May 2012
227 posts
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BREAKING - Marathon Man at it again, now at French
TENNIS - John Isner, famous for his gruelling marathon match with Nicolas Mahut, setting records for the longest tennis match in professional matches, was at it again. Isner fought Paul-Henri Mathieu at Roland Garros and the two recorded the longest ever Open era French Open match in terms of games played.
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Matches with most games played - each Grand Slam, men’s singles (Open...
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BREAKING: England will miss Lampard at Euro 2012
FOOTBALL - Frank Lampard (90 caps and 23 goals) misses EURO 2012 due to a thigh injury. The Chelsea midfielder will be replaced by Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson. Lampard made three goals at England’s previous ECh appearance (2004 in Portugal). He was named in the team of the tournament by UEFA.
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> Frank Lampard scored 3 of Englands10 goals at EURO 2004. Only Wayne Rooney (4) scored more...
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DAILY FOOTBALL QUIZ QUESTION - 31 May 2012
FOOTBALL - Name the two teams to have lost all their matches in qualifying for Euro 2012.
Answer to yesterday’s question: Terry McDermott, Kenny Dalglish, Ian Rush, John Barnes.
You will find the answer to today’s question here tomorrow at 14:00 CET. Questions courtesy of Voetbalkenners masters of the quiz (find them on Twitter @Voetbalkenners).
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LONDON CALLING – Countdown to the 2012 Olympics:...
OLYMPICS - With the 2012 Olympic Games in London getting closer by the day, we are in full-on Olympic stats mode here and @Infostrada2012. Every day from 100 days to go until the day of the London 2012 opening ceremony, we will post a statistic related to the number of days left until the Games. Click ‘Read More’ to see today’s 57 stat and all the other ones that we have posted so far.
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BIRTHDAY - 31 May: Joe Namath (American Football)
AMERICAN FOOTBALL - Joe Namath is 69 years old today. The New York Jets were heavy underdogs to the Baltimore Colts going into Super Bowl III, but three days before the game, Jets quarterback Joe Namath brashly ‘guaranteed a victory’. His team helped him to back up his words by controlling most of the game, building a 16-0 lead in the fourth quarter. At the final whistle it was 16-7 to...
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RECORD: Iker Casillas sets world record for...
FOOTBALL - Iker Casillas has set an all-time world record by appearing on the winning side for the 95 time in an international match. Casillas came on for fellow custodian Pepe Reina as Spain defeated Korea Republic 4-1 in an international friendly on Wednesday. We have the top 10 of ‘biggest winners’ right here.
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Most international matches played on the winning side
95 -...
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IN THE NEWS: Liverpool appoint Rodgers as manager
FOOTBALL - Liverpool have named a successor to Kenny Dalglish, appointing Brendan Rodgers as their new manager. Rodgers had been in charge of promoted side Swansea City, with which he comfortably stayed up. Liverpool’s previous two managers have struggled to earn points in the Premier League. An overview of Liverpool managers.
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Average points from Premier League matches by...
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RECORD: Federer sets all-time Grand Slam record
TENNIS - By defeating Adrian Ungur in the second round at Roland Garros, Roger Federer won his 234th men’s singles match at a Grand Slam, overtaking the all-time record by Jimmy Connors. We have compiled the Top 10 of players in this list.
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Players with most men’s singles match wins at Grand Slams (Open era)
234 - Roger Federer (SUI)
233 - Jimmy Connors (USA)
224 - Andre...
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PREVIEW: 2012 Stanley Cup Finals
ICE HOCKEY – The New Jersey Devils and the Los Angeles Kings will play in the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals. We have put together a mixed bag of facts on the season finale in the NHL, the most powerful competition in ice hockey.
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European exhibition improves Stanley Cup chances
The last three cup champions started the season playing in Europe. Pittsburgh played against Ottawa in Sweden...
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DAILY FOOTBALL QUIZ QUESTION - 30 May 2012
FOOTBALL - Today is Steven Gerrard’s 32nd birthday. In 2006 he won the PFA Players’ Player of the Year Award. Name the four other Liverpool players to have won this award since 1973.
Answer to yesterday’s question: Kevin Mirallas (Olympiacos)
You will find the answer to today’s question here tomorrow at 14:00 CET. Questions courtesy of Voetbalkenners masters of the quiz...
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MILESTONE: Spurs reel off 20th win in a row
BASKETBALL - The San Antonio Spurs improved to 2-0 in their Western Conference Finals series with the Oklahoma Thunder. The Spurs are now a perfect 10-0 in the playoffs and since they also won their last 10 games in the regular season they have now become the fourth team in NBA history to record a victory streak of 20 matches or longer. The Spurs have not been defeated since April 11th (vs...
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LONDON CALLING – Countdown to the 2012 Olympics:...
OLYMPICS - With the 2012 Olympic Games in London getting closer by the day, we are in full-on Olympic stats mode here and @Infostrada2012. Every day from 100 days to go until the day of the London 2012 opening ceremony, we will post a statistic related to the number of days left until the Games. Click ‘Read More’ to see today’s 59 stat and all the other ones that we have posted so far.
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BIRTHDAY - 30 May: Steven Gerrard (Football)
FOOTBALL - Steven Gerrard is 32 years old today. He is the current England captain, as he captains Liverpool, the club he has represented for his entire professional career. He has won the FA Cup twice, the League Cup three times, the UEFA Champions League once, the UEFA Cup once, the UEFA Super Cup once and the FA Community Shield twice.
Shares birthday with: Peter Carl Fabergé, Mel Blanc, Tom...
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IN THE NEWS: Age structures by squads explained
FOOTBALL - Looking at age structures of Euro 2012 squads, two figures stand out in our humble opinion. A staggering 14 players in Germany’s squad are between 20 and 25 years old. Portugal are sending only three players in their thirties, but this generation of Portuguese players may age quite soon. Click Read More to see the graph.
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Age structures for all Euro 2012 squads
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IN THE NEWS: Seven teenagers involved in Euro 2012
FOOTBALL - Seven teenagers will find themselves on a plane to Poland/Ukraine this week. The youngest of the bunch is Dutchman Jetro Willems, who will be 18 years and 70 days on the opening day of Euro 2012 (8 June 2012). We have made a list of the seven teenagers picked to a Euro 2012 squad.
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Youngest players in Euro 2012 squads (on 8 June 2012)
18-070 Jetro Willems (Netherlands)
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IN THE NEWS: Birth place of most Euro 2012 players
FOOTBALL - With all 368 players named to their respective Euro 2012 squads, we have tracked their origin. Eleven of them were born in Moscow, which makes the Russian capital the most common nursery of Euro 2012 players. Click Read More to see which cities are the birthplace of at least four Euro 2012 players.
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Cities that are place of birth of most Euro 2012 players
11 - Moscow (RUS)
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BIRTHDAY - Birthday calendar for Euro 2012
FOOTBALL - Twenty-two of the 368 players selected in a Euro 2012 squad will celebrate their birthday at some point in the tournament. Eight of them can actually play - or score - on their birthday. We have built a little birthday calendar and we have highlighted all the birthday boys that can actually play on their birthday.
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Players in Euro 2012 squads that will celebrate birthday...
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IN THE NEWS: Euro 2012 players by domestic league
FOOTBALL - With all 368 players to take part in Euro 2012, we did research on which countries they plied their trade in club football in the 2011/2012 season. The leading country might not surprise you. We have compiled the Top 10 for you. You can see it by clicking Read More.
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Where did they play their club football in 2011/2012? - Euro 2012 players
79 - England (71 in Premier League,...
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IN THE NEWS: Bayern main provider of Euro 2012
FOOTBALL - With 13 of their players present at Euro 2012, Bayern München will be the most represented club in the tournament. With eight players of domestic heritage, they are the main providers to the German national team, but they also cater to other squads. Click Read More to see the clubs that send most players to Euro 2012.
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Clubs most heavily represented at Euro 2012
13 - Bayern...
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PREVIEW: Two unlikely Stanley Cup finalists
ICE HOCKEY - This Wednesday, the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Finals will face off and they will feature two teams that overcame the odds to book their place in the final showdown. Based on a regular season ranking involving all teams the New Jersey Devils finished ninth in total points and the Los Angeles Kings finished 13th.
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Only one Stanley Cup Finals (since the current playoff format was...
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DAILY FOOTBALL QUIZ QUESTION - 29 May 2012
FOOTBALL - He never played at the highest level in his native country. He played for several years in France and this season he was the top scorer in one of Europe’s leagues. Who is he?
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Answer to yesterday’s question: Carlton Palmer (Sheffield Wednesday, Leeds United, Southampton, Nottingham Forest, Coventry City)
You will find the answer to today’s question here...
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IN THE NEWS: Germans send youngest Euro squad
FOOTBALL - Germany will field the youngest squad of all teams at Euro 2012 and it will also be the youngest ‘Mannschaft’ to represent Germany at a European championship. In fact, only once the Germans have sent a younger ensemble to a major championship. Click Read More to see their youngest tournament squads.
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Youngest squads representing Germany in major championships
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LONDON CALLING – Countdown to the 2012 Olympics:...
OLYMPICS - With the 2012 Olympic Games in London getting closer by the day, we are in full-on Olympic stats mode here and @Infostrada2012. Every day from 100 days to go until the day of the London 2012 opening ceremony, we will post a statistic related to the number of days left until the Games. Click ‘Read More’ to see today’s 59 stat and all the other ones that we have posted so far.[[MORE]]
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LONDON CALLING - You Tube: The Metropolitan Line
OLYMPIC GAMES - During the 2012 London Olympic Games, London’s Underground (subway) system, locally know as ‘the tube’ will rename its 361 stations after Olympic legends and athletes. We will chart each line on a weekly basis. This week, it is the Metropolitan Line featuring Athletics field. Click on the links to find their profiles on the Infostrada Sports Wall of Fame.
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BIRTHDAY - 29 May: Roberto Di Matteo (Football)
FOOTBALL - Roberto Di Matteo is 42 years old today. Ten days ago, Di Matteo won the UEFA Champions League as a caretaker manager with Chelsea. In the final, Chelsea dismissed Bayern Munich after a penalty shootout. He quickly added Europe’s most coveted trophy to the FA Cup he had won with the Blues only weeks earlier.
Shares birthday with: Bob Hope, John F. Kennedy, Noel Gallagher
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BREAKING: Record hunter Klose named in Euro squad
FOOTBALL - Miroslav Klose’s inclusion in Germany’s Euro 2012 squad means that the veteran striker will have a chance at a significant record. Klose has now scored 16 goals in major championships (World Cup and European Championships combined) and is only two goals shy of the record.
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Most goals at World Cups and European Championships combined
18 - Gerd Müller (West...
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REVIEW: Federer wins 50th singles match at RG
TENNIS - Roger Federer defeated Tobias Kamke in the first round of Roland Garros, becoming only the fourth player to secure 50+ singles wins at the Porte d’Auteuil (Open era). Federer can equal the competition record of 56 this year if he wins six more matches in this tournament.
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Most men’s singles matches won at Roland Garros - Open era
56 - Guillermo Vilas (ARG)
53 -...
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DAILY FOOTBALL QUIZ QUESTION - 28 May 2012
FOOTBALL - Name the only player to receive red cards for five different teams in the Premier League.
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Answer to yesterday’s question: Werder Bremen (88)/Schalke 04 (14)/Hamburger SV (3)/MSV Duisburg (1)
You will find the answer to today’s question here tomorrow at 14:00 CET. Questions courtesy of Voetbalkenners, masters of the quiz question (find them on Twitter...
LONDON CALLING – Countdown to the 2012 Olympics:...
OLYMPICS - With the 2012 Olympic Games in London getting closer by the day, we are in full-on Olympic stats mode here and @Infostrada2012. Every day from 100 days to go until the day of the London 2012 opening ceremony, we will post a statistic related to the number of days left until the Games. Click ‘Read More’ to see today’s 60 stat and all the other ones that we have posted so far.[[MORE]]
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BIRTHDAY - 28 May: Hans-Jörg Butt (Football)
FOOTBALL - Hans-Jörg Butt is 38 years old today. Being a goalkeeper, Butt has scored an incredible 26 goals in the Bundesliga as a goalkeeper. At every club he played for, Butt was the penalty kicker. Only by Bayern Munich has he never kicked a penalty. In 2003-04, after scoring a penalty in an away match against FC Schalke 04 on 17 April 2004, Butt started his retreat in which he was met by his...
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PREVIEW: Federer to appear in 50th straight Grand...
TENNIS - Roger Federer will meet Tobias Kamke in the second match at Court Suzanne Lenglen on Monday. This will signify the Swiss star’s 50th consecutive Grand Slam start, a run that started at the 2000 Australian Open. Federer will become the third player in Open era history to appear in the men’s singles tournament of 50 Slams in a row.
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Federer will be appearing in his...
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PREVIEW: Have the Spurs got Westbrook's number?
BASKETBALL - Tonight, the NBA’s Western Conference Finals will tip off with the experienced and top seeded San Antonio Spurs hosting the young and exciting Oklahoma City Thunder. In March, we read this article by the good people at Loud City, suggesting that the Spurs know how to keep Thunder star Russell Westbrook in check. Explained in graphics.
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REVIEW: Hesjedal becomes 2nd rider to win Giro in...
CYCLING – Ryder Hesjedal won the 2012 Giro d’Italia after overtaking Joaquim Rodríguez in the final stage, an individual time trial over 28.2 kilometres. Hesjedal had a deficit of 31 seconds and turned it into a lead of 16 seconds on Rodríguez.
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Hesjedal became the first Canadian on the podium in any of the three Grand Tours. Previous best for Canada was a fourth place by Steve...
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RECORD: Six different winners in first six F1...
FORMULA 1 - With Mark Webber winning the Grand Prix of Monaco, the 2012 F1 season has produced six different winners in the first six races, a new single season record for parity. The former record was five and was set on three previous occasions.
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Most F1 races from start of season won by different drivers
6 - 2012: Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso, Nico Rosberg, Sebastian Vettel,...
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BREAKING - Spain return 19 from 2010 World Cup...
FOOTBALL - Spain have announced their Euro 2012 squad and it boasts 19 of the 23 players that were also in Spain’s victorious 2010 FIFA World Cup squad. That total might have been 21 if Carles Puyol and David Villa had not been ruled out by injury. The other two players not returning from that squad are veteran defenders Carlos Marchena and Joan Capdevila.
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> Spain also return...
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DAILY FOOTBALL QUIZ QUESTION - 27 May 2012
FOOTBALL - Brazilian player Aílton scored 106 goals in the Bundesliga. For which four teams did he register these goals?
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Answer to yesterday’s question: Sweden, Nigeria, Iceland
You will find the answer to today’s question here tomorrow at 14:00 CET. Questions courtesy of Voetbalkenners, masters of the quiz question (find them on Twitter @Voetbalkenners).
LONDON CALLING – Countdown to the 2012 Olympics:...
OLYMPICS - With the 2012 Olympic Games in London getting closer by the day, we are in full-on Olympic stats mode here and @Infostrada2012. Every day from 100 days to go until the day of the London 2012 opening ceremony, we will post a statistic related to the number of days left until the Games. Click ‘Read More’ to see today’s 61 stat and all the other ones that we have posted so far.[[MORE]]
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BIRTHDAY - 27 May: Paul Gascoigne (Football)
FOOTBALL - Paul Gascoigne is 45 years old today. He was as much one of the most brilliant as he was one of the most controversial players that England has ever produced. One of the stars of the 1990 World Cup and Euro 1996 (which England hosted), he represented nine clubs at domestic level. He was capped 57 times by England.
Shares birthday with: Christopher Lee, Henry Kissinger, Neil Finn
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PREVIEW: Rodríguez, Hesjedal will battle for Giro...
CYCLING – With only the individual time trial of 30.1 kilometres left, the Giro d’Italia will be decided on the final day in Milan on Sunday. Joaquim Rodríguez holds a lead of 31 seconds over Ryder Hesjedal. There have been 21 individual time trials in which both riders have taken part. Hesjedal leads the head-to-head by 13-7. In one ITT, both riders recored precisely the same time.
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INFOGRAPHIC: Nadal nearly invincible at Roland...
TENNIS - Rafael Nadal is about to embark on what could become a record setting seventh men’s singles title at Roland Garros. The prolific Spaniard has won 45 of the 46 matches he has played on the Parisian clay, losing only to Robin Söderling in their fourth round match in 2009. We have compared Nadal to others in Open era at Roland Garros.
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IceBorg still to overcome for Nadal
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INFOGRAPHIC: Trip down Monte Carlo's memory lane
FORMULA 1 - No race on the Formula 1 calendar is quite like the Grand Prix of Monaco in the streets of Monte Carlo. It is the scene of a tunnel and a swimming pool, of luxurious yachts in the marina and of packed balconies of appartment buildings. And of a wealth of history, which we have tried to capture in this Infographic.
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DAILY FOOTBALL QUIZ QUESTION - 26 May 2012
FOOTBALL - Name the three national teams that Swedish coach Lars Lagerbäck has managed.
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Answer to yesterday’s question: Runar Kristinsson
You will find the answer to today’s question here tomorrow at 14:00 CET. Questions courtesy of Voetbalkenners, masters of the quiz question (find them on Twitter @Voetbalkenners).
LONDON CALLING – Countdown to the 2012 Olympics:...
OLYMPICS - With the 2012 Olympic Games in London getting closer by the day, we are in full-on Olympic stats mode here and @Infostrada2012. Every day from 100 days to go until the day of the London 2012 opening ceremony, we will post a statistic related to the number of days left until the Games. Click ‘Read More’ to see today’s 62 stat and all the other ones that we have posted so far.[[MORE]]
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ON THIS DAY - 1999: United's lightning strikes...
FOOTBALL - 13 years ago, the 1998/1999 UEFA Champions League final in Camp Nou offered one of the most dramatic finishes in the history of the competition. With Bayern Munich leading Manchester United 1-0 at full-time, United substitutes Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjær each scored in the first minute of extra time to complete the most thrilling of comebacks.
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REVIEW: NHL's Devils extend rags-to-riches story
ICE HOCKEY - The New Jersey Devils have reached the 2012 Stanley Cup Final, one year after failing to reach the NHL playoffs. They can make it the 10th time in history (93 seasons) that the trophy is won by a team that did not reach the postseason in their previous campaign. Since the playoffs field expanded to 16 teams in 1980, three teams have managed the feat in 31 seasons.
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Teams...
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BIRTHDAY - 26 May: Sir Matt Busby (Football)
FOOTBALL - If Sir Matt Busby were alive he would be 102 years old today. Busby became a managing icon at Manchester United, although he had represented their bitter rivals Manchester City and Liverpool as a player. He forged a great young team in the 1950s, a side affectionately named ‘The Busby Babes’. Tragedy struck in the Munich air disaster, which killed several players and nearly...
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REVIEW: Pep parts with Barça after securing 14th...
FOOTBALL - Pep Guardiola received a fitting parting gift from his Barcelona side after four years highlighted by tremendous success. Under Guardiola, Barça won each of the six trophies available to them at least twice. With 14 trophies he is the most decorated Barça manager in history. Click Read More to see which coaches he leaves trailing in his wake.
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Most trophies won by FC...
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REVIEW: First Czech Grand Tour stage win since...
CYCLING - Roman Kreuziger triumphed in the 19th stage of the Giro d’Italia to give the Czech Republic their first stage win in one of three Grand Tours since 2001, when Tomás Konecný won the 16th stage of the Vuelta a España. In the Giro, no Czech rider had collected a stage win since Jan Hruska in 2000 (Stage 20, ITT).
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DEBATE: Third goalkeeper hardly ever used
FOOTBALL - England have included 19-year-old Jack Butland in their Euro 2012 squad to replace the injured John Ruddy. Butland has never played a top flight match. Which need not be an issue, because only one of 116 European Championship campaigns (Portugal in 2000) even used three goalkeepers. At the FIFA World Cup, this has not occurred in 18 years, since Greece used three goalkeepers in 1994.
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PREVIEW: Parity never greater as F1 lands in...
FORMULA 1 - The 2012 Formula One season is already historic, since the first five races have been won by five different drivers. This has equalled a single season record and very capable drivers like Lewis Hamilton and Mark Webber are still waiting for their first race win of the season. It seems that parity has never been greater in F1.
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The record setting seasons
1967: Pedro...
