Golds and Goals moments: Minnows have their day in the FA Cup

So many sports happenings, so little time – but we’re here to help. Yahoo News Singapore picks the top sporting moments of this past week, and tries to make sense of what had happened.

1. Romance of FA Cup still alive

How relevant still is the FA Cup? The oldest football competition in the world has definitely seen better days, when it was viewed as more prestigious than even the top-division league title in England.

But ever since Manchester United decided to skip the FA Cup to take part in the Club World Cup in 2000, it has definitely fallen down the pecking order, as the English Premier League (EPL) and the Uefa Champions League have taken over the public’s imagination.

Another reason for its decline in prestige is that there haven’t been many giant-killing upsets in recent years. The ability for the FA Cup to throw up David vs Goliath fixtures is what sets it apart from most other Cup competitions, yet there have not been many instances when the best English teams such as Manchester City, Manchester United or Arsenal have been stunned by lowly opponents.

Thankfully, this year’s edition has already thrown up some minor shocks when the EPL teams entered the fray in the third round this past weekend. On Saturday (5 January), struggling EPL side Cardiff City succumbed 0-1 to Gillingham FC, who are also struggling in League One, two divisions below Cardiff.

Turns out, this was just the prelude. On Sunday, two sides from League Two – the lowest professional league in England – caused more jaws to drop when they took out EPL sides. First, Oldham Athletic – who were actually in the EPL when the league was founded in 1992 but lasted only two seasons – faced Fulham away from home, went behind 1-0 in the second half but somehow saved a penalty and scored two late goals to shock the Cottagers 2-1.

The biggest surprise came in Sunday’s final FA Cup match in the evening. Leicester City, the 2015/16 EPL champions, took on League Two’s Newport County, who were still in the semi-professional Vanarama National League as recently as 2014. Somehow, that gulf in reputation did not matter, as a late penalty gave Newport a 2-1 upset over the Foxes and piled on more pressure on their embattled manager Claude Puel.

As an overjoyed Newport manager Michael Flynn said, “It’s almost Roy of the Rovers stuff. I’ll have a few drinks with the wife tonight.” The romance of the FA Cup is still evidently alive.

2. Asian Cup already seeing upsets, sackings

There were also upsets at the Asian Cup, the premier international football tournament in Asia, currently being held in the United Arab Emirates. Defending champions Australia, who won the 2015 edition on home soil, stumbled out of the blocks and crashed 0-1 to Jordan in their opening group-stage match on Sunday (6 January).

The Socceroos badly missed key man Aaron Mooy, the injured Huddersfield Town midfielder who is the main creative force for the team. As such, while they had 73 per cent of possession against Jordan, their midfield failed to create many clear-cut chances for lone striker Jamie Maclaren.

Head coach Graham Arnold remained defiant and confident that Australia would advance out of the group stage, but they will have to improve dramatically in their next match against Palestine to stand a chance.

One coach who will not another chance to turn things around is Thailand’s Milovan Rajevac. The Serbian was sacked on Monday after the Thais lost heavily in their first group match, being thrashed 1-4 by India.

That match was regarded as a must-win for Thailand, as they face stronger opponents in Bahrain and hosts UAE next. The heavy defeat, coupled probably with Thailand’s failed title defence in last month’s AFF Suzuki Cup, sealed Rajevac’s fate.

3. Harden catches fire, Rockets’ season finally lifts off

Who’s the hottest player in the National Basketball Association right now? None other than the Houston Rockets’ James Harden, the reigning Most Valuable Player.

Since 13 December, when he exploded by notching 50 points against the Los Angeles Lakers, the 29-year-old has embarked on a scoring binge. In the 12 games played since, he has scored at least 32 points in each of them.

From Christmas Day to 3 January, he scored over 40 points for five straight games, culminating in a 44-point, 10-rebound, 15-assist masterpiece against defending champions Golden State Warriors, including this unbelievable game-winner in the Rockets 135-134 overtime win:

During the 12-game run, the Rockets lost just twice, hauling themselves back into play-off contention after a poor start in the NBA season. Harden, by the way, has become just the sixth player in NBA history to string five consecutive 40-point games, joining illustrious names like Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant, Elgin Baylor and Allen Iverson.

Can he keeps this hot streak up? Or should he conserve his energy for the play-offs? The Rockets needed his outburst to steady their rocky ship in time, but can they afford to keep him healthy for the business end of the season? There are plenty of questions, but put those aside first, and just be glad at witnessing such scoring brilliance from the Bearded One.

4. Tennis greats Federer and Williams face off

There can be a convincing argument that Roger Federer and Serena Williams are the greatest tennis players of the generation, and probably of all time. Federer is the male player with the most Grand Slams (20), while Williams is just one behind the women’s record of 24 titles by Margaret Court. Their credentials are near flawless.

On New Year’s Day, however, they finally faced each other in a competitive mixed-doubles match at the Hopman Cup tournament in Perth. Federer, together with compatriot Belinda Bencic, eventually won the doubles match against Williams, who teamed up with Frances Tiafoe. But the result was less important than moments like these:

Considering that the two tennis superstars are at the tail end of their magnificent careers, and that the Hopman Cup is not a compulsory event to take part in on the tennis tour circuit, this match might be the only time they would ever face each other. “This is super cool that we get to do it,” said Williams, and most fans would feel the same way too.