Vorschau » Ive done throughout my career. "I certainly know

MADRID, Spain -- Lionel Messi failed to take his chances as Barcelona was held to a 0-0 draw by a disciplined and defensive Malaga side in the Spanish league on Wednesday. Messi missed two opportunities in the first half and never looked comfortable on the ball after the break. Barcelona leads the standings on 13 points after five matches, with Sevilla second on goal difference after it beat Real Sociedad 1-0. Atletico Madrid is third on 11 points after beating Almeria 1-0 and Valencia, with 10 points, plays on Thursday against Cordoba. In other matches on Wednesday, Rayo Vallecano beat Athletic Bilbao 2-1, Eibar drew 1-1 with Villarreal and Levante beat Granada 1-0. Messi blasted a direct free kick well over Idriss Kamenis crossbar in the 15th and then chested the ball out of play in the 26th as he raced forward to try and latch onto Jordi Albas inviting cross. Malaga kept Barcelona in check and then came close to scoring in the 68th minute when Nordin Amrabat hit a powerful shot wide. "This result was due to an accumulation of factors, and Malaga also played with great merit," Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta said. "Its a point, and we must carry on. Its never easy to play against a defence made up of nine or 10 men." The Andalusian side piled on the pressure after Barcelona right-back Douglas -- who made a poor debut for the league leaders -- made a clumsy tackle and goalkeeper Claudio Bravo was forced to punch out Luis Romeros free kick in the 71st. "We took the game in the direction we wanted to and knew we would have the occasional opportunity on the counterattack," Malaga defender Ignacio Camacho said. There was a tense moment in the 82nd minute when Wellington pushed Messi to the ground when the ball was not in play -- earning the Malaga defender a booking. Barcelona defender Gerard Pique was shown a yellow card for protesting about the incident. Sevilla closed the points gap on Barcelona with its victory over Real Sociedad. Gerard Deulofeu found himself in front of an open goal to hit Sevillas winner in the 18th minute, following a cross by Benoit Tremoulinas. Atletico Madrid stayed close to the pacesetters after a header by Miranda gave the capital club a 1-0 win at Almeria. Miranda rose to head in Jorge "Koke" Resurreccions beautifully-weighted corner kick on the hour mark. Almeria goalkeeper Ruben Martinez kept his side in the game when he correctly read Arda Turans attempt to lob him in the 69th. With coach Diego Simeone still serving out a touchline ban, it was up to his assistant German Burgos to give the Atletico squad instructions and encouragement. Elsewhere, Bilbao slumped to defeat after taking the lead against Rayo Vallecano. Bilbao striker Aritz Aduriz tapped in Oscar De Marcos cross in the 21st but Leo Baptistao equalized for Rayo by taking advantage of a goalkeeping blunder by Gorka Iraizoz in the 39th. Leo Baptistao then won the match when Gael Kakuta intercepted a poor clearance and picked out the Brazilian with a pass in the 89th. Mikel Arruabarrena scored in the ninth minute for Eibar and Villarreal equalized when Gerard Moreno unleashed a shot that flew just inside the far post, giving goalkeeper Xabier Iruretagoiena no chance in the 71st. Ruben Garcia scored Levantes first goal of the season when he hit left-footed shot past Granadas goalkeeper Roberto Fernandez in the 46th. Nike Vapormax Plus Nz . Pinch-hitter Tommy Medica singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning and the Padres beat the Seattle Mariners 2-1 in their first home game since Gwynn died of cancer Monday. Vapormax 95 NZ . Modin, 36, tallied seven goals and three assists in 36 games with the Thrashers this season. The Sundsvall, Sweden, native has posted 232 goals and 230 assists in 894 career NHL games with Toronto, Tampa Bay, Columbus, Los Angeles and Atlanta and has appeared in 57 post-season contests, helping the Lightning capture the 2004 Stanley Cup Championship. http://www.airvapormaxnz.com/vapormax-2019-sale-nz.html . -- Matt Rupert scored once in regulation and again in the shootout as the London Knights extended their win streak to nine games by defeating the Owen Sound Attack 4-3 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. Cheap Nike Tns Nz .com) - St. Louis Blues right wing Vladimir Tarasenko, Detroit Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk and Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury have been selected as the NHLs top players for last week. Cheap Vapormax Nz . -- Catriona Matthew remained atop the Airbus LPGA Classic leaderboard Friday, birdieing four of the last seven holes to take a one-stroke advantage over Charley Hull into the weekend.ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Peyton Manning wants to clear up a couple of things about his recent visit to Tuscaloosa, Ala., that raised eyebrows at NFL headquarters and the hackles of some Tennessee fans. The five-time MVP said hes always been driven to improve, a quality thats even more essential at age 38, and thats why he met with Alabama coach Nick Saban a couple of weeks ago. Saban shared defensive tips with Manning, who gave him pointers on the hurry-up offence that has befuddled the Crimson Tide. Saban said Denver offensive co-ordinator Adam Gase also visited his staff that week. NFL rules prohibit players and their coaches from meeting before the start of off-season workout programs, and thats why the NFL said it would look into the matter. Following the Broncos first organized workout Monday, however, Manning insisted that he and Gase didnt break any rules because they didnt meet with each other in Tuscaloosa. "Yeah, that didnt happen. We know what the rules were. Like I said, I was there on an independent project, and Adam was as well," Manning said. Saban has also said that Manning and Gase didnt meet with his coaches at the same time. Gase and Saban go way back: Gase got his start in coaching under Saban in the 1990s at Michigan State and followed him to LSU as a graduate assistant. As for fans from the quarterbacks alma mater who might be upset that he met with a rival coach from another SEC team, Manning said he still bleeds orange. "Obviously, I have been to Tennessee doing the same thing for the past 16 years. Ill do that, going to make it 17 years in a row, going back to Knoxville. Hopefully that covers me as far as being loyal to my university," Manning said. "Most of the other places, I go just one time. So Ive got 17 years at one place, so I think its pretty clear where my loyalties lie. "The projects I did this year were to help the Denver Broncos and to help me. That still is what my job is, to make myself a better player." The NFL rule prohibiting players and coaches from meeting before the start of the volunntary off-season workouts, the first two weeks of which are limited to strength and conditioning work and rehabilitation, were installed with the latest collective bargaining agreement a few years ago.dddddddddddd. Its designed to prevent players from feeling pressured to meet with coaching staffs during whats supposed to be their free time in the off-season. Players and coaches often get together in casual settings and NFL coaches often meet with college coaches. Mannings appetite for improvement is what led to his trip this off-season to Alabama. He also visited Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. "Theres different things that Ive done throughout my career in the off-season that Ive sought out someone to talk to, something to study to try to make myself a better quarterback," he said. "I believe in this league you either get better or you get worse -- you dont stay the same. I know that has gotten a lot of attention, but that is something Ive done throughout my career. "I certainly know the rules, but I know theres no rule that says a player cant get better -- at least I havent read that one. Thats what I was trying to do and I believe that is important, especially as you get older, in the off-season to try to seek out some things to try to make yourself a better player." Seeing the leagues only five-time MVP trying to improve impressed new defensive end DeMarcus Ware, who was lured to Denver by a three-year, $30 million offer from general manager John Elway and the chance to play with Manning, whos intent on getting back to the Super Bowl this season following the Broncos 43-8 loss to Seattle in February. "Sometimes it doesnt matter about accolades, it doesnt matter if you were MVP or not, its what can I do to really get better for next season?" Ware said. "Peytons one of those types of guys that puts in that effort, not just on the field but off the field, trying to figure out, What can I do to get better? Because he has a bad taste in his mouth from the last season and he doesnt want it to happen again." ' ' '