T20 World Cup: Nepal lose to England by four runs
Nepal lost to England in the opening match of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup played at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium on Sunday. .
Nepal lost to the twice World Cup winner by four runs. Losing the game with a narrow margin, Nepal missed the opportunity to set a record in Nepal's cricket history.
Chasing the target of 185 runs, Nepal managed to score 180 runs in 20 overs by losing six wickets.
For Nepal, Deependra Singh Airi contributed the highest 44 runs with six fours and a six.
Likewise, Captain Rohit Poudel and Lokesh Bam made 39 runs while Kushal Bhurtel gathered 29 runs.
As Arif Sheikh made 10 runs, the other batters could not contribute the runs in double digits.
Ashif Sheikh made seven runs and Gulsan Jha was out in one run.
Winning the toss, England chose to bat first and made 184 runs in 20 overs by losing seven wickets.
England's Liam Dawson took two wickets.
For bowling, Deependra Singh Airi and Nandan Yadav took two wickets each while Sher Malla and Sandeep Lamichhane took one each.
This is Nepal's third participation in the T20 World Cup. Nepal were eliminated in the group stage in the previous two World Cups, including in the previous edition held in 2024 in USA/West Indies.
This is the first time that Nepal are playing against England.
Nepal are ranked 16th in the T20 rankings, while England is ranked third.
Nepal are in Group 'C' of the tournament along with England, the West Indies, Italy and Scotland.
Nepal are scheduled to face Italy in its second game on February 12.
Dortmund's late winner keeps up pressure on leaders Bayern
Striker Serhou Guirassy snatched the winner three minutes from time to earn second-placed Borussia Dortmund a 2-1 victory at VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday that cut Bayern Munich’s Bundesliga lead to three points, Reuters reported.
Guirassy’s 10th league goal of the season came at the end of an intricate set of midfield passes as Dortmund advanced to 48 points from 21 games, three behind Bayern, who host third-placed Hoffenheim on Sunday.
Dortmund dominated the first half and deserved their 38th-minute lead through Julian Brandt, but Konstantinos Koulierakis’ 52nd-minute header put relegation-threatened Wolfsburg back in the contest and they squandered several good chances to take the lead, according to Reuters.
Barcelona ease past Mallorca to extend LaLiga lead
Barcelona outclassed Mallorca 3-0 at home on Saturday to increase their lead at the top of the LaLiga standings, Reuters reported.
Hansi Flick's side controlled possession from the start and Marcus Rashford fired narrowly wide before playing a key role in the opener, as Dani Olmo headed his blocked effort into the path of Robert Lewandowski who finished calmly in the 29th minute.
Barcelona pushed on after halftime, with Marc Casado hitting the post and the pressure told in the 61st minute when 18-year-old Lamine Yamal struck a superb shot from distance to register his fifth goal in consecutive matches in all competitions, according to Reuters.
Napoli win 3-2 at Genoa with last-gasp penalty to close gap on leaders
Napoli's Rasmus Hojlund netted a stoppage-time penalty to snatch a 3-2 victory at Genoa on Saturday as they finished with 10 men but closed the gap on the top two in Serie A, Reuters reported.
Hojlund, who also got Napoli's first, slotted home the spot-kick five minutes into added time as the champions moved to 49 points, still six adrift of leaders Inter Milan but one behind second-placed AC Milan, who both have a game in hand.
It was a controversial penalty, after a VAR review found Genoa substitute Maxwel Cornet stood on Antonio Vergara's foot, but a major boost to Napoli hopes of retaining the Scudetto, according to Reuters.
