Briefly: Punjab blank Mohammedan, climb to third in ISL

Punjab FC posted a comfortable 2-0 victory over Mohammedan SC to move to the third position in the points table of the Indian Super League here on Friday. Second half goals from Luka Majcen and Filip Mrzljak ensured the Shers secure their sixth win of the season.

Pune

Tamil Thalaivas thrash Gujarat Giants 40-27 in PKL

Moein Shafaghi produced a fine show as Tamil Thalaivas cruised to a 40-27 victory over Gujarat Giants in one of their biggest wins in the Pro Kabaddi League here on Friday. It was all one-way traffic as Shafaghi scored 13 points and Sourabh Fagare and Himanshu added 7 each. For the Giants, Himanshu Singh finished with 11 points.

Miami

Messi named MLS Most Valuable Player

Lionel Messi has been named the 2024 Landon Donovan MLS Most Valuable Player following a campaign in which he captained Inter Miami to their first-ever Supporters’ Shield as top club in the regular season, the league said on Friday. In his first full MLS season after joining Miami in July 2023, Messi scored 20 goals in 19 matches while his club set a league record with a 74-point campaign.

Melbourne

Nagal earns direct entry in Australian Open

Indian tennis star Sumit Nagal is set for his fifth appearance in a Grand Slam after earning a direct entry for the main draw of next year’s Australian Open. The 98th-ranked Nagal, who features in the entry list released by Tennis Australia on Friday, had to go through the qualifying rounds in the competition’s previous edition.

New Delhi

India go down fighting against Japan, miss semis berth

India struck 15 goals against Japan but that proved insufficient as the former champions won 48-15 to advance to the semifinals of the Asian Women’s Handball Championship here on Thursday. India will now face Singapore in the 5-8th place classification on Sunday, with the winners to play either China or Hong Kong to determine their final standings.

BOURNEMOUTH

Huijsen heads Bournemouth to win over ragged Tottenham

Bournemouth teenager Dean Huijsen’s first Premier League goal secured his side a deserved 1-0 home victory over a lacklustre Tottenham Hotspur to send the south coast club into the top half of the table. The 19-year-old defender was left completely unmarked to head in Marcus Tavernier’s corner in the 17th minute and that proved enough to send Bournemouth above a chronically inconsistent Tottenham team.