India women go down 1-4 against United States

JOHANNESBURG : The US women’s hockey team made a powerful comeback to score three goals in the final 20 minutes as they beat India 4-1 in their second Pool B match in the women’s Hockey World League Semi-Final.

There was plenty of action in the first quarter with the US keeping India’s goalkeeper Savita busy at the post. A smart referral call by Rani appealing that there was a back stick by the defender in her attempt to stop Rani from driving into the circle, saw India win their first PC. However, an variation didn’t pay off as Deep Grace Ekka’s strike lacked the power to carry it past the keeper. While both teams traded PCs at the start of the third quarter, it was a quick-thinking Monika, dribbling into the circle, who found Lilima Minz positioned perfectly to deflect. Minz made no mistake as she scored the equaliser in the 38th minute.

Though India played on par with the higher-ranked US in the first two quarters, the equaliser saw US change gears to put India under the burner.

KITTEL WINS STAGE 10

BERGERAC: German rider Marcel Kittel won the 10th stage of the Tour de France in a sprint finish on Tuesday, while Chris Froome stayed safely in the main pack to retain the race leader’s yellow jersey.

A sprint specialist, Kittel perfectly timed his effort in the final straight to post his fourth stage win since the start of the race, crossing the line ahead of fellow German John Degenkolb.

The stage took the peloton on a flat, 178-kilometer (111-mile) run from Perigueux to Bergerac in southwestern France. Froome, the three-time Tour champion, will be wearing the yellow jersey for the 50th time on Wednesday.