Scott Murray's Blog, page 18
May 22, 2024
Atalanta 3-0 Bayer Leverkusen: Europa League final – as it happened
Ademola Lookman scored a spectacular hat-trick to secure Atalanta’s first trophy since 1963 and end Bayer Leverkusen’s invincible dream
2 min: Leverkusen respond with a little bit of possession of their own. Again, nothing particularly noteworthy. Both teams carefully feeling their way into this match.
Atalanta get the 2024 Europa League final underway. They’re on the front foot immediately, Zappacosta, Koopmeiners and De Ketelaere combining down the right, albeit to no real effect. It’s a start, though.
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May 19, 2024
Xander Schauffele wins 2024 US PGA Championship – as it happened
Looking back, it should have been pretty obvious that Scottie Scheffler wasn’t going to win after the surreal incident with the peelers on Friday morning. He got back to Valhalla in time to card a jaw-droppingly dogged 66, but the mental cost must have been immense, and yesterday’s 73 was a bit of a low-energy fiasco that could have been a whole lot worse. He’s not really shifting the needle today; bogey at 1, birdie at 5, and he remains where he started at -7 through seven underwhelming holes. Time to recharge the batteries by spending some time at home with the new arrival … and OK, I’ve not quite thought that through, but you get the general gist. He’ll be back and firing on all cylinders again soon enough. Watch out Pinehurst!
It wasn’t to be for poor old Rory this week (pt XXXVIII in an ongoing series). McIlroy takes a shy at the short par-four 4th from the tee, but ends up on a grassy knoll to the side of the green. He whips out, his ball sailing through the green and over the other side, into more thick stuff, where he finds himself shortsided. But then he stabs delightfully out to three feet, such a fine mixture of power and delicacy, and scrambles his par. He remains at -7, and thoughts will already be turning to Pinehurst next month.
Continue reading...May 18, 2024
US PGA Championship 2024: third round – as it happened
“This could be the lowest scoring day in major-championship history,” opines Sky commentator Paul McGinley. No wind, soft greens, warm sunshine, all that. This being the case, you don’t want to be going backwards too much at any given point. So it’s a big putt for Bob MacIntyre on 3. Having dropped a shot at 2, he’s facing another bogey at 3. Unless he makes a 15-footer, he’ll effectively be making his fourth in his last five holes of play. But in it goes, and Scotland’s only representative here remains at -6.
Shane Lowry is this close to holding out from a greenside bunker at 6. That’s an end to his run of birdies, though. Tom Hoge drains a monster from downtown on 17, his fourth birdie of the day, and he’s -6. And there are opening birdies for Bryson DeChambeau and Austin Eckroat. A lot of players throwing darts, with the course there for the taking.
Continue reading...May 17, 2024
US PGA 2024: Scheffler hits 66 after arrest, Schauffele leads – as it happened
Scottie Scheffler returned to Valhalla after his arrest and hit a five-under-par 66 to sit three shots off the halfway leader, Xander Schauffele
Sky Sports commentator Wayne Riley has been on the driving range to gauge opinion among the early starters. “The energy is zapped,” he reports. His Sky colleague Rich Beem is competing this week as a former champion, and Beem told Riley that “no-one had seen Scottie Scheffler … everyone was on their phone … they’d hit a shot, hit a putt, then look on their phone … they were caring for Scottie Scheffler, they were worried.”
Riley also spoke of the “person who was coming to the golf, if he was coming, lost his life … that is a terrible thing … you’re looking forward to the PGA Championship here at Valhalla and someone is not going to be with us today … so many players have said to me, ‘I can’t believe they’re actually playing today’ … I’m getting that vibe … I’m getting a lot of vibe that people are going ‘woah, somebody’s lost their life here today, Scottie has been taken away, do we go into Monday?’ ”
Continue reading...May 16, 2024
US PGA Championship 2024: first round – as it happened
Tiger’s tee shot at the par-three 11th is long and to the right. He can’t get anywhere close with his wedge out of the thick cabbage, and drops to +1. Meanwhile a slow start for another former champion, Shaun Micheel. Three bogeys in the opening five holes and the 2003 winner (and 2006 runner-up) is +3 in short order.
Another birdie for Doug Ghim! He rattles in a 30-footer across 13 and the 28-year-old from Illinois, making his PGA debut this week, hits the front of his own. That’s because Luke Donald visits a native area down the left side of 5, and ends up looking at a 60-footer to save his par. He does pretty well to limit the damage to bogey. But up on 10, the in-form Rory McIlroy opens with birdie, that aforementioned loose tee shot worrying him not one jot.
Continue reading...May 11, 2024
Celtic 2-1 Rangers: Scottish Premiership – as it happened
Celtic all but secured their 54th Scottish title with victory over ten-man Rangers
18 sec: The first foul of the afternoon as Souttar sticks his arm across Kyogo’s chops.
Rangers get the ball rolling. You’ll Never Walk Alone still ringing around the grand old stadium.
Continue reading...May 8, 2024
Real Madrid 2-1 Bayern Munich (4-3 on agg): Champions League semi-final – as it happened
Alphonso Davies put Bayern in front but the hosts found another late fightback to book a Champions League final with Dortmund
2 min: Sane tries to bring down a long pass but Mendy hassles him from behind and the Bayern man loses control.
38 sec: Kroos, making his 150th Champions League appearance tonight, sends in an aimless corner. Bayern clear their lines easily.
Continue reading...May 7, 2024
PSG 0-1 Borussia Dortmund (0-2 agg): Champions League semi-final, second leg – as it happened
Mats Hummels secured a return to Wembley for Dortmund, as PSG hit the woodwork four times but couldn’t find a way through
5 min: More room for Hakimi on the right wing. He looks for Gonçalo Ramos in the middle, but shanks his cross towards Kobel at the near post. The keeper gathers. Some positive early moves by the hosts.
4 min: Some space for Hakimi down the right. A low cross is met by Gonçalo Ramos, who hands out a leg and steers a shot straight at Kobel. Not enough power to fox the keeper.
Continue reading...May 4, 2024
Ipswich promoted to Premier League, Huddersfield and Birmingham relegated – as it happened
Ipswich secured automatic promotion while Birmingham and Huddersfield had their relegations confirmed
Birmingham 0-0 Norwich. The home side have started in lively fashion. Miyoshi has a dig from distance. Gunn behind it all the way.
Leeds 0-0 Southampton. “I’m not sure a season where Leeds missed out on the title on the final day is the best memory to cheer Leeds fans up!” writes Adam Becker. Yes, good point, though you get the general gist, and in any case, this is Don Revie’s Leeds we’re talking about, last-gasp misery is baked in and taken for granted.
Continue reading...May 1, 2024
Borussia Dortmund 1-0 PSG: Champions League semi-final, first leg – as it happened
Despite a plethora of chances for both sides, Niclas Füllkrug’s first-half goal was enough to give Dortmund the advantage going into next week’s decisive leg
5 min: Dortmund see plenty of the ball. Sancho popping up all over the place as well, already looking far more confident and assured when compared to his Manchester United self.
3 min: Ryerson makes a glorious nuisance of himself down the right. Dribbling hard. Pressing hard, too, upon losing control. He wins a throw deep in PSG territory. It’s flung in long, but the ball’s cleared easily enough. A high-octane start by both teams.
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