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.
BOUNCE BACK: Curry scored 46 points in the Warriors’ victory over the Spurs, after ‘everybody stepped up’ following Tuesday’s blowout loss to Oklahoma City Nikola Jokic scoring 50 or more points had never been enough for the Denver Nuggets to win — until now. Jokic on Wednesday night tied the highest-scoring performance in the NBA this season with 55 points, as the Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Clippers 130-116 for their sixth straight victory. The Nuggets were 0-4 in his previous 50-point outbursts. “It’s a good feeling,” the three-time NBA Most Valuable Player said. He equaled Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who had 55 in a double-overtime game at the Indiana Pacers on Oct. 23. Jokic has been on a roll during Denver’s winning streak. He is the
TIGHT GAME: The Detroit Pistons, the NBA’s second-best team, barely outlasted the Washington Wizards, who fell to an NBA-worst 1-10 with their ninth consecutive loss Cade Cunningham’s triple double, Daniss Jenkins’ three-pointer at the buzzer and Javonte Green’s overtime dunk lifted Detroit past Washington 137-135 on Monday, stretching the Pistons’ win streak to seven games. In an unexpected thriller, the NBA’s second-best team barely outlasted a Wizards club that fell to an NBA-worst 1-10 with their ninth consecutive loss. “We knew how big this game was for us,” Jenkins said. “We wasn’t going to let nothing stop us from getting this W.” Cunningham made 14-of-45 shots and 16-of-18 free throws for a career-high 46 points, and added 12 rebounds, 11 assists, five steals and two
The tri-nation Twenty20 international series featuring hosts Pakistan, as well as Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, is to be played entirely in Rawalpindi from Tuesday next week, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said yesterday, after this week’s suicide bombing in the capital, Islamabad. The change came after at least eight Sri Lankan players asked to leave over security fears following Tuesday’s bombing that killed 12 people and wounded 27. Their country’s cricket board issued a stern directive to the team to stay put or face consequences. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said the decision to stay was taken after “close consultations” with hosts Pakistan who
Australian restaurant chain Grill’d has made a cheeky apology for putting a “curse” on Oscar Piastri’s Formula One title hopes with their offer of a free burger for every time the McLaren driver gets on the podium. The Melbourne native has not finished in the top three since the promotion relaunched five races ago, losing the championship lead to teammate Lando Norris and now 24 points behind. Online conspiracy theorists have been quick to put two and two together. The chain’s Piastri 81 Burger debuted ahead of the Australian Grand Prix in March, with his endorsement, and was relaunched in September after he
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