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BRASILIA, Brazil -- Neymar lived up to the expectations of the World Cup host nation Monday, scoring two goals as Brazil routed Cameroon 4-1 to reach the knockout stage as the top team in Group A. Fred and Fernandinho added second-half goals for Brazil, which will face South American rival Chile in the second round. Neymar netted twice in the first half, on either side of midfielder Joel Matips goal for Cameroon in the 26th minute. He opened the scoring off a low cross by midfielder Luiz Gustavo in the 17th, deftly side-footing the ball home from close range, then restored the lead with a low right-foot strike from the top of the penalty area in the 35th after a pass by left back Marcelo. "If Im not mistaken this is our best game yet," Neymar said. "Everyone deserves congratulations for their efforts until the end." Fred found the net in the 49th and the substitute Fernandinho struck in the 84th. Brazil finished Group A with seven points after two wins and a draw. It ended with the same points as Mexico, but had a better goal difference. The Mexicans eliminated Croatia with a 3-1 win in Recife. Playing in its 100th World Cup match, Brazil needed at least a draw to advance. Elimination in the group stage would have been unthinkable for the five-time world champions playing at home. The only team to play in all 20 World Cups, Brazil has advanced to the second round in every tournament since 1970. Boosted by a crowd of nearly 69,112 at the Estadio Nacional in the nations capital, Brazil began the match pressuring Cameroon and created many scoring chances early. But the African team eventually picked up the pace and was able to keep the hosts from threatening too much. Despite playing without Samuel Etoo because of a lingering right knee injury, Cameroon had a few good chances, even when the match was level in the first half. "The first half was not so bad, but we need to focus for 90 minutes, and this is not the first time that this happened," Cameroon coach Volker Finke said. "Some goals were not needed, three times we had the control of the ball and we lost it." It was Neymar who got on the board first, neatly finding the net after Gustavo stole the ball on the left flank and sent a low cross into the area. Cameroon equalized after a nice run by Allan Nyom ended with Matips goal, but Neymar again showed he is carrying the hopes of the entire nation, running toward the area and then moving to his right in front of a couple of defenders before firing a low shot into the net. The 22-year-old Barcelona striker had already been decisive in the 3-1 opening win over Croatia, when he also scored twice while Brazil was struggling. Brazil improved in the second half and Fred, who had been loudly criticized for his lacklustre performances, got his first goal of the tournament with a header from close range after a cross by defender David Luiz from the left. Cameroon players complained of offsides. Fernandinho, who replaced Paulinho in the second half, closed the scoring after Oscar stole possession from a Cameroon defender near the area. Quick passes by Fred and Oscar set up the midfielders toe poke from short range. Cameroon, which hasnt advanced to the second round since becoming the first African nation to reach the World Cup quarterfinals in 1990, likely saw Etoo playing in his final World Cup. The 33-year-old striker, in his fourth World Cup, is the teams all-time leading scorer. Oakland Athletics Gear . So they rushed to re-sign the first baseman who general manager Ben Cherington described Friday as "a unique player." The World Series champions finalized a $32 million, two-year agreement Thursday with the slugging former catcher who turned into a surprisingly good defender. Cheap Athletics Jerseys . Beanballs were the theme Friday night as the Red Sox and Rays had another AL East rumble, with Boston earning a 3-2 victory on A. https://www.cheapathleticsonline.com/115...-athletics.html. Viewers in the Canadiens region can watch the game on TSN Habs at 7:30pm et/8:30pm at. Athletics Jerseys China . Amare Stoudemire had 22 points and 10 rebounds, Carmelo Anthony scored 21 and the New York Knicks won their eighth straight game, 93-92 over Philadelphia on Friday night, sending the Sixers to their 23rd straight loss. Oakland Athletics Shirts .Y. - The New York Yankees made it official Saturday, announcing the completion of a seven-year deal with free-agent outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury and a one-year contract for returning starter Hiroki Kuroda.ST. LOUIS -- David Backes and his St. Louis Blues teammates were just trying to keep pace with the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday night. Backes had a goal and assist in the first period to lead the Blues to a 4-2 win over the Nashville Predators in the season opener for both teams. St. Louis scored three times in the first 9:45 to jump in front 3-0 and chase Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne. The early scoring came on the heels of the Cardinals 9-1 win over Pittsburgh in the opening game of the NL Division Series. The start of the hockey game was moved back 30 minutes to allow the fans time to make the five-block trek from Busch Stadium, "The Cards scored nine today, we were trying to keep up," Backes said. The baseball game was shown on the scoreboard before the Blues game, charging up the already crazed crowd. Watching the Cardinals roll to an easy win set the tone for hockey team, which came out on a roll. "Its exciting, everything thats going on in this city," defenceman Alex Pietrangelo said. "It was a great day for St. Louis sports. The fans were really into it. "Im just glad we were able to put on a good show." Pietrangelo had two first-period assists to pace the early scoring. Jaroslav Halak made 28 saves for the Blues and improved to 9-3-3 against the Predators. Backes, Vladimir Sobotka, T.J. Oshie and Alex Steen scored for St. Louis, which was 2 of 4 on the power play. St. Louis has won four of its past five home openers. Nashville, which missed the playoffs last season, is 7-7-1 in season openers. The Blues came out aggressively, scoring three times on their first six shots. "The first 10 minutes were ideal," Backes said. "This was a result we can love. Its just a first step, but we had a lot of guys contribute on the score sheet and off the score sheet. "It all adds up to a pretty good team victory." St. Louis coach Ken Hitchcock was also pleased. "I thought that the players that have been here a while really put their best foot forward," he said.dddddddddddd "This gives us a chance to build on some things." Backes scored from close range at 2:05, just three seconds after Matt Cullen was sent off for tripping. Backes pounced on a shot from the blue line by Pietrangelo. The goal came 51 minutes after the final out of the baseball game. Sobotka tallied on a break along the left wing to make it 2-0. He went by Kevin Klein and sent a backhand behind Rinne. Oshie converted on a pass from Steen to push the lead to 3-0. Rinne was pulled after that tally. "Obviously, Im not happy with the result, not happy with the effort," Rinne said. Nashville climbed within 3-2 on goals by Mike Fisher and David Legwand, who scored off a pass from Patric Hornqvist. Steen scored a power-play goal at 11:16 of the second period to stretch the lead to 4-2. Halak then made nine third-period saves to preserve the lead. Nashville defenceman Seth Jones, the No. 4 overall pick in the draft, played 18:35 and had three shots on goal in his debut. "I had a couple good shifts to start the game and that carried me throughout out the game," Jones said. Jones, who was celebrating his 19th birthday, is the son of former NBA journeyman Popeye Jones. Popeye Jones, an assistant coach with the Indiana Pacers, was in attendance. "It was a thrill, Im just excited to be here for this," Popeye Jones said. NOTES: St. Louis has made the playoffs in 37 of its 46 seasons. ... Nashville coach Barry Trotz is the longest-tenured head coach with the same team with 1,115 games. ... St. Louis LW Brenden Morrow fixed his work-visa problems earlier in the day and was able to play. ... Hitchcock improved to 10-3-4 in season openers.... Halak, who played in just 16 games last season due to groin injuries, last won on March 23, 2012, a 3-0 win over Edmonton. ' ' '