Golds and Goals sports moments: German machine breaking down

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. The German machine is breaking down badly

It may have been just a glorified friendly in Amsterdam, but the opponents facing the Netherlands are Germany after all. Four-time world champions, three-time European champions and many more final appearances in major tournaments, Die Mannschaft are the epitome of consistent winning in international football.

But something is seriously flawed in this current German side. Their debacle at the 2018 World Cup Finals, where they exited in the first round of the tournament for the first time since 1938, laid bare their fragility. On Saturday (13 October), they showed further proof of their steep decline when they were thrashed 3-0 by the Dutch in their Uefa Nations Cup clash.

Even if you argue that this was essentially an inconsequential friendly tie, Germany were still up against one of their fiercest rivals, and it was a huge blow to this proud nation.

This heavy defeat against a Dutch side in rebuilding mode highlighted again their current weaknesses: an over-reliance on the 2014 World Cup-winning players, a fractured squad where the up-and-coming talents are not gelling with the veterans, and a lack of clinical finishing, which was such a trademark of the great German sides of the past.

National coach Joachim Low will be under huge pressure to revive his team’s fortunes, but it will not be easy for him to discard his fading veterans and place his trust in untested youngsters.

2. Usain finally Bolts out of the blocks in football career

Meanwhile in Australia on Friday (12 October), a striker scored the first two goals of his career for Central Coast Mariners in a pre-season trial match against Macarthur South West United.

Normally, this would not be a newsworthy sports story. Except the striker is Usain Bolt, the thrilling former sprinter who is still the world-record holder in the 100m dash.

Ever since he retired from sprinting after the 2017 World Championships, the Jamaican has been hunting around for a professional football contract. However, it has proved harder than expected for the 32-year-old, with failed trials at Germany’s Borussia Dortmund, South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns and Norway’s Stromsgodset.

Friday’s goals are a positive development in this likeable star’s new career move, as he delighted fans with his trademark “lightning bolt” celebration. But there are very few athletes who manage to have great careers in two different sports. New Zealand All Blacks player Sonny Bill Williams had a short but successful stint in boxing, and Britain’s Rebecca Romero won Olympic medals in both rowing and cycling.

Yet, even great sportsmen like basketball’s Michael Jordan can fail in their second sports career (he had done a year in minor-league baseball in 1994), so good luck Usain.

3. Don’t be happy too early

This week, there is an easy “winner” for Howler of the Week. Freddie Burns, a fly-half for Bath Rugby team, was inconsolable after making two big errors in the dying minutes of his side’s narrow 20-22 defeat by Toulouse in the European Champions Cup.

The first occurred with seven minutes left on the clock, when he missed a penalty kick in front of the posts. But it was nothing compared to what happened three minutes later:

Rugby rules state that, to score a five-point try, the player must at least hold the ball with one hand when it touches the ground after the try line. Burns was too elated at his apparent redemption to notice Toulouse’s Maxime Medard nipping in from behind and knocking the ball out of his hand.

Worse still, he had no time to “try” again, as he was immediately substituted. It will be hard for the Briton to live down this gaffe.

4. Holt’s cycle propels Yankees massacre

Even if you are not a big baseball fan, you would most likely know its biggest rivalry: The New York Yankees versus the Boston Red Sox. Last week, the two bitter rivals locked horns again in the American League Division Series, and Game Three last Monday (8 October) provided the most talking points.

With the series even at 1-1, the Yankees were favoured to beat the Red Sox on their fabled home ground. However, Boston showcased their awesome firepower in obliterating New York 16-1. The huge victory provided the momentum for the Red Sox to eventually come out 3-1 series winners, sending the Yankees fanbase into a depressing off-season.

That 16-1 massacre broke several unwanted records: It was the Yankees’ largest margin of defeat in their distinguished, 396-game playoff history, the most runs they allowed in a playoff game, and the worst home defeat in Major League Baseball (MLB) post-season history.

It will also be remembered for an awesome feat by Boston’s Brock Holt, who hit the first cycle in MLB playoff history – a single, a double, a triple and a home run, all in the same game:

5. Insane balancing training by skier

Competitive skiers need exceptional balancing skills to negotiate the obstacles at a high downhill speed. Likewise, parkour enthusiasts also need great balance to keep themselves from falling off the urban obstacles they face.

So it seems natural that skiers would do some form of parkour training to build up their balancing skills, and that is just what Swiss skier Andri Ragettli does as part of his gym training. Only the 20-year-old has set up such a complex obstacle course that he took 53 attempts before managing to complete it.

The end-product, though, makes for an awesome video that has since gone viral: