2010: A year in sport

IT HAS been an extraordinary year in sport, which saw some pleasant surprises, favourites fall flat on their faces and intriguing battles that went down to the wire.

UNLUCKY: Andy Murray came so close, yet so far in the Australian Open

The year began with a hard luck story for Andy Murray.  The Scot performed brilliantly to reach the final of the Australian Open, including a quarter-final success over Rafael Nadal.  Sadly, it ended in heartache, as Roger Federer swept him aside in straight sets in the final.  For both, this was to be their highlight of 2010.  In rugby union, France overpowered the feeble competition from the Northern Hemisphere to win a poor Six Nations championship.  They sealed the Grand Slam with victory over inconsistent England in the final match of the championship in Paris.  The New Orleans Saints completed a famous win in the NFL, defeating huge favourites Indianapolis Colts 31-17 to win Superbowl XLIV.  The Winter Olympics were held in the cold chill of Vancouver in Canada.  The games were overshadowed by poor weather, dismal organisation and the tragic death of a male Georgian competitor in the Luge competition on the eve of the event.  However, there was gold success for Britain, as Amy Williams showed she was the Queen of Speed.  She clinched gold in the women’s skeleton, Britain’s first solo gold in the Winter Olympics for over 40 years.  Manchester United beat Aston Villa 2-1 to win the first silverware of the football season.  They came from behind to lift the Carling Cup at Wembley, but that was Sir Alex Ferguson’s only taste of silverware in 2010 for the Red Devils.

SHOCK: Imperial Commander was the surprise winner of the Gold Cup

The F1 season began with an absolute stinker in Bahrain.  Fernando Alonso inherited victory on his Ferrari debut, after Sebastian Vettel encountered technical problems on his Red Bull.  Little did we know then of the later drama in the Grand Prix season.  It was dubbed the greatest horse racing showdown battle, but it never materialised at the Cheltenham Gold Cup.  Imperial Commander was the shock winner, taking full advantage of a shock fall for the pre-race favourite Kauto Star and the lack of fitness from his stablemate, Denman.  If Cheltenham upset the odds, Phil Micklelson’s victory by three shots in the US Masters at Augusta wasn’t so much of a surprise.  Tony McCoy may have guided Denman to runner-up in the Gold Cup, but he went one better at the Grand National, riding Don’t Push It to glory and finally, winning the world’s greatest steeplechase event at the 15^th attempt of asking.  This success helped him land the coveted title of 2010 BBC Sports Personality of the Year.  In Jerez, Jorge Lorenzo passed countryman Dani Pedrosa on the last lap to win a thrilling Spanish MotoGP and set the tone for the motorcycling season to come.

GLORY: Chelsea lift the Barclays Premiership title in a double-winning year

As damaging allegations about former world champion John Higgins came to light, Australian Neil Robertson kept his nerve to win the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible.  Chelsea thrashed Wigan Athletic 8-0 on the final day of the Premiership season to clinch their third title in six years.  A week later, Carlo Ancelotti guided his side to a historic league/cup double, as Didier Drogba’s brilliant free-kick was good enough to defeat a brave and debt-ridden Portsmouth side 1-0 at Wembley in the FA Cup final.  There was more success for Australia on the streets of Monaco, as Mark Webber took the leadership of the Formula One world championship, leading home Sebastian Vettel to a Red Bull 1-2 in the principality.  A fortnight later, the two Red Bulls took each other off as Istanbul Park, handing Lewis Hamilton his first win of the season, as he won the Turkish Grand Prix for McLaren.  Blackpool joined Newcastle United and West Brom in the promise land of the Premiership.  The Tangerines sealed their shock promotion to the top flight, beating Cardiff City 3-2 in a pulsating Championship play-off final at Wembley.

CELEBRATION: Paul Collingwood lifts afloat the World 20:20 trophy

Argentine Diego Milito scored twice as Inter Milan beat Bayern Munich 2-0 in the UEFA Champions League final in Madrid, the perfect going away present for departing manager Jose Mourinho, who was heading for Real Madrid.  There was agony for Fulham, as they were cruelly beaten in the inaugural final of the UEFA Europa League, 2-1 by Atletico Madrid.  Diego Forlan scored the winner in the dying stages of extra-time and it was to be Roy Hodgson’s final game in charge of the West London side.  He took over the Liverpool job, after Rafa Benitez was sacked.  Benitez turned up at Inter, but might be sacked again before the year is out.  In cricket, Paul Collingwood captained England to a surprise and fantastic victory in Cricket’s 20:20 World Cup.  6-1 shot with the bookies, Workforce won the Epsom Derby and Rafael Nadal claimed back the world no.1 spot after overcoming Robin Soderling in the final of the French Open at Roland Garros.  Italy’s Francesca Schiavone was the shock winner of the ladies singles in France. 

PAIN: Valentino Rossi is treated after his horror MotoGP crash

Valentino Rossi’s hopes of retaining his MotoGP title were shot, when he broke his leg in a serious practice accident for his home event in Mugello.  A week later, the greatest show on earth kicked off with the 2010 FIFA World Cup beginning in Soccer City.  A colourful opening ceremony was followed by hosts’ South Africa drawing 1-1 in the opener with Mexico.  Siphiwe Tshabalala scored one of the goals of the tournament for the hosts.  Twenty-four hours later, England drew their opening match in Rustenberg against the USA.  The 1-1 draw stood out for a glaring error from goalkeeper Robert Green and millions of ITV HD viewers missing the England goal from Steven Gerrard, enjoying a Hyundai car commercial instead!  There was success for Northern Ireland, when Graeme McDowell won the US Open at Pebble Beach, becoming the first European since Tony Jacklin in 1970 to win the prestigious event.  Meanwhile, Mark Webber was very lucky to walkaway unscathed from a terrifying 196mph shunt with Heikki Kovalainen at the European Grand Prix in Valencia. 

AGONY: Steven Gerrard feels the pain of an early exit for England

England’s World Cup dreams were blown apart in Bloemfontein.  Fabio Capello’s flat Three Lions losing 4-1 to bitter rivals Germany in the last 16.  Despite having a clear goal disallowed, when Frank Lampard’s shot bounced over the line, the younger German side had far more passion and the scoreline didn’t flatter them.  It was another dismal major tournament performance from England, but Capello somehow managed to hang onto his job.  England weren’t the only ones to make an embarrassing exit, as 1998 winners France and defending champions Italy also making desperate early departures.  In the quarter-finals, Ghana got denied a semi-final place by Uruguay in a gripping quarter-final in Soccer City.  Luis Suarez’s blatant handball handed the Africans a last minute penalty in extra-time, which Asamoah Gyan missed.  Suarez’s celebrations left a bitter taste with many fans afterwards.  The final of the World Cup was a bruiser; with English referee Howard Webb dishing out 14 yellow cards.  Spain won the bad-tempered final in Soccer City, with Andreas Iniesta striking the decisive goal in extra-time against a Holland side that seem to be more interested in playing kung-fu.  At Wimbledon, John Isner beat Nicolas Mahut in the longest game ever in tennis.  Their first round match ended in Isner’s favour, 70-68 in the fifth and deciding set.  Watched on by David Beckham amongst others, Andy Murray failed in his quest to become SW19 champion, beaten by the inspirational Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals in straight sets.  Nadal went on to win the final, cruising past the conqueror of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, Tomas Berdych in straight sets.  In the women’s game, Serena Williams regained her title, thrashing Russia’s Vera Zvonareva in less than an hour.

WINNER: Mo Farah achieves a brilliant double in Barcelona

South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen ran away with the Open Championship at St. Andrews, finishing on 16 under par, seven strokes clear of Lee Westwood, who would end the year as the world no.1.  In the Tour de France, Britain’s Mark Cavendish finished with an impressive five stage wins and Bradley Wiggins ended the event in fourth place.  The winner was Spain’s Alberto Contador.  Ferrari received a $100,000 fine for their use of team orders at the German Grand Prix.  Felipe Massa controversially handed a deserved victory over to his team-mate, Fernando Alonso at Hockenheim.  Formula One wasn’t the only sport in the dock in the summer, as cricket was faced with some tough questions, over match-fixing and ball-tampering allegations involving some of Pakistan’s key cricketers.  It made for savoury front page headlines and overshadowed a dominant summer series victory for England.  Happier times came out of the European Athletics Championships, which were very successful for Britain in Barcelona.  Mo Farah starred with two long distance wins in the 5,000m and 10,000m.  Phillips Idowu added to his world championship gold in the men’s triple jump and there was also gold for Jessica Ennis in the heptathlon and Andy Turner in the men’s 110m hurdles.  Britain left the event with 19 medals and puts us in great stead for London 2012.

REGAIN: McDowell played a key role in the Ryder Cup

The Warrington Wolves surprised the odds to defeat the Leeds Rhinos 30-6, to win the Rugby League Carengie Challenge Cup at Wembley.  In Super League, Wigan Warriors overcame Leeds in the final at Old Trafford, to win their first title since 1998.  The Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor turned into a rain-hit affair and a tense battle for supremacy.  In the first ever Monday finish to the tournament, Europe came out on top in Wales, with Graeme McDowell sinking the crucial put to see off America by one point, and regain the trophy for Europe, guided by the fantastic Colin Montgomerie.  After a dismal build-up and the withdrawal of several top-class athletes, the Commonwealth Games went ahead in India very successfully.  The starring role was from Tom Daley, as the young 16-year old won a double diving gold, despite having missed most of the season through injury.  After his closest challenger Dani Pedrosa fractured his knee in a practice crash for the Japanese MotoGP in Motegi, Jorge Lorenzo was practically assured of his first championship, which he buttoned up in Malaysia with a podium finish.

SOAKING: Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button give the new champ a shower

The closest ever F1 world championship battle went down to the wire in Abu Dhabi.  Four men still had the chance of clinching the jewel in the crown and it was Sebastian Vettel who became the youngest ever Grand Prix champion, with victory in the season finale.  Championship favourite Fernando Alonso was penalised by a poorly timed pitstop and wound up a frustrated 7^th, three places lower than what was required.  Mark Webber (8^th) and Lewis Hamilton (2^nd) were the other men in with a shout at the finale.  Hamilton may have missed out, but Dario Franchitti’s domination of the American scene continued, winning the Indy 500 for the second time in his career and the IndyCars title in the season finale in California, overhauling long-time leader Will Power in the final reckoning.  David Haye retained his world heavyweight championship title, after a comfortable stoppage of the woeful Audley Harrison in Manchester.  In the pick of the autumn rugby internationals, England beat Australia at Twickenham and Scotland stunned the world champions South Africa and the Ashes is currently tied at 1-1, after Australia levelled the series with an easy rout of England in the third test in Perth.    

That was 2010, a spectacular year and 2011 is bound to promise more of the same.

World Cup Final 2010: Holland 0-1 Spain - Iniesta Ends Years Of Underachievement

Spain becomes the eighth different team to win the World Cup, after a bruising and battering game in Soccer City on Sunday night.  Barcelona playmaker Andreas Iniesta was the difference, settling the outcome with Holland when we looked set for another final to be decided via the cruel fashion of penalties.

On paper, this match had the ingredients to be an absolute classic.  Holland, despite lacking the former ‘Total Football,’ guise, were playing well and in players like Arjen Robben and Wesley Snejider, the quality to turn a game on its head, just ask Brazil.  Spain turned up as slight favourites, and could also turn on the style when required, but also have the ability to grind out a result, should it be required.  Sadly, the billing didn’t live up to its occasion. 

Early on, it was the Spanish who produced the early pressing, with Maarten Stelkenberg forced into a smart save from a Sergio Ramos header.  Soon afterwards, the game transcended into a wrestling contest.  The Dutch took the ‘1990 Argentina’ approach, kick the living daylights out of your opponents and hope for the best.  English referee Howard Webb struggled to keep a complete control on events, slightly flustered it seemed, by having to dish out five yellow cards in fifteen mad minutes.  Mark Van Bommel was a disgrace all night, bickering with every single decision that Webb made, and as the game wore on, the Dutch started to drag their opponents into a wrestling contest.  Shortly before half-time, Nigel de Jong, Manchester City’s defensive shield, produced a shocking ‘kung-fu’ kick on ex-Liverpool man Xabi Alonso.  Webb tried desperately to not send anyone off, but how de Jong escaped with a challenge that frankly, is more associated with a cage fighting battle, is beyond me. 

In the second half, Snejider, involved in the general fracas, produced a moment of quality; with a measured pass which Gerard Pique made a meal of it.  Consequently, Robben was in the clear, with the whites of the goalposts beckoning.  Unfortunately, his shot was saved by Iker Casillas, with his legs.  Was that Holland’s golden chance?  During the brutal assaults on players, Ramos missed a golden chance with another header, and David Villa, desperate to score another goal that would win him the golden boot, narrowly missed making contact with a Jesus Navas low cross.  As extra-time beckoned, the yellow card count increased.  Howard Webb eventually showed 14, a new record for the World Cup final.

In extra-time, Robben missed another chance and was promptly booked for dissent, whilst substitute Cesc Fabregas missed a one-on-one.  Before the end of the first period, Johnny Heitinga took out Iniesta cynically and having being booked, Webb had no option, but to send the Everton defender off the field.  In the process, Heitinga joined the likes of Zinedine Zidane and Marcel Desailly in becoming the fifth player in World Cup final history to be dismissed.  With five minutes left, a Dutch free-kick took a double deflection off Fabregas and went behind.  Webb missed the deflection and left Holland incensed.  They then wanted a free-kick for a challenge by Joan Capdevilla on Eljero Elia, which wasn’t given. 

The Spanish went down the other end, and at the second attempt, Fabregas played a lovely ball through to Iniesta, who shook off Gregory Van der Wiel’s attention and stroked the winner past the despairing Stelkenberg.  Although Fernando Torres pulled up in the closing exchanges, with a suspected groin injury, Spain held on for a deserved success.

It was left to captain Iker Casillas to lift the trophy aloft, and ensure that the Spanish are really, the total dominant force in the international game.  They become the first team to win the World Cup, after losing their opening group game, as they did against Switzerland on June 16^th in Durban.  Despite only amassing eight goals in seven games, the Spanish deserve this success because they attempted to play football.  On Sunday, Holland turned the beautiful game into a disgraceful act of foul play, they got what they deserved which was nothing and scathing criticism worldwide.

CONGRATULATIONS SPAIN, ON BECOMING 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP WINNERS.     

World Cup Report - The Semi-Finals

Two more games done, two more left and now, the scene is set, after two mouth-watering and gripping semi-finals.  Whatever happens tomorrow night in Soccer City, we will have a new name on the FIFA World Cup trophy.  Here is a round-up of how Holland and Spain managed to make the final of the greatest show on earth, in midweek.

Tuesday 6^th July: Uruguay 2-3 Holland

Holland reached their first World Cup final in 32 years, after a hard-fought 3-2 win against the surprise package of the tournament, Uruguay in Cape Town.  With the Dutch looking short of ideas infront of goal, they turned to a spectacular long-range effort from Giovanni Van Bronckhorst.  The Dutch skipper, who is retiring from international football after these finals, launched a rasping drive from 30 yards out on 19 minutes, which no goalkeeper in the world would stop.  A resolute Uruguay equalised before half-time, when Maarten Stelkenberg failed to deal with a swerving left-foot shot, by Diego Forlan.  With the game looking set for extra-time, the Dutch scored twice in three minutes, to take the game away from their opponents.  First, Wesley Snejider’s 5^th goal of this tournament, which was allowed to stand, despite Robin Van Persie looking like, he was in an offside position.  Moments afterwards, Arjen Robben’s deft header from a Dirk Kuyt cross looked to have settled the outcome.  Despite the absence of Luis Suarez through suspension, Uruguay continued to fight on, and in time added on, Maxi Pereira pulled one back, to ensure a dramatic and nail-biting finish.  However, the Dutch held on to set up an all-European final.  For five goals, this was a cagey semi-final, with moments of magic and some will argue that Holland hasn’t played their most attractive football ever.  However, you don’t reach a World Cup final, having won 6 matches out of 6 by accident.

Wednesday 7^th July: Germany 0-1 Spain

In an intriguing match in Durban, Spain reached their first ever World Cup final, after recording a narrow and probably, surprising win over the tournament favourites, Germany.  After exposing the frailties of the England and Argentina defences, the German counter-attack was tamed to perfection by the well-organised Spanish defence.  By keeping the likes of Meszut Ozil and Bastian Schweinsteiger quiet, service to Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski was rather limited.  Spain had the better chances, and with fifteen minutes remaining, Xavi’s wonderful corner was met by the Barcelona skipper Carlos Puyol.  Puyol, a centre-back by trade and having only scored twice in his distinguished international career before, powered a bullet of a header past goalkeeper Manuel Neuer before he could even see it.  For Germany, this was a step too far for their youngsters, but they will be back and are bound to only get stronger in the years to come.  For Spain, the opportunity to become European and World champions, and become the first side to win the tournament, having lost their first match of the finals, ironically in Durban to Switzerland back on June 16^th.  The stage is set for a fantastic match-up with the Dutch tomorrow night. 

3^RD PLACE PLAYOFF: Uruguay v Germany               

(Port Elizabeth)                                ITV1       Tonight at 7.30pm

2010 FIFA WORLD CUP FINAL: Holland v Spain    

(Soccer City, Johannesburg)       ITV1/BBC1           Tomorrow night from 6.30pm (Kick-Off at 7.30pm)