Termine » Wales had more players of his quality, Bale co

BALTIMORE -- Although the Baltimore Ravens rarely bring out players in tandem to the podium, a notable exception was made after Sundays 13-7 win over Buffalo.Former high school teammates Shareece Wright and Jimmy Smith stood side by side, discussing their part in an outstanding defensive effort against elusive quarterback Tyrod Taylor and the Bills.Wright made 11 tackles and Smith put the clamps on Buffalo standout receiver Sammy Watkins.Asked if he ever envisioned sharing a podium with Wright after an NFL game, Smith said, This is the first time for this, ever. But, I mean, this is a unique situation. Hopefully we can get the film one day and watch it when were old, sitting somewhere.Backed up by safeties Eric Weddle and Lardarius Webb, Wright and Smith helped Baltimore limit Taylor to a mere 111 yards passing. Weddle was signed as a free agent and Webb has been shifted to free safety from cornerback.Eric Weddle, hes a different kind of guy back there, Wright said. Hes like a defensive coordinator.Wright was burned several times last season after being signed in October. But on this day, he was exceptional.Big time, is how Weddle described it. Everybody got an eye-opener today of what hes all about.It happened quickly. Three plays into their season, the Bills were already digging out of negative territory.One 2-yard pass completion over the middle was all the positive yardage the Bills could muster. Running back LeSean McCoy was stuffed for a 6-yard loss and Taylors pass to the left was caught by Mike Gillisee for a 4-yard loss.Wright penetrated into the backfield to make the tackle on both losses, setting the tone for Baltimores defensive renaissance.A year ago, the Ravens repeatedly failed to come up with a big stop in the fourth quarter, one reason why they went 5-11 and lost nine games by eight points or fewer.Our corners played elite football out there, coach John Harbaugh said. If we can play like that in the back end, were going to have a chance to win some games.The pass defense was impressive, but Baltimore was also impenetrable against the run, allowing only 65 yards on 24 carries.Us keeping them to 60-plus yards was great, but obviously we can do better, defensive tackle Brandon Williams said. We want to hold them to zero.Lofty expectations, indeed, but the Ravens would like to think this is only the beginning.Today was just a glimpse of what we can become, Weddle said. Its still a work in progress. We still have areas we need to get better in, but when we needed to get a stop, we got it.And that gives our defense some confidence for the future.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/AP-NFL JK Scott Stitched Jersey . Perez, 35, posted a 1-2 record with a 3.69 earned-run average in 19 relief appearances last season. His season ended Aug. 9 due to a torn ligament in his left elbow. Perez joins infielder Andy LaRoche and catcher Mike Nickeas with minor-league agreements for 2014 that include invitations to attend spring training. JMon Moore Stitched Jersey . The 20-year-old Pelicans big man glanced up and smiled widely at the well-wishers -- a fitting end to a day he wont soon forget. Davis responded to his selection earlier in the day as a Western Conference All-Star with 26 points and 10 rebounds, and the New Orleans Pelicans overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 98-91 on Friday night. http://www.officialpackersnflauthenticshop.com/ . One game after a miserable showing in Oklahoma City, Gay tied a career high with 41 points and the Sacramento Kings cruised to a 114-97 victory at the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. Marquez Valdes-Scantling Stitched Jersey . -- Stanfords Kevin Danser knelt on one knee and hardly moved on the sideline as Michigan State celebrated its Rose Bowl victory and his Cardinal teammates made their way to the locker room. Oren Burks Stitched Jersey . Robredo, ranked No. 16, bounced back from an upset loss to Leonardo Mayer in the second round of the Royal Guard Open in Chile last week to down Carreno Busta in 1 hour, 25 minutes. On a day filled mostly with qualifying matches, fifth-seeded Marcel Granollers of Spain also entered the second with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 win over Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia, while Guido Pella of Argentina defeated Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 7-6 (6), 6-4 to advance. MARSEILLE, France -- Like fellow underdog Iceland before it, Wales learned the hard lesson that a team needs more than just an abundance of guts and heart to succeed at the pointy end of a major tournament.An abundance of quality is needed, too. In the end, Wales simply didnt have enough of it against Portugal in the European Championship semifinal.Gareth Bale, Wales sole superstar and the worlds most expensive player, tried as hard as he could but lost his battle against his Real Madrid teammate, Cristiano Ronaldo.Here are 5 things to know about the semifinal that Portugal won 2-0 in Lyon:---TOUGH FINALPortugals road to the final has been anything but convincing. Wales is the first team it beat in regular time.Germany or France, depending on which of them wins their semifinal on Thursday, have far more quality than Wales. Having put itself two goals ahead, Portugal was able to control the second half against the Welsh. Wales manager Chris Coleman didnt have players coming off the bench who could make a difference.France and Germany do.Unless Ronaldo can do something special, Portugal could get found out in the final, just as Wales was in the semifinal.---RAMSEY MISSEDWales without midfielder Aaron Ramsey was like a car with a misfiring cylinder: It lacked oomph.Suspended from the semifinal for yellow cards in the previous rounds, the Arsenal midfielders absence deprived the Welsh of their most prolific passer and goal-creator at Euro 2016.And it showed.Without his attacking runs and slinky passes from midfield, Wales struggled to capitalize on the absence through injury of Portugals best defender, Real Madrids Pepe, or place any lasting pressure on his 34-year-old replacement at center back, Bruno Alves.Andy King, Ramseys replacement who plays for Premier League winners Leicester City, worked hard from box-to-box, taking turns with Liverpools Joe Allen to drop back deep but also haring forward when opportunities presented themselves.But they were too few and far between.---BALLON DORHad Bale carried Wales to its first ever major tournament final, having already won the Champions League again with Real Madrid this season, the 26-year-old could have become a real contender to break Lionel Messi and Ronaldos stranglehold on the world pllayer of the year award that they have hogged without interruption since Kaka won in 2007.ddddddddddddAs historic as getting Wales to the semifinal was, it surely wont be enough.Ronaldo could now have a lock on Ballon dOr voters should he carry Portugal to victory in the final on Sunday.----RONALDO DELIVERSCometh the hour, cometh the three-time world player of the year.From the outset, Ronaldo looked determined to make his mark against Wales. His last -- and only -- major final with Portugal ended badly, with him in tears after the team lost to Greece at Euro 2004.He clearly wants a second chance.For a player of his stature, Ronaldo has had surprisingly few standout matches at his seven major tournaments with Portugal, including at Euro 2016.In the 2004 semifinals, he scored the opening goal against the Netherlands. At Euro 2012, he scored both goals in a 2-1 win again against the Netherlands to put Portugal in the quarterfinals and then scored the only goal in a 1-0 win against the Czech Republic to put Portugal in the semifinals.At Euro 2016 before Wednesday, hed scored twice in a 3-3 group stage draw with Hungary.---BALE DOESNTBale was guilty of trying too hard against Portugal. But that was also out of necessity.In trying to carve out goal-scoring opportunities and make things happen for Wales, the forward dropped back too often into midfield and that blunted some of his cutting edge.Had Wales had more players of his quality, Bale could have spent more time up front, waiting for crosses and passes like Ronaldo did. Instead, Bale tried doing a lot of the work himself.A trick obviously practiced by Wales on the training ground almost paid off in the 18th minute, when instead of hoofing a corner into the box, the ball was passed for Bale to run onto. But his shot was wide.Bale also repeatedly used his speed to test Portugals defenses, notably outsprinting Ronaldo in the first half to fire a cross from the right wing that King failed to reach.---John Leicester is an international sports columnist for The Associated Press. 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