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Italy's sole survivor in Champions League cannot mask Serie A struggles

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For the second successive season, Serie A has one club remaining in the last 16 of the Champions League as Italian football struggles to compete in Europe's premier club competition and risks falling even further behind. No Italian club finished in the top eight of the league phase, which would have meant avoiding the knockout playoffs, a symptom of a wider malaise in Italian football with the national side also facing a playoff competition to avoid missing out on the World Cup for a third consecutive occasion. Atalanta came back from 2-0 down after their playoff first leg against Borussia Dortmund to advance on Wednesday, while Juventus came close to their own great escape but ultimately paid the price for a 5-2 loss to Galatasaray last week. Serie A champions Napoli exited the competition after the league phase. Antonio Conte's side struggled to compete on both fronts, and now find themselves 14 points off leaders Inter Milan as the Scudetto slips from their grasp. Inter, las...
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Nahid, Meherob star as North Zone win again

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Pacer Nahid Rana and all-rounder S M Meherob Hasan delivered impressive spells as North Zone registered their second consecutive victory in the ongoing Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL) one-day competition with a six-wicket win over South Zone at the Rajshahi Divisional Stadium on Thursday. After opting to field first, North Zone bundled out South Zone for just 144 in 30.5 overs. Nahid returned figures of 3-47 in seven overs, while Meherob was even more economical, claiming 3-10 in five overs. Pacer Shoriful Islam also chipped in with 2-28 as the pacers tore through the top order, reducing South Zone to 19 for four inside four overs. Mohammad Mithun then tried to rebuild the innings with two crucial partnerships -- adding 50 runs with Nurul Hasan Sohan (24) and 51 with Robiul Hoque (29). However, South Zone suffered another collapse, losing their last five wickets for just 24 runs. Mithun remained unbeaten on 55 off 79 balls, while Mukidul Islam Mugdho picked up two wickets. In reply, No...
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Shakib must clear legal hurdles to return: Aminul

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State Minister for Youth and Sports Aminul Haque said today that Shakib Al Hasan and Mashrafe Bin Mortaza would be welcomed back to cricket if they can resolve the legal proceedings against them. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has officially spoken about Shakib’s return following a recent board meeting, and there are suggestions that the all-rounder may even feature in the upcoming home ODI series against Pakistan, starting on March 11. Aminul had previously stated that the government would take a lenient stance regarding the cases against Shakib and Mashrafe. Speaking after a program at Pallabi Bidyaniketan on Wednesday, Aminul said that Shakib and Mashrafe, however, would still have to face and resolve the cases against them. “Shakib and Mashrafe are legendary cricketers. I have seen the love of the people of Bangladesh for them and their attraction to cricket. I feel that the legal cases against them were the state’s decision,” he said. Aminul noted that Shakib and Mashrafe shou...
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