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Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone has urged his players to match the "intensity" of Bayer Leverkusen in their Champions League last-16 clash on Tuesday.

Simeone's side head to the BayArena for the first leg in high spirits having not tasted defeat in LaLiga since the turn of the year.

However, despite an eight-game unbeaten run in the league, Los Rojiblancos are fourth - seven points adrift of leaders Real Madrid - and were knocked out of the Copa del Rey earlier this month by Barcelona.

Atletico's hopes of silverware this term realistically lie in Europe but Simeone has warned his troops not to be complacent in Germany.

Leverkusen have never won a last-16 knockout game in the competition and come into the tie placed a modest eighth in the Bundesliga.

Yet Roger Schmidt's outfit have hit form at the right moment, registering back-to-back wins for the first time since November.

"We are going to find a team that displays everything their coach asks for: heart, enthusiasm and a lot of intensity," Simeone told Atletico's official website.

"Surely it is the most intense rivals we have faced in the Champions League. Talent is important, but the heart has much more (of a) place in football."

Simeone has some big decisions to make with centre-back Diego Godin, right-back Juanfran and midfielder Tiago all set to miss out.

Goalkeeper Jan Oblak, sidelined since December with a shoulder injury, has been recalled to the squad though after returning to training last Wednesday.

Kevin Gameiro could join Antoine Griezmann up front, having netted a hat-trick off the bench in the 4-1 win over Sporting Gijon on Saturday.

Simeone, who guided Atletico to the Champions League final in 2014 and 2016, added: "I think the team has grown at the beginning of 2017, compared to the end of 2016.

"I think we still have a lot of room for improvement and hopefully we can understand it, because there will be a leap in quality."

Javier Hernandez has been key to Leverkusen's upturn in fortunes - netting five times in his last three matches, including braces against Eintracht Frankfurt and Augsburg.

As a former Real Madrid player he is no stranger to the rivalry with Atletico and scored the goal which settled the 2015 quarter-final between the city rivals.

"Chicharito (Hernandez) is in sensational form," acknowledged manager Schmidt.

"He's really hit the ground running after the winter break. He's working very hard for the team and is doing a great job of sticking away the chances that come his way."

Schmidt is already without the injured Jonathan Tah and the suspended Hakan Calhanoglu and has doubts over Lars Bender's fitness.

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Diego Simeone urges Atletico Madrid to match Bayer Leverkusen's intensity - ESPN FC

It is not just the huge opportunity to play for Sunrisers Hyderabad which has pacer Mohammad Siraj delighted. The price he fetched (2.6 crore) seems to have floored him as well.

I was expecting to be picked by some franchise in the IPL auction. But, the price which Sunrisers bid for me is unbelievable. This is the biggest day of my career, said a visibly delighted Siraj.

Definitely, my dad (Md. Ghouse) will not drive the auto now which he has been doing for three decades. Thats it.

He has sacrificed so much and it is my turn to take care of him and my family, said the fast bowler who took 41 wickets in the Ranji Trophy this season.

Target

Well, the first target was to play for India-A and now I will use this IPL platform to come up with good performances to stake my claim for a slot in the Indian team.

With the Champions Trophy coming up, I am determined to come good and prove a point or two, he said.

When I look back I think my bowling against Mumbai in the Ranji knockout game when I picked up nine wickets changed the course of my career, said Siraj.

Yes, I have to make some adjustments to be a different bowler in the T20 format though I am not new to this, having experienced the tough challenges in the recent Mushtaq Ali Trophy. I have to improve my skills with those slower ones and yorkers to be more effective, he said.

I must give credit to Bharat Arun Sir (Hyderabad Ranji coach) and captain Badrinath for the faith they had in me right from the start of the Ranji season. They have been my great source of strength and inspiration.

I am also grateful to fellow Hyderabad fast bowlers Chama Milind and Ravi Kiran for always encouraging me, said the speedster who was spotted by Jyothi Prasad, chairman of the Hyderabad selection panel and a former Ranji fast bowler himself.

Siraj picked the contest against Royal Challengers Bangalore as the one he is eagerly waiting for when he gets a chance to bowl to the likes of Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli and A.B. de Villiers.

That is one game I am really excited about, he added.

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Siraj floored by bid - The Hindu

*This story is a reprint from TheSource.com Feb. 20, 2014

On February 20, 2008, Adam Abdul Hakeem aka Larry Davis, was stabbed to death in Shawangunk State Prison in New York by a fellow inmate after serving 23 years for an illegal weapons charge. Most would say that people die in American prisons daily, so whats the big deal about another dead prisoner? Well, it most first be explained why Mr. Davis was in prison for so long on a mere gun charge in the first place.

As he said on camera after his capture in 1986, the police gave me the guns!, that Davis was finally charged with after being acquitted for shooting 6 NYPD officers. The then 21 year old BX natives defense was that he shot the officers in self defense. Davis exposed that he sold drugs for these Bronx precinct officers, claiming that they wanted to kill him because of what he knew about the drug operation within the department and a Bronx jury believed him. This case was the first and very possibly the only time in American history that a civilian was cleared of all charges in the shooting of a police officer.

The NYPD and then Mayor Edward Koch were outraged were outraged at the outcome. After Larrys death, the former Mayor Koch was quoted as saying, The prison system did what the criminal justice system could not. Its safe to say that with the endless accusations against the NYPD and other police departments around the country for brutality against Black and brown people, the sentiment of sympathy for Larry Davis has been met with fierce opposition.

With the recent killings of Black youth by police and civilians becoming the norm, the question in the urban community is whether or not Larry Davis solution to police brutality is the only option left. With normal citizens being given the option to shoot first and ask questions later when it comes to Black youth, the sudden negative publicity of the knockout game in urban neighborhoods, and the prison industrial complex as the penalty for defending yourself, the bare truth is that it has become the only option to some. With landmark cases from Emmitt Till to Jordan Davis, history reveals that people such as Nat Turner, Denmark Vesey, and even Larry Davis will always be heroes. Weve heard Larrys name come from the mouths of everyone from ATCQ to Jay-Z.

Check out Larrys story on Troy Reeds Street Stories Larry Davis: A Routine Typical Hit, BETs American Gangster series and is also rumored to be in the hands of several filmmakers, which could possibly spawn the story on the silver screen.

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The Larry Davis Story: Is This The Solution To Police Brutality? - The Source

Basketball

By Norman Lee Benjamin Riego on Feb 19, 2017 09:01 PM

The last time Star was in the championship round, Joe DeVance was one of the reasons why.

Now in the 2016-2017 PBA Philippine Cup, he is turning out to be one of the reasons why the Hotshots are having a hard time making their way back.

DeVance scored every single one of his 14 points in the third quarter where Ginebra separated itself from the Hotshots en route to a 91-67 blowout on Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum.

Sol Mercado then put the finishing touches with 12 points in the final frame to help the Gin Kings set up a do-or-die Game 7 against their archrivals. My guys have shown great resilience and resolve the whole conference. So many times, we could have quit and they said no, a proud coach Tim Cone said.

Mercado wound up with a game-high 21 points and was backstopped by LA Tenorio who scored 19 of his own.

All but one of Cones starters were in double-digits and even seldom-used end-of-bench players Paolo Taha and Jammer Jamito chipped in two points apiece.

Still, it was the 34-year-old who, without a doubt, was the driving force who swung the momentum in Ginebras favor. Behind by four in the middle of the third, his eight unanswered points started the 12-4 surge that then became a 60-52 advantage.

The Gin Kings would not let go of the lead until the final buzzer. Joe was an inspiration for us in the third quarter, Cone expressed post-game, talking about the seasoned veteran whom he has been with for the last decade.

Both Devance and Cone were key cogs in Stars, then known as San Mig Coffee, last All-Filipino championship back in 2014.

Marc Pingris had 14 points to lead the Hotshots in the losing effort.

The decider in the Manila Clasico semifinals series is on Tuesday at the MOA Arena.

BOX SCORES

GINEBRA 91 - Mercado 21, Tenorio 19, Devance 14, Aguilar 11, Cruz 11, Ferrer 6, Taha 3, Jamito 2, Thompson 2, Helterbrand 1, Ellis 1, Caguioa 0, Mariano 0, Marcelo 0.

STAR 67 - Pingris 14, Barroca 13, Maliksi 9, Lee 8, Ramos 6, Melton 4, Jalalon 4, Reavis 4, Sangalang 3, Brondial 2, Abundo 0, Dela Rosa 0, Simon 0.

QUARTER SCORES: 25-22, 38-39, 62-54, 91-67

---

Follow this writer on Twitter, @riegogogo.

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Ginebra frustrates Star, forces knockout Game 7 | ABS-CBN Sports - ABS-CBN Sports

London (AFP) - Third-tier Millwall's FA Cup giant killing act continued on Saturday as they stunned struggling Premier League champions Leicester City 1-0 in a major fifth-round upset.

Having previously eliminated Premier League opponents Bournemouth and Watford, the League One side claimed a third top-flight scalp by toppling Leicester at The Den thanks to a last-minute goal by defender Shaun Cummings.

Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri made 10 changes to his starting XI, but Millwall had to play with 10 men for 40 minutes after Jake Cooper was sent off for two bookable offences.

"This sums up the FA Cup," said Millwall manager Neil Harris. "It doesn't happen by chance. We are on a great run and have great spirit.

"When we went to 10 men it galvanised us. There was more pressure on Leicester. I made attacking changes to win the game because neither of us wanted a replay. When we needed that bit of quality, Shaun Cummings provided it.

"I thought the atmosphere was electric. The noise was phenomenal. These are special days for us. The fans feed off the players and players off the fans."

It is the latest embarrassing result to befall Leicester, who lie just one place and one point above the Premier League relegation zone after a run of five successive defeats.

Ranieri, who has faced questions about his position, must now rouse his players for next week's trip to Sevilla in the club's first ever Champions League knockout game.

"I am very disappointed," Ranieri said.

"We played well in the first half, so-so at the beginning of the second until it went to 10 v 11. After then, they played better than us, with more desire and heart, and deserved to win."

Millwall have reached the quarter-finals for the second time in five seasons, having reached the semi-finals in 2013. The southeast London club made the final in 2004, losing 3-0 to Manchester United.

They have eliminated three top-flight teams from the FA Cup within the same season for the first time since 1936-37 and beaten the reigning top-tier champions for the first time since 1927.

Cooper received his first booking late in the first half after clashing with Leicester goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler following a goal-mouth scramble.

Yellow became red six minutes into the second half after he flew into a rash challenge on Ahmed Musa.

Ranieri called for Jamie Vardy with 18 minutes remaining, but after Shinji Okazaki had spurned a good chance to win it for Leicester, Millwall snaffled the winner.

Substitute Lee Gregory chested the ball down for Cummings to slot home, sending Harris's men into the last eight and sparking a jubilant pitch invasion at the full-time whistle.

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Third-tier Millwall upset Leicester in FA Cup - Yahoo Sports