The China Mail - Sports (English)

Celtics labor to win over Wizards, Warriors into Cup quarters

Jaylen Brown top-scored with 31 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics struggled to a 108-96 win at Washington in the NBA Cup on Friday.

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Grand Slam ambition dawning for Australia against Scotland

Australia face Scotland at Murrayfield on Sunday with coach Joe Schmidt trying to keep a lid on talk of a Grand Slam in a remarkable turn of events for the Wallabies.

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Japan game set to leave England with more questions than answers

England know that even if they end a run of five straight defeats by beating Japan at Twickenham on Sunday doubts over their ability to tame major teams will remain.

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Amorim's to-do list to make Man Utd great again

Ruben Amorim takes charge of Manchester United for the first time at Ipswich on Sunday, confident that he is the man to revive the troubled Premier League club.

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Anderson to Starc: Five up for grabs in IPL player auction

Some of the world's top cricketers will be among 574 players seeking an Indian Premier League payday when the lucrative T20 tournament begins its annual auction on Sunday.

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Big money as Saudi makes foray into cricket with IPL auction

Saudi Arabia hosts this year's Indian Premier League player auction in a partnership between a money-spinning cricket tournament expanding its global reach and a kingdom using sports to improve its image.

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Yin avoids penalty to keep lead as Korda charges at LPGA Tour Championship

Angel Yin avoided a penalty to fire a three-under par 69 and grab a two-stroke lead while top-ranked Nelly Korda jumped into contention after Friday's second round of the LPGA Tour Championship.

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With favourites out MLS playoffs promise more upsets

When Inter Miami were dumped out of Major League Soccer's playoffs in the first round, their former Spain international full-back Jordi Alba questioned the fairness of the post-season format.

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Guardiola says 75 percent of Premier League clubs want Man City relegated

Pep Guardiola said on Friday that three-quarters of the Premier League want Manchester City relegated over alleged breaches of financial rules.

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'Unique' Netherlands beat Germany to reach first Davis Cup final

Netherlands reached the Davis Cup final for the first time with a battling 2-0 win over Germany on Friday, with captain Paul Haarhuis labelling the feat "unique".

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Revamped PSG see off Toulouse before Bayern clash

A revamped Paris Saint-Germain dominated Toulouse 3-0 at home on Friday to maintain their cushion on Ligue 1 rivals Monaco before next week's Champions League trip to Bayern Munich.

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France cruise past ill-disciplined Argentina

France eased to a 37-23 victory over an ill-disciplined Argentina at a bitterly cold Paris in their final game of the November internationals on Friday.

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Messi's new Miami coach to sign soon; Mascherano favourite

Lionel Messi's new coach at Inter Miami will be announced "in the coming days", the club's co-owner Jorge Mas said on Friday, with reports suggesting Javier Mascherano is in pole position.

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Kane hat-trick sends Bayern eight points clear

A second-half Harry Kane hat-trick took Bayern Munich to a 3-0 home win over Augsburg on Friday, sending them eight clear atop the table ahead of Tuesday's Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain.

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Netherlands beat Germany to reach first Davis Cup final

Netherlands reached the Davis Cup final for the first time with a battling 2-0 win over Germany on Friday.

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Louis, Athanaze agony as Windies build Test edge over Bangladesh

Mikyle Louis and Alick Athanaze both fell just short of maiden Test centuries as West Indies reached 250-5 at stumps on the opening day of the first Test of two against Bangladesh on Friday.

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Monaco hit Brest on the counter to cut PSG lead

Monaco tightened their grip on second in Ligue 1 with a 3-2 home win on Friday over Brest, who like the hosts, face a demanding Champions League match on Tuesday.

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Former captain Ritchie returns for Scotland against Australia

Jamie Ritchie, the former Scotland captain, will make his first start of the November international series after being selected for Sunday's match at home to Australia.

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Australia boss Schmidt eager to emulate Slack's 'Home Nations' sweep

Australia coach Joe Schmidt said Friday he would love his side to emulate the Grand Slam achievements of a 1984 Wallabies team captained by "top man" Andrew Slack.

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England boss Borthwick adamant Curry fit to face Japan after latest concussion

England coach Steve Borthwick insisted Friday he was taking no risks in recalling Tom Curry to face Japan at Twickenham just a fortnight after the dynamic flanker was knocked out against Australia, his fifth concussion in two years.

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Netherlands lead Germany in Davis Cup semis

Netherlands claimed a hard-fought 1-0 lead over Germany in the Davis Cup semi-finals on Friday as Botic van de Zandschulp beat Daniel Altmaier 6-4, 6-7 (12/14), 6-3 in the first singles rubber.

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De Zerbi says he did not run from Putin's bombs and won't quit Marseille

Marseille coach Roberto De Zerbi said Friday he had not thought of quitting after a home loss to Auxerre, recalling he had not fled Ukraine "when Putin bombed Kyiv".

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Suaalii returns as Australia ring changes for Scotland

Australia rising star Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii has been restored to the Wallabies starting lineup in one of six changes for their match against Scotland at Murrayfield on Sunday.

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Kolisi keen to wrap up season with Wales win, confident in Gatland

South Africa captain Siya Kolisi says his side want to wrap up their strong season with victory over Wales on Saturday, adding he is confident Warren Gatland is the coach to turn Welsh woes around.

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Postecoglou hits out at cancel culture after Bentancur ban

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has defended the decision to appeal a seven-game ban handed to Rodrigo Bentancur for controversial comments about team-mate Son Heung-min, calling for more understanding when players admit to mistakes.

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Lopetegui refuses to buckle as West Ham pressure mounts

West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui claimed he is not losing any sleep over reports he is in danger of being sacked by the troubled Premier League club.

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'Dreamer' Amorim vows to revive ailing Man Utd

New Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim said he is the right man to revive the ailing English giants' fortunes ahead of his debut against Ipswich on Sunday.

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Japanese figure skaters lead the way at Cup of China

Japanese figure skaters Mone Chiba and Shun Sato topped the standings after shining in the short programme at the Grand Prix Cup of China in Chongqing on Friday.

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Coe says new Ultimate Championship will be athletics 'gamechanger'

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said on Friday the new Ultimate Championship team event, officially unveiled by the sport's governing body, would be a "gamechanger" for track and field.

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Leverkusen's Boniface sidelined with leg injury

Bayer Leverkusen and Nigeria striker Victor Boniface is set to miss "a few games" after returning from international duty with a leg injury, coach Xabi Alonso said Friday.

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Slot warns of Southampton slip-up ahead of Liverpool's 'incredible' week

Arne Slot said he cannot be distracted by Liverpool's upcoming showdowns with Real Madrid and Manchester City as the injury-hit Premier League leaders visit Southampton on Sunday.

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FFF rejects PSG request in Mbappe 55 mn euros back pay dispute

The French football federation has rejected Paris Saint-Germain's request to reconsider an order from the French league to pay former striker Kylian Mbappe 55 million euros ($57.3 million) in back pay.

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