Andy Murray reunited with the man who guided him through his most successful stint, Cristiano Ronaldo’s latest act of petulance and hooliganism rears its ugly head again.
Best reunion
Ivarray? How about Andendl? Nope? Neither quite cuts it but whatever combo name you choose to give them, it makes no difference to the significance of the move. Andy Murray and Ivan Lendl are back and tennis may finally have thrown a challenge to the undisputed reign of Novak Djokovic. Lendl helped Murray to his most successful period, but his departure has seen Murray lose ground to Djokovic. The pair are back at an opportune moment too, just before Wimbledon. The plot has thickened.
Best sparring
Because he is Cristiano Ronaldo he will attract the most scorn. Much of it, for his comments about Iceland’s “small mentality”, is probably deserved. Iceland are one of the best stories at Euro 2016, a tiny nation beating history and their own size to get this far. But Ronaldo was likely riled by the initial shot fired by Iceland’s co-manager Lars Lagerback. Ahead of the game, Lagerback hit out at Ronaldo’s propensity to dive, calling him “an excellent actor”. This one is not over.
Biggest surprise
Fifty-seven applications for the vacant role of India’s head coach, including Ravi Shastri and Sandeep Patil. The most surprising? Anil Kumble. He has been involved in cricket in several capacities, including heading India’s national academy and the ICC’s cricket committee. But he has no formal qualifications and the closest thing to experience is a stint as an IPL franchise mentor. His pedigree as a player and a senior figure of substance since is impressive enough to push him among the forerunners.
Worst return
Hooliganism was supposed to have left us, at least on the wide-scale basis that is football’s major tournaments. But as the events of the last week have reminded us, perhaps we were being optimistic in thinking that it has been eradicated. The behaviour and actions of Russian and English fans have stained the opening week of the Euros. It is likely those clashes will not be the last, even if the threat of disqualification looms over Russia.
Best intervention
Not that Argentina were in danger of losing to 10-man Panama but after an hour, the time seemed right to bring on you-know-who, to add a bit of sparkle to the occasion. On came Lionel Messi, 61 minutes gone, and duly registered a 19-minute hat-trick to secure a 5-0 thrashing. A back injury kept him out of the first game and his status has been the subject of much speculation through the Copa America. On that evidence there does not seem too much wrong with him.
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