Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc effortlessly won the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne as he led from lights out to the chequered flag. Aside from that, he set the time for the fastest lap and he is the only driver who has been on podium for every race this season . Sergio Perez finished second, 20 seconds behind the winner with George Russell taking the final podium place.
Charles Leclerc won the Australian Grand Prix Photo Courtesy: F1 Official Instagram page
Redbull’s Max Verstappen pulled over to the side of the track with an engine issue on lap 39/58 leaving the race leader with no competition. This is his second Did Not Finish (DNF) since the season began. Carlos Sainz, the other Ferrari driver, having qualified in ninth place after a tough qualifying session,opted to use hard tyres which cost him five places then later retired as his car spun on lap 2 into the gravel at the exit of turn ten. Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel made his return to the grid this season but his race was brought to an abrupt end with a disappointing crash on lap 23. The German missed the opening two races of the season in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia after testing positive for Covid-19.
Alex Albon had an amazing drive as he pitted on the final lap having done the whole race on hard tyres. He took the final point after stating from last.
Results leave Mercedes having taken the most points from Melbourne and Ferrari still in the Lead of the constuctors standings. The next race is on 24th April at the Imola circuit for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
Volkanovski lands a punch on The Korean Zombie during their UFC 273 bout Photo courtesy : UFC KOREA instagram page
Reigning UFC featherweight champion Alex Volkanovski defended his title in a one sided battle against the Korean Zombie. Volkanovski, who looked faster than ever on the feet, managed to win after a round four stoppage by the referee. Many at the arena seemed to back the Korean Zombie but it was not to be his day as Volkanovski put on a clinic. The win became Volkanovski’s third title defence and with the shape he was in, he seems to have more defences to come.
The co-main event saw Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling renew their rivalry. The two had met at UFC 259 in a fight which ended controversially after an illegal strike by Yan. Though Yan was very dominant in the first fight, things were different this time as Aljo showed heart and managed to completely dominate two rounds. Aljo used his wrestling and grappling skills to ensure he got the win. Without any controversy in the fight, the win means that Aljo is the undisputed UFC Bantamweight champion.
Gilbert Burns and Khamzat Chimaev put up an instant classic in the fight before the co-main event. Many had wondered how lowly Chimaev would do against the number two ranked burns and he surely held his own. Both fighters landed punches that dropped the other and showed heart to go the distance in what was the fight of the night. at the end, Chimaev won the bout by unanimous decision but that takes nothing away from Burns’ perfromance. The fight could probably even win fight of the year!
With the upsets and shocks experienced at UFC 273, it becomes one of the best events of the year thus far.
Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez Photo Courtesy: Khelnow
Xavi Hernandez was appointed head coach of FC Barcelona replacing Ronald Koeman in November 2021. His appointment elicited mixed reactions from fans as some felt he was the right man and others were sceptical about his ability as a coach.
Sitting in ninth place in La Liga, the Spanish giants were a shadow of themselves. Coupled with the financial challenges the Club was facing, chaos ensued when star striker Lionel Messi left for PSG due to the inability by the club to renew his contract.
The marriage between the Argentine and the club was cut short and life without Messi had to become a reality sooner than expected. The atmosphere around and within the club was at an all-time low and Xavi was the man called to steady the ship.
Having no prior experience managing a club the magnitude of the Catalan giants, Barcelona took a risk hiring their ex-player. Boasting a win rate of 65% out of 100 games managing Qatar side Al-Saad proved enough to get him the job.
Looking back, it has not been smooth sailing but it has been very impressive. As it stands, Xavi has taken a mid-table team to second place. Barcelona has a game in hand and they are 12 points behind first place Real Madrid. Winning their game in hand will bring them within 9 points of their rivals.
What seemed like a dead season could turn into a late domestic title race between the two Spanish giants. Furthermore, they have progressed into the Quarter Finals of the Europa League and look set to win this title for the first time. Having defeated rivals Real Madrid 4-0 last month in El-Clasico sent a statement that this club may just be headed back to its old ways.
There have been a couple of lows such as losing to bitter rivals Real Madrid 3-2 and being knocked out in the Supercopa Semi-finals, being knocked out of the Champions League group stage for the first time since 2006 and losing to Athletic Bilbao 3-2 to get knocked out of the Copa Del Rey.
What does the future hold for Xavi’s young team? Well, qualifying for the Champions League is a priority. In addition, winning the Europa League would be historic for the Catalans.
With 9 games left to play, we might witness an unimaginable comeback as Barcelona try to bring the La Liga title back home and what could be better than nicking it off their bitter rivals. The race for La Liga might just be on. This team has shown time and again that it is never over until the whistle blows.
Portugal have qualified for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Photo courtesy: Portugal official Twitter handle
A brace from Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes was enough to secure victory for Portugal in a 2-0 win against North Macedonia. The win secured Portugal’s ticket to the 2022 world cup in Qatar.
Although Portugal were the favorites to win the tie, many were still hopeful North Macedonia would manage to pull a miracle. This is after they managed to beat EURO 2020 champions, Italy in the semi finals of the playoffs. The defeat for The Azzurri means that they will not be featuring at the world cup in November. The tournament which usually takes place in the summer will Instead take place in November when the temperatures will be much cooler as compared to the summer.
This will be the 5th time that Cristiano Ronaldo gets a stab at playing in the world cup. He will be hoping to win the tournament this time round as it is the only competition that has alluded him. Ronaldo is currently 37 years old and thus this could be his last chance of winning the World cup. He has previously had success with the national team, as Portugal won the euros in 2016.
Prior to the match against north Macedonia when he was asked on the possibility of Portugal missing from the world cup he simply responded, “there is no World Cup without Portugal”.
This shows that he clearly meant business and he delivered by combining with his United teammate Bruno for the first goal of the tie.
In the tie played on the 29th march, Poland managed to secure their slot for the world cup by defeating Sweden 2-0. Bayern Munich talisman, Robert Lewandoski managed to get on the scoresheet by scoring a penalty for Poland. The other goal was scored by Piotr Zielinski.
A photo of Manchester United’s Old Trafford Stadium.
For decades, Old Trafford was a fortress to Manchester United and its supporters. Few sides relished visiting the Theatre Of Dreams as there was always an aura of invincibility. “Fergie time” as known amongst United and its supporters is now simply a myth. The anticipation that oozed from supporters during games has turned to frustrated screams and jeers.
What has gone wrong? With 5 managers in 9 years, there is hardly ever a solution. Teams come to Old Trafford with hope that they can get some points, or win the game. The fear factor is gone! United’s recent knockout by Atletico Madrid from the Champions League, and their exit from the Carabao Cup and FA Cup in the fourth and fifth rounds respectively, will mark their fifth year without silverware.
Cristiano disappointed after hitting the crossbar Photo Courtesy: Sky Sports
It is time for some introspection at Old Trafford. Despite all that has happened and been said, United faithful’s keep the hope that their club will one day rise again to conquer England and Europe. Who is the best man to lead this charge? Well, this a chapter that will be unveiled at the end of the season. With nine games left, the fight for top four is on as United’s European dreams hang by a thread.
Alexander Volkanovski is set to defend his UFC Featherweight title against Chan Sung Jung at UFC 273. Chan, popularly known as the Korean Zombie got his chance after Max Holloway dropped out due to injury. The fight will headline UFC 273 which has a stacked card with two title fights.
Volkanovski is coming off a superb performance and win against Brian Ortega. Chan is also coming off a great win and performance over Dan Ige. The Zombie has been hanging with the top featherweights for the best part of his UFC career but this will be his first title fight. For Volk, The Zombie will only be his third different opponent since he gained the title, after Holloway and Ortega.
In the co-main event, Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan will settle their differences and battle for the Bantamweight gold. Their first meeting ended controversially with Yan kneeing a downed Aljamain which is illegal according to the UFC rules. Yan lost his title to Aljo then, but can regain it with a win at UFC 273. He also enters this fight as the Interim Bantamweight Champion after producing a praised masterclass against Cory Sandhagen.
Gilbert Burns will meet Khamzat Chimaev in the fight before the co-main event. The winner of the fight will most likely be next in line for the Welterweight Championship. The two fighters have clashed on social media before and helped set up a tasty fight for the fans. Burns will seek to win and gain another crack at the title whereas Chimaev faces his biggest test ever in the UFC. Khamzat has been a fast rising name in the UFC and that explains why he fights the number 2 ranked welterwight in only his fifth UFC fight.
Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates with Alex Telles after scoring against Tottenham Source: marca.com
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Cristiano Ronaldo is the highest scoring professional footballer of all time, with 807 goals, after bagging a hat-trick against Tottenham . The Portuguese broke the previous record of 805 goals held by Josef Bican. His hat-trick helped Man United beat Tottenham 3-2.
Ronaldo had missed the Manchester Derby the week before but was clearly itching to play this week. His first goal of the night was the best of the lot after he found time and space to fire a rocket into the top corner past Hugo Lloris. Tottenham equalized after Harry Kane converted a penalty from a handball by Alex Telles. United took the lead once more through Ronaldo after Sancho beat the offside trap to set him up for his second. In the second half, a Maguire own goal levelled the game but Ronaldo once again powered a header past Lloris from a corner delivered by Telles.
The win helped Man United climb into the top four despite having played 4 more games than Arsenal. Arsenal will face Leicester on Sunday and a win will put the Gunners back into the top four. United next host Atletico Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie which is level at 1-1 on aggregate. Atletico Madrid will be weary of Cristiano Ronaldo as every knockout tie they lost between 2014 and 2019 was at the hands of a team containing Cristiano.
As couples celebrate the month of love football lovers are not left out.
The month of February to them means the return of one of the world’s most loved competitions, the UEFA Champions League.
The Champions League round of 16 kicked off on February 15 after taking a break right after the group stages since December and some tasty ties are lined up. The start offs were Real Madrid playing against Paris Saint Germain (PSG) at the Parc Des Princes. The game came to an end with the teams having 0-1 respectively.
PSG has reached the Final and Semi Final the past two seasons and will be looking to go a step further and win it this season. The signing of Lionel Messi added more pressure on PSG to deliver the trophy.
Another monumental clash will see Inter Milan, the Italian Champions, make their return to the round of 16 after almost a decade out. They face a tough test against the 2019 champions Liverpool who have signed Luis Diaz from Porto to add to their already stacked forward line.
Manchester United return to the Round of 16 after 2 seasons away. They face an Atletico Madrid side that has struggled at the start of the season but it would not be wise to write off Diego Simeone’s troops. United boss Ralf Rangnick will be seeking a good run in the Champions League since the Premier League title charge is over for United.
The first legs of the ties took place on the 15 February with PSG playing against Real Madrid, and Sporting Lisbon against Manchester City. Manchester City secured a win with 5 goals.
The others will take place as follows 16, 22,and 23 February with the return legs taking place on 8, 9, 15, and 16of March.
Round of 16 ties
PSG vs Real Madrid
Sporting Lisbon vs Manchester City
RB Salzburg vs Bayern Munich
Inter Milan vs Liverpool
Chelsea vs LOSC
Villareal vs Juventus
Atletico Madrid vs Manchester United
Benfica vs Ajax
Italy celebrate winning the UEFA European Championship at Wembley Stadium. PHOTO: UEFA EURO 2020
Former Arsenal vice chair David Dein once stated that “normality is boring”, when describing Arsene Wenger- one of the greatest managers to grace the city that hosted the European Championship’s final match on July 11. To put his words into context, the tournament has been one of the most surprise filled, feeding us with matches that kept us on our toes all through.
Many are stories to tell from it, as dreams were realized – and others crushed. Barcelona and Spain’s 19 year old Pedri proved to be a reincarnation of the midfield maestro Andres Iniesta, with performances that won him the Young Player of the Tournament award. This, among others gave the Euro 2020 a special feeling, as fans witnessed a revamped Italy led by the grandfather of defending Giorgio Chiellini scoop the Henry Delaunay trophy on their opponent’s home ground.
The Awakening of the Azzuri
Italy gave a masterpiece of a performance as they rose to win their first major tournament since the 2006 World Cup. The team had been on a decline that culminated with them failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, but the appointment of the classy Roberto Mancini has seen them go on to win the tournament, in the process extending their unbeaten run to 34 games.
The fall of England in yet another tournament extends their wait for an international trophy, the last being the 1966 World Cup.
The Demise of the ‘Group of Death’
Group F, which pitted France (reigning world champions), Portugal (2016 European champions) Germany (2014 World Champions) and Hungary lived up to its name, as all teams were knocked out of the tournament in the early stages.
France’s exit orchestrated by Switzerland in the Round of 16(R16) is the biggest upset, with the world champions having been the favorites to lift the trophy. Germany gave football fans a fitting end to an action packed group stage when they welcomed Hungary to Munich, but failed to produce the same momentum against England at the R16. Portugal went down to current toppers of the FIFA rankings Belgium in the same round.
Denmark’s Dream Tournament
Denmark’s journey started with unexpected events as the world was subjected to some uneventful scenes during their first match against Finland. The team lost the services of their star player Christian Eriksen who had to be transported to hospital mid match after suffering a cardiac arrest.
Theirs is however a wonder tale as they qualified for the knockout stages of the competition following a 4-1 thumping of Russia in Copenhagen in their final group stage fixture. The team put four past Wales in the R16, proceeding to the quarterfinals where they also triumphed following a 2-1 victory over the Czech Republic. Their hopes of replicating their 1992 performance when they won the title were dimmed by Gareth Southgate’s English army that saw them off in an action packed semifinal that went all the way to extra time.
This remains to be the one of the country’s best performances only coming close to their ’92 triumph after joining the tournament late on following the expulsion of Yugoslavia.
Thumbnail Photo Courtesy Of Instagram/Dustin Poirier)
A turning point in the world of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is expected on July 10th* 2021 as “The Notorious” Conor McGregor will step into the octagon to face “The Diamond” Dustin Poirier for a third time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). This fight is viewed as a do or die for McGregor as many feel that he may have to retire if he loses.
The Irishman has been vocal on social media throughout the pandemic often tweeting that he would like to challenge for both the UFC’s lightweight and welterweight titles. He held the lightweight title in 2016 after a spectacular second-round finish over former champion Eddie Alvarez but is yet to taste welterweight glory. Ever since his debut in 2007, McGregor has risen to become one of the biggest athletes in the world and has seen his wealth grow incredibly. He will be under pressure as Poirier looks to knock him out in consecutive bouts.
In their first bout, which was in the UFC’s featherweight division, Conor got into Dustin’s head with mind games and trash talk. The Irishman knocked Dustin out and was then seen as a serious contender for a title. This was at UFC 178 in 2014. Fast-forwarding to January 2021, both men were competing in the lightweight division and met in the octagon for the second time headlining UFC 257 in Abu Dhabi. The first round was pretty even with Dustin landing some good low kicks and taking Conor down while Conor landed some good left hands and shoulder strikes. In the second round, a flurry of punches from Dustin saw him knock out Conor, something nobody had seen coming. As sweet as the victory was, Dustin was quick to acknowledge that they were tied 1-1 and a third tiebreaking fight had to happen. The third fight was then set for UFC 264 on July 10th, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is expected to be the biggest Pay Per View (PPV) of the year. Unsurprisingly, the tickets for the event were sold out in seconds!
McGregor (left) and Poirier fight at UFC 257 in Abu Dhabi Photo Courtesy Of Getty Images)
The pair have had words for each other on social media with Dustin disappointed that Conor did not honor his promise to donate half a million dollars to his charity and Conor angrily retorting that it was meant to be “a donation, not a debt”. This sets up the fight nicely with everyone involved expectant to see the Conor of old with his swagger and brilliant trash talking which has not been seen in his last two fights. This winner of this fight will get the next shot at the lightweight title which is currently held by Jiu-Jitsu specialist Charles “do Bronx” Oliveira.
One of the big questions still yet to be answered is centered on Conor’s motivation. He was recently named the highest-earning athlete by Forbes having earned $180 million in 2020, surpassing even footballers Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi! Marvin Hagler, a boxing legend, once said that it is hard to get up in the morning for a run when you are sleeping in silk sheets implying that it is hard to find the motivation to go to work when you have already earned everything you may want- money and titles for example. Conor has won two titles in the UFC; he recently sold his whiskey brand for a huge amount and has a couple of endorsement deals. Why does he still keep fighting? Do these factors affect his preparations for fights? If there was a time to put the doubters and those questioning his motivation away for Conor, it is on July 10th.
Whatever the outcome, the fight promises to be exciting. Will Dustin put Conor away or will Conor put his best foot forward and deliver another iconic knockout. We will find out on July 10th as The Diamond Dustin Poirier takes on The Notorious Conor McGregor in the biggest fight of the year.
*July 10th is the official date provided by the UFC. Due to time zone differences, the event happens on July 11th EAT in Kenya.
