A brief overview of all major sports happenings from around the world during the past week from 13th-16th January 2020.
Cricket
Ireland Shocks West Indies
Ireland held their nerve in the final over to pull off a shocking victory over T20I champions West Indies in the first match. Opener Paul Stirling had led visitors to 208-7 in the 20 overs a target that seemed difficult but achievable.
West Indies needed 15 to win in the last over when Josh Little dismissed heavy hitter Dwayne Bravo to give his side 1-0 lead in the series of three T20I matches.
Australia Thrashes India
Openers David Warner and Aaron Finch made a record-breaking opening stand in the first ODI match to hand India its worst-ever defeat in 15 years. Batting first, India had set a modest target of 256 runs which Australia achieved in just 37.5 overs without losing a single wicket.
Football
Setback For United
Ajax star Donny Van de Beek has been confirmed to join Real Madrid for the 2020 summer season despite an active expression of interest by Manchester United and an offer of $50 million. The Dutch winger had been approached by a number of European clubs before finalizing the deal with Real Madrid for $47 million.
James With Chelsea Till 2025
Reece James, the current probationary defender has signed a long-term contract with Chelsea set to last till 2025. The 20-year-old debuted with the Blues in September last year and has so far played 18 games under a temporary contract.
PSG Overpowers Monaco
Paris Saint-Germain beat Monaco 4-1 and gained eight points lead on the Ligue 1 table thanks to
Kylian Mbappe’s two goals. Two sides had earlier clashed last week which ended in a 3-3 draw.
Juventus Into Quarter-finals
Juventus dominated Udinese 4-0 in their Round-of-16 match to qualify for the Coppa Italia quarter-finals as Argentine Paulo Dybala scored twice to give his side an early edge in the fame. Gonzalo Higuain also scored two goals on penalties to seal the victory.
American Football
Brady’s Exit Imminent
After New England Patriots’ humiliating defeat in the round matches last week, their star quarterback Tom Brady was rumored to quit but many official sources denied them. Now there are reports Brady has vacated his Gillette Stadium suite, a sign of his imminent departure according to many.
Kuechly Announces Retirement
Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly has announced retirement from soccer after eight Pro Bowl seasons. Kuechly announced the retirement via an emotional video on social media citing health reasons behind his decision to quit. The 28-year-old had suffered three concussions during his football career.
Tennis
Bushfires Disrupt Australian Open
The ongoing qualifying rounds for the 2020 edition of Australian Open were disrupted for two-days straight as players complained of breathing problems due to smoke-filled air in Melbourne. Several players complained to the management and some even quit the matches citing severe health issues.
Golf
Koepka Stars In Abu Dhabi
World No.1 Brooks Koepka raced to the finish line on day one of Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship posting a flawless 6-under-66. The victory marked Koepka’s return to course after suffering a kneed injury at the end of 2019 season that had ruled him out of The Presidents Cup.
Gainey Stages Comeback
Tommy Gainey claimed his first victory in eight years after winning the Korn Ferry Tour’s Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay by turning in a final-round 69. The victory comes just a month after Gainey was arrested for illegal solicitation by US authorities.
Motor Sports
Dakar Rally Stage 10 Roundup
Spain’s Carlos Sainz topped the leaderboard at the end of 10th stage of Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia on a day marked with high winds and Former F1 champion Fernando Alonso’s terrifying crash that thankfully did not hurt anyone gravely.
Sainz now enjoys an overall lead of 18:10 with Qatar’s Al-Attiyah and Peterhansel sitting on numbers two and three respectively.
Trouble At Ferrari
Ferrari is set to introduce its 2020 car but inside reports claim that its own engineers remain unimpressed and skeptical of its performance on the track. The Italian team is set to unveil the new car on February 11th hoping to improve on last year’s dismal performance against Mercedes and Red Bull.
Meanwhile, Arthur Leclerc has confirmed that he will stay with Ferrari during the Formula 3 Regional European Championship.
Martial Arts
McGregor & Cerrone Face Off
Connor McGregor and Donal Cerrone faced off in the pre-match press conference ahead of their much-anticipated fight at the UFC 246 scheduled for Saturday, 18th February. Contrary to the anticipation and their own track record, both fighters behaved and talked politely to each other. Nevertheless, fans are being promised a bloodbath as two fierce rivals clash.
Allen To Fight Nik Lentz
Arnold Allen and Nik Lentz are set to fight each other for featherweight title after their respective opponents were ruled out by injuries. Two fighters will square off at UFC Fight Night from Raleigh, N.C. on January 25.
Boxing
Fury Promises Knock Out
Tyson Fury has vowed to impose a knock out defeat on Deontay Wilder maximum by the second round as two rivals face each other in their heavyweight rematch in February. Their 2018 bout had ended in a controversial draw.
Cycling
Hamilton Out With Injury
Rising Australian cyclist Chris Hamilton will miss the Tour Down Under after suffering a freak injury in a training crash – rupturing one of his testicles. The 24-year-old Sunweb rider posted the injury news on Instagram:
Esports
Cyberpunk 2077 Delayed
Cyberpunk 2077’s release has been pushed from April to September due to some recently-revealed feature bugs, CD Projekt Red has announced. Fans were dismayed on the news and their disappointment was compounded after it was announced that Final Fantasy 7 Remake will also be delayed.
Lunar New Year At Overwatch
Overwatch launched its annual Lunar new year with loads of custom decorations and skin packs along with other in-game accessories. The theme for the latest lunar new year is the ‘Year of Rat’ based on chinse mythology.
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