Dein erstes Forum » aoki went 2 for 3 against Kazmir, raising his

BARCELONA, Spain - Neymars two-goal performance to help knock Atletico Madrid out of the Copa del Rey showed why Barcelona spared no expense to win the bidding war for the young Brazil striker.With his hard-to-match speed and quick dribbling, Neymar scored from two counterattacks started by Lionel Messi to lead Barcelona to a 3-2 win and into the semifinals on a 4-2 aggregate score on Wednesday.Neymar had an outstanding performance, said Barcelona coach Luis Enrique. He is daring. He provides us with so many things with his goals and his ability to challenge on the dribble.Last season, Neymars first goal in Barcelonas burgundy-and-blue came against Atletico to give Barcelona the Spanish Super Cup, its only title from a disappointing campaign.Now, his 20th and 21st goals of the season have put Barcelona one step closer to another cup final. Only Messi has scored more for Barcelona with 31 goals this season.Barcelona sports daily SPORT splashed the headline Neys Cup on Thursdays front page.The 22-year-old strikers swashbuckling style, however, left no one indifferent.Atletico players bickered with Neymar during the match and openly complained about him afterward.Neymar and Fernando Torres had to be separated after tempers flared as they held a heated argument while leaving Vicente Calderon pitch at halftime. Atletico midfielder Gabi Fernandez earned a second booking during the break for arguing with the referee, and he didnt mince words about Neymar.He has a peculiar way of playing, above all when he is ahead, said Gabi. He always makes gestures that are annoying when he is winning.The signing of Neymar from Brazilian club Santos in June 2013 brought Barcelona plenty of problems. A lawsuit filed by one of its club members over the cost of the transfer led to club president Sandro Rosell resigning in January 2014.Barcelona then paid 13.55 million euros ($18.6 million) to Spanish tax authorities to cover any potential irregularities in its signing of Neymar — which initially cost 57.1 million euros ($74 million).The club has suffered increasing instability since then, and this month new president Josep Bartomeu announced early elections this summer.That said, the benefits of teaming up Messi with Neymar are undeniable.After a season of adjusting to the more physical Spanish league, Neymar has developed into a perfect partner for Messi.Less than a month ago Barcelona had entered crisis mode following a loss at Real Sociedad and the firing of its sports director. Luis Enrique looked like he could be the next to go.But Messi and Neymar have led Barcelona on a seven-game winning streak, including three victories over Atletico, the defending Spanish league champion. Neymar has scored seven times in that stretch.Luis Enrique defended Neymars playing style.Neymars attitude is what it is. He is a player with a lot of self-confidence, the coach said. Thats how he plays. He understands football that way. He likes to challenge opponents with his dribbling. Nobody will change him, and we like to see him that way.Barcelona will face either Villarreal or Getafe in the semifinals. It will also try and catch Real Madrid, one point ahead in the league, and prepare for its Champions League tie against Manchester City next month. Joe Montana Youth Jersey . The actual winners on transfer deadline day are those clubs such as Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City who were well prepared and managed to get their main incoming business done well ahead of the transfer window closing. Tottenham were able to add seven players by spending over 100 million pounds and also ensured maximum return for the Gareth Bale transfer to Real Madrid by managing the move superbly. Tony Gonzalez Jersey . The Mavericks were not going to let San Antonio beat them with 3-pointers, and they did not want Tony Parker using the lane as his personal playground. http://www.thechiefsshoponline.com/Youth-Anthony-Sherman-Chiefs-Jersey/ . With a win tonight, Buehrle will match Yankees ace Masahiro Tanaka for the most wins in the majors with 11. Buehrle is 10-4 with a 2.32 earned run average, but has lost his last three starts, including a 7-3 setback at Yankee Stadium last Wednesday. Marcus Allen Womens Jersey . -- When the Los Angeles Kings are on top of their formidable defensive game, they revel in the silence they can create in a frustrated road arena. Tony Gonzalez Chiefs Jersey . Particularly when speaking in the stadium of Tuesdays opponent: Manchester City. "Maybe they dont fear us as before," Pique said on Monday, "because in the last two years we didnt win the Champions League.KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The crowd roared as Jason Vargas emerged from the dugout for the ninth inning, the Kansas City Royals trying to hold onto a 3-0 lead over the Oakland Athletics in a matchup of playoff hopefuls. Five pitches later, the crowd roared even louder. Vargas finished off his three-hitter with a flourish, breezing through the As for his sixth career shutout. It was the second shutout by Kansas City starters in the past week and the third complete game over that stretch, a big reason why the Royals are leading the AL Central. "Thats what we want to do if we want to keep playing," said Vargas, who was making just his third start since going on the disabled list for an emergency appendectomy. Vargas (9-5) retired the final 23 batters he faced, helping the Royals bounce back from having an eight-game winning streak snapped. They maintained their half-game lead over Detroit. "If its the first pitch or sixth pitch, youve got to be ready for contact for a pitch to show up in your area," said Josh Donaldson, who had one of the As three hits. "He did a good job of keeping us off balance all night." Omar Infante hit a two-run homer and Salvador Perez drove in the other run off Scott Kazmir (13-5), who lost to Kansas City for the second time in 10 days. Vargas allowed four runs over 4 1-3 innings against Oakland in his first start off the disabled list, and two runs over five innings against San Francisco his last time out. But on a mild evening at the K, he looked like the dominant left-hander of earlier this season. Mixing his pitches and catching the corners, Vargas wiggled out of a jam in the first inning and gave up a single leading off the second before muzzling Oakland the rest of the way. Vargas needed only 92 pitches over eight innings, so manager Ned Yost sent him out for the ninth rather than turn it over to All-Star closer Greg Holland. Five pitches later, he had his first shutout since last September, when he beat Oakland 3-0 as a member of the Angels. "He got back to being how he was," Yost said. Meanwhile, the Royals were giving Vargas moore than enough offence.dddddddddddd After leaving runners on the corners in the first, Kansas City broke through in the third when Nori Aoki cracked a one-out single and Infante sent a 2-0 pitch into the left-field bullpen. It was his sixth homer of the season and his first since June 27. The Royals left another runner on third in the fourth, but managed to manufacture a run in the fifth. Christian Colon led off with a single, Aoki laid down a sacrifice bunt and Infante managed to beat the throw on an infield single before Perez hit a lazy sacrifice fly to right field. Kazmir wound up allowing seven hits and a walk over seven innings. "You just have to keep after it," As manager Bob Melvin said. "At times, youre going to get well-pitched games against you and today was one of those. I dont think our approach was any worse today than it was yesterday. It was counteracted by a guy that pitched a great game." TURN OUT THE LIGHTS The game lasted 2 hours, 6 minutes, the shortest for Kansas City since Sept. 10, 2011. LEFTY HUNTER Aoki went 2 for 3 against Kazmir, raising his average to .358 against left-handers this season. Kansas City is also 29-9 in games in which he scores. AS SHUTOUTS Oakland has been shut out six times this season, twice by the Royals. The Rangers Martin Perez and the Tigers Rick Porcello have thrown shutouts. TRAINERS ROOM Athletics: SS Jed Lowrie remained in the lineup despite a fractured right index finger. ... 1B Kyle Blanks (calf strain) planned to play at Triple-A Sacramento on Wednesday as he rehabs. Royals: 1B Eric Hosmer will have an X-ray Thursday on the broken bone in his right hand to determine whether he is ready to start rehabbing it. Hes been out since July 31. UP NEXT Athletics: Jeff Samardzija makes his second career appearance against Kansas City, the first a relief appearance in a 3-2 loss on Jun 25, 2011, when he was still with the Cubs. Royals: James Shields is coming off his first shutout with the Royals, a 5-0 win over San Francisco. He carried a shutout into the sixth in a win over Oakland on Aug. 3. ' ' '