2012 » snt sure he would get the opportunity because of a rule th

MADRID -- Lionel Messi put on a show in Barcelonas final Spanish league game of the year, scoring once and mesmerizing with his dribbling skills to set up two other goals in a 4-1 win against Espanyol in the city derby on Sunday.Luis Suarez struck the first two goals and Jordi Alba added another in a victory that left Barcelona three points behind leader Real Madrid ahead of the winter break. Madrid, which won FIFAs Club World Cup in Japan this weekend, has a game in hand.Messi dazzled the crowd at Camp Nou for the first time when he cleared four defenders outside the area -- including by rolling the ball between the legs of one of them -- before having his shot parried. Suarez pounced on the loose ball to score his second goal in the 67th minute.That was a PlayStation play by Messi, Suarez said. I wish he had ended it with the goal, it would have been one of the best in the last few years.A minute later, Messi used his pace and clever dribbles to get past four defenders again, and then passed for Alba to find the net from inside the area.After nearly scoring following a neat feint that fooled two defenders inside the area, Messi finished the night in style by finding the net from close range after a pass by Suarez in the 90th.For the second time of the night, the crowd got to its feet and chanted Messi, Messi.In the second half we saw the most spectacular version of our players up front, especially Messi, Barcelona coach Luis Enrique said. We shouldnt stop praising something just because it happens so many times that it looks routine. We shouldnt get used to it, its unique.Suarez, the leagues leading scorer with 12 goals along with Messi, had opened the scoring in the 18th, while David Lopez netted Espanyols lone goal in the 79th.Messi started the remarkable move that led to Suarezs second goal after a superb run by Andres Iniesta, who had to get past three defenders himself before being able to feed Messi outside the area. Iniesta had also unleashed a spectacular long-range pass to set up Suarezs first goal on the break.When we are all playing well as a group, it makes it easier for the individual players to make things happen, Iniesta said. Leo is crucial for us.Neymar didnt find the net but was still impressive, creating scoring opportunities and entertaining the crowd with his play. The Brazil striker started the move that led to Barcelonas third goal.We played well, Espanyols Lopez said, but when you make a small mistake and give them as much as a meter, they will score against you.The result ended Espanyols nine-game unbeaten streak in the league, leaving it in ninth place after 16 rounds. It had defeated Barcelonas reserves 1-0 in October to win the Catalan Super Cup, a competition played by Catalonias top two clubs.Espanyols starting goalkeeper Diego Lopez had to be substituted in the 53rd minute after sustaining a severe cut to his right when he collided with Suarez while making a sliding save inside the area.---LEGANES 1, EIBAR 1Portuguese substitute Tiago Bebe Correia scored six minutes after coming on to give Eibar a 1-1 draw at 10-man Leganes.Bebe equalized in the 76th minute with a shot that deflected off a defender and fooled substitute goalkeeper Diego Barrios.Starting goalkeeper Iago Herrerin was sent off in the 26th for a bad foul outside the area while trying to stop a counterattack.Playing in the first division for the first time, Leganes has drawn three in a row and hasnt won in four rounds.---DEPORTIVO LA CORUNA 2, OSASUNA 0Deportivo La Coruna defeated last-place Osasuna to move four points clear of the relegation zone ahead of the break.First-half goals by Florin Andone and Ryan Babel secured victory for the hosts, which lie 15th in the 20-team standings.It was the sixth straight loss for promoted Osasuna, which stayed with only seven points from 16 games.---Tales Azzoni on Twitter: http://twitter.com/tazzoniAlex Jackson Jersey .com) - The Calgary Flames aim to bounce back from their first regulation home loss of the campaign on Friday night when they host a Detroit Red Wings club that they swept in three meetings a season ago. Sonny Jackson Braves Jersey . Badenhop was 2-3 with a 3.47 ERA in 63 relief appearances for Milwaukee this season. He is 18-20 in his career with three saves and a 3. https://www.cheapbraves.com/ . The team says the Spain international has a muscle pull in his right leg. Barcelona hosts third-division side Cartagena in the return leg of their round-of-32 tie after winning their first meeting 4-1. Jeff Burroughs Jersey .Y. -- Sabres forward Drew Stafford has witnessed plenty of turmoil during his eight seasons in Buffalo. Dusty Baker Jersey . The Dane followed up his first European Tour title last weekend with eight birdies and just a single dropped shot on Thursday for a one-stroke advantage over South Africas Allan Versfeld and Portugals Ricardo Santos.THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- Ask Los Angeles Rams defensive end Robert Quinn for his first memory of Monday Night Football and nothing comes to mind.Oh shoot. Yeah, you got me stumped on that one, Quinn said.Coach Jeff Fisher remembers its infancy when the antics of Howard Cosell and Don Meredith captivated the nation, and it offered the only chance to see everything that happened in the NFL that week.Things have changed, Fisher said. Back in the day when Howard and Don and the rest of them were doing it, that was the only way you got to see highlights from the weekend. Now you get to see highlights moments after they happen.Playing a game on Monday night is no longer a novelty, the television broadcast accompanying it no longer a cultural phenomenon, but the Rams season opener at the San Francisco 49ers will mean plenty to linebacker Cory Littleton.`Monday Night Football, everybody in America watching it, Littleton said. Its exciting.Littleton seemed set for a limited role this season as an undrafted free agent from Washington before the Rams cut veteran Akeem Ayers last week. When Ayers signed with the Indianapolis Colts, it all but locked the Rams into using five defensive backs as their primary personnel package with Littleton backing up starting hybrid linebacker-safety Mark Barron.All you can do is just keep pushing forward, Littleton said. Yeah, there might be changes around you, but ultimately you cant control that.It doesnt really change anything for us, added middle linebacker Alec Ogletree. We feel like we played mostly nickel throughout the whole season last year, and most teams do play nickel more because it is a passing league.Littleton thrived as an outside linebacker as the Huskies led the Pac-12 in points and yards allowed last season. He had 65 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and six sacks as a senior, showing good range and versatility that has carried over through this summer.ddddddddddddLittleton wasnt sure he would get the opportunity because of a rule that limits the contact rookies can have with their teams until the end of the academic year. For schools on the quarter system, including Washington, rookies like Littleton had to wait until well into June to participate in conditioning workouts or organized team activities. That forced Littleton to quickly familiarize himself with a new team and scheme.Littleton said the coaches were understanding, but that it was just a crappy situation.There was nothing I could do about it, Littleton said. Try to learn and do everything as fast as possible, thats the only thing I could do.Littletons quick maturation actually seemed to strengthen his case for making the final roster. After recording three tackles in the Rams second preseason game, Littleton believed for the first time that he could make the team.Cory really didnt get to do much until he got to training camp, so I think that speaks volumes for him because he had a short period of time and he showed us what he can do, coach Jeff Fisher said.On Monday night, Littleton will go from watching the game to playing in it.Every time we go to a new stadium its just like Im a little kid in a candy store with a big old smile on my face because these are the places I have been seeing on TV for years or these are the players I have been seeing on TV for years or this is my favorite player, Littleton said. Its just a great experience.---Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '