Chile stun Argentina to win Copa

After that there was little in the way of chances, leaving the game to hinge on the penalty shoot-out.

Holders Chile stunned Argentina to win the Copa America Centenario in a penalty shoot-out here Sunday as Lionel Messi’s title curse struck again.

Messi blazed a penalty over the bar in the shoot-out before Lucas Biglia missed to leave Chile’s Francisco Silva with the task of stroking home the winning spot-kick at the MetLife Stadium.

It was a carbon copy of last year’s Copa America final, also won by Chile on penalties after a goalless draw.

Argentina’s players meanwhile were left disconsolate as they digested a third defeat in a major final following losses to Germany in the 2014 World Cup and Chile in last year’s Copa.

The defeat also ensured Argentina’s 23-year wait for a major title—and a first for five-time world player of the year Messi—continued.

The final had gone to penalties after finishing deadlocked at 0-0 after 120 minutes.

Both sides were reduced to 10 men in the first half as Brazilian referee Heber Lopes struggled to get a grip on an ill-tempered contest played in front of a crowd of 82,026.

The first yellow card of the match came in the 16th minute when Marcelo Diaz brought down Messi with a cynical hack across the thighs as the Barcelona star advanced on the Chilean goal.

Argentina should have taken the lead on 21 minutes when a defensive blunder from Gary Medel, miscontrolling a back pass, allowed Gonzalo Higuain to go clean through on goal.

Chile let-off

Higuain had time and space but opted to lift his shot over the advancing Bravo and it rolled wide of the post in a huge let-off for Chile.

It was a nightmarish case of deja vu for Higuain, who missed potentially match winning chances in both the 2014 World Cup final and last year’s Copa America.

Seven minutes later Chile were left rocking when Messi burst forward only to be bodychecked blatantly by Diaz.

For a moment it appeared that referee Lopes had forgotten Diaz’s earlier caution but eventually he brandished a red card and Chile were down to 10.

It ought to have been a warning to both sides but the spiteful tone continued for the remainder of the half, with Javier Mascherano and Arturo Vidal next into the book in the 37th minute.

The next flare-up came on 40 minutes when Messi darted into the box at high speed and tumbled over following a collision with Jose Pedro Fuenzalida.

Chile’s players surrounded Lopes demanding a yellow card for a dive and Messi was duly booked even though it looked for all the world as if he had simply gone down after being caught off balance.

Rojo red

Two minutes from half-time and Lopes was reaching for a red card, this time sending off Manchester United’s Marcos Rojo for a rough tackle on Vidal.

The cards continued in a fractious start to the second half, Jean Beausejour booked for hacking at Gabriel Mercado.

A cynical foul on Messi by Charles Aranguiz resulted in another yellow card.

The introduction of Sergio Aguero for Higuain had little effect with Argentina failing to break the stalemate.

Chile striker Eduardo Vargas went close on the 80th minute, thumping a fierce low shot that Romero did well to block at his near post.

Aguero had a chance to steal victory in the 84th minute when he was worked into space on the right of the box but he blazed his shot high and wide.

There was still time for late drama when Ramiro Funes-Mori made a stunning match-saving block to deny Alexis Sanchez.

From the Argentinian counter-attack, Messi surged forward from halfway to shoot wide.

Amid suffocating tension in extra-time, Chile had the best early chance to score in the 98th minute when he headed Edson Puch’s cross only to be denied by Romero.

Aguero then drew a fine save from Bravo with a looping header.

Fizz returns to cricket

Bangladesh pace ace Mustafizur Rahman, who is famously known as 'Fizz'  joined the team practice session on Thursday after facing a two-week rehabilitation.

His rehabilitation began on 9 June this year as he suffered two injuries during the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Sunrisers Hyderabad.

The pacer is due to join English county league team for Sussex.

On the first day’s practice session, Mustafiz bowled six overs under the supervision of fitness and conditioning coach Mario Villavarayan and his physio Bayezidul Islam.

“He has improved and recovered 60 per cent. He needs a little more time,” said Physio Bayezid.

Earlier on 30 May, the Bangladesh speedster returned home helping his team Sunrisers Hyderabad win the 2016 of Indian Premier League 2016.

Mustafiz bagged 17 wickets in 16 matches in the IPL as Hyderabad brought home their maiden IPL trophy.

No Messi for Olympics

Argentina coach Gerardo Martino on Thursday named part of his squad for the Rio Olympics but superstar Lionel Messi was not included after being chosen for the Copa America instead.

The full list of 22 will be revealed in the coming days but not before Sunday's final of the Copa, where Argentina take on holders Chile.

Messi's exclusion was expected. He won gold at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 but Martino had already decided that the Barcelona star would not compete at both the Copa and the Olympics in August.

Nine players were named in the squad on Thursday.

They were Giovani Lo Celso (Rosario Central), Geronimo Rulli (Real Sociedad), Angel Correa (Atletico Madrid), Emmanuel Mammana (River Plate), Jonathan Silva (Boca Juniors), José Luis Gomez (Lanus), Mauricio Martinez (Union), Leandro Paredes (Empoli) and Cristian Espinoza (Huracan).

Argentina were Olympic champions in 2004 and 2008 and will be favourites in Rio.

They are in Group D of the competition along with Portugal, Algeria and Honduras.

Amir like a brother for Wahab

Mohammad Amir is part of the Pakistan family and will always have the support of his team mates as he prepares to return to Lord’s six years after the scandal that derailed his career, fast bowler Wahab Riaz has said.

The paceman spent time in jail and served a five-year ban for spot-fixing after admitting he had deliberately bowled no-balls at predetermined times in the fourth test against England at the fabled London venue in 2010.

Then 18, Amir was rated among the world’s most exciting fast bowlers before the high-profile incident stalled his progress and resulted in similar penalties for fellow accused parties, former test captain Salman Butt and fast bowler Mohammad Asif.

The 24-year-old has now returned to the Pakistan setup and the left-arm paceman will be firmly in the spotlight should he be selected for the first test of the four-match series starting at Lord’s on July 14.

“Obviously he has struggled a lot,” Wahab told ESPNcricinfo. “He has learned a lot of things in the past five years, he has become more strong and he wants to answer everyone with his performances, and that’s what he’s really looking for.

Amir’s return to the national side was initially resented by some of his team mates but the paceman has enjoyed steady and growing support from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

LIKE A BROTHER

“As a team, as a squad of 17 plus our team management, all of us are going to support Mohammad Amir,” Wahab added. “We are all behind him, we are all supporting him, whenever he needs us, however he needs us, we will be around him all the time.

“So he is not the one who is being left alone, he is a part of our family. He is the youngest part of our family, so he is like a kid to us, he’s like a brother to us, a son to most of our senior players.

“We are always here for him, we are going to support him, and we will push him up because we know what kind of capability he has in his bowling and how he can perform.”

The 30-year-old Wahab said Pakistan would try to retain a positive attitude throughout what appears to be a tough series in England.

“What is in our hands is to go into the ground and have a smile on our faces,” Wahab said. “We know what our goal is and we know how to achieve our goal, so we have to do that.

“We have to enjoy our cricket, we have to laugh all the time, if anyone says anything, a smile can do everything for them.”

Tamim’s ton guides Abahani to top

Abahani registered a massive 115-run victory over Prime Bank Cricket Club with a captain’s knock of 124 by Tamim Iqbal in the super-six 5th round match of the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

With the victory, Abahani secured the top slot in the league table with 22 points from 15 matches having 11 wins and four losses, followed by Victoria Sporting Club with 20 points also from 15 matches with 10 wins and five losses, reports UNB news agency.

Abahani and Victoria will face each other in the abandoned match at the same venue on Friday to decide the title.

The 1st round match of the super-six stage between the two teams was declared suspended over an umpiring decision. The decision to play the match again was announced by Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan after the 5th round of the super league on Wednesday.

With the century, Tamim became the highest run getter in this edition List-A league collecting 714 runs from 15 matches, followed by Abdul Mazid with 706 also from 15 matches.

In the day’s match, replying to a formidable 316 of Abahani, last edition champion PBCC finished the innings on 201 for all in 37.2 overs.

Opener Mehedi Maruf and skipper Shuvagata Hom were notable scorers for the side with 69 and 51 runs respectively.

Saqlain Sajib gathered seven wickets for 58 runs in 9.2 overs while pacer Taskin Ahmed bagged two for 45.

Earlier, batting first after winning the toss Abahani collected 316 runs for 7 in 50 overs riding on Tamim and number-5 batsman Mosaddek Hossain.

Tamim faced 132 balls to feature 11 boundaries and four sixes on the way to his innings before being caught by Raihan Uddin off Unmukt Chand bowling at 270/4 in 45 overs.

Mosaddek Hossain fired 78 off 74 balls that included three boundaries and five sixes before being out caught by Sabbir Rahman off Unmukt Chand delivery at 279/5 in 46.3 overs.

Abul Hasan and Dinesh Karthik added 26 and 25 runs respectively.

Unmukt Chand bagged three wickets while Nazmul Islam and Rubel Hossain took two wickets each.

Chile set Argentina Copa final date

Chile stormed into the Copa America final here Wednesday, beating Colombia 2-0 in a weather-disrupted semi-final that took more than four hours to complete.

The defending champions advanced to a repeat of last year’s final against Argentina on Sunday after a whirlwind start left Colombia chasing the game.

Chile, who had destroyed Mexico 7-0 in the quarter-finals on Saturday, picked up where they left off, scoring twice in the opening 11 minutes to take a grip on the contest.

Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Charles Aranguiz opened the scoring in the seventh minute before Jose Pedro Fuenzalida made it 2-0 after 11 minutes.

But the explosive start to the contest was overshadowed by the intervention of Mother Nature at half-time, as a powerful electrical thunderstorm rolled into downtown Chicago and halted play.

Tens of thousands of spectators were ordered to take shelter inside the stadium, leaving the ground empty as torrential rain pounded the stands.

For a while it looked as if play would be abandoned, with the teams forced to return to the venue on Thursday to complete the remaining 45 minutes.

However a break in the weather allowed teams of ground staff to set about clearing excess water from the field, and after a delay of two hours and 25 minutes, the second half resumed at 10:25pm local time (0325 GMT).

When play got under way both sides produced one of the most entertaining halfs of the tournament, Colombia attacking relentlessly in an effort to get back into the match and Chile chasing a third goal to kill the game off.

Penalty appeal

Colombia had appeals for a penalty waved away early in the second half when Daniel Torres tumbled over the outstretched leg of Gonzalo Jara in the penalty area.

With Real Madrid star James Rodriguez doing his best to take control of the match, Colombia looked lively in attack but were unable to find the final ball to unlock Chile’s defense.

The Colombians’ job became even more daunting in the 57th minute when Aston Villa midfielder Carlos Sanchez was sent off, collecting a second yellow for a clumsy challenge on Aranguiz.

Chile almost took an unassailable lead soon afterwards when only a superb diving save by Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina thwarted Erick Pulgar’s close-range header.

The closing stages of the game descended into a niggly encounter, with referee Chicas Aguilar of El Salvador eventually issuing eight yellow cards and one red.

Colombia continued to chase the game relentlessly, but came up short, paying the price for a lackadaisical start which saw Chile seize control with two goals in the first 11 minutes.

Fuenzalida was the architect of the opener, racing clear of the Colombian defense down the right flank before crossing to Alexis Sanchez.

The Arsenal star was beaten to the ball by Colombia’s Juan Cuadrado, but the Juventus player could only succeed in heading back to the feet of Aranguiz who tapped in from close range.

Four minutes later, Chile doubled their lead.

A long goal kick from Chile goalkeeper Claudio Bravo found Sanchez, who turned Santiago Arias inside out on the edge of the penalty area before unleashing a fierce low shot which struck the bottom of the post.

The ball rolled into the path of Fuenzalida who had the simplest of finishes to make it 2-0 after only 11 minutes.

Sunday’s final will be the second time Argentina and Chile have met in the tournament. Argentina beat the Chileans 2-1 in their opening Group D earlier this month.

Ronaldo scores in record 4th Euro finals

Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo scored in a record fourth European Championship finals on Wednesday when he backheeled into the net against Hungary in Euro 2016.
The goal came in the 50th minute to bring Portugal level at 2-2 in the Stade de Lyon in their final Group F match.
And Ronaldo powered home his second goal of the match to level at 3-3 with just under half an hour left to play.
Ronaldo scored on his record 17th appearance in the European Championships finals, another record.
And the Real Madrid star is now bearing down on disgraced former UEFA president Michel Platini as he is just one goal off the Frenchman’s record mark of nine for goals in Euros finals.
The former Manchester United man scored twice as Portugal reached the final on home soil in 2004, just once in a disappointing quarter-final exit in 2008 and three times in 2012 when Portugal were knocked out on penalties in the semi-finals by Spain.
However, Ronaldo is already top scorer in the European championships when qualifiers are included, with 28 goals.
The record is just the latest of goalscoring marks held by the prolific 31-year-old.
Already Portugal’s record goalscorer, he surpassed the legendary Luis Figo on Saturday as the man to have most represented his country.
Ronaldo is also the highest goalscorer in the history of the Champions League with 93 -- 10 more than closest challenger and eternal Barcelona rival Lionel Messi.
Perhaps, most remarkably of all, Ronaldo has devoured the record as Real’s all-time top scorer.
A remarkable strike rate of 364 goals for Los Blancos in just 348 games means he smashed previous record holder Raul’s 323-goal mark having played over 400 fewer matches.