Asian Cup final: Australia beat South Korea after extra time

Massimo Luongo and James Troisi have crowned Australia as the kings of Asian soccer in an historic 2-1 triumph against South Korea.

Both scored as the Socceroos downed the Koreans in an extra-time Asian Cup final thriller at ANZ Stadium in Sydney on Saturday night. A sharp turn and 25-yard shot from Swindon's Massimo Luongo put the hosts in front shortly before half-time. 

They started nervously, engaging South Korea in a real scrap while pretty football was hard to play. But despite South Korea taking the ascendancy in the play, it was Australia who led through Massimo Luongo's brilliant goal just before half time. It looked like that would be enough, but South Korea refused to throw it away. Son Heung-min, so brilliant today and all tournament, scored with 90 seconds left in regulation time to silence the crowd and send us to extra time.

But Australia settled, and the rallied. Through hold-up play that any big striker would be proud of, young Tomi Juric started the move that would lead to James Troisi scoring the biggest goal of his life. It was the Asian Cup's winning goal, and one that will live long in Australian football.

The Socceroos claimed their first major men's soccer title amid high drama. They now hold clutch the Asian Cup and A-League club Western Sydney Wanderers the Asian Champions League trophy - the first time any nation has held both at the same time. 

Serena Williams Wins Australian Open Women’s Tennis Final

Serena Williams beats Maria Sharapova in straight sets to claim a sixth title in Melbourne .Williams’ serve is often described as the greatest in the history of the women’s game and tonight it propelled the 33-year-old American to her first Australian Open title for five years. 

Williams hit 18 aces, including 15 in a superb display of serving power in the second set, as she beat Maria Sharapova 6-3, 7-6 in a memorable battle between the world’s two best players. She has now beaten Russia's Sharapova, the world number two, 16 times in a row dating back to 2004. 

"I have to congratulate Maria, she played a wonderful match and she really pushed me," said Williams.

"She played so well and gave me a great final not only for the fans, but for women's tennis. I'm really honoured to play her in the final." 

 Despite feeling so unwell during a rain delay in the first set that she left the court to vomit, Williams hit 18 aces and 38 winners as she won in one hour and 51 minutes. 

Seemingly unsure for a moment that an ace had sealed victory, she then shook hands with Sharapova and bounded over to the corner of Rod Laver Arena towards her player box. 

By winning her 19th Grand Slam title Williams moved clear of Martina Navratilova, who presented the trophy to the world No 1, and Chris Evert on the all-time list of Open era champions. Margaret Court (24 titles) and Steffi Graf (22) are now the only two players ahead of Williams. 

“Standing here with 19 championships is something I thought would never happen,” Williams said at the presentation ceremony.

                                                                                                                                                                             

Super Bowl 2015: Seattle Seahawks vs New England Patriots

After 266 matches in the 2014 NFL season, just one more remains. The Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots will compete in the 49th Super Bowl and this one has the makings of a classic.

For the second consecutive season the finale features the top two seeded teams, although the Patriots will hope to avoid the same fate as the Denver Broncos, who were humiliated by the Seahawks last February.

Despite being the NFL’s best, both teams faced immense adversity early in the season. The Seahawks were labelled one-season wonders after they lost three of their first six games. When the Patriots were hammered 41-14 in Kansas, leaving them with a 2-2 record, many said Bill Belichick and Tom Brady’s era of dominance was over. 

Both statements couldn’t have been further from the truth. Seahawks have lost once since October 19 and Patriots have tasted defeat just twice since that loss to the Chiefs, and one of those losses came when they had already clinched the number one seed in the AFC.

The Patriots’ preparations for the Super Bowl have been rocked by deflate-gate, a scandal which has made headlines worldwide. The inquiry into whether or not they intentionally deflated footballs in their AFC Championship win over the Indianapolis Colts has certainly made the Patriots the villain of this particular play. 

The Patriots will hope to make Lynch’s appearance on Sunday just as brief. Not many teams have been able to stop the man nicknamed Beast Mode but the Seahawks might be in trouble if they are left to rely on Russell Wilson’s arm. 

Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner, who was on the Seahawks roster last season, make up half of what has been a consistently solid Patriots secondary, while the Seahawks’ Legion of Boom - cornerbacks Richard Sherman and Byron Maxwell and safeties Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas III - has all the attributes to stake a claim for the best secondary in NFL history.Sherman and Co will certainly make Tom Brady work for his fourth Super Bowl. It is ten years since Brady won his last ring, an astonishing stat when you consider the Pats have been to six AFC Championship in that time.
 
Brady won three Super Bowls in his first five seasons; Wilson is bidding for a second in his opening three. The world awaits to see which of these winners is victorious come Sunday.