Messi worries Argentina with back injury in 1-0 win
Argentina had a scare when Lionel Messi had to be substituted after incurring a back injury during a 1-0 win over rugged Honduras in a Copa America Centenario warm-up friendly on Friday.
Messi walked off in pain in the 64th minute in San Juan after a clash with Honduras substitute Oliver Morazan 10 days before Argentina's opening Group D match against Chile.
The team later dispelled fears of a serious injury, saying on their Twitter account that Messi had “suffered bruising on the left of his lower back and ribs.”
Gonzalo Higuain scored the only goal for Argentina.
In other warm-up matches for the June 3-26 tournament in the United States, Edinson Cavani struck twice as Uruguay overcame Trinidad and Tobago 3-1 and title holders Chile were upset 2-1 by Jamaica.
Higuain struck after half an hour for Argentina when he received a low cross from the left by Marcos Rojo with his back to goal, turned central defender Maynor Figueroa and chipped left-footed over goalkeeper Donis Escober.
Argentina meet Chile in Santa Clara, California, on June 6 and also face Bolivia and Panama in Group D.
Uruguay, without the injured Luis Suarez, came from a goal down after Jomal Williams had put the Trinidadians ahead in the seventh minute in Montevideo.
Cavani equalized with a 26th-minute penalty for a foul by Weslie John on midfielder Nicolas Lodeiro and put Uruguay ahead in the 39th with a shot from the right at a corner.
Matias Vecino, who made his debut against Brazil in a World Cup qualifier in March, increased Uruguay’s lead seven minutes after halftime with his first international goal.
Uruguay face Mexico in Glendale, Arizona on June 5 before also meeting Jamaica and Venezuela in Group C.
Jamaica, who meet Venezuela in Chicago on June 5, stunned a Chile side fielding several reserves in Vina del Mar scoring through Clayton Donaldson and Simon Dawkins before substitute Nicolas Castillo pulled one back late on.
Rashford nets place in record books as England win
Marcus Rashford's rapid progress continued as the 18-year-old took 138 seconds to become the youngest player to score on his England debut in a 2-1 friendly win over Australia on Friday.
The Manchester United striker probably booked his place in Roy Hodgson's Euro 2016 squad and his Manchester United team mate Wayne Rooney added a second before substitute Eric Dier headed a late own goal.
But the night belonged to Rashford, who netted three minutes into what was only his 19th professional match, stroking the ball first time past goalkeeper Matt Ryan after creating space inside the area at Sunderland's Stadium of Light.
Rashford, who also scored on his United debut in February, could have had a second goal minutes later and produced an assured performance before coming off on the hour.
Manager Hodgson praised his debutant but refused to confirm whether Rashford will be in the trimmed down 23-man squad that must be named before Tuesday.
"It was fantastic, he did very well and I am pleased for him on his debut," Hodgson said. "He would not be out of place in anyone's 23."
Rashford probably only started against Australia because of an injury to Daniel Sturridge, but Hodgson said he was hopeful the Liverpool striker will recover sufficiently to train with the squad on Monday.
"If he does, the calf injury will not be a reason to leave him out of the 23," said Hodgson. "None of those decisions (about who to leave out) will be injury-related."
Rooney scored a record-extending 52nd goal for his country with a fine strike 10 minutes after the break.
Nadal pulls out of French Open with wrist injury
PARIS: Nine-times French Open champion Rafael Nadal unexpectedly pulled out of the French Open on Friday because of a left wrist injury.
"I have a problem with my wrist... yesterday I played with an injection, I could play but yesterday night I started to feel more and more pain," the Spanish left-hander told reporters in a hurriedly arranged news conference at Roland Garros.
"Today I felt I could not move my wrist," added the dejected Spaniard, who showed no signs of the injury during his 6-3 6-0 6-3 second round win over Facundo Bagnis on Thursday.
This is the latest setback the 29-year-old Spaniard has suffered in an injury-plagued career. Tendinitis in his knees prevented him from defending his Wimbledon title in 2009, while the 2008 Beijing Olympics gold medallist also missed the 2012 London Games because of injury.
Nadal said, however, that he hoped he would be fit to play at Wimbledon next month.
Untidy Cook misses out on 10,000 mark again
DURHAM, England: An untidy shot prevented England’s captain Alastair Cook from grabbing a place in cricketing history on Friday when he was caught at slip for 15 as England reached 83-2 at lunch on the first day of the second test against Sri Lanka.
Cook needed 20 runs to become the youngest player -- and the first Englishman - to reach 10,000 runs in tests at the age of 31 years, five months and two days but the opener jabbed at a wide delivery from Suranga Lakmal outside the off stump and was caught by Dimuth Karunaratne diving low with England at 39-1.Cook would have beaten Indian Sachin Tendulkar´s record of 31 years, 10 months and 20 days, which has stood since 2005. Only 11 batsmen have achieved the feat.
England, who won the first test at Headingley by an innings, won the toss.
Cook´s opening partner Alex Hales had made an unbeaten 45 at lunch after losing Nick Compton for nine just before the interval, caught spectacularly on the boundary by Lakmal off the bowling of Nuwan Pradeep at 64-2.It was another rash shot from the England number three, getting a top edge towards long leg, trying to hook outside the off stump.
Lakmal hurled himself backwards as he raced towards the boundary and took the catch just before the ropes.
Joe Root had scored 12 alongside Hales after 31 overs at the break.
NZ announce Test series schedule against Pakistan
CHRISTCHURCH: New Zealand announced their upcoming Test series schedule with Pakistan to be played from November of this year.
According to details, Pakistan will tour New Zealand in November for a two-match Test series. The first Test match between the black caps and the green shirts will take place from 17th November 2016 till 21st November 2016 at Christchurch.
The second Test match will be played between the two sides on 25th November at Hamilton.
Pakistan have their hands full with England this summer as they take on the English side from July 14. Pakistan will play four Test matches, five ODIs and one T-20 when they tour England in July.
Pakistan cricket team has appointed a new Chief Selector and a new Head Coach. Batting legend Inzamam-Ul-Haq has taken over as the Chief Selector whereas Mickey Arthur has been appointed as Waqar Younis' successor for the Head Coach post.
Fast bowler Mohammad Amir will be touring England for the first time after his infamous spot-fixing scandal from 2010.
Mourinho returns for more drama in the global village
For all soccer's status as a global game, the pool of its top managers is relatively small and the world's leading clubs often have the feel of a tiny, gossiping village with a managerial merry-go-round on the central green.
Manchester United are replacing Louis van Gaal with his former assistant Jose Mourinho, a man Chelsea no longer wanted who has frequently clashed with new Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.
Manchester's new double act will also have on their radar Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger -- who struggles to hide his disdain for Mourinho -- champions Leicester's Claudio Ranieri and Liverpool's Juergen Klopp, who was Guardiola's main adversary in Germany.
Add in new Chelsea manager Antonio Conte, who has been called "the Italian Jose Mourinho", and the soap opera possibilities in soccer's village become endless.
What all the central characters share, apart from a clear belief in their own ability, is an elite status which provides a passport to the game's top jobs.
Only Frenchman Wenger has chosen to stay put, overseeing Arsenal for almost 20 years and 1,120 games. The rest are often on the move.
England's League Managers' Association has revealed that the average tenure of a Premier League manager is now little more than two seasons, with 11 of last year's 20 starters already kicked out.
Each new manager knows the clock is ticking on his Premier League career, an understanding that contributes to the bear-pit atmosphere that surrounds many games. Old rivalries are intensified and only the strongest survive.
"The same small group of managers are employed because they are the strongest brands in the market," said Michael Calvin, award-winning author of Living on a Volcano, a book about modern-day English football managers.
"In previous generations it was all player-driven but modern-day players are pretty vanilla and so managers have the perceived personality," he added.
"The modern-day manager is actually a middle manager in a global corporation, subject to similar restraints in similar industries. The owners are driven by the share price and a pathological desire to avoid brand damage."
To do that, Guardiola and Mourinho will have to hit the ground running and start winning immediately. German Klopp believes Spaniard Guardiola will know what to expect after his spells at Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
“He will enjoy the league because it is a great league and a real competition and he is a real competitor. That is what he wants," Klopp said.
Former Barcelona boss Guardiola certainly brings the pedigree with two Champions League titles among his 12 trophies as a manager. What will be fascinating is to see how former Real Madrid manager Mourinho reacts to his old foe.
In Spain, their old friendship did not survive an often bruising rivalry which Guardiola says he did not have good memories of.
Relations between the Manchester clubs are not as hostile and Mourinho may chose to play things down, rather than stoke them up as he clearly did in Spain.
After all, there are plenty of other big rivals just across the village.
N.Zealand plan first day-night test against England in 2018
New Zealand will host their first day-night test when England tour the country in early 2018, pending final approval from both teams.
The twilight match will be played at Auckland's Eden Park, which has not hosted a test since a game with India in 2014. No dates have been confirmed but the tour is likely to fall in a window during February-March.
"While we can't confirm it yet, it's something we're extremely interested in and working towards," New Zealand Cricket chief executive David White said in a media release on Friday.
New Zealand, who played the inaugural day-night test against Australia last year in Adelaide, had hoped to play their first at home early next year against South Africa but the idea was abandoned due to logistical problems.
South Africa's board are also mulling a pink ball test with Australia in Adelaide later this year but the Proteas' players have expressed their reticence.
New Zealand also confirmed three one-day internationals against world champions Australia from Jan. 30-Feb. 5 next year.
Bangladesh will tour for three ODIs, three Twenty20 matches and two tests from Dec. 26-Jan. 24.
The limited overs matches, like last year's series against Sri Lanka, will be held over the Christmas-New Year holidays.
South Africa begin their tour with a T20 international at Eden Park, where they were beaten by New Zealand in the semi-final of last year's World Cup, before they play five ODIs and three tests.
New Zealand will also host a full tour by the West Indies in 2017, limited overs series against Pakistan and three ODIs against Australia before the England tour.
FROM www.thenews.com.pk
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