A superb World Cup featuring one of the greatest upsets in the sport’s history, Germany’s fourth title and the duel between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to be the world’s best were among the soccer highlights of the year.
Real Madrid’s long-awaited 10th European crown — la decima — secured after they equalized late in normal time before winning the Champions League final 4-1 after extra time against Atletico Madrid in Lisbon was another dramatic moment.
However, far too often in a turbulent 12 months, the headlines made for unsettling reading.
Photo: Reuters
Allegations surrounding corruption within FIFA never end with world’s soccer’s tarnished governing body lurching from one drama to another over the decision it took in 2010 to award the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 finals to Qatar.
A report into alleged corruption has only created more problems for the game’s rulers with FIFA president Sepp Blatter, 78, unwilling to make the findings public.
Racism and match-fixing also blighted the game but, unless sweeping changes are made next year and Blatter is voted out of office when he seeks a fifth term as president in May’s elections, it is hard to see where real reform will come from.
Luckily for the millions of fans, though, the problems affecting the men who run the game were not apparent on the field when the World Cup started in June.
Brazil beat Croatia 3-1 in a thrilling opener that set the tone for a fantastic tournament in which invisible spray, the innovation to mark distances at free-kicks and goalline technology, made their debuts.
The civil unrest that marred the Confederations Cup, last year’s dress rehearsal tournament, was not repeated and Brazil’s progress to the semi-finals played its part in keeping rioters off the streets.
Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari had pledged Brazil would win the World Cup as hosts to eradicate the painful memory of losing out at home in 1950 to Uruguay, but a traumatic defeat ended that dream as Germany, already 1-0 up, scored four goals in six minutes to lead Brazil 5-0 after 29 minutes, before winning 7-1.
Five days after one of the greatest upsets in the game’s history, Germany beat Argentina 1-0 in the final at the Maracana, with substitute Mario Goetze scoring a brilliant extra-time winner.
The losers in Brazil included Uruguayan Luis Suarez, banned for four months for biting Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini, Argentina skipper Messi and Portugal captin Ronaldo, whose rivalry in Spain for Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively continues unabated.
Ronaldo picked up winners medals with Real winning the European Cup and King’s Cup, while Messi set scoring records in Spain and in the Champions League.
Two men who dominated the European Cup in a previous era passed into history, with all-time greats Alfredo di Stefano, who played in Real’s five winning finals from 1956 to 1960, dying at 88 a few months after his old rival, Eusebio of Benfica, 71, the top scorer in the 1966 World Cup, who died in January.
Tom Finney, one of England’s greatest players, passed away aged 91 in February, while South Africa captain and keeper Senzo Meyiwa, 27, was murdered in October. Peter Biaksangzuala, 23, also died after falling on his head attempting an acrobatic somersault goal celebration in India in the same month.
Among the losers this year were David Moyes, who was fired as Manchester United manager less than a season into a six-year contract at Old Trafford where Ryan Giggs, 41, ended his 24-year playing career after 963 appearances for the club.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
The Minnesota Timberwolves, with so many promising performances spoiled by late mistakes fresh in their memory bank, sure timed this strong finish well. Jaden McDaniels scored a career playoff-high 30 points and spearheaded Minnesota’s stifling defense on an ailing Luka Doncic, and the Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Lakers 116-104 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Friday night. “Jaden never looks tired. He looks like he could play 48 minutes,” said teammate Anthony Edwards, who had 29 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Julius Randle added 22 points for the Wolves, who outscored
Inter’s defense of their Italian Serie A title was hit with a setback on Sunday as they lost 1-0 at home to AS Roma, while Scott McTominay netted a brace as SSC Napoli beat Torino 2-0 to go top of the table. No fixtures were played on Friday or Saturday because of the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome, meaning the full round of Serie A matches took place on Sunday and yesterday. Matias Soule’s first-half strike for Roma knocked Inter off top spot earlier in the day before new Napoli opened up a three-point buffer with victory in Sunday’s
Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa yesterday set a women’s only world record of 2 hours, 15 minutes, 50 seconds as she won the London Marathon, while Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe put a star-studded men’s field to the sword. For 28-year-old Assefa it was ample compensation for finishing runner-up in London and the Paris Olympics last year — especially as bitter Dutch rival, the Ethiopia-born Sifan Hassan, finished third. Assefa dropped Kenya’s Joyciline Jepkosgei as the race, played out in blazing sunshine and with thousands lining the route, entered its business end. She came home almost three minutes clear of the Kenyan. Hassan, who beat her in
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