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Argentina were without Lionel Messi for a game against Italy intended by Jorge Sampaoli to serve as a dress rehearsal for a World Cup knockout match. And Didier Deschamps’ battle to transform an extraordinarily talented France squad into a consistent, polished team continued as Les Bleus lost 3-2 at home to Colombia. Here, we bring you three winners and three losers from the high-profile clashes… THE WINNERS England’s new-look defence...

It wasn’t that long ago that UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey was a broke ex-Olympian, working three jobs including the graveyard shift at 24-Hour Fitness. MORE: Overanalyzing Ronda Rousey’s sex life | The Rousey media circus | The fight Rousey can’t win Today? The undefeated Rousey is hailed as the “World’s Most Dominant Athlete” by Sports Illustrated and Business Insider. Her earnings outside the Octagon dwarf her purses inside the ring....

One of the feuds that The Baddest Woman on the Planet has been involved in was with The Queen Charlotte Flair. They had their last bout in May at WrestleMania Backlash last year for the SmackDown Women’s Championship in an “I Quit” match. The ending saw Flair “break her arm,” but was used just to write her off television to marry fellow wrestler Andrade El Idolo. Ronda’s run as the SmackDown champ wasn’t as positively perceived, with some fans even trending #FireRondaRousey in November expressing their distress with her run in WWE in general....

Boilermakers head coach Matt Painter made the announcement on Saturday. "Ronnie has expressed his interest in transferring from our program and we have granted him his release,” Painter said. “We wish Ronnie the best of luck as he continues to pursue his education and basketball career.” Johnson, who is from Indianapolis, averaged 10.8 points and 3.7 assists in 32 games this season, 31 of which he started. He shot 41....

Duke Johnson , a third-round pick of the Browns, has finally begun seeing meaningful snaps in Cleveland, and he may quickly emerge as its go-to offensive weapon. Jaelen Strong , a third-round pick of the Texans and one of my favorite 2015 NFL Draft prospects, may earn a start in Week 5 because of numerous injuries to Houston’s’ WR corps. Stefon Diggs , a fifth-round pick of Minnesota, looked great in his Week 4 debut against the Broncos and should get more chances to contend for Teddy Bridgewater ’s favorite target....

The Premier League strugglers had already blown their hopes of reaching the knockout stages and were mercilessly put to the sword by Gian Piero Gasperini’s side, who also found time to miss a penalty at Goodison Park. Midfielder Bryan Cristante scored a goal in each half and after Sandro Ramirez’s first goal in Everton colours gave the hosts false hope, Robin Gosens lashed home spectacularly from range in the 86th minute before fellow substitute Andreas Cornelius helped himself to a brace amid shambolic defensive efforts....

The former Manchester United striker will leave two years earlier than planned to join English second-tier side Derby County in January. Rooney has been a standout performer in MLS, an import who has justified the excitement that heralded his arrival, helping to turn DC from also-rans to playoff contenders. His former England team-mate David Beckham won the MLS Cup twice with the Los Angeles Galaxy, and Rooney would love to achieve the feat just once....

It was a mixed year for McIlroy, who had three victories but spent a frustrating spell out of action after injuring an ankle playing soccer with friends shortly before the British Open. MORE: Masters winners of 21st century | Jordan Spieth shares Masters locker with Arnold Palmer McIlroy, 26, ended 2015 as European No. 1 after winning last month’s World Tour Championship in Dubai, and the four-time major winner’s exploits were enough to earn him another award....

The world No. 1 player ruptured an ankle ligament in early July while playing soccer with friends. MORE: PGA Tour winners of 2014-15 season | PGA champions in stroke play format Reuters cited a “reliable source,” although McIlroy’s agent had not confirmed the report. It’s possible Jordan Spieth could overtake McIlroy at No. 1 with a victory at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

A task force spent months studying the feasibility of hosting the title game, but the Tournament of Roses executive board ultimately decided against moving forward. “We would love to host a national championship game here,” Rose Bowl executive director William Flinn told the Times. “But we have to make sure it works for everybody.” MORE: Top 25 football-basketball programs | SN Top 50 | Buckeyes aren’t complacent Host bids for the championship games for 2018, 2019 and 2020 will be awarded later this year....

Actor and comedian O’Donnell, who recently expressed her happiness about the FBI’s search of Trump’s Florida estate for classified government documents, this week shared a video of herself responding to a comment that read: “Only if you were nice.” Playing on the TikTok user’s display name, Libby, O’Donnell sung her own rendition of Libby’s canned food commercials from decades past, before declaring: “I’m nice to you. I’m just not nice to Donald Trump, because he’s a traitor....

Roy pulled up while fielding during England’s eight-wicket win over West Indies last week and must now sit out Tuesday’s fixture against Afghanistan at Old Trafford and Friday’s Headingley clash with Sri Lanka. In a statement, the England and Wales cricket board said Roy “will be reassessed on an ongoing basis this week”. There is better news regarding captain Eoin Morgan, who similarly did not bat against the Windies after suffering a back spasm....

On every side he was flanked by a mob of people: his players, some of his staff and a slew of eager reporters and cameras. As his team swelled around him yelling and jumping and otherwise carrying on, he paused. He seemed to be drinking it all in. MORE: Ranking each Final Four team’s shot at winning the title And then, he abruptly reached for his hat, the one emblazoned with the gold “Final Foul” emblem on front, and whipped it onto his head, cocked sideways....

Upon receipt of the notice, the school released a statement saying that the notice would be released to the public “as soon as possible,” but first needed to redact information that may violate privacy laws. MORE: 15 best college coaches | Crazy 360 dunk | Who will replace Hoiberg? Williams was at a charity golf tournament in Michigan on Monday and told reporters there that he thought UNC would release the letter soon, according to the Associated Press....

They have stayed true to their colours of red, blue and gold and just like in 2014, Huawei will be the principal sponsors for the Kohli-led team. Midea, Brittania and TATA Motors Bolt are the associate sponsors. Adidas will be manufacturing the kits for the team. Buy RCB IPL jersey here 0 votes

In case you didn’t know… The Juggernaut defeated Cedric Alexander at WWE Super Show-Down in Melbourne, Australia, his hometown, to capture his first Cruiserweight Championship. Murphy’s win was met with a roar from the crowd, and the champion continued to run through anyone that has stood in his way since then. Murphy’s first challenger for the title was the Heart of 205 Live, Mustafa Ali, who he had faced in an exciting series of matches over the year....

During the eighth inning of Wednesday’s American League Central battle between the Indians and Royals, Cleveland designated hitter Franmil Reyes drilled a four-seam fastball from Kansas City relief pitcher Josh Staumont right back up the middle. In almost any other instance, Reyes would have added a single to the box score but, whether out of incredible awareness or total luck, Staumont stopped the ball with his foot. MLB POWER RANKINGS: Giants or Dodgers at No....

It might be Yordano Ventura unleashing a fastball. Or Eric Hosmer sliding into home at Citi Field in New York. Or Wade Davis with his arms thrust high into the air, his blazing fastball having just closed out Game 5 of the World Series and making the Kansas City Royals the world champions. More than likely, you’ll find the now-iconic photograph of Union Station, where an estimated 400,000 people turned out to celebrate the club’s first title in three decades....

We learned Tuesday that Royals lefty pitcher Brian Flynn will miss eight weeks because of a broken rib and other injuries received when he fell through the roof of his Oklahoma barn just days before reporting to camp. Not to make light of a potentially horrible thing, and though Flynn’s mishap didn’t actually occur at spring training, Flynn’s descent through the barn air joins a hallowed list of other freak springtime incidents that left us scratching our heads....