It was a packed month in the world of Sport in March as Formula One returned to action, Football’s elite battled it out in the Champions League and beyond and Cricket around the world saw performances to remember too. So who blazed a trail in the month of March and who had a month to forget, today at Man’s Life we bring you up to speed with our Hot or Not list from the world of Sports.
WHO’s HOT?
1. FC Barcelona
View this post on Instagram
After a torrid time in the recent past, Xavi’s men seem to be turning things around at the iconic club and won all five of their fixtures in the month of March. The side from Catalunya seems to have finally found their mojo as they managed to score twelve goals while conceding just two during this period which also includes a mighty impressive 4-0 victory at the Bernabeu in the El Clasico vs arch rivals Real Madrid. In addition, the first game with fans for Barça Women at Camp Nou made history with a new world record for highest attendance at a women’s football game. 91,553 fans got behind the girls as they made it to the last four of the Women’s Champions League, beating Real Madrid 5-2 in this 2nd leg on a historic night.
2. Scuderia Ferrari
View this post on Instagram
After two frustrating years for Scuderia Ferrari, spent behind the likes of Red Bull, Mercedes and even McLaren, Ferrari started the 2022 Formula One season with a bang as the Prancing Horse secured two double podiums in both the opening races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia with a new car that looks excellent in the slow corners and is likely to challenge Red Bull for the Championship. A 1-2 finish in Bahrain for Leclerc and Sainz was followed by a 2-3 podium finish as Max Verstappen pipped Leclerc to the chequered flag in Saudi Arabia, but it means Leclerc now leads the Formula 1 World Championship after the first two races of the season.
3. Cricket Australia
View this post on Instagram
The month of March was one to remember for the Australian Cricket Team as Pat Cummins’ side scripted a stunning Test series victory against Pakistan in their first tour to the country for 24 years. The skipper led from the front with the ball but it was Usman Khawaja that lit up the tour on a fabled return to his homeland to script an incredible win in the final Test Match to win the series 1-0 after two draws on brilliant batting surfaces. Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon combined for 8 wickets in the final innings to turn things around and clinch the 3rd Test on the final day of the series.
WHO’s HOT NOT?
1. England Cricket Team
View this post on Instagram
England have never gone five Test series without a victory since they first began playing Test cricket in 1877, but Joe Root’s side created a piece of unwanted history in the West Indies as they lost their fifth series in a row in embarrassing fashion in the Caribbean to continue their downward spiral in the longest form of the game. It now means England have just one win in their last 17 Tests and their run without a single victory will stretch into a 10th month by the time the international summer in England starts in June. Pressure is certainly mounting on skipper Joe Root and the English management to attempt to find solutions ahead of a big summer of cricket.
2. Mercedes Formula One Team
View this post on Instagram
After 8 years of dominance in Formula 1, it seems like Mercedes have a lot of work to do this season. After the first two races, the Silver Arrows have only managed one podium finish (with a lot of luck), and to add to their misery, 7 time Champion, Lewis Hamilton was knocked out in Q1 at the Saudi Arabian GP and former driver Valtteri Bottas, now at Alfa Romeo has outqualified both Rusell and Lewis over these two races. The British outfit have an uphill task at the moment with both Ferrari and Red Bull Racing surging ahead in the standings with strong outings in the opening rounds of the 2022 season.
3. Paris Saint Germain (PSG)
View this post on Instagram
Star-studded PSG lost 3 out of 4 of their matches in March 2022 to Monaco (0-3), Nice (0-1) and also Real Madrid (0-3). The loss vs Real Madrid will hit home hard and might have massive ramifications on the club! Not for the first time, the French side held a lead in Spain and looked in control Paris Saint-Germain has a lead in Spain, only to capitulate by conceding a late flurry of goals. The club over the past 11 years since Qatar took over, has spent almost $2 billion on players including Neymar, Messi and Mbappe but are still searching for a Champions League title. PSG have now been eliminated from four of nine UCL knockout ties when leading from the first leg, three of those coming in the last six seasons and with Mbappe out of a contract at the end of this season, there could be unwanted changes in the line-up soon.
4. Conor McGregor
View this post on Instagram
The Notorious hits our Not Hot list once again! Conor McGregor who hasn’t stepped inside the octagon since picking up that ankle injury against Dustin Poirier is facing legal trouble after recently being attested for an incident of “dangerous driving” in Ireland. This is the third time that the former two-division champion is getting fined for dangerous driving in 4 years and there is a possibility that he wouldn’t get away with a fine this time.
[Featured Image Credit: FC Barcelona]
Suhail Chandhok
Vertical Head - Sports