LISTEN: Full script of Episode 136 of Spodcast where we discuss a major update on the missing footballer Emiliano Sala and more

Welcome to Spodcast, the sports update on Firstpost. An update regarding footballer Emiliano Sala who went missing on 21 January as he was flying from France to join his new club, Premier League side Cardiff City. The 28-year-old Argentinian player was onboard a small plane that disappeared over the English Channel. British investigators announced yesterday that they had spotted a body in the wreckage of a plane on the seabed. Closer inspection by a remotely operated vehicle confirmed that it was the missing plane, and that a body was inside. The British government’s Air Accident Investigation Branch told the press, “Tragically, in video footage from the ROV, one occupant is visible amidst the wreckage. The AAIB is now considering the next steps, in consultation with the families of the pilot and passenger, and the police.” Police had terminated search efforts a few days after the incident saying it was very unlikely anyone would be found alive. However, Sala’s family launched a crowd-funding campaign for a private search, raising over 300,000 euros. They hired shipwreck hunter David Mearns, whose vessel used sonar equipment to identify the plane wreckage on Sunday. Another vessel, hired by the AAIB, then used its remotely operated vehicle to survey the seabed. The AAIB said yesterday, “Based on analysis of ROV video footage, the AAIB investigators on board the vessel concluded that the object is wreckage from the missing Piper Malibu aircraft.” An ISL update now. FC Goa and Delhi Dynamos FC played out a goalless draw in a very closely fought match on Monday. Both teams began with gusto, trading scoring opportunities from the get go. Goa nearly converted an early corner kick but Mourtada Fall’s header went wide. Then, it was Delhi’s turn as Daniel Lalhlimpuia as he nearly snuck one in, taking advantage of confusion between Fall and Goa’s goalie Naveen Kumar. However, that attempt too went wide. Goa dominated the first half with 57% possession but failed to score. Delhi goalkeeper Francisco Dorronsoro had a good game, even pulling off a couple of great saves in the second half to thwart FC Goa’s ambitions. Unfortunately for Delhi, they just could not put enough pressure on Goa. They had zero shots on target in 90 minutes. Following the draw, Goa earned one point, taking their tally to 25 points from 14 matches, which places them third in the standings. Delhi are in eighth spot with 11 points from 14 games. The first season of Pro Volleyball League is underway, and Black Hawks Hyderabad defeated Ahmedabad Defenders 3-2 in an exciting match on Monday. Hyderabad won 15-11, 13-15, 15-11, 14-15, 15-9 as captain Carson Clark led from the front with 15 points, including 12 spikes, 1 block and 2 serves. Victor Sysoev scored 12 points, including 11 spikes and 1 block, for Ahmedabad. Hyderabad won the toss and decided to receive. They broke Ahmedabad’s serve easily but both sides looked rusty. The first set especially saw both teams gift points via errors. The match ultimately went to the decider, and Hyderabad upped their game as Clark, Amit Kumar and Rohit Kumar took centre stage. Hyderabad called for a Super Point at 10-4. Clark’s serve did the job as they finally won their first Super Point of the match in the fifth set, taking the score to 12-4. Ahmedabad fought back to reduce the lead to 9-13 but Hyderabad closed out the set 15-9 and the match 3-2. Cricket news now. New Zealand batsman Martin Guptill, who is still recovering from a back injury, has been ruled out of the T20 series against India. Guptill was injured right before the fifth ODI against India on Sunday. New Zealand coach Gary Stead said Guptill had failed a fitness test but he remained hopeful the big-hitting opener would recover in time for the ODI series against Bangladesh next week. Stead told the media, “Unfortunately Martin hasn’t recovered in time for this Twenty20 series which is very condensed with three games over five days…he’s obviously a big part of our white-ball sides, but we’ve got to look at the big picture and ensure he gets the injury right.” Jimmy Neesham replaces Guptill in the three-match T20 series that starts in Wellington tomorrow. Australia won the second Test against Sri Lanka by a whopping 366 runs as Mitchell Starc ripped through the opposition, taking yet another five-fer. Australia dominated the match from day one. They declared the first innings on 534/5, and then scuttled out the visitors for just 215. Starc claimed five wickets in the first innings. Australia then scored 196/3 in their second dig, setting Sri Lanka an imposing target of 516. Starc was once again the chief tormentor as he took 5/46 in the second innings, making it 10 wickets in the match for him. Sri Lanka offered no fight, wilting to 149 all out. The victory in Canberra meant Australia won the two-Test series 2-0, a much-needed result after the dispiriting loss to India last month. The Australian batting seems to be recovering, with four of them scoring centuries in the second Test. On the other hand, Sri Lanka’s bad run continues. They lost a home series to England 3-0, then away to New Zealand 1-0 prior to this 2-0 thrashing.