Writers' choice: A year of epic encounters

Sport360 staff 20:18 31/12/2014
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  • Novak Djokovic capped off a sensational 2014 by clinching the Wimbledon title and returning to World No1.

    Sport360 writers pick their standout sporting moments from the last 12 months with Novak Djokovic's Wimbledon triumph, Sam Burgess's totemic display in the NRL-grand final, and Arsenal's FA Cup win all featuring.

    Atletico Madrid upset the odds to win La Liga

    Nou Camp, Barcelona, May 17

    James Piercy, Deputy Editor 

    Underdog tales at the top level of football are becoming increasingly rare as finance separates the haves from the have nots. Atletico are by no means the Cinderella story they are often cast as – they owe around €110m (Dh491m) in unpaid taxes to the Spanish government. However, in beating superpowers Barcelona and Real Madrid to the Primera Division title, they stood for more than just success.

    Selling their best player – Radamel Falcao – it was expected to be a season of competing for European football at best for Spain’s favourite crisis club. The points gap behind Barca and Madrid over the previous five seasons had read: 9-35-34-49-11. 

    Diego Simeone is a special coach though. Inspiration personified, he rallied a largely unfashionable group of players through a magical campaign in which, however boring it may sound, the team always came before the individual. There was no ego, no preening and no grandstanding.

    Fittingly – given how robust and organised they were – a first league trophy for 18 years was secured by a defender, as Diego Godin’s header earned a 1-1 draw at Barcelona on the last day of the season. An affirmation that football, reassuringly, remains a team game.

    Brazil 1-7 Germany, World Cup semi-final
    Estadio Mineirao, Belo Horizonte, July 8

    Matt Jones

    No European teams were supposed to be capable of mounting a serious challenge at the World Cup in Brazil. The script declared the Samba Boys or Argentina were supposed to dance their way to a World Cup triumph.

    In truth, the host nation were fortunate to make it to the semi-finals, and they probably wish they hadn’t after they were completely embarrassed by a brilliantly efficient and enterprising German outfit.

    It had been coming all tournament.

    In a barely believable 90 minutes of football, an entire nation was left shell-shocked as the Germans delivered one of the most comprehensively one sided performances the beautiful game has ever seen. Germany were ruthless while Brazil’s glaringly obvious decline manifested itself in six horribly painful first half minutes in which the Europeans scored four times to put themselves 5-0 ahead at half-time.

    Previous World Cups had been disappointing, but this one delivered throughout. Also special was Miroslav Klose scoring Die Mannschaft’s second and becoming the competition’s record goal-scorer with 16, breaking the record of Ronaldo.

    Sri Lanka beat India to win the World T20
    Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur, April 6

    Ajit Vijaykumar

    Sri Lanka made it to the finals of the 2007 and 2011 World Cup and the 2009 World T20 but fell at the last hurdle. Their fans had become tired waiting for an elusive second world title after the 1996 triumph. Another opportunity presented itself at this year’s World T20 and this time they didn’t fluff their lines.

    India were looking dangerous batting first but the host bowlers pulled them back brilliantly to restrict MS Dhoni’s team to 130-4. In the chase, veterans Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene anchored the chase superbly.

    The two were winding up their international careers and it was their last chance to bring glory at the world stage in front of their home crowd.
    And the way the Sri Lankan stalwarts pulled it off was a great moment in the island nation’s cricketing history.

    San Antonio Spurs triumph 4-1 over the Miami Heat to win the NBA championship
    AT&T Center, San Antonio, June 15

    Jay Asser

    The sweetest accomplishments are the ones which come in the wake of disappointment, struggle, heartbreak, etc. Gregg Popovich and Tim Duncan have won five NBA championships, but it’s hard to imagine their latest title not being their most gratifying.

    After coming as close to hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy and falling short as any NBA team in history has, the 2013-14 San Antonio Spurs were a squad that you almost had no choice but to root for.

    The way they won is what made their triumph so special. To see a team come together, recognise their mission, play so fluidly as a unit with the same mindset and approach, it was staggering to watch as a basketball fan.

    I’ve seen individual players will their team to glory. Those have been special moments. But to see an entire team collectively will itself to a title – and do so convincingly – is something I’ll never forget.

    Compton finishes second at the US Open
    Pinehurst Resort, Course No2, North Carolina, June 15

    Joy Chakravarty

    My favourite sporting moment of the year would never rank among the greatest, but it portrays sport at its very best – the grit and determination of the protagonist warms the heart and gives us all hope.

    It was when American Erik Compton finished tied for second place at this year’s US Open at a brutal Pinehurst No2.

    Compton was one of only three players to finish in red numbers in what was easily the toughest tournament of the year.

    But that achievement becomes even more significant considering that the 35-year-old has undergone not one, but two heart transplants.

    Most people would have expected him to be home-bound after the second surgery, but Compton was absolutely inspirational on the golf course.

    This, really, was sport at its best.

    Jo Pavey wins the European 10,000m final
    Letzigrund, Zurich, August 12

    Martyn Thomas

    At a time when it is becoming increasingly difficult to relate to many sports stars, Jo Pavey’s success at the European Championships was one for the masses.

    It is difficult to watch repeats of the last two laps of the 10,000m final in Zurich without a lump in your throat. Just 10 months after giving birth to her second child came the defining moment of the 40-year-old’s long and distinguished career.

    Racing against women almost half her age, Pavey kicks for the line around 400m out, yet realising the 24-year-old Clemence Calvin is still on her heels, the Brit is forced to dig deep twice more before breaking the Frenchwoman’s resolve.

    Her victory was well outside world record pace, while it could be argued it wasn’t on the highest possible stage. Yet, watching a motherof- two striding home to become the oldest female European champion in history proves what is achievable when you dedicate your life to sport.

    Give me that over pampered prima donnas any day of the week.

    Arsenal 3-2 Hull City, FA Cup final
    Wembley, London, May 17

    Denzil Pinto

    You only had to see the sheer delight from the fans, players and Arsene Wenger as Arsenal clinched their first piece of silverware in nine years with a 3-2 triumph over Hull City in the FA Cup final on May 17.

    Having been disappointed in 2011 when they inexplicably lost to Birmingham in the League Cup final, you’d have forgiven even the Gunners most ardent followers for giving up all hope. But three years on, Arsenal had another opportunity to make amends, although they made it very, very hard for themselves.

    Already 2-0 down after just eight minutes, Arsenal levelled and forced extra-time before Aaron Ramsey was the hero, scoring the eventual winner 12 minutes from time.

    It may have been ‘only’ the FA Cup, but after nine years of pain, fans and Wenger – who takes as much of the credit as the players – finally had a moment to truly savour, and a first trophy since moving from Highbury to the Emirates.

    Sam Burgess plays through the pain in the NRL grand final
    ANZ Stadium, Sydney, October 5

    Matt Monaghan

    Elite sportsman often twin superhuman talent with remarkable bravery. This summed up Sam Burgess’ heroic last stand with South Sydney Rabbitohs ahead of switching codes, and continents, to join Bath.

    The Brit played 79 minutes of his club’s NRL Grand Final victory against Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs with a fractured cheekbone, utterly incredible for one of the globe’s most physically demanding sports.

    High drama and a lesson in the value of how far someone will sacrifice themselves for a cause they believe in. The tears pouring down Burgess’ rapidly-swelling face upon the final whistle said everything you need to know about this upstanding athlete.

    Novak Djokovic overcomes Roger Federer in an epic Wimbledon final
    All England Lawn Tennis Club, London, July 6

    Reem Abulleil

    This year in tennis was supposed to be about breakthroughs. New faces were starting to make claims on the major stage and by the quarter-finals at Wimbledon, two of the ‘Big Four’ had been eliminated by younger guns. But then came Federer and Djokovic reminding us why they are still a class apart by delivering an incredible fivesetter, won by the Serb 6-7(7), 6-4, 7-6(4), 5-7, 6-4.

    He was up 5-2 in the fourth set, but Federer – who at 32 was getting written off by pundits – came back to force a fifth. Djokovic somehow regrouped to win the title and return to No1 in the world, just a week before getting married.

    Misbah-ul Haq’s 101 off 57 balls v Australia
    Second Test, Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, November 2

    Jaideep Marar

    The Pakistan captain had been castigated for his slow batting approach and was even on the verge of losing his one-day captaincy ahead of the Test series against Australia.

    However, Misbah put all that behind him and started off with a hundred in the first innings before unleashing a rare batting spectacle in the second innings at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium. Not even his staunchest supporters would have expected the 40-year-old to score the fastest hundred in a Test match, which put him in the same league as Vivian Richards and Adam Gilchrist.

    It also put all his previous dour innings into perspective – how much he took it upon himself to control his attacking instincts and adopt safer methods to give stability to a side loaded with unpredictable characters.

    The innings was a throwback to the creative strokeplay he had displayed during the 2007 World Twenty20. But this innings, studded with 11 fours and five sixes, was exceptional.

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