day than usual to prepare. "It will be a challenging week

MANCHESTER, England - Manchester City and Schalke grabbed the final spots on offer in the knockout stage of the Champions League on Wednesday, while Lionel Messi helped Barcelona secure first place in its group with a record-extending 75th goal in the competition.City started the final round of group play in last place in Group E but finished second by beating Roma 2-0 away, with second-half goals by Samir Nasri and Pablo Zabaleta lifting the English champions above their Italian opponents and CSKA Moscow. CSKA lost 3-0 at Bayern Munich.Schalke ensured a clean sweep of four German representatives in the last 16 for the second straight season after its 1-0 win at Maribor sealed the runner-up spot in Group H. Sporting Lisbon needed a draw at Chelsea to finish second but lost 3-1.Barcelona came from behind to beat Paris Saint-Germain 3-1 and leapfrog the French team to the top of Group F, with Messi leading the Spanish sides recovery before goals by the remainder of its all-star attacking trio — Neymar and Luis Suarez.Ajax and Athletic Bilbao won to clinch Europa League berths for finishing third in their groups, joining Sporting and Roma in the knockout stage of the continents secondary competition that starts in February.The draw for the last 16 of the Champions League is made on Monday, with teams from Germany (4), Spain (3) and England (3) making up 10 of the qualifiers.City, along with PSG and Juventus, arguably will be the sides most group winners want to avoid after advancing for the second straight season thanks to wins over Bayern and Roma in its last two games.Without four of its top players in the injured Sergio Aguero and Vincent Kompany, the suspended Yaya Toure and playmaker David Silva, who was on the bench, the Premier League champions qualified the hard way in the Italian capital.Nasri smashed a rising shot in off the post from outside the area in the 60th minute before setting up right back Zabaleta for the second goal in the 88th minute. City also required a string of great saves from goalkeeper Joe Hart either side of halftime, while Martin Demichelis cleared a shot off the line when the score was 1-0.We had a bit of a slow start (in the group) but you dont win the Premier League easily, Hart said. Weve got resolve, weve got character and weve got great players. Add that all together and you have a chance.City needed to better the result of CSKA and Bayern ensured that was the case as goals by Thomas Mueller — from the penalty spot — Sebastian Rode and Mario Goetze saw the German champions finish on 15 points.For his side to advance, Schalke coach Roberto Di Matteo required a win in Slovenia and for Chelsea, the team he led to the Champions League title in 2012, to beat Sporting at Stamford Bridge.Schalke did its part thanks to Max Meyers 62nd-minute winner following a goalkeeper error, and a makeshift Chelsea side that was already assured of top spot in the group was too strong for Sporting.Cesc Fabregas and Andre Schuerrle scored in the opening 16 minutes for Chelsea, Jonathan Silva replied before John Obi Mikel clinched victory.Top spot — and a likely easier last-16 match — was up for grabs at Camp Nou and Zlatan Ibrahimovic put PSG ahead against his old club Barcelona in the 15th.Messi equalized four minutes later, Neymar gave Barca the lead with a spectacular long-range shot in the 42nd and Suarez tapped in the third in the 77th. Barcelona has won its group for eight consecutive years, while PSG went down to a first defeat in its 23rd game of the season.Belarussian club BATE Borisov bowed out of the Champions League with a 2-0 loss to Bilbao in Group H and a record number of goals conceded in group play — 24. Porto, which had already won the group, drew 1-1 at home to Shakhtar Donetsk.Atletico Madrid, Juventus, Real Madrid, Basel, Monaco, Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal qualified from the groups that finished playing on Tuesday. Jordan Clarkson Cavaliers Jersey . 3 seed Phillip Kohlschreiber from Germany. Defending champion Marin Cilic also reached the semifinals -- his fourth in Zagreb -- defeating fellow Croat Ivan Dodig. German qualifier Bjorn Phau beat Dudi Sela of Israel to reach his first semifinals in nearly five years. Tristan Thompson Jersey .J. Ellis have avoided arbitration, agreeing to a one-year contract. https://www.thecavalierslockerroom.com/Kyle-Korver-City-Edition-Jersey/ . -- Cheyenne Woods, the niece of Tiger Woods, shot a 2-under 69 on Tuesday to finish first in stroke-play qualifying at the Womens U. Kyrie Irving Jersey . Trailing by a goal after 20 minutes of play, Joe Pavelski responded with three goals and an assist as the Sharks snapped a two-game losing skid with a 5-2 victory over the struggling Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday. Cedi Osman Cavaliers Jersey . And though his comeback night didnt quite go to script, Bryant couldnt help reflecting on the work necessary to get back on that court -- and all the months of steady labour ahead to reclaim his game. Bryant had nine points and eight rebounds in his season debut, but Amir Johnson scored a career-high 32 points in the trade-depleted Toronto Raptors 106-94 victory over Los Angeles on Sunday night.FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- His arms finally free, Rob Gronkowski clapped when he saw the yellow flag in the end zone. The Patriots would have one more chance to win. Seconds later, that chance was lost. One day later, Bill Belichick wouldnt discuss the officials decision to wave off a penalty on the final play when Carolina linebacker Luke Kuechly wrapped his arms around Gronkowski as Tom Bradys pass sailed toward them. There was nothing New Englands coach could do about the 24-20 loss to the Panthers on Monday night. Better to focus on his second straight prime-time challenge coming up Sunday night against the Denver Broncos. "I dont really have any comment to add about the officiating or any of those calls," Belichick said during a conference call Tuesday. "If you have any questions on that, you can talk to the league office and the officiating department. Let them give their explanation." Or you can listen to Patriots defensive end Rob Ninkovich. "Both arms are being wrapped around the receiver as the balls in the air," he said on WEEI radio. "A fouls a foul. No matter what it is, the balls there. Its not like the balls 20 feet over his head or it lands on the 5-yard line or something." With the ball at the Carolina 18 and a lineman bearing down on him, Brady didnt step into the throw as he usually does. The underthrown pass was intercepted by Robert Lester about 4 yards into the end zone. Gronkowski, a few yards behind Lester, couldnt move toward the ball with Kuechly bear-hugging him. Referee Clete Blakeman conferred for a few seconds with back judge Terrence Miles, who threw the flag. Miles shook his head. Then Blakeman said there was no foul and the game was over. Later, Blakeman told two pool reporters that Miles had called defensive pass interference but the ball was uncatchable. Gronkowskis elation was gone. Bradys anger was visible as he talked to Blakeman while leaving the field. Dean Blandino, the NFLs vice-president of officiating, said he "wouldnt say" the officials were wrong for not penalizing the Panthers for pass interference. "They determined that in their judgment the contact occurred simultaneous with the ball being intercepted and thats why the officials did what they did," Blandino said on NFL Network. "Once the ball is touched you cannot have pass interference." Even if the penalty stood, the ball would have been placed at thhe 1 and the Patriots still would have needed a touchdown.dddddddddddd "I dont make the calls or the rules," Brady said. "I wish it wouldnt have come down to that. I think there were plenty of plays we couldve made." The Patriots (7-3) will have to make a lot more of them against the Broncos (9-1), the NFLs highest-scoring team, and Peyton Manning, who leads the league with 34 touchdown passes in 10 games. "I think Peyton Manning just gets better every year," Patriots defensive co-ordinator Matt Patricia said. "He just understands what the defence is, what coverage hes getting, and puts the ball where he needs to put it." So with a short week of practice, Belichick didnt want to waste time dwelling on the disputed play. "Its not really our job to call the game. Its to play it and coach it. Whatever calls they make are the ones that we live with," he said. "We have to turn the page here quickly, get on to Denver. Good football team, playing well. Obviously, their record reflects that." The Broncos are averaging 39.8 points, 16 more than the Panthers and 14 more than the Patriots. New Englands defence is battered with five starters missing Monday nights game, three of them out for the season. And the Patriots have one fewer day than usual to prepare. "It will be a challenging week, but every week in the NFL is challenging," Belichick said. "Well just take the time and the opportunity that we have and try to make the most of it." Coming off a bye week, the Patriots had plenty of time to prepare for the Panthers (7-3). But their only lead, 20-17, came on Stephen Gostkowskis 26-yard field goal with 6:32 left. The Panthers went ahead with 59 seconds remaining on Cam Newtons 25-yard pass to Ted Ginn Jr. Then Brady threw 11 passes to get the ball to the Carolina 18 with 3 seconds to go. Enough time for one play -- and one controversy. Carolina coach Ron Rivera said Tuesday he would have been upset if his receiver had been held in that situation. "No doubt about it," he said, but "no matter how much people talk about it and rehash it, its not going to change." The Patriots know that. "Any time you go on the road against a tough opponent, youre going to have adversity. That call at the end of the game is a big call to make," running back Stevan Ridley said. "We just have to move on." ' ' '