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BARCELONA, Spain -- Atletico Madrids turnaround under new coach Diego Simeone was highlighted by a first away victory in the Spanish league with a 4-0 rout of Real Sociedad thanks to Radamel Falcaos hat trick on Saturday. Greg Maddux Jersey . Atletico, unbeaten in three games under Simeone, caught a lacklustre Sociedad flatfooted in the opening moments of both halves to go up 2-0 as rain fell steadily on Anoeta Stadium. Falcao stroked home a spot kick to give the visitors the lead just three minutes in following Vadim Demidovs booking for a handball inside the area, and strike partner Adrian Lopez volleyed in his own rebound after Sociedad goalkeeper Claudio Bravo blocked his header in the 47th. Falcao then caught Bravo off his line with an exquisite chip shot from outside the area in the 83rd, and the former Porto star sealed Sociedads first loss in eight league fixtures with a goal in stoppage time by slicing in a pass from substitute Koke Resurreccion. "(Falcao) is very good at shaking his marker," Simeone said. "He adapts to any situation." The Colombia striker, who leads Atletico with 14 goals in league play this season, also scored twice in last weeks 3-0 win over Villarreal. Simeone, who as a midfielder helped Atletico win its last league title in 1996, thanked all of his players for their effort, saying they "put the team first." Under former coach Gregorio Manzano, Atletico had a record of one draw and six losses away from home in league play to start the season. Atletico has collected seven of nine possible points since Simeones arrival and sits just four points out of fourth place, the last spot that earns Champions League qualification. "There is no special explanation needed to explain what happened," Sociedad coach Philippe Montanier said. "Atletico was simply better." Elsewhere, Espanyol overcame a depleted front line to defeat Granada 3-0 at home, while 10-man Sevilla drew 1-1 at Real Betis in the first Seville derby in nearly three years. With injured strikers Sergio Garcia and Alvaro Vazquez unavailable, Mauricio Pochettino turned to his midfield to produce goals. Raul Baena put Espanyol in front with a header in the 26th and playmaker Joan Verdu added a second from the penalty spot after Vladimir Weiss was fouled by Allan Nyom just before halftime. Substitute Rui Fonte capped the victory with a goal in the 80th by tapping in a free kick by Ndri Romaric that had come off the crossbar. Espanyols fifth game without a loss lifted it into fifth place in the standings. Before the match Espanyol unveiled a statue of Dani Jarque, the former captain who died of a heart attack in 2009, at Cornella-El Prat Stadium. "The match may have looked like a walk in the park but it was far from it," Pochettino said. "Today was special for us to pay tribute to our eternal captain." At Benito Villamarin Stadium, Benat Etxebarria scored Betis 26th-minute opener when he curled a free kick over the defensive wall and away from a diving Javi Varas into the left corner of the net. Sevilla scored a deserved equalizer through Alvaro Negredos header in the 41st, but Marcelino Garcias team could not avoid extending its winless run to five consecutive games after Federico Fazio was sent off with his second yellow card in the 69th. Also, Getafe dealt Racing Santander its first loss in six weeks since the exit of coach Hector Cuper with a 2-1 comeback win secured by Nicolas "Miku" Fedor in the 83rd minute. League leader Real Madrid hosts the in-form Athletic Bilbao on Sunday before second-place Barcelona visits Malaga. Barcelona then hosts Madrid on Wednesday in the second leg of their Copa del Rey quarterfinal after winning the away leg 2-1. Also on Sunday, its: Osasuna vs. Valencia; Rayo Vallecano vs. Mallorca; and Levante vs. Zaragoza. Sporting Gijon is at Villarreal on Monday in a matchup of teams looking to escape the relegation zone. Andrelton Simmons Jersey . Fifth-seeded Cilic gained his fourth title in Zagreb and became the third Croat overall to win at least 10 career titles. Cilic also lifted his career record in Zagreb to 22-4, winning 20 of his last 21 matches at the event. Julio Teheran Authentic Jersey . Atletico built a provisional three-point advantage over Barcelona before the defending champion hosts Elche on Sunday. Barcelona then visits Atletico in the following round. "We will have to wait and see if Barcelona wins tomorrow to stay leader, as it is accustomed to doing," Atletico coach Diego Simeone said.The Calder Memorial Trophy is the award given to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition. The future is looking bright for the Tampa Bay Lightning as forwards Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat were both finalists for the Calder. Unfortunately for the T-Bay rookies, theyre going up against the Colorado Avalanche phenom Nathan MacKinnon who was simply awesome all season. Gerry Dee had some career advice for the first overall pick in the 2013 draft earlier this year on the third season of Mr. D… I wonder if MacKinnon took it seriously.The James Norris Memorial Trophy is handed out to the defense player who demonstrates the greatest all-round ability at the position. This years candidates are Bostons Zdeno Chara, Duncan Keith of the Blackhawks and the Nashville Predators Shea Weber.To determine the winner of the Norris Trophy, we will hold a hardest shot competition between the finalists:The Vezina Trophy is aawarded to the best goaltender of the NHL season. Justin Upton Braves Jersey. This years nominees are Ben Bishop of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Tuukka Rask of the Boston Bruins and Semyon Varlamov of the Colorado Avalanche.Lets all pray Rask wins, because we know how much he hates losing...And finally, the Hart Memorial Trophy is the annual award given to the most valuable player to his team. This years finalists for the award are Ryan Getzlaf of the Anaheim Ducks, Claude Giroux of the Philadelphia Flyers and Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Of course, our savior Sid the Kid will take home the award, but I would quickly enjoy entertaining the idea of it being a competition.Heres a throwback of our friend Cabbie having a little fun with Crosby!Roll out the red carpet and get ready for a night of glamour, as the awards will be presented with the help of current and former NHLers, as well as celebrity hockey fans. We hope you enjoy the show! wholesale jerseys cheap jerseys ' ' ' |
