(Reuters) – ON THIS DAY — MAY 26
SOCCER – Arsenal’s Michael Thomas and David Rocastle hold up the first division trophy following a 2-0 win over fellow title contenders Liverpool at Anfield on the last day of the 1988-89 league season.
Victory ended Arsenal’s 18-year wait to be crowned champions as they lifted the trophy having scored more goals than second-placed Liverpool, after both teams finished on 76 points and an identical goal difference of 37.
Thomas scored Arsenal’s decisive second goal in the final minute of the match to seal the title for the Gunners.
May 26, 1999
SOCCER – Manchester United’s players celebrate with the European Cup following their dramatic 2-1 victory over Bayern Munich in the final at Camp Nou in Barcelona, Spain.
Alex Ferguson’s side, who had already won the FA Cup and Premier League, were trailing the German side in the final following Mario Basler’s early goal.
But substitute Teddy Sheringham scored an equaliser in the 90th minute to reignite their hopes of a historic treble. With extra-time approaching he rose at the near post to head on a corner and set up Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for a stunning winner.
May 26, 1999
BASEBALL – New York Yankees outfielder Darryl Strawberry sits in a court in Tampa. He pleaded no contest to charges of cocaine possession and solicitation for prostitution and was sentenced to 18 months probation and community service.
Strawberry, once touted as a future superstar, had his career sidetracked by substance abuse problems and was arrested on April 14 that year after trying to solicit sex from an undercover policewoman.
During a search, police found three-tenths of a gram of cocaine powder in Strawberry’s wallet.
May 26, 1999
BASKETBALL – Toronto Raptors’ Vince Carter with coach Butch Carter after receiving the NBA Rookie of the Year award.
Carter received all but five of a possible 118 votes from a panel of sports writers and broadcasters. Sacramento Kings point guard Jason Williams was second with three votes and forward Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics was third with two votes.
“It’s an honour,” said Carter. “I looked at all the great players on the list and it’s going to be tough to live up to all they brought to their organisations. I’m going to try and have a great career and do a lot of great things for the Raptors.”
May 26, 2011
SOCCER – Olympique Lyonnais players celebrate after sealing a 2-0 victory over Germany’s FCC Turbine Potsdam in the Women’s Champions League final at Craven Cottage, London.
The victory, thanks to goals from Wendie Renard and Lara Dickenmann, was sweet revenge for the French side, who were beaten 7-6 on penalties by Potsdam in the title clash the previous season.
May 26, 2018
SOCCER – Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale celebrates scoring their second goal in a 3-1 Champions League final win over Liverpool. Bale’s brace and errors by Liverpool keeper Loris Karius gave the Spanish side a third straight title in the competition.
Bale came on just past the hour with the score at 1-1 and after three minutes produced a bicycle kick finish and netted again with a speculative long-range effort that somehow went through the hands of the unfortunate Karius.
The German keeper had earlier handed Real a 51st minute lead when he threw the ball straight at striker Karim Benzema and the ball rolled into the unguarded net off the Frenchman’s leg.
May 26, 2019
TENNIS – Russia’s Anastasia Potapova celebrates defeating Germany’s Angelique Kerber 6-4 6-2 on Court Philippe Chatrier in the first round of the French Open.
Defeat meant Kerber’s campaign to complete a career slam was cut short but that came as no surprise considering the former world number one was playing on her least favourite surface.
Kerber had entered only two claycourt events — in Stuttgart and Madrid — before arriving in Paris, winning only one match at each. An ankle injury meant she had aborted her Madrid Open challenge without hitting a ball in her second-round match.
May 26, 2019
FORMULA ONE – Drivers observe a minute’s silence in tribute to late Formula One legend Niki Lauda at the Circuit de Monaco in Monte Carlo ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix.
Triple world champion Lauda, regarded as one of the finest racers of all time and who later on became a successful airline entrepreneur, had died six days earlier aged 70 after battling declining health.
Lewis Hamilton withstood lap after lap of intense pressure on worn tyres to win a nail-biting race in a triumphant tribute to Lauda. “I was fighting with the spirit of Niki. “I know he’ll will be looking down and taking his hat off,” Hamilton said.
May 26, 2019
SUMO WRESTLING – United States President Donald Trump presents the President’s Cup trophy to rising Japanese wrestler Asanoyama, who won a 15-day Summer Grand Sumo tournament at the Kokugikan sumo venue in Tokyo.
“I’ve always wanted to see sumo wrestling, so that was really great,” Trump, the first U.S. president to watch sumo in the sport’s homeland, said after the match. “That was an incredible evening.”
Trump, who was on a four-day visit to Japan, had earlier played golf with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo.
May 26, 2019
ICE HOCKEY – Finland’s players celebrate after winning the world championship with a 3-1 victory over Canada in the final at the Ondrej Nepela Arena in Bratislava, Slovakia.
Finland’s third world championship gold medal was a case of history repeating itself as they had won their previous title at the same venue in 2011.
“It’s awesome,” said Finland forward Toni Rajala. “It’s something you know might only happen once in your life, but even before the game it felt great. I wasn’t too nervous about it, I was enjoying it.”
(Compiled by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)
