Shocks and surprises throughout sport's big weekend

Big events span 6 sports, 3 continents

The Belmont Stakes, NBA Finals and the World Cup are just some of the major sporting events happening this weekend.

(CNN) -- Upsets dominated the biggest sports weekend in recent memory, with a 70-1 longshot dashing horse racing fans' hopes for the first Triple Crown winner since 1978.

Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner War Emblem stumbled out of the gate in Saturday's Belmont Stakes, claimed a brief lead in the far turn but faded in the stretch. The even-money favorite ended in eighth place as Sarava became the biggest upset winner in Belmont history.

The bonanza weekend for sports fans began according to expectations, with Shaquille O'Neal and the Los Angeles Lakers beating up on the New Jersey Nets(Full story) 106-83 and soccer superpower Brazil hitting four goals past scoreless World Cup debutantes China (Full story).

But as Europe sat down to lunch and the Americas woke up, things started to change.

EXTRA INFORMATION Gallery: Major Sporting Events this Weekend    MORE STORIES CNNSI.com coverage:  • The World Cup  • NBA Finals  • Stanley Cup Finals  • The Belmont Stakes  • The French Open   • Lewis-Tyson fight

Perennial European power and newly installed World Cup favorites Italy had scored that single goal that has so many times served them well and they were playing the impeccable defense that is the hallmark of the Italian game.

Then, without warning, footballing gravity shifted. Two goals in four minutes from an unheralded Croatian team and the Italians were a goal down with 13 minutes to go.

But with their backs to the wall, the Italians rallied: Totti hit the post with a screaming free kick that bounced along the goal line, and when the Italians finally got the ball in the net, it was only to see the goal disallowed for a foul that the linesman was one of the few people to see.

Italy fumed and talked of reporting the officials. Croatia celebrated its 2-1 win and the coach pointed to the character of his team.

"They were dying for each other out there," Mirko Jozic said after the greatest win in his country's history. (Full story)

In the sometimes-gentler world of women's tennis, the world's attention turned to the battle of the sisters Williams. Serena and Venus faced off for the third time in a Grand Slam final, and the shocks continued as the less favored Serena beat her older sister Venus 6-2, 6-4.(Full story)

That was eight years before a young boxer named Mike Tyson lifted his first heavyweight crown, seemingly set for immortality in his sport.

Instead, the Tyson tale has been his fall from grace. So it is a morbid fascination that draws an audience now for the oft-talked of and now virtually irrelevant fight with Lennox Lewis, a fighter who in many ways is Tyson's mirror image. (Full story)

And Saturday night there is hockey fever in North Carolina. Yes, North Carolina-- famous for good manners, southern hospitality and genteel living -- has adopted the game of the North, with the local Hurricanes taking on the Detroit Red Wings for Lord Stanley's Cup. (Full story)

And when North Carolina takes to ice hockey, you know this is no ordinary sporting weekend.