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FOOTBALL
India U-17 men beat Atletico Madrileno U-16s in practice game
The India U-17 men’s team registered a 2-1 victory over Atletico de Madrileno U-16s in a practice game at the Alcala de Henares, in Madrid.
The India U-17s are currently playing a series of practice matches as part of their preparation for the AFC U-17 Asian Cup 2023, which will take place in Thailand in June.
Thanglalsoun Gangte and Lalpekhlua scored early in the second half for India, before Tallon pulled one back for the local team on Thursday.
The hosts began the match on the front foot, as India dug deep in the opening exchanges to keep the scores level.
However, India were ready to shift gears on the counter, and got a chance in the third minute itself, when they broke off a Faizan Waheed clearance and Gogocha proceeded up the pitch to feed a cross to Gangte, who shot wide.
Gangte was in the thick of things again, this time at the other end of the pitch, in the 23rd minute, when he cleared an Atletico corner.
The two teams kept going to and fro at each other, before Omang got an opportunity to put his side forward with a little over five minutes of regulation time left in the first half. However, his shot was saved by Atletico keeper Dani.
India keeper Julfikar Gazi was also called into action late in the first half, as he kept the scores at 0-0 before the breather. The Spanish side began on the front foot in the second half as well, and Gazi had to make an acrobatic save early on to keep them out in the 53rd minute.
As it happens in a training game, India head coach Bibiano Fernandes brought in a host of changes a couple of minutes later, as Danny Meitei, Gurnaj Grewal, Vanlalpeka Guite, Korou Singh, Lalpekhlua, Thokchom, and Ricky Meetei replaced Prachit, Rohen, Omang, Lemment, Gogocha, Faizan Waheed, and Dhanajit, respectively.
Interestingly, the changes turned the game around for the Blue Colts, and India took the lead as Korou passed it for Gangte, who took his chance with aplomb. Having taken the lead, the Korou-Gangte duo worked their magic once again, just four minutes later.
Korou sent in a cross for Gangte, and this time, the latter, instead of going for the goal himself, left it for Lalpekhlua, to make it 2-0.
Atletico pulled one back through substitute Tallon in the 78th minute, but India held on to register their second win in the three practice matches they have played so far in Spain.
-PTI
GOLF
Chouhan birdies last hole to card even par at Abu Dhabi Challenge
India’s Om Prakash Chouhan, playing a European Challenge Tour event in foreign soil for the first time, picked a birdie on the very last hole to card an even par 71 in the opening round of the Abu Dhabi Challenge.
Winner of the Duncan Taylor Black Bull Challenge last month on European Challenge Tour, Chouhan is slated to play back-to-back events in Abu Dhabi as he seeks to consolidate his position on the Order of Merit, from where the top 20 will go on to earn a card into the DP World Tour.
Chouhan is currently ninth in the standings.
Chouhan had two birdies against two bogeys and was lying tied 61st which was just inside the cutline.
Starting from the first nine, he bogeyed the sixth, but made amends on the eighth. He again dropped a shot on 10th but finished the round with a birdie on Par-5 18th.
England’s Tom Lewis posted an eight under par round of 64 to take a one shot lead after the opening day.
Lewis birdied two of his final three holes to take the outright lead, one ahead of Dubai resident Joshua Grenville-Wood and Frenchman Julien Sale, who both carded seven under par rounds of 65.
Spaniard Ivan Cantero Gutierrez posted a six under par round of 66 to move into fourth place on six under par.
The Road to Mallorca Order of Merit Number One Ugo Coussaud continued his strong start to the season as he posted a five under par round of 67 to move into a share of fifth place alongside Swedish duo Joel Sjoholm and Niklas Lemke, Italian Andrea Pavan and South African Brandon Stone.
The back-to-back events in Abu Dhabi have come about following a long-term partnership between the European Tour group and the Emirates Golf Federation.
-PTI
Modest start for Arjun Atwal in Mexico
Continuing to divide his time between the PGA TOUR and the PGA Champions Tour, India’s Arjun Atwal opened his campaign with a one-under 70 to lie tied 65th at the Mexico Open.
Atwal, who turned 50 last month to become eligible for the PGA Champions Tour, had two birdies, one of them on his closing 18th hole against one birdie.
Atwal, who recently finished T-11 on his Seniors debut, is playing his seventh event of the season, where he will complete 20 years next season.
American Indian Akshay Bhatia (68) was T-31st, while Aaron Rai was T-81 with a score of 71.
Two Koreans — Sung Kang and S H Kim — were the best Asians alongside China’s Carl Yuan and Marty Dou Cheng. All of them carded 2-under 69 each and were Tied-50th.
Austin Smotherman, who won the Mexico Open in 2018, when it was part of the PGA TOUR Latinoamerica schedule, finished with four straight birdies for an 8-under 63 and a one-shot lead over Erik van Rooyen and Tano Goya. Smotherman played bogey-free at Vidanta Vallarta.
Van Rooyen played his final five holes in four-under and it included an eagle on the par-4 15th when he holed out from 141 yards.
Masters champion Jon Rahm, who won the Mexico Open at Vidanta in 2022, had five birdies on his last 11 holes to overcome a slow start for a 67. Tony Finau was among five players at 65.
The Mexico Open, which started in 1944, has had past winners like the legendary Ben Crenshaw, Billy Casper, Lee Trevino, Bobby Locke and Roberto De Vicenzo.
-PTI
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