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PARIS -- With an unassuming group of players lighting up the European Championship, Icelands dazzling advance has been infectious.Even France, which has a recent history of rebellion, is talking up the importance of team unity as the two-time European champions prepare to face Iceland in Sundays quarterfinal.If someone wants to act like a star, well put them back in their place, France defender Patrice Evra said. The team is the star.France may be host of Euro 2016 and one of the favorites to win the tournament, but the limelight has been well and truly seized by the fearless Icelanders, who are unbeaten in four matches and dispatched England to reach the last eight.Not bad for a team from the smallest nation to ever contest the European Championship.Iceland hasnt scrapped through with ultra-defensive football. It has scored the same number of goals as France -- six -- and stands potentially 180 minutes from the final.A lot of people have underestimated the smaller nations, Evra said.No longer, although France hasnt lost to Iceland in 11 previous meetings.Icelands ascent in international football can be traced through its past fixtures with France.Now ranked 34 in the world by FIFA, Iceland was as low as 131st when it last faced France in a friendly four years ago. Even then there were flickers of optimism for the Nordic nation of 330,000. Iceland led 2-0 before France came from behind to win 3-2.It was the same final score when Iceland was last at the Stade de France in 1999 for a European Championship qualifier against the then world champion.However vast the rankings gulf has been, Iceland has been no pushover.Maybe we have players with less individual quality, if you compare our players with the French team, which has players in almost every position playing in the Champions League day in day out, Iceland joint-coach Heimir Hallgrimsson said.Theres not many in the Iceland team that has played Champions League. In individual quality you can see that they are superior. So we have to be collective and work together to make up for it.The pressure and expectation is all on France -- and particularly striker Olivier Giroud, who hasnt found the net since the opening game against Romania when the host won 2-1.Because he hasnt scored for two games some people might criticize him and say, `(Antoine) Griezmanns scoring all the goals, Evra said.Evra highlighted how Girouds header set up Griezmann for his second -- and match-winning -- goal against Ireland in the round of 16.We need Olivier and we believe in him, Evra said.France will have to cope without the suspended duo of center back Adil Rami and midfielder NGolo Kante on Sunday. Yohan Cabaye is expected to take Kantes place as was the case when Didier Deschamps rested the Leicester player for the final group game against Switzerland.Samuel Umtiti has been tipped to fill in for Rami and make his France debut on the biggest of stages. Set for a post-Euro 2016 move to Barcelona, Umtiti only made the France squad after two teammates pulled out injured.---Jerome Pugmire in Paris and Ciaran Fahey in Annecy, France contributed to this report.Fernando Tatis Jr. Jersey . MLS Commissioner Don Garber and Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez also will attend the session, which was announced Monday. The league has discussed placing its next two expansion teams in Miami and Atlanta. Rollie Fingers Padres Jersey . After Mondays hard-fought loss, the wait seemed longer than usual. Getting set to go their separate ways for a short Christmas break, the Raptors coach credited his team for their effort on a seemingly impossible three-game road trip, urging them to build on that success when they get back to work at the end of the week. http://www.padressale.com/ .35 million, one-year contract that avoided salary arbitration. Plouffe batted .254 with 14 home runs and 52 RBIs in 477 at-bats last season, his second as a regular in the lineup. Dave Winfield Jersey . -- The Bishops Gaiters are showing they belong among the countrys top varsity football teams. Franmil Reyes Jersey . The home side created most of the chances but struggled to break down Braunschweigs resilient defence, resulting in the Bundesligas 1,000th scoreless draw.With chaos ensuing in the college football world last week with half of the nations Top 10 -- including the Nos. 2, 3, and 4 teams -- all losing, No. 1 Alabama delivered a message as it emerged as the only undefeated team from a Power 5 conference.And that message?The message is when you win, you control your own destiny, Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said. When you dont, you allow someone else to determine what your fates going to be. We have all these teams that lost one game now.Somebody has to decide who gets to do what.Top-ranked Alabama (10-0) hosts Chattanooga (8-2) on Saturday (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2) at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa.Almost, but not quite, overlooked as the upsets of No. 2 Clemson, No. 3 Michigan, No. 4 Ohio State, No. 8 Texas A&M, and No. 9 Auburn rolled in during the afternoon and evening last weekend was that the Crimson Tide clinched the SEC West.The 52-3 rout of Mississippi State coupled with Auburns loss at Georgia left them with a two-game cushion in the standings with only one SEC game left on the card. No matter what happens now, Alabama is a lock to play in the SEC championship game in Atlanta on Dec. 3.Also, no matter how it fares against Auburn in the Iron Bowl, the Tide looks to be heavily favored to beat the East winner -- either Florida or Tennessee -- in the title game and likely advance to the College Football Playoff. But although the Tide has overcome a loss to capture three of its four national titles under Saban, the coach wants no slip-ups down the stretch.If you put yourself in that situation, you let somebody else decided what your fate is, Saban said. If you take care of your business and do things the way you need to do it, then maybe you can control your own destiny in the way you play.Thats certainly much more the way we would like for it to be from our perspective. Weve got lots of tough games we have to play between now and then. We want to take it one game at a timme and focus on improving.ddddddddddddAlabama is on a 22-game winning streak, the longest of Sabans tenure and the third-longest in program history.Thats something that we take and try and keep going, Alabama wide receiver ArDarius Stewart said. Coach talks about it every week, all week, that you cant get complacent and you have to do all the little things right. Thats something we take pride in and try to do every week.The Tide put up impressive numbers against Mississippi State. Freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts became the first quarterback in Alabama history to throw for 300 yards (347) and rush for 100 yards (100) in the same game as he accounted for 447 yards of total offense, third-best in school history.Stewart became only the sixth player in program history to have three touchdown receptions in one game, and tight end O.J. Howard caught six passes for a season-high 77 yards with four of receptions resulting in first downs.We made a lot of explosive plays on offense, and executed in the passing game more efficiently and effectively, Saban said. Defensively, we made stops when we needed to when they made plays.Meanwhile, Chattanooga was losing for only the second time this season, a 36-28 setback to Wofford that dropped the Mocs five spots to No. 12 in the STATS media poll.Chattanooga is looking forward to the trip to Tuscaloosa.Our guys will be excited to play, Mocs coach Russ Huesman said. I think everybody knows this is the best team in the country. Our players know they have tremendous players, and I know they have tremendous coaches, very smart people there.Watching film, theyre not only athletic, but they do things right in all phases of the game. Its going to be a tough test, and were looking forward to it.Alabama won all 12 meetings, including 49-0 in the last encounter in 2013. ' ' '