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BARCELONA, Spain -- Lionel Messi marked his 400th game for Barcelona with a master class of passing by setting up four goals to give Cristian Tello a hat trick in a 4-1 win at Levante in Wednesdays first leg of their Copa del Rey quarterfinal. Denied by the hosts in the first half, Messi withdrew into midfield to turn playmaker and place four precise passes behind the defence that led to an own goal in the 53rd minute and Tellos treble in the 60th, 81st and 86th. Levante had held Barcelona to a 1-1 draw at Ciutat de Valencia Stadium just four days earlier in the Spanish league, and it was on course toward a similar feat after Nabil El Zhar netted in the 31st. But Messi again showed that he is much more than Barcelonas all-time scorer with 331 goals since his debut in 2004 by exploiting Tellos speed down the left flank with well-timed assists. "Its spectacular to have a player like Messi on your side," said Tello. "All four goals came from his boots." Elsewhere, Real Sociedad defender Mikel Gonzalez scored twice to help earn a 3-1 victory at home over third-division Racing Santander in their opening leg. Levante found Barcelonas weak spot in defending set pieces when Carles Puyols clearance of a free kick fell for El Zhar to score at the second attempt after goalkeeper Jose Pinto had blocked his powerful first shot. Barcelona was more inspired after the break and Messis first pass to Tello led to the equalizer. Goalie Javier Jimenez got down to block Tellos shot, but Loukas Vyntra struck the loose ball off teammate Juanfran Garcia and into the net. Messi again floated back to the centre of the pitch to draw the defence with him before threading another pass to meet Tellos run, and this time the forward fired the ball beyond Jimenez to give Barcelona the lead. The Argentina star fended off a tackle and slid a diagonal ball for Tello to score his second before Messi picked him out with a pass over the top for his third goal. "Our first half worried me, but we have players that dont need 45 minutes to turn the match around," Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino said. "(Messi) can change this and any other game. He can undo any type of defence. The tiredness of our rivals played its part and the spaces opened up as they wore down. Leo took great advantage of them." Puyol had to be replaced by Javier Mascherano in the 57th due to an apparent leg injury. The 35-year-old Puyol has been plagued by a series of injuries for the past two seasons. Martino, however, said that Puyols injury was "only a leg knock." Sociedad forward Gonzalo "Chory" Castro crossed twice for Gonzalez to score his goals, the first coming in the third minute followed by another in the 34th — just two minutes after Racings Andreu Guerao had hit the crossbar. Carlos Vela curled in Sociedads third in the 62nd, but Mahamadou Kone gave Racing hope for next weeks return leg by scoring in the 83rd. Defending champion Atletico Madrid plays Athletic Bilbao on Thursday. Real Madrid won 1-0 at Espanyol on Tuesday. Stephen Curry Under Armour . Howard Ganz, an MLB lawyer, said in a letter to U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos that Rodriguezs claims do not come "remotely close" to what is needed to overturn an arbitration decision in federal court. Basket Under Armour Pas Cher . LOUIS -- St. http://www.uachaussuresoldes.fr/pas-cher-stephen-c...y-one.h tml . -- In a span of seven Washington Redskins offensive plays, Justin Tuck sacked Robert Griffin III four times. http://www.uachaussuresoldes.fr/pas-cher-stephen-c...sures.h tml . - NASCAR announced a 33-race schedule for the 2014 Nationwide Series with virtually no changes from this years slate. Nike Air Max Tn Pas Cher . The players spoke Jan. 13 during a Major League Baseball Players Association conference call after Rodriguez sued the union and Major League Baseball to overturn an arbitrators decision suspending him for the 2014 season and post-season.ASHBURN, Va. -- Robert Griffin III parsed the appropriate uses of "me" and "I" when it comes to owning up to a mistake and privately explained his words to teammates Santana Moss and coaches Wednesday. It was the latest bit of damage control in a disappointing season for the under-the-microscope quarterback. Griffin was dealing with the backlash from the comments he made after the Washington Redskins 24-16 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, when his unwise third-and-1 heave was intercepted in the end zone in the final minute to end his teams last chance to tie the game. "I think at the end of the day, I just have to know in that situation after a tough loss to a divisional opponent I cant give anybody any opportunity to read into my words and misinterpret anything," Griffin said. "Some of the things I said, I was trying to give a good compliment to Philly. I wasnt trying to take any shots at anybody and it turned out that way. "Youre asking me today, if I could take any of that back, yeah, I would take it back, because in the heat of that moment, youre frustrated. Youre trying to figure out why things didnt work. Im trying to give you guys honest answers and it hurt us in that sense. Thats on me." Griffins specific words Sunday were hardly earth-shattering, but they were just enough to stoke a prevalent notion that he doesnt always take his fair share of blame and that his relationship with the coaching staff isnt the greatest. Regarding the interception, he said Sunday: "We had a certain concept we were running, and nobody got open so I was backing up, and in the situation where you get a sack there, it ends the game. I was trying to throw the ball to the back of the end zone. It didnt get to where I wanted it to go." Regarding the Eagles in general, he said after the game: "They did a good job of scheming us up. Obviously, we were able to run the ball effectively, but in the passing game, they kind of had us. They kind of knew what was coming before it was coming and, like I said, that is disheartening.&quuot; That was enough for Moss, a well-respected veteran, to speak up.dddddddddddd Moss told 106.7 The Fan on Tuesday that: "Regardless of the outcome, good or bad, you have to at some point, stand up and say me or I." Moss met with Griffin on Wednesday and then attempted to put a new spin on his comments Wednesday, saying they were meant as a message to all leaders that its best to take responsibility no matter whos at fault. "It was nothing that I said should make you believe that were not cool," Moss said. Griffin said he and Moss were "on the same page." Griffin also seemed perplexed by the whole "me"/"I" uproar. "You guys asked me about the last play of the game. I said I tried to throw the ball away and it didnt work," Griffin said. "I dont know who else is to blame for that. I tried to throw the ball away and it didnt work. ... Maybe I can say I, me a whole lot more, but other people can take that the wrong way, too." Griffin also met with coach Mike Shanahan and offensive co-ordinator Kyle Shanahan, explaining that "scheming us up" wasnt a dig at them. Asked to explain his relationship with the two, he said: "Its three guys that want to win football games." "We want to win and thats the bottom line," Griffin said. "Whenever youre not winning, it creates a lot of madness, especially in where were at right now with the Washington Redskins. The only way to stop the madness is for us to win and youve got three guys -- Coach, Kyle, myself -- we all want to win and thats a good recipe." Taking the middle ground was Mike Shanahan, who is trying to keep a 3-7 team focused for a Monday night game against the San Francisco 49ers. "Youve got a tough loss and a lot of emotions after a game and all of a sudden, hey, you look back and say, Maybe I wish I would have said it a different way, but this is what I meant," Shanahan said. "I know Robert meant nothing by it. I know Santana meant nothing by it. Both guys expressed their opinion." Cheap China Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China China NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China ' ' '
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