Majestic It just had to be Lionel Messi, didn’t it? There was the diminutive Argentinian to score the winner against Atlético Madrid and seal Barcelona’s fifth La Liga title in seven seasons, thus rendering second-placed Real Madrid’s 4-1 win at Espanyol – including a Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick - irrelevant. Even Ronaldo would have been hard-pressed to emulate Southampton’s Sadio Mané, though, who took just two minutes and 56 seconds to fire in the fastest hat-trick in English Premier League history during a 6-1 end-of-season romp over Aston Villa: “In Senegal they will be happy for me. I have many fans there,” observed Mane. Steven Gerrard’s emotionally overwrought final Anfield appearance for Liverpool was party-pooped by Crystal Palace who won 3-1, while a 2-0 defeat at Spurs put Hull City on the brink of relegation, though Newcastle or Sunderland could still also go down when the grim reaper calls this weekend.
Tuilagi’s World Cup ban
England’s already fanciful-looking hopes of regaining the Rugby World Cup on home turf later this year died a little a bit more after their star centre, Manu Tuilagi, was convicted of assaulting two female police officers and a taxi driver, earning himself an RFU ban from taking part in the tournament. “I take full responsibility for my actions and unreservedly apologise,” a contrite Tuilagi said afterwards, though given the Leicester man-child’s previous off-field record at World Cups – jumping off a ferry in Auckland Harbour being a memorable example – England may come to view his sidelining as a blessing in disguise.
McIlroy in the swing
After a relatively becalmed early season in which some other golfers were briefly permitted to win tournaments, world No 1 Rory McIlroy is reasserting his planetary dominance once again. The Northern Irishman tore up the field at the Wells Fargo Championship to finish at 21 under par, which included a course-record round of 61 as well as shattering the overall tournament record by five shots. “Everything is firing on all cylinders for me,” McIlroy said, rather understatedly given he has now had six top-10 finishes in his last eight PGA Tour events. All-comers for next month’s US Open, take note.
Contador takes a tumble
Cycling’s Giro d’Italia wound its Lycra-clad way through the mountains with race favourite Alberto Contador wearing the leader’s pink jersey after nine stages. Whether the Spaniard can hang in there remains to be seen, however, after a fall in stage six left him with a dislocated shoulder. The ninth stage from Benevento to San Giorgio del Sannio was dominated by the Astana team as Paolo Tiralongo took first place, while the team’s principal rider and home favourite Fabio Aru narrowed the gap on Contador in the general classifications.
