Another fantastic week of sport has come and gone with some gripping action across the entire week.
Real Madrid warmed up for their Champions League semi-final against Manchester City by winning their first Copa Del Ray title since 2014 against Osasuna.
Elsewhere, Max Verstappen cemented his grip on the Formula 1 Driver’s Standings with his third win of the season.
With plenty of other top sporting action to recap, we take a look at some of the best action below.
Real Madrid end Copa Del Ray drought, beat plucky Osasuna 2-1
With their hopes of retaining their La Liga title hanging by a thread, Real Madrid went into the final of the Copa Del Ray sensing a golden chance to lift some silverware.
Heading into the match as the heavy favourites, things got off to a perfect start when Rodrygo scored the opener after just a minute of play.
With many fearing a one-sided game, Osasuna responded brilliantly and on the hour mark were able to level up the game thanks to a brilliant strike from Lucas Torro.
Osasuna sensed that the shock could be on, but in the 70th minute, the game swung back in the direction of Madrid. With Madrid pushing for a winner, Rodrygo was able to convert his second goal of the game from close range.
Further chances would come and go for both sides but there would be no further goals. Upon the full-time whistle, the Madrid players were jubilant as they were finally able to lift the trophy that had eluded them since 2014.
Napoli win first Serie A title since 1990, wild celebrations begin
Napoli were finally able to secure their first Serie A title since 1990 thanks to a 1-1 draw against Udinese.
Knowing that a draw would be enough, Napoli were able to find a second-half equaliser thanks to star striker Victor Osmihen. Unable to find the winner, the Napoli players were happy to settle for the point that etched them into club folklore.
Despite the momentous feat being secured. The champagne was put on ice until this weekend’s match against Fiorentina. Another Osmihen goal, this time via the spot, was enough for Napoli to win the game 1-0. The win sparked wild celebrations all around the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona and the party looks set to last a little while longer yet.
Celtic win second successive title, Premier League title race still alive
In the UK, Celtic were able to clinch a second successive SPL title thanks to a 2-0 win over Hearts. With the league cup and now league title in the bag, attention will now turn to the Scottish FA Cup where the Hoops will be hoping to secure another domestic treble.
In the Premier League, both Manchester City and Arsenal were able to secure vital victories to keep the gap at the top between the two sides to just one point.
Verstappen wins in Miami, extends championship lead
This weekend saw the glitz and glamour of Formula 1 move to Miami for the fifth race of the 2023 season.
Heading into the Miami GP it was Max Verstappen who led the drivers standings by just six points. However, an accident to Ferrari’s Charles Le Clerc ended Saturday’s qualifying early, handing title rival and teammate Sergio Perez pole position, with Verstappen having to settle for ninth.
With Verstappen having ground to make up, the defending champion showed what a driver he is as he carved his way through the field to quickly find himself sitting right on Perez’s tail.
Despite Perez’s efforts to keep his teammate at bay, Verstappen eventually found a space to pass and took his opportunity with both hands.
With Perez unable to respond, Verstappen kept his cool to secure his third win of the season.
Formula 1 will now take a break for two weeks before heading to Europe for the first time this season for the Italian Grand Prix.
Mage pulls off shock to land the 149th Kentucky Derby, Dettori lands Classic in final season
This past weekend saw the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby. The first race of the American Triple Crown, the pre-race buildup was dominated by the late withdrawal of the heavy favourite Forte.
With Forte unable to take his place in the lineup, the race was wide open and it was the Gustavo Delgado trained Mage who was able to spring the upset.
Up with the pace throughout, he powered clear at the furlong pole to win by a length.
In the UK, the first Classic of the year was held at Newmarket with the 2,000 Guineas taking centre stage.
In what was a wide open contest, the Andrew Balding trained Chaldean made his way home the best of all to win the race in determined fashion.
UFC 288: Aljamin Sterling beats Henry Cejudo by split decision to retain Bantamweight title
One of the weekend’s highlights was UFC 288 and the clash between the current Bantamweight champion Aljamin Sterling and the returning Henry Cejudo.
Cejudo, who retired back in 2020 was having his first fight in the octagon in over three years and looked to serve it up the champion wherever he could.
With the fight in the balance heading into the final round, it was Sterling who did just enough to win his ninth fight in succession and cement his legacy as one of the Bantamweight’s divisions greatest champions.
Despite showing little signs of rust, after the bout Cejudo hinted at retiring yet again from the sport but it remains to be seen if this is the last we have seen of him.
Alcaraz and Sabalenka win in Madrid
With the French Open just two weeks away, the clay court season is in full swing and this past weekend saw the curtain come down on one of the clay court season’s biggest events, the Mutua Madrid Open.
In what was a tournament of shocks on the men’s side of the draw, Spanish sensation Carlos Alcaraz not only won his home tournament for the second year in a row but the gifted Spaniard also returned to the top of the world rankings.
In the women’s draw Aryna Sabalenka won for the third time this season. In a pulsating final against world number one Iga Swiatek the big-hitting Belarusian was able to withstand the heat and eventually won the two and a half hour marathon 6-3 in the final set.
What to watch this week (08 May 2023 to 14 May 2023)
Football
The European football season has reached a crucial stage with huge matches across all three UEFA tournaments taking place this week, and plenty of great games to watch live online;
Champions League semifinals
Tuesday 9th May: Real Madrid vs Manchester City
Wednesday 10th May: AC Milan vs Inter Milan
Europa League semifinals
Thursday 11th May
Roma vs Bayer Leverkusen
Juventus vs Sevilla
Europa Conference League semifinals
Fiorentina vs Basel
West Ham vs AZ Alkmaar
Premier League
13th / 14th May: With much to still be decided in the Premier League, Leeds square off against Newcastle in what is bound to be a crucial match at both ends of the table. Both Manchester City and Arsenal have tough looking fixtures but will be hoping to keep their respective title challenges on track. City travel to Goodison Park to take on struggling Everton, whilst Arsenal host high flying Brighton.
Bundesliga
13th May: The race for the German title looks set to go down to the wire. Both Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are in action on Saturday. Bayern will host Schalke whilst Dortmund round out Saturday’s matches at home to Monchengladbach.
8th May – 14th May: The build-up to the French Open continues with the Italian Open. Held in Rome and available on tennis streams everywhere, Novak Djokovic is looking to defend the title he won last year.
Golf
11th May – 14th May: With the PGA Championship just around the corner, the majority of the game’s best golfers will head to this year’s Byron Nelson hoping to lay down a marker ahead of the second major of the year.
Basketball
The Conference semifinals continue this week with all of the series evenly poised. With all four matches set to conclude this week, catch the NBA games live here and expect some serious twists and turns as the race to reach the Conference Finals heats up.
