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VAR celebrations, ice-hockey genius and a cat's NFL touchdown | Classic YouTube

Also featuring a Nicola Adams tribute, Emily Scarrat being brilliant at rugby and FA Vase scenes1) The yin and yang of goal celebrations: none more modern than this one, from Brazil, in which the Santos forward Marinho mimics a VAR check after scoring but, far away from the world of contentious technology, check out what this last-minute FA Vase equaliser means for Falmouth Town’s players and fans. The visitors, Longlevens, had been 2-0 up going into second-half stoppage time. Falmouth eventually won 3-2 after extra-time.2-1 down in injury time. Your #FAVase hopes are fading away into oblivion. You have one more chance left to try and nick a goal and take it to extra time.And this happens.ABSOLUTE. SCENES.@Falmouth_Town @swpleague @NonLeagueCrowd...

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Six-times world champion Lewis Hamilton is the best driver I have seen | Johnny Herbert

Hamilton’s extraordinary feat is built on daunting consistency and he will now want to beat Michael Schumacher’s recordA sixth world championship is an extraordinary achievement by any standard but in reaching it Lewis Hamilton has indisputably proved he is the best driver I have ever seen. People speak about the greats but the way Lewis has gone about racing I believe makes him the greatest. I am in awe of what I see, even as an ex-racing driver.From everything I know from the history of F1, from competing and watching racing, from Juan Manuel Fangio through Jimmy Clark and Graham Hill and Jackie Stewart, Niki Lauda, Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell, Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, Michael Schumacher and all the other...

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Springboks and Nationals show momentum in sport is overrated

The Rugby World Cup final and World Series went against the form book and most academics regard ‘the M word’ as a trick of the mind“Never underestimate the value of momentum.” That’s what Sir Clive Woodward advised after England’s rugby players lacerated Australia a fortnight ago. And how wise those words seemed when New Zealand were also scattered and flayed, and it seemed England’s name was all but engraved on the Webb Ellis Cup. And then, without warning, the team’s hot hand turned Arctic and the World Cup was ripped from their grasp by South Africa.“Momentum is so important in football.” That’s what Dimitar Berbatov told us on Friday, before predicting Manchester United would win their fourth match on the...

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The haka, Nascar brawls and India's amazing Champions Boat League | Classic YouTube

This week’s roundup also features rough weeks in football, an amazing Moto2 save, curling and plenty more1) A big week for the haka, whether it needed to be or not. Here’s World Rugby’s official page highlighting “England’s incredible response to intense New Zealand haka”. Before World Rugby fined England for it. Here’s some haka history … and some old-school action. But then there’s Auckland Grammar and King’s College and the Tall Blacks. Or when New Zealand and Tonga meet, with the Sipi Tau.2) A rough one for Holstein Kiel’s Michael Eberwein, conceding a penalty in the German second division match against Bochum. While warming up. In Japan, it was a bad week for this keeper. Meanwhile in Croatia, Slaven Belupo...

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NBA’s travails in China a cautionary tale for the Premier League | Marina Hyde

Sticking to the principle of freedom of speech can be uncomfortable when commercial gain in China is at stakeIf you have problems with the term “late-stage capitalism”, I hope you can get behind the alternative “ironicidal capitalism”. This is the bit where democracies are so evolved and self-assured they sell their freedom of speech to totalitarian regimes. I know! But kind of logical, when you think about it. There was basically nothing left to flog.For those who’ve missed the saga of the NBA’s travails in China, have no fear. It isn’t going away any time soon, with last weekend’s development being groups of fans wearing masks and “Stand With Hong Kong” T-shirts standing in protest at the Brooklyn Nets pre-season...

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