Catching up ...

After going to two shows at the Sydney Festival, I managed to get back in time to see Harry Kewell's last-gasp winner against Iraq. Awesome.

Is there anything better than feeling 116 minutes of frustration and trepidation wash away with one massive, memorable moment? Of course there is, but it was still pretty cool. Sure beats a penalty shoot-out.
Australia will face Uzbekistan in the semi-final for a spot in the Asian Cup decider.

Don't write off the Uzbeks - I had them pegged to make the semis before the tournament started and they have been a tough opposition in the past.

But with Brett Emerton to return from suspension and everyone but Jason Culina healthy, I really like our chances.

In the EPL, my beloved Toon conceded in injury time to butcher a second win in as many starts.

This time, the thieves in the nights were Spurs. It wasn't as painful as last week's calamity against the filthy Mackem scum, but it still grates.

Six points from six instead of two would have been invaluable this time of year in a very congested table.

I haven't written much about the Australian Open tennis. In the immortal words of Pat Rafter, "sorry mate".

As I wrote in Monday's Random Thoughts, the only match of week one I cared about was Hewitt v Nalbandian.

We all know how that ended - a heartbreaking five-set loss to the Aussie. Then some stuff happened.

Bernard Tomic booked a date with World No 1 Rafael Nadal - and lost in straight sets.

However, the 18-year-old only lost the second set 7-5 after nearly going up three service breaks. Oh well. His time will come ... I hope.

In the women's draw, Sam Stosur lost the first set of her round three match in a tie-break, then the plot, on her way to an early exit.

This was a major bummer for the nation's tennis fans - while we were hopeful Hewitt or Tomic could make some noise, Stosur was a legitimate threat.