juve not afraid of sanctions
turin: Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo insisted on Saturday that his team did not fear UEFA sanctions over the failed Super League project, designed to supplant the Champions League. “We are not afraid of this, we are calm and focused on our work,” Pirlo told a press conference. “We are convinced that we can finish the season with our goals, we are serene about what UEFA will decide.”
Persepolis FC thrashed Goa
margao: Starting with as many as eight fresh faces, FC Goa were thrashed 4-0 by Iranian champions Persepolis FC in their return-leg AFC Champions League Group E match on Friday night. Shahriar Moghanlou (24th minute), Mehadi Torabi (43rd), Issa Alkasir (47th) and Kamal Kamyabinia (58th) scored for the winners in a completely one-sided match at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. The result saw Persepolis, with 12 points from four games, extending their 100 percent win record while Goa suffered their second consecutive defeat after the 1-2 loss to Yahya Golmohammadi's side on Tuesday.
Schalke seek protection
berlin: Schalke 04 said on Friday they have asked for police protection at training next week after angry fans attacked the team bus following the club's relegation from the Bundesliga. A large group of furious supporters pelted the team bus with eggs and confronted players on their return to Gelsenkirchen early Wednesday after defeat at Bielefeld saw Schalke relegated after 30 years in Germany's top flight.
Women's team in final
Guatemala City: Recurve women's team of Deepika Kumari, Ankita Bhakat and Komalika Bari assured India of its first medal in the Archery World Cup Stage 1 after cruising into the final with a straight-set win over Spain here. However, the men's team, which qualified as third seed, lost in the quarterfinals to its Spanish rivals 26-27 in a shoot-off after both teams were tied 4-4. India are also in the medal hunt in three more events with newly-wed Atanu Das and Deepika advancing into the mixed pair Bronze playoff. The duo will also vie for individual medals, having made the last-four in their respective sections.
Anuradha finishes seventh
tashkent: P Anuradha finished seventh in the women's 87kg category as the Indian contingent ended its campaign with two medals at the Asian Weightlifting Championship here on Saturday. She lifted 91kg in snatch followed by 110kg in clean and jerk for a total of 201kg in the continental event. The Chinese duo of Wang Zhouyu 286kg (126kg+160kg) and Kang Yue 273kg (118kg+155kg) took home the gold and silver medals respectively.