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India Football
The final of the Indian Super League (ISL) will be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Margao, Goa, on March 18, the organisers announced on Monday. Goa has been chosen for the marquee match due to availability of training grounds and other infrastructure for the teams. The play-off matches will start on March 3. League Shield winners Mumbai City FC, Hyderabad FC, ATK Mohun Bagan, Bengaluru FC and Kerala Blasters FC have already qualified for the play-offs. Odisha FC and FC Goa are still in fray heading into the last match of the league stage. This season onwards, ISL organisers, Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) had introduced a new play-off format for the league, adding two exciting matches into the calendar. The top two teams at the end of the league stage will automatically qualify for the semifinals. Teams finishing between third and sixth will feature in a single-leg playoff to determine the other two semifinalists.
Chelsea has one of the most talented and expensive group of players ever assembled in world soccer. Now might be the ideal time to beat them. Borussia Dortmund is targeting an upset of big-spending Chelsea in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 meeting Wednesday. Chelsea's recent run of three straight draws in the Premier League including 1-1 against West Ham on Saturday should be an encouraging sign for the German team. Against West Ham, Chelsea looked like a group of extremely talented individuals who have just been introduced. That, of course, is exactly what they are. In a starting line-up containing five January signings, Joo Flix, Enzo Fernndez and Mykhailo Mudryk all shone in brief glimpses but didn't form a cohesive unit before West Ham leveled the score and Chelsea gradually faded away in the second half. Given time, though, Chelsea's communication will improve. If the timing of Chelsea's runs had been slightly better, two goals ruled out for offside early on
India will open their campaign against Bhutan at the SAFF U-20 Women's Championship in Dhaka on February 3. The tournament is slated to take place in the Bangladesh capital from February 3 to 9. After crossing swords with Bhutan in the tournament opener, India will take on hosts Bangladesh on February 5, followed by Nepal on February 7 in a round-robin format. The top two sides after the round-robin stage will face each other in the final, which will take place on February 9. India fixtures: February 3: India vs Bhutan February 5: Bangladesh vs India February 7: India vs Nepal February 9: Final.
The Indian football team went down 2-4 against Iraq in its opening fixture of the AFC U-20 Championship Group H qualifiers here. The first goal of the match came as early as in the second minute on Friday, as Iraq scored through Abdulrazzaq Qasim's curling effort with the outside of his boot. India looked to respond immediately, as both Gurkirat Singh and Taison Singh created danger repeatedly for the rival defence within a span of few minutes but were brought down with fouls. The pressure paid off in the 22nd minute eventually as Gurkirat scored with a timely shot, after Vibin Mohanan played in Taison, who laid it on a plate for the forward. Gurkirat turned from scorer to provider in the 33rd minute as he essayed a fine through pass, with Maheson Singh applying the finishing touch with a dink over the goalkeeper. The Indians went into the breather with the lead, with Zahid Bukhari denying efforts from Ashar Ali and Abbood Rabah, and Amandeep stopping Hayder Tofee in his tracks wi
Clubbed with heavyweights USA, Brazil, hosts India may be one of the lowest rung sides in the upcoming Under-17 Women's World Cup but coach Thomas Dennerby said his team is ready to give the stronger nations a run for its money with the target of last-eight finish. India will begin their campaign against the mighty USA on October 11, followed by Morocco and Brazil on October 14 and October 17 respectively at the Kalinga Stadium here. "Of course, we're up against absolute top teams, but if we have a really good day and the teams have a little bit weaker outing, there's always a chance for the team coming out like underdogs to win that game," the 63-year-old told reporters in a virtual interaction ahead of the big meet. "If we can score an early goal against one of these teams, they may get a little bit nervous, get stressed and so on. There's always a chance and if we get a chance we'll take it." The top two teams from each group will make the cut for the quarters and if their ...