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on back-to-back nights
in Maps Discussion Mon Jul 23, 2018 10:05 amby zxlbxj1 • Farseer | 487 Posts | 4870 Points
Just under a month ago, 32 teams started out on a path to join the elite club of World Cup Champions. Two teams remain in pursuit of that goal, but both nations – Germany and Argentina – have multiple titles to their credit. Germany reached the Final with the most unpredictable of performances, piling goal after goal on a stunned Brazilian team en route to a 7-1 thrashing. The Argentinian team, meanwhile, snuck by a powerful Dutch side by the slimmest of margins: waiting out 120 minutes of cautious, scoreless play and settling things in penalty kicks. So, with the Final looming on the horizon, which nation do you like to capture its first title in over two decades? Germany started their campaign in Brazil with authority, drubbing Portugal 4-0 in their group stage opening and providing the margin of victory that would inevitably send Cristiano Ronaldo and his compatriots home before the knockout stage. A 2-2 draw to Ghana would provide the only blemish on Germanys record thus far but the team would clinch the top of Group G by edging out former coach and World Cup hero Jurgen Klinsmann and his American side 1-0 in their opening round finale. The Algerians would give Germany a scare in the round of 16, forcing extra time before Andre Schurrle and Mesut Ozil put away what would stand as a 2-1 victory. They would then ride an early header from defender Mats Hummels past a high-scoring French side in the quarters to set up their drubbing of the host Brazilians in the semis. Along the way the Germans have seen one man write his name in the annals of World Cup history and another serve notice that he may be next in line. Miroslav Kloses mark in the semifinal thrashing put him in sole possession of the all-time World Cup goal scoring record, one ahead of Brazilian great Ronaldo with 16. Not to be outdone, however, is 24-year-old Bayern Munich striker Thomas Müller. After earning a share of the Golden Boot in South Africa with five goals, Müller has piled on another five and enters the Final one shy of an unprecedented second straight. Argentinas performance has been a study in doing just enough to win. Though they have won all six of their contests in Brazil, they have done so by just a single goal in each match. The team emerged from a group devoid of titanic opposition, edging out Bosnia and Herzegovina in part thanks to a third-minute own-goal and Iran thanks to an unforgettable Lionel Messi free kick in second half stoppage-time. With the group hanging in the balance, the Argentines went back and forth with Nigeria in the opening round finale, eventually outlasting their African opposition in a 3-2 victory. In the knockout round, however, the Argentinians have used lone goals to get past highly-ranked European opposition. Switzerland – the top seed in Group E entering the tournament – held them scoreless through nearly two hours before Angel di Maria broke through in the 188th minute. Against Belgium it was the opposite, with Gonzalo Higuain finding the back of the net eight minutes in to provide the matchs lone goal. The question begs whether the team can find the firepower to match the German machine. Messi enters the Final tied for third in the competition with four goals and all eyes will be on the Little Magician to see if he can step up and add to his “Best Player in the World” argument when it matters most for his country. A double-sided historical note to help you make up your mind: Germany has lost just once to Argentina at the World Cup and has ended Argentinas tournament at each of the last two. However, Germanys one loss came in the 1986 Final, the last time the nation was crowned World Champions. So, who do you like? Will the balanced German attack find its way through the Argentine defence to earn a first World title as a unified nation? Or, will Messi heed Diego Maradonas claims as the future of Argentinian football and continue the trend of European World Cup futility in the Americas? As always, its Your! Call. Scott Feldman Jersey . Azarenka needed exactly one hour in a 6-1, 6-0 rout of Austrian Yvonne Meusburger to start the night session at Laver Arena. Sharapova had a much easier time earlier in the day with cooler conditions and took full advantage in 6-1, 7-6 (8-6) win over Frenchwoman Alize Cornet, while Radwanska had to rally for a 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Michael Lorenzen Jersey . But unfortunately for the Niagara Falls, Ont., native, a pulled muscle wouldnt allow him to go past the second set. Japan sealed its victory over Canada in the first-round Davis Cup tie after Nishikori downed an ailing Dancevic 6-2, 1-0. http://www.redsapparelsshop.com/billy-hamilton-jersey-c-20/. Henrik Samuelsson and Luke Bertolucci also scored for the Oil Kings, who are now 9-0 on home ice in the playoffs to cut Portlands series lead to 2-1. Chase De Leo and Mathew Dumba responded for the Winterhawks, who suffered just their fourth loss in their last 46 games, a string of success running all the way back to Jan. Homer Bailey Jersey . The moves were the first punitive steps taken by the Dolphins since a report on the NFLs investigation of the case was released last week. Investigators found that guard Richie Incognito and two teammates engaged in persistent harassment directed at tackle Jonathan Martin, another offensive lineman and an assistant trainer. Drew Storen Jersey . -- The Seattle Seahawks and wide receiver Sidney Rice have agreed to terms on a deal. SALT LAKE CITY -- Stephen Curry threw up some improbable 3-point shots just to see if he still had it. "I call them heat checks," Curry said. The Golden State Warriors needed all of Currys continued hot shooting against the Utah Jazz on Friday night. Curry scored a season-high 44 points, including eight 3-pointers, to lead the Warriors past Utah 95-90 on a night the Jazz honoured former coach Jerry Sloan. One game after shooting 8 of 10 in a win over the Los Angeles Clippers, Curry said, "Every time I have a clean look, I feel like its a good shot. I have the confidence of everybody in the locker room. So if its time to score and Im feeling the moment, I got to rise up." Curry had 13 points in the fourth quarter as the Warriors came from nine points behind to win on back-to-back nights. "He got hot. He was shooting it from deep. He would come down in transition, guys running at him and he was still making them," said Utah coach Ty Corbin, who tried switching defences and doubling Curry to no avail. Andrew Bogut had 16 points, 17 rebounds and five assists to help overcome the loss of David Lee (shoulder, hip) and a horrendous shooting night from backcourt mate Klay Thompson, who was 3 of 20 for 11 points. "I just let the game come to me. I got some open looks from Steph because he was on fire out there. Thankfully I made them, but we won this game defensively in the fourth in my opinion," Bogut said. Reserve guard Alec Burks had 26 points on a variety of jumpers and acrobatic drives, but it wasnt enough for Utah, which dealt with injuries to three frontcourt players. The Jazz played without starting forward Marvin Williams (heel), centre Derrick Favours (hip) and starter Jeremy Evans had 10 points before leaving the game in the second quarter after a scary fall. In a halftime ceremony, the Jazz honoured Sloan, their former Hall of Fame coach. They raised a banner at EnergySolutions Arena featuring the number "1223," which represents the combined number of Sloans regular season (1,127) and playoff (96) victories in his 23 years as head coach of the Jazz from 1988-2011. Karl Malone, John Stockton, long-time assistant Phil Johnson andd Utah owner Gail Miller were among those who spoke during the festivities, which brought long periods of sustained ovations.dddddddddddd "I feel like I was the luckiest coach in basketball to have these players and the organization I had here," said Sloan, who won more games with one franchise (1,127) than any other coach. More than a dozen of his former players joined him on the court, The Jazz led 77-68 early in the fourth quarter, but the ragtag Jazz lineup collapsed against the onslaught of Currys 3-pointers and Boguts inside play during a 12-0 run that allowed the Warriors to reclaim the lead with 6:55 to play. Burks made a layup for Utahs final lead at 88-87 with 2:17 remaining. Curry responded with a shot in the lane to spark a spurt of eight straight points to clinch the win for Golden State. "The good teams, they play their best after they play their best. The challenge was for us to respond after a big win against the Clippers and put forth the same type of energy and effort," Golden State coach Mark Jackson said. The Warriors have struggled since a 10-game winning streak in December and January, unable to string two wins together until the past two. "This was a huge game for us, and we were dealing with fatigue, and playing without D-Lee so for us to overcome a second-half deficit like that and find a way to get it done . we knew a win tonight would validate last nights win and get us over the hump and get some momentum going," Curry said. Evans was undercut on a rebound and landed on his back with 3:15 left in the first half. He was still for a couple minutes and then gingerly walked to the locker room with assistance. Diagnosed with a bruised tailbone and right elbow, he missed the rest of the game. NOTES: In one of many tributes to Sloan on the video board, Charles Barkley joked, "Do you know how good you could have been if you had a real power forward?" The camera then panned the stands to a laughing Karl Malone, who received a standing ovation from the crowd. . Malcolm Thomas, who was signed on Jan. 15 by the Jazz, had his first action as a Utah player but did not score in 11 minutes. . 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