Four goals by Bulgarian international Dimitar Berbatov inspired Tottenham Hotspur to an astonishing 6-4 victory over Reading in their Premiership clash on Saturday.
Berbatov's quadruple came in a madcap match where Spurs came from behind to level three times -- Dave Kitson scoring twice, taking his total to eight Premiership goals this term, in the second half for the visitors -- and which saw six of the goals come in 14 minutes of the second half.
The result will hardly surprise the statisticians as both sides had the best record of average goals scored whether it be by them or their opponents per game this term.
PHOTO: AP
Berbatov struck in the seventh minute as the Bulgarian latched on to a pass by strike partner Robbie Keane and slotted the ball coolly past Reading's US goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann.
Spurs had already signaled their intent with a shot on target by South Korean star Lee Young-pyo, whose long range effort was safely gathered by Hahnemann.
However, Reading went level in the 16th minute as Khalifa Cisse -- who had picked up an early booking from referee Keith Stroud -- struck the ball cleanly past Paul Robinson after the England keeper had beaten away a Nicky Shorey freekick.
Both sides failed to conjure up any real chances for the remainder of the half, but it was a different story after the break.
Reading came out all guns blazing and deservedly took the lead in the 53rd minute as Icelandic defender Ivar Ingimarsson headed past Robinson from the center of the penalty area from Shorey's corner.
Robinson, though, was equal to the task nine minutes later when he stood up firmly to Stephen Hunt's shot and beat it away.
A minute later and Reading counted the cost of that missed effort as Spurs drew level, Berbatov shooting home from close range.
Spurs were galvanized by this and a few minutes later Tom Huddlestone nearly gave himself a belated 21st birthday present, but his long range shot was saved by Hahnemann.
Reading made them pay as Kitson grabbed his first, heading bravely home from the tireless Shorey's corner in the 69th minute. Four minutes later Spurs drew level again as Berbatov secured his hat-trick as he prodded home Jermaine Jenas' corner.
However, Reading refused to be deterred and it was Kitson again who turned up to restore their lead with a fine left-footed shot from inside the penalty area after good work by Hunt.
It was Spurs, though, who again found the resources to come back as French midfielder Steed Malbranque -- supplied by Huddlestone -- curled a delightful effort past Hahnemann.
Three minutes later and the mayhem continued as Jermain Defoe rose to head past a by-now shellshocked Hahnemann from Keane's cross -- Spurs manager Juande Ramos tried to put up the barricades by replacing Keane a minute later with defensive midfielder Teemu Tainio.
If Hahnemann was shellshocked then he was even more worse for wear in the 83rd minute as Berbatov scored his fourth with a fine shot from 18m out to give Spurs some much needed breathing space and end the entertainment for both sets of fans.
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
MLB on Friday announced a formal investigation into the scandal swirling around Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter amid charges that the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar was the victim of “massive theft.” The Dodgers on Wednesday fired Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s long-time interpreter and close friend, after Ohtani’s representatives alleged that the Japanese two-way star had been the victim of theft, which was reported to involve millions of dollars and link Mizuhara to a suspected illegal bookmaker in California. “Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara from the news media,” MLB