Nations League: Spain extend unbeaten run to 43 games after beating 10-man Czechia 2-0

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Prague, Nov 13 (IANS) World champions Spain extended their unbeaten run across all competitions to 43 games when they defeated a 10-man Czechia in the UEFA Nations League at epet ARENA here.

Alex Baena and Marc Pubill scored for the visitors as Czechia captain Ladislav Krejci was sent off in the 69th minute for a foul on Roberto Fernandez, in what was a dominant outing for the Luis de la Fuente’s men.

Spain dominated from the start, but Ferran Torres and Marc Cucurella were off target. Dean Huijsen headed an effort, which was re-gathered by Matej Kovar.

The deadlock broke when Baena scored a penalty after midfielder Lukas Ambros was penalised for a handball, with VAR confirming it. Baena put the world champions ahead with a strike from the 12-yard spot in the 39th minute as La Roja went 1-0 at the break.

Spain started the second half well too, as Yeremy Pino nearly got another one for the team when he raced onto a long ball and hit one past Kovar. The goal was, however, disallowed.

The hosts looked for an equaliser as Adam Hlozek hit a header over the crossbar in the 68th minute before Krejci fouled and was sent off.

The Czechia captain was initially given a yellow card, but it was converted into a red after a VAR check. Spain added salt to the wounds when Pubill scored in injury time in the 96th minute to clinch the contest 2-0.

This was Spain’s fifth win in the ongoing Nations League and their 12th in all competitions. They are also unbeaten in 43 games now, having last lost to Scotland in March 2024.

Having already qualified for the quarterfinals, they have extended their lead in Group C. They will be hosting England next in Sunday’s final group game, and the winner will top the table.

England have also made it to the quarters after beating Croatia 2-1 as Harry Kane marked a record-breaking game with a winning goal. Kane became England’s leading men’s appearance maker when he strode out for his 126th cap and celebrated the occasion in fitting fashion with his 92nd goal for his country, slotting home from the spot in the 64th minute for a strong win.

–IANS

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IPL 2025: Nitish, Hasaranga lead Rajasthan to first win of season against Chennai Super Kings

Guwahati, March 30 (IANS) After Nitish Rana’s 81, Wanindu Hasaranga’s four-wicket haul helped Rajasthan Royals to beat Chennai Super Kings by six runs to secure their first win of the IPL 2025 season.

It was Rajasthan’s first win of the season after facing defeats against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders in their opening two matches.

Chasing 183, Chennai had a troublesome start as Jofra Archer dismissed Rachin Ravindra for a duck as the English pacer bowled a wicket-maiden to start the proceedings.

Rahul Tripathi and captain Ruturaj Gaikwad then navigated the powerplay with a cautious approach and amassed 42 in the powerplay. Their 46-run partnership was ended by Wanindu Hasaranga in the eighth over with the dismissal of Tripathi (23).

In the middle overs, Chennai failed to get a strong partnership in the middle with Rajasthan bowlers tightening their grip with regular wickets of Shivam Dube (18) and Vijay Shankar (9) by Hasaranga. Gaikwad held one end strong and completed his half-century to keep his side in the hunt.

Gaikwad’s stay was also cut short by Hasaranga in the 16th over as MS Dhoni arrived at the crease in the crunch situation. Chennai required 45 off the last three overs but with Dhoni and Jadeja at the crease, it looked possible.

However, Maheesh Theekshana bowled exceptionally well in the 18th over to just concede six runs off it. In the next over, Tushar Deshpande was struck for two sixes and a four by the duo to keep them alive in the chase.

Defending 20 runs in the last over, Sandeep Sharma dismissed Dhoni on the first ball to end his cameo knock of 16 runs including a four and a six each. With Jadeja on the other end, Jamie Overturn struck six on the fourth ball to bring the equation 11 from two balls. He got just a double and a single in the last two balls as Sandeep led Rajasthan to their first win of the season.

For Rajasthan, Hasaranga returned with the figures of 4-35 in his four overs while Archer and Sandeep snatched a scalp each.

Earlier, after being put in to bat first, Rajasthan lost opener Yashasvi Jaiswal (4) on the third ball of the first over off pacer Khaleel Ahmed. Nitish came in to bat at No.3 and joined Sanju Samson in the middle. The duo made the most of the powerplay overs and scored boundaries at regular intervals.

Nitish played the role of an aggressor in the partnership and completed his first IPL half-century since 2023 in 21 balls. His blistering knock pushed Rajasthan to 79/1 after six overs.

Spinner Noor Ahmad finally provided the breakthrough as he dismissed Samson for 21 in the eighth over. Stand-in captain Riyan Parag and Nitish kept rotating the strike and added a 24-ball 38 partnership before the latter was sent back to the pavilion by Ravichandran Ashwin courtesy of MS Dhoni’s stumping.

Nitish played a knock of 81 balls off 36 balls laced with 10 fours and five sixes. Dhruv Jurel and Wanindu Hasaranga failed to get going in the innings and lost their wickets to Noor Ahmad and Ravindra Jadeja respectively as Chennai bowlers took control of the game.

Riyan, from the other end, added a brief 26-run partnership with Shimron Hetmyer to take their total beyond 150. Riyan’s 37-run knock was put to an end by Matheesha Pathirana with an in-swinging yorker in the 18th over.

With wickets kept falling from the other end, Hetmyer (19) followed suit as Pathirana bagged his second scalp of the match.

In the last eight overs, Rajasthan only scored 53 runs and lost their last five wickets in a span of just 30 balls.

For Chennai, Khaleel, Pathirana and Noor bagged two scalps apiece to stage a comeback in the match.

Brief scores: Chennai Super Kings 176/6 in 20 overs (Ruturaj Gaikwad 63, Ravindra Jadeja 32 not out; Wanindu Hasaranga 4-35) lost to Rajasthan Royals 182/9 in 20 overs (Nitish Rana 81, Riyan Parag 37; Noor Ahmad 2-28, Matheesha Pathirana 2-28, Khaleel Ahmed 2-38) by six runs.

–IANS

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U22 Asian Boxing C’ships: Neeraj, Ishan Kataria, Yatri Patel, Priya to fight for gold after convincing wins in semis

Bangkok, Aug 6 (IANS) Neeraj (men’s 75kg) and Ishan Kataria (men’s 90+kg), Yatri Patel (women’s 57kg), Priya (women’s 60kg) registered convincing victories to reach the finals of their respective weight categories in the U22 Asian Boxing Championships 2025 in Bangkok, Thailand on Wednesday.

Bangkok, Aug 6 (IANS) Neeraj (men’s 75kg) and Ishan Kataria (men’s 90+kg), Yatri Patel (women’s 57kg), Priya (women’s 60kg) registered convincing victories to reach the finals of their respective weight categories in the U22 Asian Boxing Championships 2025 in Bangkok, Thailand on Wednesday.Neeraj banked on his speed and counter attacks to defeat Kyeongho Bang of South Korea 5:0 to become the first Indian boxer to make it to the summit clash on Wednesday. Ishan Kataria then joined him in the final when he used his big frame and strong punches to dominate Chen Chen of China as the referee had to stop the contest in the third round as the Chinese was getting battered.

Yatri Patel then became the first Indian women boxer to reach the final as she used the left-right combination punches to great effect to dominate Vietnam’s Thi Nhung Quand to bag a 5:0 unanimous verdict in the women’s 57kg semifinals. A few minutes later, Priya also came up with a dominating performance to overpower Uzbekistan’s Odinakhon Ismoilova to reach the women’s 60kg final.

The U19 and U22 Asian Boxing Championships, which are being held simultaneously, provides India’s rising stars a platform to showcase their skills and determination against some Asia’s toughest opponents. India has fielded a strong contingent of 40 boxers — 20 in each age group — with a perfect mix of proven champions and potential talents who have impressed in the domestic circuit.

Among the four other semi-finalists in the morning session, Rockey Chaudhary was unlucky as the referee did not allow him to continue in the second round as he suffered cuts over both his eyebrows against Iran’s Sam Estaki.

Harsh (60kg) and Mayur (90kg) took the fight to their respective opponents but could not finish on the right side of the split verdict from the judges. Harsh went down 1:4 against Uzbekistan’s Shohruh Abdumalikov while Mayur lost to Shakhzod Polvonov of the same country. Ankush, the other boxer in fray, went down 0:5 against Sanzhar-Ali Begaliyev of Kazakhstan. All the four boxers will bring home a bronze medal.

In the evening session, Bhawna Sharma could not rekindle her quarterfinal form and went down 1:4 against Robiyakhon Bakhtiyorova of Uzbekistan in the women’s 48kg weight category.

Also finishing with the bronze medals were Parthavi Grewal (women’s 60kg), Parnjal Yadav (women’s 65kg) and Shruti (women’s 75kg) after they lost their respective semi-final bouts.

–IANS

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Alice Capsey says England’s World Cup form driven by Ashes heartbreak

New Delhi, Oct 14 (IANS) Alice Capsey believes England’s unbeaten run at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 is being fuelled by the pain of their Ashes whitewash earlier this year, as the team looks to reclaim pride and rebuild under new leadership.

England endured a bruising campaign Down Under in January and February, losing across all formats as Australia retained the Ashes for the sixth successive time. The series defeat prompted sweeping changes, with Charlotte Edwards taking over as head coach and Nat Sciver-Brunt replacing Heather Knight as captain.

Reflecting on the team’s transformation since then, Capsey admitted that the Ashes experience had served as a turning point for the squad.

“The Ashes was a tour where none of us were proud of our performance on the pitch,” Capsey told Sky Sports. “It was a chance to reflect as a group. There have been changes in leadership and how they want the team to operate. It’s been a chance to draw a line and build momentum. We were all part of that experience and don’t want to go through it again.”

England have since shown remarkable consistency, winning their first three matches at the World Cup to sit firmly in contention for the semifinals. Capsey said the change in mood within the dressing room has been stark.

“The mood now is completely different – confidence is high and there’s real determination to make our mark on this tournament, doing it our way and trusting the process,” she explained. “Lottie and Nat have only been in charge for six months, so we’re still learning how to apply that in games. Each match has taught us something new, which is exciting.”

Edwards’ side now face a challenging run-in with India and Australia next up, before finishing the group stage against New Zealand. But Capsey believes the team’s newfound discipline and focus on fine details are helping them thrive under pressure.

“What I’ve taken from it is the determination to be the one – when you’re on top, really kill the game, and when our backs are against the wall, it just takes one moment to bring control back,” she said. “We’ve shown that throughout the tournament. Even after losing clusters of wickets, no one’s panicked.”

Capsey also highlighted England’s balance and composure across departments, with both bat and ball contributing to their success.

“As a batting unit, we know how we want to build our innings and be consistent with our scoring. As a bowling unit, we’ve controlled games well – sticking to our plans and showing the level-headedness Nat brings,” she said. “There’s still room for improvement. We’ve had one top-six batter really make a mark in each game, like Nat’s hundred the other day, but we’ve talked about turning 20s and 30s into 60s and 70s and getting more contributors at the top.”

The all-rounder praised England’s depth in attack, particularly the spin department, where Sophie Ecclestone continues to lead the charge.

“Our spin attack is world-class, and the seamers are chipping in too. It’s a great place to be – three from three and still focused on the one-percenters we can improve heading into the next game.”

England’s next challenge is against Pakistan, who are still searching for their first points of the tournament after defeats to Bangladesh, India and Australia. Despite Pakistan’s winless run, Capsey warned that they remain a dangerous opponent.

“They may not have won a game so far but they’re definitely not a team we’re taking lightly,” she said. “They’ve obviously not got the results they were after, but they’ve been in some really dominating positions.”

–IANS

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