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Andrea Pirlo was certainly the best when it came to developing the most technical plays on the pitch. A central midfielder, who could also play as a number 10, made us all believe in the power of Italian football. However, after his much-awaited retirement, it was obvious for most of us that the midfield maestro will never be seen again; but as the topic of our discussion suggests, there is more to the legacy, as a brand new face has emerged from the ranks of Serie B team Brescia, who not only looks like the midfielder but also plays like him....

Arsenal star Sanchez is said to be on the brink of deciding his next move, and City were favourites to secure his signature before rivals Manchester United emerged as contenders. If the Chile international were to head to the Etihad Stadium, he would represent direct competition for Sane’s spot in Pep Guardiola’s starting line-up. But the former Schalke winger is braced for the challenge. “No, it doesn’t worry me personally,” the Germany international said in quotes reported by The Guardian....

And Sanjay Bangar’s careful selection of players has proved so in the weeks that followed. With their win over Rajasthan on Friday, KXIP have booked the number one berth in the group stages irrespective of the result of their last match against Delhi; their best performance after the first season which saw them make it as far as the semi-finals. Given the volatile nature of the shortest format of the game, the play-offs could well blow up in the face of the group stage toppers but their journey up till here has been a personification of Sanjay Bangar’s coming of age as a coach....

It was a goalless stalemate in the first-half at Howrah Stadium before a rampaging Kerala banged in half a dozen goals including a brace by Jithin Gopalan (62nd and 84th) and an own goal by Manipur’s Chingakham Singh in the 90+4th minute. Afdal V K opened the floodgates with his 47th minute strike, while India’s U-17 World Cupper Rahul KP doubled the lead in the 59th minute before Gopalan and Jithin MS (71st) scored decisive goals....

The word “sarcomatoid” comes from the shape and appearance of these cells. When examined under the microscope, they tend to have a circular middle that tapers out at the ends. Scientists first described the disease in the 1960s. Types Sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma falls into a broader group of kidney cancers called renal cell carcinoma (RCC). “Renal” means “kidney.” “Carcinoma” is a word for cancers that begin in cells lining the internal organs....

Hazard scored the winning spot-kick in Chelsea’s penalty shoot-out win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League semi-finals on Thursday, as Sarri’s side set up a clash with Arsenal in the final on May 29. Sarri’s position has, at times, looked under threat this season, but the former Napoli boss has secured a top-four Premier League finish – and Champions League qualification – as well as taking Chelsea to the EFL Cup final, where they lost on penalties to Manchester City....

Higuain looked set to leave Juve in the close-season but, having worked under Sarri at both Napoli and Chelsea, the 31-year-old has been given a prime role in the squad so far this term. The striker has featured in five of Juve’s six Serie A games this season, making four starts, though he has only managed one goal – scoring in a 4-3 win over his and Sarri’s former club Napoli in August....

Morata missed an early sitter in Thursday’s Europa League tie at home to Vidi, but made amends with the winner in the second half. It was the first time Morata, whose first season in English football was disrupted by a back injury, has scored since a 3-2 win over Arsenal in the Premier League. Having been booked for dissent earlier in the game, Morata appeared to be very emotional after scoring, burying his face in the shoulder of team-mate Willian, who created the goal with a flicked header....

Sarri recently offered a startling criticism of the France midfielder, a title-winner with the Blues under Antonio Conte and with Leciester City under Claudio Ranieri, who was in the opposing dugout at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. The former Napoli boss claimed Kante is not technically good enough to operate as a central midfielder in his system but, playing alongside Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic in the Chelsea engine room, he played a key role in condemning Ranieri’s side to defeat and helping the Blues respond to last week’s 3-1 loss to Tottenham....

Talks over a deal to appoint Sarri to replace Antonio Conte continue to progress positively and, in conversations with Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia, he has stated his admiration of various Napoli stars, including Kalidou Koulibaly, Elseid Hysaj, Piotr Zielinski and Dries Mertens. However, Chelsea will have the final say on transfers, just as they did with Conte and remain cautious about offering players aged over 30 a contract lasting longer than one year....

In second place were Ganesh Murthy and his navigator Nagarajan, just six seconds behind the leaders while Sanjay Takale and Mohd Mustafa were third a further 11 seconds adrift. Provisional classification (after Leg-3): Overall / SUV Open: Satish Gopalkrishnan / Savera D’Souza 1 (1min, 16secs); Ganesh Murthy / Nagarajan 2 (0:01:22); Sanjay Takale / Mohd Mustafa 3 (0:01:33). SUV OE: B Suresh Kumar / Bhaskar Gupta 1 (0:27:29); Saju George / Shymon George 2 (0:33:31); Kiran JN / Balaji BT 3 (1:10:09)....

Van Marwijk – out of contract at the end of the AFC qualifying campaign – was replaced by former Argentina boss Edgardo Bauza as Saudi Arabia’s new head coach on Thursday following his arrival from United Arab Emirates. The Saudis secured their fifth World Cup appearance and first since 2006 thanks to Van Marwijk and their win over Japan earlier in September. However, former Netherlands coach Van Marwijk – who led the Dutch all the way to the 2010 World Cup final – was unable to agree on a new deal with the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF), who wanted the 65-year-old to reside permanently in the country....

Domenico Tedesco’s side knew a point would be enough to secure their top-four finish but managed to secure all three, while Borussia Dortmund’s defeat to Mainz meant Schalke will finish runners-up behind Bayern Munich. A run of four games unbeaten, which began with a 2-0 win against Dortmund last month, saw Schalke pick up form in the crucial stages of the campaign and they can relax ahead of their hosting of Europa League-chasing Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga’s finale next weekend....

Sancho’s first full campaign in the Bundesliga has seen him score eight goals and provide a league-high 13 assists for table-topping Dortmund. A Champions League goal against Atletico Madrid in October opened his European account, and he has also established himself as a regular in Gareth Southgate’s England squad. Hitzfeld is one of the teenager’s many admirers and the 70-year-old – who led BVB to two league titles and a Champions League crown – has compared him to Bayern stalwart Ribery....

Indians first baseman Santana came up big with a grand slam in the top of the 10th inning at Target Field. Kevin Plawecki led off the frame with a single, Francisco Lindor followed with a walk and Greg Allen reached on a bunt single, setting up Santana’s heroics. “We were on the top step as the inning was unfolding,” Cleveland infielder Jason Kipnis said. “We always say Carlos doesn’t leave here without hitting at least one [home run]....

Coach Pat Shurmur told reporters that Barkley “felt good,” and wouldn’t rule the star out for an early Week 5 return. “Some people’s doctor’s had him at eight weeks. Not my doctors,” Shurmur said, via the New York Daily News. Barkley, who is recovering from a high ankle sprain, was working with New York’s training staff but he isn’t practicing yet, NorthJersey.com notes, adding his movement on the field is a good sign for an early return....

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men have crashed out of the Champions League at the hands of Barcelona, been thrashed 4-0 by Everton and suffered defeat to Manchester City in recent weeks. However, Sarri is taking nothing for granted ahead of the Old Trafford clash, with the Red Devils still chasing a top-four finish and sitting only three points behind Chelsea. “They have a chance I think,” he said. “They need to win all the last three matches, but the match will be very difficult for the situation of the table, but also for the result in the Manchester derby, because they will play for sure with a very high level of determination....

Sarri has been strongly linked with a move to the Premier League with Chelsea considering him as a replacement for Antonio Conte , while Arsenal are also reportedly looking at the Italian as a contender to take over from Arsene Wenger. Speculation over his possible departure from Stadio San Paolo was fuelled by recent criticism from De Laurentiis, who blamed a lack of squad rotation for burning out the players....

Sasha Banks has seemingly been having the time of her life ever since she walked out of WWE RAW in May along with Naomi. She has made several public appearances since her walkout. If the latest rumors are true, she could make her big WWE return very soon. Banks recently attended the She-Hulk premiere with her best friend Naomi. The duo posed for a bunch of pictures and it didn’t take long for the stills to go viral on Wrestling Twitter....