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MANCHESTER, England -- Feeling they had a point to prove, Barcelonas players delivered in style leaving Manchester City bitter and bruised. Advancing to the Champions League quarterfinals should be a formality after Lionel Messi scored a penalty and Dani Alves added a late second to secure a commanding 2-0 advantage over City in the round of 16 on Tuesday. Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas felt confident enough to deliver a message to his teams critics: "They will have to shut up for a few days." It seems incongruous that Fabregas would have to be so defensive of Barcelona, given his team tops the Spanish standings, has reached the Copa del Rey final and is on the verge of reaching the Champions League quarterfinals for the seventh straight year. "Theres nothing else you can ask for," Fabregas said. So much for the Catalan giants being a fading force. This win, against a team that seeks to emulate Barcelona on and off the pitch, exposed the gulf between them. And City, which has spent heavily to reach the knockout phase for the first time, couldnt keep up with the elegant visitors. "Maybe we had to prove a point in a way and I think we did it," Fabregas said. "And I think we did it in a style." Waves of attacks by the Spanish champions had been repelled until the start of the second half when Martin Demichelis couldnt keep up with the speedy Messi, dragging down his fellow Argentine and conceding the penalty. Even after Messi made it 11 goals in 11 games since returning from injury, City managed to test Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes more than had it with a full complement of players. But City couldnt equalize against the run of play and Dani Alves successfully completed a one-two with substitute Neymar in the 90th minute to score the teams 113th goal of the season. It was an unsettling introduction to the knockout phase of the competition for City, with Barcelonas poise and panache enabling the four-time European champions to remain in near-complete control against Englands emerging force. Rather than acknowledging the strength of the opposition, City manager Manuel Pellegrini questioned the integrity of Swedish referee Jonas Eriksson. "From the beginning I could see the ref was not impartial to both teams," Pellegrini said. And Pellegrini felt that the referee was not up to managing a game of this magnitude despite being selected by FIFA for the World Cup. A Swede lit up the nights other game. Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored twice, between goals from Blaise Matuidi and Yohan Cabaye, as Paris Saint-Germain won 4-0 at Bayer Leverkusen. The second legs of both games are on March 12, and wiping out a 2-0 deficit would seem to be beyond City at this stage. Especially if it struggles to break up Barcelonas flowing passing moves like at the Etihad. Somehow, though, the hosts emerged unscathed from their hesitant start and even produced the first meaningful shot of the match after 25 minutes when Alvaro Negredo curled the ball at Valdes. For all Barcelonas dominance, Hart had one meaningful save to make in the first half, pushing away Xavi Hernandezs long-range strike. "I thought we maybe gave a little too much respect to them in the beginning," City captain Vincent Kompany said. "They were there for the taking." But City couldnt and, after a quiet first half by his standards, Messis key contribution came after the break, scoring his 66th Champions League goal in the 54th minute, putting him just five from levelling Raul Gonzalezs record. Aside from Xavi firing over and Dani Alves skewing an effort wide, City looked more likely to find the net at times in the second half despite chasing shadows so often. Then a lightening move down the right flank was completed by Dani Alves putting the ball through Harts legs from a tight angle, giving Barca a comfortable lead as it chases a first European title since 2011. "They are incredibly efficient," Kompany said. "When you play against them you do realize the individual quality of this team is phenomenal and it makes it so difficult to close them down." Justin Jackson Jersey . Brandon Morrow allowed five runs on six hits over three innings. He struck out two, walked one and hit a batter. Edwin Encarnacion had a two-out, bases loaded two-RBI double in the third inning. Vince Carter Jersey . Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone dismissed Tuesdays massive anti-government protest in Manama as "a lot of kids having a go at the police." "I dont think its anything serious at all," Ecclestone was quoted as saying in The Guardian newspaper on Wednesday. http://www.nbakingsonline.com/Authentic ... gs-Jersey/. Bozak and Clarkson suffered the injuries in pre-training camp workouts, according to Carlyle, who said they made "small amounts of improvement" from Friday to Saturday. After the players were deemed less than 100 per cent by doctors after Thursdays medical testing, the Leafs held them out of on-ice testing and are being cautious. Willie Cauley-Stein Jersey . This week they discuss Russias mens hockey team, the ineptitude of the IOC handling the Nicklas Backstrom situation, John Tortorellas many apologies, and Canadas strong showing in curling. Vlade Divac Jersey .Johnny there, who knew he had that speed? teammate Tommy Wingels said.Scott and Matt Irwin were unlikely goal-scorers Tuesday night as the previously stingy San Jose Sharks finally sprung a leak or two, blowing a pair of three-goal leads before coming away with a 6-5 shootout victory over the Washington Capitals.BALTIMORE -- In case it wasnt evident before opening day, we now know why the Baltimore Orioles added another slugger to a team that led the major leagues in home runs last season. Nelson Cruz celebrated his Orioles debut by hitting a tiebreaking home run in the seventh inning, and Baltimore beat Jon Lester and the defending World Series champion Boston Red Sox 2-1 Monday. Signed as a free agent in February, Cruz lined a solo shot into the left field seats to put the Orioles ahead. He hit 27 homers last year with Texas during a season marred by a 50-game suspension from Major League Baseball in the Biogenesis drug scandal. Cruz joins a batting order that features Chris Davis, who led the majors in 2013 with 53 homers and 138 RBIs. Davis went 0 for 3 with two strikeouts as the cleanup hitter, but it didnt matter because the guy in the 5-hole picked up the slack. "It takes some of the pressure off everybody in the lineup knowing that you can pass the baton and the next guy can pick it up," Davis said. "We have to know as hitters going into the game that we can be patient, we can wait for our pitch, knowing that the guy behind us can pick us up." Cruz, meanwhile, couldnt have been more delighted. Not only did the Orioles provide him with a fresh start, but the fans chanted "Cruuuuuze!" every time his name was announced. "It was really neat, it was special," he said. "I made the right call to come and be part of this organization, be part of this town." Cruz wasnt the only player to enjoy a successful start with his new team. After missing two seasons recovering from knee surgery, Boston centre fielder Grady Sizemore marked his return from a 922-day absence with a second-inning single for his first hit since September 2011. The three-time All-Star for Cleveland later hit his first home run since July 15, 2011, which also came at Camden Yards. "Today was very exciting," Sizemore said. "I couldnt wait to get to the ballpark." Zach Britton (1-0) got the win with two scoreless innings of relief and Tommy Hunter got three outs for the save. Hunter earned the job as closer this spring after the Orioles dealt away Jim Johnson during the off-season. The Red Sox got two on with one out in the ninth before World Series MVP David Ortiz hit a flyball and Jackie Bradley Jr. took a called third strike. "Its life in baseball," Hunter said. "Youve got to earn everything you get. Onee-run game to start the season off against the defending world champs.dddddddddddd" Starting on the road for the fourth year in a row, the Red Sox got nine hits but stranded 12 and went 0 for 10 with runners in scoring position. "We had a lot of opportunities, we had a lot of guys on," second baseman Dustin Pedroia said. "We just hit the ball right at people. It was one of those deals where we couldnt find a way to push runs across." Making his fourth straight opening day start for Boston, Lester (0-1) gave up two runs, six hits and a walk in seven innings. He struck out eight. Orioles starter Chris Tillman allowed one run, seven hits and a walk in five innings. The right-hander went 3-1 against Boston last year, but in this one he needed 104 pitches to get 15 outs. Britton gave up a one-out double to Xander Bogaerts in the sixth and got three straight outs in the seventh, the only time all day that Boston went down in order. Evan Meek walked two in the eighth before Brian Matusz retired A.J. Pierzynski on a comebacker. Gametime temperature was announced at 60 degrees, but a stiff wind chilled many in the crowd of 46,685 -- the 23rd consecutive opening day sellout at Camden Yards. Hopeful that the off-season acquisitions of Cruz and right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez will enable Baltimore to return to the playoffs after missing out last year, Orioles fans were out in force. Until recently, games against Boston often drew as many Red Sox backers as those rooting for the home team. "Our crowd was legit," Hunter said. "That was awesome. I hope they come out like that every game for 80 more here." The Orioles used a walk, a single by Matt Wieters and a double-play grounder to take a 1-0 lead in the second. The Red Sox put runners at second and third with two outs in the third before Tillman struck out Mike Carp. In the fourth, Sizemore hit a 3-1 pitch over the right-field wall. NOTES: Dustin Pedroia got Bostons first hit of the season, a one-out single in the first inning, to extend his hitting streak on opening day to eight games. ... After taking Tuesday off, the teams meet Wednesday night. John Lackey (13-5 lifetime against Baltimore) faces Jimenez in his Orioles debut. ... The Red Sox put RF Shane Victorino (hamstring) on the 15-day disabled list and recalled Bradley. ... Ortiz received his 12th opening day start at DH, tying Don Baylors major league record at the position. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '