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LIVERPOOL, England -- Steven Gerrard converted a penalty in the third minute of stoppage time to earn Liverpool a 2-1 victory over Ludogorets Razgrad in the Champions League after a frantic finish to the Group B game at Anfield on Tuesday. Dani Abalos goal in the opening seconds of injury time cancelled out Mario Balotellis 82nd-minute strike -- his first for Liverpool -- and looked like earning a draw for Ludogorets, a Bulgarian minnow making its debut in the competitions group stage. But Canadian international goalkeeper Milan Borjan brought down substitute Fabio Borini moments later and Gerrard slotted home the spot kick to complete a successful return to Europes elite competition for Liverpool after five years out. It was Liverpools long-awaited return to what the five-time European champions regard as their habitat and the club played it up, with a sea of flags and scarves decorating all corners of Anfield before kickoff and a mosaic of five European Cups held up by Kop. They have missed these big European nights in these parts and there was as much relief as joy when Gerrard -- the only survivor from Liverpools last Champions League match in December 2009 -- sent Borjan the wrong way from the spot. But this arguably was an even bigger night for Ludogorets, a team that didnt even exist at the turn of the century and only turned professional in 2010. The Bulgarian champions did not look overawed on the biggest night of their lives, famously made possible by defender Cosmin Motis penalty saves in a shootout win against Steaua Bucharest in the qualifying playoff when filling in as goalkeeper. And they could easily have drawn or even won the game, with Roman Bezjak rolling a shot against the foot of the post when clean through with the score at 0-0. Balotelli had been a peripheral figure until he made a goal out of nothing, controlling Alberto Morenos cross from the left, beating his marker with a touch and poking a fine finish into the corner for his first goal since joining from AC Milan last month. Liverpool had been limited to half-chances in a scrappy before that, with Borjan -- signed on Friday to solve a goalkeeping crisis -- not having a shot to save in the first half. Liverpools build-up play was inaccurate and predictable, but Jordan Henderson delivered some incisiveness in the 53rd minute when he lofted a pass toward Javier Manquillo. Virgil Misidjan failed to clear and Manquillo, with only Borjan to beat, scooped his shot over the bar. Ludogorets remained dangerous on the counterattack and when Gerrard lost concentration, Bezjak ran onto a quickly taken throw-in, sprinted clear and poked a shot over in the 66th. The striker then went even closer by hitting the post before a mad finish of three goals in a 10-minute span. Cheap Titans Jerseys Authentic . Yoenis Cespedes proved he can play through a hurting right heel, giving Scott Kazmir and the As a spark with a pair of RBIs that helped spoil the Minnesota Twins home opener with an 8-3 victory on Monday. Cheap Tennessee Titans Jerseys . - David Tomasek had two goals in regulation time and was the lone scorer in the shootout as the Belleville Bulls upset the Oshawa Generals 6-5 on Wednesday in Ontario Hockey League action. http://www.cheaptitansjerseyselite.com/. Got Jacks? Pulling off a comeback for the ages, feisty Stephen F. Austin became the latest No. 12 seed to pull off an upset, tying the game on Desmond Haymons did-that-just-happen four-point play with 3. Cheap Titans Jerseys China .What they got was a bevy of players chipping in to pick up the slack.Josh Smith scored 18 points and James Harden added 17 as the Rockets used a balanced scoring effort to outlast the Mavericks for a 99-94 victory. Jeffery Simmons Jersey . In the days leading up to the draft, TSN.ca and TSN Radio basketball analyst Duane Watson looks at some of the names that will be headlining the event. Tonight, Michigans Nik Stauskas of Mississauga, Ontario.What is the most important space on a soccer field?Some suggest that it is the zone directly in front of the penalty area – referred to as Zone 14 – where the largest percentage of goal scoring opportunities originate. Others suggest that the penalty area is the most important, as it is where the largest percentage of goals are scored. Still others suggest that the midfield is the most crucial area of the pitch, as it is often where games are "won and lost".I disagree with all three suggestions. For me, the most important space on a football pitch is the space between a players ears.For me, football is simply a game of decisions. The ability to make the correct decisions consistently is what is often referred to as a players "football IQ" or "football intelligence". You will often hear analysts refer to a player having a good "football brain", which is simply a way of saying that a player consistently makes the correct decisions on a football pitch.Does he pass the ball or does he dribble? If he passes the ball, whom does he pass it to? When he passes the ball, how hard does he pass it? Does he pass it to the left side or to the right side of the receiver? Does he pass it on the ground, or does he have to lift the ball in order to get it to its intended target?Players make thousands of these decisions during a 90-minute game, yet the difference between glory and failure can often rest on just one or two. For defenders, the wrong decision often results in conceding a goal.Consider Spains humiliating 5-1 loss to the Netherlands.Just one minute after Spains David Villa had a one-on-one with Dutch goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen – which would have put Spain in front 2-0 just before the halftime break had Silva scored - the Netherlands scored a fabulous equalizing goal through Robin van Persie. The goal completely changed the course of the game, as the momentum heading into the break turned 180 degrees in favour of the Netherlands.As wonderful as the goal was for the Netherlands, from Spains perspective it was a defensive calamity.When Dutch defender Bruno Martins Indi passed the ball to wingback Daley Blind, the assessment of the situation from Spanish defender Sergio Ramos was that there was no imminent danger.However, Ramos failed to correctly assess the situation because he got caught ball-watching. Ramos focused his attention on Blind, rather than on Robin van Persies position in relation to the ball at Blinds feet. Had he seen van Persies positioning on his back shoulder, Ramos would have realized that there was a genuine threat. Had Ramos then decided to run just three or four yards to get back into the correct defensive position, Blind would have opted to retain possession with a safer pass, rather than sending the ball forward for van Persie to attack.The ball in behind Spains back line from Blind was inch perfect, matched in qualitty only by the diving header from van Persie.ddddddddddddThe goal completely changed the course of the game, as the momentum swung in favour of the Netherlands – who went on to score four unanswered goals in the second half to pull off one of the results of the tournament.Consider Italys shocking 1-0 defeat at the hands of Costa Rica.Usually one of the most consistent defensive teams at the international level, Italy was badly caught out for Bryan Ruizs game-winning goal.When Costa Ricas Júnior Díaz picked up the ball on the left flank and shaped to cross, Italys Giorgio Chiellini (arguably one of the best defenders in the world) never spotted the run of Ruiz off his back shoulder. Why? Because Chiellini never took his eyes off the ball.Yes, it was clever movement from Ruiz. But Chiellinis decision to focus solely on the ball, rather than on Ruizs movement in relation to the ball, resulted in a devastating outcome for Italy. A tremendous cross from Diaz and a clinical finish from Ruiz was all Costa Rica needed to separate the two sides, clinching the minnows passage to the knockout stage.Consider Ecuadors winning goal in their 2-1 victory over Honduras.One of the key principles of good defensive play is "see the ball, see the man". A good defender always puts himself in a position where he can see both the ball and the player he is marking. Generally speaking, this is a position that is ball-side and closer to the goal that is being defended than the attacker.On Ecuadors free kick, Honduran defender Juan Carlos García committed the cardinal sin of turning his back on the ball when marking Ecuadorian striker Enner Valencia. Garcia had no idea that the ball had been kicked, as he was trying to wrestle with Valencia instead. This left Valencia the easy task of wriggling away from Garcias clutches to head the ensuing cross into the back of the net.While there have been some examples of very good defensive play at the World Cup – Iran, Greece and Costa Rica have all put on excellent defensive performances in various games – I have been surprised at how many individual defenders are making fundamental defensive mistakes.As the game changes – fullbacks are now more coveted for their ability to get forward in attack than they are for their one on one defensive abilities – the characteristics of the next generation of defenders will also change. Speed, comfort on the ball and a wide passing range are all characteristics that the modern game seeks in its defenders.But those characteristics should never come at the expense of situational and positional awareness, tackling, heading, organization and communication. The young players - like Frances Raphael Varane and Uruguays José Giménez – who can marry all of these traits together will go on to be the next "defensive artists" of the modern game. 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