London, July 29 (IANS) Arsenal have signed Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori from Serie A side Bologna on a long-term contract, the Premier League club said on Monday. The 22-year-old was a member of the Azzurri squad at Euro 2024, after a season full of impressive performances at the heart of Bologna’s defence.

“It feels amazing,” he said after putting pen on paper. “It was tough until now, but finally we’re here and I cannot wait to start to train with the team and play for the fans.

“It’s actually been my dream since I was 12 or 13 years old because I can see the level of the league here and the best players in the world, for me, play here. It’s a dream and not only for me but for everybody,” the Italian added.

Riccardo will wear the number 33 shirt and has travelled to the US to join up with his new teammates in Philadelphia, as the Gunners continue their preparations ahead of the 2024/25 season.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said, “Riccardo is a big personality and character, with specific skills which will make us stronger as we push to win major trophies. He has already shown great development in recent seasons with his performances for both Bologna and Italy, with his progression and development in the past year being really impressive.

“We’re looking forward to working with Riccardo, integrating him into the squad, and supporting him in the years to come,” he added.

–IANS

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Kolkata, July 29 (IANS) East Bengal started their campaign in the 133rd Durand Cup, with a comfortable 3-1 victory over the Indian Air Force Football Team (IAFFT) in a Group A encounter played at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK) here on Monday.

The Airmen took the lead against the run of play in the 19th minute through Somananda Singh, but goals from David Lalhlansanga, Dimitrios Diamantakos and Saul Crespo, gave a comfortable victory to last year’s runners-up, as they went on top of the group standings over their arch-rivals Mohun Bagan Super Giant.

East Bengal FC Head Coach Carles Cuadrat named a strong starting eleven with new signings Madih Talal, Jeakson Singh, David Lalhlansanga and Mark Zothanpuia making their debut for the Kolkata giants along with star names like Naorem Mahesh Singh, Hijazi Maher and Saul Crespo. Indian Air Force Head Coach Priya Darshan fielded a young starting lineup with the experienced duo of Arashpreet Singh and Vivek Kumar on the bench.

David Lalhlansanga came close to giving the hosts the lead from a Mahesh free kick, but his glancing header hit the woodwork and went out. The top scorer from last year came close to scoring again in the sixth minute, as he found himself in a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper, but Shubajit Basu did well to thwart the attack and keep the scores level.

The first quarter of the match was played inside the Air Force half, with East Bengal pushing to take the lead, but the Air Force defence stood its ground to keep Carles Cuadrat’s men at bay.

Against the run of play, the IAF took the lead in the 19th minute, leaving the East Bengal supporters stunned. The East Bengal defence which did not have much to do until that point was caught napping as Saurav Sadhukhan’s cross from the right wing was met by Somananda Singh and the striker’s powerful header beat Prabhsukhan Singh Gill for the first goal of the game.

The Airmen then went into defensive mode, making it difficult for East Bengal to penetrate and create clear-cut openings, which was evident from the number of attempts the Kolkata side took in the first half, 15 in total.

The equaliser came in the 43rd minute as Madih Talal found David Lalhlansanga through a great chipped ball to put the forward through on goal and the Mizo striker fended off a challenge from the defender and chipped the Air Force goalkeeper to score the first goal for his new club.

Second-half substitutions changed the dimension of the game for East Bengal.

Carles Cuadrat brought in Greek forward Dimitrios Diamantakos and Vishnu P.V, in place of David Lalhlansanga and Naorem Mahesh Singh. The move brought the needed dividends for the Spaniard tactician as his team increased the pace of the game and were looking dangerous with every move. They took the lead in the 61st minute as Diamantakos planted a strong header past the Indian Air Force goalkeeper from a beautiful cross from left-back Mark Zothanpuia, released by the ever-present Madih Talal.

East Bengal widened the gap with their opponents, scoring the third goal after seven minutes. Diamantakos was found by Sourav on top of the pass who found Saul Crespo with a square pass. The Spanish midfielder took a brilliant first touch to spin away from his marker and nailed a right-footer on the turn past Subhajit.

East Bengal saw off the rest of the match with ease, not without missing a couple more chances in the dying minutes of the game.

–IANS

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Paris, July 29 (IANS) Shooter Manu Bhaker will take aim along with her partner Sarabjot Singh in the hunt for India’s second medal in the Paris Olympics when they meet a South Korean pair in the bronze-medal match in the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team event at Chateauroux on Tuesday.

Pistol ace Manu and Sarabjot reached the final by finishing third in the qualifying stage on Monday and will meet Lee Won-Ho and Oh Ye-Jin at 1:00 pm IST on Tuesday.

Manu is hoping to become the first Indian sportsperson to win two medals in the same Olympic Games edition in over 100 years of India’s participation in the quadrennial extravaganza. On Sunday, Manu became the first woman shooter from India to win a medal in the Olympic Games when she bagged a bronze medal in the 10m Air Pistol event.

Trap shooter Prithviraj Tondaiman will be taking the field on the second day of the Men’s Trap qualification rounds on Tuesday, which will be held from 12:30 pm.

Women shotgunners, Shreyasi Singh, the 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medallist, and Rajeshwari Singh, who bagged the quota in trap, will start their campaign in the two-day qualifying round at 12:30 pm.

While Manu and Sarabjot will be aiming for a medal, rower Balraj Panwar will be attempting to make it to the semifinals in the Men’s Single Sculls via quarterfinal 4 at the Nautical St – Flat Water course at 2:10 pm. Balraj has made it to the last-eight stage after finishing second in the repechage rounds.

After making a comeback to hold 2016 Games winner Argentina to a 1-1 draw, Tokyo Olympics bronze medallists Indian men’s hockey team will take on bottom-placed Ireland in a Pool B encounter at 4:45 pm, hoping to beat the minnows and maintain their chances of making it to the quarterfinals.

After their disappointing show in the team competitions, India’s men and women archers will attempt for better results in the individual competitions with all six figuring in the first round of individual competitions starting from 5:14 pm.

India’s full schedule for July 30 (all times IST):

Shooting, Chatearoux

Trap Men’s qualification – Day 2, Prithviraj Tondaiman, 12:30 pm.

Women’s Trap qualification – Day 1, Shreyasi Singh and Rajeshwari Kumari, 12:30 PM.

10m Air Pistol Mixed Team, Bronze medal match, Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh vs Lee Won-Ho and Oh Ye-Jin (Korea), 1:00 pm.

Rowing, Nautical St – Flat Water

Men’s Single Sculls quarterfinal 4, Balraj Panwar, 2:10 pm.

Hockey, Yves-du-Manoir Stadium

Men’s Pool B: India vs Ireland, 4:45 pm.

Archery

Women’s Individual, First round: Ankita Bhakat vs. Wiloeta Myszor (Poland), 5:14 pm; Bhajan Kaur vs Syfia Kamal (Indonesia) 5:27 pm.

Men’s Individual, First round: B Dhiraj vs Adam Li (Czechia), 10:46 pm

Badminton, La Chapelle Arena

Men’s Doubles Group C: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty vs Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Adrianto (Indonesia), 5:30 pm.

Boxing, North Paris Arena

Men’s 51kg class pre-quarterfinals: Amit Panghal vs Patrick Chinyemba (Zambia), 7:16 pm.

Women’s 57kg class, second round: Jaismine vs Nesthy Petcio (Philippines), 9:24 pm.

Women’s 54kg class, pre-quarterfinals: Preeti vs Yeni Marcela Arias Castaneda (Colombia), 1:22 am (July 31).

–IANS

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Surat, July 29 (IANS) Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra registered victories in the semifinals in the men’s category and made it to the final while Chhattisgarh, M.P, and Gujarat won their respective matches in the women’s category in the 2nd Hockey India Sub-junior Men & Women West Zone Championship 2024 here on Monday.

In the match played at Veer Narmad South Gujarat University Hockey Ground, Madhya Pradesh outplayed Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu 15-0 in semifinal 1. For Madhya Pradesh, Karan Gautam (4’, 29’, 30’, 40’, 51’), Patel Ashwani (6’), Aashir Aadil Khan (8’, 21’, 43’, 48’, 54’), Meezan Ur Rehman (31’, 36’), Azad Sultani (42’), and Morya Rishi Shukla (54’) were the goal-scorers.

In the second semifinal in the men’s category, Maharashtra edged out Chhattisgarh 2-2 (3-2) in the shootout. Aadrsh Raj Singh (6’) and Om Kumar Yadav (57’) netted a goal each in the regular time for Chhattisgarh, while for Maharashtra, Rehan Shafi Khan (34’, 58’) scored two goals. In the shootout, Mitansh Paresh Rane, Rehan Shafi Khan, and Suraj Dipak Shukla converted their chances for Maharashtra, while for Chhattisgarh, only Manikpuri Lavi and Aadrsh Raj Singh were able to make full use of their chances.

Earlier, Chhattisgarh Hockey overcame Hockey Maharashtra 6-2 in the first match of the day in the Women’s category.

The goal-scorers for Chhattisgarh were Madhu Sidar (7’, 11’, 37’, 44’), Naina (9’), and Damini Khusro (19’). For Hockey Maharashtra, Captain Anvi Rawat (28’) and Yashasvi Prakash Kubde (28’) scored a goal each.

In the second match of the day, Hockey Madhya Pradesh outclassed Hockey Rajasthan 19-0. For Madhya Pradesh, captain Tanvi (1’, 18’) opened the scoring, following which Nammi Geethasri (12’, 37’), Ekta Jhakodiya (19’), Aqsa Khan (22’, 46’), Sajeda Begum (25’), Manpreet Kaur (26’, 44’, 55’, 56’), Shivani Barasiya (28’, 48’, 60’), Priyanshi Kshetre (29’), Bhabar Keshar (40’), Vaishali Rathore (42’), and Alvina Bee (43’).

In the last match of the day in the women’s category, hosts Gujarat defeated Goans Hockey 9-0. Bhavnaba Jadeja (3’, 58’), Krisha Gheewala (13’, 58’), Astha Timpley (37’, 51’), Captain Komal Ghadge (40’), Krishnaben Patel (42’), and Nirmohi Joshi (60’).

–IANS

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Paris, July 29 (IANS) Harmanpreet Singh, captain of the Indian men’s hockey team, on Monday admitted that his players need to hone their finishing skills after a 1-1 draw against Argentina in a Pool B match at the 33rd Olympic Games here on Monday. Harmanpreet scored the all-important equaliser on the penalty corner in the dying minutes as India and Argentina shared one point each. India conceded in the 22nd minute of the match and failed to find the back of the net till the 58th minute.

“The team is playing really well. We’re strong defensively, with or without the ball. With the ball, we’re creating a lot of chances and getting into the opponent’s circle. We can improve the outcome and the finishing in the upcoming games. We have a plan, we’re creating chances, but our finishing needs to be better,” Harmanpreet said in an exclusive interview with JioCinema.

The ace drag-flicker also acknowledged the team’s poor penalty corner conversion against New Zealand and Argentina and said they have to come up with better planning after the team only scored one out of ten penalty corners against the 2016 Rio Olympics gold medallist on Monday.

“We had our discussions with the coach on where to flick, and we were just following that. To be honest, if you look at the rushers today and during the match against New Zealand, and even our rushers, the first rushers are playing a very important role for every team. We need to devise a plan and strategy on how to beat them. Hopefully, in the next match, we will come up with a better plan and finish well,” Harmanpreet said.

On scoring the all-important equaliser just before the final hooter, Harmanpreet said, “The coach tells us where to flick the ball for every penalty corner. They’re sitting outside and analyzing the game, so we just follow the planning. But we fought and created chances until the last whistle. You definitely feel relieved when you score the equaliser, but the result wasn’t in our favour as we wanted to win the match.”

India will next lock horns with Ireland, who have lost both their matches in the tournament so far, on Tuesday but the captain is in no mood to take the opponents lightly.

“We plan to focus on one match at a time. Till now, we were focused on the Argentina match. Now, whatever time is left before tomorrow’s match, we will analyse Ireland’s game because they’re a great team as well. They have played well so far and we know that no team is easy to beat,” Harmanpreet concluded.

–IANS

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