Raya’s heroics save Arsenal, Australia thrash England, what happened overnight in world of sport
Goalkeeper David Raya produces remarkable double save to earn side a point, Travis keeps his head and Rory McIlroy loses his
If winning is the point of all competitive sport, and surely it has to be, then England need to rethink their approach to international cricket at some point.
Another loss to Australia was perhaps the perfect example of the limits of Bazball – or maybe coach Brendon McCullum is just Kevin Keegan (the 1990s Newcastle United manager version) incarnate. Entertaining, but ultimately self-defeating.
Still, Arsenal could have done with a little of Keegan’s joie de vivre in Bergamo, and if men chasing a ball is your thing, then there was a third night of Champions League action too. So, here’s what happened while you were sleeping.
Cat-like reflexes
David Raya’s goalkeeping heroics ensured Arsenal escaped from Atalanta with a point in their opening Champions League game, and fans could be forgiven for now viewing Sunday’s clash with Manchester City with trepidation rather than expectation.
The absence of captain Martin Odegaard had an immediate impact on a team that was solid, but lacked imagination going forward and never looked like winning in Bergamo.
And the Premier League side would probably have lost had Raya not pulled off an astonishing double save in the 51st minute to stop Mateo Retegui from netting first from the penalty spot and then on the rebound.
Manager Mikel Arteta called it “two of the best saves I’ve ever seen in my career”, while Atalanta boss called the Spanish goalkeeper “a cat. The first save is good but the rebound is unbelievable”.
An uphill battle
Barcelona spent 80 minutes down to 10 men, and Eric Garcia’s sending off ultimately cost them in a surprise 2-1 defeat at Monaco.
