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21	December 2019

t him flawless, at that point. He made 10 of 12 s

SALVADOR, Brazil -- The Netherlands thrashed the world champions 5-1 Friday in the World Cups first shocker, toying with an aging Spanish team that has dominated global football for the past six years and avenging a loss in the 2010 final. China Wholesale Nike Air Max 90 . Although Spain could still advance out of the group stage, the game may have signalled the end of the run by a generation of Spanish stars whose quick passing, "tiki-taka" style delighted the world and helped them win the last three major tournaments. Dutch strikers Robin Van Persie and Arjen Robben both scored twice, including Van Persies diving header off of an audacious 40-yard pass. The ball looped over hapless Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas as Van Persie slid on his stomach on the wet grass before running to the sidelines with his fists clenched to celebrate what is sure to be one of the goals of the tournament. Defender Stefan de Vrij also scored -- his first international goal -- in a dominating second half that had the orange-clad Dutch fans in Arena Fonte Nova on their feet the whole time. It was the worst loss for Spain in the games showcase tournament since a 6-1 defeat to Brazil in 1950. "This was a total disaster," said Spain striker Fernando Torres. "We need to focus on winning the next game." The victory was particularly sweet for Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal, who was criticized for his decision to play five defenders. He insisted the formation had attacking potential as well as nullifying Spains fluent passing game. It did. And then some. Spains ball-control offence usually has other teams frustratingly trying to gain possession. This time, the Dutch fans were roaring "Ole" as their team passed the ball around and Spain chased them. Spain lost its first match in South Africa four years ago on its way to the title, and it could salvage tournament hopes with wins against Chile and Australia. But finishing second in the group, means facing the winner of Brazils group in a knockout game. Van Persie credited Van Gaals tactics of defending hard and firing long passes to Robben and himself. "We trained that way. And this is definitely down to him," the Manchester United striker said of the coach who will take over at his club next season. "If you see how he prepared us, and how he predicted the game would go, and you see how it went -- unbelievable." Van Gaal, in turn, highlighted his forwards performances. "With strikers like Van Persie, Robben and Sneijder behind them, things like this can happen," the coach said. It all started so well for Spain, with Xabi Alonso converting a 27th minute penalty. But it went downhill fast after Van Persie tied the game with a header shortly before half time. He connected with a perfectly weighted long pass by Daley Blind, one of a new generation of Dutch defenders flourishing under Van Gaal. "Unbelievable," Van Persie said. "For the whole Netherlands, this is a dream come true." The Dutch starting lineup included Toronto-born midfielder Jonathan de Guzman, who played 62 minutes and earned a yellow card before being substituted for Georginio Wijnaldum. Spain, which won the 2010 final thanks to an Andres Iniesta extra-time goal, exerted most of the pressure in the first half of the rematch. But they had no answer once the Dutch went ahead and continually hit them on the break. The final goal came after Robben weaved around Casillas -- who was crawling on the grass in desperation -- and fired into the untended net. His double was sweet revenge for Robben, who had a late chance saved by Casillas in the Johannesburg final and has struggled to live it down. It was tough keeping track of the second-half barrage of Dutch goals. Robben scored in the 53rd minute, reaching high to control another long ball from Blind, cutting inside Gerard Pique and firing past Casillas. De Vrij -- was called for the first-half penalty -- bundled home a Sneijder free kick at the far post 11 minutes later, and Van Persie scored his second in the 72nd in a clinical display of counterattacking football. Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque sat stony faced on his bench at full time, while Van Gaal walked onto the pitch to hug his players. "This is a very delicate moment for us, and all of us have to find a way to solve it," Del Bosque said. In addition to the 2010 world title, Spain won the 2008 and 2012 European championships. While Spain now has to regroup for its match against Chile on June 18, the Netherlands has to come back down to earth and then refocus for the next match, against Australia. "We dont have anything yet. Weve made a pretty start," Van Gaal said. "If you beat Australia, then youve made a good start." Fake Air Max 1 For Sale . -- Andy Dorman and Kelyn Rowe scored in the second half to lead the New England Revolution to a 2-1 victory over Sporting Kansas City in the first leg of their Eastern Conference semifinals series on Saturday night. Wholesale Lebron James Shoes . Mike Ribeiro had a goal and an assist as Phoenix held on to snap a two-game losing streak with a 4-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Friday. http://www.wholesalenikeshoesclearance.com/cheap-max-97-shoes/fake-air-max-97-plus.html .In the Football Money League compiled by accountancy firm Deloitte, German champion Bayern Munich remained third but Barcelona dropped from second to fourth during its trophyless 2014.In the 2013-2014 financial year, Real generated 549.PHILADELPHIA -- Phoenixs locker room was turned into a makeshift cheese steak shop, Phillys favourite sandwich in the stall of every Sun. Markieff Morris and Marcus Morris, city natives, handled the catering for teammates that begged them for the tasty postgame feast. "Every time I come out, Ive got to make sure I take care of those guys," Markieff Morris said. "Ive got to show em what Philly is about." Philly sure did get a taste of what the Suns are about -- a high-energy offence that ran at full force for 48 minutes. Gerald Green scored 30 points and Goran Dragic had 24 to lead the Phoenix Suns to a 124-113 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night. There was no need for a Suns comeback in this one. They led wire-to-wire over the hapless Sixers, one night after rallying from an 18-point halftime deficit to win at Cleveland. "We were just trying to pick up where we left off in the second half," said Green, between bites of his cheese steak. "We just told ourselves today, we wanted to start off quicker than we have the last few games." Did they ever. The Suns made their first six shots and 10 of 11, racing to a 16-point lead. Green hit his first seven shots until he botched a fast-break dunk. Markieff Morris scored 13 points and had four blocks. The Suns blocked a season-high 12 shots. Green and Dragic, Phoenixs starting backcourt, combined to make 19 of 25 shots and the Suns shot around 60 per cent for most of the game. "Sometimes the guys come out and theyre tired or dont have the energy," Phoenix coach Jeff Hornacek said. "We had a lot of energy." The Suns (26-18) matched their season high for points and surpassed last seasons win total. They also improved to .500 on the road at 11-11. Michael Carter-Williams had 22 points and 11 assists for the Sixers, who have lost 10 of 12. The Suns picked up where they left off in Cleveland, when they held the Cavaliers to six points in the third quarter and outscored them 56-29 in the second half. They attacked the Sixers from all over the court, scoring in bunches on dunks, floaters and three-pointerss. Cheap Air Max 1 Wholesale. Sixers coach Brett Brown called a timeout 25 seconds into the game. Whatever he didnt like out of the Sixers, he couldnt fix. Green hit a three and Dragic connected on a 19-footer for a fast 36-20 lead. "We didnt come out the way we intended," Brown said. "We want to end this middle third being a better defensive team. We talk about it, we drill it, we show it. Weve got to find a better way to get that done." The Suns and Sixers were both expected to finish near the bottom of their conferences. After a 3-0 start, the Sixers crashed back to reality and are one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference. The surprising Suns have withstood the loss of Eric Bledsoe (knee) and positioned themselves as a playoff team in the Western Conference. The Suns took a 13-point lead into the fourth quarter and held off a minor Sixers run that whittled the score down to single digits. Green settled the Suns with a three-pointer that stretched the lead to 113-100 with 3:10 left. His fourth three of the game (on four attempts) sealed the win and the Suns cruised toward their fourth win in five games. Green could only laugh off the missed dunk that would have kept him flawless, at that point. He made 10 of 12 shots and had three blocks. "I like to make plays like that for a team," Green said. "That right there gives us juice. I thought that could have been a turning point in the game." Turned out, the blooper didnt really matter in the final score. Miles Plumlee had 14 points and 13 rebounds against a Sixers team that entered allowing an NBA-worst 109.5 points per game. P.J. Tucker scored 15. Evan Turner and Thaddeus Young both scored 21 points for the Sixers. "They came out and just made tough shots," Young said. NOTES: Young, Turner and Brown were all whistled for technical fouls. ... Former Temple star Dionte Christmas returned with the Suns. Christmas, a Philadelphia native, left about 50 tickets for friends and family. ... The Sixers have allowed 100-plus points in seven straight games. .. The Sixers went 25 of 26 from the free throw line. ' ' '