rahs were coming from every corner of the kingdom. from LAM's blog
BARCELONA, Spain -- Lionel Messi netted two goals within 15 minutes of coming on as a substitute to give Barcelona a 4-2 comeback win over Real Betis on Sunday and push his team to the brink of the Spanish league title. Chiefs Youth Jerseys . After his teammates had rallied back twice to level at 2-2, Messi went on in the 56th and four minutes later curled in a free kick to extend his record scoring streak to 21 straight league appearances. The Argentina forward struck again in the 71st by polishing off a superb passing combination with Andres Iniesta and fellow goalscorer Alexis Sanchez to reach the 60-goal mark in all competitions for the second straight season. "We know Messi is the best," Barcelona defender Gerard Pique said. "We know every time he comes on he will give us something." Barcelona leads by 11 points with four rounds to go and would clinch its 22nd domestic crown if defending champion Real Madrid drops points against Malaga on Wednesday. Messi has been hampered for the past month by a right hamstring injury. Since hurting his leg on April 2, the four-time world player of the year has missed four games-- including Wednesdays stinging 3-0 loss to Bayern Munich that sealed its exit from the Champions League-- and come off the bench in two more before Sundays match. Like last weeks game at Athletic Bilbao, Messi looked fit enough as he again tilted the match in Barcelonas favour. "Against Messi, you cant do anything," said Betis coach Pepe Mel, whose team remained in seventh place. "At San Mames he ran through opposing players like they were cones. And here, the first ball he touches he puts it right inside the corner of the goalframe. It was like it had been scripted. It was suddenly a big party and went down from there." Messis double gave took his league-leading goal tally to 46 for the season, and kept him on pace to beat his own record of 50 from the last campaign. Elsewhere on Sunday, Real Zaragoza beat Rayo Vallecano 3-0 to escape the relegation zone, while Mallorca remained in last place after drawing 1-1 with Levante. Sevilla, meanwhile, rolled to a 3-0 victory over Espanyol to move into eighth place and stay in the hunt for a Europa League berth. Barcelona showed signs of still feeling the effects of its midweek defeat to Bayern that completed its 7-0 dismantling of the Catalan side over their two-leg semifinal. Barcelona was sluggish at the start and in the second minute its defence was slow to react to an apparently routine high ball that bounced through to Dorlan Pabon, who expertly slotted it beyond goalkeeper Jose Pinto, playing for the injured Victor Valdes. Whistles of frustration were immediately heard from the demanding Camp Nou crowd, and they combined with the drizzling rain to further damper the hosts spirits just when they should have been trying to take a step toward the league title. Barcelona was quick to react, and with Messi on the bench, it fell to playmaker Iniesta to unlock Betis defence in the ninth when he picked out Alexis at the far post to nod in his cross. Barcelona pressed for a second goal with David Villa squandering two good chances before Cristian Tello hit the crossbar. But it was Betis that went ahead again-- this time against the run of play-- with Ruben Perezs unstoppable long strike from well outside the area that Pinto had no chance to keep out two minutes before halftime. "Football was a little cruel with us in the first half," Pique said. "We created a lot of scoring opportunities while they scored on the two chances they had, but then it was kind to us in the second half. "We are close to the title. The sooner it comes, the better." Messi started to warm up at the start of the second half to the relief of the home fans who cheered his presence on the sideline. Seconds before coming off for Messi, Villa made up for his earlier misses by knocking Dani Alves cross under goalie Adrian San Miguel with a header after Betis defence has left him unmarked in the box. Messi then took over in his 20th multi-goal game of the season. He had touched the ball just once when he scored an exquisite free kick, bending a left-footed shot just inside the near corner of the goalframe that San Miguel did well to touch but couldnt turn away. Messi almost hit with another free kick in the 69th, with the ball landing on the corner of the goalframe. But his second goal soon came when Messi linked up with Iniesta, who flicked on a no-look pass to play Alexis free in the area. The Chile forward then unselfishly crossed for Messi to tap in and complete the kind of beautiful move that Barcelona is known for and few other teams are capable of performing. Chiefs Jerseys Store .Y. -- Syracuse has turned up the defence at the right time all season, and when High Point threatened to pull off a monumental upset the second-ranked Orange did what they do best with their quick hands and savvy play. Breeland Speaks 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. http://www.authenticchiefsshopnfl.com/tremon-smith-jersey/ . -- Patrick Reed got an early start in golf. LONDON -- From the lawns of Wimbledon to the lochs of Scotland, all of Britain can celebrate. Andy Murray made it possible Sunday, winning his countrys hallowed tennis tournament to become the first British man in 77 years to raise the trophy at the All England Club. Murrays 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 victory over top-seeded Novak Djokovic was a fitting close to nearly eight decades of British frustration in its own backyard: A straight-setter, but a hard-fought, 3-hour, 9-minute affair filled with long, punishing rallies and a final game that may have felt like another 77 years, with Murray squandering three match points before finally putting it away after four deuces. Certainly, the endgame must have felt like torture to the 15,000 watching on Centre Court, the thousands more watching on a big-screen TV on the grounds and, of course, the millions of British watching on TV. "Imagine playing it," Murray said in his on-court interview. But he closed it out on this warm, cloudless day on Centre Court. He put his name beside that of Fred Perry, the last British man to win Wimbledon, back in 1936. Those words dont have to be written again. "Hes someone that Ive obviously never met, but is quite relevant in my career really," Murray said. The second-seeded Murray beat the best in Djokovic -- top-ranked and a six-time Grand Slam winner known for both a mental and physical fitness built to handle what he faced Sunday: A crowd full of overheated partisans rooting against him, to say nothing of Murray himself. "The atmosphere was incredible for him. For me, not so much, but this is what I expected," Djokovic said. Since falling to Roger Federer in the final last year, Murray had shed some baggage by winning the Olympic gold medal on Centre Court, then following that with his first Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open. The U.S. Open win ended a 76-year drought for the British in the Grand Slams. This one? Even sweeter. "The pinnacle of tennis," Murray called the Wimbledon win. "I worked so hard in that last game, the hardest few points I ever played in my life." When he finally wrapped it up, he let his racket fall to the turf, took his hat off and pumped his fist toward the crowd. Later, he climbed to the guest box where his girlfriend, Kim Sears, and his coach, Ivan Lendl, were among those sweating this one out. Born a week apart in May 1987 -- Djokovic in Belgrade when it was part of Yugoslavia, and Murray in Glasgow, Scotland -- these top two players are building the best tennis rivalry of the 2010s. This was their third meeting in the last four Grand Slam finals and all have been riveting affairs. Djokovic went up a break in both the second and third sets and, both times, appeared to have grabbed at least a bit of control and quieted a crowd that included Prime Minister David Cameron. But Murray dug out of both holes. In the second set, he set up break point with a sharply angled forehand that Djokovic couldnt handle, and the Serb responded with a double-fault, one of four on the day. In the third set, Murray lost four straight games to fall behind 4-2, but got the break back and -- eventually -- closed it out by winning the last four games as the roars from every corner of Centre Court grew louder. "The atmosphere today was different to what Ive experienced in the past,"t; Murray said. Dorian ODaniel Jersey. "It was different to last years final, for sure. And then, the end of the match, that was incredibly loud, very noisy. Ive been saying it all week, but it does make a difference. Especially in a match as tough as that one, where its extremely hot, brutal, long rallies, tough games. They help you get through it." Trailing 5-4 in the third, Djokovic rushed out to the court after the break -- a man who seemingly wanted to get it over with. Murray quickly went ahead 40-0 and it looked to be all but over. But the next few minutes felt like forever. Djokovic saved the first three championship points, then had three break opportunities of his own. Couldnt convert any. Then, finally, Murray put it away when Djokovic rifled a backhand into the net. A few minutes later, the 26-year-old Murray was kissing the trophy. How might things have progressed if Djokovic had pulled out that game? "I dont know," was all he offered. Djokovic came into the match on the heels of a 4-hour, 43-minute semifinal victory over Juan Martin del Potro in similarly parched conditions on Friday. He conceded that match took a lot out of him but "Ive been in these situations before. I felt OK." Indeed, he rarely wears out, but Murray and the linesmen combined for a one-two punch, and punctured the 2011 Wimbledon champions typically calm, almost robotic, demeanour. Murrays withering groundstrokes and his patience from behind the line helped him take the first set. Then slowly, Djokovic shifted his strategy, mixing in drop shots with frequent trips to the net -- neither of which are considered his specialty. He won 30 of 52 trips to the net, compared to 26 for 37 for his opponent. "I wasnt patient enough in the moments when I should have been," Djokovic said. The impatience resulted in 40 unforced errors against 31 winners -- an uncommonly average ratio for the worlds top-ranked player -- compared to 36 winners and 21 unforced errors by Murray. Meanwhile, Djokovic found himself in what, at times, felt like an ongoing dialogue with chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani, as a number of close calls went against him. Djokovic had used up all three of his second-set challenges by the middle of the eighth game. At the end of that game, after another close call on the baseline went against him, Djokovic raised his hands toward the heavens, showing another trace of frustration that rarely hits him. Murray, meanwhile, kept his cool through it all, even if the sweat that drenched his Wimbledon-white shirt made it nearly see-through at times. In addition to the trophy, Murray earned 1.6 million pounds ($2.4 million) and got that long-awaited invitation to the black-tie champions dinner, set for later Sunday night. "It was a privilege to watch (at)Andy--Murray making history at .Wimbledon, and making Britain proud," tweeted the prime minister. Indeed, on this day, the hoorahs were coming from every corner of the kingdom. "I can confirm," a Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said, "that the Queen has sent a private message to Andy Murray following his Wimbledon victory." Meanwhile in the mixed doubles final, Torontos Daniel Nestor and French partner Kristina Mladenovic won the title by defeating top-seeds Bruno Suarez of Brazil and American Lisa Raymond 5-7, 6-2, 8-6. Cheap NFL Jerseys China China NFL Hoodies Wholesale Jerseys 2020 White NFL Jerseys Cheap Cheap Jerseys 2019 Cheap Stitched Jerseys Wholesale Stitched Jerseys ' ' '
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