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After taking over in January the Frenchman guided Madrid to Champions League glory in 2015-16, but has endured a somewhat indifferent start to this season. Madrid has failed to win any of its past four outings in all competitions, but Kroos is adamant Zidane does not deserve to be criticized for the recent slump. “I have to admit that I do not read the newspapers very often and I do not know how people have criticized Zidane,” Kroos, who signed a new six-year contract at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday, said at a news conference....

Navigating across the lane, Bryant stepped into a right-handed hook shot that didn't catch any part of the rim. The move did not match the hype leading up to that shot, which was certainly a flash in the pan. [H/T: Tyler Conway]

“Do I seem like the type to cower to something like that?” Bryant asked (via ESPN.com) before Sunday’s matchup with the Bulls. “C’mon, man. No.” SEE FOR YOURSELF: Michael vs. Kobe, a photo comparison Sometimes called the Jordan of the current generation, Bryant was linked to the Bulls during free agency in 2004 and again during the summer of 2007 after demanding a trade from the Lakers. “My wife and I were actually planning travel arrangements to come out to Chicago and look at some homes and schools and things like that,” Bryant said....

The 41-year-old died on Sunday morning, when the helicopter he was traveling in along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and another eight people crashed in Calabasas, California. Last month, Bryant had headlined the list of candidates for the the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2020 along with Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett. Having retired in 2016, Bryant would have first been eligible for induction in the Hall of Fame this year, after the Hall of Fame changed the waiting period from four years to three in December 2017—it had originally been five years up until two years prior....

Nagpur, Nov 23 (PTI) Indian captain Virat Kohli today complained that cramped schedules are getting in the way of proper preparation for big series such as the upcoming tour of South Africa, a criticism that the BCCI promised to address with “utmost seriousness”. Speaking at the pre-match press conference ahead of the second Test against Sri Lanka in Nagpur tomorrow, Kohli said he was left with no choice but to seek bouncy tracks in the ongoing series as there was hardly any time in the schedule to prepare for the trip to South Africa....

Kohli scored 71 off 72 balls, inclusive of eight fours, but the Indian innings faltered in face of some quality spin bowling by Adil Rashid, who snapped 3 for 49 to hurt the middle order. Kohli forged a 71-run partnership for the second wicket with Shikhar Dhawan (44) but after the duo were dismissed under-fire Mahendra Singh Dhoni scored 42 off 66 balls to shepherd the innings in the latter half....

City failed to add to Danilo’s first-half screamer at Turf Moor and were pegged back by Johann Berg Gudmundsson’s goal in the 82nd minute. Prior to the equaliser, Sterling had passed up two fine chances to score, the second a baffling miss from barely a yard, which Pep Guardiola responded to by swiftly hooking the England international. Sterling has scored 19 goals in what has generally been a superlative season thus far, and Kompany’s first response when asked about the attacker’s misses was to offer a booming laugh....

The original Suikoden was released in 1995 for the original PlayStation console. The JRPG was celebrated for its epic storyline and how it tied in over 100 different recruitable characters, each with its own subplots and contributions to progression. Suikoden 2 followed in 1998, also for the original PlayStation, iterating on the systems that made Suikoden a success and delivering an even grander story full of character drama and political intrigue....

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain’s Wimbledon title hope Johanna Konta is often parodied for her mantra of “sticking to the process” but, far from being a tennis robot, coach Wim Fissette says when his player goes out on court she can think on her feet. Sydney-born Konta is four wins away from becoming the first British player to win the Wimbledon women’s title since Virginia Wade in 1977. Just to ramp up the pressure she will also enter the second week wearing the favourites’ tag....

United continue to be linked with a move for highly rated Napoli defender Koulibaly, despite the world-record signing of Harry Maguire at the start of the season. The Red Devils are reportedly keen to bolster their backline, which has been problematic in recent seasons, even after the arrivals of Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly. However, star centre-back and Senegal international Koulibaly said he is happy in Naples. “This is where my children were born,” Koulibaly wrote via Twitter....

The newly crowned Bundesliga champions announced on Friday the Eintracht Frankfurt boss will take the reins at the Allianz Arena on July 1 on a three-year deal. Heynckes, who was drafted in for the remainder of the season when Carlo Ancelotti was sacked in September, thinks the club have made the right decision by appointing the former Croatia international. “I have already said that Niko Kovac works with a lot of different types of players and nationalities at Frankfurt,” he told a news conference....

Pavard, 22, played all but one of France’s matches en route to winning the World Cup, even scoring one of the goals of the tournament with a stunning volley in the thrilling 4-3 last-16 win over Argentina. Usually a centre-back with Stuttgart last season, Pavard excelled at right-back in Russia and would therefore add useful versatility to Bayern’s defence, with strong reports claiming the player has already signed a pre-contract agreement for 2019, when a €35million release clause is reportedly due to come into effect....

The Poland striker, who had a disappointing World Cup, effectively ended the game against Kovac’s former team with two goals in five minutes midway through the first half. Lewandowski completed his hat trick early in the second, before substitute Kingsley Coman claimed the fourth and set up Thiago Alcantara for the fifth. Kovac was back at the club he saved from relegation after taking over in 2016 and led to successive German Cup finals....

Mysuru’s opening batsman Rajoo Bhatkal (83 n.o; 68b, 3x6, 10x4) was declared man of the match. He blasted the bowling to all parts of the ground and made light of the target. Mysuru drew level with Shivamogga’s total of 125 when the rains came down and forced the abandonment of play. Mysuru were declared winners by the VJD method. Earlier, put in to bat, Namma Shivamogga failed to get going....

Get the latest PL odds The 32-year-old defender, who started every match as the U.S. won the 2015 Women’s World Cup, was left off the squad that defeated Sweden and Norway last month. U.S. regulars Tobin Heath (back), Ashlyn Harris (quad) and Rose Lavelle (hamstring) were omitted because of injury. The roster features three uncapped players: Boston Breakers goalkeeper Abby Smith, NC Courage defender Taylor Smith and Boston Breakers midfielder Margaret Purce....

The ring was valued at $2 million when he gave it to Kardashian, but sold at a Christie's auction for $749,000, according to the New York Daily News. Despite the price difference, Humphries' lawyer, Lee Hutton, alleges that Humphries "is not losing money on the ring," because it was valued to be worth between $300,000 and $500,000 prior to the auction. Besides, it's not about the money anyway, really. "I think he moved on long before the ring was even put into the auction," Hutton said....

Compound Men Quarter-Finals The world no six Kris Schaff of the USA, overcame the World no one Mike Schlosser of Netherlands, in an intriguing match to enter the semi-finals. After a tied first end, Schaff took a one-point lead with a perfect score in round two. The lead extended to two points in series three, and to three points in round four, with Schaff coming up with a 30 points score....

The National Park Service rejected the state’s application due to safety concerns and objections from local Native American tribes. Noem’s suit claims that the decision was “arbitrary and capricious” and violated the powers granted to the agency in the Constitution. Noem added that the White House did not respond to several requests to host a fireworks show at the tourist attraction. “Mount Rushmore is the very best place to celebrate America’s birthday and all that makes our country special,” Noem said in a statement....