bits and pieces

Incredible Hulk blasts Shanghai to victory

SEOUL: Brazilian forward Hulk blasted Shanghai SIPG to a 1-0 victory over FC Seoul but the big-spending Chinese giants needed to survive a penalty and a red card before winning their AFC Champions League opener on Tuesday.

Hulk’s rocket of a strike on 53 minutes got Andre Villas-Boas’s team off to a winning start in Group F, where they lie second on goal difference after Urawa Red Diamonds’ 4-0 demolition of Western Sydney Wanderers.

In Group E, Kashima Antlers beat Ulsan Hyundai 2-0 and Brisbane Roar were held to a 0-0 home draw by Thailand’s Muangthong United.SIPG have splashed out 60 million euros on Brazilian midfielder Oscar, among other buys, in their bid for glory after they reached last year’s quarter-finals under Sven-Goran Eriksson.But a speculative effort from Hulk and another shot way over the bar from the Brazilian were the closest SIPG came in a tepid first half in front of a noisy Seoul crowd.

Aisam, Petzschner crash out of Open 13 Marseille  

By our correspondent

KARACHI: Pakistan’s top squash player Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and his German partner Philipp Petzschner crashed out of Open 13 Marseille in France on Monday. The unseeded pair of Aisam and Philipp, ranked 32nd and 108th, respectively, lost to the unseeded duo of Robin Haase from Netherlands and Dominic Inglot of Great Britain 6-7(5), 3-6 in the first round of men’s doubles event of this ATP-250 event.

‘Players right behind Enrique’: Pique

BARCELONA: Under-fire Barcelona coach Luis Enrique has the total support of his players, influential central defender Gerard Pique insisted on Monday.

Pique was keen to rally fans to the cause after they had booed the team during a 2-1 league win over lowly Leganes on Sunday, as the fallout from a 4-0 Champions League first-leg last-16 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain last week turned ugly.

“All the players are completely behind the coach,” Pique said of Enrique, who bore the brunt of criticsm after the PSG thrashing and who had a good share of the boos on Sunday.“When the fans come here to the stadium we want their support,” Pique said.

“Sometimes we get it right, and sometimes not. But this is the same coach that led us to the treble,” Pique said, reminding fans of the 2015 feat Enrique managed in his debut season, winning the Champions League, La Liga and Copa del Rey.

The current coach took over after Pep Guardiola’s reign was followed by more modest success from Tito Villanova, who won a league title and Gerardo Martino, who won nothing.

Pique, a World Cup and European Championship winner, admitted Barcelona had been below par of late.“We’ve been unrecognisable, unable to hold possession, but trust me we’re the ones hurting most.” 

Nazeer Hussain University beat Indus University  

By our correspondent 

KARACHI: Nazeer Hussain University (NHU) defeated Indus University (IU) in an exhibition match by 27 runs.

Batting first, NHU scored 169.  Amanullah (50) and Moiz Khan (35) were the leading scorers. Bilal took three wickets and Faraz got two. IU were bowled out for 142 runs.  Saleem scored 63. Umar Aftab grabbed five wickets. Amanullah took three and Moneeb Ahmed got two.

Russia names Smertin as anti-racism watchdog

MOSCOW: Russian football has put former Chelsea midfielder Alexei Smertin in charge of its investigations inton racism as the country seeks to clean its image ahead of the World Cup next year.

Smertin, also an ex-captain of the national team, has been named inspector on racism and discrimination. He has in the past denied that the country has a problem.“I will do my best to leave no place for racism and discrimination in the football history of my country,” Smertin, who also played for Fulham and the French side Bordeaux, said in a statement.

“Moments of intolerance to racial differences that occur in the world of football are a major international problem.”Widespread racism in Russian football is in the international microscope in the run-up to the World Cup. Authorities are often accused of turning a blind eye to abuse of black players.