Post by buwu on Dec 21, 2012 6:45:40 GMT -5
BARCELONA, Spain -- Midfielder Mesut Oezil scored two exquisite goals to give Real Madrid a 3-2 comeback win at promoted Valladolid in the Spanish league on Saturday. Reggie Wayne Black Jersey . Madrid rebounded from its last away loss at Real Betis with a valuable three points that cut the gap with Barcelona to eight points before the league leaders tough visit on Sunday to the Seville-based side. "Im very happy for my game but, above all, for the victory at such a difficult ground," said Oezil. "The most important thing are the three points and that we stay in the fight. There is a lot of league left." Jose Mourinhos star-studded squad struggled to overcome two first-half goals by Manucho, who dominated both areas in attack and with his defensive help on set-pieces. Karim Benzema and Oezil scored to pull Madrid even after Manucho had put Valladolid ahead twice to end the first half 2-2. Knowing the defending champions could not drop any more points, Mourinho threw on extra attacking players as Madrids nerves began to fray with Cristiano Ronaldo being booked for complaining. Valladolid held firm and made its own incursions into Madrids area until defender Henrique Sereno conceded a dangerous free kick on the edge of the area. Instead of Ronaldo, who had scored from a free kick in last weekends win over Atletico Madrid, Oezil stepped up and curled an unstoppable strike off the underside of the crossbar in the 72nd minute to grab the victory. "My goal from the free kick was beautiful," said the Germany international. "I was confident I could put it in." Elsewhere, Valencia won 1-1 at Osasuna in the debut of coach Ernesto Valverde. Malaga thrashed struggling Granada 4-0 to rise into provisional fourth place, and Real Sociedad defender Carlos Martinez scored an injury-time equalizer to secure a 1-1 home draw with Getafe. Valladolid struck first through Manuchos seventh-minute goal. Patrick Ebert swung in a corner kick that two Valladolid players touched to set up the Angola striker to push into the net from inside the six-yard box. The cheers at Jose Zorilla Stadium were silenced five minutes later when Jose Callejons pressure paid off. The former Espanyol forward pounced on Mikel Balenziagas poor pass, drew goalkeeper Daniel Hernandez off his line and passed for Benzema to score. Manucho put the hosts back in front in the 22nd as he held off Sergio Ramos with ease and powered in Eberts corner kick for his second close-range goal of the match. "No question we have to improve our defence on set-pieces," said Ramos. Valladolid lost Ebert to an apparent leg injury in the 26th. Even so, it looked set to go into halftime with the lead until Oezil dribbled through various defenders before laying off for Benzema, who returned the ball with a nifty back-heeled pass for Oezil to roll under Hernandez in the 45th. Mourinho sent on forward Angel Di Maria and playmaker Luka Modric early in the second half for his left and right backs, leaving Madrid with only two natural defenders. After Valladolid failed to take advantage of Madrids thin backline, Oezil looped a perfect shot over the defensive wall that left Hernandez without hope of saving. "Its a pity that we gave up the second goal in the 45th minute in such a critical moment," said Valladolid coach Miroslav Djukic. It was Madrids third win in its last eight visits to Valladolid, which remained in seventh place after just its second home loss this season. In Pamplona, striker Roberto Soldado scored in the 56th to give Valencia its first away win this season in eight games. It was the first goal Osasuna had allowed in five rounds. Malaga beat visiting Granada thanks to goals by Joaquin Sanchez, Javier Saviola, Ignacio Camacho and Roque Santa Cruz. Granada coach Juan Anquela is under increasing pressure with his team winless in four games and one point from safety in 17th place. At Anoeta Stadium, Getafes Angel Lafita scored in the 86th, only for Martinez to head in Alberto de la Bellas cross in stoppage time for the draw. Sociedad remained undefeated in five rounds and moved up into eighth place, two spots behind Getafe. Also on Sunday, second-place Atletico Madrid hosts last-place Deportivo La Coruna. Levante hosts Mallorca, and Celta Vigo is at Athletic Bilbao. Rayo Vallecano plays Real Zaragoza on Monday. Sevilla drew 2-2 at Espanyol on Friday. Pat Angerer Elite Jersey . Coming off a playoff victory Monday in the Kingsmill Championship, the 24-year-old South Korean player had a 9-under 135 total at Royal Liverpool. The nine-time LPGA Tour winner hit all 18 greens in regulation and needed only 28 putts. Andrew Luck Jersey . The 19-year-old goaltender has suited up in 17 games this season with Gatineau after spending parts of last season split between the Ontario Hockey Leagues Sault Ste. www.indianapoliscoltsprostore.com/reggie-wayne-jersey . Durant scored 18 of his 36 points in a scintillating final 7 minutes, Serge Ibaka added a career-high 26 points and the Thunder evened the series at two games apiece by beating the San Antonio Spurs 109-103 Saturday night. Andrew Luck Womens Jersey . -- Given the result, the Detroit Lions probably should try to be this balanced all the time. Pat Angerer Jersey . Park, of Korea, was eliminated for leaving the blocks early. Although his times were not released, it is likely that the disqualification allowed Cochrane, of Victoria, to qualify for his first 400m freestyle Olympic final. RENO, Nev. -- J.J. Henry says figuring out how many points it will take to win the Reno-Tahoe Open with its odd scoring format is as hard as calculating the elevation changes and swirling wind. "At times you feel like you are more of a mathematician than a golfer," Henry said Saturday after making an eagle for the third straight day for a three-round total of 36 points in the modified Stableford scoring system. He had a three-point lead over second-round leader Alexandre Rocha of Brazil. John Daly and Justin Leonard were among more than a dozen players within striking distance with the format that awards five points for eagle, two for birdie and zero for par. Players are docked a point for bogey and three points for anything worse. "If youre going to make some eagles, this is the week to do it," said Henry, who earned 14 points Saturday in search of his second victory on the PGA Tour to go with his 2006 Buick Open title. "I really dont know what to expect. Im just going to go out and try to get double digits ... Im just trying to get to a magic number and add it all up at the end of the day." John Mallinger was third with 32, followed by first-round leader Andres Romero of Argentina with 31. Daly, who hasnt won on tour since 2004, had an eagle, four birdies and four bogeys to get into a tie for fifth at 28 with Gary Christian and Bill Lunde, the Las Vegas player match Henry with the best score of the day at 14. Leonard was next with 26. Padraig Harrington was tied for 14th with 23 points in a group that includes Todd Hamilton, Ricky Barnes and J.B. Holmes, who had a tournament-best 17 points on Friday. Its the first time the scoring format that rewards aggressive play has been used on the PGA Tour since the 2006 International in Colorado. Daly, who won the 1991 PGA Championship and 1995 British Open, drove the ball 315 yards then hit a 200-yard approach to 10 feet to set up his eagle on the par-5 13th. "My goal coming in here was to make one eagle just to see what it feels like to get five points on one hole and to average nine points a day, and so far Ivve done it," Daly said. Pat McAfee Jersey. "Im doing the best I can. Im accomplishing some short-term goals each day out here and to me, thats good for me." Henry chipped in for an eagle 2 from about 35 feet away after driving his ball near the green on the 308-yard, par-4 14th. He narrowly missed another when he hit his second shot -- a 4-iron 280 yards -- to 13 feet, but had to settle for birdie on the 616-yard, par-5 18th. "Im going to continue to go out and try to play kind of smart, aggressive I guess you could say, when the timing is right," Henry said. "Obviously, if youre playing a medal play and you had maybe a couple-shot lead, maybe youd play a little differently, I dont know. But Im really not even going to look at whos behind me." Rocha, who started the second round birdie-birdie-birdie-eagle, finished Saturday with five birdies and a bogey. But he said he expects it will be difficult to catch Henry after "three super rounds." "Hes a tour winner. He knows what it takes to close out a deal and I obviously dont. So right off the bat, its advantage him," said Rocha, who has won nine times around the world since 2000 when he was an All-American at Mississippi State but never on the PGA Tour. He also said he expects some players to step up their aggressiveness and go for more pins on Sunday. "We cant forget the rest of the field thats behind us and very, very close," Rocha said. "Because of the format you can have a guy on standby just cruising around and suddenly make a turn, make a couple of birdies and sneak in an eagle, and suddenly there you go." Harrington, a three-time major winner, is making his debut in Reno to prepare for next weeks PGA Championship after failing to qualify for the World Golf Championships Bridgestone Invitational this week in Akron, Ohio. He had five birdies and a bogey on Saturday and felt he should have scored better. "Close all day, but couldnt get it in the hole, which is a pity," Harrington said. "You obviously need to make the birdies out there," he said. "Maybe Im saving them all for tomorrow." ' ' '