News sport : Andrew Luck amazes, Colts move on to face Denver and Peyton Manning

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Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck doesn’t make every play. He might get there some day. He still makes a few more mistakes than you’d like.


But there are plenty of times that Luck does something that only a few people on Earth can do, like his touchdown pass to Donte Moncrief in the Colts’ 26-10 playoff win on Sunday.


Luck’s unbelievable play put the Cincinnati Bengals away. He was blitzed from his right, stepped up in the pocket and Bengals defensive end Carlos Dunlap had a shot at him from behind. Dunlap got a piece of Luck and tripped him up as Luck ran forward. And somehow, Luck delivered a frozen rope to Moncrief in the end zone just as he was tripped up. That stretched Indianapolis’ lead to 20-10, and the Bengals weren’t coming back from that. Indianapolis advances to play next Sunday at the Denver Broncos, in a really fun matchup between Luck and former Colts quarterback Peyton Manning.


There are plenty of good quarterbacks who can’t make the throw Luck did to Moncrief. Not too many have the athleticism, arm strength, vision and feel for the game to pull that off. It was right on target. It was an incredible play that he made look relatively easy. Luck isn’t the best quarterback in the league yet, at the end of his third season. But he does things that suspend belief. The Colts put everything on their tremendous young quarterback (on Sunday Luck set two records for most passing attempts and most passing yards in a quarterback’s first four career playoff games, passing Dan Fouts and Kurt Warner respectively, according to ESPN), and often Luck just puts the team on his back.


On the other side, Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton was the exact opposite of Luck. He looked terrible most of the day, and for a fourth straight offseason he’ll carry the stigma of being one-and-done in the playoffs.


It wasn’t all his fault. Pro Bowl receiver A.J. Green and tight end Jermaine Gresham, Cincinnati's top two receivers in terms of receptions this season, were out with injuries. Dalton’s receivers who did play didn’t help him out at all. But it was hard not to make the quarterback comparison as the Colts pulled away. The Bengals didn't drive into Colts’ territory in the second half until there were less than three minutes in the game, and Dalton lost a fumble on that first play on Indianapolis' side of the field.


The Colts aren’t a complete team by any means, and in many areas the Bengals are better. But Luck covers up a lot of flaws. And sometimes Luck just makes a play nobody else can.


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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!






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News sport : Dan Herron's fumble might have been caused by a punch to ... yeah

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A common play in football is to punch the ball out of a running back's hands, trying to get a fumble.


Sometimes those punches can go a little wayward. Indianapolis Colts running back Dan Herron can painfully attest to that.


On a play late in the second quarter, Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Darqueze Dennard caused a fumble after Herron caught a screen pass. It looked like your normal caused fumble until you saw that on the replay, Herron might have coughed up the ball because he took an inadvertent shot below the belt.



If that landed as it looks like it did, then ... oof.


Herron shook it off and returned. And it's a lot easier to forgive his fumble once we see what might have caused it.


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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!






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News sport : VOD: Some tailgating Florida fans had a surprise visitor on Saturday

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Florida fans tailgating before Saturday's Birmingham Bowl saw someone unexpected before Florida played East Carolina.


New Florida coach Jim McElwain was in attendance at the game and stopped by some tailgates. He especially surprised the group at about the 27-second mark. They looked to have been having some big fun already, and McElwain upped their pregaming a notch or two.


Florida defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin was the team's interim coach for the game. Durkin is not returning to Florida and is considered a candidate to become the defensive coordinator at Michigan.


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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!







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News sport : Khaki sales in Ann Arbor have increased after Jim Harbaugh's arrival

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When it was becoming apparent Jim Harbaugh was heading to Michigan, Dockers wanted the cheap-khaki-wearing coach to know it made officially licensed Michigan pants. Well, Dockers and other companies that make khaki pants are in the midst of a mini-boom in Ann Arbor, Mich., and it's not from the coach himself.


People around Michigan are apparently wanting to emulate Harbaugh and the volume of pants sales has increased since he was introduced as Michigan's coach last week.


From the New York Times:



Scott Hirth, an owner of M-Den, the university’s official merchandise retailer, said it saw increased sales of all khakis in its Ann Arbor stores this week (it sells both pleated and flat-front versions, as well as Dockers with a block M stitched into the back pocket for $70). “Let’s just say we sold way more khakis than your normal Monday,” Mr. Hirth said just before leaving to deliver boxes of khakis to its concession stand at Crisler Arena, where the basketball game was soon to begin.



Another store even has a mannequin dressed as Harbaugh in the window. Auburn coach Gus Malzahn was a popular man in the south to be for Halloween, but the guess here is that Harbaugh will be even more popular in Michigan this year.


For more Michigan news, visit TheWolverine.com.


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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!







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News sport : David Ortiz receives custom New Era cap featuring David Ortiz

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It must be nice to be David Ortiz.


Think about it. On a personal level, he's a father of three healthy children, which obviously trumps everything else in his life.


On a professional level, he's one of the most accomplished athletes of our time. He's been on two Boston Red Sox World Series championship teams, earned nine All-Star appearances, delivered 466 career home runs, raked in $127,512,500 and counting over 18 big league seasons, and his biggest honor may be yet to come as a possible Hall of Fame plaque with his name on it could be waiting years after he's retired.


He's reached icon status a great sports city. He's a charitable man, too, having established the David Ortiz Children's Fund in 2007. He's a leader on and off the field. Granted, he's often a bit brash, which often rubs folks the wrong way, but that's all a part of his playful nature.


But if all of that isn't enough to impress you, this might be the capper. Literally.



Yes, David Ortiz is now the owner of a custom New Era cap featuring a likeness of David Ortiz doing his signature skyward point after every home run.


The gesture is done in honor of Ortiz's mother, Angela Rosa Arias, who died in a car crash in January 2002. When you think of it in that context, it adds a nice personal touch to what otherwise might be considered a tacky item — silver brim included. Rest assured, the Twitter jury has been weighing in, with the opinions being mostly split down the middle.





Early indications are this cap is just a special item for Ortiz, and anything resembling it will not be for sale. It's not an item everyone will appreciate, either. Those who feel Ortiz is his own biggest fan certainly won't. But it fits the man and larger than personality perfectly.


More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:



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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!






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News sport : Greg Cosell's Playoff Preview: Bengals offense, and Lions' keys to win

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COLTS AT BENGALS


A lot has been and will be made of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton for this AFC playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts, and the Bengals have showed us what they think of Dalton heading into the playoffs.


The Bengals have minimized him. He’s not a comfortable player right now, and the Bengals know that. So they run a very limited pass offense. Dalton is not seeing things clearly right now, he is not a confident thrower at this point, and the throw must be defined or Dalton will not turn it loose.


Sometimes even when it is defined, Dalton isn’t turning it loose. Against the Steelers last week, Dalton threw a 5-yard touchdown to tight end Jermaine Gresham, and that looks fine, but the play he was supposed to make was wide open and he didn’t throw it. Then Gresham bailed him out by fighting into the end zone.


Against a three-man rush and eight-man “Tampa 2” zone coverage concept with two deep safeties, the play was designed to hit Mohamed Sanu off play action. The Bengals got just hat they wanted. Safety Mike Mitchell attacked the run action and Sanu was wide open. Dalton didn’t throw to him. He hit Gresham in the flat instead.


Just watch how open Sanu is in the end zone.



(NFL.com screen shot)


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The Bengals’ passing game doesn't attack at the intermediate levels much at all. Their passing game will be even more limited without receiver A.J. Green against the Colts, too. But the Bengals have a couple of running backs that can help them.


Jeremy Hill is a good back. He has very good foot quickness and lateral agility for a 235-pound back, and has the speed to bounce to the perimeter when needed. But you can’t give it to him every play. Fellow running back Giovani Bernard becomes a big player for the Bengals because of how they’ve been using him.


When Bernard is in the game, they’ll line him up in different spots including the slot, and that will cause issues for the defense. I think the Bengals realize that’s how he is used best, as a Darren Sproles-type player and not a foundation back.


And example of what Bernard's versatility came on a 17-yard score against the Steelers. From an empty set with Bernard in the slot, the Steelers had an initial bracket coverage on Bernard with linebacker Vince Williams to the outside and linebacker Jason Worilds to the inside. Worilds jammed Bernard on a shallow cross and then was unable to run with him.



(NFL.com screen shot)


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Bernard is a player to watch against the Colts, especially because Indianapolis' linebackers are not very good in coverage.


LIONS AT COWBOYS


The Lions’ run defense against the Cowboys’ run offense is a critical element to this game, although that’s not a profound statement. The Cowboys run about 75 percent of the time on first down, the highest percentage in the league. The Lions have the best run defense in the NFL. Their defensive line is very good, as are linebackers Tahir Whitehead and DeAndre Levy.


DeMarco Murray (USA Today Sports Images) Then the question becomes if the Lions can get the Cowboys to throw a little more than they want to. Romo has the second-fewest passes of any quarterback who started the whole season (he missed one game). The offense is not built around Romo. He has had a great year, but the offense works through DeMarco Murray. They haven’t been in too many games in which Romo had to really air it out. If he has to do that, how does that change things?


So there are two keys for the Lions to win: First, they have to get the Cowboys to pass the ball more than they want, and second, quarterback Matthew Stafford has to be sharp.


Stafford has been uneven this season. I think he has tried really hard this year to get better in his footwork and balance. But the improvement has been incremental. It’s a new offense, basically the New Orleans Saints’ offense, and there’s a lot there to master. Also, the Lions can’t run the ball so a lot of pressure goes on him.


One thing to watch is that the Lions’ offensive line isn’t particularly athletic, and that might make for a bad matchup. The Cowboys don’t have a great pass rusher, but they use a lot of stunts on the line to create a rush. Against unathletic offensive lines, that can create a problem. It’s worth watching, because if the Cowboys can get to Stafford and force him into a bad game, the Lions' chances of winning at Dallas will shrink dramatically.


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NFL analyst and NFL Films senior producer Greg Cosell watches as much NFL game film as anyone. Throughout the season, Cosell will join Shutdown Corner to share his observations on the teams, schemes and personnel from around the league.






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Substitute saves day for SA

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Substitute Thuso Phala hit home an 81st-minute winner for SA in their African Nations Cup warm-up with Zambia on Sunday.


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Johannesburg – Substitute Thuso Phala came on to score an 81st-minute winner for South Africa as they began their African Nations Cup preparations with a 1-0 home win over fellow finalists Zambia at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto on Sunday.


Phala hit home the winner off the underside of the crossbar after being set up by fellow substitute Bernard Parker in a morale-boosting win for South Africa, who are drawn in a difficult group at this month's finals in Equatorial Guinea.


Both sides struggled after the holiday break to find form just days after assembling for their pre-tournament preparations but the game livened up in the second half. Phala missed an easy close-in sitter just five minutes after his goal.


South Africa are in Group C with Algeria, Ghana and Senegal while 2012 champions Zambia play in Group B against the Cape Verde Islands, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Tunisia.


The Nations Cup kicks off on January 17. – Reuters






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News sport : ESPN's Stuart Scott dies at age 49 after long battle against cancer

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Any sports fan of a certain age will always remember Stuart Scott's catchphrases.


Scott died at age 49 after a long battle with cancer, ESPN reported on Sunday morning. That sad news brought an outpouring of grief and memories from sports fans who will remember Scott as one of the most memorable and influential "SportsCenter" anchors in ESPN's long history.


When Scott first appeared on ESPN's networks a little more than two decades ago, joining the company in 1993 for its launch of ESPN2, his unique style was an instant hit. He became famous for phrases like "Boo-yah!" and "cool as the other side of the pillow." Despite becoming one of the most famous names at the network, people who knew him spoke of how gracious, friendly and down-to-earth he was.


The messages that filled social media on Sunday, including many from the NFL community (Scott hosted ESPN's pre- and post-game shows for "Monday Night Football" for many years) reflected the man Scott was.








Scott valiantly battled cancer since he was first diagnosed in late 2007. His courageous fight was documented in many ways, but nothing was better than his own words, when he won the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at the 2014 ESPYs and gave an inspiring speech.



Scott is survived by his parents, O. Ray and Jacqueline Scott; siblings Stephen Scott, Synthia Kearney and Susan Scott; his daughters Taelor, 19, and Sydni, 15; and girlfriend Kristin Spodobalski, the Associated Press reports.


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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!






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Sheffield cause major FA Cup upset

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Third-tier Sheffield United triumphed 3-0 over Premier League outfit QPR in a major FA Cup upset on Sunday.


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London – Sheffield United pulled off the first major shock of FA Cup third round weekend when the third-tier English side triumphed 3-0 at Premier League outfit Queens Park Rangers on Sunday.


Rangers, struggling near the foot of the Premier League table, had more misery heaped on them at their Loftus Road home, with a second-half double from winger Jamal Campbell-Ryce sealing the emphatic victory for League One’s sixth-placed team.


Yet on the weekend when the minnows of England’s lower leagues traditionally go hunting for the Premier League Goliaths, Crystal Palace, under new manager Alan Pardew, comfortably sidestepped any possible embarrassment with a 4-0 stroll at little Conference side Dover Athletic.


Another Premier League team Sunderland also prevailed 1-0 against the Championship’s Leeds United, a goal from Patrick van Aanholt ensuring the result mirrored that of the teams’ famous 1973 Cup final. – Reuters






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Torres returns to boyhood club

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Fernando Torres says he’s returning to Atletico to rekindle his competitive spirit with his boyhood club.


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Madrid – Fernando Torres said on Sunday that he has returned to Atletico Madrid to rekindle his competitive spirit with his boyhood club.


Torres was presented to tens of thousands of fans at the packed Vicente Calderon Stadium while waiting for his loan from AC Milan to become official when the Italian transfer market opens on Monday.


Torres, who left Atletico in 2007 for Liverpool, said “I was missing something to motivate me, something that I could only find here”.


Nicknamed “The Kid,” the now 30-year-old Torres hails from the Madrid suburb of Fuenlabrada, and despite his decline in form he is still wildly popular among the Atletico faithful.


After his presentation with club president Enrique Cerezo, Torres changed his somber suit for his new No. 19 shirt and soaked up applause from supporters. He autographed footballs and kicked them into the stands while making laps around the pitch.


“When I was 24 I understood something that was very hard for me, that I needed to leave so the club could grow and so I could also grow,” he said. “That was the most difficult moment of my career. The club has grown and won important things. I too got the titles I was looking for, but I was missing something. I want to win them here.”


“I have been dreaming for so long that that one day this could be a reality. It is difficult to believe it now.”


Torres debuted for Atletico in 2001 at the age of 17 and went on to play in 244 games and score 91 goals before going to England in 2007 to play for Liverpool and Chelsea, where he won the Champions League, Europa League and the FA Cup.


He returns to Atletico on loan from AC Milan, where he struggled with only one goal in 10 appearances since Chelsea loaned him to the Italian club.


Torres, a World Cup and European championship winner with Spain, has yet to recover his pace and scoring ability after being hit by injuries that included a right knee operation in April 2010.


He will form part of a consolidated Atletico squad that won the Spanish league title last season under coach Diego Simeone, who Torres played with at Atletico when Simeone was a midfielder. Mario Mandzukic and Antoine Griezmann have filled in well for now Chelsea striker Diego Costa, meaning Torres will likely have to improve to find a permanent spot in the starting lineup.


“(Simeone) was very important for me,” Torres said. “I know him and how demanding he was as a teammate. I hope I can go out there and do what he needs me to do. I am here to do my part.”


Torres' first game could be a big one.


Atletico hosts crosstown rival Real Madrid in the first leg of their round-of-16 Copa del Rey tie on Wednesday. – Sapa-AP






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Double blow for African Cup favourites

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Algeria suffered a double blow on Sunday with two of their stars being ruled out of the African Nations Cup.


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Algiers – African Nations Cup favourites Algeria suffered a double blow on Sunday when Mehdi Abeid and Essaid Belkalem were ruled out injured from the tournament, their football federation said.


Newcastle United midfielder Abeid had been doubtful for the event over the past few weeks after struggling with a toe injury and uncapped Ahmed Kashi was placed on standby as a replacement.


Defender Belkalem was also ruled out by Algeria’s team doctors with a hamstring problem after picking up the injury while playing for his Turkish club Trabzonspor.


The tournament begins in Equatorial Guinea on January 17.


Algeria compete in Group C at the Nations Cup against Ghana, Senegal and South Africa. Their opening game is on January 19 against South Africa in Mongomo. – Reuters.






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News sport : Steelers fan tweets plan to run on field, Steelers security nabs him

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We get it, Steelers fans. Saturday night's slow crumble against the Baltimore Ravens sent your mind spiraling. Forced you to make some bad choices. Maybe you gobbled those two extra Primanti sandwiches or swilled those seven extra Yuenglings you swore you weren't going to down this time. Or maybe you decided if the Steelers weren't putting on enough of a show, then you would:



That's a Steelers fan named Jake Berlin, who sussed up the goodwill of the Twitterverse in order to screw up the courage to run onto Heinz Field. Running onto the field is like standing on the beach in Florida and planning to run to Africa: it usually ends quickly, and it never ends well.


This one ended earlier than most, however. While Jake was ringing up 10 times the necessary support to make his journey, someone tipped off the Steelers. And since Jake a) gave away his position and b) may have been the only person at Heinz Field wearing red, he wasn't exactly hard to spot. That led to this:



Let the sad trombones play for poor Jake. And the rest of you: if you're going to run on the field, for heaven's sake wear a disguise or something when begging for support. Wait, no ... don't run on the field. That's what we're supposed to say. Don't run on the field.


____

Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter.



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Russian footballer shot dead

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A Russian footballer has been shot dead near his home in that country's volatile North Caucasus.


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Moscow – A 20-year-old footballer for Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala has been shot dead near his home in Russia’s volatile North Caucasus.


Gasan Magomedov was driving into his home village on Saturday night when his car was sprayed with machine-gun fire and he died from his wounds while being transported to hospital, Anzhi said in a statement.


No arrests have been made and the motive is unclear, the club said. Magomedov was a regular in midfield for Anzhi’s youth and reserve teams.


The Russian region of Dagestan, where the attack took place, has a long-running Islamist insurgency.


Anzhi challenged for the Russian title in recent years, but was relegated to the second tier last season. For several years, it had a policy of basing star players in Moscow to avoid Dagestan’s security risks. – Sapa-AP






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Serie A transfer frenzy as usual

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Serie A clubs forget the talk of developing own talent and go straight for the transfer window.


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Milan – Serie A clubs are repeatedly talking of the importance of developing their own talent yet that hasn’t stopped them from heading straight for the transfer window in traditional style.


Tuesday’s meeting of traditional rivals Juventus and Inter Milan and Gianfranco Zola’s debut as a Serie A coach with Cagliari the same day have both been buried among the swirl of rumours and transfer chitchat.


The Italian window officially opens on Monday yet the wheeling and dealing got under way well before Christmas.


AC Milan, first into action, replaced one misfiring striker with another as Spaniard Fernando Torres departed for Atletico Madrid in a swap with Alessio Cerci.


Torres managed one goal in 10 Serie A appearances for Milan while Cerci mustered nine appearances for Atletico and scored one goal following his move from Torino in August.


Inter Milan, meanwhile, are on the point of signing out-of-favour Arsenal forward Lukas Podolski, having already welcomed the German to their training ground.


On Sunday, Gazzetta dello Sport also reported that Juventus had been in touch with Galatatasary over Dutch playmaker Wesley Sneijder while Inter Milan were said to be in the running for Bayern Munich winger Xherdan Shaqiri.


The Swiss international has been getting less and less playing time for the Bundesliga champions under Pep Guardiola.


Nearly all the talk has involved players who have fallen out of favour elsewhere, a sad reflection on the state of Serie A which once used to attract the world’s best.


Lazio and Sampdoria, joint third alongside Napoli with 27 points, get the ball rolling on Mondayas Serie A resumes following a two-week Christmas break.


The other matches are all on Tuesday, a bank holiday, with leaders Juventus hosting Inter, who are languishing in midtable with coach Roberto Mancini repeatedly complaining about the squad he inherited from predecessor Walter Mazzarri.


Second-placed AS Roma, three points behind Juventus, visit Udinese. Coach Rudi Garcia told reporters on Saturday that he was still bitter about Juve’s 3-2 win over his side in September when the hosts were awarded two controversial penalties.


“It’s difficult to erase the feeling of injustice and maybe I won’t succeed in doing that for the rest of the season, or even the rest of my life,” said the Frenchman.


Cagliari, in the relegation zone with only 12 points, visit Palermo for their first match under former West Ham United and Watford coach Zola, who replaced Zdenek Zeman just before Christmas. – Reuters






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Friendly to put Bafana to test

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Anele Ngcongca leads Bafana in a friendly against Zambia at Orlando Stadium on Sunday afternoon.


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Johannesburg – Racing Genk defender Anele Ngcongca will captain Bafana Bafana when they take on Zambia in an international friendly match at Orlando Stadium on Sunday afternoon.


The match is the first phase of preparations for the Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Equatorial Guinea, which starts from January 17 to February 8.


Shakes Mashaba selected the bulk of players who did duty in the qualifiers with Darren Keet in goals, assisted at the back by central defenders Eric Mathoho and Rivaldo Coetzee, while Ngcongca and Thabo Matlaba were entrusted with getting goals.


Oupa Manyisa, Reneilwe Letsholonyane, Thamsanqa Sangweni and Mandla Masango were given the nod in the midfield, while Tokelo Rantie and Bongani Ndulula were named as the two strikers.


Andile Jali and Patrick Phungwayo were not considered for the match because they were both nursing knee injuries.


SA TEAM: Darren Keet (GK), Anele Ngcongca (C), Thabo Matlaba, Eric Mathoho, Rivaldo Coetzee, Thamsanqa Sangweni, Reneilwe Letsholonyane, Mandla Masango, Oupa Manyisa, Bongani Ndulula, Tokelo Rantie. – Sapa






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