Yahoo News The 'George Best match', Jane Couch the hero and an epic cycling sprint
1) Not many footballers have their name given to stuff, but George Best was one such player. In more recent times, it went to an airport, but 53 years ago this week “the George Best match” took place, in which the eponymous player beat Scotland more or less on his own. And here he is doing his thing in Northern Ireland’s defeat by England in May 1969.
2) The sprint finish between Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert at the Tour of Flanders was everything you could have hoped it would be and more. It probably would have been a three-way race to the line had it not been for Julian Alaphilippe’s rotten luck as he collided with a motorcycle.
3) The great Arsène Wenger is turning 71. Here he is on Pizzagate and the 50th game; here he is on his dispute with José Mourinho; here he is alongside Mourinho at the 2019 Champions League final; here’s a long, illuminating interview with him; here he is in conversation with Jürgen Klopp; here he is after his water-bottle red card; and here are some of his funniest moments.
Meanwhile, Leicester City begin their Europa League campaign on Thursday, so here they are playing Atlético Madrid in 1997, losing 2-1 away and 0-2 at home. And, while we’re here, here’s Paulo Futre making a fool of Peter Schmeichel when Manchester United met Atléti in the 1991-92 edition.
4) Jane Couch is a sporting hero and a pioneering boxer. This is her story.
5) Richard Osman plays Linda Robson at darts, obviously. Also, “Bed and Breakfast” Alastair Cook plays Jimmy “The Swinger” Anderson, on stage – at Ally Pally then the rematch at the Winter Gardens – and behind the scenes of that epochal first encounter.
6) On this day in 1989, McLaren teammates Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna went head-to-head for the driver championship in Suzuka. Senna had to win and crossed the line first after a collision between the two.
Lewis Hamilton can take Michael Schumacher’s outright race wins record in Portugal on Sunday – matching Senna’s tally of 41 wins was emotional for the German before he finally took top spot for himself, breaking Prost’s haul at the Belgian Grand Prix in 2001.
Our favourites from below the line last week
1) A bad day at the office for Glen Keeley in a 1982 Merseyside derby. A better one for Graeme Sharp in 1984.
2) Bruce Grobbelaar gives Steve McManaman a going-over, while the BBC’s Stuart Flinders accidentally vox pops Tommy Lawrence.
3) Skillz and tunez at the Kellogg’s BMX Freestyle.
4) A 13-year-old Lewis Hamilton goes karting in the rain. Plus! An onboard lap with the great Juan Manuel Fangio, driving in T-shirt and chinos.
5) Not for the faint of heart: the Rotorua Luge.
6) We’ve all been there. Pro-golfer Beatriz Recari misses the ball.
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