News » ensuring both its place in Spains topflight next season

MALAGA, Spain -- Malaga eased to a dominant 2-0 win at home over Villarreal on Monday to take a big step toward ensuring both its place in Spains topflight next season and coach Bernd Schusters job. Malagas stout defence limited Villarreal to just one shot on goal, even after the host went down to 10 men for the final 15 minutes when Nordin Amrabat was shown a direct red for vehemently protesting to the referee. Roque Santa Cruz chipped the ball over goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo from a tight angle to open the scoring in the sixth at La Rosaleda Stadium after the striker was played through by Samuel Sanchez. Amrabat then used his pace to race down the left side and waited for Sergi Darder to arrive unmarked in a second wave before he crossed for the midfielder to fire in their second goal in the 53rd. "Perhaps this was our most well-rounded game of the season," Schuster said. "We played well from the first to the last minute. We werent much better than Villarreal, but we controlled them throughout." After struggling early in Schusters first season in charge, Malaga has come on late and has won five of its last eight games to escape the fight at the bottom and climb into 10th place with four rounds to go. The team is not only playing to avoid a last-minute relegation battle. Schusters job at the Costa del Sol side may depend on the side holding onto a top-10 finish. The German managers contract includes a clause that he can be fired if they finish in 11th place or lower. "It has been a difficult year for everyone, and with these three points we can breathe easier," Schuster said. "This was a key day. We have lifted a weight off us. Now, with less pressure, we can improve." Villarreal forward Giovani Dos Santos returned from a four-week injury layoff when he went on as a second-half substitute. Villarreals loss left it in seventh place and holding onto the last Europa League berth, seven points ahead of Valencia. Atletico Madrid leads the league by four points over Barcelona. Real Madrid is another two points behind but with an extra game to play. C.J. McCollum Jersey . Week 2s biggest games include Florida facing Miami and Notre Dame travelling to the Big House to conclude their rivalry against Michigan in primetime on TSN2 and TSN 1050. Clyde Drexler Jersey . Ricciardo made it only halfway around the Jerez track before his RB10 rolled to a stop and began spouting smoke from the back. After team mechanics tended to the car, Ricciardo went back out for a mere two trips around the circuit before calling it quits. http://www.blazersteamofficial.com/Brandon-Roy-Blazers-Jersey/ . His Chicago Blackhawks teammates werent shocked when he found it. Kanes career has been defined by his brilliance in the Blackhawks biggest moments, and his tiebreaking goal with 3:45 to play in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals will rank among the best. Terry Porter Blazers Jersey .Brooks, a three-year veteran, was slow to get up after suffering the injury during a 5-yard run by Arian Foster.Brooks limped off the field midway through the quarter and then slowly walked to the locker room a few minutes later. Anfernee Simons Jersey .Brazil midfielder Ricardo Goulart scored the winner in the 50th minute to give the defending champion a four-point advantage in the standings over second-place Sao Paulo, which beat rival Palmeiras 2-0.NHL and NHLPA executives are expected to announce on Friday the details of the rekindled World Cup of Hockey, a tournament that will feature eight teams, including two unconventional ones. Besides Canada, the U.S., Russia, Sweden, the Czech Republic and Finland, the league and union will announce a European All-Star team will participate. That team will be stocked with players who come from countries other than those participating as nations. Also, the tournament will feature a team with North American players under the age of 23. An executive with an NHL sponsor confirmed the details to TSN. The tournament will also feature a best-of-three final, which will help to drive up the broadcast and sponsor rights for the tournament both in North America and Europe. The National Hockey League and its players association have told team executives they hope to generate between $75 million and $100 million from the rekindled World Cup of Hockey. A person familiar with the matter told TSN that the tournament, which is scheduled to be held in September 2016, will raise about half its revenue from the sale of broadcast and internet streaming rights. The NHL and NHLPA have predicted those rights may garner close to $50 million. Its a gamble to spend so much on a tournament like the World Cup when theres no guarantee Team Canada will advance beyond the round robin portion. But if it does, there could be a big payoff in TV ratings. The final of the World Cup will be a best-of-three format, TSN has learned. Besides TV rights, the NHL and NHLPA will also sell sponsorship rights to the World Cup. They anticipate selling to eight premier corporate sponsors and negotiating deals of at least $1.5 million in each category, a source told TSN. The NHL and NHLPA will also garner revenue from ticket and merchandise sales. However, its expected that the NHL and the Players Association will have to pay Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment at least $5 million for hosting the three-week tournament. While executives with the Montreal Canadiens wanted to host some of the World Cup games at the Bell Centre, the NHL and its players union decided to host all of the games in Toronto. That way, if the tournament is a success, they could auction off the rights to host the gamees in 2019, perhaps, to the city that offers the best revenue guarantee - be it Montreal, New York, Stockholm, Moscow, or another city.dddddddddddd To be sure, there are still many unanswered questions about how much profit the NHL and players union will generate from the World Cup. They need to pay for insurance for all of the players. Typically, the NHL and the Players Association buy premiums that offer better coverage than simply career-ending policies. Payouts are rare, but they do happen. The Islanders John Tavares, for instance, was covered by an insurance policy when he was injured during the Winter Olympics earlier this year in Sochi, Russia. The Islanders were compensated by an insurance company for the time he missed. Its unclear how much insurance will cost the NHL and NHLPA. Then Hockey Canada president Bob Nicholson said last August that it would cost at least $1 million simply to pay for insurance for the 47 Canadian players invited to Team Canada workouts in advance of the Winter Olympics. NHL player agent Allan Walsh said some NHL players have been skeptical over whether its a good idea to steer away from the national team concept. Some players believe this should be limited to players playing for their country, Walsh told TSN. What are you playing for if its Team Young Guns or European All Stars? What are you playing for? Thats a problem. Its an issue. Walsh said featuring a young guns team particularly could lead to lopsided scores. The downside is that team gets pounded, Walsh said. I dont think it would have an impact on the players psychology or career - just an impact on the legitimacy of the team in the tournament, when people sit back and say whether this kind of team was a good or bad idea. Still, Walsh and other agents said there could be a great payoff for the league from marketing a team built around young stars like Nathan McKinnon, Connor McDavid and Jonathan Drouin. Walsh said that while some fans have called for the NHL and NHLPA to include teams from Slovakia or Slovenia, that might not be practical, since the tournament is run by the league and its players association - both of which want to use the event to build the profile of their own players, not those playing in leagues overseas. ' ' '