La Liga competition has been heating up in
Spain, with leaders Barcelona at 36 points.
Their closest challengers, Valencia, are two points behind, and have
been a constant surprise to the feisty Catalans. Barcelona star, Argentine standout Lionel
Messi, has been on a cold streak these days, having finally scored one goal
after six scoreless games, in Barca's 2-2 tie at home with Vigo. For the first time this year, Barcelona has
lost points in two successive weeks.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, fourth in the standings, heads to the Mideast
this week to defend their title in the Club World Cup. The 2017 FIFA Club World Cup is being
contested this year in the United Arab Emirates between December 6th and 16th. Real Madrid are the first team in the UEFA
Champions League era who have qualified to return to defend their title in the
next Cup. They can defend their title because they won Champions
League for the second successive time. The Spanish giants defeated Juventus in
the final at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on June 3, when Cristiano Ronaldo
scored twice in a 4-1 victory. Casemiro and Marco Asensio got the other goals.
Madrid became the first side to successfully defend the European Cup since AC
Milan in 1990, and are the first to do so in the Champions League era. They
have won the Club World Cup twice, one short of Barcelona’s record three
triumphs.
Auckland City qualified for the tournament by
winning the Oceania Football Confederation Champions League, when they recorded
a resounding victory in the final against fellow countrymen Team Wellington
across two legs. Having won 3-0 at home in the initial meeting, Auckland then
triumphed 2-0 away for an overall 5-0 win. It was the third successive year the
two sides had met in the showpiece. Auckland’s ninth Club World Cup appearance
is a record, with the club competing in 2006 and 2009 and then every year from 2011.
This marks their second appearance in Abu Dhabi, as they defeated hosts Al Ahli
in 2009 before losing the quarter-final to Mexico’s Atlante.
In international Test Cricket, Sri Lanka continues their painful tour of
India, and has suffered at the hands of a massive Vijay-Kohli stand. Vijay
(155) and Kohli (156 not out) have ensured that the hosts, leading the series
1-0, would post 371-4 on first day of third and final Test. This scoring of hundreds by Murali Vijay and
captain Virat Kohli brought a somber mood to the Sri Lankans on Day 1 of this, the third and final Test
against Sri Lanka at New Delhi. Vijay
was dismissed for 155 shortly before the end of day's play, while Kohli - who
crossed the three-figure mark for third straight innings - stayed unbeaten on
156, and retired, temporarily, as not out.
Kohli, who despite his youth has become an outspoken defender of the
game and the players, has reached the milestone of 5,000 Test runs, while on
94, in his 63rd game. Having made his
fifty before the lunch break, Vijay smashed a boundary off left-arm wrist
spinner Lakshan Sandakan to register his second successive ton in the
three-match series. Kohli, fresh from
his 213 during India's thrashing of Sri Lanka in the second Test in Nagpur, led
the batting charge. Off-spinner Dilruwan
Perera, who got his 100th Test wicket in taking opener Shikhar Dhawan early in
the day, failed to trouble the two batsmen at the crease. Play
continues today.
Today is a big day for NFL football in the
United States. Two out of the three
prime-time games this weekends are between divisional rivals, and the Sunday
Night Football match-up between the Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Seahawks
could well be a playoffs preview. Meanwhile,
the 9-2 Minnesota Vikings are running away with the NFC North, and their
opponents this weekend, the 7-4 Atlanta Falcons, are in third place in NFC
South. Still, many favor a Falcons'
victory. If the Falcons can defeat the Vikings on Sunday, that will spice
things up in the NFC playoff race. Minnesota has been the more consistent team
this year, though the two teams match up well. Both teams average scoring 24 points per
game. Minnesota is much stronger on
defense.
Maybe the best matchup this weekend will be
between the Philadelphia Eagles, with a 10-1 record, who will take on the Seattle
Seahawks, whose record is 7-4. It is
extremely difficult to beat the Seahawks at home, so they have that. The decibel level in CenturyLink Field is
hard for visitors to overcome. The
Seahawks have held opponents to an average of 19 points per game until this
weekend, but Philadelphia is averaging 32.
