Japan beats South Korea to defend EAFF E-1 Football Championship title
The reigning champions started strong, with Ryo Germain finding the net in the eighth minute. Germain, who had an impressive four-goal haul in just 22 minutes during Japan's opening match against Hong Kong, once again proved to be the difference-maker.
Despite going into halftime a goal down, South Korea emerged with renewed vigour in the second half, pressing hard for an equaliser. However, the Taegeuk Warriors were consistently thwarted by the resilient Japanese defence, failing to land only one of their eight shots on target.
Ultimately, Germain's early strike secured the victory, allowing Japan to lift the trophy once more.
Both teams were unbeaten before the final round after winning the first two matches of the campaign.
Japan started the campaign with a 6-1 victory over Hong Kong and followed it with a 2-0 win against China.
Meanwhile, Korea kept clean sheets in its first two wins, with margins of 3-0 and 2-0, against China and Hong Kong, respectively.
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Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
Why Lakshya Sen's muddled shot selection and unstinging smash has coach Vimal Kumar worried
To the question 'Is it a good time to start panicking?' coach Vimal Kumar might just bluntly tell his ward Lakshya Sen, 'Now might be just right.' It is not the losing margin of 21-19, 21-11 against Japanese World No 7 Kodai Naraoka at the Super 750 Japan Open. But the decision-making during that inordinately long 54 minutes for the straight sets crumble, that might be a cause of worry for the coach. Sen played portions of the game where he showed he can counter his Japanese contemporary, till 17-17 in the opening set. His subsequent careening off the course and eventual defeat was somewhat a regression of his game, from how he used to play 2 years ago and right till the Paris Olympics bronze playoff, first set to be precise. It is entirely expected that coming that close to a medal and not winning would have broken Sen a little. He is also battling shoulder and ankle injuries, managing which can make him circumspect on attack. But the crux of the disintegration happened from 17-17 to trailing 17-20, in allowing Naraoka to edge ahead. And it is this finishing freeze that bothers the seasoned coach no end. 'I'm disappointed and a little concerned. Till 17-all he was OK, but Lakshya should have taken the first game,' the coach says. 'He's still not applying himself in those crucial situations. He needed to push pace for Kodai can be beaten when you vary pace.' Sen couldn't inject speed and the shot selection entirely failed him. Luck doesn't just favour the brave but also cackles at passivity and tentativeness in sport. In what was a recurring instance, Sen's net play remained completely blurred and faltering, and his attempt to hack at a dribble (or was it a lift?) clipped the chord and fell on his own side, on a poor day to give Kodai the opener 21-19. The speed at which Naraoka played was taking a toll on his endurance, and he was panting wildly but at 5-1 came another chance for the Indian – albeit after a winner that left the crowd agape. Naraoka picked a shuttle low on his backhand flank in the midcourt and recovered so quickly that his forehand push on the next shot on the opposite side found an empty court as Sen was too stunned to react. The Indian made it 6-10 from 1-8 down, erringly believing Naraoka had tired, but once again didn't continue the momentum, and had no answers to crosscourt smashes to his forehand lines. His net sharpness was abysmal and the lifts were lollipops offered to invite smashes. On his net game, Vimal said, 'Lakshya was not sharp at the net and Kodai was comfortable playing him. The shuttle wasn't spinning in dribbles or tumbles leading to errors and lifts were not great,' he said. Sen should have used punch clears to open up the court, for Kodai could only play retrievable drops to the back. 'Either the clears or a good length on the lifts. But it didn't work out.' Sen wasn't unaware of where things were falling apart. 'It was a very physical match for both of us, rallies were very long. First game was important for me. I had my chances in the first. If I had taken maybe pushed it to third. But let's see. He played a very solid game. I feel second set had lot of easy errors from my side. I couldn't really get the length and played too many short length shots from the net,' the 23-year-old, now ranked No 18, told BWF. Of greater concern to Vimal is the health of the Lakshya Sen-smash. It's tepid right now, and costing him games. 'When I speak to him he says shoulder is OK. But maybe back of his mind, he's still wary and hence tentative (about injury). But the big problem is when he comes under the shuttle (ideal position), his hard smashes onnthe body lack sting,' the coach explains. 'Last couple of years it's becoming a little ineffective.' So even if Sen ran around perfectly, anticipated and got under the bird, the smash couldn't get him the winner. 'He tends to play slices and half smashes, but he's not employing the hard smash from good positions. Typically if he hits one and it gets returned, the next two three shots lack the same power and sting so he can't finish the down stroke,' he explains. Closing out sets has been particularly confounding. 'He got tentative at 17-17 and gave away easy points. He needed to be bold there,' Vimal says. A large part of it, is functioning or pushing a higher pace, but the Sen mentality almost shrivels, as if apologetic about taking the set, grabbing the match by its collar. While a confidence crisis is visible, Vimal believes only by gritting it out against big names will he regain confidence. Asked if it could be viewed as a conservative buildup to the World Championship next month, Vimal, always blunt, stated, 'No, losing is a terrible way to build up for wins in a big event. He just needs to train for his strokes harder.' While some might prescribe playing smaller events and winning titles to regain confidence, neither coach nor player would settle for that placebo, and will have to gulp down bitter losses and plod on. 'This level (Super 750) I've played few matches in past 2-3 months,' Sen told BWF. But this is the kind of level I want to play, week in, week out. Definitely this was good experience for me. It will help me in coming tournaments and in World Championships,' Sen hinted at what's whirling in his mind. Sen ceded he knew what was lacking. 'Against Kodai, you have to earn every point. No easy points. He's a very steady player. So you just have to wait for the right chance to …he has a solid defense, so I have to be sharp in my attack,' he said. He next heads to China Open, a Super 1000 at Changzhou. Chastised a little and hungry to prove a point at a big event – that might well add some sting to the smash, though Vimal insists he needs to fight harder.
NDTV
9 hours ago
- NDTV
Bad News For Real Madrid. Rs 979 Crore Star Set To Miss Start Of New LaLiga Season
Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham has undergone successful surgery for a long-standing shoulder issue and is expected to be sidelined for at least six weeks, missing the start of the La Liga. Bellingham has struggled with discomfort in his shoulder since November 2023, when he dislocated it during a LaLiga match, and he has played with a brace under his shirt since then. He had opted to hold off the operation until after the FIFA Club World Cup in order to feature for Madrid in that tournament, where his side was knocked out in the semifinals by eventual runner-up Paris Saint-Germain. "Jude Bellingham has undergone successful surgery today to address recurrent dislocation of his left shoulder. The operation was carried out by doctors Manuel Leyes and Andrew Wallace, under the supervision of the Real Madrid Medical Services. Bellingham will now undergo a period of rehabilitation, prior to returning to training and starting his recovery," the La Liga club said in a statement. The Spanish club, under new manager Xabi Alonso, starts their La Liga season at home to Osasuna on August 19. Bellingham is also expected to miss some Champions League games and likely England's World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia in September. Bellingham has made 100 appearances in all competitions for Madrid since his switch from Borussia Dortmund, bringing up his landmark appearance against PSG last time out. He was signed for $114 million (approx. 979 crore). He has only failed to start four of those matches and has scored 38 goals and provided 27 assists for Los Blancos since his debut season in 2023-2024. Bellingham is expected to be back for the first Clasico of the season against Barcelona in late October, but he is likely to miss Madrid's derby clash with Atletico Madrid on 29 September (AEST).
India Today
11 hours ago
- India Today
Japan Open 2025: Lakshya Sen, Satwik-Chirag eliminated in Round of 16 clash
It was a disappointing day for Indian badminton at the Japan Super 750 tournament on Thursday, July 17, as two of the country's top contenders—Lakshya Sen and the men's doubles duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty—crashed out in the Round of matches ended in straight-set defeats, with neither Indian challenge lasting just under an hour each. Sen went down 19-21, 11-21 to Japan's Kodai Naraoka, while the Satwik-Chirag pair lost 22-24, 14-21 to the Chinese duo of Liang Wei Keng and Wang who was India's best chance at securing a medal for the Paris Olympics, started well and pushed Naraoka in a competitive first game. But the Japanese shuttler raised his level in the second, taking control of the rallies and outplaying Sen, who struggled to find rhythm and consistency. The men's doubles pair faced a similar fate. Despite a sluggish start, Satwik and Chirag managed to stay competitive in the first game, saving multiple game points before narrowly losing 22-24. However, the Chinese pair dominated the second game with greater control and intensity, keeping the Indians on the back foot these losses, India's campaign has taken a major hit. Several key names, including HS Prannoy and PV Sindhu, had already exited the tournament earlier in the week. The spotlight now shifts to Anupama Upadhyaya, who remains India's only remaining contender. She is set to face China's Wang Zhi Yi in her women's singles Round of 16 overall performance of the Indian contingent in Japan has been underwhelming. The form of some of India's top players is beginning to raise concerns. There's no shortage of talent in the squad, but the inability to close out crucial points and sustain intensity over longer matches continues to be a recurring the tour moves ahead, Indian shuttlers will look to regroup quickly and find momentum in the upcoming tournaments.- Ends
