Sport Match -

segunda, 28 maio 2018 10:28

Monaco Grand Prix: Stricken Ricciardo holds on for famous win

Daniel Ricciardo had power problems for the majority of the race - but still held on to his lead to take a wonderful win at the Monaco Grand Prix.

WHERE THE RACE WAS WON
It looked like a straightforward win for Daniel Ricciardo, getting a clean start and holding on to his lead, stretching out ahead of Sebastian Vettel.

But the Red Bull reported a power issue around 28 laps in, leaving himself open to attack from the Ferrari, who gladly closed up the gap.

Then the German had a problem with his dash going blank, which gave Lewis Hamilton a chance to put some pressure on.
Fernando Alonso had to retire his McLaren when his gear box began smoking, but the yellow flags waving while they got him out of the way stopped any overtaking and brought the speed down for a bit; and then a virtual safety car five laps from the end, after Charles Leclerc shunted Brendon Hartley's Toro Rosso, meant Ricciardo's lead was protected for just a little bit longer.

When the race got under way again Vettel was struggling, dropping away from the leader, giving the Australian a bit more breathing space in the final laps. Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said later that the car problem was costing Ricciardo around two seconds per lap - which made his drive even more impressive.

HAMILTON-WATCH
Three stars out of five. A consistent and solid drive from Hamilton, starting third, finishing third, and going through the race without any trouble.

PIT RADIO EXCHANGE OF THE DAY
"I can't believe these tyres will go for 40 more laps!" complained Hamilton to his team, suffering from graining. They refused to bring him in, though, recommending he stay out and keep the pressure on the struggling Ricciardo and Vettel.

Note: Hamilton's tyres went for 40 more laps, until the end of the race.

MOVE OF THE RACE
Nice driving up the hill by Nico Hulkenberg, allowed to pass into P8 by his team-mate Carlos Sainz under pressure from the Red Bull of Max Verstappen. "Thank you!" came the heartfelt response from the German.

BEST OVERTAKE
Max Verstappen's first-lap swerve past both Haas cars displeased Romain Grosjean, who immediately took to his radio to complain about almost being pushed off the road, but it signalled the Red Bull's intent. He went on to scythe this way through the traffic and take P9 - not bad for the man who started at the back of the grid.
TACTICAL MASTERSTROKE
Poor Ricciardo's loss of power a third of the way through the race was simply brutal for him. He had driven absolutely perfectly all weekend up to that point - and after that dreadful pit stop robbed him of the win back in 2016 his heart must have been in his mouth. His team's insistence that he stay out there, stay focused, and stay in the lead might have seemed cliched and not that useful, but it did the job.
"I don't know how you did that, buddy. Incredible," came the message after the chequered flag.

UNSUNG HERO
Nobody thought much about Force India's Esteban Ocon, eleven seconds or so behind the front five, but to hold his position to finish P6 on this twisty, turny track, staying out of trouble and securing those points that his team so needed to leapfrog Haas in the championship standings deserves plenty of plaudits.

FACEPALM OF THE WEEKEND
Lance Stroll notified his team that he had something wrong with his car, apparently completely failing to notice that he had a puncture and was driving round on a flat tyre. They brought him in, changed up his boots, and he went on his merry way, spending the rest of the afternoon pootling around in last place, clocking some very fast laps due to the sizeable gap between him and the rest of the field leaving him with clean air to enjoy.

STAR-SPOTTING
There are always plenty of famous faces on show in Monaco. This weekend there were visitors from other classifications of motorsport...

Published in Formula 1

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segunda, 28 maio 2018 10:27

Jo Konta knocked out in straight sets by Yulia Putintseva

Jo Konta was easily beaten by Yulia Putintseva in the first round of the French Open.

The British No 1 - and the 22nd seed - lost at this stage for the fourth successive time at Roland Garros.

She struggled for form and timing throughout and went down 6-4 6-3 to the Kazakh player, who will now face America's Jennifer Brady.

Clay is regarded as Konta's least favourite surface, and she strugged against her opponents. She made 32 unforced errors and hit just 22 winners, making defeat almost inevitable.

Konta's aggressive approach to the game meant she failed to control her shots, and paid the price.

Published in Tennis

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segunda, 28 maio 2018 10:25

Gareth Bale: I will decide my future in the summer

Real Madrid's Champions League hero Gareth Bale has said he will discuss his future with his agent this summer.

Bale scored perhaps the greatest Champions League final goal ever, a brilliant overhead kick having come off the bench.
Speaking to BT Sport after the match he said he thought he should have started the game:

"Obviously I was very disappointed not to start the game, I felt I deserved it but the manager makes the decisions. The best I have been doing is to come on and make an impact, I certainly did.

"It has to be the best goal in a Champions League final, there is no bigger stage. I am just happy to get the win

"It is a team game but when you are a substitute, it is a game of more than 11 players. I made an impact.
"We know what we have achieved and how good we have been. The league was disappointing but we won the Champions League. It turns out to be a great season.

"We let everyone else speak. We know how hungry we are in the changing room, how prepared and motivated we are."

When asked if he would be playing in the Premier League next season, Bale said:

“I need to be playing week in week out, that has not happened this season. I have to sit down in the summer and discuss it with my agent.”
Bale has been linked with a move to Manchester United for several seasons, while a return to Tottenham Hotspur has also been mentioned.

Published in LaLiga

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segunda, 28 maio 2018 10:23

Mo Salah 'confident' of being fit for World Cup

Egypt forward Mohamed Salah said he is "confident" of being fit to play at the World Cup despite sustaining a shoulder injury in Liverpool's Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid.

Salah's final ended prematurely in Kiev on Saturday after a first-half challenge from Real captain Sergio Ramos led to the 25-year-old leaving the pitch in tears, clutching his shoulder.

Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp said that the injury "did not look good" after the match, but Salah posted on Sunday: "It was a very tough night, but I'm a fighter. Despite the odds, I'm confident that I'll be in Russia to make you all proud. Your love and support will give me the strength I need."

On Saturday the Egyptian FA also posted on Twitter that it is "optimistic" Salah would recover in time to travel to Russia.

Published in World Cup

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segunda, 28 maio 2018 10:21

Cristiano Ronaldo regrets Real exit hints, suggests Champions League should be named after him

Cristiano Ronaldo hinted he could leave Real Madrid this summer, immediately after winning the Champions League for the fifth time, then suggested the tournament should be named after him.

Zinedine Zidane’s men won the title for a record third time on the trot after two goals from Gareth Bale, one from Karim Benzema, and a helping hand from Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius.

But the delight of the win did not dissuade Ronaldo from talking cryptically about his future.
When asked after the game what would come next, the 33-year-old said: "It was very nice to be in Madrid, and in the next few days I will give an answer to the fans, who have always been by my side".

"We have made history and now we have to enjoy it.”
Ronaldo also bragged about his record in the competition when asked if he was disappointed not to score in the showpiece match. He added: "Maybe the Champions League should change its name to the CR7 Champions League."

Spanish newspaper Marca reported that Real's players, especially captain Sergio Ramos, admonished the Portuguese for his sensational comments on the pitch of the NSC Olympic Stadium while his team mates celebrated.

"I spoke when I shouldn't have done but something is going to happen. It wasn't the right time, but I was honest," Ronaldo told reporters before boarding the Real bus.

"In a week I'll say something because the fans have always supported me and are in my heart. I don't speak much, but when I speak, I speak," he added.

"Obviously I have something to say, but it wasn't the right time, although I don't regret it, because I was honest. I've kept putting up with this but then I couldn't control myself."
The 33-year-old, who became the first player in the Champions League era to win the trophy five times, including once with Manchester United, did not give a clear answer when asked what his grievances were.

"This has been coming for a long time. Money is not the problem. I've won five Champions Leagues, five Ballon d'Ors. I was already in history but now even more," he said.

"I'm not bothered because I know what I give to this club. I don't want to erase this unique moment with my team mates who are real champions."
Real coach Zinedine Zidane could not give an answer when asked about the timing of Ronaldo's comments and said he had not spoken to the player before the game about his future.

"Cristiano has to stay no matter what. We'll see what happens next, but for me he should stay," said the Frenchman.

Ramos also urged Ronaldo to remain at the club but said his team mate had to make clear what he meant.

"I'm sure Cris will speak at the end of the season. If there's something behind this, he should come and clarify what it is today," Ramos said.

"Cristiano is a key part of this team, he likes to feel loved and we all want him to stay, he won't find a better place than here, he's our superstar."

Published in Champions League

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domingo, 27 maio 2018 11:13

Cristiano Ronaldo hints at Real Madrid exit, suggests Champions League should be named after him

Cristiano Ronaldo hinted he could leave Real Madrid this summer, immediately after winning the Champions League for the fifth time, then suggested the tournament should be named after him.
Zinedine Zidane’s men won the title for a record third time on the trot after two goals from Gareth Bale, one from Karim Benzema, and a helping hand from Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius.

But the delight of the win did not dissuade Ronaldo from talking cryptically about his future.
When asked after the game what would come next, the 33-year-old said: "It was very nice to be in Madrid, and in the next few days I will give an answer to the fans, who have always been by my side".

"We have made history and now we have to enjoy it.”
Ronaldo also bragged about his record in the competition when asked if he was disappointed not to score in the showpiece match. H added: "Maybe the Champions League should change its name to the CR7 Champions League."

Published in Champions League

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domingo, 27 maio 2018 11:11

Jordan Henderson: Real Madrid deserved to win

Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson rued his side's luck after they lost to Real Madrid in the Champions League final.

However, he paid tribute to the quaity of the side his team faced:

"It is disappointing, of course. We did well to get the goal and get back into the game but made mistakes and Real Madrid were really good. They are a fantastic side and will always hurt you, they deserved to win and were better on the night.

"The first 30 or 35 minutes, we dominated with the ball, had a couple of chances but it is frustrating. You have to give credit to them."

Henderson was disappointed with Mo Salah's injury, which proved the turning point of the game.
"When Mo Salah got injured they started to dominate with the ball. They scored a goal which was offside in the first half but we stayed in the game. We still believed we could go on but there were a couple of goals on another night which would not have gone in."

He also questioned if Benzema's goal should have stopped:

"The first goal I am not sure what happened, whether Karim Benzema stopped it with his hand, and then the overhead kick he could do nothing about. The third goal, the ball had loads of movement on it. It is not the mistakes Loris Karius made, we got to the final as a team and lose as a team. It is about everybody.

"We were not good enough on the night, and I am so proud of the players and the fans who came out for us on the night. I hope we can carry on and get into more finals and use it going forward.

"Football moves forward, we have a World Cup coming up so you have to move on and the season starts really quickly. We have to be proud of getting here. It will hurt for a while but we have to keep going.

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domingo, 27 maio 2018 11:03

Gareth Bale: I will decide my future in the summer