Beijing and Shandong miss out in latest Asian Champions League games
Football – The Asian Champion's League..
In Group E Last night Thai side Buriram United defeated Shandong Luneng at home for their first victory of the competition. A goal by Kai Hirano at 35-minutes was the only one of the game.
None-the-less Buriram still sit bottom of group E on Goal difference equal on points with the Chinese side Shandong Luneng just about them and Cerezo Osaka who are also on 5 points. The Pohang Steelers of South Korea are well in the lead in Group E on 11 points after 5 games.
Elsewhere looking at Group F Beijing Guoan let victory slip through their fingers against Japan's Sanfrecce Hiroshima.
It looked like all the hard work was done as the Chinese side were leading two-nil well into the second half, but then with 20 minutes left to play Naoki Ishihara scored twice in the space of three minutes… an attack Beijing failed to find an answer for.
Thus the match ended with the teams taking away a point a piece.
Again it's a South Korean side topping group F. Last year's runners up FC Seoul are on eight points after defeating Australia's Central Coast Mariners last night.
Hiroshima, Beijing and the Mariners are all on six-points-each.
Man City siffer shock draw with Sunderland
Now over in English football,
What should have been a walk in the park for Manchester City did not follow the script at all and they suffered a serious blow to their Premiere League title ambitions.
Their match against bottom-of-the-league Sunderland who for much of the game looked like the better side, ended two-all.. and they were lucky to get away with that.
Man City are now six points behind league leaders Liverpool and four points behind Chelsea, although they have played one less game.
The Liverpool manager Manuel Pellegrini, said it's always dangerous to play a side with its back against the wall:
"Before this match I was very worried about this match. I said, to play against a relegation team at the end of the season is always very difficult because they fight for every ball as the last one. I'm sure that after just three days it's very difficult for the players to take out of their minds the game against Liverpool. We needed more intensity but our mind was not in the moment to do it."
Meanwhile the Sunderland manager Gus Poyet, who is fighting for his career at the moment, says this result tells him they have a chance in their next match against Liverpool:
"It's going to give us a little bit of that word that I absolutely hate which is "confidence" and it give you a chance to go with a different approach to the game on Saturday. I was in a taxi today and he (taxi driver) said what are your next two games away? I said, Man City and Chelsea away and he went oh! all the best, and now we've got a point and now I'm sure that all the players are believing, let's go out there and play."
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Elsewhere in the Premiership Everton answered the prayers of Arsenal fans by losing three - two to Christal Palace.
The result leaves Arsenal in the coveted fourth place they need to qualify for the European Champions League.
Bale prooves worth as Real Madrid beat Barcelona in King's Cup final
And in Spain, Gareth Bale's individual goal five-minutes-from time helped Real Madrid win the Copa de Rey as they beat their arch rivals Barcelona 2-1.
Playing without the injured Christiano Ronaldo by his side, the Wales forward took centre stage and shined.
He out sprinted Barca defender Marc Bartra from the halfway line before coolly slotting his shot past the keeper.
The Catalans dominated possession throughout the match, but Madrid stuck to a tactic of counter attacks to claim their first silverware of the Spanish season.
Hamilton feeling confident ahead of Shanghai F1
A look ahead to this weekend's Formula One Grand Prix in Shanghai.
Lewis Hamilton is looking to make it three wins in a row on Sunday for the first time in his Formula One career.
The Chinese track has been the source of bad luck for the British racing driver in the past however.. but he says he is feeling confident:
"So in China we have had some ups and downs. Particularly in my first year. I went in there with a big lead in my championship and kind of lost it there in the gravel on the way to the pits. But generally every time I go I am getting stronger and stronger and faster and faster, it suits my driving style."
Hamilton's team-mate Nico Rosberg, who currently leads the driver's championship by 11 points, has a much better track record in Shanghai making his first pole and victory there in 2012.
With the Mercedes cars so far in advance of their rivals many are predicting a two horse race between Hamilton and the German.
Portland beat LA to round off NBA regular season
On the final day of the NBA regular season, the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Los Angeles Clippers 110-104 to end on a five-game win streak.
With the Oklahoma City Thunder's win earlier in the day, the Clippers are locked in as the third seed in the Western Conference, and will take on the Golden State Warriors.
The Trail Blazers will enter this weekend's playoffs as the fifth seed, and will take on Houston.
The other Western Conference match-ups will see 2nd seeded Oklahoma City take on Memphis, while top-ranked San Antonio will battle their Texas rivals, the Dallas Mavericks.
Out east, the matchups have top-seeded Indiana taking on Atlanta.
2nd ranked Miami will battle Charlotte.
The four-five match has Chicago with home-court advantage over Washington.
And the NBA playoffs will begin at 12:30am Sunday morning Beijing-time with the 3rd seeded Toronto Raptors at home to the Brooklyn Nets.
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