New Delhi, July 6 (IANS) India’s in-form men’s singles shuttler Priyanshu Rajawat got the better of World No. 4 Anders Antonsen of Denmark 21-11, 17-21, 21-19 in the quarterfinal lasting an hour and 19 minutes to enter semifinals at Canada Open 2024 in Calgary.

Earlier, he defeated World No. 24 Rasmus Gemke of Denmark in round of 32 and World No. 33 Takuma Obayashi in last-16 on his way to the semifinals.

Priyanshu will now face Alex Lanier of France for a spot in the finals.

–IANS

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Stuttgart, July 6 (IANS) In what has been the biggest upset so far in the 2024 Euros, hosts Germany were knocked out by Spain after indulging in a thriller which ended 2-1 after extra time at the MHP Arena.

The loss is of great significance to Germany as one of football’s most loved and cherished midfielders, Toni Kroos has now retired as he had previously stated he will not continue to play after the end of the European Championship. Following the loss, Kroos revealed his dream to win the Euros has been ‘Shattered.’

“To be honest, right now the main feeling is that the tournament is over, because we all had a big goal that we wanted to achieve together. And this dream we all had has been simply shattered now,”said Kroos to reporters in the post game conference.

The 34-year old has been one of the finest players to play in the past decade and possesses a trophy cabinet which many can only dream of. However, the European Championship would have been the last feather in his cap as that remains the only competition he did not win in his career.

German fans will be proud of their side’s performance as a rejuvenated German squad under the leadership of Julian Nagelsmann has significantly improved under a short period of time. The side progressed to the quarter final stage of a major international tournament after eight years.

“We can all be proud because we improved. I am happy to have helped Germany as a football nation to have hope again. In the future I am convinced the team will succeed, but today we are sad because we wanted to stay in this competition a bit longer,” added the German midfield anchor.

Spain and Germany have by far been the two best sides in the tournament and ninety minutes of regular time could not separate the two sides as Florian Wirtz scored the equalizer in the 89th minute before Mikel Merino went on to score a 119th minute winner for the Spaniards.

“I would not say it was the most brutal match, but one where we put everything in. We did not want to lose, we were so close. Now at the moment the exit covers it all. We will realise we played a good tournament, but being so close to reaching the next round is hard,” concluded the Real Madrid veteran.

–IANS

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Arlington, July 6 (IANS) Canada continues to script history as they defeated Venezuela in the quarter finals of the Copa America tournament winning the game 4-3 on penalties after regular time saw the two teams tied at 1-1 at the AT&T Stadium.

Jacob Shaffelburg gave Canada the lead in the 13th minute of the game. The side had many chances to further add to that tally through the game but were not able to breach the opposition’s net again.

Canada held their own against an unbeaten Venezuela side until Salomon Rondon, the man in form scored an audacious chip from over 40 yards out to catch the goalkeeper off his line and level the game in the 64th minute of the game and score his third of the tournament.

The full-time whistle blew at 1-1 taking the game straight into penalties as extra-time is not played in the stage of the tournament.

The penalty shootouts was a thriller to watch as both sides seemed to be mirroring their opponents. Both teams scored their first, third and fifth attempt whilst simultaneously missing their second and fourth shots dragging the shootouts to sudden death.

Wilker Angel’s penalty was saved by Maxime Crépeau and Ismael Kone made no mistake in burying the next chance to win the shootouts 4-3.

Jesse Marsch’s side is making their first ever appearance in the history of the tournament and now find themselves in the semifinals of the tournament. They will face Argentina in the next round. This is a great sign for Canadian football as the United States of America, Mexico and Canada are scheduled to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

–IANS

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Stuttgart, July 6 (IANS) Germany and Spain have been the two best teams in the 2024 European Championship. The two sides clashed in a battle of heavyweights at the MHPArena on Friday with Sprain prevailing 2-1 over the hosts after extra-time.

German Head Coach Julian Nagelsmann spoke on his side’s performance and admitted to having to ‘fight back tears,’ after the loss.

“It hurts because we won’t be able to do better for another two years. And I probably won’t have another home tournament in my career. If we had performed badly, it would have been deserved and then we wouldn’t have to stand here and fight back tears,” said Nagelsmann to reporters in the post game conference.

This was the first tournament being hosted in Germany since the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Despite not performing so well in recent competition, the Deuschland were a dominating unit at the 2024 Euros and were heavy favourites to go on and win it at home had it not been for their fiesty and well performing Spanish opponents.

Nagelsmann went on to admit he has no plans as of now regarding the side and will have to evaluate the team ahead of their nations League fixtures in September.

“So now what? How do Germany move on from here? I don’t even know what the plan is now because I didn’t plan on being eliminated. My team and I have the job of thinking about the squad now and what is the right thing to do in the Nations League in September,” added the German head coach.

–IANS

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Berlin, July 6 (IANS) After Portugal’s heartbreaking loss to France in the quarter-finals of Euro 2024, the futures of football icons Cristiano Ronaldo and Pepe looms large in the upcoming years. However, Portugal’s manager has confirmed that “no individual decisions” have been made on the international futures of Cristiano Ronaldo and Pepe after their loss to France at Euro 2024.

Pepe, at 41, made history during the tournament by becoming the oldest player to feature in a European Championship, while Ronaldo, at 39, played every minute of Portugal’s last two grueling matches. The match against France, which ended in a tense penalty shootout, saw Portugal lose to France with a scoreline of 3-5.

Pepe, on the other hand, was seen in tears, his emotions pouring out as he was consoled by Ronaldo. “His tears are frustration,” said Portugal manager Roberto Martinez. “Pepe is a role model in Portuguese football. What he did tonight and in the tournament will stay with us for the next generations.”

When pressed about the future of these two stalwarts, Martinez was clear that no decisions had been made. “No. Everything is too raw. We are still suffering the defeat. There’s no individual decisions at this point,” he stated. The notion of Ronaldo and Pepe not donning the Portugal jersey again was almost too much to bear for their supporters, who had seen them rise to glory and face adversity over the years.

–IANS

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