Picture Credit: X
The Indian men’s and women’s table tennis teams created history by securing the hard-earned Paris Olympics 2024 quota. Young tennis star Coco Gauff said that her heated exchange with the chair umpire during the clash against Karolina Pliskova motivated her to win. In the realm of football, former Barcelona player Dani Alves has been sentenced to four and a half years of imprisonment.
Read below to know latest happenings of the sporting world from across the globe in the last 24 hours.
Football
Lionel Messi dribbles over injured player during MLS season opener against Real Salt Lake
Inter Miami icon Lionel Messi dribbled over an injured defender during the season opener of the Major League Soccer (MLS) 2024 season. During the clash against Real Salt Lake, Messi assisted Robert Taylor to secure an early lead in the 39th minute but it was his dribble a few minutes later that instantly went viral on social media and caught everyone’s eyes. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner dribbled along the penalty arc and lofted the ball over Salt Lake’s Andrew Brody, who was on the ground after getting injured. Messi chipped the ball carefully over Brody before firing a shock that ended up getting blocked by another defender.
Lionel Messi donates 8th Ballon d’Or to Barcelona Museum
Football great Lionel Messi donated his 8th Ballon d’Or Award to the Barcelona Museum, demonstrating his unwavering love and bond with his former club. According to Spanish journalist Miquel Blazquez, “Leo Messi has donated his eighth Ballon d'Or to the Barça museum. Although he did not win it as a Barça footballer, the Argentine star has made the gesture of giving it up so that it can be displayed along with the other seven he has won. Impossible not to miss him. #FCBarcelona"
Former Barcelona player Dani Alves sentenced to jail for four and half years
Former Barcelona player Dani Alves has been sentenced to four and a half years imprisonment. Alves was found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman in a Barcelona nightclub in 2022. In a statement, the court said, "The sentence considers that it has been proven that the victim did not consent and that there is evidence, in addition to the testimony of the plaintiff, to consider the rape proven." The prosecutor had been seeking a nine-year prison term.
We will learn from this: Mikel Arteta on Arsenal's loss at Porto
Mikel Arteta spoke about Arsenal's loss at Porto in the first leg of the Champions League last 16 tie. He said, “I am very disappointed with the way we gave the game away at the end. Not managing that situation well enough. You get punished in the Champions League. If you cannot win it, you don’t lose it. We dominated the game but we lacked purpose, especially in the first half. You need to have much more aggression, you need to break lines, play forward, and generate much more threat on that backline.
Major football results:
Champions League R16
FC Porto 1-0 Arsenal
SSC Napoli 1-1 Barcelona
England Premier League
Liverpool 4-1 Luton
Major Soccer League
Inter Miami 2-0 Salt Lake
AFC Champions League R16
Al Hilal 3-1 Sepahan
Table Tennis
Indian women’s and men’s table tennis teams secure historic Paris Olympics quota
The Indian men’s and women’s table tennis teams created history by securing the hard-earned Paris Olympics 2024 quota. It will be the first time that India will qualify for the marquee event in table tennis since it was included at the Beijing Olympics 2008. Table Tennis Federation of India General Secretary Kamlesh Mehta said, “The men’s and the women’s teams played very well and we’re proud of them. We’re waiting for the official announcement that we have qualified for the Paris Olympics, which will come on the 5th of March.”
Tennis
Anyone can make a mistake: Patrick Mouratoglou announces teaming up with Holger Rune again
French coach Patrick Mouratoglou said that he forgave Holger Rune for criticising his work ethics during their initial split. In an Instagram post, he said, "I am excited to start a new collaboration with Holger Rune. We have known each other since he was 13 years old, and I always believed in his potential. He has high goals and so do I for him. It is the start of a new adventure. See you guys in Acapulco, Indian Wells and Miami.” Patrick recently announced that he and Rune teamed up once again.
Coco Gauff tags feud with chair umpire during Dubai Championships as motivation
Young tennis star Coco Gauff said that her heated exchange with the chair umpire during the clash against Karolina Pliskova motivated her to win. Gauff defeated Pliskova 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 to register herself to the quarterfinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships. Talking about her heated exchange, she said, “It definitely gave me some adrenaline. Luckily I was able to overcome that pretty quickly. I’m glad I was able to reset it. I think it just fuelled me. It’s just one point. It happens in tennis. Players make mistakes, everybody makes mistakes.”
Carlos Alcaraz crashes out of ATP Rio Open due to ankle injury
World number 2 player Carlos Alcaraz crashed out of the Rio Open after suffering an injury on the right ankle after two games. Alcaraz opted to retire at 1-1, which granted Brazil’s Thiago Monteiro entry to the quarterfinals, where he will meet compatriot Felipe Meligeni Alves. Alcaraz said, “These things happen, even more on clay. It was not a problem of the court, I got injured as I switched directions. That happens on this kind of surface." Monteiro said, “On the court, it didn’t look so serious but then I saw it on the big screen and it was a bad twist. Now I can only cheer for him to recover.”
It’s getting tougher and tougher physically: Elena Rybakina after reaching Dubai QF
Elena Rybakina reflected upon her win over Poland’s Magdalena Frech which earned her entry to Dubai Tennis Championships QF. While she expressed her happiness over the same, Rybakina said that it is getting challenging physically. In her interview, Rybakina said, "It's just the beginning of the year. Of course, it’s a great start, but it's not easy. The most important is to stay healthy. With every match, it's getting tougher and tougher physically but really happy with the start of the year, hopefully, I just can continue like this.”
