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RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- France drew 0-0 with 10-man Ecuador to advance to the second round of the World Cup on Wednesday, while the South Americans will be going home from the tournament. Cheap Tigres Jerseys . In the other final Group E game, Switzerland defeated 3-0 Honduras to finish in second place and join France in the knockout stages. Ecuador was down to 10 men short at Rios Maracana stadium after Antonio Valencia was shown a straight red card in the 50th minute for digging his studs into the leg of French defender Lucas Digne. But Ecuador may feel upset that France centre half Mamadou Sakho was not shown a red card in the eighth minute when he appeared to elbow Oswaldo Minda in the face during a France corner. Then, in a late incident off the ball, France forward Olivier Giroud jabbed his elbow in to Gabriel Achilier, who was standing behind him. France coach Didier Deschamps made six changes to his starting lineup, knowing his side was all but assured of advancing. France came closest to scoring when Antoine Griezmann hit the post in the 47th and then missed a string of late chances as its much-vaunted attacked failed to live up to the hype generated by last Fridays 5-2 win against Switzerland. An inspired Ecuador went close in the 82nd when substitute midfielder Alex Ibarra broke down the right, cut inside centre half Raphael Varane, and saw his powerful strike beaten away by goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. Moments later, France striker Karim Benzema played a one-two with Giroud but stroked a casual shot that goalkeeper Alexander Dominguez easily saved. Dominguez had an outstanding match, denying substitute Loic Remy with a brilliant leaping save from the forwards curling shot in the 87th minute. Giroud should then have scored in injury time but planted a free header straight into Dominguezs hands. After France had hit the post, Ecuador almost took the lead in the 54th when Cristhian Noboa shot wide. Ecuador kept pushing forward, knowing it had to win because Switzerland was coasting. With more space, France pressured down both flanks and Benzema teed up Paul Pogba, whose shot was well blocked. Benzema was getting on the ball much more and he sent Blaise Matuidi through the middle in the 62nd, but the midfielder placed his shot too close to the goalkeeper. As time for Ecuador ran out, both sides went close. Pogba headed wide from close range and Benzema shot straight at Dominguez after cutting in from the left. Then, Edcuadors Michael Arroyo burst down the left but centre half Laurent Koscielny stood him up well and he shot wide. Pogba still had enough energy left to thump a powerful shot narrowly wide, while Ecuadors last chance came from a corner as France defended desperately to prevent an unexpected defeat. ------ Lineups: Ecuador: Alexander Dominguez; Jorge Guagua, Frickson Erazo; Juan Paredes, Cristhian Noboa (Felipe Caicedo, 89), Walter Ayovi, Oswaldo Minda, Antonio Valencia, Michael Arroyo (Gabriel Achilier, 82), Jefferson Montero (Alex Ibarra, 63); Enner Valencia. France: Hugo Lloris; Bacary Sagna, Mamadou Sakho (Raphael Varane, 61), Laurent Koscielny, Lucas Digne; Paul Pogba, Morgan Schneiderlin, Blaise Matuidi (Olivier Giroud, 67); Antoine Griezmann (Loic Remy 79), Karim Benzema, Moussa Sissoko. cheap jerseys . Bilodeau, from Montreal, won his third straight World Cup moguls event over the weekend, edging out teammate and rival Mikael Kingsbury of Deux-Montagnes, Que. Kingsbury and Marc-Antoine Gagnon of Terrebonne, Que. cheap nfl jerseys . It offers no assurances and doesnt apply any context, like, for example, taking injuries into account. Last year, this method forecasted the first round at a 7-1 clip; this year it was 5-3, with losses on Columbus, Colorado and San Jose.MONTREAL -- Tournament director Eugene Lapierre called Agnieszka Radwanska the "anti-star," and he meant it in a good way. The right-hander, who won the US$2.44 million womens Rogers Cup with a too-easy 6-4, 6-2 victory over Venus Williams on Sunday, is not flashy on or off the court. She is relentlessly efficient, a tireless returner of balls from the baseline, with subtle changes of speed and spin that wear down vulnerable opponents like Williams, who had worn her 34-year-old self out with a stirring, three-set win over her top-ranked sister Serena Williams in the semifinals. The third-seeded Radwanska, the first Rogers Cup champion from Poland, picked up her first tournament win of the year at the hardcourt event and the $441,000 winners prize. "She played great tennis the whole week, playing and beating a lot of good players on the way to the final," Radwanska said of Williams, a seven-time grand slam champion in her glory years. "I think I am even more happy to beat Venus when shes really on fire." Radwanska, ranked fifth in the world to Williams 26th, posted her first Rogers Cup win after twice reaching the semifinals. It was her first victory since 2013 at Seoul. She was the best, most consistent player all week, mowing down Victoria Azarenka in two sets in the quarter-finals before beating a hot Ekaterina Makarova in two long sets in the semis. "I think I was playing much better every match," the 25-year-old Radwanska said. "I didnt start that well from my first match, but every match was much better. "Thats why I think Im sitting right here now with you (reporters). I was feeling the balls much better." The Krakow, Poland native shot off to a 4-1 lead, but Williams answered with a break that had the centre court crowd on its feet as Radwanska hit a drop shot, Williams dropped back, Radwanska hit a lob and Williams got back in time to win the point with a cross-court slash. Radwanska settled back in to finish the set and opened the second with a service break. After Williams broke to tie it at 2-2, she gave the break to Radwanska with a pair of double faults. Radwanska cruised the rest of the way, punctuating her victory with an ace on match point. Williams had an excellent week that will put her back into the world top-20 starting Monday. Her six matches, four of them in three sets, included wins over sixth-seeded Angelique Kerber and 14th-seeded Carla Suarez Navarro. But bbeating Radwanska required more energy and patience than she had left for the final. wholesale nfl jerseys. "Against her, you really have to be patient," said Williams. "Today, I just didnt have everything to be patient and really work the point. "I wanted to give more, but I just didnt have it. It felt great to play so well this week. I really would like to think under circumstances, where I could give everything I have, that the results could have been a little different." She fell short in her bid to become the events oldest champion after Martina Navratilova, who won 52 days before her 33rd birthday in 1989. Still, Williams was upbeat about her game, which is on the rebound after a few years of injuries and a battle with the auto-immune disease Sjogrens Syndrome. The five-time Wimbledon champion could even be a factor at the U.S. Open that starts Aug. 25 in New York, where she won in 2000 and 2001. "Its starting to come," she said. "Finding myself in all these different situations where youre playing the world No. 1, youre in the semifinals, youre in a final, Ive done it so many times, but I havent done it in a while. "Im so grateful just for everything. Its a whole new way of looking at things now." That includes not being upset at losing in the final, which earned her $220,000. "This week I was tired because I played so many matches," she added. "Thats great for me. "Instead of unreasonable fatigue thats unconquerable, just the opposite really: a fatigue from too much success. Thats the positive. I ran out of energy because I was winning too many matches. I havent had that problem in a long time." Williams has played the Rogers Cup in alternate years when it is held in Toronto, but had never played it in Montreal. She became a fan favourite and said she fell in love with the tournament and the city, telling centre court fans she hopes to be back many more times. She will be back in the region soon, as she plans to play the lower-level Coupe Banque Nationale Sept. 6-14 in Quebec City. In the doubles final, the top-ranked Italian duo of Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci defeated Cara Black and Sania Mirza 7-6 (4), 6-3. Organizers announced the tournament drew 181,996 spectators, topping the previous high of 175,000. Sales were boosted by the recent success of Eugenie Bouchard, but the Westmont, Que., native lost her first match on Tuesday to Shelby Rogers. wholesale jerseys cheap jerseys ' ' ' |
