FRESH FROM THE WORLD WE BRING YOU THE WEEKLY TOP TEN!
10. RAFAEL dos ANJOS
It took him nearly six years and 16 fights to headline his first UFC card — but he didn’t waste the opportunity when he got it! Spectacularly defeating former champion Benson Henderson in a 1st round TKO in a huge upset. Where does Benson Henderson go from here?
9. NATHAN TINKLER
The man who stormed to power only a few years ago as the billionaire mining magnate to the applause of all of Newcastle fans has gone on record saying “I’ve been very good to Newcastle,’’ Tinkler said. “But that place hasn’t done anything but shit on me. It a spectacular fall from grace for troubled magnate who has also been forced to sell his Australian Patinack Farm racing and breeding operation at an unreserved auction next month.
8. ARSENAL
Great comeback and grit shown by Arsenal in the draw at Goodison Park. A strong and disciplined Everton side holding a comfortable 2 nil lead with 7 minutes to play, Arsenal uncharacteristically (in recent years) pulled their socks up and salvaged an important away point. The Premier league is closer than ever for the all important Champions League qualification spots up for grabs with no less than 7 teams all in the running this year. Away points are crucial in these early stages for all teams to get a great start to the season ahead.
7. ALBERT EBOSSE
Cameroonian striker Albert Ebosse has died after being hit in the head by an object thrown from the stands during an Algerian league game, his club JS Kabylie have announced.The 24-year-old was fatally struck by a projectile at the end of JS Kabylie’s meeting with USM Alger in Tizi Ouzou. Our thoughts are with his family.
6. BAYER LEVERKUSEN
Karim Bellarabi scored the fastest goal in German top-flight history – after just nine seconds – to help Bayer Leverkusen beat Borussia Dortmund.The 24-year-old midfielder received the ball on the edge of the Dortmund box before turning and sliding in from 15 yards.
It was two seconds quicker than the record held by three players, including Bayern Munich’s Giovane Elber in 1998.
5. GORKA IRAIZOZ
Goal keepers have a tough go of it the best of times but this surely rubs salt into the wound! Athletic Club Bilbao shot stopper seemed to salvage a point with a brilliant header from beyond the box to score the equalising goal, but it wasn’t meant to be as the linesman controversially ruled the goal as offside! It was horrendous referring decision as he was at least 2 meters onside!
4. ASADA BANS
This drawn out process has come to some sort of conclusion with the implementation of backdated bans against players that apparently weren’t smart enough to ask questions when being injected with banned substances by former club sports performance director Stephen Dank. I find it hard to believe that no one had any idea as has been claimed and the fact that the bans are a paltry 3 games in some cases, Gives me reason to wonder if any of this is taken seriously. Would Olympic athletes have the same free pass?
3. MARIO BALLOTELLI
Why always me? He’s baaaack! The great enigma that is Mario Ballotelli is bringing his talents back to the premier league in the famous Liverpool jersey. Will he be a success? Or will the off field antics garner much more of the headlines?
2. ANGEL DI MARIA
A British transfer record is about to be smashed with the touted 64 million pound move for the Argentine International by Manchester United. A late bid has been reported coming in from Manchester City although with the financial fair play regulation watchdogs watching closely it seems unlikely. One question remains will this signing alter the fortunes at Old Trafford?
1. ALL BLACKS
The World Champions have done it again with a thumping over arch rivals Australia in the 2nd Bledisloe Cup match in Auckland overnight. 12 long years since Australia held the Bledisloe cup and a further 28 years since they have won at Auckland’s famed Eden Park. The Wallabies were outclassed by the dominant New Zealand side by a score of 51-20 the highest margin of all time between the 2 proud nations. Any doubts that the All Blacks are not the best team in the world by some margin were quickly extinguished with an almost flawless display. This marks another milestone in their storied history as they are now unbeaten in 19 consecutive test matches. This is without doubt one of the most impressive records in global sporting history and we at Sports and More tip our hats.
Till next week remember it’s more than a game!
Sports And More 