Author: RevSportz Comment

RevSportz Comment Paris Saint‑Germain (PSG) lifted their first UEFA Super Cup at Udine’s Stadio Friuli after the latest of late fightbacks against an impressive Tottenham Hotspur side that had controlled big stretches of the game. PSG’s triumph was all the more noteworthy because their penalty shootout win came without Gianluigi Donnarumma, whose goalkeeping heroics helped clinch their first Champions League title in May. Club World Cup Fatigue The champions of Europe trailed until deep into injury time, with many of their star players looking heavy legged and off the pace. It should be noted that PSG’s 2024-25 season ended only…

For the first 20 minutes or so, things were going very much to plan for Liverpool in the FA Community Shield, the traditional curtain-raiser to the English football season. The new signings had made a stunning impact, with Florian Wirtz setting up Hugo Ekitike for the first goal and Jeremie Frimpong’s mishit cross looping over Dean Henderson for the second. Though Liverpool had conceded an equaliser against the run of play after a clumsy foul from Virgil van Dijk, they were very much in control of proceedings. Some of their interplay, movement and speed on the break was frightening to…

In a parallel universe where time stood still, David de Gea might have been playing in the Community Shield on Sunday. The club that he joined in the summer of 2011 were serial winners, having lifted the English Premier League (EPL) four times in the previous five seasons. The last of those, months before De Gea signed on the dotted line at Old Trafford was title No. 19, taking them past Liverpool and into first place when it came to league titles won. In his first two seasons, De Gea played 80 times for Sir Alex Ferguson, winning title No.…

RevSportz Comment On the surface, a 2-2 draw in England, especially when your talismanic bowler could play only three matches, is an excellent result. Australia haven’t won an Ashes series in England since 2001, and while England have lost a few shorter home series, it’s hard to get the better of them over five Tests. But as you sift through the evidence, you realise how much of an opportunity was lost. Jofra Archer played just two Tests. Gus Atkinson, outstanding at The Oval, was part of just one. Ben Stokes sat out the last game. Of the four to cross…

RevSportz Comment India were 1-0 ahead in the 2014 series against England when the team arrived in Southampton for the third Test. As part of the preparations, the team management asked Michael Holding – then part of the SKY Sports commentary panel – to take a look at the pace bowlers. Afterwards, he spoke to an Indian journalist on the sidelines. At the time, the mood in the Indian camp was fairly euphoric and the journalist asked Holding what he thought of India’s pace crop and the prospects for the rest of the series. Holding was typically blunt. He said:…

What the non-debate over whether India are a better Test team without Jasprit Bumrah – the cricket equivalent of saying the Earth is flat – reveals is the extent of data illiteracy among those in the media. Numbers bandied about without an iota of context are just figures. When people start talking these random numbers seriously, then you have a problem. Let’s examine the most-exposed ‘statistic’ of all – that India have lost more matches (23) than they have won (20) with Bumrah in the side. It was this little nugget that astonished David ‘Bumble’ Lloyd and spawned hundreds of…

Greg Chappell, and other sages of the game, have often spoken of the need to seize the moments, and win key sessions, in order to win Tests. It’s a skill that this relatively young India team has yet to learn. Had they kept their composure at crucial times, the series scoreline might have been 3-0. Instead, England are 2-1 up with two to play. Here, we look at the sliding doors that India couldn’t push through at Lord’s. Ben Stokes: Leading the victory charge Stokes stamped his authority over all five days, steering England to a remarkable 22-run win. He…

Dr AIi Bacher turned 83 last month. For one golden southern summer 55 years ago, he captained what was then undoubtedly the strongest Test side in the world, boasting talents like Graeme Pollock, Barry Richards, Eddie Barlow, Mike Procter and Peter Pollock. But because of the South African government’s Apartheid policy, which had led to them being outlawed from the Olympic movement – and would soon see them isolated in the cricket world as well – they could never prove their might against countries like India and Pakistan. The 4-0 thrashing of a formidable Australian side would be South Africa’s…

The tragic air crash in Ahmedabad was a reminder of how fleeting life can be. Families off to start a new life, someone about to reunited with his family, another returning from a grandmother’s birthday celebrations – precious lives snuffed out even before those on board had time to lean back in their seats and prepare for the journey ahead. For those of us that love sport, the ghastly images in the aftermath of the crash also rekindled memories of two incidents that remain grim milestones in the history of sport. With football’s first Club World Cup about to kick…

RevSportz Comment The Nations League final, billed as football’s clash of the generations, instead became a showcase for the world’s outstanding full-back to highlight his talent. Nuno Mendes, a week after winning the Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain, scored one and set up the other as Portugal drew 2-2 with Spain before prevailing on penalties. As for the contest between football’s past – Cristiano Ronaldo – and its future, Lamine Yamal, there was only one winner. The game’s key moment arrived in the 61st minute with Spain leading 2-1. Mendes picked up the ball, streaked past Yamal down the left…