Uefa’s latest cash-spinning wheeze of puffing out the Euro 2016 finals to 24 sides and staggering qualifiers over several days produced a seemingly interminable dribble of mismatched international games. England stayed on course in Group E with wins over San Marino and Estonia, the latter thanks to a Wayne Rooney free-kick. In Group D, Scotland beat Georgia and the Republic of Ireland walloped Gibraltar, but the biggest shock came as Poland registered their first-ever win over Germany. Whether the world champions’ first qualifying defeat in 33 games will assist the Scots and the Irish remains to be seen, however. “It’s a tough group,” remarked the Republic’s assistant manager Roy Keane, one of his less controversial statements from a week of caustic revelations about former team-mates and managers emerging from his latest autobiography.
Big impact at Grand Final
Rugby League witnessed one of its most memorable Grand Finals, albeit sadly one that will be recalled not so much for St Helens’ 14-6 triumph over Wigan but for the brutal third-minute punch by Wigan prop Ben Flower that knocked out the Saints stand-off Lance Hohaia. The assault, which resulted in the former being sent off and the latter incapacitated for the rest of the game, went viral on social media, obliging Flower and Wigan to make a formal apology “to Lance Hohaia, St Helens and the general rugby league family”. Hohaia himself, once he came round, seemed surprisingly sanguine: “I’ve done some silly things myself, so I don’t hold any regrets against Ben – he’s probably disappointed with himself.”
Hamilton’s win ‘for Jules’
Lewis Hamilton won the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi, edging closer to the drivers’ championship after beating his Mercedes rival Nico Rosberg into second place. The result also sealed the constructors’ title for Mercedes, but the mood remained subdued as the sport waited anxiously for news of the Marussia driver Jules Bianchi, who suffered serious head injuries in a crash the previous week in Japan. “Whether it means anything or whether it does anything, it would be great to dedicate this win to Jules and his family,” Hamilton said. “It will make a very small difference to them, for sure. But every bit of positive energy hopefully will help.” Bianchi last weekend remained in a critical but stable condition.
Federer too smooth for Simon
Roger Federer continued his seemingly effortless progression back towards the top of world tennis with a 7-6, 7-6 triumph over Gilles Simon in the final of the Shanghai Masters. Federer’s fourth tournament win this season took him up to No 2 in the ATP rankings. In Tokyo, Australia’s Sam Stosur defended her Japan Women’s Open title with a 7-6, 6-3 win over Zarina Diyas of Kazakhstan.
