miaowang123: ... Francisco now has four homers on the seaso
... Francisco now has four homers on the seaso
CURITIBA, Brazil -- A little under a year after the sudden death of star striker Christian Benitez, Ecuador has unearthed a new goal-scoring dynamo. Cameron Brate Jersey . Enner Valencias two calmly-taken goals that secured a 2-1 comeback win over Honduras on Friday took his tournament tally to three and put the team in second spot in a group that is likely to be won by France. Valencia, who plays for Mexican club Pachuca, only consolidated his position in the Ecuador starting lineup after Benitez died from a heart problem last July. "He hasnt even celebrated a year with us, I think hes grown a lot, improved a lot," Ecuadors coach Reinaldo Rueda said of his new star forward. Valencia, who is no relation to his captain Antonio Valencia, hopes the "joy" that the win has generated will help inspire the team in its crucial final Group E match against France, which has tallied eight goals and conceded two in a pair of dominating wins. Ecuador has three competition points, level with Switzerland but ahead on goal difference after the Swiss lost 5-2 to France earlier Friday. Honduras, which has never won a World Cup match, isnt completely out of contention despite its two losses but it faces an uphill battle ahead of its last group game against Switzerland. "We still have that possibility, though it is remote and we will fight for it," Honduras coach Luis Fernando Suarez said. Rueda praised the Honduras team for its tenacity and expressed the hope that his former charges could do Ecuador a favour by beating the Swiss. Rueda steered Honduras at the last World Cup in South Africa. Should Honduras beat Switzerland, Ecuador would only need a draw against France to progress to the knockout rounds of the World Cup for only the second time. The first time Ecuador qualified for the second round was in 2006 and, coincidentally, the team was then was managed by current Honduras coach Suarez. Rueda conceded it was difficult to meet his former team in such a crucial match. "For me, its a mix of emotions, professional and personal," he said. Honduras took the lead in the 31st minute with its first World Cup goal in 32 years when Carlo Costly latched onto a long ball following a misjudgment from Ecuador defender Jorge Guagua. The goal ended a 511-minute drought that stretched back to the 1982 World Cup. Valencia equalized three minutes later, tapping in with his left foot from close range after sloppy Honduran defending failed to stop a cross in from the right. Honduras applied more of the pressure leading up to halftime and nearly took the lead. A fierce free kick in injury time from Victor Bernardez forced a good save from Ecuador goalkeeper Alexander Dominguez. Honduras got the ball in the Ecuador net seconds before the break when a Costly header rebounded off the post into the path of Jerry Bengtson, but it was disallowed -- apparently for a hand ball. The second half was far less frenzied than the opening 45 minutes and Valencias winner came in the 65th minute when he out-jumped the Honduras defence to head home a left-sided free kick from Walter Ayovi. "These are goals in the World Cup, this is something you dream of when you are a young kid and thank God that this dream is becoming a reality," said Valencia. Keith Tandy Jersey . "Hopefully well get all this out of the way," he said, "and everyone will be healthy the rest of the year." Zimmerman was placed on the 15-day disabled list Sunday and is expected to miss between four to six weeks. Noah Spence Jersey . -- Felix Girard scored on the power play in the third period to lift the Baie-Comeau Drakkar past the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada 4-3 in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action Friday.Tempe, AZ (SportsNetwork.com) - The Arizona Cardinals plans on having Carson Palmer back under center following their bye week have appeared to have hit a snag, as the veteran quarterback was excused from Wednesdays practice to see a specialist about his ailing right shoulder. Palmer missed Arizonas previous two games prior to the teams Week 4 bye as he dealt with a nerve issue in his throwing shoulder. Head coach Bruce Arians told reporters that the problem has regressed since Palmer took part in a pair of extensive throwing sessions last week. Arians has yet to rulle Palmer out for Sundays game at Denver, but did say the 12-year pro will have to prove he can throw at full velocity over the next couple of days in order to be cleared. Ryan Smith Jersey. Drew Stanton has stepped in for Palmer in Arizonas last two contests and guided the 3-0 Cardinals to a pair of wins, including a 23-14 decision over NFC West rival San Francisco on Sept. 21 in which he tossed a pair of touchdown passes. Stanton did not commit a turnover in either of those two starts while amassing 411 yards on a 32-of-62 completion rate. Cheap Jerseys 2020 Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic NFL Jerseys From China NFL Jerseys Wholesale Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys Store ' ' '
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