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Kohli, Padikkal guide Bengaluru to revenge win over Punjab in IPL

CHANDIGARH: Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal hit half-centuries to steer Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a seven-wicket win over Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League on Sunday. Chasing 158 for victory, Bengaluru were propelled by a 103-run second-wicket stand between Kohli, who made an unbeaten 73, and Padikkal to reach their target with seven balls to spare at Mullanpur, near Chandigarh. Bengaluru avenged their loss to Punjab at home on Friday and the two teams, both seeking their first IPL title, are level on points. The in-form Kohli, 36, struck his fourth half-ton of the season and surpassed Australia’s David Warner for the most 50-plus scores in the popular T20 tournament. Kohli has now made it past the 50-mark 67 times, including eight centuries. Left-handed Padikkal made 61 off 35 balls, his first fifty of the season, after Bengaluru lost opener Phil Salt in the first over to Arshdeep Singh. Padikkal fell to Harpreet Brar, leaving Kohli to play the anchor in a 54-ball knock laced with seven fours and a six. Bengaluru spinners Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma took two wickets each to set up victory as they helped restrict Punjab to 157-6. Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh started aggressively in an opening stand of 42 before Pandya was introduced in the fifth over. The left-arm spinner struck with his second ball to send back Arya for 22. Pandya struck again in his next over to dismiss Prabhsimran, who hit 33 off 17 balls, and finished with figures of 2-25. West Indies fast bowler Romario Shepherd, in his first Bengaluru outing this season, had skipper Shreyas Iyer out for six and Nehal Wadhera was run out soon after. England’s Josh Inglis attempted to hit back, smashing 29 off 17 balls, but was bowled by

Saudi footballers face Uzbekistan in AFC U17 Asian Cup final

TAIF: The Saudi Arabia U-17 national team will look to end a 37-year wait for continental glory when they face Uzbekistan in the final of the AFC U-17 Asian Cup on Sunday.

De Bruyne ‘surprised’ over Man City exit

LONDON: Kevin De Bruyne has revealed he was “a bit surprised” to be told his glittering Manchester City career will finish at the end of this season.De Bruyne recently announced he will leave the Etihad Stadium once the current campaign is over, bringing the curtain down on a memorable era in Manchester for the Belgian midfielder.The 33-year-old arrived from German club Wolfsburg in 2015 and has been instrumental in City’s incredible success during boss Pep Guardiola’s reign.De Bruyne has won six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, five League Cups and the 2023 Champions League — which capped an incredible treble-winning season.Guardiola hinted it was his decision to end De Bruyne’s stay after the playmaker’s struggles with injuries and inconsistent form over the last two seasons.City have dipped dramatically this term, surrendering their four-year spell as champions and were reduced to focussing on the battle to qualify for the Champions League.But De Bruyne admitted he was shocked not to receive a new contract offer because he believes he can still shine at the highest level.“I have not had any offer the whole year, they just took a decision,” he said after City’s 2-0 win at Everton on Saturday.“Obviously, I was a bit surprised but I just have to accept it.

Lewandowski injury confirmed in blow to Barca quadruple bid

BARCELONA: Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski was diagnosed with a hamstring injury on Sunday and is set to miss the Copa del Rey final and Champions League semifinal according to Spanish media reports. The 36-year-old Polish forward, Barcelona’s top goalscorer with 40 goals across all competitions, came off during his team’s 4-3 La Liga win over Celta Vigo on Saturday. “Tests carried out on Sunday have confirmed that first-team player Robert Lewandowski has a semitendinosus injury in his left thigh,” said Barcelona in a statement, without specifying how long he would be sidelined for. Spanish media reported Lewandowski could be out for three weeks, meaning he would not be available next Saturday as Barcelona face Real Madrid in the Copa final in Seville. The La Liga leaders also host Inter Milan on April 30 in the Champions League semifinal first leg, and visit the Italians on May 6. Lewandowski is set to miss league games against Mallorca on Tuesday and Valladolid on May 3, with a potential return against Real Madrid on May 11, a match which could decide the title race. Barcelona, who won the Spanish Super Cup in January, are chasing a potential quadruple and are in the Champions League semifinals for the first time since 2019. Coach Hansi Flick has used Ferran Torres through the middle as a replacement for Lewandowski before, and has also experimented with Dani Olmo operating as a false nine.

Fulham end Liverpool unbeaten league run to delay title party

LONDON: Liverpool slumped to just their second Premier League defeat of the season as Fulham struck three times in 14 first-half minutes to boost their own European ambitions with a 3-2 win on Sunday. Arsenal’s 1-1 draw at Everton on Saturday left Liverpool needing just 11 points from their final eight games to secure a record-equalling 20th English top-flight title. Arne Slot’s men were unbeaten in 26 league games and looked set to take another step toward the title when Alexis Mac Allister’s stunning strike opened the scoring. But poor defending allowed Ryan Sessegnon, Alex Iwobi and Rodrigo Muniz to turn the game around for Fulham. Liverpool still enjoy an 11-point lead at the top with seven games remaining. Victory lifts Fulham to eighth and within three points of the top five, which is almost certain to be enough for a place in next season’s Champions League. Despite a stellar first season under Slot, Liverpool have shown signs of slowing down in recent weeks and came off the rails in west London. After a Champions League exit to Paris Saint-Germain and League Cup final defeat to Newcastle, Liverpool edged out Everton 1-0 in a feisty Merseyside derby on Wednesday to get back to winning ways. But the Reds appear to be running out of steam after challenging in four competitions for most of the season. Mac Allister’s blistering long range strike into the top corner after 14 minutes gave Liverpool the dream start. The Reds wilted in the Craven Cottage sunshine, with a series of individual errors leading to Fulham’s three quickfire goals. Curtis Jones, deputising out of position at right-back, failed to control Andreas Pereira’s cross and the ball fell kindly for Sessegnon to fire home his third goal in five games. Andy

Barcelona held by Betis, miss chance to extend league lead

BARCELONA: Barcelona spurned the chance to extend their lead at the top of the LaLiga standings when they were held at home 1-1 by Real Betis on Saturday, with visiting defender Natan canceling out Gavi’s early opener.

Chennai coach Fleming struggles to find the balance after third straight loss

Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming said they have yet to get the balance right at the top of the order after they slipped to a third straight loss in the Indian Premier League while chasing after poor starts in the powerplay. Chennai’s top order collapsed as they lost three wickets in the first six overs after Delhi Capitals had posted 183-6 on Saturday. An unbeaten 84-run partnership between Vijay Shankar (69 off 54) and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (30 off 26) for the sixth wicket was not enough to get the hosts over the line as Delhi won by 25 runs. The defeat mirrored Chennai’s previous two matches, where they also scored less than eight runs per over in the powerplay. Fleming told reporters that finding the balance was a “conundrum.” “To get more solidity at the top we have to remove, obviously, an overseas player, so we’re grappling just with the combination that we need,” Fleming said. IPL rules allow only four overseas players in the playing 11. Chennai openers Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway are both overseas players, while overseas bowlers Noor Ahmad and Matheesha Pathirana are among their top-three wicket-takers this season, leaving Fleming with a difficult choice. Fleming also said Chennai had to improve during powerplays. “We felt that our batting in the powerplays has been below par and going too hard was probably not the way, particularly on our wicket, which is a little bit tricky,” he said. “So we’re looking just to settle that with guys that have been in good form and have done it before, so that’s the theory behind that and that’s what we’ll possibly continue with.”

Coach hails Valencia’s resilience after first win at Real Madrid since 2008

Valencia coach Carlos Corberan said his side had shown terrific mental strength in securing their first win at Real Madrid since 2008 on Saturday. Hugo Duro netted the winner in added time as Valencia moved seven points clear of the relegation zone with their shock 2-1 victory. Corberan praised his players for not letting their heads drop after Vinicius Junior equalized for the hosts five minutes after the break, canceling out Valencia’s first-half lead from Mouctar Diakhaby’s goal. “They competed with the necessary personality and mental strength to overcome any setback,” Corberan told reporters. “In football, you can’t separate the emotional from the tactical.

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La Liga Sport News

Kohli, Padikkal guide Bengaluru to revenge win over Punjab in IPL

Saudi footballers face Uzbekistan in AFC U17 Asian Cup final

De Bruyne ‘surprised’ over Man City exit

Lewandowski injury confirmed in blow to Barca quadruple bid

Fulham end Liverpool unbeaten league run to delay title party

Barcelona held by Betis, miss chance to extend league lead

Chennai coach Fleming struggles to find the balance after third straight loss

Coach hails Valencia’s resilience after first win at Real Madrid since 2008