Muhammad Ikram, 32, takes aim, flexes his neck and strikes with his chin, sending the cue ball across the table and sinking his shot in a corner pocket. Born without arms, Ikram has nevertheless mastered the game of snooker. In Samundri, a dusty, rural town in Punjab Province, Ikram has spent eight years pushing a cue ball around with his chin and now he can take on anyone. “I have met very good snooker players who tell me I am a real genius, and that I can bring great fame to Pakistan,” Ikram told Reuters Television. One of nine born into a poor family, Ikram was unschooled and deprived as a child. His main pastime was watching people play snooker, a game no one dreamed he could ever play. He does not remember how the idea struck him, but somewhere along the line, he started practicing in secret. “He would eagerly watch the other boys play. He would keep wishing he also had arms so he could play like them,” said his mother, Razia Bibi. “Then he started using his chin.” Mian Usman Ahmed, co-owner of Cuemaster Snooker Club, said that Ikram has won several prizes in local tournaments over the past two years. “He would come to the club and ask that he be allowed to play. We would look at his arms and feel he was unable to,” Ahmed said. “He insisted we allow him to ... prove himself. When he did that, we saw he was actually very good,” he said. Ikram said that people appreciate his undaunted spirit and some eateries allow him to eat for free, with waiters volunteering to spoon-feed him. “God has not given me arms, but he has given me courage. And I have used that spirit to fulfill my ambition. So, no one should lose hope,” Ikram said when asked
Argentina’s fate as a Rugby Championship nation is uncertain and the Jaguares’ slot in Super Rugby is at risk, Pumas coach Mario Ledesma said yesterday. A decision by world champions South Africa to pull out of the upcoming Rugby Championship in Australia amid the COVID-19 pandemic sparked speculation they could walk away altogether. It followed their move to withdraw most of their teams from the southern hemisphere’s provincial-level Super Rugby in favor of Europe’s PRO14. And with Australia and New Zealand discussing a trans-Tasman version of Super Rugby, Argentine rugby finds itself in a precarious position. “At this point there is a lot of uncertainty in every competition. I don’t know what Australia’s doing, New Zealand’s doing, whether they’re linked together or playing apart,” Ledesma said in Sydney. “What we know is it’s a really difficult situation for us because if South Africa go north and you guys [Australia and New Zealand] play [Super Rugby] between each other, I don’t know what that leaves us.” Ledesma, who has just emerged from a mandatory 14-day quarantine period after the team’s arrival in Australia, said that Argentine administrators were examining all options to keep the players competitive. “With this pandemic, it’s so dynamic and changing all the time,” he said. “Today the situation is what it is and tomorrow it’s going to be what it is and we’re going to have to adapt.” “And if there is no competition for our boys, they will look for competition elsewhere I guess,” he said. European clubs are a likely option. Argentina have 13 Europe-based players in their squad for their games against the All Blacks and the Wallabies in the rebranded Tri Nations. Argentina are the heavy underdogs heading into the tournament, which is to begin on Saturday next week, having not played a Test since the World Cup in Japan last year. In
Chloe Esposito in late January announced that a “wonderful, unexpected surprise” had occurred and that she would not defend her modern pentathlon title at the Tokyo Olympics. “My husband, Matt Cooper, and I are bringing a mini Cooper into this world in August,” Esposito said on social media. “True to form, nothing ever works out the way we plan it. Defending my title will have to wait another four years. Can’t wait to be a mum.” On March 24 Esposito and thousands of other Olympic athletes learned that the Tokyo Games would be postponed until July next year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. While for some it meant more time to recover from injuries, or a decision to put off retirement for another year, Esposito realized it might give her a second chance to be in Tokyo next year. One good thing — for this Australian athlete, at least — to come out of the worldwide sadness and madness. “I actually don’t remember where I was when the news about the postponement came out,” Esposito said in a telephone interview from her home in western Sydney. “I think I was teaching some kids swimming, but I do remember thinking that this will actually work in my favor.” Esposito’s son, Ted, was born on July 29, and she proudly posted on Instagram a photograph of the addition to the family the following day. “I love it so much,” the 29-year-old Esposito said of her life as a mother. “I’m back into training, but only started running a week ago. Also some Pilates, gym and swimming. I’m slowly building up.” Still, she is still uncertain about Tokyo, even with the delay. “My plan was to come back only if I was 100 percent fit,” Esposito said. “Maybe I am more looking toward 2024 [in Paris]. They haven’t announced any qualifying events
INEOS Team UK had made such a mess of their first boat that they had no choice but to completely overhaul the design for their second-generation America’s Cup yacht, former Team New Zealand sailor Mark Orams said yesterday. All three challengers launched their second-generation AC75 foiling monohulls in Auckland over the past week, just two months out from their first competitive outing in a regatta in December last year that also includes defenders Team New Zealand. The British yacht, named Britannia, and American Magic’s Patriot showed significant design modifications from their first-generation yachts, while Italy’s Luna Rossa highlighted just subtle outward changes. “The Americans and the British have basically thrown out what they did before and started again,” said Orams, a former professional sailor who was in Team New Zealand and won the Round the World race in 1990 on Steinlager 2. “Of the three new boats that have been launched, the British one is the most radical. I suppose you could say that about their first boat too, but that was probably too radical in the wrong direction, I think.” “The general consensus is that they got their first boat so wrong, it was such a pig,” he said. Yachting commentators made much of Britannia’s hull, which showed a radical longitudinal bustle keel running virtually the entire length of the boat. “It takes many months to get used to it [the boat], and get the potential out of it,” Orams said. “So they’re still playing catchup ... but in the end the fastest boat will win.”
SOCCER John Ogu calls for boycott Nigeria midfielder John Ogu has called for a boycott of their upcoming games to protest police brutality amid ongoing violence in Lagos. People have been demonstrating nationwide for weeks against a police unit, the Special Anti-Robbery Squad. The unit was disbanded on Oct. 11, but the protests have persisted and rights group Amnesty International said soldiers and police killed at least 12 people in Lekki and Alausa. The army denied that soldiers were at the site of the shooting. “There are games coming up and if we boycott these games I’m sure they’ll know we’ve made a statement... I believe most of my colleagues understand where I’m coming from,” Ogu told the BBC. “What’s the point in representing the country if this is what the politicians, the people we’re representing, can do to us? I feel like this is the best thing to do now until they get back to their senses and listen to us.” RUGBY UNION Farrell working on tackling England captain Owen Farrell is spending extra time in training with strength and conditioning head Jon Clarke to improve his tackling technique ahead of his return from a ban, head coach Eddie Jones has said. Farrell is set to feature in tomorrow’s game against the Barbarians after completing a five-match suspension he received last month for a dangerous high tackle playing for club side Saracens against Wasps. “Owen’s always working on his tackle technique. I went to the gym ... and I was walking through before we were going to catch up and he was there doing some extra work with Jon Clarke,” Jones told British media. “That’s a constant work-on for not only Owen, but a lot of our players.” MIXED MARTIAL ARTS Singapore to allow fans Singapore is to allow fans at a sports event for the first
‘PURE JOY’: After building the best regular-season record in the American League, Lowe was 0 for 4 in Game 1, but ended his slump to lead the Rays to their first win of the series
Brandon Lowe on Wednesday hit two home runs as the Tampa Bay Rays showed their resiliency in a 6-4 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers that knotted the World Series one game apiece. Joey Wendle drove in three runs for the Rays, who would try to maintain momentum in Game 3 today. Blake Snell was outstanding on the mound, holding the Dodgers without a hit for more than four innings before giving up a walk and a home run in the fifth. However, homers for Chris Taylor, Will Smith and Corey Seager were not enough for the Dodgers, who were coming off a dominant 8-3 victory in Game 1 on Tuesday at the neutral site of Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. “I don’t think anyone in our clubhouse thought this series was over,” Lowe said. “We had to show up and take care of business, and we came out there and played our game.” Lowe, a stalwart of the Rays offense as they built the best regular-season record in the American League, was 6 for 52 through the first three rounds of the playoffs, and was 0 for 4 at the plate in Game 1. He gave the Rays an early lead when he belted a fastball from Dodgers rookie starter Tony Gonsolin over the left centerfield wall for a solo homer with one out in the first inning. “Pure joy,” Lowe said of the reaction in the dugout. Gonsolin, making his third career post-season appearance, lasted just 1-1/3 innings, but he was not the only one of the Dodgers’ seven pitchers to be victimized by Lowe, who lined a two-run blast over the leftfield wall off the Dodgers’ fourth pitcher of the night, Dustin May, in the fifth inning to give the Rays a 5-0 lead. That was after Tampa Bay third baseman Wendle smacked a line
Bayern Munich on Wednesday began their defense of the Champions League title in ominous fashion by crushing Atletico Madrid 4-0, while Liverpool and Manchester City also won, but Real Madrid suffered a shock defeat. Madrid, the record 13-time European champions, went down to a 3-2 home loss against Shakhtar Donetsk, showing how far Zinedine Zidane’s side are from the standards being set by Bayern. Two months after scoring the winner in the final against Paris Saint-Germain in Lisbon, Kingsley Coman put Bayern ahead against Atletico in Group A and later scored a stunning individual effort to wrap up the victory at an empty Allianz Arena. In between Leon Goretzka and Corentin Tolisso were also on target for the German champions, with the latter’s strike a long-range stunner. “The winning goal in last season’s final is a good motivator, but it’s in the past now and we have fresh goals this season,” Coman told Sky Sports. It was Bayern’s 12th consecutive Champions League win, while the result for Atletico equaled their worst defeat under Diego Simeone. Bayern next go to Russia to play Lokomotiv Moscow, who battled back to draw 2-2 at RB Salzburg on Wednesday. Eder put Lokomotiv ahead in Austria, only for Dominik Szoboszlai to crash in a brilliant equalizer. A deflected Zlatko Junuzovic goal put the hosts in front, but Vitali Lisakovich headed in to earn the Russian side a point. Real were 3-0 down at halftime against Shakhtar at the Estadio Alfredo di Stefano and fell short with a second-half fightback to get their European campaign off to a disastrous start. A depleted Shakhtar were without 10 first-team players and nine members of staff due to COVID-19 infections, and had seven starters aged 21 or younger. Strikes from Tete and Manor Solomon, either side of a Raphael Varane own-goal, gave the Ukrainian champions a three-goal halftime lead. Luka Modric
It would have been just another Saturday night until Faridd Sierra received a telephone call from his brother: Come over. A fellow Honduran American is fighting for a unified boxing lightweight championship. The 39-year-old from Dallas had not heard of Brooklyn-born boxer Teofimo Lopez until that call. By the 12th round of the fight between Lopez and Ukrainian Vasiliy Lomachenko, Sierra and his brother were on their feet, cheering on the 23-year-old fighter to make history. He did. Across the US and Central America, Hondurans and Honduran Americans took to social media to express pride, excitement and emotion over the improbable victory by Lopez over the best boxing technician in the world. The son of Honduran immigrants walked into the ring to a Biggie Smalls hip hop sample with swagger and walked out with multiple championship belts. Lopez (16-0) added the three titles held by Lomachenko (15-2) to the belt he won last year to become the undisputed 135 pound (61kg) champion following a unanimous 12-round decision. “I had to dig deep, man,” Lopez said after his win. “I’m thankful. I’m grateful. And each and every day I take that in ... and now, it feels good.” The victory came for Honduran Americans after years of watching Honduran and Central American migrants fleeing violence only to end up in detention centers in the US and Mexico. Images of migrant children in cages and stories about migrant children being separated from family have only added to the anxieties and fears, said Patricia Montes, a Honduran immigrant activist living in Boston. “It feels sometimes people don’t even see us as human,” Montes said. “But now we have a champion and it tells us we can do anything.” Ceasar Avelar, a dairy factory worker who lives in Pomona, California, and whose mother is Honduran and father is from El Salvador, immediately texted relatives
Australian rider Ben O’Connor on Wednesday won the Giro d’Italia’s 17th stage in the ski resort of Madonna di Campiglio in the northern Italian Dolomites, a day before the final big climb of this year’s race towards the Stelvio Pass. Portugal’s Joao Almeida of Deceuninck-QuickStep finished in 15th position, five minutes behind O’Connor, to maintain his hold on the overall leader’s pink jersey. To win in Milan on Sunday, Almeida must resist one of the highest peaks in Europe at an altitude of 2,758m, with a freezing descent and final ascent to the lakes of Cancano. “Today it was a hard day, a lot of climbing, but I had the perfect team with me,” Almeida, 22, said. “That’s one more day in the Maglia Rosa. Team Sunweb tried to attack, but I was feeling good. Tomorrow it’s another day, I look forward to it,” he added. Almeida holds a 17-second overall lead on Dutch rider Wilco Kelderman whose Team Sunweb teammate Jai Hindley of Australia is third at nearly three minutes. O’Connor, riding for the NTT Pro Cycling team, attacked on the final climb of the 203km run through a snowy backdrop from Bassano del Grappa. The 24-year-old, who finished second on Tuesday, crossed the line alone, 31 seconds ahead of Austrian Hermann Pernsteiner of Team Bahrain McLaren with Belgian Thomas de Gendt third a minute behind the leader. “Yesterday’s second place left me feeling pretty bitter,” said O’Connor, who had finished behind Pernsteiner’s Slovenian teammate Jan Tratnik. “Today I was able to bounce back and get this success, it’s a dream to get a victory in a Grand Tour,” he said. A breakaway of 19 riders led the way in a stage that included four climbs, with the remaining group going into the final 12.5km climb with a lead of six minutes. O’Connor pulled clear with 8.8km to go ahead
MOTORSPORT Electric series set for 2022 A new electric road car-based series on Wednesday announced plans to launch in 2022. Formula E has pioneered city-based electric single-seater racing, but SuperCharge managing director Rob Armstrong said that “the need for road car-based electric motorsport is becoming more and more compelling.” The plans outlined in a videoconference envisaged eight events in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the Americas. Eight teams would compete using 16 cars powered by a battery producing 500 kilowatt, 670 brake horsepower and capable of reaching 100kph in 2.5 seconds, organizers said. The circuits would be ultra-short, about 1km in length, and the races lasting about six laps with features including a water gantry and 2.5m high jump. SOCCER Club offers fans virus tests A leading Slovak soccer club is to provide free COVID-19 tests for its fans prior to a top league match on Sunday, in a bid to meet strict anti-pandemic measures, it said on Wednesday. “We have decided to provide all season ticket holders with free COVID-19 testing 12 hours prior to the match against SK Slovan,” DAC 1904 Dunajska Streda owner Oszkar Vilagi said in a video message. Dunajska Streda lead the table and on Sunday meet second-placed SK Slovan Bratislava. ATHLETICS Runner decries ruling The women’s 400m Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo on Wednesday criticized World Athletics after the doping suspension of Salwa Eid Naser was overturned. The 22-year-old Naser was provisionally suspended in June and charged with failing to meet “whereabouts” criteria, but the World Athletics Disciplinary Tribunal on Tuesday overturned the decision, saying that the circumstances surrounding one missed test “would have been comical were the consequences not so serious.” Naser, who runs for Bahrain, beat Bahamian Miller-Uibo in the World Championships, held in September and October last year, by running the third-fastest time in the history of the event.
‘JOB NOT DONE’: The outfielder, who hit a homer and stole two bases, said that players ‘have to be good at all aspects of game all the time and not take plays off’
Los Angeles outfielder Mookie Betts put himself in rarefied company with a standout performance in the Dodgers’ Game 1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays in the 116th World Series on Tuesday. Betts sparked the Dodgers’ four-run fifth inning with a walk and two stolen bases, joining Babe Ruth as the only players in World Series history to record such an inning. After walking to lead off the inning, Betts stole second base. After Corey Seager walked, Betts reached third on a double steal, giving the Dodgers runners on second and third with one out. Betts took an aggressive stance off the bag at third and when teammate Max Muncy hit a ground ball to first, Rays first baseman Yandy Diaz could not get the ball to the plate in time to prevent him from scoring on a head-first slide. Betts said that the base-stealing was a way to create “havoc” on the base paths. “That’s just another element that Mookie brings,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “He does a lot of studying to be able to create stress.” Betts added a leadoff homer in the bottom of the sixth — his first hit of the night — joining Chase Utley as the only players with a homer and two stolen bases in a World Series game. Utley also did it against the Rays — for the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 1 of the 2008 World Series. Betts is the only player in World Series history to post a home run, two stolen bases and two runs scored in a single game. “I like winning,” Betts said when asked whether scoring or driving in runs gave him more satisfaction. “Whichever one is needed that day, I like doing that. You can’t do just one, you have to do both.” Betts, who joined the Dodgers prior to this season after helping
Marcus Rashford once again sank Paris Saint-Germain after netting the decisive goal in a 2-1 Champions League win in the French capital. Rashford, who scored the winning spot-kick when United knocked PSG out two seasons ago, drilled home a low shot three minutes from the end, which won a thrilling Group H contest at a near-empty Parc des Princes. United had taken the lead in the 23rd minute when Bruno Fernandes slotted home from the spot at the second attempt, but Anthony Martial inexplicably headed Neymar’s corner into his own net 10 minutes after the break. The rest of the match was an end-to-end affair, with both sides opting to go for the win rather than hold on for the draw. Rashford took the points after twice being denied by Keylor Navas. “Of course it’s a nice feeling. More importantly we win the game and we’re in a strong position now in the group,” Rashford told BT Sport. “It’s the first game, the concentration and intensity we showed today we have to take forward in the next games in the Premier League.” The win sets United up nicely for next week’s home clash with RB Leipzig, who are top of the group after beating Istanbul Basaksehir 2-0 in Germany. In Group G, Ronald Koeman got his first Champions League campaign as Barcelona coach off to a winning start with a confident 5-1 win over Ferencvaros. The Hungarian side, the first team from the country to make the group stage in 11 years, started brightly and even had the ball in the net via Tokmac Nguen only for the powerful 12th-minute strike to be ruled out for offside. Messi won and converted the penalty to give the Catalans a 27th-minute lead and the match was as good as done when Ansu Fati clipped home Frenkie de Jong’s sumptuous pass just
China wants to unite its 1.4 billion people through soccer, while also using the sport as “a bridge to work with the rest of the world,” Chinese Football Association secretary-general Liu Yi told reporters in an interview published yesterday. Liu spoke about what lies behind the country’s push to become a major soccer power by 2050. Under Chinese President Xi Jinping — who is described by state media as an “avid soccer fan” — the world’s most populous country has grand plans to host and even one day win a World Cup. Liu spoke about “using football to motivate the whole nation.” “Football is a beautiful game to educate the new generation of young Chinese and also to [help] our nation to team up as one and be more cohesive,” he said. Like China’s success at the past few Summer Olympics, Liu called soccer “another tool to unite a nation and also demonstrate what we can deliver.” “And football, as I said, is a bridge between China and the rest of the world. Everyone plays football,” he said. “China is still open and the development of Chinese football needs help from external stakeholders like the AFC [Asian Football Confederation], FIFA and also other federations as well, and other leagues as well,” Liu said. “We are definitely going to carry on with that kind of partnership, working with all the international governing bodies, brands and stakeholders.” China’s ambitions are striking for a team who have reached the World Cup only once, in 2002, when they failed to win a point or score a goal. China are 76th in the FIFA rankings and their chances of reaching the Qatar 2022 World Cup are in the balance, underlining how far they have to go to reach the top. However, speaking in Suzhou, where the Chinese Super League is in a “bubble” amid the
TENNIS Federer eyes Australia Roger Federer is practicing pain-free after undergoing two knee surgeries this year and said that he expects to return to the circuit at the Australian Open in January. The 39-year-old Swiss reached the semi-finals at Melbourne Park at the start of the year, but missed the rest of the season after undergoing a second arthroscopic procedure on his right knee. “I’m on the right track,” he told German-language magazine Schweizer Illustrierte. “I’m gradually coming back, but I’m going to take my time and don’t want to put any pressure on myself. I will only take part in a tournament when I am 100 percent fit. At the moment, it looks like I can make my comeback at the Australian Open in January.” SOCCER European plans slammed The Football Supporters’ Association (FSA) said a report that Europe’s top teams are in talks to become founding members of a new competition shows that “billionaire owners are out of control” and proves that the sport cannot regulate itself. A Sky News report said that more than 12 teams from the top five leagues — in England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain — are in negotiations over what has been dubbed the European premier league, with a provisional start date in 2022. “The latest reports of plots ... to create a European super league, expose the myth that billionaire owners care about the English football pyramid, or indeed anything other than their own greed,” the FSA said in a statement. “This has to be the last nail in the coffin of the idea that football can be relied upon to regulate itself. These billionaire owners are out of control. Decisive action is now needed to protect the game we love.” RUGBY UNION Lions to play Japan The British and Irish Lions yesterday said that they would host Japan
FIRING BLANKS: West Brom and Burnley had conceded a combined 21 goals in their seven games, but the 47th match of the season was the first to end goalless
Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday climbed to sixth place in the English Premier League as Raul Jimenez sealed a 1-0 win at Leeds United on a night West Bromwich Albion and Burnley played out the first goalless draw in the division this season. Nuno Espirito Santo’s Wolves clinched their third league win of the campaign when Jimenez’s second-half strike deflected in off Leeds midfielder Kalvin Phillips. The Mexico striker’s third goal of the season made it back-to-back wins for Wolves after they beat Fulham before the international break. “It was a good performance with some aspects to improve. We were better in the second half, but at the start it was very difficult for us,” Nuno said. “Leeds were so dynamic. We had to adjust and be more clinical in front. The goal was fortunate, but we had chances.” Leeds have now gone two games without a win as they were beaten for the first time in the league since their narrow opening defeat at champions Liverpool. “In the first half we should have established a difference, in the second half it was more even,” Leeds coach Marcelo Bielsa said. “We created enough opportunities to establish a lead. I don’t think they were better than us, but they neutralized our game better.” Bielsa’s team dominated the first period, pinning Wolves in their own half, but had nothing to show for their dominance as the visitors’ defense held firm. Leeds striker Patrick Bamford’s early header was ruled out for offside and the hosts had a penalty appeal turned down after Helder Costa went down under Joao Moutinho’s challenge. Wolves almost snatched the lead against the run of play when Daniel Podence’s close-range shot was saved by Illan Meslier. Romain Saiss thought he had given Wolves a 54th-minute lead with a superb finish from the edge of the penalty area, but the
Patrick Mahomes on Monday did not mind taking a back seat to rookie Clyde Edwards-Helaire and the Kansas City Chiefs’ running attack. With the Buffalo Bills working hard to limit deep throws by Mahomes, he gladly kept handing off the ball as Kansas City beat Buffalo 26-17 in a game originally scheduled for Thursday last week. “You know my nature, I want to throw it deep every time. We want to go down and throw these long touchdowns, but if teams are going to play us like this, we’ve got to show we can run the football,” Mahomes said. Mission accomplished. Led by Edwards-Helaire’s 161 yards rushing, the Chiefs finished with 245 yards — the most since Mahomes took over as starter in 2017. Kansas City’s 46 rushing attempts were also the most in eight years under coach Andy Reid, and that was with newly signed Le’Veon Bell waiting to make his debut after signing with the Chiefs last week. “I can’t wait,” Bell wrote on Twitter during the game. Edwards-Helaire has already chatted with the veteran Bell and is excited to team up. “Another guy coming in, another piece to the puzzle. For me, we can only go up,” Edwards-Helaire said. “Anything I can do to pick his brain and gain knowledge from, I’m there for it,” he said. Mahomes finished 21 of 26 for 225 yards with two touchdowns, both to tight end Travis Kelce. His first touchdown was the 90th of his career in his 37th game, breaking the NFL record for fewest games to 90 touchdown passes. Hall of Famer Dan Marino held the previous mark at 40 games. The Chiefs are off to their third 5-1 start in four seasons as they bounced back from a sloppy 40-32 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. Buffalo’s defense sold out to prevent Mahomes from going deep, but proved vulnerable against
Maybe Kyler Murray will lose a game on the home field of the Dallas Cowboys one of these days. It was not going to be on Monday, when the Arizona quarterback watched the star running back of his hometown team have another night of “fumble-itis.” Murray accounted for three touchdowns in his first game back home as a professional and Ezekiel Elliott set up the visiting team’s first two touchdowns with fumbles as the Cardinals beat the Dallas Cowboys 38-10. The speedy quarterback, who won three high-school championships and a Big 12 title at the home of the Cowboys, improved to 7-0 as a starter at AT&T Stadium, throwing for two scores, despite a rough start through the air, and rushing for 74 yards and a touchdown. “That’s not easy when that’s what everyone has been talking about all week,” Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury said. “He’s probably had this one circled on his calendar since it came out, but I thought he handled himself well.” It was the Monday Night Football debut for Murray, a star while playing in the Dallas suburbs, and Kingsbury, who also had a happy first trip to his native Texas as an NFL coach. “It was fun, brought back a lot of memories,” Murray said. “Felt like I’ve been playing there every Sunday honestly. It’s comfortable, felt good.” Andy Dalton had the rest of Dallas’ four turnovers, with two interceptions in his first start for the Cowboys in place of the injured Dak Prescott. The nine-year starter in Cincinnati led a come-from-behind victory over the New York Giants after a compound fracture of Prescott’s right ankle. There was not anything resembling a rally this time. While the Dallas offense did not look anything close to the unit it was with Prescott, Elliott’s miscues led to the fifth straight game in which the Cowboys have
Genoa on Monday held on for a 0-0 draw away to Hellas Verona in Serie A, despite losing 13 players from their squad following a COVID-19 outbreak at the club. Goalkeeper Mattia Perin, who was the first player to become infected and has since recovered, put in an excellent performance as he kept the hosts at bay, capped by a save from Davide Faraoni’s header late in the game. Genoa were hit by the outbreak three weeks ago and, at one stage, 17 players and five members of staff had tested positive. Their previous match at home to Torino was postponed. They still had 13 players missing on Monday, including some who were still positive and others who had recovered, but were not fit to play. “There is one word for it — teamwork” Perin said after the match. “We’ve really had a difficult time with players who trained very little, including myself, but we decided not to look for excuses, to be compact and try not to repeat last year’s season.” “We’re aware that our goal is to stay up, but we must also hope to surprise our fans, for the people who are suffering and cheering us on,” he said. Genoa, who narrowly avoided relegation last season, have four points from three games, while Verona have seven from four.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Monday said that the Chennai Super Kings have not lived up to their billing this Indian Premier League season after the three-time winners were outclassed by the Rajasthan Royals. Chennai skipper Dhoni’s 200th match in the Twenty20 tournament turned out to be a damp squib as his team lost by seven wickets in Abu Dhabi to slip to the bottom of the eight-team table. Jos Buttler’s unbeaten 70 and disciplined bowling helped Steve Smith’s Royals dominate the game after being asked to field first. “It’s fair enough, this season we weren’t there,” a disappointed Dhoni said after Chennai’s seventh loss from 10 matches. “Also there were few chances to the youngsters and maybe we didn’t see the kind of spark that they could have given us to say OK, to push [out] the experienced guys and maybe make space for them [the youngsters].” Dhoni, 39, said that his team, dubbed “Dad’s Army” by the media, would give the youngsters a chance in the remaining games of the season as Chennai still have an outside chance to progress to the playoffs. “Today the result, what it really does is give those guys [the youngsters], whatever is left in our league stage, a chance and they play without pressure,” the veteran wicketkeeper-batsman said. Jofra Archer led the Royals bowling attack with figures of 1-20 to restrict Chennai to 125-5, a total the Royals surpassed with 2.3 overs to spare to move up to fifth place. Buttler, who came to bat at No. 5 rather than his usual opening slot, put on an unbeaten 98-run stand with skipper Smith, who made 26, after the Royals lost three early wickets. “I thought we bowled pretty well in the power play, and the spinners did a good job in the middle with their leggies and googlies, and squeezing,” Smith
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