Berlin, July 6 (IANS) France progress on penalties after converting all five shots from the spot to eliminate Portugal 5-3 (0-0) in the Euro 2024 quarterfinals of in Hamburg’s Volkspark stadium on Friday.

France and Portugal staged an evenly balanced first half with chances at premium on both ends of the pitch.

The first half chances fell to Portugal with 16 minutes played, when Bruno Fernandes saw his promising effort on target blocked by defender William Saliba.

France created the best opportunity of the first half four minutes later when Theo Hernandez’ attempt from the distance to force Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa into action.

After the half-time, Portugal took the reins and came close at the hour mark after Joao Cancelo’s through ball found Fernandes, whose drilled effort is saved by Les Bleus custodian Mike Maignan.

Maignan remained busy as he was equal to Vitinhia’s powerful but central shot on target moments later.

France almost caught Portugal flat-footed in the 66th minute, but Ruben Dias blocked Randal Kolo Muani’s shot in the last nick of time.

Didier Deschamps’ men had more momentum in the closing stages but Eduardo Camavinga and Ousmane Dembele couldn’t turn their promising chances into a tangible reward.

In the overtime, Portugal was the more active team whereas France defended deep and waited for counterattacks. Joao Felix had the golden chance to snatch a late overtime winner, but he headed into the side netting from tight angle.

After goalless 120 minutes, the penalty shootout had to bring the decision. After two successful penalties for both sides, Felix missed and hit the left post with low shot. Hernandez clinched the win for France after making it 5-3 from the spot.

“It wasn’t easy today. We made our own life difficult, but we defended very well and kept a strong opponent at bay. We were not nervous during the shootout and won the match,” said France goalkeeper Maignan.

With the result, France will clash with Spain in the semifinal the at Munich’s Allianz Arena on Tuesday.

–IANS

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Berlin, July 6 (IANS) Mikel Merino’s 119th minute winner sent tournament host Germany packing and booked Spain a semifinal ticket at the Euro 2024 in Stuttgart’s MHP-Arena on Friday.

The two sides drew 1-1 in regular time and the match was dragged into overtime where Olmo’s pinpoint cross to the near post allowed Merino to nod home the decisive goal, reported Xinhua.

Both sides needed some time to gain a foothold into the clash, as many fouls disrupted the flow of the game.

Spain assumed control as the match progressed and created chances through long-range efforts. However, Nico Williams and Fabian Ruiz lacked in accuracy while Lamine Yamal pulled a free-kick just wide.

Germany remained on the back foot but Aymeric Laporte as well as Dani Olmo couldn’t overcome goalkeeper Manuel Neuer from the distance.

Kai Havertz produced Germany’s first clear-cut opportunity in the closing stage of the first half after forcing Spain custodian Simon Unai into action.

Spain started brightly into the second half as Alvaro Morata missed the target with a turn shot from inside the box, before Olmo eventually broke the deadlock in the 51st minute when the Leipzig player finished off Yamal’s low pass with one-timer from 14 meters into the bottom left corner.

Julian Nagelsmann’s boys tried to respond quickly but either the final pass was missing, or Spain’s defense cleared the ball in the last nick of time.

The Germans increased the pressure as Simon had defuse Robert Andrich’s shot on target before Niclas Fullkrug smacked the woodwork.

Havertz should have leveled the scores but chipped the ball over the empty target from 22 meters.

Spain couldn’t get out of their territory and was punished later on as Joshua Kimmich headed from tight angle into the path of Florian Wirtz, who slotted home the equalizer with great assistance of the inside the left post to force La Roja into the overtime.

“Congratulations to Spain for reaching the semifinals. We were better in the second half and from the 60th minute onwards, we were clearly the better team. Our late leveller was well-deserved. We conceded the winner with the last chance. It is a painful one,” said Germany coach Nagelsmann.

–IANS

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London, July 6 (IANS) American second seed Coco Gauff eased past British qualifier Sonay Kartal 6-5, 6-0 on a packed No.1 Court while former US Open winner and wild card Emma Raducanu maintained her chances by stunning ninth seed Maria Sakkari in straight sets to reach the fourth round of women’s singles at the Wimbledon here on Friday.

The World No. 298 Kartal had walked out confidently onto the court on Friday, as only the second British woman in the Open Era to reach the third after coming through Qualifying. He might have been hoping to emulate Gauff, who had at this same court caused a sensation as a 15-year-old in 2019 when she stunned five-time champion Venus Williams.

But Kartal’s journey ended in just over an hour as Gauff raced past her, losing only four games in all.

As rain pattered on the closed No.1 Court roof, Gauff emerged easy victor to reach the second week and equal what remains her best performance here to date. The US Open champion will need to get past her fast-rising compatriot Emma Navarro in the next round if she has to extend her stay here.

While Gauff was getting the better of a local star, another one rose to the occasion and defeated a seeded player to reach the fourth round. Raducanu commandingly booked British representation in the second week of Wimbledon with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over No.9 seed Maria Sakkari.

Under a closed roof on Centre Court, 2021 US Open champion Raducanu thrilled her home crowds by toppling ninth-ranked Sakkari in 1 hour and 32 minutes of play.

Currently ranked World No.135, Raducanu is maintaining a strong stretch of form during the grass-court swing — a portion of the year she missed in 2023 while recovering from injuries and surgeries.

Raducanu made her first semifinal of the year on the lawns of Nottingham, then backed it up by beating top-10 player Jessica Pegula to reach the Eastbourne quarterfinals.

Former World No.10 Raducanu is now into the Wimbledon second week for the first time since she reached the Round of 16 upon her main-draw debut in 2021 — the Slam preceding her historic US Open title run.

–IANS

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London, July 6 (IANS) Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz improved to a 12-1, his overall record in five-set encounters in majors as he got the better of American Frances Tiafoe in a thrilling encounter in men’s singles third round at the Wimbledon 2024 on Friday. The 21-year-old Spaniard survived a major scare as he rallied from the brink against Tiafoe to win a third-round thriller 5-7, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-2.

Under the roof on Centre Court, both produced moments of magic, engaging in extended cat-and-mouse rallies throughout the match. With little to separate them, Alcaraz raised the tempo and power of his groundstrokes in the closing stages to seal victory in three hours and 51 minutes, improving to 12-1 in fifth sets at majors.

Alcaraz has won his past 10 matches at The Championships, having defeated Novak Djokovic in the final last year. However, the third seed’s title hopes hung in the balance for large periods on Friday afternoon when Tiafoe produced one of his best performances of the season to push the Spaniard to his limit.

The American arrived for Wimbledon having won consecutive matches at just two tour-level events this year — Delray Beach and Houston). However, he looked back at the level that helped him reach the semi-finals in New York in 2022 and win two tour-level titles in 2023, demonstrating great court craft to pull the World No. 3 around.

He could not quite maintain his level in the fifth set against Alcaraz, who let out a roar and raised his arms to the sky after his absorbing win. Into the fourth round at SW19 for the third consecutive year, Alcaraz will next face Frenchman Ugo Humbert or American Brandon Nakashima.

The Spaniard is chasing his third trophy of the season and fourth major title overall. Last month, he triumphed at Roland Garros to become the youngest man in history to win a major on all three surfaces.

In other matches on Friday, 10th seed Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria defeated French veteran Gael Monfils 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 while the 12th seed Tommy Paul of the United States sent 23rd seed Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in another third round encounter.

–IANS

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New Delhi, July 5 (IANS) Seasoned Bangladesh Grandmaster Ziaur Rahman passed away in Dhaka on Friday, after suffering a heart attack while playing in the country’s national chess championship. The Bangladesh Chess Federation has confirmed his death. He was 50.

Ziaur Rahman, a 15-time Bangladesh Chess Champion, was a known figure in India as he played in numerous tournaments across the country in the last three decades.

Rahman collapsed to the ground while playing in the 12th-round game against Enamul Hossain Rajib in the Bangladesh national chess championship on Friday. He was rushed to the Ibrahim Cardiac Hospital in Dhaka where he was declared dead of a heart attack at 7 pm local time.

Rahman’s son Tahsin Tajwar Zia is also playing in the same tournament and was inside the hall when the incident happened.

Rahman is Bangladesh’s most decorated chess player and earned his International Master title in 1993 and his GM title in 2002. He competed 17 times for Bangladesh in the Chess Olympiad, setting a record in the 44th Chess Olympiad in Chennai in 2022, when he and his son Tahsin Tajwar Zia became the first father-son duo to be on a national chess team.

In 2005 he achieved a rating of 2570, which is still the highest by a Bangladeshi chess player. He also made news in 2008 when he held a young Magnus Carlsen (rated 2786 at that time) to draw.

The news sent the chess community into a tizzy with many known players offering their condolences.

All-India Chess Federation (AICF) President Nitin Narang expressed his condolence on X: “Deeply saddened by the news of Bangladeshi Grandmaster Ziaur Rahman’s sudden passing during the Bangladesh National Chess Championship.

“He was a well-respected and frequent competitor in Indian tournaments. Our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and the entire chess community in Bangladesh,” he said.

Grandmaster and chess coach Srinath Narayanan also expressed his condolences. “A terrible loss to the chess community and to humanity. He was such a nice person. So young, so unexpected.” he said.

–IANS

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