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DOHA, Qatar -- Rafael Nadal struggled past Philipp Kohlschreiber while Qatar Open defending champion Roger Federer routed Nikolay Davydenko in their season-openers on Tuesday. Premier Hakeem Nicks Jersey . The second-ranked Nadal overcame Kohlschreiber of Germany 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-3 in a match that lasted two-and-a-half hours. Federer, who lost badly to Nadal and No. 1-ranked Novic Djokovic over the weekend at an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi, showed he had shaken off the rust by overwhelming the injury-plagued Davydenko 6-2, 6-2 in just 54 minutes. Also, sixth-ranked Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat Tunisian wild card Malek Jaziri 7-6 (5), 6-7 (5), 6-1 and fourth-ranked Gael Monfils defeated Rui Machado of Portugal 7-5, 6-3 as all the seeds in action advanced. Nadal, who has struggled with a sore left shoulder since the end of last season, started well and looked headed for a routine victory. But the 43rd-ranked Kohlschreiber stepped up his net play in the second set and jumped out to a 4-1 lead on his way to evening the match. Kohlschreiber went up a break in the third but Nadal broke back and took control from there. Nadal ripped a crosscourt forehand past Kohlschreiber to go up 2-1 and then broke for 3-1. Helped by an improving serve and able to win most of the big rallies, Nadal jumped to 5-2 and closed out the match with an acrobatic overhead smash and then a vicious crosscourt forehand that Kohlschreiber couldnt reach. "In general, for me, (this) was a really positive match," Nadal said. "I think I played a very good first set. The only moment that I didnt play well was the beginning of the second and after the tiebreak. For the rest, I think I played a very solid match." Nadal admitted Kohlschreiber was a tough opening draw, since he often plays much better than his ranking would indicate. Nadal, though, has never lost to Kohlschreiber in eight meetings. In a rematch of last years Qatar Open final, Federer expected a tricky encounter with Davydenko. But it was clear from the start that Davydenko -- a former world No. 3 who has fallen in the rankings to 41st and appeared to be lacking confidence -- would be no match for the third-ranked Swiss. Federer jumped out to early leads in both sets as he had his service game working and repeatedly pounced on Davydenkos weak serves. Hoping for a fourth title in Doha, Federer was able to move the Russian around the court at will as he racked up 18 winners to Davydenkos seven. Davydenko also hurt himself with 20 unforced errors. "It was a good first match for me into the new season and I think it was a combination between me playing actually really well and Nikolay just not finding his range, you know, what were used to seeing from him in the past," Federer said. "But I take these victories any time, especially against a top player like him." Federer said he was most happy he bounced back from his play in Abu Dhabi where he served erratically and struggled to break his opponents. "I thought my forehand and backhand was working. I think I had good variation on my serve which wasnt the case last week," he said. "So Im happy I was able to pull myself together and make that happen. So things have obviously changed here and Im happy the conditions suit me." Tsonga was challenged almost from the start by Jaziri in their first meeting. The 118th-ranked Tunisian kept Tsonga off balance, mixing in volleys and drop shots that had the third seed cursing to himself. But Tsonga could rely on his serve, which produced 12 aces. The match turned in Tsongas favour in the deciding set when the Frenchman started going to the net more often. "It was good for me to play a long time, to stay a long time on the court," Tsonga said. "But it was not easy, not easy today. Malek was in good shape. With the wind, it was really difficult to play my best tennis." Super Bowl Victor Cruz Jersey . Thorpe, 28, who retired in 2006 citing waning motivation, has been training to recuperate from a shoulder injury suffered in a car accident in China more than two years ago. Thorpes manager, David Flaskas, has confirmed Thorpe has been training, but he also made it clear that if he were to return to competitive swimming, it would not happen overnight, newspapers reported. Hakeem Nicks Super Bowl Jersey . Eric ODell and Eddy Leitans-Rinke both scored twice as part of a five-goal second period, leading the Sudbury Wolves to a 7-4 win over the Oshawa Generals in Ontario Hockey League play Sunday night. Super Bowl Eli Manning Jersey . Steve Nash added 17 points and eight assists and Jason Richardson contributed with 16 points as the Suns won their fourth straight game to cap a 5-2 homestand. Brandon Roy notched 23 points and Andre Miller scored 22 to go with nine assists for Portland, which had a five-game winning streak snapped. Osi Umenyiora Jersey . The Tigers shut down the high-flying Ducks all night, but with Auburn trying to run out the clock holding a 19-11 lead, Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton fumbled in his own territory with under five minutes remaining to give Oregon one final shot. Mario Manningham Jersey . -- Robinson Cano wont be swinging for the fences in the Home Run Derby.Ryan McDonald gave the Prince Albert Raiders a two-goal advantage Tuesday night -and when they couldnt hold onto it, he handed them another one. McDonald provided all the offence for the Raiders on Tuesday, scoring four times in a 4-2 victory over the Swift Current Broncos in Western Hockey League action. McDonald, who turns 21 on Jan. 5, gave the Raiders (17-22-2-0) a 2-0 lead with a pair of second-period goals. After Matt Tassone and Justin Dowling scored for the Broncos (23-16-0-1) to tie it 2-2, McDonald scored the eventual game winner with 4:06 left in the third period to complete the hat trick. He added his fourth of the game, and 23rd of the season, into an empty net in the final minute, giving him eight goals in the past four games and nine in eight games in December. Thanks to Tuesdays four-goal burst, the Prince Albert native sits second in team scoring with 39 points (23 goals, 16 assists) in 41 games, and is just three goals away from matching his career high set last season. In other WHL action Tuesday, it was: Saskatoon 1 Regina 0; Brandon 6 Lethbridge 4; Kelowna 2 Prince George 1; Vancouver 8 Moose Jaw 3; and Seattle 2 Chilliwack 0. At Prince Albert, Sask., Dowling and Tassone each had a goal and an assist to pace Swift Current, which saw its three-game winning streak come to an end. Steven Stanford stopped 31 shots to earn the win for the Raiders. Travis Yonkman made 27 saves in defeat for the Broncos. Blades 1 Pats 0 At Saskatoon, Braden Holtby made 22 saves as the Blades blanked Regina. Brandon Jacobs Jersey. Darian Dziurzynski scored the only goal of the game for Saskatoon (26-11-2-0). Linden Rowat made 31 saves for Regina (19-17-1-4). Wheat Kings 6 Hurricanes 4 At Lethbridge, Alta., Andrew Clark scored twice as Brandon beat the Hurricanes. Brayden Schenn, Anton Lewadniuk, Jay Fehr and Paul Ciarelli also scored for the Wheat Kings (21-13-2-1). Colton Sceviour had a pair of goals to pace the Hurricanes (20-17-0-2), while Dwight King and Carter Ashton also scored. Rockets 2 Cougars 1 At Kelowna, B.C., Lucas Bloodoff scored twice in the Rockets win over Prince George. Rookie Adam Brown stopped 19 shots to earn the win for Kelowna (22-15-0-0). Justin Maylan had the only goal for the Cougars (14-24-0-1). Giants 8 Warriors 3 At Vancouver, Andrej Kudrna had two goals and two assists as the Giants routed Moose Jaw. Casey Pierro-Zabotel also scored twice while Mike Berube, Lance Bouma, Adam Basford and Mikhail Fesenko added goals as Vancouver (31-2-0-3) won its 10th straight game. Joel Broda had two goals and Martin Filo added a single for Moose Jaw (11-25-0-1). Thunderbirds 2 Bruins 0 At Seattle, Wash., Lindsay Nielsen scored both goals as the Thunderbirds blanked Chilliwack. Jacob DeSerres turned aside 22 shots to earn the shutout for Seattle (15-19-1-2). Mark Friesen made 26 saves for the Bruins (11-24-2-2). ' ' '

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Kansas City, MO (Sports Network) - Gerald Laird and Curtis Granderson each hit a two-run homer as Detroit blasted Kansas City, 9-1, in the middle test of a three-game series. Justin Tuck Jersey . Laird had three hits, and Magglio Ordonez recorded his first extra base hit, a mammoth solo homer in the ninth inning, as the Tigers snapped a two-game skid. Josh Anderson added a two-run triple and Placido Polanco notched a two-run double. Zach Miner (2-1) allowed three hits and a run over five-plus innings to get the victory. Kyle Davies (1-1) was battered for eight hits and seven runs over 5 1/3 innings for the Royals, who lost for the fourth time in six games. Mike Jacobs knocked in the lone Kansas City run, on a groundout in the sixth inning. The Tigers gained the upper hand early, scoring twice in both the second and third innings. Carlos Guillen walked with one out in the second, and Laird followed by depositing an 0-1 pitch over the wall in left-center. "Ive always liked coming here and playing," said Laird. "I like the yard. Its a big yard. I see the ball really well here and Im facing good arms out there. Im just putting good swings on the ball." The Royals wasted an opportunity with runners at the corners in their half of the second, and the Tigers added to their lead the next inning. Adam Everett led off with a single and Granderson then blasted a homer to right. "They werent very good pitches," said Davies. "They were up in the zone. One was a changeup to Laird on the wrong side of the plate. I wanted to go away and down, and it came back to the middle of the plate right in his swing path. He hit it. On Granderson, I fell behind 1-0 and left a fastball out over the plate and he hit it." Anderson tripled in Laird and Brandon Inge in the sixth. Later in the inning, Polanco slapped a two-run double off reliever Robinson Tejeda. Coco Crisp singled leading off the bottom half, and scored later on a Jacobs ground ball. Ordonez, who came into the game with 17 base hits, homered to left-center off Jamey Wright with one out in the ninth. Game Notes: Davies is 1-5 lifetime against the Tigers...Alberto Callaspo had two of Kansas Citys six hits...The Royals went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base. Eli Manning Jersey . Thibodeaus squad is still in the running for the leagues best record and will take a seven-game winning streak into New York tonight. The Central champion Bulls will wrap up a three-game road trip and have won six straight as the visitor. Hakeem Nicks Premier Jersey . "Hunter has agreed to terms with the Redskins," Thomas Mills, Smiths agent, wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press. Mills would not release financial details of the one-year deal at Smiths request. Eli Manning Jersey . [Nelson Ching Bloomberg news] BEIJING - Automobile sales rose at their slowest pace in 16 months in July as the worlds largest auto market cooled after an explosive growth in 2009. Victor Cruz Jersey Authentic . Aaron Brooks added 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Rockets, who won their third straight, equaling a season-best. Ron Artest scored 19 and Yao Ming added 18 for Houston. Ahmad Bradshaw Youth Jersey ., earned gold and silver medals respectively on uneven bars and Nansy Damianova of Montreal added a bronze on womens vault Saturday at a World Cup gymnastics competition. NEW YORK -- Ivan Rodriguez and the Washington Nationals took advantage of the Mets bullpen for a satisfying Sunday win. After being held to one run and one hit in seven innings by Chris Young, the Nationals and their experienced bench broke out against the Mets shaky relievers for a 7-3 win in 11 innings. Rodriguez hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the 11th inning and Laynce Nix followed with a three-run homer off the Mets fifth reliever, Blaine Boyer (0-2), who was designated for assignment after the loss. "If we can get into the sixth and seventh innings, we really feel good about our ballclub," Nationals manager Jim Riggleman said. The Nationals actually left this one to the eighth, when an outfield gaffe was crucial to the outcome for the second game in a row. Right-fielder Lucas Duda misjudged Rodriguezs leadoff flyball. He sprinted toward centre, but the ball sailed over his head. Rodriguez wound up with a leadoff double off D.J. Carrasco, who then walked pinch-hitter Matt Stairs with one out and gave up an RBI single to Ian Desmond before Rick Ankiels grounder to second tied the game 3-3. "Its horrible, man," Carrasco said. "To just come in there and give the game away like that is very frustrating." Duda was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo afterward and the Mets tried to bolster a bullpen that issued 11 walks and 10 hits in 11 innings this series by purchasing the contracts of pitchers Ryota Igarashi and Jason Isringhausen. In the 11th, Rodriguezs hit got past second baseman Daniel Murphy, who pinch hit for Brad Emaus in the ninth after the Mets bullpen blew a 3-1 lead in the eighth. Duda scooped up the ball, but his throw to the plate was inaccurate and pinch-runner Wilson Ramos scored easily. "The route that was taken, I thought he was going to get there," Carrasco said. "I wasnt really worried because we had a two-run lead at the time. It was the fact I couldnt control the cutter later on. Thats what got me stuck." Drew Storen (1-1) pitched a scoreless 10th for Washington, which salvaged a 3-3 road trip and took two of three from the Mets thanks to timely hitting from its bench players and five innings of scoreless relief. The Nationals have won three out of four since dropping four of five to start the season. "I think its significant that were playing good basseball more than anything," Nationals starter Jason Marquis said. Hakeem Nicks Jersey. . "We started things off a bit sluggish. " He was referring to the Nationals season, but Young kept the Nats plenty quiet on Sunday, too. "He got us to where we wanted to get to," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "He got us to the eighth inning and we couldnt hold it for him. Its a shame, but he pitched great." Young looked right at home in Citi Fields wide-open spaces, getting 15 of his 21 outs on flyballs. The only groundout he allowed was Rodriguezs RBI to second base in the second inning. Against Philadelphia last week, the big righty struck out seven and allowed one run in 5 1-3 innings in his Mets debut. On Sunday, Adam LaRoche began the second inning with a walk and Michael Morse followed with a single to left, but Young retired 18 of the next 19 batters. Davis got his 10th RBI, and Jose Reyes reached base in the first inning for the ninth straight game. The Mets went up 2-0 in the first on RBI singles by David Wright and Angel Pagan. Davis added a broken-bat single in the fifth. With the Mets bullpen it wasnt enough. "I guess youve got to convince them that theyve got to get beat with somebody swinging the bat," Collins said. "This is the big leagues and theyve got to be able to land some pitches. Im not saying youre never going to walk somebody, but were walking at too high a rate right now." NOTES: The night before, Jerry Hairston Jr. muffed a fly to left-centre in the sixth inning, opening the door to a go-ahead triple by Ike Davis. On Sunday, the Mets repaid the favour. No Nationals pitcher has gone fewer than five innings yet this season, in nine games. Marquis retired nine straight between Reyes single in the third and Willie Harris in the fifth. Stairs drew his fourth walk in six ABs with Washington as a pinch-hitter. The Mets struck out 17 times one day after they whiffed 10 times. ... Washington 3B Ryan Zimmerman sat out. He aggravated an abdominal injury in Saturday nights game. Alex Cora played in his place. ... Carlos Beltran, who homered twice for New York the night before, pinch-hit in the ninth. His groundout to second ended the ninth. LaRoche left hurt in the 11th after reaching second base. Ramos, the backup catcher, ran for him. LaRoche said his left groin was tight. ' ' '

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An employee of Japans Ogawa Rubber Inc paints an eye on a rubber mask of US President-elect Barack Obama at the companys factory in Saitama city, suburban Tokyo January 19, 2009. Victor Cruz Jersey . Ogawa Rubber said it has produced and sold more than 2,500 Obama face masks since December, and 1,000 more are being manufactured, making it their fastest selling product. [Agencies] Previous page 1 2 Next Page Previous page 1 2 Next Page Jason Pierre-Paul T-shirt . The forum, with the theme Food and Energy Security and Stemming the Tide of Global Financial Crisis, is expected to foster channels of communication to help address and resolve important economic issues by establishing dialogue through business partnerships among Muslim entrepreneurs as well as between Muslim and non-Muslim business people. Jason Pierre-Paul Jersey White . The Chinese fishing boat is inspected by Japan Coast Guard crew members after two Japanese Coast Guard patrol ships and the Chinese fishing boat collided in waters off the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea, Sept 7, 2010. Ahmad Bradshaw Replica Jersey . Way out on the West Coast, the Wings wrapped up the month by thrashing another Western Conference playoff contender. Drew Miller scored twice, Darren Helm added a short-handed goal in the third period, and Detroit rolled to its sixth straight road victory, 7-4 over the Los Angeles Kings on Monday night. Victor Cruz Womens Jersey . The British driver followed up his pole in Australia last weekend with another strong performance around the Sepang circuit Saturday, setting a best time of one minute 35.181 seconds -- more than half a second ahead of last years pole time. Jason Pierre-Paul Authentic Jersey . Patrick Sharp and Andrew Ladd each had two goals and an assist, leading the Blackhawks over the Colorado Avalanche 6-2 on Monday night for their third straight victory. (Agencies) Updated: 2008-04-07 13:03 MANAMA, Bahrain: Brazilian Felipe Massa led Ferrari to a one-two victory at the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday with teammate Kimi Raikkonen seizing the championship lead from McLarens Lewis Hamilton. Ferrari Formula One driver Felipe Massa of Brazil kisses the trophy, after it was awarded to him by Bahrain Crown Prince Sheikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa, after winning the Bahrain F1 Grand Prix April 6, 2008. [Agencies] Massas sixth career win brought him his first points of the Formula One season and came at the same Sakhir desert circuit where he fired up his title challenge last year with a pole-to-flag victory. It was a sensational day, Massa said. The race was pretty difficult because I didnt want to make any mistakes so I didnt push the car hard, I just wanted to bring it home. World champion Raikkonen collected the 50th podium finish of his Grand Prix career and the Finnish Iceman took over at the top with 19 points, three clear of BMW Saubers Germann Nick Heidfeld, after three races. Kenny Phillips Jersey. Hamilton, McLaren teammate Heikki Kovalainen and Polands Robert Kubica are all level on 14. Britains Hamilton endured a nightmare afternoon, finishing 13th and lapped by the Ferraris after making an agonizingly slow start and then running into the back of former teammate Fernando Alonsos Renault. McLaren was also leapfrogged at the top of the constructors standings by BMW Sauber. Kubica finished third, after becoming the first BMW Sauber driver to start a Grand Prix from pole position, with Heidfeld a close fourth. BMW Sauber has now finished on the podium in all of the first three races of the season, a feat unmatched by Ferrari or McLaren. It has 30 points to Ferraris 29 and McLarens 28. Kovalainen was fifth, ahead of Toyotas Italian Jarno Trulli and Australian Mark Webber in a Red Bull. Germanys Nico Rosberg took the final point for Williams. Massa led from the lights, making a faster getaway than Kubica, and took the checkered flag 3.3 seconds ahead of Raikkonen. ' ' '

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GENEVA - Facing a deepening corruption scandal, FIFA demanded evidence Wednesday to back up English claims that six executive committee members were involved in bribery during the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding contests. Hakeem Nicks Jersey Red . FIFA president Sepp Blatter, meanwhile, promised to resolve the crisis before he comes up for re-election on June 1. "We have to do it now immediately. We have exactly three weeks to do so," Blatter said in an interview with Qatar-based network Al-Jazeera. Blatter is seeking a fourth and final four-year term against Qatari challenger Mohamed bin Hammam, who was a central figure in his countrys victorious -- and controversial -- bid to host the 2022 World Cup. Following Tuesdays allegations made during a British Parliamentary inquiry, FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke wrote to Englands Football Association asking for a complete report plus "all documentary evidence" from David Triesman, the former leader of Englands 2018 bid. Triesman told British lawmakers that four long-standing FIFA officials -- Jack Warner, Nicolas Leoz, Ricardo Teixeira and Worawi Makudi -- requested bribes in the 2018 bidding. Lawmakers were also told in a submission from The Sunday Times that Qatar paid US$1.5 million to two more FIFA officials, Issa Hayatou and Jacques Anouma, in the 2022 contest. Qatar won the vote, beating the United States in the final round. FIFA said it has asked the newspaper for more evidence of information it received from a whistleblower within Qatars bid. Valcke requested detailed evidence in order to "examine the situation thoroughly and with clear-sightedness," FIFA said. As FIFAs top administrator, responsibility falls on Valcke to ask FIFAs ethics court to open official investigations against any of the six under suspicion. A previous FIFA ethics probe based on a Sunday Times investigation threw the 2018 and 2022 bid races into chaos during the final weeks of campaigning before the December vote. Two members of FIFAs executive committee, Amos Adamu and Reynald Temarii, were barred from voting for their part in the corruption allegations. Blatter said Wednesday that the past experience would help FIFA deal with the latest scandal, which means that one third of the 24-man executive committee has been implicated in World Cup bid corruption claims. "It is not the first time and we know how to react now," Blatter said. "Once we have the evidence then we can decide where we go, if we go, in the investigation -- an administrative investigation or directly to the ethics committee." FIFA said Valcke has asked English soccer officials to provide Parliamentary records of Triesmans testimony. It also questioned why the newspapers latest allegations were not provided with other material submitted last October for the previous ethics probe. "In particular, reference is made in the letter to the allegations regarding a whistleblower who had worked with the Qatar bid, who allegedly made some declarations," FIFA said. The Qatar football federation has denied paying Hayatou, from Cameroon, and Ivory Coasts Anouma, calling the allegations "wholly unreliable." Hayatou, the president of the Confederation of African Football, "categorically denies" the claims, the African body said Wednesday. He threatened legal action to defend his name. Bin Hammam played a key role in delivering the 2022 World Cup to his homeland. "FIFA is not corrupted," the Asian Football Confederation President said. "We are victims of the popularity of the game." The conduct of Warner, Leoz, Teixeira and Makudi in the 2018 contest won by Russia was described as "improper and unethical" by Triesman. Warner, a FIFA vice-president from Trinidad and Tobago, dismissed Triesmans allegations, saying he "laughed like hell" when he heard them on Tuesday. "I never asked anybody for anything," Warner told Trinidad newspaper Newsday. "When these guys (England) came here, we promised to help. I showed them a place where they can put a playground. They promised to come back but they never did." Warner said he thinks English officials are bitter after gaining just two votes in the 2018 contest -- one from its own representative on the executive committee. "How come not even one person from Europe voted for them?" Warner told Newsday. "And theyre looking for all different reasons. Why dont they, in a dispassionate way, sit down and ask why not one European voted for them?" Valcke has questioned why the claims -- which included incidents said to have occurred in 2009 -- were not reported earlier. "If it was known, why has it not come to our attention? We have called and asked people to let us know whatever you have in this process," Valcke said. Asked if the World Cup votes should be reopened, Valcke said the process had been conducted cleanly and all known evidence was examined. Australia, which was badly defeated in the 2022 voting, played down suggestions it could ask for a revote. "Ultimately this is a question that needs to be directed to FIFA the governing body," Prime Minister Julia Gillard said Wednesday. "We were very disappointed. We put in a bid which was impressive and we pursued that bid in an ethical and impressive way." British Sports Minister Hugh Robertson said he had discussed the possibility of England breaking away from FIFA along with other countries. "I have taken the temperature from other football associations around the world, particularly we did that in the wake of the 2018 bid," Robertson told the BBC. "At the moment there is a desire to try to work to change FIFA from the inside. If FIFA is unable to do that then I would say all options are possible. "But at the moment we very much want to work with them and try to convince them they need to go through exactly the same process that the IOC went through in the post-Salt Lake City process." ------ AP Sports Writer Rob Harris in London contributed to this report. Premier Victor Cruz Jersey . Balkan rivals Serbia and Croatia, who fought a war in the early 1990s, play the opening game at the Sinan Erdem Dome. Thats followed by Spain versus Greece, two of the pre-tournament favourites. Eli Manning Jersey . It seems Richards has made headlines for the wrong reasons the last two days answering questions regarding the hit he laid on Buffalo Sabres center Tim Connolly that will force the latter to the sidelines on Tuesday for Game 7 of his teams Eastern Conference quarterfinal-round series here at Wells Fargo Center. Eli Manning Youth Jersey . Compatriots across the Straits are of the same family and blood bond. We believe only the harmony among family members will benefit everyone, Fan Liqing, spokeswoman of the State Councils Taiwan Affairs Office, said at a regular press conference in Beijing. Justin Tuck Jersey . The Toronto Raptors, losers of six straight and mired in the Eastern Conference basement at 1-7 overall, will face that unpleasant experience not once, but twice this coming weekend. Ahmad Bradshaw T-shirt . Malkin had missed the previous five games with a left knee injury and sinus infection. The former league scoring champion has missed 10 games in all this season, most related to his knee. Myers checked Malkin in Buffalos left-wing corner and then fell back into him awkwardly, appearing to apply weight onto Malkins left knee.BARCELONA, Spain - Midfielder Ibrahim Afellay said he was prepared to fight for his place in the Barcelona team after completing his transfer from PSV Eindhoven on Friday. Speaking in perfect Spanish to the media, the 24-year-old Dutch international said joining the Spanish league leader was like a dream, adding "when I was a kid, I wanted to play for Barca." Andoni Zubizarreta, Barcelonas sporting director, said Afellay signed a 4 1/2-year contract and PSV was paid C3 million ($4 million) for the player. The two clubs reached an agreement over the transfer on Nov. 15. "We have absolutely no plans to sign anybody else during this transfer window," Zubizarreta said. Afellay is one of a long line of Netherlands players to have joined Barcelona, beginning with Johan Cruyff and including Johan Neeskens, Ronald Koeman, Patrick Kluivert and former coach Frank Rijkaard. "Players from Holland have always been welcome here," Afellay said. "Players like Cruyff or Kluivert are very well known and they have told me this is the best club in the world." Afelllay acknowledged it will be tough to make his mark within the team. Brandon Jacobs Jersey. "Thats normal at a club like this where there are so many quality players, but Ill fight for my place," he said. "I dont mind where I play, wherever the boss wants me, Ill do my very best." Barcelona is two points clear of Real Madrid in the standings, having maintained the advantage it gained with a 5-0 thrashing of Jose Mourinhos Madrid side on Nov. 29. "I saw it on TV," Afellay said. "The 6-2 (last year at the Santiago Bernabeu) was incredible too. Both games were on a different level and it was like watching football from a different planet." Afellay can make his Barcelona debut at the Camp Nou on Jan. 2 in a home match against 16th-place Levante. The midfielder emerged from PSVs youth academy and made his international debut in 2007. He was in the Netherlands squad which reached this years World Cup final, making three substitute appearances. Manchester United, Arsenal, Inter Milan and Juventus were also reported to be interested in signing him. ' ' '