1. BRAZIL SUFFER 7-1 WORLD CUP HUMILIATION AGAINST GERMANY
“Historic Disgrace” screamed the Folha de S.Paulo’s headline, as a shocked nation digested a 7-1 World Cup semi-final defeat by Germany on home soil — perhaps the greatest shame in their illustrious soccer history.
Germany inflicted a swift and sudden demise, taking a 5-0 lead after 29 minutes in front of a stunned audience at Belo Horizonte’s Mineirao stadium.
Photo: AFP
Perhaps out of sympathy, Joachim Loew’s eventual champions lifted their foot off the gas and coasted home, scoring just twice more in the second half, before Oscar made an apologetic mark on the scoreboard for Brazil in the 90th minute.
2. KEI NISHIKORI DEFEATS NOVAK DJOKOVIC IN US OPEN SEMI-FINAL
When you have just played back-to-back five-set, four-hour marathon matches, the last person you would want to face would be an iron-willed world No. 1 with a reputation for out-lasting everyone else on the tour.
However, a sweltering early September afternoon in New York provided the unlikely stage for young Japanese Kei Nishikori to inflict a stunning four-set defeat on Novak Djokovic and deny the Serb a fifth successive trip to the US Open final.
With the mercury tipping 38oC and in stifling humidity on Arthur Ashe court, Nishikori proved tireless in grinding down Djokovic, winning 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (4), 6-3 to become the first Asian man to reach a Grand Slam final.
3. SNOWBOARDER SHAUN WHITE FLOPS AT SOCHI WINTER OLYMPICS
The major draw of the this year’s Winter Games turned out to be one of its biggest disappointments after pulling out of his first event and failing to win a medal in his second.
After talking up his chances of completing a stunning double, US snowboarder Shaun White withdrew from the slopestyle, before his eight-year reign as Olympic halfpipe champion ended in a shock fourth-place finish, proving a major letdown for fans who made the arduous journey to the Russian resort.
4. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS BEAT DENVER BRONCOS TO WIN SUPER BOWL XLVIII
A Seattle defense made up of a bunch of overlooked and unwanted players completely nullified a Peyton Manning-led offense that had set an NFL record for points in a season in one of the most one-sided Super Bowl’s ever.
The 43-8 thrashing was a performance worthy of some of the greatest defensive teams in NFL history and drew comparisons with the Pittsburgh Steelers’ “Steel Curtain,” the 1985 Chicago Bears with William “Refrigerator” Perry and the Ray Lewis-led Baltimore Ravens of 2000.
5. WESTERN SYDNEY WANDERERS WIN AFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TITLE
Coach Tony Popovic took over at the Western Sydney Wanderers in 2012 when the club had no strip, no playing staff and no facilities.
That did not prevent them going on to win the Asian Champions League title 900 days later in their maiden campaign, defying huge odds to overcome much wealthier Asian powerhouses.
A 0-0 draw against twice Asian champions Al Hilal in front of 65,000 fans in the Saudi capital last month was enough to secure a 1-0 aggregate victory and earn plenty of plaudits for former Socceroo Popovic.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
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