Sport
PSG’s Messi and three others test positive for COVID-19
Paris St Germain forward Lionel Messi and three other players have tested positive for COVID-19, the French Ligue 1 club said on Sunday.
Argentina international Messi joined PSG from boyhood club Barcelona in August and the 34-year-old has scored six goals in 16 games in all competitions for the Parisian side, Reuters reported.
Defender Juan Bernat, back-up goalkeeper Sergio Rico and midfielder Nathan Bitumazala were the other players who returned positive tests. PSG said the four players were in isolation and subject to the appropriate health protocols.
Mauricio Pochettino’s team are top of the Ligue 1 standings on 46 points after 19 matches, 13 points above second-placed Nice. They are due to travel to third-tier club Vannes on Monday for a French Cup round-of-32 match.
Pochettino said he was unsure if Messi, who is currently in Argentina, would feature in their next league game, at Olympique Lyonnais on January. 9.
“Messi has been in regular contact with our medical team and when he has a negative test, he will travel to France but we don’t know any more than that. I don’t know if he will be involved against Lyon.
“Until he gets a negative test in Argentina, he will not be able to travel to France. So it is all down to the test in terms of when he can travel… we will assess when he is ready to play.”
France reported 219,126 new confirmed COVID-19 cases in a 24-hour period on Saturday, the fourth day in a row that the country has recorded more than 200,000 cases, Reuters reported.
Sport
Ghazanfar replaces injured Mujeeb in IPL’s KKR squad
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have signed young Afghanistan spinner Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar as a replacement for the injured Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
Mujeeb has been recovering from a right phalanx sprain in his hand, which he sustained in February 2024 during Afghanistan’s ODI series against Sri Lanka. However, he was also ruled out of the three-match T20I series between the two sides. Since then, the Afghanistan spinner hasn’t played cricket at any level.
Mujeeb was roped in by KKR for INR 2 crores (approx. $240,000) during the 2024 mini-auction. He also missed the opening game against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
The 16-year-old Ghazanfar has featured for Afghanistan in two ODIs. The youngster has played three T20s and six List A games and has 5 and 4 wickets respectively against his name He joins KKR for his base price of INR 20 lakhs (approx. $24,000).
Two-time champions KKR will play their first away game in the 2024 edition against RCB at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Friday, March 29.
Sport
FIFA World Cup Qualifier: Afghanistan beat India 2-1
In a thrilling match that doubled as a qualifier for both the FIFA World Cup and the 2027 Asian Nations Cup, Afghanistan’s national football team secured a 2-1 victory over India.
The contest saw India taking an early lead, ending the first half ahead 1-0.
However, Afghanistan’s resolve shone in the second half, with Rahmat Akbari leveling the score at 1-1 in the 69th minute.
The decisive moment came when Sharif Mohammad converted a penalty in the 88th minute, propelling Afghanistan to a late lead.
The two teams had previously ended the first leg of their matchup in a goalless draw.
Looking ahead, Afghanistan is scheduled to face Qatar and Kuwait in upcoming matches on June 6 and 11, respectively.
Sport
IPL: RCB register first win against Punjab Kings
Virat Kohli’s authoritative 77(49) helped Royal Challengers Bengaluru register their first win of the TATA IPL 2024 as they beat Punjab Kings by 4 wickets with four balls remaining at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Monday.
Kohli made PBKS pay with some delightful strokeplay to set the platform.
Dinesh Karthik (28 off 10) and Impact Player Mahipal Lomror (17 off 8) then provided the final flourish, stitching an unbeaten 48-run stand off 18 balls, to help RCB chase down 177 in the final over.
Earlier, a disciplined bowling display had helped the home side restrict PBKS to 176/6.
Earlier, Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Faf du Plessis won the toss and elected to field.
Tuesday, March 26, will see Chennai Super Kings take on Gujarat Titans.
In this highly anticipated rematch of last season’s final, defending champions Chennai lock horns with runners-up Gujarat in what promises to be a scintillating encounter at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
IPL fans in Afghanistan can tune in to Ariana Television at 6.30pm Tuesday, or stream live at www.arianatelevision.com, to watch this exciting match.
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