Join our growing site,
& meet dozens of singles today!

Group Info

hat had not won any of its previous five group g

                                      PARIS -- Paris Saint-Germain must find a way to eradicate the sloppy errors that keep resurfacing to stand any chance of winning the Champions League. Vapormax Plus Bílé .Tuesdays scrappy 2-2 home draw with unheralded Ludogorets meant that PSG qualified in second place in Group A -- two points behind Arsenal, which won 4-1 away to Swiss side Basel.To guarantee top spot, PSG needed to beat a team that had not won any of its previous five group games. Instead, the French club needed an equalizer from winger Angel Di Maria in the second minute of injury time to avoid a hugely embarrassing defeat.Within moments, club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi made it clear his players are falling well short of expectations.First place was our target (and) we were first before the match, he said on beIN Sports television. Were very disappointed with the result and the quality of our performance. I was expecting more from the players.It was Al-Khelaifi who took the shock decision to fire coach Laurent Blanc in the summer, despite Blanc winning back-to-back domestic trebles. Al-Khelaifis reasoning was that Blanc fell short in Europe, with PSG going out in the quarterfinals for the fourth straight season.He replaced Blanc with Unai Emery, who guided Sevilla to three straight Europa League titles.Yet PSG is no better in attack than last season, and defending has got worse.Of course I am worried, Emery said. The team is conceding a lot of goals at the moment.Dutch forward Virgil Misidjan scored in the 15th minute and Brazilian forward Wanderson made it 2-1 in the 68th, shortly after Edinson Cavani had leveled for PSG.PSGs shortcomings at the back are too glaring for a team hoping to win Europes biggest club trophy.Following a mistake by midfielder Thiago Motta, Misidjan headed the Bulgarian league leaders in front and PSGs players were jeered off at halftime.Cavani equalized in the 61st with an overhead kick from close range after Ludogorets had failed to clear Di Marias cross from the right. It was Cavanis sixth goal of the campaign so far and the Uruguay striker appears full of confidence.The defense is not, having leaked goals in a 3-0 loss away to Montpellier in the French league last weekend.Brazil defender Marquinhos clumsily lost possession when receiving a throw-in. He turned his back on play, allowing Brazilian Jonathan Cafu to steal the ball off him and burst down the left, before pulling it back to Wanderson to finish with a low drive.PSG beat Basel 3-0 in its previous home game but it was far more difficult than the result suggested, with Basel missing several chances.This time, Ludogorets punished PSGs mistakes to secure third place -- a point above Basel -- and a spot in the Europa League.Nobody should underestimate us in the Europa League, Ludogorets midfielder Svetoslav Dyakov said.There was no excuse for the sloppiness that led to Ludogorets opener from a player of Mottas experience.The 34-year-old Italy international, who has played for Barcelona and Inter Milan, committed the most basic of errors when he failed to look up properly as he passed out from the edge of the penalty area, hoping to find winger Hatem Ben Arfa.The pass was easily intercepted and the ball quickly fed to left back Natanael, who scored when Ludogorets lost 3-1 at home to PSG in September. Natanaels curling cross from the left found Misidjans downward header.At least PSG was still creating chances.Center back Thiago Silva headed against the post in the 35th following a corner, and moments later Di Marias shot from 25 meters out drew a leaping save from goalkeeper Vladislav Stoyanov.Silva hit the woodwork again in the second half before Di Marias goal, which was set up by left back Layvin Kurzawa -- one of three substitutes introduced in the last 10 minutes.By then, Emery had left it too late.Considering the gulf in funding between the sides -- PSG has invested heavily in players since Qatari investors QSI took charge in June 2011 -- PSGs performance was way below par.There are no excuses, midfielder Blaise Matuidi said. We must be aware that we need to do better. Vapormax Flyknit Levně . The Celtics closed out their first preseason under Stevens on Wednesday night with a 101-97 victory over the Brooklyn Nets, who rested a lot of their lineup including former Celtics Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. Nike Vapormax Panske . 10 Texas A&Ms offence dominated as usual against SMU. http://www.vapormaxlevne.cz/vapormax-off-white-sleva.html . Scott Kazmir allowed four hits in seven shutout innings, Michael Brantley hit a two-run homer in a three-run first inning and the Indians maintained their hold on an AL wild-card spot with a 4-1 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday night. PHILADELPHIA -- The number is 3,746.Thats how many minutes Kyle Lowry logged en route to becoming an Eastern Conference finalist and Olympic gold medalist in 2015-16.The 30-year-old point guard appeared in 105 out of a possible 110 games between the regular season, playoffs and international competition, validating all the hard work he had put in during the offseason to get himself in the best shape possible.And yet here he was a week after becoming a champion for the first time in his career, hosting a basketball clinic for kids and receiving the key to the city for his significant contributions to the community on a sweltering summer day 15 minutes from where he grew up.Its a blur, but its been a blessing, said Lowry, a North Philly native. I wish I had a ring and a gold medal like Kyrie Irving, but Ill take the gold medal for now. This is the biggest basketball accomplishment that Ive ever had.Lowry went 0-3 in title games (one public league, two catholic league) as a high schooler. In college, his Villanova Wildcats advanced to the Elite Eight before falling to eventual champion Florida. And as a pro, hed reached the postseason four times but never advanced past the conference finals.So after Team USA routed Serbia to capture the gold, Lowry was sure to take home a second souvenir: the game ball.Its alive. Its around. Its simmering somewhere, he said, laughing.If he has another big season, Lowry could potentially become the NBAs highest paid player in 2017-18. An 11-year veteran, hed be eligible for a starting salary of $33.5 million and a five-year total of $196 million, according to ESPNs Larry Coon.Lowrys agent, Andy Miller, says the expectation is that Lowry will opt out at the end of the 2016-17 campaign to maximize his earning potential, which makes perfect financial sense. Lowry is entering the third year of a four-year, $48 million deal he signed in 2014, which contains a fourth-year player option.Miller says Lowry is extremely confident both mentally and physically with Toronto Raptors training camp underway. And despite the shortened offseason, Miller said Lowry brought his trainer with him to Rio during the Olympics to ensure he was doing his best to remain healthy and fit. Miller also commended Lowry for accepting the backup point guard role for USA coach Mike Krzyzewskis team, a sign of his maturation.Of course, it all goes back to his roots, when he was living on 20th and Lehigh.Lowrys feisty, hard-nosed game was fostered in the tough neighborhood where he grew up.Philadelphia made me who I am, Lowry said. Nothing was given to me, I had to earn it.He saw his father for the last time when he was 7 but was able to overcome his circumstances.All odds are against you: the crime, the drug abuse, the violence, Lowry said. My mom and my grandma did the best job they could and made as much money as they could to support me with a great life, and I had good people around me -- a lot of good friends who just wanted to play basketball. The odds are against you, but you find a way to get out.Lowrys older brother, Lonnie, introduced him to basketball at an early age. Hed often participate in streetball games with Lonnie and his friends, who were five years older.It was the start of a foundation that eventually saw him star at Cardinal Dougherty and Villanova before going No. 24 overall in the first round of the 20066 NBA draft. Nike Vapormax Cz. His career sputtered early in Memphis and Houston before he finally found his comfort zone in Toronto.Its special, said Lonnie, who was always hard on Kyle and helped fill the void of a male role model for his younger brother. His attitude -- having to be tough, not backing down -- was built back then. He is this city. He is Philadelphia.Lowrys mother, Marie Holloway, worked 10 years at the IRS and 15 years with the U.S. Postal Service to support her family as a single parent. And when she wasnt working, she was chauffeuring her youngest son to AAU practices and games.Hes just driven, Holloway said. Everything that he wants to do and sets his mind to do, he does it. And thats where that edge comes in. Because even now hes still small compared to everybody else, so he knew he had to be special.People ask me that all the time what did you do? I didnt do anything. I just followed directions. Wherever he needed to be, wherever his brother told me he needed to be, I just made sure that he was there. Ive driven halfway across the country -- to Memphis for nationals -- because we couldnt afford to fly out there.Holloway, who lives comfortably in South Jersey now, is extremely proud of how far Lowry has grown as a person.He really had a thing about trusting men and making sure they were really in his corner, Holloway said. But the thing about him is, if he loves you, he loves you. Theres really no gray area with him. Hes matured so much. He was 19 going into the NBA and I think he had to figure things out, realizing you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. But like I said, once he realizes that you really are about him and he trusts you, theres nothing he wont do for you.Over the last few years since hes gotten married and had children, Ive always loved him, but I really love him because now hes starting to let people see his personality. Hes a good kid. Eventually hell hit a wall, but hes still on high. Hes on a mission.Over the last three seasons, Lowry has averaged 19.0 points, 6.9 assists and shot 37.1 percent from 3-point range. He and teammate/best friend DeMar DeRozan put the Raptors on their backs during the playoffs in 2015-16, overcoming shooting struggles and nagging minor injuries to take Toronto where it had never been before as a franchise.I think I gave a lot, but I think I can find a way to give more. Thats my mentality, said Lowry, who had 35 or more points four different times during the postseason. At the end of the day, nobody cares about anything but winning and losing, and I dont care about anything but winning and losing. People can say that me and DeMar we didnt do this and we didnt do that, and yeah we didnt play well or we didnt shoot well, but we made the Eastern Conference finals, so we definitely did something right.With DeRozan back, a healthier DeMarre Carroll and the addition of Jared Sullinger to the frontcourt, Lowry promises things will be different next time around.That wont happen again, trust me. I promise you that, he said. Going through all that made me stronger. I learned from it and Im a better player for it. Last season is still raw, but now we have to take the next step and continue to get better and not be satisfied. ' ' ' 
  • Created: Sep 21 '19
  • Admin: chenwen
chenwen
chenwen
Male 34
Activity: Oct 18 '19