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In shutting out the Ligue 1 leaders at the Stade Louis II on Wednesday, Juve made it five European clean sheets in a row

GONZALO HIGUAIN scored twice against Monaco on Wednesday night as Juventus put one foot in the Champions League final.

Away from home, the Argentinian netted two goals at the Stade Louis II to almost certainly set-up a heavyweight showdown with Real Madrid in Cardiff.

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However, in shutting out Monaco, Juventus became only the fourth team in Champions League history to keep five consecutive, knockout stage clean sheets in a season.

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The 2004-05 AC Milan team who were stunned by Liverpool in the final that year in what became known as the Miracle of Istanbul managed the feat.

Their back four that season boasted one of the greatest of all time, with Cafu, Jaap Stam, Alesssandro Nesta and Paolo Maldini in the starting XI with Dida in goal.

EPA

The only other team prior to Juve to accomplish the feat was the Arsenal side of 2005-06 - who reached the final, only to be beaten 2-1 by Barcelona.

The Gunners' back four that season was often the fearsome quartet of Emmanuel Eboue, Kolo Toure, Sol Campbell and Ashley Cole, with Jens Lehmann between the sticks.

In fact, that Arsenal XI managed to go SIX knockout games without conceding - with Juventus hoping to equal that feat in the second leg at home to Monaco.

May 3 - Monaco (A) - 2-0 Apr 19 - Barcelona (A) - 0-0 Apr 11 - Barcelona (H) - 3-0 Mar 14 - Porto (H) - 1-0 Feb 22 - Porto (A) - 2-0

AP:Associated Press

The only other team to go five games were Manchester United in 2007-08 - when they beat Chelsea in the final on penalties.

The talented back-line that season saw Edwin van der Sar in goal, with Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic joined by Patrice Evra and Wes Brown.

All in all, the Turin outfit have kept six clean sheets in a row in the tournament, if you include their final group stage game against Dinamo Zagreb - winning that one 2-0.

AC Milan - 2004-05 Arsenal - 2005-06 Man United - 2007-08 Juventus - 2016-17

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In fact, the last time Juventus conceded in the competition was all the way back on November 22, 2016 - when they beat Sevilla 3-1 away.

Incredibly, Massimiliano Allegri's men have shipped just TWO goals all tournament.

The defensive line consists ofDani Alves, Leonardo Bonucci, Andrea Barzagli Giorgio Chiellini and Alex Sandro - with the ever-brilliant Gianluigi Buffon in goal.

The only question remaining now is, can Juventus match Arsenal's incredible record... or even beat it?

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Juventus just one Champions League knockout game away from equalling a record set by Arsenal after 2-0 win over ... - The Sun

REDLANDS Drake Garibay is still reeling from what he says was a senseless attack that left his brother dead.

The last moments of Luis Campos life were in a line waiting to get into a Las Vegas bar about 1:30 a.m. April 30 during a bachelors party weekend.

Garibay, of Redlands, says two suspects that morning randomly sucker punched his brother; Campos died from his injuries in a Las Vegas hospital on Thursday.

Campos, 45, of La Puente, was approached by two men, and one of them said something aggressive, like Whats up or What you looking at,' Garibay, 30, said in an emotional interview Saturday night.

Before his older brother could react, the taller of the two men punched Campos, knocking him out. Then the two men, both in their 20s, fled.

Garibay said he cradled his older brothers head in his arms and gently said, I am here. Hang in there.

Las Vegas police officers came to the aid of the fallen brother, calling for the paramedics to get to the Fremont Street crime scene.

Although Garibay said he doesnt know what the reason was for the unprovoked attack on his brother, he speculated it might have been part of a cult contest known as the knockout game, in which a person attempts to knock out an unsuspecting stranger.

Detectives with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department are seeking the publics assistance in locating the two suspects.

One suspect was seen wearing a white cap, dark shirt and tan pants.

The suspects both ran east on Fremont Street and then turned north on Sixth Street, according to Las Vegas police reports.

Video of the two suspects can be seen by visiting youtu.be/2OXO3iHcKTM.

Luis Campos is survived by his wife, Julie Campos, and their two small children.

He has three teenage children by another marriage, Garibay said.

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Sucker punch in Las Vegas left La Puente man dead, brother says - Press-Enterprise

History somewhat repeated itself in Tahlequahs regional tournament Thursday, but not entirely.

A year removed from upsetting a top-seeded Collinsville team on the first day of last seasons regional tournament one that the Tigers ultimately won by beating CHS a second time in the championship Tahlequah made lightening strike twice by knocking off the top-seeded Cardinals again, 2-1, in the first game of the 5A-8 Regional at the THS baseball complex.

But unlike last year, the Tigers werent able to secure their spot in the championship by the end of Day 1.

After suffering a 2-0 loss to Durant in Thursdays nightcap, THS drops to the losers bracket to play an elimination game Friday afternoon against Collinsville. The winner of that game will have to beat Durant twice to advance to next weeks Class 5A State Tournament.

The loss to Durant puts us in a tougher situation than what were hoping to be in [Friday], but weve made it happen before with a loss, THS head coach Lance Jeanes said. I really liked our defense today, and thats what carried us to the win in that first game, for the most part. Im sure [Collinsville] is tired of seeing us at regionals, but well have to get it done again tomorrow...

The Cardinals (22-10) played an elimination game Thursday night against Bishop McGuinness (8-26), which lost 15-2 to Durant (22-13) in its opening game, and picked up a 7-0 win to advance to Fridays knockout game against Tahlequah (12-14).

The Tigers first game Friday will start at 4 p.m. at the THS baseball complex.

The 5A-8 Regional Tournament was originally supposed to be hosted by the Cardinals, but was moved to Tahlequah after heavy rains flooded Collinsvilles field earlier in the week.

THS 2, CHS 1:

A breakout game at the plate for Cole Goodnight and a steady outing on the bump for starting pitcher R.J. Pearson lifted the Tigers in their upset win over the regionals No. 1 seed, Collinsville.

Goodnight, who went 3 for 3 in the game, accounted for both of Tahlequahs RBI, with one coming off a double in the top of the fourth inning and another off a triple in the fifth.

I was just trying to put the ball in play and help the team out however I could, Goodnight said.

When asked why Tahlequah seems to always bring its A-game against Collinsville, Stacy had a simple answer.

Its a rivalry game, he said.

Dustin Hicks (1 for 3) and Seth Stacy (1 for 3) each crossed home plate for THS, which finished with seven total hits.

Pearson tossed all seven innings of the game to pick up the win, dealing five strikeouts and two walks while limiting Collinsville to just four hits and one unearned run.

R.J. dealt today, Jeanes said. He had a lot of stuff working for him, and he could pitch with confidence because his defense was backing him up pretty well for most of the game.

Pearsons backup played error free for six innings, but suffered two miscues in the fourth that translated to Collinsvilles lone run.

THS 0, DHS 2:

A cold night at the plate resulted in just four total hits for Tahlequah as it was shutout by Durant starting pitcher Connor Roberts.

Roberts pitched all seven innings and tallied two strikeouts and three walks to earn the win.

The Tigers stranded nine baserunners in the game, including three in the bottom of the third. With one out and bases loaded in the frame, a line drive was hit by Stacy to the Durant shortstop, who caught the ball momentarily before dropping it during his throwing transition, as explained by umpires who called Stacy out on the play.

Meanwhile, Corbin Candy, who was on third base, thought the catch wasnt made and ran home, but was thrown out to end the inning.

We just left too many guys on base, Jeanes said. I mean, our guys were there but we just didnt capitalize. We had some bad breaks on some calls that were questionable, but other than that, we should have drove them in. That was our game to win.

The loss spoiled a stellar outing for starting pitcher Stacy, who had nine strikeouts while allowing four walks and six hits.

Stacy really did well and worked out of some jams, Jeanes said. He pitched his heart out, but he just didnt have the run support.

See more here:
Baseball Regionals: Tigers upset Collinsville, fall in nightcap - Tahlequah Daily Press

In nearly two decades of cricket reporting, it is still easily one of the more bizarre sights this writer has witnessed.

It was December 2006 in Centurion, with South Africa having an unassailable 3-0 lead in the one-day international (ODI) series with India.

Ahead of the final match, several of the Indian players knew that they would soon be on a flight back home, with no part to play in the Test series to follow.

One of them was Suresh Raina, such a breath of fresh air on his introduction to the side a year earlier.

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Read more

IPL 2017: Basil Thampi, Nitish Rana among many young Indian players making waves

Suresh Raina stars as Gujarat Lions pick up second win of IPL 2017 against Kolkata Knight Riders

Misbah and Khan set to lead Pakistan Test side one last time in Windies series

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Now, with Indias batsmen all at sea in seam-friendly conditions, Raina was being singled out as an example of everything that was wrong with Greg Chappells coaching methods.

It had been less than 18 months earlier that Rahul Dravid, soon to be appointed captain after the axing of Sourav Ganguly, spotted Raina at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore.

Within weeks, he and Chappell had ensured that Raina, 19, was fast-tracked into the India squad, and a debut in Sri Lanka.

But in alien conditions, and with the first flush of form having deserted him, Raina looked hopeless, especially against the short ball directed at the body.

Away from the main practice area at Centurion, even as his teammates were packing up, Raina was wielding a stump and facing Ian Frazer, Chappells assistant, who was throwing a golf ball at him from 10 yards away.

For Chappell, Raina was the prototype of the young cricketer he wanted to mould young, selfless, enthusiastic, and with an impeccable work ethic.

He was firm in his belief that the skill deficit could be bridged. And he was not the only one.

In May 2007, nearly half a year after he had been dropped, Lawrence Booth now editor of the Wisden Cricketers Almanack wrote of Raina: "The way he dismantled England during an ODI in Faridabad in March 2006 hinted at a rare genius, and Greg Chappell never stopped singing his praises. Aged 20, he has plenty of time on his side."

That was in a Wisden Cricketer feature on the 10 cricketers who would "define" cricket in the next decade. There was no mention of MS Dhoni to put this in context.

If he was stuck with the label of "Chappells boy" in his initial years and he was so sensitive about it that he refused to answer any questions about his coach-mentor during an interview with this writer in 2010 Raina soon came to be identified as part of the "Dhoni camp", whatever that meant.

From the inception of the Indian Premier League in 2008 until the time the Chennai Super Kings were banned for two seasons after the 2015 season, Raina was a fixture in canary yellow.

More often than not, he was brilliant. In each of the first seven seasons, he topped 400 runs, at a strike-rate in excess of 140, the only batsman to do so.

And it wasnt as though he owed his India place to Dhoni and his exploits in Chennai either. When the definitive account of Indian cricket is written, it will record that Raina played two of the most important cameos in the countrys history.

Without his 34 not out in the quarter-final against Australia who hadnt lost a knockout game in the showpiece event since 1996 and 36 in the semi-final against Pakistan, there would have been no Indian World Cup win in 2011.

But with the emergence of a new power generation, weaned on the IPL and overseas tours with the A team, Raina has slipped down the pecking order to such an extent that he no longer possesses a central contract.

His last Test appearance was in January 2015 and his last ODI appearance was against South Africa in Mumbai in October 2015.

With ill health, his own and his infant daughters, plaguing him, he was a peripheral figure in the Indian domestic season. Some in the Indian cricketing fraternity went to the extent of saying he had lost his appetite for the game.

Raina scoffs at that notion. In his last international outing, a Twenty20 international against England in February, he scored a 45-ball 63 that included five sixes.

In six IPL matches, he has 243 runs off just 164 balls. With a major tournament looming, it would be a shock if he was not at least considered for the squad.

Still just 30, his race is far from run.

Things to watch for in the Indian Premier League this week

Malingas struggle

Like Raina, Lasith Malinga has been one of the IPLs central figures, absolutely central to the Mumbai Indians title triumphs in 2013 and 2015.

He had not played since, missing the entire 2016 campaign through injury. The road back this season started well enough, but has since encompassed two poor games, among the worst of a storied career.

First, the Gujarat Lions left him with figures of one for 51. After that, the Kings XI Punjab batsmen cashed in to the tune of 58 runs, without a wicket, from his four overs.

With Mumbai top of the table, no panic buttons are being pushed. But if the trend continues, Malinga the leagues leading wicket-taker with 147 could find himself in an unfamiliar role on the sidelines.

Has Uthappas time come and gone?

When he should have been picked for Indias Twenty20 squad, after a stellar 2014 IPL season that saw him score 660 runs at a strike-rate of 137.78, Robin Uthappa was ignored.

Shikhar Dhawan, who has always struggled to come to grips with the format, continued in the Indian team, and Uthappa, whose returns dipped in 2015, did not make the team for the World Twenty20 on home soil in 2016. After another underwhelming season in 2016, he has roused himself with 174 runs at a strike-rate of 161 in five innings this season.

At 31, it would be a surprise if the selectors turned to him. But with the ability to keep wicket as well, all Uthappa can do is keep churning out the runs.

Tripathis moment of fame

Right from season one, the IPL has provided 15 minutes of fame, and sometimes more, for journeymen cricketers.

Swapnil Asnodkar starred for Rajasthan Royals in their title-winning season. Paul Valthaty struck a memorable hundred for Kings XI Punjab in 2011. And Kamran Khan, who is now back to farming, enjoyed a brief spell in the limelight with left-arm slingshots that were subsequently ruled illegal.

Now, we have Maharashtras Rahul Tripathi, whose white-ball record in domestic cricket is even more modest than his first-class stats.

But after starting the season with 10, 33 and 31 Tripathi smashed a 32-ball half-century against Sunrisers Hyderabad, the defending champions.

At 26, chances are that he is another Asnodkar rather than an India prospect, but for a faltering Pune side, he is proved an inspired opening gambit.

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IPL 2017: Suresh Raina's heroics for Gujarat Lions highlight his hunger for the game - The National

On Wednesday, Dortmund lost 3-1 in Monaco. That meant that they had crashed out of the Champions League Quarterfinals with a 6-3 aggregate defeat over two legs.

Sure, it was disappointing, but some of the reaction to BVBs exit from the CL has been quite over the top. Much of that reaction has been in the form of abuse hurled at Thomas Tuchel.

Yes, there are some legitimate complaints to have with Tuchel after the defeats. He probably picked the wrong starting lineups in both matches. Sven Benders inclusion didnt work in the first leg, but Tuchel recognized that and switched things up at halftime. In the second leg, Erik Durm was the ill-advised starter who got yanked early on.

Those are fair criticisms of Thomas Tuchel, but some are using them as fuel to say that Tuchel should lose his job? Thats preposterous.

For starters, Monaco are a better team than Dortmund. They have been all season. Theyre in first place in a French league that is stronger than you think. Theyve been the best offensive team in all of Europe this season, and have impressively scored 3 goals in every single knockout game theyve played up until this point.

Compare this to a Dortmund side that hasnt even come close to competing for the title, in a Bundesliga that is weaker than you probably think. While Monaco have been a model of consistency, Dortmund have had embarrassing results like losses to Darmstadt, Berlin, and a poor Bayer Leverkusen team. Such is life when you lose multiple key players in the summer and replace them with promising youngsters. Theyre growing pains.

And then of course there were the injuries affecting both sides. Monaco were only without Djibril Sidibe, while Dortmund were without Marc Bartra, Marco Reus (for the 1st leg), Andre Schurrle, and Mario Gotze.

This meant that BVB had to start Matthias Ginter, a player who is simply not good enough to play this deep into the Champions League.

Then there were the refereeing decisions. Im not one who likes to blame the refs, but they were atrocious in the quarterfinals. And not just in the Dortmund-Monaco matches either.

And of course, there was the emotional toll still hitting Dortmunds players after the bombing attack before the first leg. Its been discussed a lot, but surely the poor starts in both legs had as much to do with that, as they might have had to do with questionable starting lineups. It was impossible to stay focused under those conditions.

Marc Bartra being available could have made a world of difference, especially considering the way he had been playing recently. But it appears that no one in Europe is capable of stopping the likes of Kylian Mbappe right now.

But with or without Bartra, it should be recognized by Dortmund fans that the better team won. This Monaco team is a team for the ages, and its a shame that they will probably be broken up in the transfer market this summer. But dont be shocked if they win it all before they split this summer.

Dortmund meanwhile are still a very young team with a very bright future. And theyve got a very young coach who, despite what you may be feeling after the quarterfinals, also has a very bright future.

He managed to guide Dortmund to this point, when they couldve easily crashed out of the competition earlier.

So lets give Thomas Tuchel a break, and lets get behind our manager. Yes you can criticize him, but dont try and claim that a Champions League Quarterfinal exit means he should lose his job.

Continued here:
Calm down Tuchel haters, Dortmund overachieved by reaching the Champions League Quarterfinals - Fear The Wall (registration) (blog)