Five talking points from the sporting weekend
Published:
Football, tennis and Moto GP feature
The Premier League took a back seat last weekend as the UEFA Nations League dominated proceedings.
However aside from the football, there was some big talking points in the Tennis, Cricket and Boxing world and the Coral News Team has rounded it all up.
England lose to Spain in controversial fashion
The Three Lions kicked off their Nations League campaign at home to Spain on Saturday night.
After going 1-0 up early on through Marcus Rashford, England relinquished their lead and were 2-1 down before half-time thanks to goals from Saul Niguez and Rodrigo Moreno for Spain.
However, as the match entered second-half stoppage time, Danny Welbeck swept the ball home from close-range after David De Gea failed to catch a Sergio Ramos miss kick.
But the goal was ruled out for a foul as England fell to 5/1 to win their group. It also means the team have lost three consecutive games for the first time in 30 years.
The Chef to cook up one last treat?
Alastair Cook announcing his retirement has been the main talking point ahead of the fifth and final test against India last week.
England secured the series with their win at the Ageas Bowl as attention shifted to Cook’s last hurrah.
The Essex opener scored a first innings 71 at the Oval and is hoping to end on a high.
Cook is 2/1 to score a ton and every England fan in the crowd will be roaring him towards a final century. In which would be a fitting end to the Chef’s test career.
Serena Williams loses US Open… but steals the headlines
Naomi Osaka won her maiden Grand Slam on Saturday night. It should have been a night of overriding joy, but the match ended in a mix of elation and confusion.
Osaka swept Williams aside in the first set, winning 6-2.
But during a very nip and tuck second set, the final will be remembered for the Williams outburst that cost her the match and set Osaka up for a historic win.
The 36-year-old called umpire Carlos Ramos a ‘thief’ after docking her points, which has opened up a whole new debate on double standards in tennis as a whole.
Moto GP madness in San Marino
Moto GP made the headlines for all the wrong reasons over the weekend.
It was the second-tier Moto2 race which ended in outrage across the sporting world as Romano Fenati pressed a rival’s brake during the race, with the pair travelling up to 140mph.
Fenati was banned after 23 laps for ‘irresponsible driving’ and has been told to sit out the next two races by MotoGP officials. This might not matter after he was sacked by his team Marinelli Snipers.
This dispute will rage on despite the sanctions. British driver Carl Crutchlow came third in the main race, behind winner Andrea Dovizioso, and called for a lifetime ban.
Amir Khan to go again?
Amir Khan returned to the Boxing ring on Saturday night, and despite getting knocked down came away with a second-successive victory on his comeback.
After winning on points, Khan was vocal in his desire to fight either Kell Brook or Manny Pacquiao next.
A bout of that nature would represent a huge turn-around for the man who last held a title belt seven years ago.
A Brook-Khan blockbuster could come to fruition sooner rather than later.
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