Dein erstes Forum » East.Weve really been doomed by our starts, def

SALVADOR, Brazil -- Diego Forlan celebrated his 100th appearance for Uruguay in style, setting up one goal then scoring the winner in a 2-1 victory over Nigeria on Thursday to move his team within sight of the Confederations Cup semifinals. Forlans decisive goal came in the 51st minute with a sweetly-struck left-footed drive, when he finished off a swift counterattack that involved all three of the South American champions forwards, starting with Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani. Malaga defender Diego Lugano put Uruguay ahead in the 19th following a cross from Forlan and Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel equalized for Nigeria in the 37th. "(Forlan) is a top striker with the way he uses both feet and the way he handles the ball," Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez said. "He showcased that talent tonight." Uruguay and Nigeria are level with three points each in Group B but Uruguay will be expected to win its next match against underdog Tahiti while Nigeria faces World Cup holder Spain. "Since the draw we knew that this was the huge match to play," Tabarez said. "We have taken a huge step toward the semifinals but were not there yet." Spain, which routed Tahiti 10-0 earlier Thursday, leads the group with a full six points, while Tahiti is last with none. However, Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi wasnt giving up yet. "Everything is achievable," he said. "It depends how bad you want it." At the Arena Fonte Nova on a warm and humid evening, the sparse crowd supported Nigeria, or rather rooted against Brazils southern neighbour Uruguay. Nigeria relied on long balls while Uruguay relied on a more deliberate approach. The 34-year-old Forlan won the Golden Ball trophy as the best player at the 2010 World Cup when Uruguay finished fourth and he rekindled some of that form in this match. For the opening goal, Forlan crossed toward the centre of the area and Edinson Cavani fooled Nigerias defence by letting the ball pass through his legs to the waiting Lugano, who slotted it in from close range. However, Lugano struggled at the other end and Mikel dribbled by him to launch a powerful shot into the top of the net to draw Nigeria level. Suarez started off the action that led to the winner by taking the ball near midfield then passed it across to Cavani who flicked it on to Forlan for an angled shot inside the area. It was Forlans 34th goal for Uruguay, moving him one ahead of Suarez into the squads all-time lead. Tabarez had considered removing Forlan from the lineup for this match but he played from the start as the 1 in an offensive 3-4-1-2 lineup behind Cavani and Suarez. "We had never played with the three strikers this way," Tabarez said. "Our intention from the outset was very clear. We played in Nigerias half at the start but then Nigeria turned the tables. At halftime we decided we needed to take over supremacy again. It wasnt showy football. We had to work hard." Keshi cited a lapse in concentration on Forlans goal. "Im very impressed with what my boys did," he said. "The difference was that Uruguays team has been together for six years vs. ours has been together for a year and a half. So I hope we can sustain this performance and add a little bit of personality." Nigeria opened the tournament by beating Tahiti 6-1 while Spain beat Uruguay 2-1. In the final round of group matches Sunday, Nigeria faces Spain in Fortaleza and Uruguay meets Tahiti in Recife. Nigeria, which nearly didnt show up at the tournament after players threatened a strike last week over bonuses, risks going home early Tytus Howard Youth Jersey .B. - Sebastien Auger made 44 saves as the Saint John Sea Dogs edged the visiting Acadie-Bathurst Titan 2-1 on Saturday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. J.J. Watt Jersey . 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The quest begins with what is supposed to be an easy one, although Germany has traditionally been a stubborn opponent to Canadian teams at international tournaments. RALEIGH, N.C. -- To finally make the playoffs again, the Carolina Hurricanes know they need a strong start to the season.That sense of urgency was in the air at their first practice.It all starts right now, center Andrej Nestrasil said Friday.The Hurricanes began preseason camp with a focus on ending the season much later than they usually do: Carolina hasnt made the playoffs since 2009, the longest active streak in the Eastern Conference.The results show that were heading in the right direction, and I feel like we have a good enough team to make the playoffs this year, Nestrasil said. The thing last year is, we didnt start on time ... so if we can start on time this year, itd be awesome.Not surprisingly, the emphasis on the first day of training camp was speed -- with pucks and skaters zipping around the ice in what forward Jordan Staal called crispy play as opposed to past first practices that he described as clunky.The Hurricanes hope that will continue to apply once they start playing games that count, beginning with the opener Oct. 13 at Winnipeg.In recent years, it hasnt -- and its a major reason why theyve missed seven straight postseasons. Carolina won just eight of its first 25 games in 2015-16, and the year before was just 10-23-4 in the first three months.And while last years group staged a late push for the postseason -- earning points in 12 of the 14 games after the trade deadline -- the hole created by those earrly-season struggles ultimately was too much to overcome.ddddddddddddCarolina finished in sixth place in the Metropolitan Division with 86 points, 10 points behind the Philadelphia team that claimed the No. 8 seed in the East.Weve really been doomed by our starts, defenseman Ron Hainsey said. At least the last two years in a row, where we were in a position come Jan. 1 to make up a lot of ground ... where the ground you have to make up, its really kind of unrealistic to make it up.Its a small line, and really, the first two months of the season can set up the last four months, depending on how it goes, he added. So its important that everybodys ready to go.Perhaps nobody was more ready to go than Nestrasil, who missed the final two months of last season after breaking a vertebra in his back in February. He was the only player in a yellow, no-contact jersey during practice but said he hopes to shed that for a regular jersey soon.To be honest, Im not even excited anymore -- I just want to get it out of the way, Nestrasil said with a laugh. This has been such a long process, and Ive been waiting for such a long time that I just want to play games and I just want to get into it.---Follow Joedy McCreary at http://twitter.com/joedyap. His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/joedy-mccreary ' ' '