the unseeded Hercog had won two of the previous three matches against Kerber. von corse178s Blog
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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. Marc Gasol Jersey . 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. Cheap Memphis Grizzlies Jerseys . -- Linebacker Myles Jack ran for four touchdowns, defensive end Cassius Marsh caught a scoring pass, and No. Mike Conley Jersey . Pert has formerly spent time as an assistant coach with Cardiff City, Coventry City, and Bahrain mens national team. "Martyn is a highly-respected coach with experience at the top levels in England," said Whitecaps FC head coach Carl Robinson. http://www.cheapgrizzliesjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-mario-chalmers-jersey . Terms of the deal were not immediately available. The 26-year-old finished last season with Clevelands Triple-A affiliate in Columbus after signing with the Indians in August. NEW YORK -- Angelique Kerber probably doesnt consider herself a late bloomer, but the meaty metrics of tennis suggest otherwise.The No. 2-seeded German could depart the National Tennis Center in two weeks as the WTAs No. 1-ranked player -- making her, at 28, the oldest woman ever to claim the top spot for the first time.Kerber sprinted into the second round Monday when Polona Hercog retired with a combination of illness and heat stroke after losing the first seven games in Arthur Ashe Stadium. Hercog is now 1-18 versus top-10 opponents.Serena Williams, who is defending 460 more points here than Kerber, essentially needs to last longer than Kerber in the draw to retain that No. 1 ranking. Jennifer Capriati was 25 years and 6 months old when she ascended to the No. 1 ranking for the first time, in 2001. Kerber, incredibly, would be more than three years older.A few more takeaways from the match:Startlingly swift beginning: Kerber came into New York following a pair of difficult losses -- to Monica Puig in the gold-medal match in Rio and to Karolina Pliskova in the Cincinnati final -- but there was no hangover here. Kerber won 30 of the abbreviated matchs 39 points, in a tidy total of 33 minutes. JaMychal Green Jersey. If theres pressure, shes not feeling it: Kerber could have lifted that No. 1 ranking with a title in Cincinnati but looked tired in losing to Pliskova. In her pre-tournament news conference, Kerber said she embraced questions about taking Williams ranking. On court after her win Monday, she reinforced that idea. Lets see if the day will come someday, she said. I will be really happy. Im really trying to focus here, win all the matches, and then well see.Recent history means nothing: Believe it or not, the unseeded Hercog had won two of the previous three matches against Kerber. The Slovenian, ranked No. 120 among WTA players, scored victories in Warsaw in 2010 and Monterrey a year later -- both in straight sets. Kerber now holds a 4-2 head-to-head edge.No service issues: Kerber was all over Hercogs serve, breaking her in each of three opportunities. The German won 10 of 17 points on Hercogs first serve and was 4-for-4 in the second. On her own serve, Kerber won 16 of 18 points.Cheap NFL JerseysCheap NFL Jerseys ChinaCheap Jerseys From ChinaCheap NFL Jerseys AuthenticWholesale Jerseys ChinaCheap NFL Jerseys ChinaNFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
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