Miracle at Leicester? Sporting upsets to remember

Upsets or shock wins in any sport are what put bums on seats and drive television audiences, whether it's a shock K.O. in the ring, or a last-minute goal.

CNN looks back at some of sport's most memorable surprises.

Leicester City

When bookmakers are prepared to offer you odds of 5,000-1, they're pretty certain they won't be paying out, comfortable in the knowledge your team has a snowball's chance in hell of winning that trophy or title. But sometimes fairytales do happen -- seismic sporting events that defy logic. Enter Leicester City.

Only a year ago, this team of made up of footballing journeymen and youngsters with potential were fighting relegation at the foot of England's Premier League. Once survival was assured they appointed with a fairly checkered record of success, as their new manager.

Where once he was maligned for an almost obsessive tendency to alter his team's tactics and formation, earning him the moniker "The Tinkerman," this season he has demonstrated a Zen-like calmness -- his tactics were measured and his man-management flawless.

The likeable Italian had identified survival in a league dominated by multi-billion-dollar behemoths like Manchester United and Arsenal as his club's priority.

But then they started to win games on a regular basis -- including famous victories over free-spending Manchester City and defending champions Chelsea. When Leicester climbed to the league's summit, no-one believed they would stay there. But they did. Ranieri had fashioned a team with an astonishing spirit and a buccaneering style that would not give up. 

Just 30 miles north of Leicester is another town with an equally remarkable footballing story. When the inimitable Brian Clough arrived at Nottingham Forest's City Ground stadium in the mid-1970s they were languishing in England's second-tier, perennial underachievers.

They secured promotion to England's top league in 1977, before going on to actually win the title in 1978. Clough was universally lauded for doing a remarkable job.

But this was only the beginning.

Forest had qualified for the European Cup, the continent's biggest club competition now known as the Champions League. Their European adventure got off to a flying start with a win over holders Liverpool. This was followed by wins over AEK Athens, Grasshoppers Zurich and FC Cologne as they marched to the final. A solitary Trevor Francis goal was enough to defeat Malmo of Sweden in Munich and take one of football's most coveted trophies back to a town associated with Robin Hood more than the beautiful game.

What makes this story truly remarkable is that this unfashionable club defended their European title the following season. They defeated European heavyweights Ajax in the semi-final, before taking on Hamburg in the final at Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu stadium. Despite being the defending champions, Forest were rated as underdogs going into the match against the Germans, who fielded England star Kevin Keegan in their line-up. But the tactical nous of Clough allied to a strike from John Robertson -- his 19th of the season -- was enough to see Forest across the line.

 

La Liga: Barcelona one win away from title as Atletico Madrid falters

Barcelona hammered city rival Espanyol 5-0 Sunday to ensure it will become La Liga champion for the second year in succession should it win its final game of the season away to Granada next weekend.

The Catalan club started the day level on points with Atletico Madrid but ahead in the standings thanks to a superior head-to-head and goal difference.

However, Atletico was downed 2-1 at already relegated Levante meaning it slips back to third position behind city rival Real Madrid which overcame Valencia 3-2 at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Barca now has a one point lead over arch-rival Real atop the table going into the final round of fixtures and can no longer be caught by Atletico.

"We deserve the league title and I hope we can be precise in the final game to win," Barca boss Luis Enrique said after the match in comments carried by Barcelona's official Twitter account.

Muhammad Ali: Five things you never knew about the boxing legend

There's not much that hasn't been written about Muhammad Ali.

A boxing legend who transcended his sport, the 74-year-old is known to many and will be forgotten by few.

But there still remains an element of intrigue surrounding the three-time world heavyweight champion and Olympic gold medalist -- as his biographer and lifetime friend tells CNN.

1. He changed his name more than once

The man, the myth, the legend ... the name.

It's common knowledge that Cassius Clay chose to change his name to Muhammad Ali in the 1960s following his conversion to Islam -- but not so many are aware of his original rebranding plans.

"The legend is known that when a young Kentucky-born Cassius Clay joined the Nation of Islam his name was immediately changed to the now iconic Muhammad Ali," Miller says. "But few know that his first name change was to Cassius X.

"It was February 26, 1964 -- the morning after he knocked out Sonny Liston. But nearly two weeks later, on March 6, he announced that religious and political leader Elijah Muhammad (who led the Nation of Islam from 1934 until his death in 1975) had given him the new name of Muhammad Ali."

Miller says the name may have originally been intended for Malcolm X, who split with Nation of Islam soon after Ali joined and was assassinated the following year.

2. He's a Sufi

Miller (left) has written a number of books about Ali.

It's well documented that on April 28, 1967, Ali refused to be inducted into the U.S. Army and was immediately stripped of his heavyweight title.

Ali, a Muslim, cited religious reasons for his decision to forgo military service.

Early on Ali was closely involved with the often militant pro-African American goals of Nation of Islam, but later in life switched to a more mystical Muslim sect.

"Ali announced that he is a Sufi around 2005, saying that of all of the sects of Islam, he feels the closest connection to Sufism," says Miller, whose book "Approaching Ali" was released in late 2015.

"Sufism is arguably the most peaceful sect of any major or minor religion. Sufis believe that to purposely harm any person is to harm all of humanity, to harm each of us and to damage the world.

"It is the perfect fit for Ali, who had been living in the ways that Sufis do for decades before he'd heard of the religion.

"Few people have heard about the profound ways Ali's faith has evolved over the years. He has been a world soul for many decades; he has grown from separatist to universalist."

3. He had to fight injured during his big comeback

As a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War, Ali was stripped of his heavyweight title and banned from boxing for almost four years.

The scene is Atlanta, October 26, 1970.

Ali's first comeback fight followed his enforced exile of three years and seven months -- after refusing to be inducted into the armed forces -- against No. 1 heavyweight contender Jerry Quarry.

Then 28, he would go on to make a successful return to the ring, winning by TKO in the third round -- but the fight nearly didn't happen.

"Ali had only six weeks to prepare for this contest," Miller says. "In training, his boyhood friend and former heavyweight champion Jimmy Ellis badly fractured one of Ali's ribs.

"Even with this injury, Ali did not reschedule the fight, being entirely uncertain that if he did, he would ever get the chance to fight again."

4. Parkinson's disease has taugh

 

Leicester City: Foxes edge closer to English Premier League crown

Leicester City must wait at least one more day for the happy ending to its remarkable fairytale.

The league leader's hopes of celebrating its first ever English Premier League title were put on hold Sunday after a 1-1 draw with Manchester United.

The Foxes, who at the start of this season were ranked as 5000-1 outsiders to win the league, needed victory at Old Trafford to secure the title.

But United started the match determined to spoil the party, playing with verve and freedom and looking nothing like the side that has appeared shackled in attack so often this season.

The 20-time champion quickly deflated the traveling Leicester fans with a goal inside 10 minutes.

Antonio Valencia stood up a cross that evaded everyone in the penalty area, before Anthony Martial ghosted in at the far post and swept the ball past Kasper Schmeichel.

Leicester, conversely, looked edgy and nervous and had Schmeichel -- son of legendary United goalkeeper Peter -- to thank for not going two goals down after he pulled off a brilliant save low to his right.

Sunday was the first time that the Leicester keeper had played at Old Trafford, where his father won five Premier League titles during his spell as a United player.

Morgan equalizer

However, a spirited Leicester team haven't come this far -- the draw put them eight points ahead of second place Tottenham Hotspur -- for nothing.

Nine minutes after Martial put United ahead, Leicester captain Wes Morgan got his head onto Danny Drinkwater's free-kick to divert the ball past a helpless David de Gea.

With tensions rising, United's Belgian midfielder Marouane Fellaini was lucky to escape a red card after appearing to land an elbow on Robert Huth's throat.

If referee Michael Oliver failed to see the incident, Fellaini potentially faces a retrospective ban.

Trump: 'We can't continue to allow China to rape our country'

Donald Trump on Sunday compared the U.S.'s trade deficit with China, which he
to rape.

"We can't continue to allow China to rape our country, and that's what they're doing," Trump said during his second rally Sunday in Fort Wayne, Indiana, referring to China's high number of exports relative to the U.S.

Trump has repeatedly accused China of manipulating its currency to make its exports more competitive on the global market and has claimed that China is "killing" the U.S. on trade