Dein erstes Forum » the offseason upgrading a defense

PORTO, Portugal -- FC Porto needed another decisive performance by Andre Silva to end a winless drought at home in Europe with a 1-0 victory over Club Brugge in the Champions League on Wednesday.The Portugal forward scored his 11th goal in his last nine appearances between club and country, helping Porto to snap a four-game winless run at home in European competition.Porto is in second place with seven points in Group G, three points behind leader Leicester, which was held to a scoreless draw at third-place FC Copenhagen.The result eliminated Brugge, which is yet to earn a point after four matches. Copenhagen has five points.Silva scored with a header off a corner in the 37th minute at the Estadio do Dragao. The ball deflected off the shoulder of Brugge midfielder Tomas Pina before going into the top corner by the far post.It is always important when you score the winning goal, the 20-year-old Silva said.We won, so we accomplished our mission for this match. We claimed the three points, which was the most important thing tonight. Now we have to go into our next match with the same confidence. We will have to fight until the end.It was Silvas fourth goal in his last four matches with Porto. He scored an injury-time winner in the 2-1 victory at Brugge last month.He also had four goals in Portugals most recent World Cup qualifiers, against Andorra and the Faroe Islands.Porto goalkeeper Iker Casillas made a difficult save to deny Pina an equalizer for Brugge in the 85th, as the Belgian side endured an eight-game winless run in away matches in European competition.In the second half, we all believed we could still claim a point here, but we failed to do that, Brugge captain Ruud Vormer said. We have not been lucky in this campaign. Mirco Mueller Jersey . Barcelonas entertaining victory ensured the defending Spanish champions retained their share of the league lead with Atletico Madrid two rounds ahead of their meeting in the capital. Real Madrid needed a late goal by substitute Jese Rodriguez to earn a 3-2 victory at Valencia to stay in third place and three points behind its title rivals. Marcus Johansson Jersey . A statement from the worlds top-ranked player says all checks "were satisfactory and showed positive evolution" regarding the injury, which contributed to his loss to Stanislas Wawrinka in the final in Melbourne. http://www.cheapdevilsjerseys.com/ . During the athletes parade, the 23-strong Ukrainian team was represented by a lone flagbearer in an apparent protest at the presence of Russian troops in Ukraines Crimean peninsula. Adidas Nico Hischier Jersey . Jeff Green scored 13 points and Kris Humphries 12 for the Celtics, who nearly blew an 18-point, second-half lead. Sullingers 20-20 was the first by a Celtics player since Kevin Garnetts first game in Boston in 2007. Garnett was dealt -- along with Paul Pierce -- to Brooklyn during the off-season. Will Butcher Jersey . Louis Blues absence from top spot in the TSN. PITTSBURGH -- Todd Haley came up with a goal of averaging 30 points a game a year ago.And if the always tinkering, ever aggressive Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator is being honest, hes kind of surprised his group came as close as it did in 2015.No Ben Roethlisberger for four games. No LeVeon Bell for 10. No Martavis Bryant for five. No Maurkice Pouncey for an entire season. And still the Steelers managed to put up 26 points every week on their way to a second straight playoff berth.When you look back at the tape, even with the hands we were dealt, whether it was injuries, suspensions, whatever it was, to me it would have been a very attainable goal for us last year, Haley said.So why change it even with some of the same issues that plagued Pittsburgh a year ago -- Bell suspended for three games, Bryant suspended until next spring, tight end Ladarius Green out indefinitely with ankle issues -- popping up again ahead of Monday nights opener in Washington?As a coach, you are trying to set the bar high but at an area you can feel like you can achieve and attain, Haley said. I just think thats a number if we are able to get it done, it will give us the best chance to win week in and week out.The preseason provided a brief but perhaps telling glimpse of whats to come. Roethlisberger, Bell and wide receiver Antonio Brown played all of two possessions together during an exhibition game.Both drives in Week 3 featured Roethlisberger working almost exclusively out of the no-huddle and finished with the Steelers in the end zone.Giving Roethlisberger the latitude to call what he wants when he wants -- akin to Peyton Mannings prime in Indianapolis -- is a sign of just how the relationship between quarterback and coordinator has evolved over the past four years.The trust level between the two is at an all-time high thanks in part to Roethlisbergers embracing of Haleys system that tasks the 34-year-old with getting the ball out of his hands (and hopefully keeping him healthy) to a skill group thats as talented as any in the league when its on the field at the same time.Its a collection that will include heavy doses of DeAngelo Williams until Bell returns in Week 4. Its a role he filled remarkably well in 2015 while running for 907 yards and 111 touchdowns at 32, a time when most of his peers are eyeing retirement if theyre still in the league at all.dddddddddddd Williams looks as fresh as ever.DeAngelo does not lack confidence by any stretch of the imagination, but thats what you want, Roethlisberger said. You want a guy who is going to step up and be ready to go, try not to miss a beat. Last year, he showed what he can do, and I think well see the same thing.Williams even caught a career-best 40 receptions and remained one of the best backs in the league in pass protection. Hes hardly concerned about living up to Haleys mandate. Last he checked, the goal was to score as often as possible.Theres two types of pressure, you either apply it or you feel it, Williams said. Were applying 30 point a game rule because its what our offensive coordinator and head coach want us to do.Pittsburghs test will be an unfamiliar one. The Redskins spent the offseason upgrading a defense that finished 28th in yards allowed in 2015, though Washington somehow won the lackluster NFC East anyway.All-Pro cornerback Josh Norman comes over from Carolina and former Pittsburgh defensive end Ziggy Hood will try to revitalize his career after bouncing from Jacksonville to Chicago to the nations capital since leaving the Steelers after the 2013 season.The division remains wide open and slowing down Pittsburgh -- a club Washington hasnt beaten since its most recent Super Bowl-winning season a quarter century ago -- would be an ambitious start.Yet it may come down to the Steelers stopping themselves. For all the yards and the points they put up in 2015, Pittsburgh also turned it over 28 times, the 10th-most in the league. That number includes 16 interceptions by Roethlisberger, his most since 2006.We just gave the ball away too many times last year, Haley said. Our defense did a great job of getting it, so we stayed in the plus, but for us to be up over one-plus giveaway per game, thats too much for a group that wants to be great.---AP Sports Writer Stephen Whyno in Washington, D.C. contributed to this report.---Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '