Juventus Draw with Sporting to Book Europa Semi-final Spot

Soccer Football - Europa League - Quarter Final - Second Leg - Sporting CP v Juventus - Estadio Jose Alvalade, Lisbon, Portugal - April 20, 2023 Juventus' Wojciech Szczesny and Angel Di Maria celebrate after the match REUTERS/Rodrigo Antunes
Soccer Football - Europa League - Quarter Final - Second Leg - Sporting CP v Juventus - Estadio Jose Alvalade, Lisbon, Portugal - April 20, 2023 Juventus' Wojciech Szczesny and Angel Di Maria celebrate after the match REUTERS/Rodrigo Antunes
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Juventus Draw with Sporting to Book Europa Semi-final Spot

Soccer Football - Europa League - Quarter Final - Second Leg - Sporting CP v Juventus - Estadio Jose Alvalade, Lisbon, Portugal - April 20, 2023 Juventus' Wojciech Szczesny and Angel Di Maria celebrate after the match REUTERS/Rodrigo Antunes
Soccer Football - Europa League - Quarter Final - Second Leg - Sporting CP v Juventus - Estadio Jose Alvalade, Lisbon, Portugal - April 20, 2023 Juventus' Wojciech Szczesny and Angel Di Maria celebrate after the match REUTERS/Rodrigo Antunes

An early goal by midfielder Adrien Rabiot earned Juventus a 1-1 draw with Sporting in an entertaining Europa League clash on Thursday to win their quarter-final 2-1 on aggregate and set up a semi-final clash with Sevilla.

Juventus, who saw their 15-point deduction in Serie A over the club's transfer dealings scrapped earlier on Thursday pending a new trial, had earned a 1-0 victory in the first leg with a second-half goal by defender Federico Gatti, Reuters reported.

They will meet Sevilla in the semi-finals, with the Italians at home first on May 11 before the return leg in Spain on May 18, after the Spanish side knocked out Manchester United 5-2 on aggregate.

"We suffered, we did good things in the second half at the beginning, but we have to do better when it comes to our chances," Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri said.

"We knew it would be difficult but we are bringing home a good result.

"I expected Sevilla (in the semi-finals) to be honest. They are a tricky team... They have won so many Europa Leagues so they definitely have an advantage. The signs from the last game (in Manchester) were in their favour, I had that feeling."

Juventus took an early lead through Rabiot who netted from close range after nine minutes following a corner.

Sporting winger Marcus Edwards equalised from the penalty spot in the 20th minute when he sent Juve keeper Wojciech Szczesny the wrong way with a strike into the middle of the goal after Rabiot was penalised for a tackle on Manuel Ugarte.

The Lisbon side had hit the woodwork moments before.

Sporting came close to taking a surprise lead and levelling the tie in the 35th minute when defender Ousmane Diomande connected with a corner but his header narrowly missed the target.

Just before halftime, Sporting winger Nuno Santos tried to square the ball inside the box coming from the left but Juve defender Gleison Bremer blocked the threat right in front of the diving Szczesny.

After the break Sporting pressed with confidence for possession but they squandered three more opportunities to level the match.

Ruben Amorim's side should have found the net in the 75th minute when defender Ricardo Esgaio latched on to a pass on the edge of the box only to see his volley fly over the bar, while Sebastian Coates spurned two more chances minutes from time.

Sporting have now completed a run of five home European matches without a win for the first time in the club's history, having recorded two losses and two draws in their previous four.

They have lost each of their last seven ties with Italian clubs.



Olympics in India a ‘Dream’ Facing Many Hurdles

A laborer fixes the Olympic signage at the entrance of a venue ahead of the upcoming 141st International Olympic Committee (IOC) session in Mumbai on October 11, 2023. (AFP)
A laborer fixes the Olympic signage at the entrance of a venue ahead of the upcoming 141st International Olympic Committee (IOC) session in Mumbai on October 11, 2023. (AFP)
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Olympics in India a ‘Dream’ Facing Many Hurdles

A laborer fixes the Olympic signage at the entrance of a venue ahead of the upcoming 141st International Olympic Committee (IOC) session in Mumbai on October 11, 2023. (AFP)
A laborer fixes the Olympic signage at the entrance of a venue ahead of the upcoming 141st International Olympic Committee (IOC) session in Mumbai on October 11, 2023. (AFP)

India says it wants the 2036 Olympics in what is seen as an attempt by Narendra Modi to cement his legacy, but the country faces numerous challenges to host the biggest show on earth.

The prime minister says staging the Games in a nation where cricket is the only sport that really matters is the "dream and aspiration" of 1.4 billion people.

Experts say it is more about Modi's personal ambitions and leaving his mark on the world stage, while also sending a message about India's political and economic rise.

Modi, who is also pushing for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, will be 86 in 2036.

"Hosting the Olympics will, in a way, burnish India's credentials as a global power," said academic Ronojoy Sen, author of "Nation at Play", a history of sport in India.

"The current government wants to showcase India's rise and its place on the global high table, and hosting the Olympic Games is one way to do it."

Already the most populous nation, India is on track to become the world's third-biggest economy long before the planned Olympics.

- Olympics in 50-degree heat? -

India submitted a formal letter of intent to the International Olympic Committee in October, but has not said where it wants to hold the Games.

Local media are tipping Ahmedabad in Modi's home state of Gujarat, a semi-arid region where temperatures surge above 50 degrees Celsius (122F) in summer.

Gujarat state has already floated a company, the Gujarat Olympic Planning and Infrastructure Corporation, with a $710 million budget.

Ahmedabad has about six million people, its heart boasting a UNESCO-listed 15th-century wall which sprawls out into a rapidly growing metropolis.

The city is home to a 130,000-seater arena, the world's biggest cricket stadium, named after Modi. It staged the 2023 Cricket World Cup final.

The city is also the headquarters of the Adani Group conglomerate, headed by billionaire tycoon and Modi's close friend Gautam Adani.

Adani was the principal sponsor for the Indian team at this summer's Paris Olympics, where the country's athletes won one silver and five bronze medals.

- 'Window of opportunity' -

Despite its vast population India's record at the Olympics is poor for a country of its size, winning only 10 gold medals in its history.

Sports lawyer Nandan Kamath said hosting an Olympics was an "unprecedented window of opportunity" to strengthen Indian sport.

"I'd like to see the Olympics as a two-week-long wedding event," he said.

"A wedding is a gateway to a marriage. The work you do before the event, and all that follows, solidifies the relationship."

Outside cricket, which will be played at the Los Angeles Games in 2028, Indian strengths traditionally include hockey and wrestling.

New Delhi is reported to be pushing for the inclusion at the Olympics of Indian sports including kabaddi and kho kho -- tag team sports -- and yoga.

Retired tennis pro Manisha Malhotra, a former Olympian and now talent scout, agreed that global sporting events can boost grassroots sports but worries India might deploy a "top-down" approach.

"Big money will come in for the elite athletes, the 2036 medal hopefuls, but it will probably end at that," said Malhotra, president of the privately funded training center, the Inspire Institute of Sport.

Veteran sports journalist Sharda Ugra said India's underwhelming sports record -- apart from cricket -- was "because of its governance structure, sporting administrations and paucity of events".

"So then, is it viable for us to be building large stadiums just because we are going to be holding the Olympics?

"The answer is definitely no."

The Indian Olympic Association is split between two rival factions, with its president P.T. Usha admitting to "internal challenges" to any bid.

- 'Poor reputation' -

After Los Angeles, Brisbane will stage the 2032 Games.

The United States and Australia both have deep experience of hosting major sporting events, including previous Olympics.

India has staged World Cups for cricket and the Asian Games twice, the last time in 1982, but it has never had an event the size of an Olympics.

Many are skeptical it can successfully pull it off.

The 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi were marked by construction delays, substandard infrastructure and accusations of corruption.

Many venues today are in a poor state.

"India will need serious repairing of its poor reputation on punctuality and cleanliness," The Indian Express daily wrote in an editorial.

"While stadium aesthetics look pretty in PowerPoint presentations and 3D printing, leaking roofs or sub-par sustainability goals in construction won't help in India making the cut."