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Thunder roar Portugal win past Suns over Serbia TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 2015 15 18 India’s women athletes box, shoot, wrestle for recognition Page 17 ABU DHABI: Colombia’s Falcao Garcia (middle) fights for the ball with Kuwait’s Saleh Al Hendi (right) and Fahad Al Hajri during a friendly match.— AP Falcao equals goals record in win over Kuwait Cameroon defeat Thailand ABU DHABI: Striker Radamel Falcao Aguilar in the 22nd minute. United this season. Deeprom’s score and Aurelien Chedjou’s own- is a humiliation for Cameroon,” Milla told the equalised Colombia’s international goals Defender Mesaed Al Enezi equalised at a Meanwhile, Cameroon scraped a 3-2 goal gave Thailand a 2-0 lead. Benjamin domestic media. “How can a country like record with a 74th-minute penalty in his corner on the stroke of halftime and substi- friendly international win yesterday over Moukandjo pulled one goal back before half- Cameroon pick such football nonentities to country’s 3-1 away win over Kuwait in a tute Edwin Cardona restored the third- Thailand-a team World Cup legend Roger time and Clinton N’Jie equalised from a penal- play international friendly matches against? “I friendly yesterday. ranked South Americans’ lead in the 68th. Milla dismissed as “football nonentities”. ty with 13 minutes left. do not know why the national association Falcao took his tally to 24 in 56 interna- Falcao, quoted by the Colombian daily El It took an 88th-minute match-winner Victory completed a two-win Asian tour organised friendly games against them- tionals, level with former striker Arnoldo Tiempo, suggested the record was not on his from defender Ngweni Ndassi Kadiang to sal- for Cameroon after a 1-0 success in Indonesia- maybe they need some funds. Iguaran, with his third goal in two matches mind when he took the penalty after being vage pride for the four-time African champi- ranked even lower than Thailand-last “It is a shame as we do not need friendly on tour in the Middle East after a brace in brought down on the edge of the box. ons in Bangkok after they trailed by two Wednesday. Milla, whose goals and corner- games against such teams.” Milla, brought out Colombia’s 6-0 rout of Bahrain last Thursday. “The fact is you’re concentrated in taking goals. flag dance celebrations lit up the 1990 World of semi-retirement on the Indian Ocean Colombia, warming up for the Copa America (the penalty) and thank God I was able to Although 93 places below Cameroon in Cup in Italy where Cameroon became the first island of Reunion to play in Italy, said Thailand in Chile from June 11-July 4, took the lead score,” said Falcao, who has struggled to hold the world rankings, the Thai ‘War Elephants’ African quarter-finalists, was furious about and Indonesia were not good enough oppo- with a volley by holding midfielder Abel down a first team place at Manchester rocked the ‘Indomitable Lions’ when Prakit the tour. “Confronting Indonesia and Thailand sition for Cameroon. —Agencies Nadal crashes out in Miami MIAMI: A struggling and edgy Rafa who eliminated Argentina’s Nadal crashed out of the Miami Open Leonardo Mayer 6-4, 6-4. in the third round on Sunday, losing “Hopefully I can win some more 6-4 2-6 6-3 to fellow Spaniard throughout my career,” Murray said. Fernando Verdasco. “Maybe it doesn’t happen in a couple The 31-year-old Verdasco, who is of days. I hope it does. But if not, ranked 34th in the world, has now then, you know, I’m sure at some won his last two matches against stage I will get there. world number three Nadal, after the “I obviously want to try and win 14-time grand slam winner had won more, and hopefully still have quite a their previous 13 meetings. “It is a few years ahead of me left to add to huge victory and it is always nice to that number. It’s a lot of wins. It’s not win in a packed stadium in a big tour- easy these days to win that many nament and against one of the best matches, so that’s a good sign.” Third players in history,” said Verdasco. seed Murray, the 2012 US Open and Verdasco caused problems from 2013 Wimbledon winner, needed five the outset and broke in the eighth match points over two games to game, helped by a double fault from claim the victory, his third in four Nadal. Nadal battled back in the sec- meetings with Giraldo. The Scot ond set, breaking Verdasco twice and advanced on a let cord bounce after KEY BISCAYNE: CiCi Bellis returns the ball to Serena Williams during their match pushing the contest into a third set. a run of unforced errors on his previ- at the Miami Open tennis tournament. — AP The contest turned decisively in ous winning chances. Verdasco’s direction when he broke “I played well, I thought it was a to go 3-1 up in the third set. Nadal good performance,” said Murray. “I hit Serena thrashes teen has never won in Miami, with his 11 the ball pretty clean. “He came out attempts his longest streak of and started swinging a bit towards MIAMI: Serena Williams crushed a Svetlana Kuznetsova, a winner over German attempts at a tournament without a the end of the match and made it a teenaged talent less than half her age 13th seed Angelique Kerber 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. victory and he said he was con- little bit tricky, but I thought for the Sunday to reach the fourth round of the ATP Williams, bidding for a third consecutive cerned that he was nervous when most part I played very well.” and WTA Miami Open, defeating American Miami title, stretched her win streak to 14 playing. Murray won in 84 minutes, break- Catherine Bellis 6-1, 6-1. matches at Crandon Park. Her career Miami “I am playing with too much ing three times and hitting 19 win- The 15-year-old US challenger was no record now stands at 69-7. nerves for a lot of moments, in ners took advance. Against match for the 33-year-old American, a 19- Williams wrapped up the affair in 41 important moments, playing a little Anderson, Murray has three wins time grand slam champion who is bidding minutes with 15 winners and five breaks of bit of anxious in those moments,” he KEY BISCAYNE: Fernando Verdasco, of Spain, waves to the crowd from four matches, the last in for a record eighth trophy at her home the prodigy’s serve. Bellis committed 21 said. Valencia last year. after his match against Rafael Nadal at the Miami Open tennis event. unforced errors. “I have been able to control my “He’s obviously used to these con- tournament. — AP Bellis, the junior world number one, “If you break down her age and her abili- emotions during, let’s say, 90-95 per- ditions here. He lives 45 minutes found herself in a major test against the ty and how well I think she handled the cent of the matches in my career, Mannarino. Czech Tomas Berdych fourth round of the ATP and WTA away, so he plays and practices in this game’s current dominator in her first WTA moment and how well she played, I think it today it was tougher to be under self saved four match points as he beat Miami Open. weather a lot,” Murray said of his next appearance since the US Open, where she was good,” Williams said. “She’s young and control. “But I am going to fix it. I Australia’s Bernard Tomic 6-7(4) 7-6(3) The 27-year-old Scotsman, who foe. “I won’t have as much of an upset Dominika Cibulkova. her being an American, you want to see don’t know if in one week, in six 6-1. won the Miami title in 2009 and advantage against him as maybe World number one Williams is compet- people like her do well. When you’re up months, or in one year, but I am Meanwhile, Britain’s Andy Murray 2013, would become the ninth active some of the guys, because he’s used ing in Miami for the 15th time since debut- against them, you have to kind of put that going to do it.” In another upset, sev- won his 499th career match on player to reach 500 victories if he to the conditions here. It will be a ing as a teenager herself in 1998, a year aside, even though I’m always cheering for enth seed Stan Wawrinka lost 7-6(4) Sunday, downing Colombian wins his next match against South tough match.” Murray trains in Miami before Bellis was born. her. Otherwise I have to put it aside and 7-6(5) to 28th-seed Adrian Santiago Giraldo 6-3, 6-4 to reach the African 15th seed Kevin Anderson, during the off-season. —AFP Top-seed Williams will next face Russian play the match.” — Reuters.