01-09-2020, 03:00 AM
Mexico, Croatia battle for place in knockout round (Live on TSN Radio 1050, TSN Radio 690, TEAM Radio 1410 at 4pm et/1pm pt) Mexico has reached the knockout round in each of the past five World Cups, and El Tri can extend that streak to six with a win or draw against Croatia at the Arena Pernambuco today in the final day of Group A play. Both teams beat Cameroon, but Mexicos 0-0 draw against Brazil is the difference between the sides, as Croatia fell 3-1 to the hosts in the opening match of the tournament. Much of the credit for Mexico getting a point against Brazil goes to goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, who produced a number of fine stops to keep his team in the match. "Sometimes its our turn to catch the eye and other times its someone elses," Ochoa said following the game with Brazil. "Of course Id like to have less to do, but in my position youve got to be constantly alert, whether youre needed just once or loads of times. And thats what Ill keep training for." Ochoa made a pair of big saves to deny Neymar, while he reacted well in the final minutes to keep out a point-blank header from Thiago Silva. "He saved us today," Mexican winger Andres Guardado said of Ochoa. "Sometimes we had the feeling that, however many times they went for goal, he wasnt going to let anything get past him." Ochoa will hope to be a bit less active on Monday, although Croatia enters the match full of confidence having handed Cameroon a 4-0 defeat last time out. After missing top forward Mario Mandzukic against Brazil because of suspension, the Bayern Munich forward returned to the fold against the African side and netted a pair of goals in the second half. Croatia was unlucky to lose 3-1 to Brazil in the opener as a questionable penalty decision handed the home side a 2-1 lead in the second half before Oscar scored a goal in stoppage time to cap the win. Unlike Mexico, Croatia must win Mondays game in order to advance to the round of 16 for the first time since 1998, and head coach Niko Kovac is expecting a great atmosphere. "The match against Mexico will be like a final," Kovac told Croatian television station HTV. "We have to get some rest, because a serious opponent awaits. Mexico are strong, but so are we. The Mexico players are very patriotic, just like us, and they have a great team spirit. They play some aggressive football with a lot of pressing. They are strong going forward, but also have some weaknesses in defense, like Brazil showed us." Air Max 97 UL 17 PRM . "Youre next." Hardly. Iguodala tormented his former team with a game better than any he ever played in eight seasons with the 76ers. Air Max 97 Plum Chalk . Minutes before the final whistle of Sporting Kansas Citys 3-0 victory over a shorthanded Montreal Impact squad on Saturday afternoon, Saputo tweeted: "Our fans deserve better. http://www.airmax97outlet.it/scontate-ai...proof.html . - The infectious smile was missing from Nam Nguyen last week. Air Max 97 Rosse Outlet . The Detroit Tigers closer blew a three-run lead in the ninth inning Wednesday night against the Dodgers. Air Max 97 Scontate . - The Green Bay Packers got back to work on Friday without star quarterback Aaron Rodgers.Each week, well take a look at some top performers from the CFL, with an eye to looking ahead to some matchups that could be favourable for TSN Fantasy Football, CFL Edition, presented by Joseph Abboud. Here are some of the best from Week Two and players to watch for Week Three: TOP PERFORMERS Ricky Ray, QB, Toronto - After a brilliant performance (29-for-37, 407 YDS, 3 TD) against Saskatchewan, Ray leads all quarterbacks in passing yards (690) and touchdowns (five) through the first couple games. In a passing league, Ray is the cream of the crop right now. Chad Owens, WR, Toronto - Someone has to be on the receiving end for Ray and, against the Roughriders, it was Owens (11 REC, 159 YDS, 1 TD vs. Saskatchewan). Hes the leagues top receiver, with 237 yards, through two games; 93 yards more than second-place Adarius Bowman of Edmonton. Nic Grigsby, RB, Winnipeg - Followed up his stellar Week One performance with a big game (112 YDS, 16 touches, 3 TD) against Ottawa. Through two weeks, Grigsby has 251 yards from scrimmage as part of an exciting Blue Bombers attack. PLAYERS TO WATCH IN WEEK THREE Bo Levi Mitchell, QB, Calgary - After a decisive Week One win, during which Mitchell passed for 313 yards and a couple of touchdowns, the Stampeders got the week off last week. With health questions surroounding star runner Jon Cornish, the Stamps may need Mitchell to throw lots to stay competitive in Toronto.ddddddddddddGoing up against an Argonauts defence that has allowed an average of 329 passing yards through the first couple games, enough that they traded for Dwight Anderson to shore up the secondary, ought to present a favourable matchup for Mitchell too. Nick Moore, WR, Winnipeg - A big free agent signing in the offseason, Moore has been a valuable target for QB Drew Willy and if Willy is going to continue airing it out -- he and Ricky Ray are the only quarterbacks with more than 600 yards passing -- Moore is a good play as a complementary threat behind team-leading receiver Aaron Kelly. Going into Montreal isnt necessarily easy pickings, but might as well ride the Bombers, at least until they slow down. Chevon Walker, RB, Ottawa - The Jamaican-born runner had a strong debut for the Redblacks (99 YDs, 17 touches, 2 TD at Winnipeg) and has a decent track record from his time in Hamilton, including 1285 yards from scrimmage with nine touchdowns on 189 touches. Now, hes the primary backfield threat for Ottawa. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. ' ' '