Dein erstes Forum » Wildcats take it to a whole

BRASILIA, Brazil - After being touted as one of the World Cups entertainers, it was a gritty performance which got France through to the quarterfinals in a 2-0 victory over Nigeria on Monday. Kyrie Irving Jersey . Frances forward line had made headlines with eight goals in its opening two group games, but there was little flair on display in a hard-fought contest against the African champions. France needed a late header from midfielder Paul Pogba and an injury-time own goal from defender Joseph Yobo to overcome a robust Nigeria. The reward is a quarterfinal against Germany on Friday at Rio de Janeiros Maracana stadium, following the Germans 2-1 victory over Algeria. Pogbas goal in the 79th minute followed Nigerias best spell of the match and came soon after France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris had made a crucial save to deny Peter Odemwingie. "Were not the prettiest or the best, but we can do good things," France coach Didier Deschamps said after the game. "The deliverance came late. There was a lot of tension because we were up against a very athletic side and there were a lot of challenges." Nigeria, which had a goal ruled out for offside in the 19th minute after Emmanuel Emenike poked home Ahmed Musas cross from the left, wasted a lot of second-half possession. Four years ago, France crashed out of the group stage, shamed a nation by going on strike and was jeered by its own fans and lambasted by politicians in the fallout from an embarrassing tournament. Its very different situation now. "Im proud of my players because were coming back from very far. I think weve given a lot of pleasure back to our fans," Deschamps said. "I think there were 5,000 here and millions back home who will feel proud." Pogbas crucial goal came after Nigeria goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama had just made a superb save to tip over Karim Benzemas header. But he he flapped at the ball from the ensuing corner and Pogba pounced in the 79th minute for his first World Cup goal. That atoned for placing a volley too close to Enyeama in a scrappy first half. Scoring such a crucial goal will boost his confidence heading into the last eight game. "We have four days left to prepare for another battle," Deschamps said. Yobo, who announced his international retirement after the game, turned the ball into his own net in stoppage time under pressure from France substitute Antoine Griezmann. At the final whistle, Frances relieved players danced in front of their fans as dreams of a repeat run to the final — just like in 2006 — moved a step closer. "We had the whole country behind us," Pogba said. "Its one of the proudest moments of my life." France started slowly and finished strongly in the second round match. "Ive yet to see a team play well over the whole 90 minutes," Deschamps said. "Nigeria dropped off a bit and that allowed us to get on top." After Griezmann came on, Benzema finally came alive in the 70th, opening up the defence after a clever one-two with the France substitute. After Enyeama blocked Benzemas initial shot, his follow-up effort was hacked clear by Victor Moses. Video technology confirmed that the ball had not crossed the line. France failed to show the attacking flair of previous games, with Giroud skewing a shot wide early on. He also appeared to elbow John Obi Mikel in an off-the ball incident, having done the same in last weeks 0-0 draw with Ecuador after coming on as a second-half substitute. "The referee saw it and didnt even give him a warning. Not a yellow card, nothing," Mikel said. "The intention was there." Keshi was highly critical of American referee Mark Geigers handling of the game. "The ref is a human being, but a lot of mistakes were questionable," he said. "Giroud elbow, Pogba foot up ... he decides what happens on the field. Im not happy with the ref." Two chances were missed late in the half. Full-back Mathieu Debuchy smacked a shot wide and into the back of a steward, and Emenike saw his sharp drive from the edge of the area palmed away by Lloris. With Nigeria starting to dominate possession, Deschamps made a key change in the 62nd, taking Giroud off and bringing on Griezmann, freeing Benzema to play through the middle. Nigeria continued to push forward and centre half Laurent Kocielny cut out Musas dangerous cross from the right. But toward the end, it was all France as Griezmann boosted the attack. He almost made it 2-0 in the 85th that Enyeama tipped over brilliantly. Instead, it fell to Yobo to inadvertently add Frances second goal. ___ Lineups: France: Hugo Lloris; Mathieu Debuchy, Raphael Varane, Laurent Koscielny, Patrice Evra; Paul Pogba, Yohan Cabaye, Blaise Matuidi; Mathieu Valbuena (Moussa Sissoko, 94th), Olivier Giroud (Antoine Griezmann, 62nd), Karim Benzema. Nigeria: Vincent Enyeama; Efe Ambrose, Kenneth Omeruo, Joseph Yobo, Juwon Oshaniwa; Ogenyi Onazi (Ruben Gabriel, 59th), John Obi Mikel; Ahmed Musa, Peter Odemwingie, Victor Moses (Uche Nwofor, 89th); Emmanuel Emenike. Larry Bird Jersey . - Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Percy Harvin has cleared league-mandated concussion protocol and has returned to practice as a full participant. Marcus Morris Jersey . It has been eleven years, eight months, and 261 days since I played my last CFL game. http://www.celticssale.com/kids-john-havlicek-celtics-jersey/ .ca NHL Power Rankings, ahead of the Chicago Blackhawks, St. Louis Blues and Anaheim Ducks. Moving up, from 10 to seven this week, the Pittsburgh Penguins have won seven straight despite a depleted lineup.Lexington, KY (SportsNetwork.com) - Continuing their attempt at a perfect season, the top-ranked Kentucky Wildcats return to the friendly confines of Rupp Arena on Saturday, when they play host to the Alabama Crimson Tide in an SEC showdown. John Caliparis Wildcats are one of just two unbeatens left in the country along with No. 2 Virginia. Kentucky is off to its third-best start in school history at 20-0, which marks the best start since the 1965-66 campaign (23-0). The team returns home after a pair of road tilts at South Carolina and Missouri, both resulting in double-digit victories. With a 69-53 win over the Tigers on Thursday, Kentucky is now 7-0 in conference play. Anthony Grants Crimson Tide had plenty of success in their non-conference schedule at 10-3, but the league slate has been an entirely different animal, as Alabama has limped to a 3-4 league ledger thus far. The team has dropped four of its last five games and enters here off a disappointing 52-50 setback at home to Florida on Tuesday. This marks the 142nd meeting in this long-standing rivalry. Kentucky holds a sizable 104-37 lead in the all-time series and has won nine of the last 11 meetings. The Wildcats are seeking a regular-season sweep after posting a rather easy 70-48 romp in Tuscaloosa on Jan. 17. The Crimson Tide went into halftime down by 13 points to the Gators last time out, and despite outscoring Florida 28-17 in the second half, Alabama came up just short in the end. Rodney Cooper led the way in defeat with 14 points. Ricky Tarrant finished with 13 points and Levi Randolph added nine for Alabama, which struggled offensively, shooting just .3991 from the floor in the loss. Gordon Hayward Jersey. Putting up gaudy offensive numbers is not Alabamas strength this season. The Tide are averaging a decent 68.5 ppg on .448 shooting, but it has been strong defensive play that has kept them in most games. Foes are averaging just 63.2 ppg and being held to a lowly .412 shooting overall. Randolph leads a trio of double-digit scoring threats on the roster, as he nets 14.7 ppg on a cool .500 shooting. Tarrant is next in line at 13.1 ppg and is followed by Cooper and his 10.9 ppg. Defense is the name of the game for Kentucky as well, but the Wildcats take it to a whole other level. Not many teams can match Kentuckys defensive tenacity, as the team ranks second in scoring defense (50.5 ppg) and first in both field-goal percentage defense (.321) and blocked shots (156). The offensive numbers arent overwhelming, but they dont have to be considering the team leads the nation with a +23.8 scoring margin. Aaron Harrison leads the way with his 11.6 ppg. Devin Booker is a close second at 10.7 ppg. Willie Cauley-Stein (8.7 ppg, 35 blocks) and Karl-Anthony Towns (8.0 ppg, 49 blocks) are a tough one-two punch in the paint. It wasnt quite the blowout that the first meeting was, but Kentucky still took care of its business against Missouri this week. The Wildcats held the Tigers to just .419 shooting efficiency, while owning a 34-26 advantage in rebounding. The biggest difference though came at the free-throw line, where Kentucky outscored Missouri, 27-13. The Harrison brothers led the way at the offensive end for Kentucky, as Andrew and Aaron posted 15 and 11 points, respectively. 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