The Athenaeum Forum

MELBOURNE, Australia - Uzbekistan and Saudi Arabia will decide which team joins China as the Group B quarterfinalist at the Asian Cup on Sunday. China, which has already sealed top spot in the group, will look to win its third straight match to open the tournament, for the first time.Heres some things to watch:___UZBEKISTAN VS. SAUDI ARABIA (0900 GMT) : The winner of this Melbourne match will play the top-placed team from Group A, which would have been decided by Saturdays game in Brisbane between Australia and South Korea.Odil Ahmedov scored Uzbekistans lone goal in a 2-1 loss to China on Wednesday, while Igor Sergeev headed in to give the team a 1-0 win over North Korea in their opener.Uzbekistan coach Mirdjalal Kasimov said his side was the better team in the first half against China, but dropped off in the second half.I want to congratulate China. Now we must try and beat Saudi Arabia, he said.Saudi Arabia produced a more definitive result against North Korea on Wednesday, with Mohammed Al Sahlawi scoring two of the teams four goals in a 4-1 win in which Naif Hazazi and Nawaf Al Abid also got on the board.Saudi Arabia coach Cosmin Olaroiu said that confidence-building victory boded well for its must-win match against Uzbekistan.Im happy we won the game and also we had a good performance, Olaroiu said after the match. Now we have to forget it quickly to prepare for the next game against Uzbekistan.This is the fourth Asian Cup meeting between Uzbekistan and Saudi Arabia, with the Saudis winning two of the previous three and Uzbekistan one.___CHINA VS. NORTH KOREA (0900 GMT) : A win over North Korea in Canberra will complete a perfect run through the group stage for China.They have won their opening two games at the Asian Cup for the first time since 1988 but have never made it three.China coach Alain Perrin was already celebrating his teams group win after beating Uzekistan in Brisbane this week.We played a very beautiful match, Perrin said after his sides 2-1 win. Now we can move to the knockout stage in the first ranking of the group. Its fantastic.Ryang Yong Gi opened the scoring for North Korea early against Saudi Arabia. But in the end the North Koreans were outclassed 4-1.North Korea has now lost eight and drawn two of their past 10 Asian Cup matches, and scored just three goals in their last nine games of the tournament.However, one of North Koreas three Asian Cup wins was a 2-1 victory over China in 1990.China has won all three matches between the two teams since 2005. Quinton Spain Jersey . 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Ghoulam has put pen to paper on a four and a half year deal, tying him to Napoli until 2018. The 22-year-old Algeria international, who played for France at Under 21 level, has made 87 league appearances in four seasons at Saint-Etienne.At this time a year ago, the Indiana Pacers were 29-7 and well on their way to finishing with the Eastern Conferences best record.Suddenly, that seems like a long time ago.Fast forward to the present and the Pacers are merely fighting for a playoff spot. They head into Tuesday nights game against Minnesota at 15-24, a shining example of how fast things can change in the NBA.The biggest blow, of course, came when All-Star forward Paul George broke his right leg in a gruesome injury that occurred after running into a basketball stanchion during an intrasquad scrimmage for Team USA in Las Vegas on Aug. 1. The Pacers also lost Lance Stephenson in free agency to Charlotte and have endured one injury after another since the season began.The latest scare came in a spirted 117-102 loss at Golden State on Wednesday night, when centre Roy Hibbert landed awkwardly going for a rebound and sprained his left ankle. Hibbert, who missed four games earlier this season with an injury to the same ankle, has played through the injury since.Weve been dealing with it all year, Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. If a guy goes down, everybody else has to step up. Its nothing new to this season.Indeed.David West sat out the first 15 games with a sprained right ankle. George Hill (bruised left knee and sore left groin), Rodney Stuckey (sore right groin) and C.J. Watson (bruised right foot) also have missed time with various injuries.What has happened to the Pacers is one of the leagues most perplexing developments this season. It also has served as a lesson for some teams on top not to take the good times for granted.After all, a couple of bad breaks and they could be tumbling next.This game is so fragile, said Warriors coach Steve Kerr, whose team has gone from a perennial afterthought to the best record in the league in just a few years. Its such a delicate balance.Here are some things to watch in the NBA this week:KINGSS RETURN: Cleveland is expected to get LeBron James back this week, and his return couldnt come any sooner.dddddddddddd The Cavaliers are 1-7 since James has been out with knee and back injuries. They visit the Suns on Tuesday, Lakers on Thursday and Clippers on Friday.SOARING HAWKS: Atlanta has won eight straight and 22 of 24 games to rise to the top of the East. The Hawks hit the road for games at Philadelphia, Boston, Toronto and Chicago.BIGGEST LOSERS: About the only thing New York and Minnesota seem to be competing for is the top spot in the draft lottery. Each team has lost 15 games in a row. Its the longest single-season losing streak in Knicks history, and things are getting so bad in the Big Apple that fans are putting bags over their heads at Madison Square Garden. Minnesotas longest single-season skid is 16, which the Wolves last did during the 2009-10 season.STABALIZING PISTONS: Detroit is 8-1 since making the surprising decision to waive Josh Smith and absorb the rest of his contract. The Pistons play Toronto, New Orleans, Indiana and Philadelphia next.HOME-COURT ADVANTAGE: Oracle Arena has long been one of the NBAs loudest buildings, and the Warriors are taking advantage of it this season. They have won 14 straight and 16 of 17 at home, with the lone loss coming to the defending champion San Antonio Spurs on Nov. 11. Of course, theyre also 13-4 on the road. Golden State visits Utah, Oklahoma City and Houston this week. The Warriors also host Miami on Wednesday.___STAT LINE OF THE WEEKAndre Drummond grabbed 19 rebounds and Greg Monroe had 18 boards to help the Pistons beat Dallas 108-95 on Wednesday night. It was the first time Detroit had multiple players with at least 18 rebounds in the same game since Happy Hairston (31) and Walt Bellamy (20) did it against the San Diego Clippers on Feb. 8, 1969.___Antonio Gonzalez can be reached at: www.twitter.com/agonzalezAP Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '