07-22-2019, 12:36 AM
MILAN, Italy -- Carlos Tevez scored twice to move top of the Serie A scoring charts and help league leader Juventus beat 10-man Parma 2-1 for a record 15th home win on Wednesday. Tevez has now scored 18 league goals in his first season at Juventus following his move from Manchester City. "Better than this is impossible, but the important thing is that the team won," Tevez said Cristian Molinaro reduced the deficit but Parma striker Amauri was sent off three minutes later. Despite the numerical disadvantage Parma almost snatched a draw but Molinaro was denied by a goal-line clearance and the visitors had strong penalty appeals turned down. "I dont know if it was a penalty, those who understand football know how to judge it," Parma coach Roberto Donadoni said. "I think sometimes you have to take into account players tricks, but you only have a matter of seconds to do that on the pitch." Juventus restored its 14-point advantage over Roma, which beat Torino 2-1 on Tuesday and has played a game less than its rivals. Napoli moved six points behind Roma with a 4-2 win at Catania and boosted its chances of securing the final Champions League spot as Fiorentina lost 2-0 at home to AC Milan. Mario Balotelli set up one goal and scored the other to help under-fire boss Clarence Seedorf, who was reportedly on the verge of the sack before last weekends draw at Lazio. "And some people say I wont even be going to the World Cup," Balotelli said. "This victory didnt save anyone, because there wasnt anyone to save. The dressing room is united. Of course, were upset because we wont get into the Champions League and maybe not into the Europa League either, but not disunited." Atalanta maintained its push for a Europa League spot as it beat Livorno 2-0 and leapfrogged Lazio into seventh after the capital side lost 2-0 at Genoa. Also, it was: Chievo Verona 3, Bologna 0; Sassuolo 1, Sampdoria 2; and Cagliari 1, Hellas Verona 0. Juventus had won all 14 of its home league matches this season, while Parma was on a club record unbeaten run of 17 matches. Tevez broke the deadlock in the 25th minute with a powerful run down the right, holding off Gabriel Paletta before slotting a low effort into the near side of the net. It was his 17th goal of the season and an immediate response to Ciro Immobile after the Torino striker reached that tally against Roma. And the Argentina forward moved solo atop the scoring charts seven minutes later. Tevez found Arturo Vidal on the right and then raced into the area to tap home after the Chilean internationals cross-shot was parried by Parma goalkeeper Antonio Mirante. Parma got back into the match shortly after the hour mark with a fantastic volley from Molinaro on the edge of the area but Amauri was harshly adjudged to have elbowed Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini shortly afterward. Molinaro almost levelled near the end but Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon parried his effort and Leonardo Bonucci cleared in a goalmouth scramble. Parma appealed heavily for a penalty for a foul on Marco Parolo but to no avail. In Sicily, Napoli gave Catania an early warning as it had three good opportunities in the opening five minutes. And it took the lead in the 16th minute. Marek Hamsik found Jose Maria Callejon on the right and he crossed for Duvan Zapata to tap in for his first league goal. Callejon doubled the visitors advantage before Henrique scored his first Napoli goal with a strike from the tightest of angles. Zapata all but sealed the match on the stroke of halftime although Catania attempted a comeback in the second period as defenders Fabian Monzon and Norbert Gyomber also scored their debut league goals. Fiorentina forward Alessandro Matri, who is on loan from Milan missed a couple of early chances against his old team and it was the under-fire visitors which took a surprise lead in the 23rd minute. Balotelli had been dropped for the weekend draw against Lazio but he returned to the starting lineup and fired in a free kick which was parried by Neto but straight to Philippe Mexes, who headed in. Balotelli doubled Milans advantage with another free kick into the top right corner from 20 yards in the 64th minute. Fifth-place Inter Milan could close the gap on Fiorentina to just one point with victory at home to Udinese on Thursday. Parma is currently level on points with Inter, with Atalanta four points below the final Europa League spot following a club record fifth consecutive win. T. J. Watt Youth Jersey . The question is how many minutes will be available to them and can any of their defence or goaltending provide value? Top Picks: Following a down year in 2011-2012, Matt Duchene rebounded with his highest points-per-game (0. Merril Hoge Steelers Jersey . - The New Orleans Saints have re-signed receiver Joseph Morgan for one year and have agreed to a four-year deal with free agent fullback Erik Lorig. http://www.steelersrookiestore.com/Steel...ersey/.com) - Devon Johnson ran for a school record 272 yards with four touchdowns and No. Heath Miller Womens Jersey . Fans in the Jets viewing region can watch the game on TSN Jets at 5:30pm ct and listeners can tune in to TSN Radio 1290 Winnipeg. Kevin Greene Womens Jersey . Perhaps as important, shes sending a message to 17-year-old gold medal favourite Sara Takanashi of Japan. Iraschko-Stolz relegated Takanashi, who has 10 World Cup victories this season, to second place in two of three training jumps Saturday.PITTSBURGH -- All eyes were supposed to be on Gregory Polanco. But thanks to his new-found success against left-handed pitchers, Anthony Rizzo stole the show. Rizzo homered, doubled twice and drove in three runs to lead the Chicago Cubs over the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-3 Tuesday night, spoiling Polancos much-anticipated debut. Rizzo hit a two-run homer in the first inning off lefty Francisco Liriano, who came out in the fourth with discomfort on his right side. Rizzo also doubled and scored in the fourth and hit an RBI double in the seventh, a drive to deep right-centre that struck Polancos left wrist as the touted Pirates rookie tried to make the catch. Rizzo has five home runs and a .344 batting average in 61 at-bats against left-handers this season. Last year, he batted .189 with seven homers against southpaws in 189 at-bats. "I feel more comfortable against them now and its the best Ive ever hit left-handers at any level," Rizzo said. "I dont know if Ill ever figure lefties out -- or right-handers, either -- but I do feel confident against them." Rizzo has every reason to feel confident. He has five homers in his last 10 games, raising his season total to 13. "You can talk about mechanics and scouting reports and everything else, but the biggest thing in this game is confidence," Rizzo said. "If you step into the batters box with confidence, then youre giving yourself a much better chance to hit." Polanco went 1 for 5 after getting called up from Triple-A Indianapolis, where the right fielder was leading the International League with a .347 batting average and 49 RBIs in 62 games. "It was a lot of fun," he said. "It was exciting. I was a little nervous at first but then I relaxed and had fun." Pinch-hitter Luis Valbuenas two-run double off Casey Sadler (0-1) broke a 3-all tie in the sixth and put Chicago aahead for good.dddddddddddd Travis Wood (6-5) allowed three runs and nine hits in 6 2-3 innings. "It was a grind at times but I got through it," Wood said. Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run homer for the Pirates, his ninth of the season and fifth in nine June games. Valbuena and Junior Lake each had two hits for the Cubs, as did Pittsburghs Russell Martin and Starling Marte. Rizzo scored on a single by Starlin Castro in the seventh to push Chicagos lead to 7-3. Rizzos homer put the Cubs up 2-0, but the Pirates tied it on McCutchens drive in the third. In the top of the fourth, Rizzo led off with a double and scored on Darwin Barneys double. Pittsburgh tied it again in the bottom half on pinch-hitter Jose Tabatas RBI double. "Rizzos blast there in the first inning kind of got us rolling and we did a good job of adding on runs after that," Chicago manager Rick Renteria said. Liriano allowed two runs in three-plus innings. He bent over and held his back after throwing a pitch to Rizzo, then left the mound after a few warmup pitches. After leading the Pirates with 16 wins last season, Liriano has struggled this year. He is 1-6 with a 4.60 ERA in 14 starts. Liriano will almost certainly miss his scheduled start Sunday in Miami and could land on the disabled list. Pirates right-hander Gerrit Cole (right shoulder fatigue) went on the DL on Sunday and second baseman Neil Walker (appendectomy) followed him Tuesday. NOTES: The Cubs released RHP Jose Veras, one week after designating him for assignment. He was 0-2 with an 8.10 ERA in 12 relief appearances while going 0 for 2 on save chances. ... Pittsburgh 3B Pedro Alvarez got the night off. He is 1 for 18 against Wood. ... Chicago RHP Jason Hammel (6-3, 2.53 ERA) is scheduled to start Wednesday night against RHP Brandon Cumpton (1-2, 6.51). ' ' 'MILAN, Italy -- Carlos Tevez scored twice to move top of the Serie A scoring charts and help league leader Juventus beat 10-man Parma 2-1 for a record 15th home win on Wednesday. Tevez has now scored 18 league goals in his first season at Juventus following his move from Manchester City. "Better than this is impossible, but the important thing is that the team won," Tevez said Cristian Molinaro reduced the deficit but Parma striker Amauri was sent off three minutes later. Despite the numerical disadvantage Parma almost snatched a draw but Molinaro was denied by a goal-line clearance and the visitors had strong penalty appeals turned down. "I dont know if it was a penalty, those who understand football know how to judge it," Parma coach Roberto Donadoni said. "I think sometimes you have to take into account players tricks, but you only have a matter of seconds to do that on the pitch." Juventus restored its 14-point advantage over Roma, which beat Torino 2-1 on Tuesday and has played a game less than its rivals. Napoli moved six points behind Roma with a 4-2 win at Catania and boosted its chances of securing the final Champions League spot as Fiorentina lost 2-0 at home to AC Milan. Mario Balotelli set up one goal and scored the other to help under-fire boss Clarence Seedorf, who was reportedly on the verge of the sack before last weekends draw at Lazio. "And some people say I wont even be going to the World Cup," Balotelli said. "This victory didnt save anyone, because there wasnt anyone to save. The dressing room is united. Of course, were upset because we wont get into the Champions League and maybe not into the Europa League either, but not disunited." Atalanta maintained its push for a Europa League spot as it beat Livorno 2-0 and leapfrogged Lazio into seventh after the capital side lost 2-0 at Genoa. Also, it was: Chievo Verona 3, Bologna 0; Sassuolo 1, Sampdoria 2; and Cagliari 1, Hellas Verona 0. Juventus had won all 14 of its home league matches this season, while Parma was on a club record unbeaten run of 17 matches. Tevez broke the deadlock in the 25th minute with a powerful run down the right, holding off Gabriel Paletta before slotting a low effort into the near side of the net. It was his 17th goal of the season and an immediate response to Ciro Immobile after the Torino striker reached that tally against Roma. And the Argentina forward moved solo atop the scoring charts seven minutes later. Tevez found Arturo Vidal on the right and then raced into the area to tap home after the Chilean internationals cross-shot was parried by Parma goalkeeper Antonio Mirante. Parma got back into the match shortly after the hour mark with a fantastic volley from Molinaro on the edge of the area but Amauri was harshly adjudged to have elbowed Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini shortly afterward. Molinaro almost levelled near the end but Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon parried his effort and Leonardo Bonucci cleared in a goalmouth scramble. Parma appealed heavily for a penalty for a foul on Marco Parolo but to no avail. In Sicily, Napoli gave Catania an early warning as it had three good opportunities in the opening five minutes. And it took the lead in the 16th minute. Marek Hamsik found Jose Maria Callejon on the right and he crossed for Duvan Zapata to tap in for his first league goal. Callejon doubled the visitors advantage before Henrique scored his first Napoli goal with a strike from the tightest of angles. Zapata all but sealed the match on the stroke of halftime although Catania attempted a comeback in the second period as defenders Fabian Monzon and Norbert Gyomber also scored their debut league goals. Fiorentina forward Alessandro Matri, who is on loan from Milan missed a couple of early chances against his old team and it was the under-fire visitors which took a surprise lead in the 23rd minute. Balotelli had been dropped for the weekend draw against Lazio but he returned to the starting lineup and fired in a free kick which was parried by Neto but straight to Philippe Mexes, who headed in. Balotelli doubled Milans advantage with another free kick into the top right corner from 20 yards in the 64th minute. Fifth-place Inter Milan could close the gap on Fiorentina to just one point with victory at home to Udinese on Thursday. Parma is currently level on points with Inter, with Atalanta four points below the final Europa League spot following a club record fifth consecutive win. T. J. Watt Youth Jersey . The question is how many minutes will be available to them and can any of their defence or goaltending provide value? Top Picks: Following a down year in 2011-2012, Matt Duchene rebounded with his highest points-per-game (0. Merril Hoge Steelers Jersey . - The New Orleans Saints have re-signed receiver Joseph Morgan for one year and have agreed to a four-year deal with free agent fullback Erik Lorig. http://www.steelersrookiestore.com/Steel...ersey/.com) - Devon Johnson ran for a school record 272 yards with four touchdowns and No. Heath Miller Womens Jersey . Fans in the Jets viewing region can watch the game on TSN Jets at 5:30pm ct and listeners can tune in to TSN Radio 1290 Winnipeg. Kevin Greene Womens Jersey . Perhaps as important, shes sending a message to 17-year-old gold medal favourite Sara Takanashi of Japan. Iraschko-Stolz relegated Takanashi, who has 10 World Cup victories this season, to second place in two of three training jumps Saturday.PITTSBURGH -- All eyes were supposed to be on Gregory Polanco. But thanks to his new-found success against left-handed pitchers, Anthony Rizzo stole the show. Rizzo homered, doubled twice and drove in three runs to lead the Chicago Cubs over the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-3 Tuesday night, spoiling Polancos much-anticipated debut. Rizzo hit a two-run homer in the first inning off lefty Francisco Liriano, who came out in the fourth with discomfort on his right side. Rizzo also doubled and scored in the fourth and hit an RBI double in the seventh, a drive to deep right-centre that struck Polancos left wrist as the touted Pirates rookie tried to make the catch. Rizzo has five home runs and a .344 batting average in 61 at-bats against left-handers this season. Last year, he batted .189 with seven homers against southpaws in 189 at-bats. "I feel more comfortable against them now and its the best Ive ever hit left-handers at any level," Rizzo said. "I dont know if Ill ever figure lefties out -- or right-handers, either -- but I do feel confident against them." Rizzo has every reason to feel confident. He has five homers in his last 10 games, raising his season total to 13. "You can talk about mechanics and scouting reports and everything else, but the biggest thing in this game is confidence," Rizzo said. "If you step into the batters box with confidence, then youre giving yourself a much better chance to hit." Polanco went 1 for 5 after getting called up from Triple-A Indianapolis, where the right fielder was leading the International League with a .347 batting average and 49 RBIs in 62 games. "It was a lot of fun," he said. "It was exciting. I was a little nervous at first but then I relaxed and had fun." Pinch-hitter Luis Valbuenas two-run double off Casey Sadler (0-1) broke a 3-all tie in the sixth and put Chicago aahead for good.dddddddddddd Travis Wood (6-5) allowed three runs and nine hits in 6 2-3 innings. "It was a grind at times but I got through it," Wood said. Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run homer for the Pirates, his ninth of the season and fifth in nine June games. Valbuena and Junior Lake each had two hits for the Cubs, as did Pittsburghs Russell Martin and Starling Marte. Rizzo scored on a single by Starlin Castro in the seventh to push Chicagos lead to 7-3. Rizzos homer put the Cubs up 2-0, but the Pirates tied it on McCutchens drive in the third. In the top of the fourth, Rizzo led off with a double and scored on Darwin Barneys double. Pittsburgh tied it again in the bottom half on pinch-hitter Jose Tabatas RBI double. "Rizzos blast there in the first inning kind of got us rolling and we did a good job of adding on runs after that," Chicago manager Rick Renteria said. Liriano allowed two runs in three-plus innings. He bent over and held his back after throwing a pitch to Rizzo, then left the mound after a few warmup pitches. After leading the Pirates with 16 wins last season, Liriano has struggled this year. He is 1-6 with a 4.60 ERA in 14 starts. Liriano will almost certainly miss his scheduled start Sunday in Miami and could land on the disabled list. Pirates right-hander Gerrit Cole (right shoulder fatigue) went on the DL on Sunday and second baseman Neil Walker (appendectomy) followed him Tuesday. NOTES: The Cubs released RHP Jose Veras, one week after designating him for assignment. He was 0-2 with an 8.10 ERA in 12 relief appearances while going 0 for 2 on save chances. ... Pittsburgh 3B Pedro Alvarez got the night off. He is 1 for 18 against Wood. ... Chicago RHP Jason Hammel (6-3, 2.53 ERA) is scheduled to start Wednesday night against RHP Brandon Cumpton (1-2, 6.51). ' ' '