Sports

SEOUL: Neymar scored two calmly taken penalties to move to within four goals of Pele at the top of the country’s all-time scoring list as fired a World Cup warning with a 5-1 thrashing of fellow qualifiers South Korea at Seoul World Cup Stadium on Thursday. Neymar’s status for the match had been up in the air after he suffered …

PARIS: Iga Swiatek romped into her second French Open final on Thursday and will face Coco Gauff for the title after the teenager became the youngest Grand Slam finalist since 2004. World number one Swiatek, the 2020 Roland Garros champion, cruised to a dominant 6-2, 6-1 semi-final victory over Russian Daria Kasatkina after just 64 minutes on Court Philippe Chatrier. …

LAHORE: Leading Pakistan trio of vice-captain Shadab Khan, wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan and pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi said the visiting West Indies team will not be pushovers. Interacting with the reporters on Thursday ahead of Pakistan’s three-match One-day International series starting next week, they said that Pakistan were well-prepared for the task ahead even if the West Indies are due …

LONDON: New England captain Ben Stokes said he wanted everyone in the side to “feel free” under his leadership as James Anderson and Stuart Broad were recalled for the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s starting here on Thursday. Stokes has taken over as skipper from Joe Root, with England on a woeful run of one win in 17 …

JAKARTA: Pakistan ended their Asia Cup campaign on a winning note, hammering Bangladesh 8-0 to win the fifth-place match of the Asia Cup here at the GBK Sports Arena on Wednesday. Missing out on the Super 4s stage at the Asia Cup had seen Pakistan miss out on qualification for next year’s World Cup but in their final match of …

KARACHI: Sri Lanka women fell prey to Ghulam Fatima’s leg-spin show as Pakistan drew first blood in the three-match One-day International series here at the Southend Club on Wednesday. The spinner registered her career-best figures of 4-21 in 10 overs, helping Pakistan restrict Sri Lanka to 169, before the hosts’ captain Bismah Maroof and Sidra Ameen ensured they chased it …

LAHORE: While terming the extremely hot weather currently prevailing in Multan a challenge for the players during the forthcoming ODI series against West Indies, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam on Wednesday said he was targeting a clean sweep against the Caribbean side whom he called dangerous. “Definitely it [hot weather] will be a challenge in Multan where we have played T20 …

LONDON: Brendon McCullum will have an immediate impact on England’s Test team but fans may need to be patient for the results to come, New Zealand head coach Gary Stead said. Former New Zealand captain McCullum has taken the reins of England for the two-Test series against his former team, which starts at Lord’s on Thursday. Along with new England …

PARIS: Teenage star Coco Gauff and Martina Trevisan, a seasoned Italian professional who rebuilt her career after conquering anorexia, reached their maiden Grand Slam semi-finals here at the French Open on Tuesday. Gauff, who burst onto the scene as a 15-year-old history-maker at Wimbledon three years ago, defeated fellow American Sloane Stephens 7-5, 6-2. Trevisan needed three sets to see …

KARACHI: Four years on, Lahore will once again host the FIFA World Cup trophy. The organisers of the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour announced on Tuesday that the prestigious golden trophy, which depicts two fingers supporting a globe, will arrive in Lahore on June 7 instead of Islamabad, which was originally slated to host it. A short news release announcing …