Month In Review: March 2014
BY NISAR KHAN
As another month goes by, its another opportunity to digest some outstanding sport that has went by. Including the Six Nations, start of the F1 season, El Clasico and more, relive the best and biggest from Magnificent March.
In this article, take a comprehensive look back from the best and biggest sports stories of the month, including football around the World, the ins-and-outs from UFC’s Octagon, a perspective within the boundaries of cricket, the fast and furious Formula 1 and plenty more.
Some big headlines from Magnificent March included the thrilling El Clasico matchup – part of a wonderful month of football where title races took shape, and on the contrary some titles were decided as Bayern Munich and Celtic put an exclamation mark on their dominance.
There was also the Six Nations, as Ireland triumphed in the bowing-out of a legend, and the fastest sport in the World returned. Fights were plentiful, be it the wrestling ring, Octagon or boxing – and there was no shortage in basketball, either.
With plenty of content from videos, photos, recaps and more, this is the ideal way to wrap up this month’s sports. For videos (embedded via YouTube), click the “Video” link on each video if you are unable to view it through the player, and you’ll be directed externally to YouTube.com.
Let’s get things rolling, then…
Football: Bayern’s Bundesliga Success, Title Races, Champions League Knockouts
While title races took centre stage in Spain and England, with the inevitability of thrillers for glory becoming imminent, three dominating teams would emerge from their respective leagues – Olympiacos, Bayern Munich and Celtic, all three of whom embraced their league glory with plenty of games to spare.
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| El Clasico and Manchester United vs. Liverpool featured TURNER |
Stoke City stunned the Gunners in what would be a month of downspirals for the North London occupants, although defeating Tottenham with an excellent Thomas Rosicky strike. Liverpool avenged their home loss to Southampton last year by thumping them 3 – 0 at St Mary’s, as the Reds made their title surge in a month of rampant victories for Brendan Rogers’ side.
Another team that would find their stride were Chelsea – who thrashed Spurs and the Gunners to keep atop the table throughout March. However, they would suffer a setback a week after their Spurs’ win, as Fabian Delph’s lone goal stunned the league leaders at Villa Park. On that same weekend, Liverpool made a statement of mass magnitude, defeating Manchester United 3 – 0 in an Old Trafford domination.
While Manchester United seemingly looked to bounce back, with wins over Olympiakos to keep their Champions League Quarter-Final hopes intact, and Wayne Rooney scoring one of the best goals in the month in the 2 – 0 win at West Ham, it would quickly unwind when they suffered another home embarrassment – Manchester City dominated them throughout the game, beating them 3 – 0.
In the weekend before the Manchester derby, it was a sensational Saturday for the top three, most significantly from Chelsea, who thrashed Arsenal 6 – 0 in a Stamford Bridge statement of supremacy. Liverpool addressed their defensive errors over Cardiff with an affirmative 6 – 3 win, and Yaya Toure struck home a hat-trick as Fulham fell to Manchester City.
On that same weekend was a thrilling El Clasico matchup between Barcelona and Real Madrid at the Nou Camp. It was a match that epitomized the phrase ‘Seven Goal Thriller’ with Lionel Messi’s hat-trick, including an 84th minute penalty, deciding the game as Barcelona won 4 – 3. The game further exemplified the fact that it was going to be a very razor-close title race, with Real Madrid losing to Sevilla in the week too. As the month drew to a close, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona had played the same amount of games, and just three points split them up at the top.
Bayern Munich clinched the Bundesliga title with seven games to spare as they defeated Hertha Berlin 3 – 1 to show their dominance in German football. Their undefeated streak though would be threatened against Hoffenheim in the weekend as they were put to a 3 – 3 draw, keeping their year-plus undefeated streak intact.
A win over Partick Thistle would see the same glory for Celtic, as they clinched their third title in a row. Olympiacos won their 41st title in history in the same week. Dominance in one part, but then there were incredibly close title races on the other.
The Champions League knockout phase concluded in the month also, with the Quarter-Final draws following shortly after. Although scoring, Man City were really no match for Barcelona at the Nou Camp, Atletico thumped Milan to get to the next stage, setting up for an enticing Quarter-Final between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, two of the challengers for the La Liga title. Meanwhile, PSG – who cruised past Leverkusen – and Chelsea, who saw off Galatasaray easily, where set to meet in the next phase. After easing past Arsenal, Bayern went on to face Manchester United who overturned a deficit as Robin van Persie’s hat-trick sent them through. The final tie pitted Dortmund and Real Madrid against one another.
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| Champions League Quarter-Final fixtures for April BBC SPORT |
As for the Europa League, Tottenham being the only English side fell to Benfica, despite a 2 – 2 draw in the second leg. AZ Alkamaar vs. Benfica, Lyon vs. Juventus, Basel vs. Valencia and Porto vs. Sevilla were set for the quarter finals, with the Spanish clubs well in all the European competitions.
Arsenal held on to grab a point on the final Saturday of March, drawing 1 – 1 with Manchester City. David Silva’s first-half goal was cancelled out by Flamini’s strike to blow the title race wide open again. Manchester United would respond to critics and show their support for manager David Moyes as they defeated Aston Villa 4 – 1 at Old Trafford. The “Moyes Out” plane that was flew over Old Trafford was booed by the fans. To further add to the growing conundrum of title opportunities, Crystal Palace stunned Chelsea with a 1 – 0 win at Selhurst Park. Liverpool finished the month at the top of the Premier League following a 4 – 0 thumping against Tottenham.
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| Rosicky equalized for the Gunners ARSENAL.COM |
There was a key change to International football confirmed from 2018 as UEFA approved the ‘League of Nations’ tournament that would see most dates for International football friendlies replaced by a four different leagues of different teams based on their rankings. The years they would take place are on the odd years, when neither a World Cup or European Championship takes place. Learn more about the League of Nations with this guide »
Football on Magnificent March
– Three Big Games That Will Define The Season »
– Consistency Key For Manchester United Satisfaction »
– El Clasico: Full Report, Analysis & Comment »
– Liverpool’s Defence May Be Biggest Hindrance To Title »
– Demichelis Should Look Towards Mertesacker »
MORE FOOTBALL »
Formula 1: Season Zooms To Dramatic Start, Mercedes Bathe In Glory
The Formula 1 season began in March with two grand prix from Australia and Malaysia. A dramatic start would mark the return of the fastest sport on the planet.
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| Successful Start: Rosberg and Hamilton won a grand prix to start the season MIRROR |
Tensions and drama were plentiful as the F1 season began down under. Last season’s Champion, Sebastian Vettel, had to retire during the race along with Lewis Hamilton. Ultimately, Nico Rosberg went on to win the first race of the season in dominant fashion.
For Red Bull, a torrid month that seemed a fall from dominance would be capped off in preferable fashion as Sebastian Vettel finished third in the Malaysian Grand Prix. His teammate, Daniel Ricciardo was stripped of his second-place finish in Australia for over-consumption of fuel and retired in Malaysia after a problematic race where he was delayed by 10 seconds and his front wing slightly detached. New rules, new regulations, equals more drama – lesson learned.
Mercedes’ zoomed to the top of the constructor’s Championship as they finished a 1-2 in Malaysia. Nico Rosberg was second while Lewis Hamilton lead from the front to win big in a Malaysian Masterclass.
Formula 1 on Magnificent March
– Australian Grand Prix 2014 »
– Malaysian Grand Prix 2014 »
Cricket: Twenty20 World Cup Takes Shape
The Twenty20 Cricket World Cup began in Bangladesh with a tournament that was well-served in its job of delivering plenty of pulsating drama across the pitch.
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| India went on a tear in the tournament AP |
In the group stages, Bangladesh and Netherlands progressed to the elite ‘Super 10’ stage. The hosts cruised by their opposition, with their home fans roaring load and raucous on many occasions.
Hong Kong and Nepal, two newcomers to cricket, would post one of the lowest Twenty20 scores in history with 69. However, that record would be broken when Netherlands posted a minuscule score of 39 against Sri Lanka – the lowest in Twenty20 history.
India were first to qualify to the semi-finals with a win over the hosts. For England, their 2014 turmoil would continue as they lost to New Zealand, in spite of a spirited performance.
Pakistan defeated Bangladesh too, in what would be a tale of triumph in the group stages to an unfortunate tale of punching above their weight and resulting in decimation.
Cricket on Magnificent March
– Full Coverage of Twenty20 World Cup »
Rugby: Irish Six Nation Triumph
Ireland were the victors as the Six Nations concluded emphatically. Brian O’Driscoll hung up his boots for Ireland and bowed out in victory.
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| Ireland lift the Six Nations |
England were devastated late when after a big win over France, Ireland’s win in Rome secured a big Six Nations triumph.
UFC: Hendricks Captures Vacated Welterweight Belt, Hendo Wins Shogun Rematch, Octagon Heads to London
Four fight nights in four different continents – a vacated title on the line in Dallas in the States, a legendary rematch in Brazil, young Welterweight showdown in China and a wild night in London with TheSportMatrix’s correspondents in attendance.
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| Johnny Hendricks, Alexander Gustafsson and Dan Henderson were all victorious CBS / ESPN |
Dong Hyun Kim made an early contender for Knockout of the Year as he put away John Hathaway with a fourth-round spinning elbow as part of an entertaining card in Macau, China. The Brit Hathaway, who put on a gutsy performance, was defeated in his return. While earlier on, Matt Mitrione was the victor from a Heavyweight scrap with Shawn Jordan.
The Octagon then took center stage in London’s O2 Arena. Alexander Gustafsson scored a second-round knockout of hometown-fighter Jimi Manuwa to secure #1 contender-ship for the Light Heavyweight strap. Melvin Guillard, who was released by the organisation in the following weeks, lost to Michael Johnson in a co-main event that failed to live up to expectation. A raucous crowd in London, and expansion to primetime television was a key mark to the UFC’s progressively-global growth.
Then came UFC 171. The AmericanAirlines Center in Dallas, TX, was packed to the rafters to witness a battle between two of the Welterweight Division’s hardest-hitters for the vacated Welterweight Championship. After a phenomenal five-round main event, Johnny Hendricks defeated Robbie Lawler by decision, in an early Fight of the Year contender. Earlier, Tyron Woodley continued his rise up the ranks as he stopped Carlos Condit in an interesting battle.
An extraordinary fight card in Natal, Brazil played host to a historic main event from 2011’s Fight of the Year. Dan Henderson collated a marvelous comeback, having been knocked down twice in the rounds prior, and landed a huge right hand to ground Shogun, before the referee stopped the pounding. Aged 43, Henderson knocked out his respected rival Shogun Rua to culminate a terrific card of fights.
It was truly a stacked month inside the Octagon, spanning across four continents. Plenty of great fights again headlined by Johnny Hendricks leading the way for a new era inside the Octagon. Hendo and Shogun were part of another superb fight.
Although still making great progress in his workouts after a horrendous injury at UFC 168, Anderson Silva announced that he would not be fighting this year. Meanwhile, another legend currently on a hiatus, Georges St-Pierre, announced another torn ACL injury, the same injury that kept him out of action before returning at UFC 154. UFC 173 was given another main event between Renan Barao and TJ Dillishaw, after Chris Weidman’s injury delayed his title defense with Lyoto Machida.
UFC On Magnificent March
– Feature: UFC’s Vast Global Expansion »
– News: Dan Henderson Challenges Lyoto Machida »
Basketball: More Teams Seal NBA Playoff Fates, March Madness
Its the one month in particular where College Basketball seems to overtake NBA in terms of popularity and mainstream intake. Although less in the spotlight, it was a month in the NBA where teams edged closer towards the playoffs, sealing their fate, while colleges busted brackets across the globe.
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| Madness Epitomised: ‘March Madness’ was thrilling for all NATIONAL POST |
Kevin Durant kept up his race for MVP, while LeBron did the same, including a thrilling game-winner to seal the HEAT’s game with Trail Blazers in their favour.
One of the biggest headlines of the month came not in the form of an exuberant run of wins, but an opposite, of losses. The Philadelphia 76ers were humiliated week in, week out, and would end up tying the record for most consecutive losses in the NBA (26). They would defeat the Detroit Pistons 123 – 98 to snap the loss streak and avoid making a new one. In the manner that they won, if you didn’t know better then you’d expect them to be another class.
After an (unsurprisingly) bracket-busting March Madness, the Final Four would be set for the next month. Florida Gators, Conneticut Huskies, Wisconsin Badgers and Kentucky Wildcats made it past the tremendous series where College Hoops delivered plenty of drama, going down to the wire.
Basketball in March was a manic tee-up to a big April as the NCAA Championship concludes, and the NBA Playoffs begin.
Basketball on Magnificent March
– Are Houston Rockets really a Championship team? »
Boxing: Big Matches Made, Kell Brook & Danny Garcia Victorious
With big matchmaking in the States and in Britain, the rest of the year’s boxing was anticipated with some interesting matchmaking. Meanwhile, Danny Garcia and Kell Brook were victorious in their respective bouts.
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| Kell Brook dispatched Alvaro Robles in Liverpool GETTY IMAGES |
Kell Brook, who has been linked to an Amir Khan fight, won yet again, stopping Alvaro Robles in the eighth round to secure a title shot. On the same night, Danny Garcia defeated Mauricio Herrera in a debatable split decision.
Earlier on in the month, a showcase of fine British boxing saw Ricky Burns fall in defeat to Terence Crawford.
Carl Froch vs. George Groves’ highly anticipated rematch was confirmed to take place at Wembley Stadium. 60,000 tickets sold out within an hour for the blockbuster fight dubbed as the biggest in British boxing history. Also, Floyd Mayweather snubbed Amir Khan and decided to face Marcos Maidana in May, despite Amir Khan winning a Twitter poll from the fans to decide Floyd’s next opponent.
WWE: Final Steps Before WrestleMania
There was some subdued anticipation, albeit entertaining, as the final wind-down to WrestleMania 30 ensued. Undertaker confronting Lesnar out of a coffin, Daniel Bryan holding an arena protest and The Shield’s turn for good justice were some of the highlights.
There’s bits here and there, so we’ll just let WWE’s YouTube series “WWE in 5” – weekly recaps – take it away.
Another month goes, and another month well recapped by TheSportMatrix. As we look to grow more and more, April will have more coverage with sports from around the globe captivating millions.
And that’s a wrap – for this month!
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