World number one batter Babar Azam and Iftikhar Ahmed scored punishing hundreds as Pakistan annihilated Nepal by 238 runs in the opening game of the Asia Cup in Multan on Wednesday.

KATHMANDU, May 10: Jawalakhel Youth Club has reached the final of the fourth edition of Nepal Ice Sindhu Cup Football Tournament defeating the host team Youth Sports Club in the second semifinal match played at Basantpur Ground in Sindhupalchowk on Thursday.

KATHMANDU, May 10: Yet another season of Surya Nepal Golf Tour is coming to its end with the Surya Nepal Premier Golf Championship next week.

POKHARA, April 28: Japan’s Makoto Odakura has won the first Asian Cup Triathlon Championship held in Pokhara on Saturday. He completed the 20 km cycling, 750 meters swimming and 5 km race in 54 minutes and 17 seconds to win the title.

LONDON, Aug 4: The players finished their soccer matches and huddled waiting to discover who would have to undergo doping tests. The random draw completed, two men went off to provide urine samples.

KATHMANDU, July 31: Departmental teams Armed Police Force (APF) and Tribhuvan Army Club of Nepal Army are locking horns for the title of Vice President Cup Women’s National League Football Tournament on Tuesday.

Qatar's World Cup team used a secret "black operations" propaganda campaign to undermine rival bids in violation of FIFA rules, a British Sunday broadsheet has reported.

KATHMANDU, July 28: The qualifying event for Asia Cup 2018 has been shifted to Malaysia, where top six Asian associate nations will compete to earn a spot in the forthcoming marquee Asian cricket event in September. The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) revealed the change in venue, from India to Malaysia, through their official twitter handle and website on Friday.

RUSSIA, July 27: The Russian football authorities are set to extend national team coach Stanislav Cherchesov’s contract for at least a further two years, following the team's impressive World Cup campaign. Cherchesov, 54, recently guided Russia to the World Cup quarter-finals and will be rewarded for his success with an extension of his contract on a ‘2+2’ basis, according to TASS.

In geopolitical terms, if one were to name just two winners this year, the titles would have to go to Russia and France

KATHMANDU, July 25: The schedule for the Asia Cup 2018 has been confirmed to run from 15 to 25 September at the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Test nations Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will take on each other to inaugurate the marquee Asian cricket championship at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

July 24:  Jose Mourinho believes the World Cup environment helped bring out the best in Paul Pogba and the Manchester United manager wants the France midfielder to show the same focus and intensity at the Premier League club.

RABAT. July 21:  African football will conduct a soul-searching session at a two-day symposium in Morocco after all five of the continent’s sides failed to get over the first hurdle at the World Cup.

KATHMANDU, July 18: A lot of dramas, an action-packed final, the rise of the underdogs and just the second-time winner of the most coveted trophy in football concluded Russia’s 2017 FIFA World Cup. France won the all European final with an astounding 4-2 victory over Croatia at the Luzhniki Stadium on Sunday.

DOHA, July 16: The roads here can be impervious to GPS navigation. Drive around the city, and the green line on the screen will start interlacing into useless shapes. The robot voice will begin to contradict itself.

July 16: France clinched its second World Cup title with a 4-2 win over Croatia in a dramatic final in Moscow featuring a series of firsts and a pitch invasion orchestrated by Russian protest group Pussy Riot.

MOSCOW, July 16: France won the World Cup for the second time in spectacular style on Sunday as a 4-2 victory over Croatia in one of the most entertaining and action-packed finals for decades ended the battling outsiders’ dreams of a first title.

MOSCOW, July 15: Kylian Mbappe and France put on a thrilling show in winning the World Cup title. All Russian President Vladimir Putin might remember is the Pussy Riot protest.

MOSCOW, July 15: Russian punk band ‘Pussy Riot’ claimed responsibility for a pitch invasion during the soccer World Cup final in Moscow on Sunday, after four people briefly interrupted the game.

MOSCOW, July 15: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday handed over the mantle of World Cup host to the emir of Qatar, whose country will stage the 2022 edition of the tournament.

KRASNOYARSK, July 15: Buyan, a brown bear kept in a Siberian zoo, has predicted that Croatia will defeat France in Sunday’s World Cup final.

France v Croatia

MOSCOW, July 13: Experienced Argentine official Nestor Pitana will referee the World Cup final between France and Croatia at the Luzhniki Stadium on Sunday, an uncontroversial decision which rewards his authoritative performances in Russia.

Pep Guardiola has been officially credited with making the 2018 World Cup a thriller.

KATHMANDU, July 12: Ramesh Chhetri, 20, of Dailekh lost both his legs in the 2015 earthquake. He has been confined to a wheelchair ever since. While in wheelchair, he learnt to play basketball. Last week, however, he was deeply enjoying the live telecast of the world cup with a basketball on his hand.

MOSCOW, July 12: Mario Mandzukic scored in the 109th minute as Croatia came from behind to beat England 2-1 after extra time on Wednesday and reach their first World Cup final, where they will face France on Sunday, and send the Balkan nation into raptures.

RUSSIA, July 11: England manager Gareth Southgate says he knew that the negative press about Russia leading up to this summer’s World Cup would not turn out to be true.

ST PETERSBURG, July 11: France will face England or Croatia in the World Cup final after edging past European neighbours Belgium in the semi-final in St Petersburg.

One central quality World Cup 2018 has showered upon us is happiness. Happiness from the way the tournament has been hosted and battled

RUSSIA, July 10: France and Belgium meet in the first World Cup semi-final in St. Petersburg on Tuesday as two of the tournament’s most talented teams aim to fulfill the promise latent within their ranks.

LONDON, July 10: The soccer World Cup prompted shoppers in Britain to spend more on beer, barbecues and big-screen televisions in June but the overall increase in sales slowed in a reminder of how wary many consumers remain, a survey showed on Tuesday.

MADRID, July 8: Spain’s interim coach Fernando Hierro has cut his ties with the Spanish Football Federation following the team’s disastrous exit from the World Cup last week, the organisation said on Sunday.

KAZAN, July 7: Kazan’s official participation in the World Cup was coming to an end on Saturday as the Brazil squad made their way to the airport for the long flight home and their fans consoled each other over beers on the streets of the Tatarstan capital.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has sent a letter to the head of the Football Association of Thailand with an official invitation to attend the 2018 FIFA World Cup Final Match in Moscow - if the boys are rescued in time.

KATHMANDU, July 5: Some high scoring matches, some nerve-wracking penalty shootouts, some dominating attacking performances and some early disappointments, the Round of 16 had no short of excitement and last-minute drama.

SAMARA, Russia (Reuters) - Europe and South America will do battle again for soccer supremacy in the World Cup quarter-finals but with many of the usual combatants having already exited, there is a fresh feel to a line-up that promises a new or long-absent finalist.

KAZAN, July 3: South Korea hammered the Germans, and Japan very nearly did the same to Belgium, but Asia’s representatives are once again heading home before the business end of the World Cup gets going.

ROSTOV, July 3: Japan’s football team proved to be one of the classiest at the World Cup after the players bowed to the fans and meticulously cleaned out the locker room following their heartbreaking defeat to Belgium.

MOSCOW, July 1:  Hosts Russia beat Spain 4-3 on penalties thanks to two saves by their goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev on Sunday to advance to the World Cup quarter-finals and send thousands of ecstatic Russians to the streets to celebrate.

MOSCOW, July 1: Picture the scene: it is the dying moments of a World Cup match and the score is level. You receive the ball and take a speculative shot which sails straight past the goalkeeper and into the top corner. What do you do next?

For two reasons, Jorge Sampaoli was a strange choice to take over as Argentina coach a year ago.

For teams and fans alike, Saturday 30 June is when things get serious in Russia. And by the time the whistle goes to start the Round of 16 fixture between Uruguay and Portugal, the teams will already be aware of who lies in wait for the victors in the quarter-finals.

The knockout stages of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia begin on Saturday, with France and Argentina set to meet in Kazan for the first Round of 16 encounter. These two heavyweights of international football are always among the favourites to lift the Trophy, and boast of some of the game’s biggest superstars, from Paul Pogba and Antoine Griezmann to Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria. It is a duel to warm the hearts of every devotee of the beautiful game.

American President Trump attempted to show off his football knowledge in meeting with Portugal President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa but ended with an epic fail

KATHMANDU, June 30: Yet another World Cup, yet another fascinating story. The World Cup hoodoo has often griped the champions of the world, but the continuation of the same tradition is starting to raise questions.

Video replays are being used by referees for the first time at the 2018 FIFA World Cup to help make key decisions. Even though technology has been introduced to the game with the intention of causing as little interruption to the game as possible, it has still attracted criticism for breaking up play.

KALININGRAD, June 29: As defeats go this one had little sting for England who went down 1-0 to Belgium in their group finale on Thursday with any disappointment, of which there was little, softened by a potentially easier route deeper into the tournament.

The group stage draws to a close on Thursday with one of its most eagerly anticipated games, the calendar serving up a delicious showdown between England and Belgium. Both will be vying for top spot in Group G as they lock horns in Kaliningrad.

With Belgium and England now officially through to the Round of 16, all that remains for Tunisia and Panama, the other two nations in Group G at the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia, is to try to bow out with a bang. Both teams will be intent on putting on a good show, serving up goals and securing a victory that would allow them to head home with their heads held high.

Japan are within touching distance of reaching the knockout phase of the FIFA World Cup for the third time in their history. A draw against Poland will guarantee the Samurai Blue qualification from the group stage, while depending on other results, even defeat at the Volgograd Arena could grant the Japanese a spot in the Round of 16. However, both players and coach alike are united in their conviction not to set out for a draw.