33 runs!!!!!!! For a side which appeared to be doing so well in the series against the Windies before the start of the T20 World Cup, this is a total shocker. South Africa gave an all-round performance, as they bowled, fielded and batted well, proving once again why they are favorites for the trophy. This puts S.A in a commanding position and their pace attack seems to resemble that of the Windies which struck fear in the heart of every opponent. This leaves England in a precarious position because they have to beat India and West Indies if they are to progress and even so these two victories doesn’t guarantee them a position in the semis…..

Steyn took Bopara with an inside-edge from the batsman hitting the stumps. K.P on the other hand started with boundaries off his first two deliveries but hit an Albie Morkel full toss straight to Vd Merwe who caught it in an extraordinary fashion. This came in the 6th over and England’s score at the end of it was 25-3. This is the lowest score in the powerplay section in T20 history! The English batting managed to put up an insignificant total of 111 as the rest of the batting fizzled out….Wayne Parnell, the new weapon in S.A’s pace arsenal ended up with 3/14. As S.A began their batting they looked out-of-sorts as Smith top-edged Broad to James Foster, who had to dive to take the skier, and Herschelle Gibbs looked out of sorts – and could have been run out twice. And the batsmen struggled against the English spinners as the required run rate went up for more than a run-a-ball.

It was good for the English until Kallis decided to crash their party. Any pressure on S.A disappeared then, and even Gibbs made a few shots to the rope and Swann over the rope for a maximum as they seem to call it in this format of the game. Then it ended as Kallis cut Anderson to the point fence to end up with 58 from 49 balls. The English pace attack seems to be toothless and their over dependency on Swann isn’t paying them any dividends either. They have ways to go if they are to succeed in the shorter format of the game.

The Lakers have once again turned on the heat for the Magic as they beat the Magic in OT to take a 3-1 lead in the 7 match finals as they pulled off an stunning 99-91 victory over the Magic. This comes at the back of the Magic victory at the Amway arena in the third game. The Lakers rallied to beat the Magic in the 4th quarter, when the Magic had a 7 pt lead. The Lakers then managed to get on terms as the Magic missed their shots and with 7 seconds remaining, the Derek Fisher scored an astounding three pointer, leaving the Magic with 4.6 seconds on the clock.

The Magic immediately called for a time out but failed to capitalize as they missed the hoop and the game went into overtime. Then it was Lakers all the way, after they took the lead 91-90, and the Magic couldn’t find their feet. With this the Lakers won their second OT game and now are just one game win from their 15th championship. This is the first time since Magic Johnson’s Lakers and Larry Bird’s time that two games in the finals have gone to OT. So, Bryant and Wright may not be as great as them, but they may leave a legacy behind as this season finals seems to be hotly contested.

As expected Kobe had 32pts, 8 assists and 7 rebounds for the Lakers. But the dark horse of this game was Derek Fisher, who has previously bailed out the Lakers in many a difficult game. Ariza too contributed when needed. But Howard had a terrible night, as he missed many from the free throw line and was just 6 of 14. Had he gotten two more points from the throws he got in the dead of the 4th quarter they would have all but sealed the Magic’s win and the series would have been tied 2 a piece!!!!!!! But Howard did manage 16 points, 21 rebounds and a finals-record nine blocked shots. Hence, the Superman’s cape was left wrinkled and torn…..

The loss, as far as I can see it, is because of the Magic’s poor show from the free throw line as they were 22/37. Moreover the Magic missed a slew of opportunities which would have sealed the game in their favor. Once again the Magic have to beat the odds which they have been doing all season, injuries, playoff deficits and buzzer-beaters, etc, etc…..

However this obstacle might be too difficult to overcome as only eight NBA teams have come back from a 3-1 hole in a best-of-seven series. Is this the end of a well fought season for the Magic?!!

Ecuador Vs Argentina:

2                -           0

Argentina’s world cup dreams may come crumbling down if they continue their dismal form which they portrayed against Ecuador. The Argentinean’s were handed a shock 2-0 defeat by Ecuador, through late goals from, Walter Ayoví and Pablo Palacios, the second coming seven minutes before full-time, which condemned Maradona’s side to their third straight away loss.

This defeat comes after, the side lost 6-1 to Bolvia. This leaves them in fourth spot and just two points away from slipping from the automatic qualifying stage. The pressure is building up for Diego Maradona, who had a dream start with 3 consecutive wins.

This defeat, where Carlos Tevez missed a first half penalty comes on the back of a 1-0 victory over Colombia. This puts Argentina in a precarious position, as they face group leaders Brazil for their next qualifier.

Engalnd Vs Andorra:

6         -        0

England are in the brink of qualifying for the WC following a 6-0 victory over the European minnows, Andorra. Coach Cappelo wanted an early goal an early goal, and that’s wat he got when a wonderful cross from Glen Johnson found Rooney, who put a perfect header past the goalkeeper.

The stage was set for a complete rout as another Glen Johnson’s pass found Walcott who played it to the evergreen Lampard who scored the goal.

Gerrard was substituted and on came Defoe who scored two goals latching onto a mistake from Andorra’s goalkeeper from a Beckham cross. Then Rooney scored his second and Peter Crouch scored a goal somehow squeezing it past two defenders and the goalkeeper.

This match proved to another milestone for David Beckham as he led the side to the highest victory since 1999 and is now convincing his Coach about his place in the starting 11. His presence in every game makes him surpass his own record as he spread panic among his shoddy opponents. He ghosted unnoticed to the edge of the PK box and managed to deliver his once famous crosses though they lacked their previous fizz.

So there is only one hurdle left in the form of Croatia, the team which knocked England out of EURO 2008. So, England will come out all guns blazing and better hope the Crotians are prepared for it…..

Brazil vs Paraguay:

2       -       1

In front of 60,000 home fans, Brazil put up a thriller of a victory over Paraguay as they lead their group comfortably at the top. The five time world champions dominated possession but suddenly, they saw themselves a goal behind, as Salavador Cabanas free kick took a wild deflection off Elano and went past Cesar. This was only te second goal conceded by Cesar at home.

But as expected Brazil threw themselves forward at every opportunity and it did pay off as Robinho scored a goal and followed by Nilmar goal in the second half.

As a result of this victory, Brazil will qualify for the WC if they clinch victory against their arch rivals Argentina in the next qualifier…..

Ibra – Barca, Eto’o – Inter ?!!

It seems Ibrahimovic could be on his way to Barca if Eto’o decides to join Inter, according to a report!!!

As per a Spanish daily, Inter will receive a €10m transfer fee plus the services of the Cameroonian striker in exchange for the Swede. However this is very much lower then the amount claimed by Inter President, Morrati, when he asked Barca President, Larporta, for €40m plus Eto’o. However the move will be made simpler if the Cameroonian’s wage demands are met by Inter. But this year, all the Catalan fans are surprised that there has been a lack of movement compared to last year when they finished all their transfer by the main holidays.

Perez eyeing Ronaldo :

If reports are to be believed, Real have launched the infamous €89 million pre-contract agreement to rope in C. Ronaldo. But Real have only till 30th June to do it unless they want to pay a €30m penalty. Despite the fact of signing Kaka for a whopping €65.2m, Perez wants to sign Ronaldo too, which he said earlier was impossible to sign two player of the world in the same transfer window…

Talks are going on now between United chief executive David Gill and manager Sir Alex Ferguson to discuss the possibility of reducing the transfer fee, although club owner Malcolm Glazer sternly refuses it. Perez, unlike Calderon, has maintained a good relationship with United and all talks seems to be going ahead smoothly. The amazing fact is that, Sir Alex Ferguson, who was outspoken with his views on this transfer saga has kept mum this time around. Does it have anything to do with someone’s bad behavior? We will have to wait to find out……

Chelsea Gunning For Aguero:

The London club has now offered an official bid for the talismanic Argentinean striker for €51million, last night if reports are to be believed. The Blues, tired of being linked with Pato and Villa.

The current offer includes incentives and bonuses, based on Aguero appearances and success at the Bridge…. But this bid falls well short of the player’s buy-out clause at Atletico which is at €60m.

And its a well known fact that the striker is being approached by other European superpowers like Inter and Barca. So hope the Blues sign the star Walt and hope they sign the German magician Ribery too because they no longer seem to be the financial super power they once were …

India thrashed Ireland by 8 wickets to complete the group stages on a winning note. Ireland, despite improving their game in the past years, fell well short of matching up the Indians as they were 112-8 in a match reduced to 18 overs thanks to rain.

As usual, Dhoni won the toss and elected to field as he believed that due to the rain, the Duckworth-Lewis theory may come into play. And from then on, it was India all the way. J.P. Bray, Irish opener, has been having a terrible series and this match proved to be no better as he was bowled out by Zaheer for a duck after facing 7 balls. When Zaheer began his second over, Porterfield, was dismissed after a wonderful catch by Yusuf Pathan in the slips. Zaks was declared man of the match for his four wicket haul.

Then, if the Indian seamers proved to be bad for the Irish, it got worse as the spinners stepped up. Ojha, who is having a wonderful series, once again showed why his captain trusts him by taking KJ. O’Brien off an inside edge, on the first ball of his spell. It is amazing to see an orthodox spinner like Ojha, who lacks the carom ball, seldom bowls the doosra and other special deliveries, take wickets thanks to his flight and simple pace variation. But the Irish did strike back at the spinners, this time with sweeps as a few balls ran to the boundary. Moreover the Irish exploited the short boundary at Trent Bridge at Nottingham. And then R.West got himself run out thanks to his diabolical running because when he was run out, his leg and bat, despite being well inside the crease, were well, above it (didn’t touch the ground), and hence he was declared run out.

But as it has been happening in the previous matches, the Indians seem to relax a bit at the death, thereby helping the Irish to cross the 100 run mark, at a time when tight bowling could have restricted the Irish to a score well below 100. So this a major concern for the coach Gary Kristen as the Indians are yet to face serious opponents who would challenge their bowlers more than the Irish. But when it was India’s turn to bat, it was all smooth sailing for the openers Rohit Sharma and Gambhir who are in the top of their form. They played a sensible innings spiced with boundries. They steered India to the finish line, though Gambhir fell for 37 to West, the tone was set for a victory. As the captain too fell for 14, Rohit Sharma stayed till the end with a well earned half century.

So all is set for India to scorch the super eight. However the Indians have to improve their bowling in the death if they are to retain the coveted ICC T20 crown …

The wait is over…. The Magic have won their first NBA final after 20 years. So there is no blaming them for all the fanfare, which seemed as if they had won the series…..

There was no stopping the Magic as they held off the Lakers to a four point victory, 108-104, in front of their home crowd, at the Amway arena. This was pulled off in a nice fashion after they put up a nine point lead in the fourth. With this victory, they stopped the Lakers’s victory parade and made even Bryant look vulnerable…. Most of the Lakers’s shots ended up in the loo.

In seven tries, this is the first victory for the Magic, and this means a lot to the fans as well as the franchise. The Magic improved their shooting immensively with a record 62.5 success rate. However, it was a bad day for Kobe despite leadig all the scores wit 31 pts as he missed a key free throw and then turning over the ball, dribbling it off his foot. But from the Magic side, it was a complete team effort as five players scored atleast 18pts. Dwight Howard had 21 pts, Lewis 21, Alston 20 while Pietrus and Tukoglu had 18. Playing their first final at their home since 1995, the Magic managed to erase that 6 consecutive losing streak. They were destroyed by the Rockets 14 yrs ago. The Magic lost the first two games, by 25 pts and by 5 pts, respectively. Still despite a success rate of 62.5, the game was close call as the Magic couldn’t control the Lakers very well. This success rate managed to eclipse the Bull’s 18 year old record.

“I’ve said it throughout the season and throughout these playoffs,” Magic Coach Stan Van Gundy said.

“The one thing that you can’t question about our team is their resilience in situations like that, whether it’s from game to game, minute to minute our team will keep playing.”

Then again, the praise must be with the Magic, as the managed to keep the heat n the Lakers and pull off a victory as the talks of the team’s resiliency showed. Moreover despite Phil Jackson’s experience and mind games, his statements backfired as it was like poking the Magic with a stick after their bitter losses. And so, no matter which team should be up 2-1 now, the Magic feel they are right back in this series and believe they can pull off, what according to their critics has been claimed impossible. The Magic not only avoided a sweep, but managed to give the soon to be scuttled Amway Arena, three more games which will be a great meal for their hungry fans.

“We were taking better shots tonight,” Howard said.

“We didn’t rush. We attacked. That allowed us to get some easier shots. Instead of us shooting the ball with a big guy Lamar Odom or Gasol in our face, we did a good job of getting to the rim. Skip (Alston) did a good job of attacking and allowing guys to get open for free shots.”

So, have the Lakers began celebrating too soon????