Presseberichte und -bilder » been one of the few offensive bright spots, as

BARCELONA, Spain -- Alexis Sanchez netted his first hat trick for Barcelona to spark its 4-0 win over Elche at Camp Nou on Sunday, setting up a highly anticipated showdown with Atletico Madrid next week between the top two teams in the Spanish league. With Lionel Messi watching from the stands and Neymar waiting in the dugout, Barcelona turned to Alexis and its core of Spain internationals for a second straight victory without its star forwards on either side of the two-week winter break. Alexis opened the scoring in the seventh minute and struck twice more in the 63rd and 69th after Pedro Rodriguez had doubled the advantage and Xavi Hernandez had missed a penalty kick. "The holidays were good for me," said Alexis, who also credited first-year coach Gerardo Martino for improving his scoring rate. "I think Martino gave me the confidence I needed as a player," Alexis told GOL TV. Barcelonas victory was its ninth in as many league games at home this season, and it remained tied on points with Atletico atop the standings. The pressure is now on Real Madrid come Monday when it hosts Celta Vigo trailing the pacesetting pair by eight points. Alexis and Pedro lead the team with 11 goals each in league play, tying them as the leagues fourth-highest scorers this campaign. Both players were given ovations when substituted late, with Neymar coming on for the final minutes. Martino said he was as impressed by Alexis treble as anyone else, especially with his last goal from a free kick. "Alexis takes free kicks well in practice," Martino said. "When Leo, Xavi, Cesc or Neymar are playing, they almost never let him take one. One time he sent a free kick into the wall and we all thought it was his last. I told the bench that as a joke before he took todays kick and he ended up scoring it." Elsewhere, Real Sociedad downed Athletic Bilbao 2-0 in an entertaining Basque Country derby to close to just one point of its rivals in fourth place and Spains last Champions League spot. Carlos Bacca scored one goal and set up two more to help Sevilla beat Getafe 3-0 at home, provisionally lifting the club into sixth place behind Sociedad with its fifth victory in a six-game unbeaten streak in the league. Osasuna edged Espanyol 1-0 in Pamplona thanks to Alvaro Cejudos 33rd-minute goal to escape the relegation zone. Espanyol coach Javier Aguirre was expelled from the dugout in the second half, apparently for arguing with the referee. Messi tore his left hamstring on Nov. 11 and only returned to training with Barcelona this week, having spent time in Argentina doing rehab. He was left off the squad for Sundays game and Martino will have to decide if he brings him back against Getafe on Wednesday in the Copa del Rey to get him up to speed before the big trip to Atletico next Sunday. "Messi is fine physically and in good spirits," Martino said. "Whether he plays or not depends on his mentality, on whether he has gotten over the fear of the injury. Maybe we should have a little more patience (with him)." Alexis charged behind his marker to meet Jordi Albas cross from the left and volley it into the corner of the net to get Barcelona rolling. Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes looked a tad rusty in his first action in six weeks returning from injury in the 14th when Yiadom Boakye blasted the ball off the post, but he wasnt tested again after Pedro made it 2-0 two minutes later. Pedro followed up his hat trick at Getafe in the last round by meeting Cesc Fabregas weighted pass behind the defence, then used one touch to round goalkeeper Antonio "Tono" Rodriguez before sliding the ball inside the near post. Xavi, also back from injury, wasted penalty three minutes after halftime when he sent his spot kick wide after Fabregas had been fouled in the area by Elches Ionut Sapunaru. But Pedro took Andres Iniestas through ball and squared for Alexis to fire into the open net in the 63rd. Moments later Alexis earned his free kick from a foul outside the box that the Chile forward promptly curved over the defensive wall with a right-footed strike. The games only negative for Barcelona was defender Marc Bartra apparently hurting his leg late on. Sociedad took control of the back-and-forth match at Anoeta Stadium when Antoine Griezmann followed up his own rebound from long range for this 12th league goal of the season two minutes before halftime. Bilbao sought the equalizer but it was Sociedads Ruben Pardo who capped the victory in added time. Air Max 270 Mujer Baratas . Ramirez is still hitting behind Puig, only now they are in the third and fourth spots, and the change is starting to generate positive results for manager Don Mattingly. Nike Air Max España .Pete Morelli said the back judge threw a flag on Cowboys linebacker Anthony Hitchens on a pass to Lions tight end Brandon Pettigrew in Dallas 24-20 wild-card win Sunday. But the head linesman said there wasnt enough contact and that Hitchens was face-guarding, which isnt a penalty in the NFL. http://www.tiendasairmaxbaratas.com/zapatillas-air-max-90.html . Brooks replaces right-hander Yordano Ventura, who left his last outing with a sore elbow. Ventura is expected to miss one start. Brooks has made one relief appearance for the Royals this season, allowing six runs in two innings in a May 3 loss to Detroit. Air Max Baratas Online . -- The guys in green raced off the court and into the locker room where they danced and sang, compared whose shot was most likely to end up featured on "One Shining Moment," and checked Twitter to see who was giving them a shoutout. Nike Air Max 720 Mujer Baratas . Rooneys latest piece of football genius lost in the furore which now stalks David Moyes, and the man who gave the Manchester United striker his start as a 16-year old at Goodison Park back in 2002.Omaha, NE (SportsNetwork.com) - The 23rd-ranked Creighton Bluejays will try to conclude their season-opening five-game homestand at CenturyLink Center Omaha undefeated on Tuesday night when they tangle with the Eastern Illinois Panthers as part of the Emerald Coast Classic. EIU has gotten off to a sluggish start to the season at just 1-3. The Panthers most recently ventured to Cincinnati on Sunday and fought hard with the Bearcats before suffering a 54-49 setback. The Bluejays, meanwhile, have soared in the early going with four straight wins to open up the campaign, most notably against nationally-ranked Oklahoma on Nov. 19, 65-63. Creighton made easy work of NC Central on Sunday, 65-45. The programs have met just twice in their histories, splitting a pair of games in the early 1990s. The Panthers were locked up in a tight battle with Cincinnati earlier in the week, but trailing by one midway through the second half, they fell victim to a 10-2 Bearcats run to lose control. They stayed competitive thanks to strong defense, as they forced Cincinnati into 19 turnovers, but they couldnt take advantage on the other end by shooting less than 30 percent from the field. Reggie Smith and Trae Anderson both scored 12 points in the setback, while Chris Oliver added 11 points. EIU has established a similar theme on the season, as it holds opponents to under 40 percennt field goal shooting and 58.dddddddddddd0 ppg but boasts poor offensive numbers itself (.395 FG percentage, 61.0 ppg). Chris Oliver (13.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg) has been one of the few offensive bright spots, as he shoots 55.8 percent from the field. Anderson (10.3 ppg) is the only other player in double figures but only manages to shoot 32.6 percent from the floor. Creighton had no issue taking down the favorites of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference on Sunday in a 20-point victory. Despite shooting a lowly 35.3 percent from the field, it knocked down 22-of-25 from the free-throw line while forcing NCCU into nearly as many turnovers (17) as field goals (19). Isaiah Zierden provided a spark off the bench with 20 points on 4-of-7 from beyond the arc and 8-of-9 at the free-throw line. Devin Brooks chipped in with nine points and Austin Chatman and Will Artino netted nine points apiece. The Bluejays are typically a much more efficient offensive squad, as they shoot 42.2 percent from the field for 79.5 ppg this season. They have also impressed on the defensive end of the court, allowing just 62.8 ppg while owning a +5.3 turnover margin. Zierden has knocked down 14-of-30 from 3-point range in the early going en route to his team-high 16.3 ppg. Artino (11.5 ppg, 6.8 rpg), Chatman (10.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg) and Brooks (9.5 ppg, 6.8 rpg) are also integral pieces. ' ' '