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Red Sox general manager Dave Dombrowski knew he had to do something to kickstart the team’s power so he added free-agent slugger J.D. Martinez after falling to eventual champions the Houston Astros in the American League Division Series in 2017. The 30-year-old outfielder hit a career-high 45 home runs last season with the Detroit Tigers and the Arizona Diamondbacks, and instantly improves Boston’s chances to hit home runs and to win the AL East....

The Portuguese has faced severe criticism over his tactics in the wake of United’s dismal Champions League last-16 exit to Sevilla on Tuesday. Mourinho was particularly panned for the defensive mindset the Red Devils set up with in the 2-1 defeat, as Wissam Ben Yedder’s double put the tie beyond United. But speaking ahead of United’s FA Cup quarter-final with Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday, Mourinho delivered an emotional 12-minute diatribe in his media conference, fighting back against his critics....

The prolific and versatile actor had a decade-spanning career punctuated by iconic and memorable roles. From playing an evil android in Ridley Scott’s Alien all the way back in 1979, to voicing Chef Skinner in beloved Pixar animation, Ratatouille. It was The Lord of the Rings franchise however that introduced Holms’ talent to an entirely new generation as embodied by the beloved hobbit Bilbo Baggins. Holm went on to reprise the role of Baggins in 2003’s The Return Of The King, and played an elder Baggins in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies—in which the younger Baggins was played by Martin Freeman....

Ibrahimovic has taken the Premier League by storm since swapping French champions Paris Saint-Germain for United in the off-season, scoring 17 goals. The 35-year-old Swede has defied his age to sit second in the Premier League’s goalscoring standings with 12 but the evergreen marksman is not content heading into the New Year, with there a determination on his part to help share the goals around. Ibra: I’ve made critics eat their balls...

The Argentina international confidently rolled home from the penalty spot on the half-hour at Stadio Luigi Ferraris to put Inter 2-0 up after Ivan Perisic’s opener, Icardi bringing up his century in his 180th Serie A match. He then made it 3-0 and moved on to 101 soon after, beating Sampdoria goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano with an audacious backheel from close range. Icardi netted his first Serie A goal way back in November 2012, scoring Sampdoria’s third in a 3-1 Derby della Lanterna win over rivals Genoa....

Indians have began their tournament in a splendid fashion, by crushing the Lankans and the defending champions Australia in the two warm-up matches that they have played. These two wins will help the confidence of the players and will also boost their self-confidence. Not only this, the two warm-up games has also exposed the form and fitness of the team members and has made the playing XI quite predictable....

Indian batsman Rohit Sharma is all set to open the batting for India in the second ICC Champions Trophy 2017 warm-up match against Bangladesh at The Oval on Tuesday. The 30-year-old right-hander missed out on playing the opening match after he joined the rest of his teammates late, owing to personal commitments back home. Ajinkya Rahane opened the innings in Rohit’s absence in the opening game against New Zealand, which the Men In Blue won by 45 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method on Sunday....

16 teams are divided into 4 groups, with the top 2 teams from each group advancing to the Super League while the bottom 2 playing the Plate League. The warm-up games are done and dusted, with teams trying out different combinations before the main event. Apart from the warm-ups, the recently concluded quadrangular series (including India, New Zealand, Zimbabwe and hosts South Africa) and the U-19 Asia Cup provided opportunities for the teams to prepare for the all-important World Cup....

While the letter acknowledges the “real and emotional impact of immigration enforcement,” it states that “casting aspersions about our officers’ intentions only spreads fear in a community” in a way that is “unfair and without merit.” “Across the country, a national debate about current and future U.S. immigration policy is growing louder by the day,” the letter published on ICE’s website begins. “As field office directors for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), we oversee the offices that enforce immigration laws within the interior of the United States, and we want to set the record straight....

In case you didn’t know All India Football Federation (AIFF) has decided to field a combined XI comprising of India U17 and India U19 players in the upcoming I-League to allow them regular playing time at the top level. The team will be known as ‘Indian Arrows’, the resurrected version of the now defunct ‘Pailan Arrows’. The heart of the matter Dheeraj Singh was one of the most outstanding players among the India U-17 World Cup Squad and has been linked to moves to Europe and Australia....

After agreeing to the buyout, the Korean declared, “I will miss the East Bengal fans. I will never forget the two goals I scored in the Derby ( against Mohun Bagan) last year. Although I am fit, the coach ( Trevor James Morgan) doesn’t want me. If the coach doesn’t want me, there is nothing that I can do. I guess it’s a part and parcel of a professional footballer’s life....

The home side went into this tie resting Sumeet Passi and replacing him with Seityasen Singh. Juan Quero reprised his role as creator in chief for the side, while Sasa Kolunija and Shane McFaul formed a familiar central core of the Shivajians. Halicharan Narzary began in attack for the Reds, who’d put five away against Mumbai FC in their last home tie. Shillong Lajong, arriving into Pune after a testing draw in Goa against Churchill Brothers, made just one change to the set-up in the form of Rupert Nongrum in place of Fabio....

The most interesting match that has been played in this time happened to be Chennai City and Mohun Bagan. Chennai faced a tough challenge in the form of Mohun Bagan and their perseverance for an equaliser was paid when Nestor Gordillo scored in the 81st minute. Mohun Bagan went ahead with a fine display from their talisman Sony Norde but it was not enough for them to earn their first home win....

It was a fascinating contest at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Coimbatore which promised out for goals galore. Chennai City’s talisman Pedro Manzi bagged another three to take his season tally to ten goals in the I-League. The early part of the game was dominated by the visitors, but Pedro Manzi took full advantage from a corner to place the ball behind the back of the net to give the lead for the league leaders in the 7th minute....

Floyd Pinto employed his boys in a 4-3-3 formation with Rahul KP, Aniket Jadhav, and Boris Singh leading the pack. Ashish Rai and Aimol Reamsochung were given the responsibilities of marauding and defending down the left and right wings respectively, while Anwar Ali and Narender completed the back four. The midfield trio of Suresh Singh Wangjam, Amarjit Singh Kiyam, and Lalengmawia was entrusted to ensure the visitors don’t get the leverage in the midfield....

In a competitive encounter at Shillong’s JLN Stadium, the talented Mahesh scored his fourth league goal late in the second half to ensure Churchill remain on 29 points, a point adrift of Chennai, and in second place after 16 completed games. ALSO READ: Arrows claim shock win over Minerva Churchill did well to get back on level terms through Willis Plaza’s 17th league goal and an Anthony Wolfe strike in the second half, after going into the break two goals down, but Mahesh’s left foot had the last say in the game....

As someone who walked the hall in Oslo to receive the award in 1996, I have had the opportunity to come to know most of my fellow laureates, and many nominees who I have felt deserved the prize but have not yet received it. The overriding qualities I have seen in these peacemakers is a deep-seated passion for peace and justice, an optimism about the better nature of man, and humility....

De Bruyne and City will be crowned Premier League champions on Saturday if they beat Mourinho’s United – a result that would seal the title in dream fashion for an expectant Etihad Stadium faithful. The Belgium midfielder is a frontrunner for player-of-the-year honours in England, somewhat at odds with his spell at Stamford Bridge. Limited first-team opportunities under Mourinho prompted a move to Wolfsburg, returning to the Bundesliga where De Bruyne had impressed during a loan spell with Werder Bremen in 2012-13....

The 19-year-old, who is part of England’s European Under-21 Championship squad, made 29 appearances and scored seven goals for Bundesliga side Hoffenheim last season. Nelson revealed he is yet to speak to Gunners boss Unai Emery about his future but says he is focused on playing for his boyhood team in the 2019-20 campaign. “Arsenal is my main goal,” he told Sky Sports News. “After the Euros I’ll look to go back to pre-season, do that very strong and hopefully play for the team I love....

Gattuso and Bakayoko were seen exchanging cross words during the first half of Milan’s 2-1 victory at San Siro on Monday, after which Gattuso said: “I told Bakayoko to warm up, but it took him eight minutes to get ready.” Jose Mauri was sent on for the injured Lucas Biglia in his stead, and the incident comes soon after Bakayoko, who is at Milan on a season-long loan from Chelsea, had to apologise to his team-mates after arriving an hour late for training....