Advertisement

Must-see sports moments of the week: Manager turns into Hulk (almost)

There were plenty of eye-catching sporting moments from the past week, including a manager in Argentina who almost turned into the Incredible Hulk. Yahoo Singapore picks out a selection.

Estudiantes coach Nelson Vivas ripped his shirt in rage after being sent off. (Photo: Eurosport)
Estudiantes coach Nelson Vivas ripped his shirt in rage after being sent off. (Photo: Eurosport)

How to vent your anger? By ripping your shirt, of course

Nelson Vivas, manager of Argentina top-flight club Estudiantes, had his hulk-like moment on the pitch in a league game against Boca Juniors on Saturday.

The former Arsenal defender has always had issues with controlling his temper throughout his playing career and he once again failed to keep it in check. He got into trouble with the officials and allowed his emotions to get the better of him.

Sent off to the stands while 27 minutes of the game had passed Vivas decided the best response was to rip off his white shirt and kick a stray ball that was on the touchline before storming off into the tunnel, topless.

And while he’s already 47, he did sport a fit physique. The only thing that was lacking was him turning into a big, green monster.

Beautiful goal, or unsportsmanlike behaviour?

There is no doubt that Marco Verratti is one of the best players in the game right now. The Paris Saint-Germain midfielder is not only adept at picking passes, but also has the ability to protect his back four with ease.

On Saturday (6 May) in a Ligue 1 match against Bastia, Verratti showed off another aspect of his game – the capability to score wonder goals. The 24-year-old thumped one into the top corner from the edge of the area, an effort that left the unsuspecting Jean-Louis Leca, Bastia’s goalkeeper, with no chance of stopping it.

But video replays showed that Leca was actually attending to Verratti’s teammate Blaise Matuidi, who had tripped earlier and appeared to be injured. Yet instead of putting the ball out of play so Matuidi could receive treatment, Verratti decided to take advantage of the situation.

To add insult to injury, Matuidi appeared to be all right and went on to play 83 minutes of the game in total.

Brilliant strike though it was, it was definitely one that wasn’t too sporting.

What was he thinking?

That’s the question that will be on the minds of Shanghai Shenhua fans after defender Li Jianbin scored a comical (or clumsy) own goal in a game against Guangzhou Evergrande.

In an attempt to clear a header from Evergrande’s Yu Hanchao, Li leaped into the air right in front of goal to meet the ball, only to flick it into his own net.

Incredulously, the ball looked to be heading just wide of the post. To make matter worse, the own goal levelled the score at 2-2, before Evergrande scored a late goal through Yu to clinch a 3-2 victory.

Safe to say, Li didn’t enjoy a good day in the office.

John Wall has eyes at the back of his head

Washington Wizards point-guard John Wall showed that he has eyes at the back of his head – or that he can see 360 degrees on the court – after a couple of incredible passes.

In Game four of the NBA Eastern Conference semi-finals playoffs against the Boston Celtics, Wall fooled defenders on two occasions.

The first came midway in the second quarter of the game. After sizing up Isaiah Thomas and getting by him easily, Wall drew the attention of Kelly Olynyk. He somehow got the ball to Marcin Gortat by passing it around Olynyk’s body, leaving Gortat with an easy deuce.

If that wasn’t amazing enough, Wall did a similar feat in the next quarter too. After blowing past two defenders, Wall pretended to look back for a passing option, only to float the ball over to the Gortat, who was left open under the basket by the unsuspecting Celtics defenders. Gortat subsequently dropped the ball into the basket with a beautiful reverse lay-up.

There’s no doubt that Wall is one of the best passers in the game right now.