Jonty Mark has proven what a dedicated sports fan he is, but there’s no rest as we prepare for another Soweto derby.
|||I’m bleary eyed at work today, thanks to those two gladiators of tennis, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. I could have done with some much needed sleep, but I just couldn’t resist the prospect of those two battering the life out of a small yellow spherical object. Such is the life of the sports addict.
It was around 2.30am SA time when Djokovic pummeled his final cross-court winner, to lift the US Open title and continue his stupendous year, consisting of three Grand Slam titles and, almost more absurdly, only two defeats in all tournaments.
Nadal, ever the Spanish matador, refused to lie down and won a quite staggering third set, where the brutality of some of the hitting was reminiscent of a heavyweight slugfest.
But it is a measure of how difficult it has been to take a set off Djokovic this season that Nadal’s efforts in that set left his legs rooted to the spot for the rest of the match.
It was a staggering spectacle, enhanced by the boisterous Flushing Meadows crowd, who provide a stark contrast to the other three Slams, with fans screaming with scant regard for whether it is mid-rally or a change of ends.
There was an equally noisy set of supporters at Soccer City on Saturday night, as a record crowd for a football match at this splendid venue gathered for the MTN8 final.
I had the privilege of being at the venue, and the noise, I can tell you, beggared belief. I probably haven’t heard such a din since the 2010 World Cup opener between Bafana Bafana and Mexico.
Unlike the US Open, however, events at Soccer City didn’t quite live up to the deafening racket. It was a dour, tactical game, with the winning goal coming courtesy of a mistake from Chiefs goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune.
Khune’s taken a fearful amount of stick, and also, it must be said, a fair amount of support. While it is certainly silly to blame the Amakhosi ‘keeper entirely for the defeat (Chiefs’ attack was about as threatening as a goldfish), there is absolutely no doubt he ought to have saved Oupa Manyisa’s long-range effort.
Chiefs have a chance of some revenge in this weekend’s first Absa Premiership Soweto derby, but with the momentum Pirates now have, it’s hard to see a reversal of fortune. I’m still battling to see exactly what Julio Leal has added to this Pirates team (especially the whereabouts of this so-called more attractive football), but there is no doubt Siyabonga Sangweni has added steel in defence.
And in Manyisa, Pirates have a little gem, a man who could yet inspire them to exceed last season’s treble.
Source: http://www.iol.co.za/revenge-versus-bucs-momentum-1.1137648
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