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Man Utd say Amorim is ‘one of most exciting coaches in Europe’… but we’ve heard it ALL before with Ten Hag, Moyes and Co

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Man Utd say Amorim is ‘one of most exciting coaches in Europe’… but we’ve heard it ALL before with Ten Hag, Moyes and Co

ALL the messages coming out of Manchester United were very positive.

The appointment of a coach who “has proved himself to be one of the most exciting and successful coaches in Europe, renowned for his team’s attractive, attacking football and commitment to youth”.

Ruben Amorim will officially take over at Old Trafford on November 11

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Ruben Amorim will officially take over at Old Trafford on November 11Credit: EPA
Erik ten Hag was sacked on Monday after two years at the club

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Erik ten Hag was sacked on Monday after two years at the clubCredit: Getty

That was April 21, 2022, and the words of then football director John Murtough on the announcement that Erik ten Hag was becoming the new manager of Manchester United.

Hang on, haven’t we heard all of this before?

Remember, there was also the bloke after Sir Alex Ferguson back in 2013 who had “all the skills needed to build on United’s phenomenal legacy”.

So said chief executive Ed Woodward and yet just ten months into a six-year contract, David Moyes was gone.

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Wait. Then Woodward also introduced the next man who had “a track record of winning leagues and cups across Europe making him the perfect choice… we have secured the services of one of the outstanding managers in the game today”.

That was Louis van Gaal, who went on to bore Old Trafford rigid with his football and get the boot straight after winning an FA Cup.

Fear not! Because in May 2016 it was announced by Woodward that United had secured “quite simply the best manager in the game today”.

A man Woodward was barely on speaking terms with two and a half years later as Jose Mourinho exited after two cups and a second-placed finish, which the Special One described as one of his greatest achievements.

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He was not even ‘Special’ enough.

So, that was five years since Sir Alex went and three bosses down.

Sporting fans give verdict on Ruben Amorim ahead of move to Man Utd
David Moyes endured a horrid time as Sir Alex Ferguson's successor

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David Moyes endured a horrid time as Sir Alex Ferguson’s successorCredit: PA:Press Association

It was now time to rediscover ‘the soul’ of Manchester United under a man who said he knew it’s DNA.

He would also find the revolving door at Old Trafford that had spun out those who went before.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer left with tears in his eyes after believing he had come “so close” to achieving something special.

Let’s not forget too all the interims and caretakers along the way — Ryan Giggs, Michael Carrick and, of course, Ralf Rangnick, who told the club they needed “open heart surgery” and now Ruud van Nistelrooy after Dutchman Ten Hag’s sacking on Monday.

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But the club believe they really have cracked it this time because in Ruben Amorim they have, as a club statement said, “one of the most exciting and highly rated young coaches in European football”.

Sorry, I thought that was Ten Hag.

The 39-year-old is also “highly decorated as both a player and coach”.

Highly decorated in Portugal anyway, as Ten Hag was in Holland.

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Louis van Gaal won the FA Cup but was dismissed after two seasons

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Louis van Gaal won the FA Cup but was dismissed after two seasonsCredit: PA:Press Association
Jose Mourinho won the League Cup and Europa League before being sacked

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Jose Mourinho won the League Cup and Europa League before being sackedCredit: PA:Press Association

The Premier League, however, is another level again and 11 years since Sir Alex bid farewell, the club is as far away as ever from challenging to win it.

The point here is that there are no guarantees coming with this bloke either.

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Ten Hag had studied United long before Murtagh and the then chief executive Richard Arnold arrived to interview him.

They were bowled over by the amount of information he had on them and the details of his plans to put United back on track.

He will claim he did just that with two trophies but after that first season it just never looked right.

The club wanted a disciplinarian and yet the way he handled Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho was, in the end, used as a stick to beat him with.

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Ruben Amorim is ‘Mourinho 2.0’ who turned Sporting from ‘walking dead’ into Portuguese champs… he can revive Man Utd

WHEN Ruben Amorim took charge of Sporting Lisbon in March 2020, one club official compared their situation to the “walking dead”, writes Jordan Davies.

Optimism and hope was at an all-time low.

But the Amorim-effect was almost instantaneous, guiding the Portuguese sleeping giants to their first league title for 19 years in 2020/21, losing just once and only conceding 20 goals.

Since then, Sporting have lifted another league title in 2023/24 – as well as two League Cups – and currently sit top with nine wins from nine this term.

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He may be young, but Amorim already has an eye for rebuilding and revitalising fallen super powers with his infectious charisma and intense tactical philosophy that hardly ever wavers. 

The “walking dead” at Manchester United must be praying for a similar sort of revival.

And they may just get it from one of the most talented young coaches on the continent – a man accustomed to breathing new life back into crumbling institutions such as Old Trafford.

Amorim has spent the last decade dreaming of one day gracing England’s Premier League, such was his admiration for an ex-United boss in Jose Mourinho growing up.

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Often nicknamed ‘Mourinho 2.0’, Amorim spent a week with his coaching idol in an internship capacity at United’s Carrington training base in 2018, going on to cite him as his “reference point”.

United should not be expecting a mini-Mourinho, as Amorim said himself: “Mourinho is one of a kind. There won’t be another Mourinho. Mourinho is unique.”

And yet, you cannot help but compare the two.

For all the mismanagement in the Old Trafford hot seats over the years, this would be a real get – finally a slap in the face United’s Prem rivals have no answer for.

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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was let go after a trophyless three years at the helm

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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was let go after a trophyless three years at the helmCredit: AFP

‘Head coach’ Amorim will find dealing with this club and this level of player very different to Sporting Lisbon, where he was the highly lauded and respected boss who landed them two titles.

The players responded to him, the football was marvellous — and he is now going to try and make that happen at Old Trafford.

There will no doubt be a jump when he first arrives, there always is under a new boss. Ole won ten of his first 11 games.

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The problem comes when performances dip and you are left dealing with a dressing room of highly paid stars all too ready to down tools because they know, in the end, the manager will carry the can.

This is probably a bigger job now than it was for any manager post-Fergie.

That has happened in every instance since Sir Alex went. So why won’t it happen again?

Amorim will have his own ideas on how to play in a 3-4-3 as he tries to reprogramme players and club who have been reprogrammed so many times it is a wonder Carrington has not short-circuited.

The facts are that while £545.9million was lavished on this squad under Ten Hag, it is still not very good.

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The first team can be beaten by anyone in the Premier League. At their best they are not as good as any club currently in the top six.

The mood in the dressing room is rock-bottom and there are sulky stars everywhere you look.

This is probably a bigger job now than it was for any manager post-Fergie.

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This club is a giant, a monster and nobody seems able to control it.

It has eaten up and spat out some of the biggest and best names in the game.

Now we have someone who it clearly seems won’t have it all his own way as he is the first to be named ‘head coach’ in the club’s history rather than the manager.

Which suggests there will be plenty of influence from the management team assembled above him by new part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

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Dan Ashworth and Jason Wilcox are set to be much more hands-on than they felt able to be in their brief time working with Ten Hag.

So, welcome Ruben, hope it goes well… until the next best coach in Europe is left to pick up the pieces.

Above them, new chief exec Omar Berrada has spoken about a three-year plan to have the club winning the Prem by the 2027-28 season and celebrate their 150th year in style.

Amorim will still be in charge at Old Trafford then, if the club have triggered the year extension in his contract — but nobody should be holding their breath.

The state the club are in at the moment, it will take until then just to get back into the top four.

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Sorry to sound cynical but how else can you view the current situation on the evidence of the last decade or more.

So, welcome Ruben, hope it goes well… until the next best coach in Europe is left to pick up the pieces.

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Motorsports

Peugeot tops final practice in season finale weekend

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Peugeot returned to the top of the times in final practice for this weekend’s season finale of the World Endurance Championship in Bahrain. 

Jean-Eric Vergne set the pace in the Friday morning Free Practice 1 session aboard the #93 Peugeot 9X8 2024 Le Mans Hypercar, following up on Paul di Resta’s table-topping performance in FP1 on Thursday.

The Frenchman’s 1m49.443s set at the beginning of the 60-minute session gave him a margin of two tenths over second-placed Yifei Ye, who got down to a 1m40.662s aboard the customer AF Corse-run Ferrari 499P LMH. 

Lamborghini took third place courtesy of a 1m50.014s from Daniil Kvyat in the solo Iron Lynx SC63 LMDh. 

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Peugeot, which has been given a Balance of Performance break for the Bahrain event, backed up its front-running FP3 pace with fourth position from di Resta in the second of the 9X8 LMHs. 

The ex-Formula 1 driver’s 1m50.028s put him just one hundredth of a second behind the Lamborghini. 

#94 Peugeot Totalenergies Peugeot 9X8: Paul Di Resta, #93 Peugeot Totalenergies Peugeot 9X8: Mikkel Jensen

#94 Peugeot Totalenergies Peugeot 9X8: Paul Di Resta, #93 Peugeot Totalenergies Peugeot 9X8: Mikkel Jensen

Photo by: Andreas Beil

The two Alpine A424 LMDhs finished fifth and sixth: Mick Schumacher’s 1m50.612s giving him a half second margin over Ferdinand Habsburg in the sister car run by the Signatech squad.

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Antonio Fuoco placed the best of the factory Ferrari 499Ps in seventh and the sister AF-run works car jumped to eighth late in the session in Antonio Giovinazzi’s hands.

Fuoco only completed seven laps before pitting because of a suspected issue with a cable in the front Motor Generator Unit (MGU) and the car did not return to the track.

The two customer Jota Porsche 963 LMDhs rounded out the top 10 with Norman Nato just shading Oliver Rasmussen

Toyota took 11th with the fastest of its pair of GR010 HYBRID LMHs with Kamui Kobayashi at the wheel, while the championship-leading factory Porsche 963 was 12th in the hands of Andre Lotterer.

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BMW, which led the way in FP2 on Thursday, ended up 17th and 18th with its pair of WRT-run M Hybrid V8s.

The #92 Manthey EMA Porsche 911 GT3-R took top spot in LMGT3 with Alex Malykhin at the wheel. 

The Belarusian, who claimed the LMGT3 class title last time out in the WEC at Fuji in September with team-mates Klaus Bachler and Joel Sturm, set a 2m03.987s lap to end up just five hundredths quicker than Arnold Robin in the fastest of the Auto Sport Promotion Lexus RC F GT3s. 

Qualifying for the Bahrain 8 Hours kicks off at 16:00 local time on Friday.

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Photos from Bahrain Friday Practice

WEC Bahrain – Free Practice 3 results

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New York Giants: Jude McAtamney set for NFL debut against Washington

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New York Giants: Jude McAtamney set for NFL debut against Washington

Former Derry U-20 GAA player Jude McAtamney is in line to make his NFL debut for the New York Giants on Sunday.

The Giants announced on Friday that current starting kicker Greg Joseph would be out of Sunday’s meeting with the Washington Commanders with an abdomen injury.

With punter Jamie Gillan also out, the chances of Swatragh man McAtamney making his competitive bow in the NFL have increased.

The 24-year-old, who is part of the Giants practice squad, impressed this summer and featured in pre-season games after joining the organisation as a free agent.

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As part of the International Player Pathway, he is eligible for a place on the practice squad for three seasons and can be elevated to the active roster for this weekend’s game.

Joseph was signed to replace Graham Gano, who aggravated a hamstring injury in a 21-18 loss to Washington in September.

“I’m just preparing every week to be ready, even if I’m not playing,” McAtamney told BBC Sport NI in New York in October.

“Every week is a learning opportunity, and I feel like I’m learning and getting better as time goes on.”

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Polaris 30 Results: Live Condit vs. MVP updates

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Polaris 30 Results: Live Condit vs. MVP updates

MMA Fighting has Polaris 30 results live for the Condit vs. MVP fight card, a live blog of the anticipated main event, and more from Fairfield Halls in London, England.

In the main event, UFC veteran Carlos Condit and UFC welterweight star MVP, otherwise known as Michael “Venom” Page will clash in a middleweight contest. Condit, who retired after a loss at UFC 264 in July 2021, is a former WEC champion with a 32-14 career.

MVP lost via unanimous decision to Ian Machado Garry in his last UFC outing at UFC 303 this past June. He has won three of his past five UFC fights.

Check out the Polaris results below.

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Main card (UFC Fight Pass at 3:30 p.m. ET)

Carlos Condit vs. Michael Page

Helena Crevar s. Nia Blackman

Keith Krokorian vs. Jed Hue

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Nathaniel Wood vs. Cameron Else

Dante Leon vs. Ellis Younger

Eoghan O’Flanagan vs. Philippe Geyer

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What are the Haka lyrics and why do New Zealand perform it? – The Sun

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What are the Haka lyrics and why do New Zealand perform it? – The Sun

NEW ZEALAND will be performing their traditional Haka when they take on England in the Autumn Internationals.

The big match at Twickenham is kicking off the long-awaited Autumn clashes.

 The Haka involves large amounts of shouting, as well as the use of the arms and legs to intimidate the opponent

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The Haka involves large amounts of shouting, as well as the use of the arms and legs to intimidate the opponentCredit: Getty Images

What are the lyrics to the Haka and is it always the same song?

New Zealand traditionally always sang a song called Ka Mate, which is a war cry written in 1820 by a Maori chief Te Rauparaha.

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It was first performed by the All Blacks in 1888, but only at away matches until 1986.

The Ka Mate Haka is also performed during high profile funerals or to greet foreign dignitaries.

But in 2005, they came up with a newer version called Kapa O Pango, which is exclusive to the All Blacks rugby team and only performed during certain matches.

Nowadays, whenever New Zealand take to the field, nobody knows which version of the Haka they will sing.

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Against South Africa, Read and Perenara led the team in performing Kapa O Pango.

Ka Mate Maori Lyrics

Kikiki! Kakaka!

Kauana kei waniwania taku tara

kei tarawahia, kei te rua i te kerokero!

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He pounga rahui te uira

ka rarapa ketekete kau ana

To peru kairiri mau au e koro e!

Hi! Ha! – Ka wehi au ka matakana,

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ko wai te tangata kia rere ure tirohanga

ngā rua rerarera

ngā rua kuri kakanui i raro! Aha ha!

Ka mate, ka mate! ka ora! ka ora!

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Ka mate! ka mate! ka ora! ka ora!

Tēnei te tangata pūhuruhuru

Nāna nei i tiki mai whakawhiti te rā

Ā, upane! ka upane!

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Ā, upane, ka upane, whiti te ra!

Ka Mate English lyrics

Let your valor rise! Let your valor rage!

We’ll ward off these haunting hands

while protecting our wives and children!

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For thee, I defy

the lightning bolts of hell

while my enemies stand there in confusion!

O God – to think I would tremble

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to a pack of wolves seeing fear, or running away,

because they would surely fall in the pit of shame

as food for the hounds who chow down in delight! Oh, what in the name…?

‘Tis death! ’tis death! (or: I may die) ’Tis life! ‘tis life! (or: I may live)

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’Tis death! ‘tis death! ’Tis life! ‘tis life!

This is the hairy man

Who summons the sun and makes it shine

A step upward, another step upward!

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A step upward, another… the Sun shines!

Kapa O Pango Maori lyrics

Kapa o pango kia whakawhenua au i ahau!

Hi aue, hi!

Ko Aotearoa e ngunguru nei!

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Au, au, aue ha!

Ko Kapa o Pango e ngunguru nei!

Au, au, aue ha!

I ahaha!

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Ka tu te ihiihi

Ka tu te wanawana

Ki runga ki te rangi e tu iho nei, tu iho nei, hi!

Ponga ra!

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Kapa o Pango, aue hi!

Ponga ra!

Kapa o Pango, aue hi!

Kapa O Pango English lyrics

Let me go back to my first gasp of breath

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It is New Zealand that thunders now

And it is my time!

It is my moment!

The passion ignites!

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This defines us as the All Blacks

And it is my time!

It is my moment!

The anticipation explodes!

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Feel the power

Our dominance rises

Our supremacy emerges

To be placed on high

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Silver Fern!

All Blacks!

Silver Fern!

All Blacks!

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Who leads the Haka?

There are no set rules as to who should lead the Haka.

Often it is led by the captain, as it was when Richie McCaw skippered the team, while sometimes it can be led by players with Maori ancestry, who are able to speak the language and give the best performance.

In recent matches, the Haka has typically been led by scrum-half TJ Perenara, but against the Springboks New Zealand changed things up with Perenara and captain Kieran Read jointly leading it.

And Perenara said he was proud of Read’s new leadership role.

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He commented: “Kieran has been doing a lot of work on his role as a kaea (leader) and his pronunciation of Maori words.

“The work he’s been putting in I think has been awesome.

“What I’ve been saying to him is he is the leader of our group and when he steps up and leads Haka.

“I think it gives our team mana [prestige], and even for Māori back home to see non-Maori go through the processes to learn why he’s leading Haka, pronouncing the words the right way, and doing it the way he’s performed it, that’s special to me, not even as a rugby player or a team-mate, but as a Maori.”

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 Normally covered in tattoos, the Maori people base their daily habits around the Haka and its meaning

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Normally covered in tattoos, the Maori people base their daily habits around the Haka and its meaningCredit: Getty Images

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MMA

UFC Edmonton Results: Moreno vs. Albazi

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UFC Edmonton Results: Moreno vs. Albazi

MMA Fighting has UFC Edmonton results for the Moreno vs. Albazi fight card, a live blog of the top 2 fights, and more from Rogers Place in Edmonton, Canada, on Saturday.

In the main event, two-time UFC champion Brandon Moreno and Amir Albazi clash in a flyweight contest. Moreno is coming off of consecutive close split-decision losses, while Albazi looks to improve his UFC record to 6-0 as he returns from a lengthy layoff.

The latest edition of the MMA Fighting Global Rankings has Moreno ranked No. 4, two spots ahead of Albazi at No. 6.

In the co-main event, two-time strawweight champion Rose Namajunas continues her surge up the flyweight ranks as she takes on Erin Blanchfield. “Thug Rose” has won two straight fights heading into her matchup with the talented Blanchfield, who is coming off just the second loss of her young career.

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A previously scheduled main card bout between Derrick Lewis and Jhonata Diniz has been cancelled after Lewis withdrew due to a medical issue.

Check out the UFC Edmonton results below.

Main Card (ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET)

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Brandon Moreno vs. Amir Albazi

Erin Blanchfield vs. Rose Namajunas

Caio Machado vs. Brendson Ribeiro

Ariane da Silva vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius

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Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Dustin Stoltzfus

Mike Malott vs. Trevin Giles

Preliminary Card (ESPN+ at 5 p.m. ET)

Aiemann Zahabi vs. Pedro Munhoz

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Charles Jourdain vs. Victor Henry

Jack Shore vs. Youssef Zalal

Alexandr Romanov vs. Rodrigo Nascimento

Serhiy Sidey vs. Garrett Armfield

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Chad Anheliger vs. Cody Gibson

Jamey-Lyn Horth vs. Ivana Petrovic

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Football

San Diego State Aztecs vs. No. 15 Boise State Broncos Highlights | FOX College Football

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San Diego State Aztecs vs. No. 15 Boise State Broncos Highlights




Check out the greatest plays and moments in this matchup between the San Diego State Aztecs and the No. 15 Boise State Broncos.



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