Dein erstes Forum » advance from the group stage

NEW YORK, N.Y. - The New York Rangers are still having trouble closing out games. They took solace, however, in shaking off a late tying goal and getting a win in overtime.No shootout misery this time.Derick Brassard scored a power-play goal 1:50 into overtime, after Detroit tied it in the closing seconds, to give the Rangers their fifth straight victory over the Red Wings, 4-3 on Wednesday night.Lee Stempniak gave the Rangers a 3-2 lead with 7:50 left in the third period, but Detroit got even for the second time when Tomas Tatar scored on a power play with 7.7 seconds left and goalie Jonas Gustavsson off for an extra skater.You never want it to happen that late in the game, said Rangers forward Rick Nash, who scored the opening goal. But you have to give credit to our guys. We regrouped and came out pretty good in overtime.Pavel Datsyuk tripped Martin St. Louis 46 seconds into overtime, and Brassard took advantage when he slammed in the rebound of Dan Girardis shot.When they scored the tying goal, we just stayed positive, Brassard said. We talked to each other on the bench and we got it done.Stempniak was in line for the winner when he finished a 2-on-1 rush by scoring off a pass from Dominic Moore.St. Louis added a goal for the Rangers, who dropped their previous two games in shootouts. Henrik Lundqvist stopped 25 shots after getting a rare game off on Monday night.I felt like we had a little more energy. They played last night and we tried to take advantage of that, Lundqvist said.The Rangers improved to 5-0-2 in one-goal games, the only losses being the consecutive shootout defeats on the homestand.After scoring only two power-play goals in their first 10 games, the Rangers have three in their past two.Our guys are battling hard, said Alain Vigneault, who coached his 900th NHL game. In overtime they took a penalty and we were able to make our power play count.Jakub Kindl and Daniel Cleary scored 13 seconds apart in the second to erase Detroits 2-0 deficit. Gustavsson made 26 saves, but Detroit dropped its third straight (0-1-2) and second in two nights.The Red Wings, who lost 3-1 at Ottawa on Tuesday night, were able to rescue a point with Tatars timely score.That was a big goal, he said. Too bad we couldnt get a second point, but that was a pretty good comeback. Were feeling better and better about ourselves.Gustavsson sustained a shoulder injury on the winning goal. Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said the backup goalie will be re-evaluated on Thursday, but will likely be out for a while.I thought we did a lot of good things tonight, Babcock said. Third game in four nights — its mental. You just compete, just play.Kindl scored the Red Wings first goal against the Rangers in 177 minutes with his first of the season. It also broke Lundqvists shutout streak against Detroit of 211 minutes, 8 seconds over four games — including two shutouts at Madison Square Garden last season.Cleary tied it at 2, but the goal wasnt picked up until a video review more than 90 seconds later. The puck clearly hit the back of the net and came back out for Clearys first.The Red Wings came out better in the second and put pressure on the Rangers, but they still couldnt solve Lundqvist — even with the aid of a penalty shot.After a Detroit drive struck the post, the puck was covered in the crease by the glove of defenceman Kevin Klein, who returned after missing one game with a bruised foot.Gustav Nyqvist was awarded a penalty shot at 5:51, but his drive was knocked away by Lundqvists glove — drawing chants of Hen-rik! Hen-rik!Just 48 seconds later, St. Louis made it 2-0 with a breakaway goal — his fourth tally of the season and third in two games. St. Louis was sprung by a pass from defenceman Matt Hunwick who fired the puck from his end up to St. Louis at the Detroit blue line.The Rangers had nine shots and led 1-0 before the Red Wings put a puck on Lundqvist.Detroit had the first power play when the Rangers were caught with too many men on the ice, but that advantage was cut short 1:12 in when Henrik Zetterberg tripped Nash, who then made the Red Wings pay with a fluke goal.Hunwick set up Brassard for a drive from above the left circle that struck Nash — who was facing the net — in the behind and caromed past Gustavsson on the power play at 6:36.I saw him winding up and tried to cross in front of the goalie to take his eyes away, Nash said. Then, I dont know what happened. It hit my butt and went in.It was Nashs 10th goal and first in three games, ending his longest drought of the season. He has scored in eight of New Yorks 12 games.NOTES: Detroit hadnt scored against New York since Oct. 26, 2013. ... The Rangers, 5-1-2 in their last eight, have their first five-game winning streak against Detroit since Jan. 3, 1983-Jan. 16, 1984. Cheap NMD Online .C. United to a 4-1 victory over short-handed FC Dallas on Saturday night. Adidas NMD Wholesale China .com) - The Calgary Flames are spoilers once again. http://www.cheapnmdonline.com/. -- Josh Smith made a 3-pointer as time expired and finished with 20 points to lift the Detroit Pistons to a 99-98 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night in both teams exhibition finale. Adidas NMD R2 Sale . -- David Price didnt think he would be in Port Charlotte this spring. Adidas NMD R1 Womens Raw Pink .com) - The disappointing Ottawa Senators hope to record consecutive wins for the first time since early November, as they visit the Boston Bruins on Friday for the opener of a home-and-home series.It shouldnt come as a disappointment anymore for England supporters. They are used to this. Losing. It isnt underachieving when the team isnt good enough. This is as good as it gets. Whenever Englands Brazilian journey comes to an end (they havent been eliminated, yet) the diehard support and those responsible for overseeing English football will hold on to the positive moments. Flashes of ability and promise are what constitute hope. "They werent that bad" is excused as progress. The play of the likes of Sturridge and Sterling, and the futures of Barkley and Shaw will be used as evidence brighter days ahead. Yawn. Weve heard this before. Weve done this song and dance. The days of a semi-final shoot-out loss in Italia 90 are long gone. Lets not go back to 1966. The failures have piled on, one less painful than the next. Success would be a surprise. Losses to more intelligent and superior football nations are the expectation. The English should be immune from the feeling of devastation or outrage. From a Golden Generation not good enough, to the likes of Rooney, Lampard and Gerrard who have failed to capture the imagination. Its a vicious cycle of mediocrity. A 2-1 loss to Uruguay is just the latest chapter. England was poor. Nothing new. The how it happened is what drives home the obvious. Too weak in too many areas and lacking true top talent to break down their competition. Out-managed. Out-witted. Out-classed. Uruguay only completed a pathetic 64 per cent of passes. The South Americans struggled in build up and were content to sit back. It was an astute page out of Italys book from Englands opening match; sit-back and force England to break you down. Dont get beat for speed. And counter-attack. Thats what Uruguay did, and credit for executing. They got stuck in and remained organized. Forget basic statistics telling you England dominated possession with Uruguay on the back-foot. It was calculated. It worked to perfection. A basic approach against a basic team. Simple. The game winning goal incredibly came directly from the Uruguayan goalkeeper Fernando Muslera. A ball put on the ground and a long ball played out. Simple to defend, right? Apparently not. Edinson Cavani dropped deep all match to expose long-in-the-tooth Steven Gerrard sitting on top of the England backline. For what the England captain has in experience, he lacks in legs because of the kilometers accumulated. Cavanis aerial challenge of Gerrard forced a wayward header backwards from the England midfielder. Luis Suarez, as proper poachers do, tucked in behind the backline looking for an advantage. He gambled and he won, as Gary Cahill got caught. Suarez was clinical in finish and again showed his special talent. A game breaker and match winner, something England doesnt have. Likewise on Suarez opener, he exposed Englands backline. The Uruguayan number nine did well to create the needed space on the far post behind Phil Jagielka. The ball played to Suarez by Cavani was all-world. But it was two Uruguayan players on six England defenders. Nobody put pressure on the ball. And to leave Suarez lurking on the far post wasnt good enough. Not to mention is was a missed tackle by Gerrard in the midfield, leading to the attack. Two England centre-backs and two mistakes leading to goals conceded. Cahill and Jagielka are experienced at the position, at least at the club level. They are the best in the country at the position and they were exposed. The best England has at an all-important position and not good enough. Its the same story at the other end of the field. Not good enough. Wayne Rooney and Daniel Sturridge are more than fine players. They are very good. But they are not at the same levels of other top forwards in this tournament, let alone not the top forwards on their own club teams. Therein is the difference. The likes of Rooney and Sturridge require real substance around them to be at their best, and thats fine. They are better the complimentary piece rather than the focus at this level. p; When played appropriately, they can shine.dddddddddddd In this England team, their play often times is representative of the whole. These are the best England has and they are not good enough. The midfield, a make-shift, comprised of decent parts with no direction on how its supposed to work. Jordan Henderson had a fine season on a good attacking Liverpool team. Yet something suggests he has the makings of becoming the next Sinclair, Wright-Phillips, Mills, or Parker – take your pick of the long list of players youll ask, "Did he really play for England?" Is he really the best England really has? The rest of the midfield is all over the place. The left-side exposed defensively and the movement in attack not creative or consistent. Passing the ball around without purpose wont break down a back line. Its no surprise this area of the field is stagnant and lacks influence. And the manager, oh the manager. Roy Hodgson saw fit to keep Englands double-pivot of Gerrard and Henderson on the field in a game begging for attacking players to breakdown the Uruguayan defensive wall. Comically, two holding players were preferable to keeping on Sterling or Welbeck, or even throwing on a Rickie Lambert until after England went down. The options at Hodgson arent flattering. But neither were the tactics. The very least Hodgson could have done was shuffle the deck. Bring off a defensive midfielder or ineffective wing-back in preference of another attacking player. Change the shape. Instead, the end result of a cautious approach was not good enough. Some will suggest Ashley Cole and Jermain Defoe should have been in the England set-up. Leighton Baines has struggled and another forward option off the bench could have proved decisive. Arguments can be made but how much of a difference they would have made most likely would have been negligible. It made more sense to include Michael Carrick in the squad as a holding midfielder able to provide distribution. But then again, this is a country deeming Paul Scholes not a proper fit to be an England regular over the course of his career. The best England had, but not good enough? Theres a pattern here. Selection issues are nothing new. But no matter who dons the England kit, are they ever good enough? There have been phenomenal performances over the course of the first week of the World Cup, both by individuals and team. Honest assessment would tell the standard of football played by the true top football nations is a step beyond England. Its all very disturbing considering important players for the likes of Chile and Colombia (etc…) are buried in the League Championship, or in some cases not deemed good enough for even that. This should trouble the English to the core. But it wont. Overrating their own talent has become a past-time and feeds the beast. Criticism and finding scapegoats has become a past time. In reality, these are the best players they have. And they are not good enough. The Premier League is the most entertaining league in the world and the most popular. It is not the best. Englands best players are not even the top talent in their own domestic league. Taking a look in the mirror doesnt always cast a pretty reflection. But the look in the mirror is necessary. Acceptance is needed. This was a day England will never have a better context to beat a Uruguay team as such on a stage made for a statement performance. The weather was an ideal 14 degrees Celsius for the hardened English. The opponent was missing two of their preferred back-four. The star player was not 100 per cent. And Uruguays confidence was shaky coming off a shock 3-1 loss. England didnt let it slip away. They were incapable of seizing the moment. It is possible England can still advance from the group stage, even though a team losing their first two games at a World Cup has never done so. Italy must beat Costa Rica then Uruguay, and England will need a comprehensive victory over the Ticos to have superior goal differential. But really, would that constitute success? Squeaking by would be as good as it gets for a team not good enough. ' ' '