2070 Beiträge - Forenlegende
|
|
|
ROME -- Luca Toni scored twice as Hellas Verona beat AC Milan 2-1 Saturday to celebrate its return to Serie A after an 11-year absence as the Italian league opened with a shock. It was more to form, meanwhile, as Juventus kicked off its bid for a third consecutive title with Carlos Tevez scoring in the 58th minute of a 1-0 win at Sampdoria, which beat the Bianconeri in both league meetings last season. Juve didnt quite dominate like in its 4-0 rout of Lazio in last weekends Super Cup but Antonio Contes men showed the same poise and discipline of the past two seasons. Tevez, Juves big off-season acquisition from Manchester City, only had to tap in after taking a pass from Paul Pogba at the edge of the box on a rainy night at the Juventus Stadium. At the other end, Juves corp of quality defenders -- Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini -- cleared any danger. It was a different story in Verona, where Andrea Poli put Milan ahead in the 14th minute following a pass from Mario Balotelli before the 1.96-meter (6-foot-5) Toni struck back with headers in the 30th and 53rd. "Theres no better way to start the season," Verona midfielder Massimo Donati said. It was a disturbing result for Milan ahead of Wednesdays return-leg match with PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League playoffs. Milan also gave up a lead in the opening leg, drawing 1-1. Last season, Milan never lost in Serie A after establishing a lead, winning 21 matches and drawing four. "The explanation is simple: we played bad football and we played poorly as a squad," Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri said. "We needed to control the ball better. We played poorly and they deserved the victory. "We need to play with more nastiness and more attentively," Allegri added. "After we scored we stopped playing. Even though hes 36, Toni fought like a lion." The other eight matches of the opening weekend will be played Sunday, with last years runner-up Napoli hosting Bologna and Inter Milan facing Genoa at the San Siro. Also, Lazio opens against Udinese with one end of its stadium closed as punishment for fan racism in the Super Cup. There were concerns that Verona fans might direct racist chants at Balotelli but, with the issue discussed widely before the match, supporters responded by applauding him instead whenever he touched the ball -- albeit likely in an ironic manner. "The fans offered a great response," Donati said. After the final whistle, Milan fans grew unruly and began launching seats over a barrier at Verona supporters. Verona won its only Serie A title in 1985 and has had the dishonour of watching neighbour Chievo Verona play in the top division for much of the last decade while it toiled in Serie B. But a second-place result in Serie B last season earned Verona promotion and the signing of Toni in July to a one-year contract has already proved wise even though Daniele Cacia led the second division with 24 goals in 2012-13. The 36-year-old Toni also scored on his debut when Verona beat Palermo 1-0 in the Italian Cup last weekend. "Hes decisive on dead balls and hes a decisive player for us," Verona coach Andrea Mandorlini said of Toni, who formerly played for Palermo, Fiorentina and Bayern Munich and was a member of the Italy squad that won the 2006 World Cup. Balotelli had Milans first chance nine minutes in with a shot from beyond the area that was blocked by goalkeeper Rafael. Balotelli might have done better by passing the ball to one of two teammates striding toward the goal and he was wise to pass to Poli five minutes later to set up a goal. After collecting the pass, Poli dribbled in between two defenders and slotted the ball past Rafael. After struggling in the opening 20 minutes, Verona began to assert itself more as the half wore on and Toni took advantage when Milans defence lost track of him during a corner kick as the hosts equalized. Toni also had a chance in the 36th with a bouncing shot that Milan goalkeeper Christian Abbiati couldnt control but a defender cleared the danger. Still, it was Verona that came out in attack mode to start the second half and Abbiati had to leap high to tip over the bar a header from Bosko Jankovic in the 51st. Two minutes later, Toni put Verona ahead with a header from the edge of the box as he leaped over defender Cristian Zapata for his 111th career goal in Serie A. And in the 62nd, Abbiati had to punch away a dangerous cross to prevent Toni from doing any more damage. Toni exited to a standing ovation when he was replaced by Cacia in the 85th. Cacia nearly made it 3-1 in the 89th but Abbiati was able to stop the attempt. Balotelli grew frustrated and drew a yellow card for protests in the 90th. There was also a last-minute card in Genoa, as Sampdoria defender Paolo Castellini was shown red for a hard foul on Stephan Lichtsteiner. Nike Air Max 2016 Zwart . With their top three point guards and Kobe Bryant all sidelined by injury, the Lakers signed Marshall out of the D-League on Friday before their home game against Minnesota. Nike Air Max 2016 Sale . "Hes going to have hip surgery on Jan. 7, and hell be expected to rehabilitate for four to six months beyond that," Canucks general manager Mike Gillis said Friday in an interview. http://www.2016airmax.nl/nike-air-max-90-premium/n...-tape.h tml . -- Teemu Selanne scored the first goal of his 22nd NHL season, and the Anaheim Ducks extended the best start in franchise history with their fifth straight victory, 3-2 over the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night. Nike Air Max 2016 Kopen . Bradwell was scheduled to become a free agent Tuesday. Born and raised in Toronto, Bradwell is entering his sixth CFL season, with all six played for his hometown Argonauts. Nike Air Max 90 Wit Sale . -- The Bishops Gaiters are showing they belong among the countrys top varsity football teams. PORTLAND, Ore. -- As time wound down in the Trail Blazers victory over the Oklahoma City, LaMarcus Aldridge was showered with shouts of "MVP! MVP!" from the Portland fans. Aldridge had a season-high 38 points and added 13 rebounds in the Blazers 111-104 win Wednesday night that snapped the Thunders eight-game winning streak. It was his ninth double-double and 15th game with at least 20 points this season. He made a career-high 17 field goals. "Just surreal. It was humbling to have that moment here," Aldridge said of the crowds reaction. "Ive been here so long and Ive had very few of those type of chants here. So that was fun. I thought that made the night complete for me." The victory gives the surprising Blazers a 16-3 record this season, best in the Western Conference and second only to Indiana overall. Portland has won 14 of its last 15 games, a stretch that includes an 11-game winning streak. Nicolas Batums 3-pointer with 29.9 seconds to go all but sealed it for Portland, which had lost seven straight against Oklahoma City. The Thunder led by as many as 12 points in the first half, but Aldridge led a third-quarter rally and Portland built a 91-84 lead on consecutive 3-pointers from Dorell Wright and Damian Lillard with 7:58 left. Russell Westbrooks 3-pointer pulled the Thunder within 95-94 before Reggie Jacksons two free throws gave them a short-lived lead with 5:34 to go. Aldridge hit a layup and a jumper to make it 105-100 for the Blazers. Durant and Westbrook narrowed it again with consecutive baskets, but Batums 3-pointer made it 108-104 before Durant missed a 3 on the other end. The Blazers made free throws for the final margin. Durant finished with 33 for the Thunder, who were playing the second game of a back-to-back after defeating Sacramento 97-95 Tuesday night. Westbrook had 21 points. "He was shooting turnarounds from almost the 3-point line over the top of our bigs and knocking them down," Durant said of Aldridge. "Thats what great players do, they come through in the clutch and make shots." Batum and Lillard added 14 points apiece for the Blazers, who were coming off a 106-102 victory over Indiana on Monday. Portland is 8-1 at home. Aldridge scored 16 of his points in the third quarter, when the Blazers outscored the Thunder 35-21.dddddddddddd "I dont know if I have the words, to be honest," Blazers coach Terry Stotts said of Aldridges night. "Offensively, obviously he can score. But I liked his toughness, I liked his leadership, I liked his competitive fire. As much as he played very well, it was a lot of the intangibles that I really appreciated from him tonight." Wrights bank jumper evened the game at 27 to start the second quarter. It was close throughout the half, with Portlands Batum on Durant much of the time. Durant took off on a fast break for a dunk and added a free throw to give the Thunder a 55-47 lead, their biggest of the game to that point. Westbrook attempted a 3-pointer and the refs called a foul on Portlands Wesley Matthews, prompting an angry reaction from Stotts, who was given a technical, and the Thunder finished the half on a 9-0 for a 59-48 advantage. Durant led all scorers in the half with 17 points. "They hit a lot of tough 2s on us, shots we can live with," Durant said. "But they made enough to beat us." One bright spot for the Blazers was centre Robin Lopez, who had 12 points and five rebounds in the first half. Acquired by the Blazers from New Orleans in a three-team off-season trade, Lopez finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Batums 3 got the Blazers within 67-64 before Matthews layup got them within one midway through the third quarter. Batums pull-up jumper gave Portland a 70-69 lead, and Aldridge added a long jumper. The Blazers clung to the lead until Durants jumper tied it at 78, but Aldridge answered with a turnaround jumper to cap a 10-point streak for the two-time All-Star. "Ive been saying it from the start -- hes the best power forward in the game," Matthews said NOTES: Oklahoma City is 9-0 at home but 4-4 on the road. ... Portland has lost only one game at home this season. ... Oregon State receiver Brandin Cooks and running back Storm Woods were at the game. The Beavers (6-6) are waiting to see if theyre headed to a bowl in the post-season. ... Oregon Ducks receiver Josh Huff was also at the game. ... Coming off a six-game home stand, Oklahoma City is playing three games in four nights before heading home to face Indiana on Sunday. ... Lopez has seven double-doubles this season. Cheap China Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China China NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China ' ' '
|