Sportlineng Top Five Sporting Moments From The Past Week
From Football, Cricket, Tennis, F1, and Basketball. Here are sportlineng top five sporting moments from the past seven days.
1. Messi milestone not enough as Catalans lose again
Lionel Messi’s 500th senior goal was not enough to prevent Barcelona from losing three La Liga games in a row for the first time since February 2003 as Valencia won 2-1 at Camp Nou.
An own goal from Ivan Rakitic then saw Valencia take a shock lead, before Santi Mina doubled the visitors’ lead with his fourth league goal of the season.
Messi eventually got his milestone goal after the break to end his barren run, but it was not enough to salvage a draw as Valencia held firm.
2. Nadal battles to beat Monfils for ninth Monte Carlo title
Rafael Nadal was forced to work hard to claim his ninth Monte Carlo Masters title, overcoming Gael Monfils 7-5 5-7 6-0 in an exhilarating final on Sunday.
In a match that frequently swung from one player to the other, it was the grit and determination of Nadal that ensured he came out on top to draw level with world number one Novak Djokovic’s record of 28 ATP 1000 triumphs.
Monfils, who had the backing of the Monaco crowd, showed tremendous spirit and produced moments of real quality to force a decisive set, but he could not match the resilience of the Spaniard, who dug in for victory in his 100th final appearance on the ATP Tour.
3. Nico Rosberg continues winning streak in China
Nico Rosberg avoided the early drama to win his sixth successive Formula One race with a dominant display at the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday.
4. Result: Federer’s Monte Carlo hoodoo continues as Tsonga triumphs
Roger Federer‘s wait for a Monte Carlo Masters title was extended by another year this afternoon as he lost in three sets to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Federer, a 17-time Grand Slam champion, was first to break in this afternoon’s quarter-final, but Tsonga hit straight back to level the opening set at 2-2.
Tsonga then held to love to go in front, but it was all Federer in the first set from there as the Swiss won four games in a row to claim the opener 6-3.
5. Cavs, Spurs draw first blood in NBA play-offs
The Cleveland Cavaliers’ star trio came up big as the Eastern Conference champions opened their play-off campaign with a 106-101 win over the Detroit Pistons.
Reunited together for the first time in the post-season since last season’s first round, LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love combined to lead the top-seeded Cavs past the relentless Pistons in game one of the opening-round series in Cleveland on Sunday.
The San Antonio Spurs had a far easier assignment on home court as they crushed the Memphis Grizzlies 106-74 in the opening game of their Western Conference first-round series.