Real Madrid 3-0 Almeria: James Rodriguez scores wonder goal as Carlo Ancelotti’s side cut Barcelona’s La Liga lead to two points

he spotlight was on Norwegian wonderkid Martin Odegaard before Real Madrid’s La Liga clash against struggling Almeria at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday night but it ended up shining on two of Madrid’s ready-made Galacticos to save a lacklustre performance and help Carlo Ancelotti’s men keep pace with Barcelona at the summit.

The 16-year-old would have become Madrid’s youngest-ever player had Ancelotti handed him his first minutes since the Spanish giants beat off competition from European’s top clubs for his signature in January.

However Odegaard, who has already broken numerous records in his homeland and with his national side, stayed on the bench as goals from James Rodriguez, an own goal from Mauro Dos Santos and Alvaro Arbeloa enabled Madrid to close the gap on leaders Barcelona to two points with a workmanlike 3-0 victory over the Andalusians.

Real Madrid forward James Rodríguez celebrates following his stunning strike just before half-time

Rodriguez saved the infamous Bernabeu whistles at the end of a poor first half thanks to his magnificent strike just before the break. It brought up Madrid’s 100th league goal of the season, the sixth consecutive season the Spanish giants have reached the feat and the Colombian’s brilliant half volley, his 12th of the season in the league, was the perfect strike to celebrate the landmark.

Madrid carried their momentum into the second half when Cristiano Ronaldo forced Dos Santos to turn the ball into his own net following a cross from Toni Kroos four minutes after the restart.

The brace of goals around the interval put the contest to bed but Madrid were far from convincing ahead of a tough month which includes a Champions League semi-final against Juventus and crucial league matches against Sevilla, on Saturday night, and high-flying Valencia. Their performance was a far cry from that of free-scoring Barcelona on Tuesday night.

Madrid were understrength, with Ancelotti making five changes to the side that saw off Celta Vigo at the weekend. Dani Carvajal and Sergio Ramos were missing through suspension while Iker Casillas, Isco and Marcelo were given a rest on the bench with a season-defining 12-day schedule firmly in mind. Odegaard was joined by fellow youngster Borja Mayoral on a makeshift bench.

The Los Blancos forward is mobbed by his team-mates after he fired his side in front just before the break 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3061292/Real-Madrid-3-0-Almeria-James-Rodriguez-scores-wonder-goal-Carlo-Ancelotti-s-cut-Barcelona-s-La-Liga-lead-two-points.html#ixzz3YlkWqgIf
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Mayweather-Pacquiao final press conference imbued with mutual respect

It was perhaps fitting the final press conference ahead of the long-awaited fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao took place in the Kà theater, home to Cirque du Soleil’s longtime MGM Grand residency, considering the three-ring quality of the build-up to what’s certain to be the richest fight in the history of boxing. Yet Wednesday’s polite exchange of remarks between the fighters belied the promotion’s circus-like atmosphere and proved typical of what’s by and large the least interesting of fight week’s well-worn rituals, the stations of the cross that mark time until the fighters climb through the ropes on Saturday night – save for one memorable moment when longtime Pacquiao promoter and legendary shade-thrower Bob Arum steered the proceedings into a proxy dick-measuring contest for network superiority. Bob Arum uses press conference to aim knockout blow in network f Pacquiao was Pacquiao, humble and genial and God-fearing as ever. Mayweather was the Mayweather that’s become familiar throughout the promotion – let’s call it Floyd 3.0 – a self-assured all-time great who’s all but sworn off his trademark slander in an apparent effort to exit the sport gracefully. Anyone hoping for fireworks or even the slightest trace of ill will from Saturday’s main players was bound to be disappointed. The event was closed to the public – leaving several hundred writers and photographers to fill out the lower bowl of the 1,950-seat theater – though several Mayweather congregants inevitably negotiated their way into the proceedings and made themselves heard. Pacquiao’s five-minute remarks were longer than he normally speaks at these types of things. He thanked the sponsors, the media, the fans. “It’s going to be a good fight,” said the Filipino congressman, dressed in a conservative navy blue suit jacket with no tie. “There’s a lot of questions in your minds that only God can answer for us on Saturday. I just want to mention though that everything that I have accomplished, it is God who gave me the strength. I just want to be an example and an inspiration to everybody how my life, before I became a boxer, I used to sleep in the street, starving, hungry, and now I can’t imagine the Lord raised me into this position with blessings I could never imagine. That the boy who doesn’t have food and is sleeping in the street can be raised to this level of life.” He continued. “Nothing personal. He’s going to do his best, I’m going to do my best on Saturday to put our name in boxing history. But the most important thing, I’m hoping that after the fight, we can have a conversation with Floyd about sharing my faith in God. We can inspire more people, especially those children who are looking to us and supporting us.” Mayweather, dressed in head to toe in red, white and black The Money Team apparel (topped by leather baseball hat that retails for $88 in the MGM lobby), spoke for half as long and said maybe a quarter as much. He thanked the sponsors, the media, the fans. The muted, measured tones that have become his calling card over the past 10 weeks bore little resemblance to the insufferable trash talker who incinerated hundred-dollar bills in nightclubs, tweeted photos of his six-figure betting slips and collected Maybachs like they were Silly Bandz. Notably, he thanked longtime adversaries Arum and Freddie Roach – a chief instigator throughout the promotion who’s repeatedly invoked Mayweather’s domestic-violence record – underscoring the love-thy-enemies underpinnings of his latest iteration. “It’s time to fight now,” Mayweather said. “You guys came out here to see excitement, you guys came out here to see a great event, and I think that’s what both competitors bring to the table: excitement. “The biggest fight in boxing history.” It’s not the final time the fighters will meet before Saturday’s career-defining showdown. That will be Friday’s weigh-in at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, for which the promoters have taken the unprecedented step of charging $10 admission – though tickets on the secondary market were ranging from $136 to $446 on Wednesday afternoon. So whatever theater remains in store was put on hold as Mayweather and Pacquiao – the two finest fighters of their generation – met downstage center and posed for photographs, then faced inward for a 13-second staredown that saw Pacquiao break into a wry grin midway through. As he does. All it seems that’s left is the fight, which – though a tantalizing three days away after more than half a decade in the making – can’t arrive soon enough.

 

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/apr/30/mayweather-pacquiao-final-press-conference-respect

UFO IN PAMPANGA??

One video was posted last April 26 and from it, you can see fiery lights floating in the sky. According to Paolo Gallardo, the netizen who posted the video, the lights were there for a good 5 to 8 minutes.

Insidious 3

Insidious: Chapter 3 is an upcoming American supernatural horror film written and directed by Leigh Whannell in his directorial debut. It is a prequel to the first two films and the third installment in the Insidious film series. The film stars Dermot Mulroney and Stefanie Scott, with Angus Sampson, Whannell, and Lin Shaye reprising their roles from the previous films.

The film is scheduled to be released on June 5, 2015 by Focus Features.

Pacquiao vs Mayweather Latest

With money coming in on Mayweather this week, Pacquiao is now a +175 underdog, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. After going off at -210 in the weeks leading up to the fight, Mayweather is now a -225 favorite.

The most likely result of Pacquiao vs. Mayweather, according to boxing props at the sportsbooks, is a Mayweather win by decision, which is currently going off at -135. Mayweather hasn’t won a fight by knockout since 2011, winning each of his last five fights by decision.

Bettors looking to pay less juice on a Mayweather victory seem to favor this wager at -135 over Mayweather outright at -225. A Mayweather knockout win would pay +550, which is the biggest underdog of all of the outcomes other than a draw at +1200.

Pacquiao is going off at +400 to knock Mayweather out and +375 to win by decision at the sportsbooks. For Pacquiao bettors, there could be some value in betting on Manny to win by decision.

Mayweather is a notorious slow starter, and Pacquiao is well known for his endurance. If Pacquiao can win the first few rounds and then hang with Mayweather the rest of the way, he could come away with an upset by decision.

Bali Nine: Indonesia executes eight prisoners but reprieves Mary Jane Veloso – as it happened

 

Australians Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran and six other men are executed by firing squad, as Filipina Mary Jane Velosa wins a last-minute reprieve

• Indonesia has executed eight men convicted of drugs offences. The men were put to death by firing squad at around 00.30 local time (3.30am AEST) after all pleas for clemency were rejected.
• But there was a surprise last-minute reprieve for Philippines woman Mary Jane Veloso after the Indonesian attorney general responded to calls from Manila that she should be spared to act as a witness against the woman expected to be charged with trafficking her.

Nepal Earthquake

Powerful aftershocks rocked Nepal on Sunday, panicking survivors of Saturday’s 7.8-magnitude quake and triggering fresh avalanches at Everest base camp.

Offers of help have poured in from around the world, with dozens of nations or aid groups volunteering everything from sniffer dogs to an inflatable hospital.

Aid groups and governments worldwide intensified efforts Sunday to help earthquake-hit Nepal, but blocked roads, downed power lines and overcrowded hospitals posed formidable challenges in an already poor country.

As the death toll in the Himalayan nation surpassed 2,300, the US together with European and Asian nations sent emergency crews to reinforce those scrambling to find survivors in the devastated capital Kathmandu and in cut-off rural areas.

“Tragically, more bodies are being pulled from collapsed buildings every hour,” the Australian Red Cross said in a statement.

“Communication is down in many areas. Widespread destruction, rubble and landslides are preventing access to provide aid in many villages.”

#youare

You are what you are and what you are is OK. 🙂

Hello world!

This is your very first post. Click the Edit link to modify or delete it, or start a new post. If you like, use this post to tell readers why you started this blog and what you plan to do with it.

Happy blogging!