Month: December 2024

Madrid (Spain), Dec 10 (IANS) Spanish giants FC Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are in different moments of form as they prepare for vital UEFA Champions League ties on Wednesday night. Both need to win their games improve their position and maintain their chances of qualifying for the knockout stage.

Barcelona, currently third in the 36-team group, has to play Borussia Dortmund and Benfica away from home before entertaining Atalanta, meaning it still has a lot of work to do to assure the top-eight finish that would see it qualify directly for the Round of 16.

Meanwhile, Atletico have an easier calendar ahead of them but need to keep winning to climb from their current 15th place into the top-eight. Facing last season’s finalist Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona coach Hansi Flick must be worried about his side’s recent form in La Liga, which has seen it lose two and draw two of its last five games, reports Xinhua.

Part of the reason for Barca’s problems is that a defense that looked solid at the start of the season is now starting to leak due to a packed fixture, with few options to rotate key players given the long-term injuries to Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen. Araujo is on the verge of returning to action and will travel to Germany, although he is unlikely to play on Wednesday. Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski will lead the Barca attack.

Atletico have what should be a much easier game when they entertain Slovan Bratislava, who travel after five defeats from five games in which they have conceded 18 goals and scored just four.

Atletico, meanwhile, are playing their best football of the season and goes into the game after a thrilling 4-3 league win at home to Sevilla. Diego Simeone’s side is currently just a point outside the top eight, with games against Bayer Leverkusen and RB Salzburg still to play, and a win on Wednesday would give them an excellent chance of finishing in the top eight.

Antoine Griezmann was outstanding against Sevilla and with Julian Alvarez and Rodrigo De Paul also performing well at the moment, Wednesday should be a comfortable night in the Metropolitano Stadium.

–IANS

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Guwahati, Dec 10 (IANS) A two-day state convention on “Empowering the Next Generation for a Resilient Future” organised by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), began on Tuesday, aimed at equipping youth and community volunteers with skills to mitigate disaster risks and promote resilience at the grassroots level.

The event is being held at the Birinchi Kumar Barua (BKB) Auditorium, Gauhati University.

The convention was inaugurated by Assam’s Sports and Youth Welfare Minister, Nandita Gorlosa, who highlighted the need for sustainable living and disaster preparedness to minimise the impact of natural and human-induced calamities.

She emphasised the importance of using lessons from past disasters to build a safer future for humans, animals, and ecosystems.

An exhibition showcasing disaster management activities by various stakeholders, volunteers, and students was also inaugurated by the Minister.

ASDMA’s Chief Executive Officer, Gyanendra Dev Tripathi, said that empowering young responders through initiatives like Aapda Mitra, Circle Level Quick Response Teams (CQRTs), and integrating disaster preparedness into school curriculums is a priority.

He stressed that trained youth can act as first responders and agents of change in their communities during emergencies.

Nanigopal Mahanta, Vice-Chancellor of Gauhati University, in his keynote address, underlined the importance of blending traditional practices with modern strategies for disaster management.

He cited examples from Assam’s history, such as the Mising tribe’s flood-resilient “Chang Ghars” and sustainable initiatives like floating hospitals, to emphasise the need for localised solutions.

Arunasis Chakraborty, Head of the Centre for Disaster Management at IIT Guwahati, highlighted the devastating floods in the Himalayan region in 2023 and stressed the importance of linking education with disaster preparedness.

He pointed out that 1.2 billion youth worldwide are exposed to disaster risks, making their training and awareness crucial for a resilient future.

A Coffee Table Book titled “Empowering Next Generation for a Resilient Future” was launched by Minister Gorlosa during the program.

The event was attended by district project officers, field officers, and 40 top-performing Aapda Mitra volunteers facilitating knowledge exchange and capacity building.

Representatives from 10 states, including Kerala, Karnataka, Odisha, and Sikkim, shared their best practices and innovative models for disaster management during the convention.

–IANS

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Berlin (Germany), Dec 10 (IANS) Former Manchester City youngster Jamie Gittens is the man for good news for struggling Borussia Dortmund. Ahead of the delicate UEFA Champions League encounter against Spanish giant Barcelona this Wednesday evening, the 20-year-old seems on everyone’s lips due to his stellar performance.

Following his life-saving goals for the Black and Yellows, rumours of tempting offers from leading Premier League sides seem to have become a daily routine. There might be worse situations for a talented footballer than choosing between Chelsea, the LFC, Arsenal, and Tottenham. While interested parties seem to queue up, the winger has turned into a ray of hope for the 2024 Champions League final participant.

The worst away-game record in 33 years has caused unrest in Dortmund, who now sits in sixth place in the Bundesliga standings, and triggered concerns over next season’s Champions League qualification, reports Xinhua.

Inconsistent performances seem to have taken hold of a team desperately trying to gain stability; not to speak of 36-year-old coach Nuri Sahin having come under fire. While rumours speak of 100 million euros interested parties might have to pay, selling Gittens comes near capitulation for the club’s supporters.

Sporting director Sebastian Kehl seems forced to investigate markets for new arrivals in the upcoming winter break.

While developing talents and selling the upstarts have become a valuable pattern for the club over recent years, lifesaving hopes at present seem to entirely rest on the shoulders of Gittens, who owns a contract until 2028. Other than the concerning national league performance, the Champions League is opening doors for optimism. Four victories in five games provide the chance to make it among the top eight of the competition league phase.

While positive news on the international stage might help overcome league struggles, the team’s difficulties remain. Top scorer Serhou Guirassy seems stuck in a performance low after an injury, and the team’s defenders and midfielders fail to gain consistency. Gittens, the Three Lions under-21 player, has made his breakthrough after he joined the side in 2020 for a bargain-like 90000 euros.

Additional training with 35-year-old former defender and midfielder Sven Bender paid off, as coach Sahin reported. The former BVB professional went through uncountable training sessions with him as Gittens sparring partner. “He has made his safe landing, but it can’t only be him taking us to the next stage of the Champions League,” Sahin said.

–IANS

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Mumbai, Dec 10 (IANS) The Indian men’s and women’s teams continued their impressive run as both reached the knockout stage of the World Squash Team Championships 2024, reaching the pre-quarterfinals in contrasting style in Hong Kong-China on Tuesday.

The Indian women’s team defeated Italy 3-0 while the men went down 1-2 to Colombia but managed to advance to the knockout stage as Colombia later defeated Ireland, ensuring the Indians finished second in their preliminary group.

The Indian men’s team will face Malaysia in the pre-quarterfinals, while the women’s team will play Australia in the next stage. The pre-quarterfinals in both sections will consist of 12 teams, out of which four will be given a bye. Both the Indian men’s and women’s teams will play their pre-quarterfinal matches on Wednesday.

In its last league match, the Indian women’s team defeated Italy 3-0 with Akanksha Salunkhe, Anahat Singh and Nirupama Dubey winning their respective matches in straight games. Nirupama Dubey, 206th in the squash rankings, defeated Beatrice Filippi 3-0 (11-4, 11-3, 11-1) in only 15 minutes in the opening match of the tie.

Anahat Singh, world No. 95, backed it up with another 3-0 (11-3, 11-9, 11-3) win against world No. 131 Cristina Tartarone. Akanksha Salunkhe, India’s highest-ranked player in the team at world No. 70, defeated Flavia Miceli 3-0 (11-3, 11-3, 11-1) to cap off a terrific win for the Indian women’s team.

The Indian men’s team lost 2-1 to Colombia but with the latter later defeating Ireland, the Indian men finished second in the group and progressed to the pre-quarterfinals.

World No. 54 Abhay Singh lost the opening match 3-1 (4-11, 8-11, 11–5, 4-11) to Miguel Rodriguez, 17th in the men’s rankings. Veer Chotrani got India back on level terms with a terrific result. Chotrani, ranked 87th, won 3-1 (11-8, 11-9, 12-14, 11-5) against a higher-ranked Juan Camilo Vargas (39th).

Suraj Kumar Chand (159th) faced an uphill task against world No. 78 Ronald Palomino in the final match of the tie and lost in straight games (11-5, 11-6, 11-3). Colombia won 2-1 and later defeated Ireland to top the group. The Indian men defeated Ireland 2-1 on Monday.

–IANS

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Pune, Dec 10 (IANS) Skipper Fazel Atrachali led a defensive masterclass to ensure that the Bengal Warriorz beat the Bengaluru Bulls 44-29 in Match 104 of Season 11 of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) at the Badminton Hall of the Balewadi Sports Complex here on Tuesday.

But a lot of the credit goes to the defensive prowess of Nitesh Kumar and skipper Fazel Atrachali, who got the Bengaluru Bulls ALL OUT with six minutes left to the end of the first half.

A highlight for the Bengaluru Bulls was the performance of their skipper Pardeep emerged as their primary offensive threat. He scored five raid points and even executed a Super Raid that took out Fazel Atrachali, Nitesh Kumar and Pranay Rane. But a lack of support from his teammates meant that the Bengal Warriorz established a commanding 10-point lead going into the break as the score read 22-12.

The Bengal Warriorz upped the ante in the second half as Nitesh Kumar reached his High 5. On the other side of the mat, Pardeep Narwal reached his Super 10 after a successful raid got Nitesh Kumar off the mat. Meanwhile, Vishwas S. completed a well-earned Super 10 as well.

The second All Out was inflicted on the Bengaluru Bulls with 12 minutes left to the end of the game. As the match came to a close, it was the brilliant Fazel Atrachali and his defensive unit who took the Bengal Warriorz to an all-important win. He scored a High 5 as well, as the one-time PKL champions secured a massive 15-point win to keep them in the race for the playoffs.

–IANS

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London, Dec 1 (IANS) Arsenal’s hunt for their first Premier League title since 2004 has hit major roadblocks in recent weeks as the side sits in third place, six points behind league leaders Liverpool who have a game in hand, as the side is marred with injuries.

Ahead of the Gunners UEFA Champions League clash on Thursday (IST), club captain Martin Odegaard faced the media and was insistent on his team’s mentality claiming they want to win all the titles they are competing for.

“If you do that then everyone will remember you because you write history and I think that’s the feeling from everyone in the squad and the team. We want to do something really special. We want to win everything basically – that’s the mindset of everyone. We want to win trophies, we want to win every time we play and we all share that mindset. We want to win and make sure the trophies come to the club,” said Odegaard in a press conference.

Arsenal’s game against Monaco is an important one for the North London side as they will be looking to seal a top-eight birth, which guarantees a direct qualification to the Round of 16, in their final three games of the League stage.

The Gunners have been pipped by Manchester City for the League title two seasons in a row but Odegaard believes his side has learnt lessons from harrowingly missing out on the title. “That’s the feeling in the squad. Everyone believes so much in what we are doing and we have confidence in everything we do as a team. Last year we learned a few good lessons – we wanted to go all the way and we didn’t. We have to take those lessons and make sure we get better and learn from it,” he added.

The Gunners have not scored from open play in their last two outings having scored three goals from set-pieces against Manchester United and Fulham. Mikel Arteta also chimed in at the Press conference when asked about the need to create more goal-scoring opportunities. “We want to create more from every angle and from set pieces as well we could have created more, we should have scored another one or two. We are always trying to evolve and be better,” said Arteta.

–IANS

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