#1

ade in net for Vancouver; more proven than Eddie Lack or Ja

in Here is your first Forum Mon Dec 16, 2019 1:54 pm
by sakura698 • 1.245 Posts

MADRID, Spain -- Cristiano Ronaldo scored a record equaling goal before exiting to injury as Real Madrid beat Borussia Dortmund 3-0 on Wednesday to take a big step toward the Champions League semifinals. Atlanta Hawks Store . Ronaldo netted his 14th goal of the season in Europes top competition to give Madrid a clear advantage ahead of next weeks quarterfinal return leg in Germany. But it came at a price as the Portugal forward, who came into the first-leg nursing a sore left knee, came off in the 80th minute. Gareth Bale scored early and Isco added another before the half hour mark at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. "Ronaldo has a problem with his knee but at this moment Im not worried about it," Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. The Spaniards opened against Dortmund as the Germans had against them in the semifinals last season -- when they thrashed Madrid 4-1 en route to reaching the final with a 4-3 victory on aggregate. In Wednesdays other quarterfinal first leg, Paris Saint-Germain beat Chelsea 3-1 in the French capital. Madrid certainly didnt need inspiration after last seasons loss to Dortmund, which was without suspended striker Robert Lewandowski and five more regulars to injury as it fielded just four of the players present in last seasons 4-1 win. "The goals we gave up tonight were not because of this," Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp said. "It was too easy (for them), and thats not what we wanted. We made some mistakes and we were punished." The energetic start saw Bale nearly miss Dani Carvajals short pass inside the area before stretching to toe poke his fifth goal of the competition under goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller after just three minutes. Weidenfeller was sharp despite Madrids early onslaught as he punched free kicks from Ronaldo and Bale over the bar. He also stayed in the game despite wincing in pain after Marco Reus made a clearance that also connected with the keepers hands. With forward Angel Di Maria out to a gastro virus, Isco showed good poise to gather a loose ball in front of the area and slide home a low shot for 2-0 in the 27th minute. The Spain midfielders goal was just the boost Madrid needed as Dortmund began to find its rhythm, with Kevin Grosskreutz forcing Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas into a low stop in the 33rd. Ronaldo, playing in his 100th Champions League game, was clearly eager to match the record 14 goals scored by Lionel Messi in one Champions League campaign. Luka Modric made it happen as the Croat pounced on a poor Dortmund pass deep in its own area in the 57th minute and picked out Ronaldo, who dribbled around Weidenfeller for his 45th goal of the season. Jose Altafini also scored 14 goals in the 1962/63 European Cup campaign for AC Milan. "We did what we prepared for well," Ancelotti said. "We used a lot of energy in the first half and were tired. So we dropped the team back a little in the second half -- while looking to score on the counter." While Ronaldo and Karim Benzema continued to threaten Dortmunds goal, Madrid was fortunate not to concede under pressure as Pepe blocked Reus shot from inside the area after Casillas failed to control a cross. Madrids defence blocked several Dortmund shots during the final stages. "You have to do the right tactical things against the best teams in the world. We can do better than we did tonight," said Klopp, who rued the late misses. "(Losing) 3-0 you are not cool, you are not confident, you are under pressure and you are not confident in the box. We had chances." Madrid, which is vying for a record 10th European Cup, is now on the cusp of a fourth straight appearance in the semifinals -- a welcome lift after a difficult run in the Spanish league. In Tuesdays matches, defending champion Bayern Munich drew 1-1 at Manchester United, and Atletico Madrid drew 1-1 at Barcelona. Bill Bridges Jersey . The deals were announced on Friday. Beckham will receive $4.175 million in base salary, while De Aza will receive $4.25 million. Beckham hit .267 with five home runs and 24 RBIs over 103 games last season, his fifth with the White Sox. Frank Selvy Jersey . New York Red Bulls. TSN primes Vancouver fans for the start of the 2014 season with MLS on TSN: Season Preview Special airing tonight at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt on TSN2 (encore Friday at 3:30pm et/12:30pm pt on TSN2). https://www.cheaphawks.com/1114r-moses-malone-jersey-hawks.html . -- Justin Verlander took a no-hit bid into the sixth inning and won his fourth straight decision, leading Detroit over the Kansas City Royals 9-4 Sunday and extending the Tigers winning streak to a season-high five games.The Vancouver Canucks have had quite a ride with goaltending in recent years and attempted to solve the problem by signing the number one free agent puck-stopper. Numbers Game looks into the Canucks signing Ryan Miller. The Canucks Get: G Ryan Miller. Miller, 33, was having a terrific season in Buffalo, posting a .923 save percentage in 40 games before he was traded to St. Louis. From there, Miller struggled down the stretch, with aa .903 save percentage in 19 regular season games before an .897 save percentage in the first-round playoff loss to Chicago. That finish might have dimmed his star somewhat, but Miller has a repuation earned with a save percentage of .919 over the past five seasons, during which no one has registered more saves than Millers 8278. That rep isnt everything, though. Miller is a 33-year-old who last made it out of the first round of the playoffs in 2007 and his .925 even-strength save percentage over the past four seasons ranks 22nd out of 43 goaltenders to play at least 4000 5-on-5 minutes. Following their abrupt playoff departure, the Blues changed their goaltending approach, retaining Brian Elliottt with the expectation that they would add prospect Jake Allen to the tandem for next season. John Battle Jersey. Whether Miller is at the peak of his game isnt necessarily the point though, because hes an upgrade in net for Vancouver; more proven than Eddie Lack or Jacob Markstrom, and thats what matters for the Canucks over the next three seasons. If they are going to remain competitive for at least a few more seasons, then the Canucs cant be stumbling around with question marks in goal, hoping that it will work out. New Canucks GM Jim Benning was instrumental to the Buffalo Sabres decision to draft Miller in 1999, so its not altogether surprising that Benning would turn to Miller to help the Canucks now. Miller doesnt guarantee success for the Canucks, but if he can provide at least average, or ideally above-average, goaltending, then the Canucks have had good enough possession numbers to compete for a playoff spot if they get decent goaltending. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. ' ' '

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