he end of November before various injuries and suspensions k

[lw789]

SAO PAULO, Brazil -- Reduced to 10 men for over half the match, Belgium still beat South Korea 1-0 on Thursday to finish atop of Group H and eliminate the last ......................................... team from the World Cup. With a late goal yet again, Belgium made the difference in the 78th minute when defender Jan Vertonghen followed up a shot from teenage striker Divock Origi and tapped in the rebound past goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu. "We knew all games were going to be tough," said Belgium coach Marc Wilmots. "But even with 10 men, we still pushed forward. These guys are really hungry." After three narrow victories and precious little beautiful play, Belgium will now play the United States in Salvador on Tuesday. "Mission accomplished," said Wimots. And along with Iran, Japan and Australia, South Korea departed as the last team from the ......................................... federation, all in the first round. Algeria finished second in the group after a 1-1 draw with Russia -- a result that meant South Korea needed a four-goal win to advance. They never came close. "All of our players did their utmost. They gave it their all but I think that it was my shortcoming, my failing as a coach that caused this result," said coach Hong Myung-Bo. The former captain of the 2002 team which reached the semifinals did not offer his resignation, though. South Korea did not go without a strong fight, landing the ball on Belgiums crossbar on the hour-mark and testing standout goalie Thibaut Courtois with several shots afterward. Yet even with a man up, the Koreans could never pressure Belgium enough to find an opening and paid the price. For scorer Vertonghen it was a bit of redemption after he caused the penalty against Algeria in the opener which forced Belgium into late histrionics to come back and claw out a 2-1 victory. "I really felt bad after that but now only joy is left," he said. Belgium promised to play with flair in this tournament but is proving that its still a master at grinding out results. "It gives us so much confidence to get those nine points with only 10 men and prepare for the Americans in that mood," Vertonghen said. Having a goalie like Courtois does make it easier, especially as its defence was missing injured starters Vincent Kompany and Thomas Vermaelen. But the Belgians also proved they sorely lacked the creative skills of Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard, who were on the bench from the start. On the hour mark, South Korea came closest to scoring when Son Heung-min saw a cross float right onto the crossbar beyond the reach of Courtois. Belgium fielded four World Cup newcomers, but was reduced to three in the 45th minute when Steven Defour planted his studs, leg outstretched, into the shin of Kim Shin-wook. Australian referee Benjamin Williams didnt hesitate to pull out the red card. Earlier, the South Koreans almost scored around the half-hour mark. First, a long-distance drive from Ki Sung-yeung forced Courtois into a great diving save and, one minute later, Defour kicked a ball off the line in another goalmouth scramble. Mertens could have lifted the pressure off Belgium in the 25th minute he was left wide open eight meters out. He skied the ball over, immediately opening his ........ in disbelief at having missed such a chance. In the second half, South Korea brought on a second full striker in Lee Keun-ho for even more pressure. The Asians created a flurry of chances early in the second half, but either Courtois showed his class or the South Koreans lacked any precision. ------ Lineups: South Korea: Kim Seung-gyu; Lee Yong, Kim Young-gwon, Hong Jeong-ho, Yun Suk-young; Lee Chung-yong, Han Kook-young (Lee Keun-ho, 46th), Ki Sung-yueng, Son Heung-min (Ji Dong-won, 73rd); Koo Ja-cheol, Kim Shin-wook (Kim Bo-kyung, 66th). Belgium: Thibaut Courtois; Anthony Vanden Borre, Daniel Van Buyten, Nicolas Lombaerts, Jan Vertonghen; Steven Defour, Moussa Dembele, Dries Mertens (Divock Origi, 60th), Marouane Fellaini, Adnan Januzaj (Nacer Chadli, 60th); Kevin Mirallas (Eden Hazard, 88th). Cavaliers Jerseys China . -- Once again, Carlos Santana was a huge hit in Kansas City. Cheap Cavaliers Jerseys . The Rangers announced after Thursdays 4-2 loss to the New York Yankees that they would purchase Williams contract from Triple-A Round Rock. The 32-year-old Williams was released by Houston earlier this month after going 1-4 with a 6. http://www.cheapcavaliersjerseys.com/.C. -- Unable to get much lift off his sore right ankle, Bobcats centre Al Jefferson figured it was time to make an adjustment. Cavaliers Jerseys From China .com) - Novak Djokovic easily took care of Andy Murray to reach the final at the $2. Cheap Lebron James Jersey . Even if he is shooting 38 per cent from the field overall this season, the Utah Jazz rookie always feels like his final shot is going in.TORONTO - As many of his teammates departed for warm, sunny destinations over the Olympic break, David Clarkson decided to spend the majority of his time at home in Toronto, working to get himself in a position to finish what otherwise has been a forgettable season on the right foot. "Just at home with my daughter dressing up as a princess and bossing me around but I was home with the family, went away quickly, but was mainly just home with my wife and daughter," said Clarkson. Having already missed 21 of 60 games this season being in and out of the lineup due to two suspensions and two different injuries (foot and elbow), additional time off was the last thing Clarkson felt he needed. "I think Ive had enough of a break this year," he laughed, "but Im ready to go here to finish this season the right way." Instead of time off, Clarkson dedicated himself to a workout schedule in an effort to sustain the improvement in his play in the week leading up to the Olympic break. "Especially with the year, the way its gone for me, when you go through a tough time, sometimes youve got to dig deep and find a way to get back to work and try to stay healthy." So far, Clarksons off-ice work over the break has paid off, at least in the eyes of his head coach. "He worked out and maintained a high level of conditioning and its shown here during this mini camp," Randy Carlyle praised, singling Clarkson out after putting his team through another high tempo practice with a heavy emphasis on battle drills designed to ensure the team hits the ground running when they resume their schedule on Thursday night against the New York Islanders. Reunited with Nazem Kadri and Joffrey Lupul on a line in the second last game before the Olympic break in Tampa Bay, Carlyle was impressed with the trios performance against the Lightning and the following game against the Vancouver Canucks. The three had played together most recently for a couple of games at the end of November before various injuries and suspensions kept them apart.dddddddddddd "We think the combination of Kadri, Lupul and Clarkson have been a real strong force for us over the last little while and theres no reason to change that," said Carlyle. "We think they should be challenging the Bozak, Kessel and van Riemsdyk lines for minutes, offensive minutes." Likely more of a challenge than an expectation given the tear that the JVR-Bozak-Kessel unit was on heading into the break, an element of consistent production from that group would be welcomed to take some of the onus off the top line. Clarkson seems to be pleased with the chemistry developing among his linemates so far. "I think playing with those two, we made a lot of good plays," he said. "We were in the other teams zone, we were doing a lot and I think it was the healthiest Ive felt since coming back off the elbow (injury)." Signing a seven-year, $36.75 million deal to play in his hometown last summer, the expectations were high, probably too high to legitimately expect them to be met. At that price, production is expected in the range of 20 to 30 goals and 55-65 points. But Clarkson is not a player who will consistently reach those targets. He knows the criticism has been abundant. "In sports, I think you have to blank some stuff out whether its what people are saying or whats going on," said Clarkson. "As a player you go through ups and downs and its how you come out of it and how you handle it. You work hard through those times to get stronger and better." Finally healthy, a strong performance down the stretch could go a long way in helping to silence some of his critics and erase the disappointment of the first three quarters of the season. It promises to be tough, hard sprint to the finish and its type of hockey Clarkson wouldnt want any other way. "This is playoff hockey," he said, "the rest of the season is what its all about." Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '