hero in Edmonton,

[shushu]

ROME -- Lionel Messi returned to form with two goals as Barcelona secured its spot in the knockout stage of the Champions League. Fellow Argentina forward Gonzalo Higuain also had a brace for Napoli. And Samuel Etoo scored for his fourth different team. On a night of standout individual performances Wednesday, Schalke goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand had a game hell want to forget. His failed clearance led to Etoos opening goal in Chelseas 3-0 win, which put Jose Mourinhos side atop Group E. Barcelona made it to the last 16 with a 3-1 win over visiting AC Milan, which now has to battle with Ajax and Celtic for second place in Group H. Atletico Madrid ensured it will progress with a convincing 4-0 victory over Austria Vienna. Barcelona and Atletico joined title holder Bayern Munich and Manchester City, which reached the knockout stage on Tuesday. Napoli remained level atop Group F with Arsenal following a 3-2 win that eliminated Marseille. Aaron Ramsey scored the winner as Arsenal won 1-0 at last seasons runner-up Borussia Dortmund. In Barcelona, Messi scored a 30th-minute penalty for his first goal at the Camp Nou Stadium since Sept. 24 before Sergio Busquets doubled the hosts lead with an angled header nine minutes later. An own goal by Barcelona defender Gerard Pique reduced the margin to 2-1, but Messi sealed the win after finishing a combination with Cesc Fabregas in the 83rd. Barcelona clinched a place in the second round thanks to Ajaxs 1-0 victory over Celtic. Barcelona leads Group H with 10 points, Milan has five points, Ajax has four and Celtic is bottom with three. Messi has struggled following an injury-riddled October, going four league games without a goal for the first time since the 2010/11 season. And while the Argentina forward still does not appear to be 100 per cent fit, his finishing touch in front of goal remains unflinching. "Leo played a phenomenal game, he was sharp, showed quickness and was better one-on-one," Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino said. In Naples, Higuains finishing form was also on display. He used one touch for each of his goals, which included a 75th-minute winner following a cross from rapidly developing Belgium forward Dries Mertens. "He made the difference," Napoli coach Rafa Benitez said. "Its very important for us to know that he can be so decisive." In London, Etoo scored twice in an impressive goalscoring comeback in the competition. His second goal came nine minutes after halftime, with Willian slipping the ball through and Etoo clipping a shot past Hildebrand. Etoo scored his first goal in the Champions League for Mallorca in 2001, against Schalke. He went on to score goals for Barcelona and Inter Milan in Europes top flight. However, Etoo didnt play in the Champions League the past two seasons with Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala. "He was for two years playing without big motivations and when you play without big motivations ... you lose condition, you lose sharpness and you even lose appetite," Mourinho said. After missing out on the knockout phase last season, Chelsea needs just one point from the last two Group E games to advance. Chelsea is three points clear of Schalke, and four clear of Steaua Bucharest, which drew 1-1 at Basel. In Group G, Atletico got goals from Miranda, Raul Garcia, Filipe Luis and Diego Costa for a club-record fourth straight victory in the Champions League. Atletico leads with 12 points, seven clear of Zenit St. Petersburg and eight clear of Porto. Zenit and Porto played to a 1-1 draw. Sven Ulreich Jersey . So far, so good: Gonzalez has allowed one run through 12 innings this season. His second start came Tuesday night, when he gave up only three singles over six innings to lead the Nationals to a 5-0 victory over the Miami Marlins. Cheap Bayern Munich Jersey .J. Ellis have avoided arbitration, agreeing to a one-year contract. http://www.fcmunichpro.com/ . -- Pelicans coach Monty Williams does not expect guard Eric Gordon to play in any of New Orleans final five games this season. Manuel Neuer Jersey . According to USA Today the Finns have tapped forwards Jarkko Immonen and Sakari Salminen to replace injured forwards Mikko Koivu and Valtteri Filppula at the Sochi Games. Sandro Wagner Jersey . 31-Feb. 2. While organizers havent decided if itll be red or green clay, they feel their choice of surface will give the Americans an advantage over Britain, which is expected to be led by defending Wimbledon champion Andy Murray.2014 marks the start of the Chris Jones era as head coach of the Edmonton Eskimos and many, myself included, think they may have found the right one. If you ask Jones what he looks for in a player, his response is "aggressiveness with intelligence that play with a ‘liitle edge.” That is a good definition of desire but could also be a description of Jones himself. Being aggressive is always a priority for a player; there are not many situations where being passive is beneficial on the football field. Pro football is not a nice game. In many ways and at the majority of positions youre imposing your will on another player, another athlete, and quite often the player with the strongest will and desire wins that battle. Sometimes you qualify it as mental toughness, but an aggressive mind set wins in this sport as long as it is disciplined and under control. Speaking of mind set, it may surprise you but intelligence is as important as any aspect of performance there is. The best linebacker in CFL football just may be J.C. Sherritt, the Eskimos middle linebacker. By no means is he physically imposing or dominant but when it comes to football smarts there are few that are his superiors. Interesting this year in that the injury adversity Sherritt faced last year gave an opportunity for another linebacker to shine in rookie Rennie Curran. This year both could be playing side by side in Edmonton, a strength for the Eskimos as both are athletic and very bright; they do not make the same mistake twice. The third quality of a Chris Jones player is one that plays with a little edge. Note those three words, "a little edge," are not easy to define or visualize. Is it a player who is exceptionally aggressive or intelligent? Or perhaps it is an attitude or enthusiasm. I think it is a guy who has no fearr, cant be intimidated and, either subtly or overtly, does the intimidating.dddddddddddd I dont know if you can describe it in words, but I do know coaches, especially veterans, recognize and want it. So the Chris Jones era begins and the Mike Reilly era, still in its infancy, continues. What was interesting to watch last year was how the Eskimos fans embraced Reilly as their quarterback. Not for the beautiful touchdown passes from the perfect spiral, or the ultimate three-minute drill to lead his team to poetic victory; they embraced Reilly because of the courage he played with in each and every game. Reilly was pummeled last year for many reasons, sometime poor pass protection, sometimes too many predictable passing situations. Add in a poor running game Reillys penchant for taking too many risks, hes gambling with his longevity. But what I observed is the Edmonton football faithful recognize his courageous performances and genuinely respected and responded positively to it. In a time when maximum revenue is a key priority for many, Reilly demonstrated an opposite mentality of thought; risking all for the cause in many situations. Now he has to temper it down however and he will or hell still be a football hero in Edmonton, just not for 18 games. The West is pretty good this year. Winnipeg will be better, Calgary and BC have good personnel that just need to stay healthy and focused, and Saskatchewan is the defending Grey Cup champion. So where does that leave Edmonton? They will be aggressive, they will be intelligent, and they will play with an edge. They will pressure the quarterback relentlessly and take risks one-on-one in coverage. And of course, their quarterback will continue to play with the definable quality of courage each and every game. Edmonton may just be pretty good this year. Cheap Jerseys China NFL Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Wholesale Discount Basketball Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Authentic Cheap Baseball Jerseys Free Shipping Cheapest College Jerseys Sale Cheap Football Jerseys China Nike NFL Jerseys Canada Wholesale NHL Jerseys From China MLB Jerseys Outlet Canada Wholesale NBA Jerseys Canada Store Cheap Soccer Jerseys China Cheap Authentic Jerseys Canada ' ' '