Kareena Kapoor Khan has turned the idea of a pregnant Bollywood actor on its head. Breaking all norms, a heavily pregnant Bebo proudly flaunts her baby bump at ramps, red carpets and magazine covers. The actor is rocking maternity fashion, from the little black dress to thigh high slits.ALSO READ: Kareena hopes her baby doesn’t inherit THIS trait from SaifALSO READ: Saif Ali Khan to take paternity leave for Kareena Kapoor Khan’s delivery? SEE PICS: Kareena Kapoor Khan is pure royalty as she flaunts her baby bump on the red carpet The Udta Punjab actor, who was recently spotted at this year’s Lux Golden Rose Awards rocking a red off-shoulder gown, sported a gown yet again at a magazine shoot this week. Kareena was spotted recently at Mehboob Studios for a photoshoot, glowing with the radiance of a mommy-to-be. Bebo, who is showing no signs of slowing down even in her third trimester, wore a flowy white gown for the shoot.Unstoppable!Despite being a few weeks away from delivering her baby, the beautiful Kareena was spotted shooting for a magazine?? pic.twitter.com/BtfpFM8Arm Kareena Kapoor Khan (@KareenaOnline) November 16, 2016Photo – Kareena Kapoor Khan spotted at a magazine shoot ! pic.twitter.com/MZ9xlW4NtZ Kareena Kapoor Khan (@KareenaK_FC) November 16, 2016The pictures, which have since gone viral, show off her big baby bump perfectly.WATCH:
SPORT-BOX-USHA 2 LAST
Asked if she feels content in her new role, Usha candidly Asked if she feels content in her new role, Usha candidly said, “I cant say I am very happy right now but yes, giving time to my family, taking care of my child has helped me. For a coach, the big target is to groom someone from the beginning and watch that person grow into a champion. Then you feel like an achiever, I am also training a few kids and I would feel like an achiever the day they make it big, win an Olympic medal. “I dont feel completely like a coach, I still think like an active player. Perhaps that will help me be a better motivator because players know my track record and they are more likely to trust my judgement,” she added. Speaking of the overall scenario in Indian womens boxing, Usha said the new crop competing here needs some time and a lot international exposure before they can stake their claim to the legacy left by the likes of Mary Kom and her. “There is nothing like impossible. A Mary Kom or an Usha was created by their own passion and their coaches hard work. The kids today are supported way better than our batch. They have more financial support coming their way. They are getting job security as well,” she said. “There are a few girls who I feel can make it big but these kids need some time because they have not had international exposure. We cannot compare these girls to Mary Kom because Marys level is not something they can achieve. To be a five-time world champion is something that is too big.” PTI PM ATK ATKadvertisement
Solari: Madrid players deserve the credit
Santiago Solari doesn’t believe he’s responsible for Real Madrid’s remarkable turnaround in his three games in charge and credited his players’ “desire to score” as the main reason behind three wins on the bounce. Solari took charge at a low point for the Spanish giants, with the club having taken a brutal 5-1 beating at the hands of rivals Barcelona before sacking previous boss Julen Lopetegui. But Solari has righted the ship with three consecutive victories and his side having held clean sheets in all three of those matches . The run continued with a 5-0 win over Viktoria Plzen on Wednesday in the Champions League. Karim Benzema scored a fine solo effort to open the scoring and take his Madrid tally to 200, and he added another as Casemiro, Gareth Bale and Toni Kroos also got on the scoresheet. Article continues below Editors’ Picks Man Utd ready to spend big on Sancho and Haaland in January Who is Marcus Thuram? Lilian’s son who is top of the Bundesliga with Borussia Monchengladbach Brazil, beware! Messi and Argentina out for revenge after Copa controversy Best player in MLS? Zlatan wasn’t even the best player in LA! “You can’t ask for much more. The team has done it. The players scored spectacular goals and were very serious,” Solari said to Movistar following another dominant showing.”We’ve done a lot of things well [in his three matches], but above all I see the seriousness and the desire to score. So many can be scored with players of such quality.”If you win 5-0 there will be applause. All matches are different, you have to continue working with humility, sacrifice and ambition for your objectives and think about the next game.”The players are the ones who have achieved this and they are the ones who deserve credit for the victory.”Solari made it clear that goalkeeper Keylor Navas, who was relegated to the bench on Wednesday, has all his respect and admiration despite being replaced by Thibaut Courtois.Navas started Madrid’s three European fixtures under previous boss Lopetegui but was among the substitutes for Wednesday’s victory, which saw the reigning champions rise to the top of Group G, but Solari said he’s made the choice to go with Courtois. “It’s a decision I’ve made.”But I have to say that Keylor is a man and has all my admiration as a footballer and respect as a man.”Real Madrid now sit level with Roma at the top of their group and will look to continue their winning run with a La Liga clash against Celta Vigo on Sunday.
‘Man Utd fear factor has gone’
Manchester United’s “fear factor has definitely gone”, says Southampton defender Matt Targett, with Jose Mourinho’s side considered to be less of a threat than the Red Devils of old.During the Premier League era, 13 titles have headed to Old Trafford.Sir Alex Ferguson landed all of those crowns and there has been a humbling process of rebuilding since his departure in 2013. Article continues below Editors’ Picks Man Utd ready to spend big on Sancho and Haaland in January Who is Marcus Thuram? Lilian’s son who is top of the Bundesliga with Borussia Monchengladbach Brazil, beware! Messi and Argentina out for revenge after Copa controversy Best player in MLS? Zlatan wasn’t even the best player in LA! Mourinho is the latest to take on that challenge, but he is struggling to replicate successes of the past and currently has his side sat seventh in the English top-flight table.He will be hoping to become upwardly mobile when visiting Southampton on Saturday, but Targett says the Saints are confident of piling more pressure on the Portuguese coach.“The fear factor has definitely gone,” he said ahead of a clash with United at St Mary’s Stadium.“You can see how United have played recently. They have still got unbelievable talent but defensively I think they have problems.“It is a big game. They are struggling. It is not like the old Manchester United. We can get at them and hopefully we can start turning things around.“Any home game, you have to be positive. We haven’t done that enough this season.“It will be a good chance to start on Saturday. It would do us the world of good and get the fans back on our side.”Targett is right to suggest that United have struggled at the back this season, with 21 goals conceded in just 13 games.That is the worst record of those in the top half and 16 more than title hopefuls Manchester City and Liverpool have shipped.Mourinho’s side have kept just five clean sheets across all competitions, with only two of those secured in the Premier League. Check out Goal’s Premier League 2019-20 fantasy football podcast for game tips, debate and rivalries.
Defeat against Hyderabad an eye-opener for us, says Mumbai skipper Rohit Sharma
The defeat against Surisers Hyderabad did not hurt them since they have already qualified for the IPL Play-offs but for Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma the defeat is an eye-opener.Mumbai Indians, who have been good chasers, opted to bat against the defending champions and managed only 138 for seven, eventually losing by seven wickets.”We just wanted to try something different by batting first today and it did not pay off. Batting second was much easier, but 138 is too less. If you don’t take wickets, it’s always going to be hard. It’s an eye-opener for us on what to do when we bat first, what to do in the first six overs and little things like that,” Rohit said after the match.”We could be put into bat, it won’t always be in our favour, so we have a lot of learning from this loss.””We knew the wicket wasn’t easy but we got nowhere near a good score. Sunrisers bowled well and kept us guessing,” the captain added.A delighted Hyderabad skipper David Warner said “everything went to plan”.”Credit to the bowlers, they did the job and gave us a small total to chase. I asked one of top four to go through the end of the game and they did that. I just thought up front with their left handers and with the long boundary and breeze, I bowled Nabi. It was a bit of a hit-or-miss, but it paid off tonight. We just treat every game as a knockout game.”advertisementShikhar Dhawan was declared Man-of-the-match for his unbeaten 62-run knock in Hyderabad’s chase.”It was an important game. The plan was that I have to stay at the crease as long as possible. Moises also played a good knock. I’ve been feeling good. I was working on consistency when I had a few quiet months. I worked at it and all the heart I’ve put into it has worked out now, so I’m happy,” Dhawan, who was named in India’s Champions Trophy squad, said.
FC Barcelona win Copa del Rey in Luis Enrique’s last game
The Luis Enrique era in Barcelona came to an end with the coach lifting one last trophy.The coach raised the Copa del Rey after Barcelona defeated Alaves 3-1 in the final on Saturday.Lionel Messi, Neymar and Paco Alcacer scored in the first half as Barcelona won their third straight copa and 29th all-time.Luis Enrique capped his three-year stint with the club with his ninth title out of a possible 13.He celebrated by waving his winner’s trophy and singing the club’s anthem in front of the Barcelona fans who traveled to the final in Madrid.”We finished the season how we wanted to finish it,” Luis Enrique said. “I leave with the feeling of mission accomplished.”It was the final competitive match at Atletico Madrid’s Vicente Calderon Stadium, which will be demolished to give way to a housing complex. Atletico moves into a new venue next season.Alaves, the minnow Basque Country club promoted to Spain’s top flight this season after 10 years in the lower divisions, was playing in the final of a major tournament for only the second time in its 96-year history. The other was the UEFA Cup 16 years ago, when it lost to Liverpool 5-4 in extra time.Barcelona dominated and opened the scoring in the 30th minute with a well-placed shot by Messi from just outside the box after a pass by Neymar.Alaves, which beat Barcelona in the Liga, equalized three minutes later with a superb free kick shot by Theo Hernandez.AP PhotoBut Barcelona regained control with a couple of goals just before halftime. Neymar scored after a pass by Andre Gomes in the 45th and Alcacer added to the lead from inside the area after a great slalom run by Messi three minutes into stoppage time.advertisementAlaves almost opened the scoring when Ibai Gomez struck the post after a blunder by Barcelona defender Gerard Pique just before Messi’s goal.”There are mixed feelings,” Alaves coach Mauricio Pellegrino said. “We are disappointed with the result, we had high hopes, but we are happy for what we did the entire season.”It was only the second title for Barcelona in a relatively disappointing season. It was eliminated by Juventus in the quarterfinals of the Champions League and lost the Spanish league title to Real Madrid in the final round last weekend. Its other title was the Spanish Super Cup.Luis Enrique, who made the surprising announcement in March that he was leaving Barcelona so he could get some rest, never lost a Copa del Rey home-and-away series since he took over the club, a run of 12 straight triumphs ahead of the final.Defender Javier Mascherano had to be substituted less than 10 minutes into the game with a head cut after colliding with an Alaves defender. He also injured his right knee on the play, and was on crutches during the title celebrations.Barcelona played without striker Luis Suarez because of a suspension.Before the game, five members of a radical group of Barcelona supporters were arrested after they allegedly robbed and trashed a small store in the Spanish capital.Barcelona’s victory meant Athletic Bilbao will earn the final spot from Spain in the Europa League. Athletic finished seventh in the Spanish league, outside of the automatic qualification spots, but it earned a berth because Barcelona will play in the Champions League. Alaves needed to win the Copa del Rey title to qualify.
Steve Smith criticises Cricket Australia over pay dispute
Australia captain Steve Smith has criticised the arguments of Cricket Australia (CA) in the ongoing pay dispute between the players and the board on the eve of their first match in the Champions Trophy.The CA has argued that it cannot increase the players’ current salaries as more money is needed to fund the game at the grassroots.Smith however, challenged the CA’s statement, asserting that the players have chipped in with significant contributions to the grassroots programmes.”I’m not sure I completely agree with that. If we look back at the last MoU I think players gave back $10 million to grassroots cricket, which is quite significant,” Smith told the media here on Thursday.”We’re right behind (the CA) and what they are trying to do for the players and as partners of the game as well. We fully support them in everything they are doing,” he added.Australia had a poor start to their campaign in the last edition of the Champions Trophy in 2013 when they had lost to England in their first match before crashing out in the group stages.Smith is keen to avoid a repeat this time round and reiterated the importance of focusing on the job at hand and not giving too much thought to the off-field issues.”We are focusing on this tournament. These are the big tournaments and the ones you really want to win,” he said.”So my focus is on that and I’ll let the CA handle everything else.”Every game is crucial and we have got to be at our best from ball one,” he added.advertisementSmith also hinted at pace being his primary weapon in Australia’s opening match against New Zealand which comes as no surprise considering the quality of resources at his disposal.Although Smith stated that the playing XI would not be settled until the final training session, there is a chance that the four pronged pace battery of Australia comprising Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, James Pattinson and Josh Hazlewood could be seen in action together for the first time.The only selection dilemma in an otherwise settled batting line up is who amongst Glenn Maxwell and Chris Lynn will get the nod to fulfil the finisher’s role.”If it is good batting and the sun is out hopefully we can put a bit of pressure on those guys and try and play the way we did in Australia,” Smith said.Although Australia have won nine out of their last 10 encounters against their trans Tasmanian rivals, Smith feels that it will be naive to take the Black Caps lightly considering the resurgence in the fortunes of the team in the past three to four years.The Australian players will be playing One-Day Internationals (ODI) after a significant gap, having played four Test matches in India before taking part in the Indian Premier League (IPL).Smith asserted that his teammates will have to adjust fast to the demands of the 50-over version of the game as well as to the conditions in England as they try to win the Champions Trophy for a record third time.”It takes a little bit of time. You just have to realise 50 overs are a lot more than 20 and you can reign things back,” he said of the adjustment to ODI cricket.”It has taken a few guys a little bit of time just to bring their games back down a level and not try and overhit the ball, particularly here in England where the outfield is so fast.”
2017 has been the best year of my career: Rohan Bopanna
Ace Indian tennis player Rohan Bopanna, who became the fourth Indian to win a Grand Slam after clinching the mixed doubles title at the French Open, has asserted that this has been the best year of his career.Bopanna, playing alongside Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski, clinched his maiden Grand Slam title at the Roland Garros on Thursday.The seventh-seeded Indo-Canadian pair staged a comeback after losing the opening set and defeated Lena Groenefeld and Farah 6-2, 2-6, 12-10 in a summit clash that lasted for one hour and six minutes at Court Philippe Chatrier.”I think one of the main reasons that this is the best year and I am playing best tennis is because of the fact that I started the year by playing Chennai open with Jeevan, then I played Dubai finals with Marcin Matkowski and won the clay court masters with Pablo Cuevas,” said Bopanna.He added, “The main reason I am saying good tennis is because I played with three different partners. I adapted to their styles and used their strengths and my strengths and combine together as a player which has made me a better player over the years and I think that is one of the reasons for me this year has been really special.”The 37-year-old further said that over the years, he has matured and now he knows more about his strengths and what he can bring into partnership.”I think that is something which has changed this year. The way I am looking at any match, when I go out there and play, I am very confident,” he insisted.advertisementBopanna, who made the men’s doubles final of the 2010 US Open with Pakistan’s Aisam ul-Haq Qureshi, and is the fourth Indian to make the Grand Slam club after Mahesh Bhupathi, Leander Paes and Sania Mirza.His name has also been recommended by the All India Tennis Association (AITA) for the prestigious Arjuna award.
Dawid Malan leads England to T20I series win over South Africa
England debutant Dawid Malan’s hard-hitting 78 helped the hosts to a 19-run victory over South Africa in their Twenty 20 international at Cardiff on Sunday to secure a 2-1 series win. (Scorecard)The 29-year-old left-hander Malan, who was born in London and brought up in South Africa, blasted 78 from 44 balls, including 12 fours and two sixes as England, whose captain Eoin Morgan was rested, made 181 for eight.South Africa were never really in the run chase, especially after captain AB de Villiers was caught in the deep by Alex Hales off the spin of Mason Crane for 35, leaving his team at 82 for four. They eventually fell short on 162 for seven.Chris Jordan picked up three wickets for England who will be delighted to have won the series while also blooding new talent.One of those prospects, Crane, was delighted to have kept his nerve whilst facing a pounding from De Villiers.The South African carted him for two sixes and a four before holing out and giving the 20-year-old his first wicket in international cricket.But it was Malan who did the most to boost his chances of forcing his way into the England team on a longer-term basis, showing enormous confidence as he smashed his second ball over mid-wicket for six.Malan has had to wait for his ability to be rewarded by the England selectors but he showed that, even when the likes of Joe Root and Ben Stokes return to the side, he could be a very useful option.”I didn’t think (the chance) would ever come but nice to show what I can do. It’s tough but you try and keep things in perspective and wait for an opportunity,” he said.advertisement”To play for your country is a fantastic achievement. I’ve only played one game, especially with the guys we’ve got — hopefully they rest a few in the next game as well.”Jos Buttler, who stepped in as captain in the absence of Eoin Morgan, was full of praise for Malan.”Dawid batted on a different wicket to the rest of us, made it look really good on debut. All the best teams have very good players missing out, with injuries, and with guys coming in there is pressure on you, you feel like you need to perform and it was a fantastic show of character from Dawid Malan,” he said.The two countries will now face each other in a four-match test series starting at Lord’s on July 6.
Akshay Kumar shares his look in Gold: We are digging the retro vibe
Reema Kagti’s Gold went on floors yesterday, and Akshay Kumar took to Twitter to share his first look from the film. In keeping with the setting of the film, Akshay shared a vintage looking, black-and-white photograph of himself sporting a moustache and carrying a sling bag.He captioned the photo, “Set out on a brand new journey, aiming for nothing less than #GOLD! Day 1 of Gold, need your love and best wishes as always :)”Set out on a brand new journey, aiming for nothing less than #GOLD! Day 1 of Gold, need your love and best wishes as always 🙂 pic.twitter.com/TiOhw9P3YV- Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) July 1, 2017Gold will tell the story of the Indian hockey team, led by Kishen Lal, which won the country’s first Olympic medal as a free nation in 1948 at the 14th London Olympiad.The film marks the Bollywood debut of television actor Mouni Roy. Producer Ritesh Sidhwani wished the team all the best on Twitter: “Team #Gold on the field tom all the best @akshaykumar @kagtireema @Roymouni @kapoorkkunal @TheAmitSadh #sunnykaushal #vineetsingh.”Team #Gold on the field tom all the best @akshaykumar @kagtireema @Roymouni @kapoorkkunal @TheAmitSadh #sunnykaushal #vineetsingh- Ritesh Sidhwani (@ritesh_sid) June 30, 2017Gold, which will also feature Kunal Kapoor and Amit Sadh, is scheduled to release on Independence Day next year.ALSO SEE Gold first look: Akshay Kumar and Talaash director Reema Kagti team up for sports drama ALSO WATCH: Akshay Kumar wins National Award – How the actor became Sabse Bada Khiladi
August 27, 1908: The world saw the birth of a legend- Donald Bradman
It’s been more than a century now since the greatest batsman ever to play the game of cricket, Donald Bardman, was born and his records and name still resonates in the world of cricket.On August 27, 1908, he was born in Cootamundra, New South Wales. 12 years later, Bradman acted as scorer for the local Bowral team which was captained by his uncle George Whatman. In October 1920, he filled in when the team was one man short, scoring 37 not out and 29 not out. He made his first-class debut at the age of 19 for New South Wales at the Adelaide Oval and scored a hundred with an innings of 118. In the final match of the season, he hit another ton against the Sheffield Shield champions Victoria. In the first match of the Sheffield Shield season (1927-28), he scored a century in both the innings against Queensland and followed that with scores of 87 and 132 not out against the England touring team. After seeing his impressive display, he was called up for the touring England team for the first Ashes Test at Brisbane.BRILLIANT FIRST SEASONBradman, along with the Australian team, failed in the first Test and lost by a huge margin of 675 runs — which is still a record for victory by highest margin of runs in Tests. He was dropped for the second Test but made a comeback in the third one. He scored 79 and 112 and also became the youngest player to make a Test century. He scored 58 in the second innings of the fourth Test and was about to take his team to victory but was run-out and Australia lost by 12 runs. Bradman followed it up with 123 in the first innings of the fifth Test and helped his captain seal a win in the second innings.advertisementHe finished his maiden first-class season with 1,690 runs at an average of 93.88.A new hero was born and the rest as they is history.He accumulated runs at home in Australia and in England, the only two countries he played in, and was the pillar of the Aussie batting lineup for the coming two decades.RECORDS GALOREReuters PhotoBradman went onto achieve every record that was there to be achieved and set a new benchmark for the upcoming players. He retired in 1948 after playing his last Test against England at The Oval. He played 52 Tests, scoring 6,996 runs at a record average of 99.94, scoring 29 centuries and 13 fifties. He played 234 first-class matches and accumulated 28,067 runs at an average of 95.14. He slammed 117 tons and 69 half-centuries.He maintained an average over 100 for most his career and needed just four runs in his last Test innings to ensure an average of 100 – but was out on the second ball he faced for 0 to fall short of the magical figure. His average still remains untouched and bettering it is almost next to impossible. 69 years after his retirement, Don still remains 14th in the list of most Test centuries and 48th in the all-time highest run-scorers in the history of the five-day format.After retirement, he worked as a cricket administrator for Southern Australia.He was hospitalised with pneumonia in December 2000, he returned home in the New Year and passed away on 25 February 2001, aged 92.Batting icon Sachin Tendulkar, who is the only cricketer who reminded Don of his own playing days, paid tribute to the legendary Aussie on Twitter.To the one and only…. Happy Birthday to Sir Donald Bradman pic.twitter.com/8XfKssiMn7- sachin tendulkar (@sachin_rt) August 27, 201752 Tests, 6,996 runs, an average of 99.94.#OnThisDay in 1908, cricket’s greatest ever batsman, the one and only Sir Don Bradman was born. pic.twitter.com/TZcA54wvAZ- ICC (@ICC) August 27, 2017A day for every cricket lover to remember Sir Don Bradman, the greatest batsman of all times on his birth anniversary.#BradmanJayanti pic.twitter.com/ba9kbW5CP3- Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) August 27, 2017
SL announces ODI squad after sports ministers ratification
New Delhi, Dec 5 (PTI) Dinesh Chandimal was left out of the 16-member Sri Lankan one-day squad for the three-match series against India despite his face-saving century in the ongoing third Test here.The team, to be led by Thisara Perera, has been ratified by Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekera after an initial confusion that led to stopping of nine players departing for India.As per a particular law in Sri Lanka, a team has to get sanction from the sports minister.”The team has been ratified by the Sports Minister Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekera. The team is scheduled to leave the island at 00.30 hours on the 6th of December 2017 (Tuesday night/Wednesday morning),” the Sri Lankan Board said in a statement.”SLC also wishes to state that due to a delay in submitting the list of selected players to the ratification of the Honourable Minister as per the regulations of the Sport Law owing to the long weekend, the selected players were unable to travel to India yesterday as was originally scheduled, and will depart today instead,” the SLC said.All-rounder Asela Gunaratne and opening batsman Danushka Gunathilaka return to the Sri Lankan side that has lost 21 one-day games this year and won just four.The three ODIs will be played in Dharamsala (December 10), Mohali (December 13) and Visakhapatnam (December 17).Sri Lanka ODI squad: Thisara Perera (capt), Upul Tharanga, Danushka Gunathilaka, Lahiru Thirimanne, Angelo Mathews, Asela Gunaratne, Niroshan Dickwella, Chaturanga de Silva, Akila Dananjaya, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Dhananjaya De Silva, Dushmantha Chameera, Sachith Pathirana, Kusal Janith Perera. PTI PDS AH AHadvertisement
Fairy tale in a world with not a lot of fairy tales anymore: Juergen Klopp on Virgil van Dijk’s debut
Liverpool manager marked Virgil van Dijk’s winning goal in the 2-1 FA Cup third round win over city rivals Everton as a ‘fairytale’.Van Dijk, who signed from Southampton for a record fee of around 75 million pounds, headed in the winning goal on the 84th minute to secure a victory in the the Merseyside derby.The German was a happy man and said the Dutchman’s debut was special.”Nice one! A fairy tale in a world with not a lot of fairy tales anymore, so I think something like that is quite special,” said a beaming Klopp.WATCHKloop had earlier said that he won’t rush the 75 million pound new recruit into the team but changed his mind on Friday.”It was a difficult decision to make to be honest because, to be 100 per cent honest, the first plan was not to start him tonight but then Dejan (Lovren) and Raggy (Ragnar Klaven) played a lot of games in the last few weeks, so I changed my mind this morning. And it helped,” he said.#EFC win �???Van Dijk’s debut �??�Derby talking points �??�Klopp’s post-match analysis: https://t.co/pdhBhmgq5H pic.twitter.com/Ercv5hXIF2- Liverpool FC (@LFC) January 5, 2018Van Dijk impressed in his defensive work as well and Klopp said he was pleased with everything he saw from Liverpool’s new No. 4.”He showed a lot of things we want him to show in the future very often tonight; heading of course, football-wise his first touch was good, good under pressure and then around set pieces a proper threat,” Klopp said.advertisementNot surprisingly Van Dijk was delighted with his debut.”I don’t think it can get any better. It was a fantastic night,” said the 26-year-old.”To score the winner in a derby on my debut is something every little boy dreams of. I just did it.”I’m very happy that we got through to the next round. We have a good chance to win this. I’m very happy to have my debut, to score and to win. It’s just fantastic.”What a finish! �??? pic.twitter.com/rfKVyYyEYZ- Liverpool FC (@LFC) January 5, 2018Liverpool had tried to sign Van Dijk before the start of the season only for Southampton to block the move until the January transfer window.”Everyone has welcomed me very well. I just want to improve and work hard for the team, the club and the fans every day,” he said.”There is still plenty of room for improvement. It’s just the start”.(With inputs from Reuters)ALSO WATCH:
Spartak Moscow warn fans against violence ahead of Champions League clash vs Liverpool
Spartak Moscow have warned their fans to refrain from violent behaviour when they travel to support their club in a crucial Champions League encounter against Liverpool on Wednesday.The Russian champions are hoping to avoid further UEFA sanctions after being punished by European soccer’s governing body for the behaviour of their fans earlier in the campaign.”Do not give in to provocations and don’t get involved in conflicts with locals, soccer fans and the country’s law enforcement,” Spartak said in a statement on Monday.”We urge you to refrain from any other unlawful actions on the territory of the United Kingdom, including at sports venues and on routes used by fans.”UEFA opened disciplinary proceedings against Spartak last month after fans set off fireworks during their 1-1 draw against Maribor in Moscow.Photo Credit: ReutersThey were then fined 33,000 euros ($39,167.70) after fans displayed illicit banners, set off fireworks and blocked stairways during their 1-1 home draw against Liverpool in September.Spartak were fined and banned from selling tickets to supporters for their next away match in Europe after a flare fired from the visiting supporters’ stand almost hit German referee Deniz Aytekin in their group opener at Slovenian champions Maribor in September.Liverpool lead Group E on nine points and can reach the knockout stages with a draw against Spartak, who need to win the Anfield encounter to advance to the round of 16.
Marlins Sweep Hapless Mets, 1-0
MIAMI — The New York Mets couldn’t hit. And on the game’s final play they didn’t throw or catch very well, either.Center fielder Juan Lagares made an off-line throw home that skipped past catcher Anthony Recker, allowing the Miami Marlins to score on a ninth-inning sacrifice fly for a 1-0 victory May 7.Marcell Ozuna’s fly wasn’t deep, but Lagares threw wide of the plate, and a sliding Giancarlo Stanton scored from third.“The throw was a little bit more off line than we’d like,” Recker said. “It was one of those do-or-die plays, and I wasn’t able to come up with it.”The Mets were swept in the three-game series despite allowing only eight runs. They batted .157, scored three runs and were shut out in the final 23 innings.Tom Koehler allowed New York two hits in eight innings, and Steve Cishek (3-1) pitched a perfect ninth.“We hit some balls on the button, and there’s not much you can do,” Mets Manager Terry Collins said. “You just have to keep battling. There’s no answer. If there was, then someone would be the greatest hitting coach in the history of the game.”The Mets’ scoreless streak is their longest since July 2010New York wasted a fine effort by Zack Wheeler, who walked five in six innings but allowed only two hits. He lowered his ERA to 4.35.“He started to run out of gas, walking four of the last six guys he faced, but he pitched a very good game,” Collins said. “You know, he’s got the stuff.”At the plate Wheeler went 0 for 2 with a strikeout, leaving Mets pitchers 0 for 58 this season with 31 strikeouts.The Mets lost for the sixth time in their past seven games and went 2-6 on a three-city trip. At 16-17, they dropped below .500 for the first time since they were 8-9.“It has been very difficult,” Wheeler said. “We haven’t played well this series. It’s a tough road trip, but I think we have a good group of guys, and I think we can turn it around when we get back home.”The walkoff loss was the Mets’ seventh at Marlins Park, which opened in 2012.Miami finished 8-1 on its homestand and improved to 17-5 at home, best in the majors.“We have complete confidence,” said Casey McGehee, who drew a key walk during the ninth-inning rally. “There was never a doubt in my mind we were going to get that game, no matter how long it took. That’s the way it’s supposed to be.”The Marlins have won three of their past four games with walkoffs.“They put a lot of strain on guys’ hearts,” Koehler said.While no team has been better at home, the Marlins’ 2-10 road record is the worst in the majors. They begin an 11-game, 11-day trip May 8 in San Diego.“We’ve just got to keep playing,” Manager Mike Redmond said. “Everybody has made a huge deal of the home-road split. But this team is starting to come together. I like exactly where we’re at right now. I like the energy and the chemistry. I can’t wait to get out there.”Stanton singled for their third hit to start the ninth against Carlos Torres (2-1). McGehee walked on a 3-2 pitch, and Stanton took third on a flyout by Garrett Jones.Kyle Farnsworth replaced Torres, and Ozuna, who had struck out in his previous three at-bats, followed with his sacrifice fly.(STEVEN WINE, AP Sports Writer) TweetPinShare0 Shares
Knicks Solve The Magic, 108-95
NEW YORK — The Knicks pounced on a Magic team that still appeared staggered from the beating they took the night before.Carmelo Anthony had 19 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, and New York quickly picked up where Stephen Curry left off in defeating Orlando 108-95 on Feb. 26.A night after yielding 51 points and 10 3-pointers to Curry in a 130-114 loss to the Golden State Warriors, the Magic were barely in a game after the first 10 minutes that their coach said they needed to win.“Everybody goes through that and we’ve just got to do our jobs at home,” Knicks guard Jose Calderon said. “I think we did it tonight.”Rather than ignore their previous effort, coach Scott Skiles chose to show the Magic clips of Curry’s performance a night earlier so they could see where their defense was allowing easy baskets.But they couldn’t correct all their errors, allowing seven Knicks to finish in double figures and giving up 62 points in the first half.“No, as a matter of fact in many ways we were a little bit worse,” Skiles said. “We just looked completely fatigued, is what we looked like.”Kristaps Porzingis added 18 points for the Knicks, who won for only the third time in 16 games. Calderon, Robin Lopez and Arron Afflalo all finished with 14.“I think that’s the way we need to play,” Porzingis said. “Everybody was involved. Everybody was attacking. Everybody was trying to be aggressive when we had the opportunity.”Nikola Vucevic scored 18 for the Magic, and Aaron Gordon had 17 points and eight rebounds.With his team running low on time to mount a playoff push, Skiles called this a “must-win game,” a rarity from an NBA coach whose club isn’t facing elimination.But it didn’t appear his players heard or understood that message, and Gordon wasn’t sure if the back-to-back was the reason.“It’s a lot of travel, it’s a lot of games, but that’s our job,” he said. “We’ve got to be prepared and we’ve got to be able to execute.”Calderon did a decent Curry impersonation in the opening minutes, making his first five shots for 10 points midway through the first quarter. The Knicks led 32-23 after one and put up 30 more points in the second to lead 62-44.The lead ballooned to 24 early in the third before Orlando trimmed it to 82-69 heading to the fourth. Porzingis had a big dunk early in the period as the lead quickly grew back to 18.(BRIAN MAHONEY, AP Basketball Writer)TweetPinShare0 Shares
Pagdatis Defeats Troicki at Dubai Duty Free Championship
Dubai Duty Free Tennis StadiumDubai, United Arab EmiratesSurface: Hard-OutdoorSinglesFirst RoundPhilipp Kohlschreiber (6), Germany, def. Gleb Sakharov, France, 6-4, 6-2.Stefanos Tsitsipas, Greece, def. Mikhail Kukushkin, Kazakhstan, 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-3.Robin Haase, Netherlands, def. Quentin Halys, France, 7-5, 2-6, 6-4.Roberto Bautista Agut (3), Spain, def. Fernando Mayer, Argentina, 6-3, 6-4.Marcos Baghdatis, Cyprus, def. Viktor Troicki, Serbia, 7-5, 6-2.Benoit Paire, France, def. Yoshihito Nishioka, Japan, 5-7, 6-4, 6-1.DoublesFirst RoundRichard Gasquet and Pierre-Hugues Herbert, France, def. Denis Istomin, Uzbekistan, and Daniel Nestor, Canada, 6-1, 7-6 (3).Damir Dzumhur, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Filip Krajinovic, Serbia, def. Henri Kontinen, Finland, and John Peers (1), Australia, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (2).TweetPinShare0 Shares
NBA 2K League has a champ in New York and plans around globe
NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA 2K League’s first season ended with a video game version of a real NBA rivalry: Knicks against Heat.In the future perhaps it’s Knicks against London.Or maybe it’s Heat against Shanghai.“We expect this to be a global league,” NBA 2K League managing director Brendan Donohue said Saturday.“That is on our game plan, though when that happens it’s not definitive. But that is our goal.”The season on the screens turned out like it never has on the hardwood. Knicks Gaming, so far down the standings that they had to win a tournament late in the season as the No. 15 seed just to earn the eighth and final playoff spot, then knocked off the top-seeded Blazers to start a postseason roll that culminated with a sweep of the best-of-three series with Heat Check Gaming to win $300,000.“It’s history,” finals MVP Nate Kahl said. “I said it earlier, this was the inaugural season, so first-ever championship won, and to bring it to such a mecca of basketball in New York and also big in gaming, I think it means a lot.”This first official esports league operated by a U.S. professional sports league featured 17 teams in its inaugural season, which began in May. The Lakers, Nets, Timberwolves and Hawks have already committed to joining for next season, meaning more than two-thirds of the NBA’s 30 franchises will also have a team of gamers.Donohue said the teams that haven’t signed on yet are busy with other NBA business, such as building or renovating arenas or hosting All-Star Games. He doesn’t want them to take on an esports entry until they’re ready, and he believes eventually they will be.“And so we fully expect at some point all 30 NBA teams to be a part of this and then beyond that,” he said.Donohue said the season exceeded all the league’s expectations, pointing to weekly increases in viewership on Twitch, the streaming service popular with video-game players, and a social media presence that includes more than 1.6 million followers of the league and its teams on social media platforms. The league will continue to explore ways to find even more viewers.“Right now we’re on Twitch and we’re focused on being on Twitch. We’re focused on them being our partner for a long time,” Donohue said. “We’ll do whatever we can to make sure we get our product in front of as much of the globe as possible, so we’ll talk to partners about how they can help us do that.”The NBA season nowadays heats up once the games have ended, as the draft, free agency and summer league have had as much to do with its popularity as the action on the court.Donohue thinks the NBA 2K League will be able to keep its fans’ attention through the offseason. Plans for an expansion draft in the fall will be announced soon, and NBA 2K19, the 20th anniversary of the game, will be available next month in what Donohue said will be an exciting day for its fan base. (NBA 2K18 sold more than 10 million copies, a record for the franchise.)And some of the league’s players — who competed as themselves, not players on the real the NBA clubs — were already popular in the gaming community from competing in other leagues and tournaments. Donohue expects they’ll continue to do so in the NBA 2K League offseason.Eventually the league hopes to play games elsewhere, with all games this season held at a studio in New York. Esports leagues such as Overwatch and League of Legends have played their competitions in arenas, but there are no plans for that yet.That’s for the future. On Saturday, the focus was on an out-of-nowhere championship season.“It was magic,” Kahl said.By BRIAN MAHONEY , AP Basketball WriterTweetPinShare0 Shares
Wind River: next-gen software framework for connected and autonomous cars
Continue Reading Previous POLYRACK: case and system applications for individual requirements on showNext PLS: UDE 5.0 with hypervisor awareness supports development of virtualized applications Wind River has announced enhancements to the Wind River Chassis portfolio of safe and secure automotive software. The latest updates to the Chassis portfolio include the integration with Wind River Titanium Cloud virtualization software that delivers high reliability and ultra-low latency to support the rigorous requirements of the world’s most demanding computing and communications networks.Autonomous driving, like other emerging computing applications, will usher in the need to process high volumes of data at faster speeds while avoiding the risk of downtime. Autonomous cars must constantly sense and communicate with the world around them and make complex calculations in an instant, and as a result a vehicle’s computing needs will become highly intensive.Traditional approaches to tackle increasing complexity, such as adding more computing hardware or simply ruggedizing fragile supercomputers inside cars, could drive up the cost of vehicle production to unreasonable levels. Several challenges can be addressed if cars offload some of the computing strain from the car and move it to the cloud. Designing cars to successfully leverage edge cloud computing can change the cost structure of next-generation vehicles and deliver the low-latency and reliable communications required for autonomous driving.Chassis brings together automotive software, technologies, tools, and services to help carmakers simplify and maintain vehicle software systems while helping manage their connectivity to the Internet of Things. The portfolio includes the high-performance VxWorks real-time operating system, tuned for both determinism and responsiveness, with a proven track record in safety- and security-certified environments. Certified to ISO 26262 ASIL-D by TÜV SÜD, VxWorks is used in over 550 safety certification programs by more than 350 customers across multiple industries.With Linux often serving as the starting point for innovative development, customers can turn to Chassis, which draws from the Wind River legacy as a market leader for commercial Linux, to engage in commercialization efforts for their connected and autonomous vehicle technologies. Wind River offers Wind River Linux and other commercial-grade open source technologies, technical support, and maintenance to help customers stay up to date on the latest innovations. Able to support customers’ diverse range of computing needs, Wind River can create computing environments that accommodate multiple Linux-based workloads that work seamlessly with the hard real-time, deterministic VxWorks RTOS, giving customers the ability to cost-effectively combine open source with the safety and reliability of time-tested certified computing software.Customers interested in the development of safety-critical applications can explore Wind River Drive, an Adaptive AUTOSAR-oriented software services stack to support abstraction of key software applications and algorithms from hardware architectural dependencies. Wind River Workbench and Wind River Diab Compiler are best-in-class tools for building embedded software devices, systems, or networks. Wind River Edge Sync provides a software framework for remote over-the-air (OTA) updates and software lifecycle management, allowing rapid, safe, and secure updates to software and firmware throughout the vehicle lifecycle.Titanium Cloud provides a virtualized software infrastructure for the rigorous demands of critical edge infrastructure applications. It includes a fully integrated, reliable, and deployment-ready virtualization platform that enables companies to deploy virtualized services faster, at lower cost, and with high uptime. Titanium Cloud provides an application-ready software platform that runs virtualized applications and services with carrier grade reliability and is built to support the intensive performance, reliability, and security requirements of rigorous computing and 5G networks.Share this:TwitterFacebookLinkedInMoreRedditTumblrPinterestWhatsAppSkypePocketTelegram Tags: Tools & Software 
Clientron debuts flexible thin client S810 with innovative Port-on-Foot design
Clientron unveils its new flexible thin client S810, which is based on the latest Intel Celeron quad core processor to enable energy-saving, performance improvement, and a better user experience. With flexible I/O expansion and multimedia capacity in virtualized environments, the S810 thin client provides outstanding media experience, power-efficient value and high security for end user computing and virtual desktops solutions.The Clientron S810 thin client is based on the Intel Celeron J4105 quad-core processor, offering CPU clock speed up to 2.5GHz, 4K media support, integrated connectivity up to Gigabit Wi-Fi and improvements in security and performance. The S810 thin client supports up to 8GB DDR4 memory and offers optional TPM 2.0 modules that are critical to providing a secure computing environment.Its basic I/O ports include dual LAN (optional fiber optic LAN), dual DisplayPort, four USB2.0 ports, two USB3.0 ports, audio ports and optional WiFi module. In addition, innovative Port-on-Foot design features a variety of I/O configurations such as parallel port, COM port or more USB ports for additional expansion.The S810 thin client is a mainstream and valued thin client that can be adopted for banking, government, SMB office and medical care solutions. It supports major VDI protocols, including VMWare Horizon View, Citrix HDX, and Microsoft RemoteFX, to optimize the user’s virtual desktop experience. The S810 thin client supports Linux and Windows 10 IoT Enterprise operating systems.Share this:TwitterFacebookLinkedInMoreRedditTumblrPinterestWhatsAppSkypePocketTelegram Tags: Chips & Components Continue Reading Previous Mouser receives distribution accolade from FTDI ChipNext PORT: SoM IoT / Industry 4.0 modules for integration into LINUX environments