As 2014 comes to an end, The Express Tribune is running a poll for its readers to choose a sporting moment that they found the most memorable.
This is the poll for international sporting events; the poll for sporting events related to Pakistan can be found here.
A highly improbable yet spectacular goal by Dutch forward Robin van Persie opened the scoring for the Netherlands in the 5-1 demolition of the defending champions by the 2010 runners-up. Daley Blind supplied the cross which saw van Persie dart past the Spanish defence to score the equaliser – after Xabi Alonso scored from a penalty to give the 2010 World Champions the lead ¬– in the most remarkable fashion which has already become part of the World Cup folklore and is arguably the best goal of the mega event.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Germany’s all-time top scorer Miroslav Klose breaks Ronaldo’s World Cup record of 15 goals, by scoring 16 in the 2014 edition of the mega event. Klose soon retired from international football after lifting the prestigious cup with his side. Klose also became Germany’s second most capped player with 137 appearances, coming second to the legendary Lothar Matthäus, who has 150 appearances. Klose scored in the group stages and was an influential figure in the 7-1 mauling of Brazil and was the key figure in the group G match against Ghana where the 36-year-old scored the equaliser to see his team through.
PHOTO: REUTERS
In the 2012 Olympics American swimming legend Michael Phelps announced his retirement after winning four Golds and two silvers at the event, taking his tally to 18 career gold medals and 22 overall. Phelps concluded the 2012 Olympics as the most successful swimmer of the meet for the third Olympics in a row. After a hiatus of two years, in 2014, the most decorated Olympian of all times made a comeback by winning in the 100-meter butterfly at the Arena Grand Prix in Charlotte, North Carolina.
PHOTO: AFP
Japan’s Kei Nishikori became the first Asian male tennis player to reach a grand slam singles final in 2014 after beating world number one Novak Djokovic in the semi-final. But that wasn’t the only breakthrough achievement of the 24-year-old. He also became the only man from Asia to reach the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals, courtesy of his meteoric rise in world rankings. Currently, the Japanese sensation is ranked a career-high number five in the world, which he will take into next year’s first grand slam, the Australian Open.
PHOTO: REUTERS
It may not have happened while he was racing and it may have taken place at the end of 2013, but it shook the world nevertheless and kept them praying as former Formula One driver, Michael Schumacher, stayed in a coma for months after. The 45-year-old hit his head while skiing in the French Alps resort of Meribel and after being operated on for a brain haemorrhage, he was left in a coma, fighting to survive this tragic incident, waking up ‘very slowly; very slowly’.
PHOTO: AFP
With just one week left to his 26th birthday, Phillip Hughes left the cricketing world, leaving everyone shocked and saddened, after having fought bravely for three days. He incurred a head injury by a Sean Abbot bouncer in a freak incident during a Sheffield Shield match. Michael Clarke was the most affected by his death and said he was like a brother to him. The Australia-India Test series was also postponed to start a week after it was originally scheduled so that the players could recover mentally from the loss.
PHOTO: REUTERS
A highlight that could be the best moment for the German side but a nightmare for the hosts who have never been outsmarted in this fashion in the World Cup’s history. The five-time World Champions were simple mauled by the marauding German outfit who scored at will, finishing with seven goals at the end of the 7-1 demolition of the Brazilian side. It was not a complete surprise, as anyone who had been paying attention to events in Brazil would have known that Germany were running hot while the home team were struggling to live up to expectations, but still it was a delight for the neutral fans to watch a bashing in a World Cup semi-final.
PHOTO: REUTERS
How can Luis Suarez remain without a controversy? After receiving a 10-match ban for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic, the Uruguayan did not learn from his mistakes and went on to bite Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini in the group stage clash between Uruguay and Italy. The best part was that there was no need for the current Barcelona striker to bite the defender as his side were winning 1-0 and kept the lead till the end of the match, however, the match saw the 27-year-old receive a red card and a four month ban from all competitions. Yet it remains one of the most interesting highlights of the World Cup and a high for the fans but a low for the Suarez camp.
PHOTO: AFP
Another low for the Brazilian side in their quarter-final match against Colombia, which the hosts won 2-1, as star striker Neymar fell to the ground after fracturing his vertebra. An entire nation wept the departure of their favourite son as the Barcelona forward went to the ground after a good run in the mega event. The injury ruled the forward out from the semi-final clash against the Germans and Brazil exited the competition after a mauling by Joachim Loew’s side.
PHOTO: AFP
The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) received a severe blow as the Caribbean players decided to abandon the on-going Tour of India over a pay dispute, which saw the players leaving the tour four matches into a five-match ODI series, while also abandoning a subsequent T20 international and three Tests. The move left the board in shambles and were slapped a £40 million fine in losses by the Board of Cricket and Control in India. This was one of the biggest lows in international cricket for the West Indies, who apart from the humiliation were also fined a huge sum to cover the costs borne by India.
PHOTO: AFP
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Germany Winning the FIFA WC should also be in this list , what an amazing performance it was ! my most memorable moment.