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Champions League live blog: Atalanta-Real Madrid, Leverkusen-Inter

Published in Soccer

Tuesday, 10 December 2024 11:28

Welcome to matchday six of the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League season! Europe's premier club competition returns in its new format with nine matches across the continent on Tuesday, providing exciting matchups, top talent and drama.

Enjoy the play-by-play from all the games such as Atalanta host Real Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen take on Internazionale and RB Leipzig face Aston Villa.

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Zaman Akhter makes quick impression in England Lions' tour match

Published in Cricket

Tuesday, 10 December 2024 11:49

CSA Invitational XI 285 for 8 (Senokwane 79, Akhter 3-51) vs England Lions

Zaman Akhter's pace and bounce was the feature as the Gloucestershire quick claimed three wickets on the opening day of the England Lions' four-day match against a Cricket South Africa Invitational XI in Cape Town.

After Tom Lawes struck twice with the new ball - including the first delivery of the day - Akhtar made the most significant inroads as the hosts reached stumps at 285 for eight.

Akhtar broke a century stand for the third wicket when he found extra bounce off a good length and Jean du Plessis edged to James Coles at second slip. Nottinghamshire's teenage spinner Farhan Ahmed then claimed Lesego Senokwane, the leading run-scorer in the ongoing CSA 4-Day Series, when he miscued a swipe to Akhtar at mid-on after adding 79.

Skipper Dan Mousley and Coles both took a wicket each in the afternoon, but the Lions were made to toil before the reintroduction of Akhter in the final hour.

The 25-year-old produced a brutish short ball that Sinethemba Qeshile could only feather behind as he took evasive action after an eye-catching 73. From the next ball Matthew Boast popped a simple catch to backward point.

The four-day game is the Lions' only match of a three-week tour that has focused on providing the 19-player squad with individualised and high-quality training.

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Kiffin: Portal before bowl is flaw of 'dumb system'

Published in Breaking News

Tuesday, 10 December 2024 11:29

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin on Tuesday called college football's current setup "a dumb system," and he wasn't referring to the playoff selection process for a change.

Kiffin, who has been outspoken about his team and others from the powerhouse Southeastern Conference getting left out of the College Football Playoff, ripped the college calendar, which forces many coaches to juggle a transfer window while preparing for bowl games. It came on the heels of several coaches having to squeeze national signing day into a week of preparation for conference championship games.

"We just try to make the best of the situations," Kiffin said during a videoconference call for coaches headed to the Gator Bowl. "It really is a dumb system."

"Just think if the NFL was getting ready for the AFC, NFC playoffs, postseason, and players are in free agency already. It's a really poor system, but we just try to manage the best we can through it, and hopefully someday it'll get fixed." Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin

Kiffin's comments came after first-year Duke coach Manny Diaz confirmed that starting quarterback Maalik Murphy had entered the transfer portal, leaving Henry Belin or Grayson Loftis to start the Jan. 2 bowl game in Jacksonville.

"Think about what we're talking about or what [Diaz] just had to address: a quarterback going in the portal," Kiffin said. "Just think about what we're talking about. The season's not over yet, and there's a free agency window open.

"Just think if the NFL was getting ready for the AFC, NFC playoffs, postseason, and players are in free agency already. It's a really poor system, but we just try to manage the best we can through it, and hopefully someday it'll get fixed."

Kiffin also said his quarterback, senior Jaxson Dart, is planning to play in the Gator Bowl. The 16th-ranked Rebels (9-3), though, could have some other starters opt out.

The Blue Devils (9-3) closed the regular season with three consecutive wins to improve their bowl spot, all of them coming after Diaz told his players, "The more we win, the warmer the [postseason] destination."

Now, they'll make the trip without Murphy. The California native transferred to Duke after one year at Texas. He completed 60% of his passes for 2,933 yards, 26 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while starting all 12 games in 2024. He led Duke to the program's most regular-season wins since 2014.

"From our standpoint, we adjust," Diaz said. "This is the new normal. What we're not doing right now is we're not on the road recruiting. We're not on the road babysitting our commits who, up until last year, were signing on the third Wednesday of December.

"So the fact we've already had a signing day, that takes one of the distressers out of December and removes that. However the landscape changes, we adapt to it. That's what football coaches are; we're problem-solvers and we're adjusters, and we adjust."

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Sources: Cowboys' Overshown tore 3 ligaments

Published in Breaking News

Tuesday, 10 December 2024 11:29

FRISCO, Texas -- Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown tore the ACL, MCL and PCL in his right knee and is scheduled to have surgery this week, according to multiple sources.

Significant recovery time will be needed after surgery, sources said.

Owner and general manager Jerry Jones said Tuesday on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas that Overshown would have surgery, but was not sure when Overshown would return.

Multiple sources said after the Cowboys' 27-20 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals that Overshown's injury was more than just a tear of the ACL.

"I don't know at this time the time-date on his rehab," Jones said earlier Tuesday, "but I just can't tell you how bad I feel for him because he's just been through that mental and physical rehab on his other knee ... It's the toughest time for a player. And we all see the loss and know what it's going to mean for us in our remaining four games. Bottom line is it's really sad that he's having to have this surgery for him as an individual and obviously us as a team."

Overshown took a hit to the side of his right leg on a 2-yard run by Chase Brown with 12:49 left in the game. He remained on the field unable to move his leg before the medical team arrived to treat him. He immediately went to the locker room for more examination.

Coach Mike McCarthy said after the game it's "of a serious nature," and "it's not good." Overshown missed his rookie season in 2023 with a torn ACL in his left knee.

"I think the whole sideline felt that because it didn't look good," McCarthy said. "It definitely hit a lot of the guys."

Edge rusher Micah Parsons had tears in his eyes after the game when talking about Overshown.

"I cried," he said. "It's like my little bro, bro. He doesn't deserve that either. He really don't. Just to understand what he's going to go through and to be there for him physically, mentally. It's just so challenging because of the year he was having. I really just don't think that's fair either."

Overshown is the Cowboys' second-leading tackler and became just the third Cowboy since 1982 to record at least five sacks, an interception (which he returned for a touchdown), a fumble recovery and a forced fumble in the same season, joining DeMarcus Ware (2006) and Greg Ellis (1999).

"We're praying for him because a lot of us, honestly, we've been injured," cornerback Jourdan Lewis said. "We understand what he's going through. We're going to stay with him because we know he's a heck of a football player."

Overshown will be the 13th Cowboys player on injured reserve, joining the likes of quarterback Dak Prescott and guard Zack Martin, who is scheduled for surgery this week on his right ankle.

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Rape charges against France rugby players dismissed

Published in Rugby

Tuesday, 10 December 2024 07:37

A court in Argentina has dismissed charges of aggravated rape against France rugby players Hugo Auradou and Oscar Jegou, the players' lawyers say.

The pair, both 21, were arrested two days after making their international debuts in France's victory over Argentina in Mendoza in July.

They were accused of raping a 39-year-old woman in a hotel room in the city but denied any wrongdoing and said the sex was consensual.

"The judge has just ordered the players to be acquitted, arguing that the act was not a crime," lawyer Rafael Cuneo Libarona told Reuters after the hearing in Mendoza.

"As we expected, the French players have been acquitted because the sexual act was consensual, meaning there was no crime and no doubt that they are innocent," added lawyer German Hnatow.

The French Rugby Federation (FFR) said it welcomed the decision with "relief and satisfaction" and confirmed both players are eligible to play for the national team again.

Auradou and Jegou were permitted by the court to return home in September, nearly two months after being arrested.

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Curry has stem-cell therapy in bid to make World Cup

Published in Rugby

Tuesday, 10 December 2024 09:02

Stem cells can help repair damaged bodily tissue, although it is a relatively new form of treatment.

Sanderson expects Curry to be back available around Christmas, and says he sought input from England head coach Steve Borthwick when mapping out how to manage the player for the rest of the campaign.

"We put a little bit of a plan together, of which the stem-cell procedure is a part of it, then looked at the rest of the season," Sanderson said.

"Steve Borthwick looked [at the plan] and is 100% behind it. We want to get him to the World Cup without having another operation."

An England player has a 30-game season limit, but given Curry's injury history and his robust style of play, Sanderson says he won't look to push him anyway near that maximum.

"He'll feature in around 23 games, and 16 of those will be for us," he added.

"And the rest internationals. So we have figured all that out so we don't push him to that 30-game max.

"The consideration is he has a chronic injury which he is managing really well, but the more he plays the less shelf-life he has.

"We generally go by the principle it's going to be three games on one off, or two on one off. I don't think it's wise [to push his game number to 30]."

Curry started England's autumn matches with New Zealand and Australia, but was knocked unconscious against the Wallabies, meaning he was unavailable for the visit of world champions South Africa.

However he returned to start the victory over Japan, a selection that was widely questioned.

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Former England rugby star feared dead in flood

Published in Rugby

Tuesday, 10 December 2024 09:38

Family handout A head and shoulders shot of Tom Voyce. He is wearing a dark suit jacket and a pink shirt. He's clean shaven, in his forties, with dark hair and is smiling

Police fear former England rugby international Tom Voyce has died after he went missing in an area of Northumberland which was flooded during Storm Darragh.

Northumbria Police said it received a report on Sunday the 43-year-old had not returned to his home following an evening with friends.

It is suspected Mr Voyce attempted to cross Abberwick Ford, near Alnwick, in his car which was then pulled along by the current of the river.

Officers have since recovered the vehicle, but a force spokesperson said: "It is believed in his attempts to escape he has been swept away and tragically died."

Specialist officers from the Northumbria Police's Marine Section, the National Police Air Service, drones and dog handlers have all been deployed in the search.

Volunteers from the North of Tyne Mountain Rescue have also been assisting alongside Mr Voyce's family and friends.

Ch Supt Helena Barron said: "This is an extremely tragic incident and our thoughts are very much with Tom's loved ones at this time.

"Our searches continue but we are dealing with very challenging circumstances."

Mr Voyce, from Truro in Cornwall, played for England from 2001 until 2006, before retiring from the sport in 2013.

He has been living in Alnwick since 2020.

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Barcelona rush to clear cap space for Dani Olmo

Published in Soccer

Tuesday, 10 December 2024 08:39

Barcelona are working against the clock to make space within their spending cap to prolong Dani Olmo's registration with LaLiga before it expires on Dec. 31, multiple sources have told ESPN.

Olmo signed in the summer from RB Leipzig, but he missed Barça's first two matches of the season because his registration had not been processed with LaLiga due to the club's continued financial woes.

He was finally registered on a temporary basis until the end of the calendar year, granted to cover the long-term injury suffered by Andreas Christensen.

If Barça do not make enough space within their LaLiga-imposed 426 million ($447.5m) salary limit before January, the Spain international will not be permitted to play for the club in the second half of the season.

Striker Pau Víctor, a summer signing from Girona, is in the same situation.

Mundo Deportivo report that Olmo would also be allowed to leave for free in that scenario, per a clause in his contract.

A source suggested to ESPN the story is correct, but another source at Barça said they were not able to speak about "confidential" contract details.

The clause has become increasingly common in players' deals at the Catalan club, with ESPN first revealing its existence when Christensen and Franck Kessié joined in 2022.

Barça remain in excess of their cap, but can spend a percentage of anything they save or raise on registering players.

Sources at the club remain optimistic that will be the case with Olmo and Victor.

The club recently announced a new deal with kit supplier Nike that will give them a revenue boost. The agreement must first be approved by the club's members, though, with a vote planned for Dec. 21.

Various media reports suggest the club are also working on a deal to sell rights to the VIP boxes at Spotify Camp Nou, which is being renovated, for the next 20 years.

Sources add the club are working on other sources of investment, adding the "last option" would be for one of the club's board members to put up a personal guarantee to enable Olmo and Victor's registrations.

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Litton to lead Bangladesh in West Indies T20I series

Published in Cricket

Tuesday, 10 December 2024 07:35

Litton Das has been appointed Bangladesh captain for an entire T20I series for the first time - he filled in once for Mahmudullah on the tour of New Zealand in April 2021 - for the three-match series to round off the ongoing all-format tour of the West Indies.

There is a return for batting allrounder Shamim Hossain, who last played in a T20I - or any international match - in December 2023 in New Zealand. Shamim, 24, has had a run in the format but hasn't quite broken through yet. In 14 T20I innings, he has 254 runs at a strike rate of 115.98, and a highest of 51, his only half-century.

The somewhat left-field pick is that of Ripon Mondol, the tall 21-year-old medium-fast bowler who played three T20Is in October 2023, all at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, where he picked up four wickets as Bangladesh finished third.

There is still no Najmul Hossain Shanto, the regular all-format captain, who is recovering after picking up a hamstring injury during the series against Afghanistan in November. There is also no update on Shakib Al Hasan's availability, or future, in international cricket.

Mehidy Hasan Miraz led Bangladesh in the two-Test series in the Caribbean, which was split 1-1, and is also their leader in the ongoing ODI series.

From the last T20I squad that played in India in October, Towhid Hridoy (groin injury), Mustafizur Rahman (on a break after becoming a father) and Rakibul Hasan are missing, along with Mahmudullah, who has since retired from the format.

Apart from Shamim and Mondal, fast bowler Hasan Mahmud, left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed, top-order batter Soumya Sarkar, who starred in Rangpur Riders' Global Super League title win recently, and middle-order batter Afif Hossain have come in for this series.

Bangladesh squad for T20I series against West Indies

Litton Das (capt), Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Afif Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Jaker Ali, Shamim Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Taskin Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan, Hasan Mahmud, Ripon Mondol

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PSL draft to take place on January 11

Published in Cricket

Tuesday, 10 December 2024 07:53

The draft for the tenth edition of the PSL will take place on January 11. The date for the draft is later than PSL drafts have historically taken place, though that is partially down to the window for the tournament being pushed back by a month; it will now take place in a four-week slot between early April and mid-May, with the PCB no longer viewing a clash with the IPL as a no-go area.

While no further details of player availability have been announced, the draft is likely to heavily tap into players who went unsold at the IPL auction. One of the factors that influenced the PSL moving into the IPL's slot was the greater degree of certainty that players not at the IPL would be available due to the near-complete lack of any international fixtures during that period.

At the IPL this year, David Warner, Kane Williamson, Akeal Hosein, Jonny Bairstow, Adil Rashid and Keshav Maharaj were among the players that went unsold, and while many may have had international commitments during the PSL's window in other years, that will not be the case this time around.

This does not guarantee that all those players will be available to the PSL. The England Cricket Board (ECB) is currently embroiled in a dispute with the Professional Cricketers' Association (PCA) after they announced they would not issue NOCs for first-class cricketers to play any overseas league apart from the IPL that clashed with the domestic season. While the T20 Blast, which starts on May 29, will not clash with the PSL, the County Championship starts on April 4, and almost certainly will. What the terms of any resolution are is likely to have a significant impact upon the PSL, which has historically drawn overseas talent quite heavily from England.

The move into the IPL window, which ESPNcricinfo first reported on in 2022, is one the PCB is looking to make permanent as it tries to move away from the increasingly cramped December-March window in which it operates currently, where it clashes not only with four other T20 leagues, but also a busy international cricket calendar. By contrast, moving to the April to May window means little to no Full Member international cricket and only the IPL, against which, officials acknowledge, it can't compete but can try to co-exist with. And if, as expected, the PSL inducts two new teams from 2026, there remains potential to accommodate a longer season in that window.

In the medium term, it will also help the PSL avoid being played almost entirely in Ramadan, as would have been the case in 2025. As part of the lunar calendar, Ramadan starts ten days earlier every year on the Gregorian calendar so it would clash with the PSL's usual February-March window for the next few years. Ramadan not only affects timings of games and crowd turnout, it is also a big window for advertising; playing the PSL in Ramadan would impact advertising and sponsorship revenues for the league.

The decision to switch windows was by no means one that met universal agreement. ESPNcricinfo understands a number of franchise owners were sceptical, if not outright opposed to the move at the time. However, the decision did not necessarily require the support of the franchises, with the PSL's governing council possessing the authority to make a unilateral decision on the matter.

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