Bits and Pieces

 Veltman at the double as Netherlands thump Ivory Coast

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands: Defender Joel Veltman scored twice as the Netherlands found form with a record 5-0 win over Ivory Coast in their international friendly here on Sunday.

Goals from Arjen Robben, Davy Klaassen and Vincent Janssen compounded the misery for the Ivorians, who suffered their heaviest ever defeat in international football.

The result is a boost for returning Dutch manager Dick Advocaat, who takes over the side from caretaker Fred Grim after this fixture and is hoping to bring confidence back to the team as they look to rekindle their World Cup qualification campaign.

Veltman netted the opener on 13 minutes when he was left unmarked at a corner and stooped to head past Ivorian goalkeeper Badra Ali Sangare, one of two home-based players in their squad.

The Netherlands were given an opportunity to double their advantage when Janssen was upended in the box by Sangare and Robben converted the penalty.

Veltman’s second also came from a corner as the ball was played short to Robben and his in-swinger to the back post was guided home by the defender.

Gaping holes were beginning to appear in the 2015 African champions’ defence and when Janssen got to the byline and pulled the ball back towards the penalty spot on 69 minutes, Klaassen was all alone to side-foot the ball into the net.

It was 5-0 six minutes later when Janssen grabbed the goal his performance deserved as Sangare could only parry a shot from Georginio Wijnaldum into his path, and the Tottenham Hotspur forward buried the rebound.

Friends CC edge Opera CC in KG Ramazan T20

By our correspondent

KARACHI: Friends Cricket Club edged out Opera Cricket Club by 12 runs in their Group D encounter of the Omar Associates Karachi Gymkhana Ramazan Festival Twenty20 here at the Karachi Gymkhana Cricket Ground on Monday.

Batting first, after winning the toss, Friends CC posted a fighting total of 139 for eight in the allotted 20 overs. Skipper Ayaz Jamali, adjudged Man of the Match, emerged the top-scorer with 28 off 25 balls and Bilal Arshad contributed 24 off as many balls.

Opera CC’s spin quartet of Usman Shah (3-14), Ashar Qureshi (2-19), Mohammad Taha (2-24) and Rizwan Qureshi (2-35) picked up wickets at regular intervals to prevent their opponents from running away with it.

Opera CC appeared on course of winning the game at the halfway stage of their innings but they lost momentum after the loss of Ashar Qureshi, who clobbered three sixes and two fours in his 35 off 23 balls. Mohammad Zohaib remained undefeated on 32 off 30 balls but his team finished 13 runs short of the target as Friends CC’s spin duo of Shams Qazi (2-18) and Ali Asghar (2-19) tightened the screws.

Hazard to miss Belgium matches after fracturing ankle

BRUSSELS, Belgium: Belgium midfielder Eden Hazard sustained an ankle fracture in training and will miss this week’s international matches, the Belgian Football Association confirmed on Sunday.

Hazard, who scored 16 goals and provided five assists to help Chelsea win the Premier League, is ruled out of his country’s friendly against Czech Republic and a World Cup qualifier against Estonia.

“Eden Hazard will miss both games with Belgium this week due to an ankle injury which he suffered during this afternoon’s training session,” Belgium team media officer Stefan Van Loock said in a statement.

“Medical imaging showed that the injury is an ankle fracture (right ankle),” he added without giving a timeline for the 26-year-old’s recovery.

Belgium have won four of five 2018 World Cup qualifying matches to lead UEFA Group H on 13 points, two points ahead of second-placed Greece.

Van Niekerk wins 200m in Boston

BOSTON, Massachusetts: South Africa’s Wayde Van Niekerk and Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas each captured their 200 metre races on the second day of a track and field event here on Sunday.

The 24-year-old Van Niekerk, who is the reigning World and Olympic champion in the 400m, clocked a winning time of 19.84 on a temporary built track to beat runner-up BeeJay Lee (20.17) at the Boston Boost Games.

Because the competition was run on a straight line instead of the traditional curved track and field surface, the time will not be listed in 2017 International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) records.

“I still have a lot of work ahead of me,” said Van Niekerk, of Cape Town, who will run the 200m next weekend in Kingston, Jamaica. “But it is a positive result.”

The reigning Olympic champion in the 400m, Miller-Uibo, won the women’s 200m with a time of 21.76. She beat the Americans Natasha Hastings (22.50) and Kimberlyn Duncan (22.81). Miller-Uibo’s time was also boosted because the race was run in a straight line.