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BRATISLAVA, Slovakia -- Mark Stone scored his tournament-leading eighth goal, Matt Murray made 39 saves, and Canada beat the Czech Republic 5-1 on Saturday to advance to face Finland in the world hockey championship final.
"I think we can beat anybody in this tournament,'' Stone said. "It's just a matter of whether we play well or not. We're going to have to bring our best game to beat [Finland], but I'm comfortable with the team that we have.''
In the first semifinal, Marko Anttila scored midway through the third period in Finland's 1-0 victory over Russia.
Darnell Nurse, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Kyle Turris and Thomas Chabot also scored for Canada.
"I think as a team we're just thankful for the opportunity,'' Murray said. "One, to be here and play for our country, and now to get this opportunity to play for gold. It's very exciting, and that's what we're here for.''
Tomas Zohorna scored for the Czechs.
"The score was 5-1, but it felt closer than that,'' Dubois said. "The Czechs played a really good game. They did a lot of good things. I thought we defended well as a unit of five. We didn't give them a lot. Murray was really good when we made mistakes, and that's what made the difference.''
Canada has won eight straight games since opening with a 3-1 loss to Finland. The teams last met in the final in 2016 in Moscow, with Canada winning 2-1. The title game is Sunday.
In the first semifinal, Anttila grabbed the loose puck after Henri Jokiharju's point shot bounced off defenseman Nikita Zaitsev's leg and fired it through goalie Andrei Vasilevski's five-hole.
"He took a stick in the face and came back and scored the game-winning goal,'' Finnish goalie Kevin Lankinen said. "That shows a lot of character. He's a good leader and a really nice guy to be around.''
Lankinen made 32 saves for his second shutout of the tournament.
"We've believed in ourselves all tournament,'' Lankinen said. "I don't know if anybody else has, but the way we're playing, we can beat any team in this tournament. I like to think we've got one more win left in us.''
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Thanks to a third-round 69, Kevin Na will take a two-shot lead over five players into the final round of the Charles Schwab Challenge. Here’s where things stand through 54 holes at Colonial:
Leaderboard: Na (-9), Mackenzie Hughes (-7), C.T. Pan (-7), Jordan Spieth (-7), Jim Furyk (-7), Tony Finau (-7), Charley Hoffman (-6), Austin Cook (-6)
What it means: Playing one of the “seven or eight” courses on which he believes he can contend, Na is 18 holes from his third PGA Tour victory. Having gone seven years between Tour titles Nos. 1 and 2, Na is just 10 months removed from his win last July at The Greenbrier. He has fired rounds of 62 or better in three of his last seven rounds at Colonial, including a course-record 61 in the final round last year. He’ll try to hold off five players tied for second place, two back. Spieth is the 2016 champ looking for his first win in nearly two years, since the 2017 Open. Finau is hunting his second Tour title in a brief career that has included 4 runner-ups and 28 total top-10s. Furyk finished second to Rory McIlroy earlier this year at The Players and is at age 49 trying to capture his 18th career victory. Pan broke through for his first win last month in Hilton Head. Hughes was the winner of a five-way playoff at Sea Island back in 2016.
Round of the day: Charley Hoffman poured in seven birdies during a bogey-free 63 to move to 6 under for the week, three back. Hoffman is third this week in proximity to the hole. Only Spieth (16) has made more birdies at Colonial than Hoffman (15).
Best of the rest: Hughes and Cook both signed for 65. Hughes was mistake-free, despite hitting only 11 of 18 greens, going 7-for-7 scrambling.
Biggest disappointment: The 36-hole leader, Jonas Blixt will start Sunday four back after a Saturday 74. He opened with a bogey and added three more to a card that didn't include a birdie.
Shot of the day: Francesco Molinari’s tee ball at the par-3 fourth, from 216 yards to 7 inches:
The reigning champion golfer of the year is 1 over for the week following rounds of 71-70-70.
Quote of the day: “I was disturbed by a fan a little bit [on 13], but [caddie Kenny Harms] yelled at her. I almost felt bad for the lady. She was shocked.” – Na, laughing
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Perhaps trying to force the issue, having gone 15 holes without a birdie, Tony Finau hit it a little too far on Colonial Country Club's par-4 18th Saturday.
Sailing his drive over the trees on the left, Finau first found the fairway but then found the water when his 344-yard tee shot rolled into the pond left of the green.
"I was extremely surprised," Finau said. "I couldn’t believe it went that far. Pulled it, and it almost feels like the trees should have gotten in the way and slowed it down."
Finau wedged up to 7 feet but was unable to save his par, tapping in for bogey and a round of 1-over 71 that included a just one birdie, at the par-4 second. Finau had made 12 straight pars and was solo second, just one behind leader Kevin Na, when he bogeyed 18.
He'll start Sunday two back, looking for his second Tour victory, having recorded four runner-ups and 13 top-10s in the last two seasons.
"I hit it good off the tee, gave myself some looks, just wasn't able to make them fall," he said. "But again, it played tough out there, as the scores have shown. I just kind of grinded my teeth out there and made pars when I needed to and we’ve got a shot at this thing tomorrow."
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Spieth, two back, valuing process over results: 'I don't need to win'
Published in
Golf
Saturday, 25 May 2019 11:36
Jordan Spieth hasn't won since the 2017 Open Championship.
And as much as he'd like to end the drought Sunday at Colonial, he doesn't "need" to. He's content to go out there and — to borrow a phrase from Joel Embiid — trust his process.
Seven under for the week, Spieth will begin the final round of the Charles Schwab Challenge in a five-way tie for second, two behind 54-hole leader Kevin Na.
He's in position to put on the plaid jacket for a second time thanks to his performance on the greens and in spite of everything else. Spieth leads the field in strokes gained: putting, but he's hit just 17 of 42 fairways. He's last in the field among players who made the cut in proximity to the hole, at 45 feet, 8 inches.
Spieth has spent much of the last 18 months battling himself, working to recapture the form that netted him three majors and 11 PGA Tour wins in four years. Once again confident with his putter, he's trying to round out the rest of his game.
"I have complete confidence in what we’re doing," he said after his third-round 68. "It’s just a matter of going out at trusting it. There’s no reason not to trust it. I don’t need to finish high. I don’t need to win. There’s no reason for me not to trust every swing tomorrow."
If he is going to end his winless drought, he'll have to find a few more fairways. He hit just 4 of 14 Saturday and not a single one after the 11th hole.
"Well, there’s a spot to miss off the tee on each side, and what the stats don’t show is the four or five first cuts I was in, which I count as a fairway out here, so it’s not that far off," he said.
After making the turn in 3 under, Spieth didn't card a birdie over his last 11 holes, finishing with 10 pars and a lone bogey at the par-4 17th.
"This golf course will yield less fairways hit than just about any other one on Tour, so I’m not really worried about the numbers. But I do need to find more [fairways], especially from 12 in. I didn’t hit a fairway from 12 in today, and so you’re just not going to have any birdie looks if that’s the case. Certainly, closing tomorrow, it’d be nice to be playing out of the short grass."
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Na, after caddie yells at fan: 'She's going to pee in her pants'
Published in
Golf
Saturday, 25 May 2019 12:02
Kevin Na was cruising along at 10 under par Saturday when he — and caddie Kenny Harms — came briefly unglued at the par-5 11th.
Playing what seemed like a fairly straightforward layup from a fairway bunker, Na's second shot hit the lip and bounded out into the fairway, leaving him 287 yards to the pin.
Trying after his third shot to save his par from the front bunker, Na bladed his fourth over the green and immediately reacted in disgust. CBS announcers suggested a cell phone had gone off during his swing. Playing his fifth from over the back, he left his chip short of the putting surface and needed two more shots for his double bogey-7.
"Yeah, there was a fan distraction let's call it," Na said after the round. "Kenny being Kenny, he went off on her. He was screaming at her, and he has every right to do so. [But] I felt bad for the lady.
"I was upset at first, and then I saw the lady's face, and I was like, 'Oh, my God. She's going to pee in her pants.' So I said, 'Come on, Kenny. Let's forget about it. Let's just go.'"
Na looked ready to unravel when he sniped his drive into the trees at 12. But he steadied himself with a scrambling par and made up one of his lost shots with a key birdie at 13.
Five more pars and he was in the clubhouse, the leader by two at 9 under.
Na said earlier this week that there's really only "seven or eight" courses on Tour that give him a chance to win. Colonial is certainly one of them. Over the last two years, Na boasts a 66.7 scoring average at the Charles Schwab Challenge. He's the only player in PGA Tour history to have three rounds of 62 or lower at Colonial, and he co-owns the course record of 61.
"It’s a golf course where everyone hits their tee shot in the same spot, whether it’s an iron or a driver," he said. "It’s more of a second-shot-and-in golf course, and I feel like I’m a really good player from the fairway in. My strokes gained: off the tee has never been that great over the years. And that’s just me. I get better as I get closer to the green, and this is a golf course you need to get better as you get closer to the green."
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Brian Fernandez scored twice in his first MLS start as the Portland Timbers completed their season-opening 12-game road stretch with a 3-1 victory against the Philadelphia Union on Saturday night.
Diego Valeri scored an insurance goal in the 87th minute for the Timbers (4-6-2, 14 points), who are spending the first three months of the season on the road while their home stadium is undergoing renovations. Portland finished the trip with a flourish, going 4-1-1 in its past five matches after an 0-5-1 start.
Kacper Przybylko got the lone goal for the Union (7-4-3, 24 points), who fell one point behind D.C. United -- who drew with New England on Saturday -- for first place in the Eastern Conference.
Fernandez, a 24-year-old Argentine who just arrived from Mexican club Necaxa for a reported seven-figure transfer fee, also scored in his Timbers debut after coming on as a second-half substitute May 15 in a 1-1 draw at Houston.
Fernandez scored twice in a five-minute span in the first half, giving the Timbers a 2-0 half-time lead.
On the first goal, in the 31st minute, Andy Polo's cross from the right wing found Fernandez behind a defender at the far post, and he put a header into the back of the net before Union goalkeeper Andre Blake could scurry across the netmouth.
In the 36th minute, Fernandez created a 3-on-1 with some nifty dribbling near midfield. He passed to Valeri on the left wing, who fed Diego Chara on the opposite wing. Chara dribbled into the penalty area, where he dropped off a pass for Fernandez in the center of the field, and his 12-yarder found an open net.
The Union pulled within 2-1 in the 47th minute, as Przybylko took a cross from Fabrice-Jean Picault and nearly whiffed on a shot from less than 5 yards. The left-footed strike glanced off Przybylko's right leg, bounced off the left post and spun over the goal line as Timbers goalie Steve Clark was left flat-footed.
Valeri capped the victory on a give-and-go with Sebastian Blanco, blasting a low shot from 25 yards just inside the right post.
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Barca's Valverde unfazed by Copa loss: 'I feel fine'
Published in
Soccer
Saturday, 25 May 2019 17:36
SEVILLA, Spain -- Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu says Ernesto Valverde should not carry the blame for the surprise Copa del Rey final defeat to Valencia, while the coach insists he feels "fine" despite his side's disastrous end to the season.
Barca wrapped up a fourth league title in five years in April but have seen their hopes of winning the Treble go up in smoke over the last 19 days. They gave up a three-goal lead in their Champions League semifinal against Liverpool on May 7, losing 4-0 at Anfield in the second leg, and then lost the Spanish cup final to underdogs Valencia, 2-1, on Saturday.
- Marsden: Valverde must take blame for Copa humiliation
Bartomeu and team captain Lionel Messi gave their support to Valverde after the debacle at Liverpool and the president says that the club's stance will not change following the failure to beat Valencia.
"Valverde has a contract, he's the coach," Bartomeu told Spanish television. "The [Valencia] defeat is not the manager's fault. We had a lot of chances but the ball wouldn't go in. Sometimes you have all the shots, but what counts is scoring goals."
Valverde declined to answer a journalist asking him if his "credit has run out" as Barca coach after recent results, but did confirm he's keen to continue to lead the team forward.
"I feel fine," Valverde said in a news conference. "When you win, obviously you feel much better, much happier -- but this is a different feeling to [Liverpool], even though we've lost again.
"We have not been able to fulfill the expectations that we've created throughout the season. A month ago, we celebrated the La Liga title thinking about winning a Treble and we've been knocked off that path at the decisive moment. We're here to win trophies, nothing else.
"But I am fine, I am fine [...] When managers lose, we always want to make amends and turn things around. There is no doubt about that. I know losing is tough. Something was lacking. That responsibility [I have] is difficult, but you have to accept it."
Regardless of what happens with Valverde, changes are expected at Camp Nou this summer. The club have already confirmed the signing of Ajax's Frenkie de Jong and sources have confirmed to ESPN FC that they remain interested in his teammate Matthijs de Ligt and Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann.
"We've been thinking about next season for a while now, but it's not the moment to explain what will happen," Bartomeu added. "There are always new signings, but now is not the moment to talk about it.
"Every year, new players come in. So far we have confirmed De Jong's signing and now we will work on bringing in others and moving some players on, as is the case every summer. Now is not the moment to do anything, though."
Messi's second-half goal wasn't enough to get Barca back into the game against a Valencia side who led 2-0 at half-time thanks to efforts from Kevin Gameiro and Rodrigo.
The loss saw the Catalans miss out on back-to-back domestic doubles, while the 30-time Copa del Rey winners also passed up the chance to win the competition for a fifth successive season, something never previously done in Spain.
"I wouldn't say the season's been a failure, but it's not been excellent, either," Bartomeu admitted. "Each year, we want to get to the final stage of the campaign with the best chance of winning everything and in the end we've lost two games, at Anfield and here, and we've missed out on two titles."
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Wayne Rooney scored a late penalty to earn D.C. United a draw with New England after keeper Matt Turner took him out earlier in the match.on Saturday night.
Rooney scored his eighth goal of the season after the penalty was awarded due to a hand ball in the Revolution box.
Midfielder Juan Agudelo scored in the 61st minute for New England. The Revolution (3-8-4, 13 points) played the last 43 minutes -- 34 regulation, nine stoppage -- with 10 men after keeper Matt Turner took Rooney out.
Mike Lapper served as Revolution interim coach for the third straight game. Recently hired Bruce Arena will take over coaching duties early next week.
New England is 1-0-2 over the three games, allowing just two goals during the stretch after giving up 30 in its first 12 matches.
D.C. (7-4-4, 25 points) moved into first place in the Eastern Conference, one point ahead of the Philadelphia Union, who lost 3-1 to Portland.
D.C. United took 21 shots, with five being on target. Only two of New England's 14 shots were on goal.
Agudelo's goal came five minutes after a red card left the Revolution playing with just 10 men. Midfielder Cristian Penilla had possession on the left flank and he sent the ball into the box to Agudelo, who easily headed it past D.C. goalkeeper Bill Hamid.
New England lost goalkeeper Matt Turner to a red card in the 56th minute when he crashed into Rooney. That left the Revolution playing a man down for the remainder of the contest.
Rooney was chasing a ball toward the box and Turner was initially slow to move forward before closing ground, leaping and aggressively crashing into Rooney, who was attended to for a couple minutes before getting up.
Brad Knighton entered as goalkeeper and his welcome was seeing Rooney line up for a free kick at the top of the box. Rooney sent a blistering right-footed shot on goal and Knighton was up to the challenge and made the stop with his left hand.
New England didn't have a shot on goal in the first half but had a major opportunity in the second minute of the second half.
Cristian Penilla sent a slow-moving pass from the left to the right and defender Brandon Bye approached to unleash a powerful right-footed blast that was stopped by Hamid.
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SEVILLE, Spain -- Barcelona missed the chance to end the season with the double as they went down to a surprise, 2-1 defeat against Valencia in the Copa del Rey final on Saturday at the Benito Villamarin. The result will lead to more questions about Ernesto Valverde's future despite the backing he received from Lionel Messi and other players ahead of this game.
Valencia raced into a two-goal lead in the first half through strikes from Kevin Gameiro and Rodrigo. Barca rallied after the break and pulled a goal back through Messi but were unable to complete the comeback, missing out on the chance to win the cup for a historic fifth successive year. Valencia, instead, won their first trophy since 2008.
Positives
There weren't many. Malcom's impact off the bench was one. Some may also suggest losing was a positive: There's an argument that Messi's brilliance has papered over the cracks for too long now. This loss, which comes so soon after the humiliating Champions League collapse at Liverpool, could well lead to a summer shake-up.
Negatives
The first-half performance was horrid. Messi said on Friday that it's unacceptable for this Barca team to fail to compete with their opponent, but that's exactly what happened here. There was a long list of bad performances: Semedo, Arthur, Ivan Rakitic, Philippe Coutinho. Not many players will escape criticism after this.
Manager Rating out of 10
4 -- Valverde got it wrong with his initial lineup once again, as he did in Rome last year and at Anfield earlier this month. He left Messi isolated in attack, and there was no pace. He did react at half-time, but it was too late. Questions will now flood in surrounding his future.
Player ratings (1-10; 10=best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
GK Jasper Cillessen, 6 -- Could do little about either of the Valencia goals but simply doesn't offer the presence back there that Marc-Andre ter Stegen does. This may well have been Cillessen's last game for the club ahead of a summer move.
DF Nelson Semedo, 4 -- Recovered from a knock to the head last weekend but lasted only the first half. The opening goal came down his flank, and he didn't do enough to track Rodrigo's run for Valencia's second. Paid the price by being removed by Valverde at half-time.
DF Gerard Pique, 6 -- One of the few Barca players that did seem to play with real heart. Made a brilliant, goal-line clearance from Rodrigo and a couple of other key interventions at the back. Also looked to drive forward with the ball whenever possible.
DF Clement Lenglet, 5 -- A second successive cup final defeat after forming part of the Sevilla side that was drubbed by Barca last season. Started the evening with a misplaced pass, was spared a Valencia goal by Pique but struggled to find his best football from then on.
DF Jordi Alba, 5 -- The left-back made his 300th appearance for the Catalans, but it was a milestone to forget. For some reason, he insisted on crossing the ball despite Barca's lack of presence in the box. Was also roasted for pace by Soler for the second Valencia goal.
MF Sergio Busquets, 6 -- The pick of the Barca midfield, which hasn't happened often this season. Made some key interceptions and started some decent moves. Was booked for a late challenge on Rodrigo just outside the box.
MF Ivan Rakitic, 5 -- Kicked some water bottles when he was taken off in the second half out of frustration at being unable to deliver on the pitch. Save a loose shot straight at Jaume just before the break, he did not offer enough going forward.
MF Arthur Melo, 4 -- Didn't do enough to justify his selection ahead of Arturo Vidal. Was too slow and predictable in the final third having just returned from an injury and was substituted after 45 minutes.
FW Sergi Roberto, 5 -- Didn't offer enough protection for Semedo in the first half before dropping back in the second half to right-back, where he gave the ball away and struggled to keep his position.
FW Lionel Messi, 7 -- Completely let down by his teammates. Was a menace every time he got the ball, but Valencia were often able to deal to him due to the lack of a presence elsewhere in attack. Despite that, still forced Jaume into several saves, hit the post with after an amazing solo run and strike, and then got the goal that gave Barca life inside the last 20 minutes.
FW Philippe Coutinho, 4 -- Another limp performance in attack. A couple of efforts were either deflected or easily saved as he failed to end a disappointing season on a high.
Substitutes
FW Malcom, 7 -- Made positive impact off the bench at the break. Ran at Valencia, won free kicks in dangerous areas and set up chances for Pique and Messi. Hasn't had enough chances this season.
MF Arturo Vidal, 6 -- Didn't offer his best performance but added something Barca had been lacking: a presence in the box. Was a willing runner between the lines but missed the best chance which fell his way.
MF Carles Alena, NR -- Came on for the final 15 minutes in place of Rakitic to offer a more attacking threat from midfield.
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McNabb still stumping: 'I am a Hall of Famer'
Published in
Breaking News
Saturday, 25 May 2019 06:07
Former NFL quarterback Donovan McNabb continues to be of the belief that he deserves to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
"Absolutely," McNabb told TMZ Sports. "I'm not hesitating on that. I am a Hall of Famer. My numbers speak for itself. ... My numbers are better than Troy Aikman, but he has Super Bowl rings and he's played with Hall of Famers as well."
It is not the first time that McNabb has said he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame and has compared his numbers to those of Aikman, the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback who won three Super Bowls.
McNabb spent 11 of his 13 NFL seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles. In 167 career games, he completed 59 percent of his 5,374 pass attempts for 37,276 yards and 234 touchdowns.
By comparison, Aikman threw for 32,942 yards and 165 touchdowns.
McNabb was asked again if his statistics were good enough to warrant Hall of Fame induction and why he thought it hasn't happened.
"When they look at my numbers, yeah," McNabb told TMZ Sports, "but then they always want to add other stuff into it. 'Was he an All-Pro? Was he this? How many Super Bowl opportunities?' But people don't realize how hard it is to get to the NFC Championship. And to get there five times, then make it to a Super Bowl? It's tough."
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