MIAMI - The San Francisco 49ers will spend the next few months wondering what might have been.
Up by 10 with just over six minutes left in Sunday’s Super Bowl, the 49ers suffered a collapse that saw them allow three late-game touchdowns en route to a 31-20 loss.
A win would have given San Francisco its sixth Super Bowl title and a share of the lead among NFL franchises. Only the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers have amassed six Lombardi trophies.
It might also have gone some way toward silencing doubters, particularly of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who had thrown for just 77 yards in his team’s NFC championship victory against the Green Bay Packers.
But it was not to be.
“You have to give some credit to (the Chiefs),” said Garoppolo, who played well for three quarters before an abysmal fourth. “We just didn’t make some of the plays we normally make.”
Through three quarters, Garoppolo had completed 17 of 20 passes for 183 yards, earning him a 100.6 quarterback rating. But he went just 3-for-11 for 36 yards and a key interception in the final frame, finishing with a rating of 69.2.
San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan acknowledged that they had let the win slip through their grasp.
“It hurt everybody in that room,” he said. “We had opportunities to win that.”
Shanahan’s team were in no mood to give explanations of what went wrong.
“Nothing,” said cornerback Richard Sherman. “We just made mistakes.”
Tackle Joe Staley also struggled to discuss the loss.
“This is, just, this is very hard being in this moment right now,” he said. “I’m trying to answer questions, and I’m sorry that I’m not. Put yourself in my shoes for a second. It’s tough.”
A key point in the game came early in the fourth quarter with the Chiefs down 10 but deep in San Francisco territory.
49ers defensive back Tarvarius Moore picked off a Patrick Mahomes pass, killing the rally and getting his offense back on the field with a chance to put the game out of reach.
But San Francisco could only cobble together 17 yards before being forced to punt, giving Mahomes a chance at redemption.
The momentum — and scoring — was all Kansas City's after that.
“We got a turnover and then we didn’t execute on offense,” 49ers tight end George Kittle said. “We have to end the game right, and we didn’t ... it’s pretty brutal. It just honestly sucks.”
(Editing by Peter Rutherford)
source: news.abs-cn.com
Roger Federer gained a measure of revenge against Wimbledon nemesis Kevin Anderson, beating the South African 6-0 6-4 at the Miami Open on Thursday to set up a mouthwatering semi-final against a player barely half his age.
Federer will have little time to rest his 37-year-old legs before his clash against 19-year-old Denis Shapovalov, the highly regarded Canadian talent tipped for future Grand Slam success.
Twentieth seed Shapovalov won his battle of 'Next Gen' hustlers 6-7(5) 6-4 6-2 against American Frances Tiafoe.
Shapovalov is one of two Canadian teenagers in the semis, with 18-year-old Felix Auger-Aliassime to play defending champion John Isner in the daytime, before Federer and Shapovalov face off under lights.
Federer has won 100 career titles, 100 more than Shapovalov, and was looking forward to the pair's first match-up.
"He's one of the big shotmakers in the game. I love his forehand," Federer said.
"It's an exciting draw for John and for myself here, playing these young guys. They are not just young, but they are very good, as well."
The Swiss raced through the first set against Anderson, the man who came from two sets down to beat him in a quarter-final marathon at Wimbledon last year.
Anderson took nine games to get on the board but eventually found his groove and broke back with a series of return winners to level at 3-3 in the second set.
Federer struck the decisive blow at 4-4, however, winning a marathon game of 22 points and clinching the break with a fortuitous backhand return down the line.
"I hit it late and that's why it went short," he said of the shot. "That's not what I wanted to do but maybe what it took. I got a bit lucky there at the end."
CANADIAN TENNIS ON THE RISE
Shapovalov broke Tiafoe four times and could hardly stop smiling at the prospect of playing Federer.
"It's definitely a matchup I have been looking forward to my whole life," he said.
"It's going to be a dream come true to play him in such a big event. The stakes are so high, semi-final of a Masters 1000 against your idol, it's just a dream come true."
Shapovalov also spoke about what appears to be a bright future for Canadian tennis.
He and Auger-Aliassime are in the Miami semis less than two weeks after 18-year-old Bianca Andreescu won the WTA tournament at Indian Wells.
"It's kind of crazy to share this with Felix," Shapovalov said.
"I was just thinking in the locker room how far back we go, from the national groupings when we were eight and nine years old, so it's so crazy to see how far we have come.
"It's really great to see him doing well. Honestly, it's not a shocker for me that he's gone this far, that he's doing so well." (Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina; Editing by Ian Ransom)
source: news.abs-cbn.com
MIAMI -- Jay Cutler outgunned Tom Brady as the Miami Dolphins upset the New England Patriots, 27-20, to delay the Super Bowl champions' bid to clinch their divisional title on Monday.
Cutler, who was tempted out of an early retirement at the start of the season after quitting the sport, threw for 263 yards and three touchdowns as the Dolphins held on for a deserved win.
The Patriots could have wrapped up the AFC East divisional crown with a victory at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium.
However, Bill Belichick's men were always chasing the game with veteran quarterback Brady struggling in the absence of suspended go-to tight end Rob Gronkowski.
Brady failed to make a single third down conversion throughout in an error-strewn performance from the Patriots offense.
Brady threw the first of two interceptions on the opening drive of the night and struggled to find his rhythm as Miami built a 6-0 lead at the end of the first quarter via two Cody Parkey field goals.
New England, however, responded with a five-play 51-yard drive which culminated with running back Rex Burkhead diving into the end zone to score from three yards out.
The Patriots' possession of the lead was short-lived as Cutler once again moved Miami up the field with a composed drive.
The Miami quarterback connected with Jarvis Landry on a five-yard pass for the touchdown.
The Patriots reduced the deficit when Stephen Gostkowski drilled a 46-yard field goal on the stroke of half-time to make it 13-10 at the break.
But Miami cut loose in the third quarter when Cutler hit Jakeem Grant on a 25-yard pass for a touchdown before connecting with Landry again to put the Dolphins 27-10 ahead.
Brady finally got the Patriots going early in the fourth quarter, finding James White in the end zone to make it a 10-point game.
But New England's hopes of a trademark late comeback were undermined by a string of errors and Miami held on for the win.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
Barcelona drew first blood against Real Madrid ahead of the new season with a 3-2 victory in a pulsating Clasico friendly on Saturday in Miami.
The historic rivals will meet again twice in August in the Spanish Super Cup and this International Champions Cup match set the entertainment bar high, with Barcelona maintaining their 100 per cent record in pre-season.
"Physically we are in good shape, the team is winning, we just have to correct our errors," Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets told Premier Sports.
"We're happy for the win, it was a lot of fun for the fans because there were a lot of chances, although the players suffered in the heat and humidity."
While Barcelona beat Juventus and Manchester United, Madrid's defeat means they end their pre-season tour of the United States without a victory.
"I don't care much about the defeat, it always hurts but right now it's not the important thing," said Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane.
"It's pre-season. The results haven't gone as hoped for but it will not change anything. The important thing is to be ready for Aug. 8 (when Madrid face Manchester United in the European Super Cup)."
Madrid were missing Cristiano Ronaldo, still on holiday, but both teams were close to full strength.
Ernesto Valverde, getting a taste of Clasico drama early in his career as Barcelona manager, selected Neymar despite speculation swirling over the Brazilian's future at the club.
However, it was stalwart Lionel Messi who opened the scoring after just three minutes, firing home with the help of a deflection, before Ivan Rakitic doubled the lead with a powerful drive from Neymar's low pass.
The sell-out crowd at the Hard Rock Stadium were in for a thrilling night and Madrid fought their way back into the game with Mateo Kovacic drilling home expertly, before Marco Asensio equalised in the 36th minute after a lightning break.
After a prolonged halftime break with music, lights and fireworks shows more akin to the Super Bowl, the game restarted at the same hectic pace.
Gerard Pique sent Barcelona ahead again in the 50th minute by flicking home Neymar's curling free-kick, and it proved to be the match-winning goal.
It was the first time the teams met in a friendly since 1991 and only the second time outside of Spain. Given its success, the spectacle is likely to be repeated.
Barcelona lifted a trophy after the game but Valverde will be focused on ensuring they can impose themselves in the same way when these teams meet in two weeks at Camp Nou, this time with real silverware at stake.
(Reporting by Rik Sharma; Editing by Ian Ransom/Sudipto Ganguly)
source: news.abs-cbn.com
