Musik » Scrivens on the bench, but couldnt get another goal past Lu

BRASILIA, Brazil -- Switzerland grabbed a winner with virtually the final kick to earn a 2-1 victory over Ecuador in the World Cup on Sunday, extending a run of come-from-behind wins that are becoming a theme of the tournament. With just seconds left in the third and final minute of stoppage time, substitute Haris Seferovic finished off a length-of-the-field move by slamming home a close-range shot. After wild Swiss celebrations, Ecuadors shell-shocked players barely had time to restart before the final whistle was blown. It was the fifth time in the first nine matches in Brazil that a team had come from a goal down to win -- but this was the most dramatic of all the comebacks. "It was a dream to be able to win this match in the very last minute like this," Switzerland coach Ottmar Hitzfeld said through a translator. "It was emotional -- it will be important for the morale of the team." Sluggish in the first half-hour, Switzerland -- highly fancied after rising to No. 6 in the FIFA rankings -- conceded a sloppy goal to go behind when Enner Valencia rose unmarked in the 22nd minute and headed in a free kick from six yards (meters). Ecuadors defending for the 48th-minute equalizer was just as abject, however, with Admir Mehmedi finding space from even closer in to nod in a corner. With Mehmedi and Seferovic both second-half substitutes, it was no wonder that the wily Hitzfeld -- a veteran coach with two Champions League titles on his resume -- had a huge grin on his face at the final whistle. Not so his counterpart. "We were naive and that cost us the game," Ecuador coach Reinaldo Rieda said. "(The loss) is more our fault. We were notbeaten by our opponent." After being among the bores of the last two World Cups, it was expected to be all change for Switzerland with Hitzfeld putting his faith in a young, dynamic class of 2014 that had come up together through the national youth ranks. But nerves ensured they started the World Cup poorly, misplacing simple passes and overhitting crosses in a drab first half. The second half wasnt much better either -- but Seferovic rescued them, having only come on in the 75th minute for the ineffective Josip Drmic. The Real Sociedad forward scored a 90th-minute winner against Cyprus in June in Switzerlands unbeaten run through qualifying but he has lost his place to the emerging Drmic. "Haris is a striker through and through," Hitzfeld said. "What he lacked was practice in terms of playing time at Real Sociedad. In the tournament build-up, he performed excellently but he still needs time to develop." Seferovic scored the crucial goal, but teammate Valon Behrami deserves just as much credit. It was the central midfielder who produced a perfectly timed tackle in his own box and then embarked on a lung-bursting run up the field in the lead-up to the winning goal. At one stage, he was hacked down near the centre circle but he got up and carried on his run, with the referee playing an excellent advantage. The ball was fed to the left, where left back Ricardo Rodriguez -- who set up Mehmedi for the equalizer -- slid a low cross for Seferovic to crash a finish high in to the net. Cue Switzerlands entire bench spilling into the pitch to celebrate with Seferovic, with some players choosing to mob Behrami. "It was a great feeling," Behrami said. "Those 30 seconds were amazing for us." FIFA President Sepp Blatter was present -- and was booed by sections of the crowd -- for what was probably the poorest game at this World Cup in terms of quality. Thousands of fans missed the first part of the match because of long queues to pass through security. It meant there were still plenty of empty seats when Valencia stole a yard on Johan Djourou and guided a simple header into the net from Walter Ayovis free kick, with Switzerland goalkeeper Diego Benaglio left completely stranded. It was one of the few clear-cut chances created by Ecuador, which is now on the back foot in a Group E also containing France and Honduras. Nike NFL Jerseys China . Acclaimed by world football leaders but held in contempt by many football fans. Blatter should arrive at the Itaquerao stadium in Sao Paulo to watch host Brazil play Croatia confident that this tournament -- his fifth as president -- wont be his last leading the worlds favourite sport. Cheap NFL Jerseys . Floundering in the English Premier League, United has delivered better performances in Europe this season and stunned Bayern by taking the lead against the run of play through Nemanja Vidics header in the 58th minute. Bayern had dominated possession but struggled to create a clear-cut chance before Schweinsteiger arrowed a half-volley high into the net in the 67th to give the German side a slight advantage ahead of the second leg in Munich next week. http://www.cheapnfljustjerseys.com/ . -- LeBron James warned the Orlando Magic to stop double-teaming him and ignoring James Jones. NFL Jerseys China . Early in the first period, Stuart pinched in from the blue line, hit Nash and was assessed a minor penalty for elbowing. Nash remained in the game for the rest of the first period, but did not return for the second. Cheap NFL jerseys China . Minutes before the final whistle of Sporting Kansas Citys 3-0 victory over a shorthanded Montreal Impact squad on Saturday afternoon, Saputo tweeted: "Our fans deserve better. EDMONTON -- The Vancouver Canucks didnt need Henrik Sedin or their head coach to hold on for a win over Edmonton on Tuesday. Zack Kassians second-period goal stood up as the game winner as the Canucks won their second in a row, defeating the struggling Edmonton Oilers 2-1. Rookie Kellan Lain also scored for the Canucks (26-16-9), who have won just three of their last 11 games. Goalie Roberto Luongo made 28 saves for the win. The Canucks were without leading scoring Sedin, who missed his first game in close to a decade with an injury, and head coach John Tortorella, who started his 15-day suspension for an altercation during a game against the Calgary Flames on Saturday. "I think we all have to step up," Luongo said. "Its not just one person, thats what good teams do. When theres guys out of the lineup other guys have to step up and those coming into the lineup have to play well. "Good teams find a way to do that and (Tuesday) we played a great game." Canucks assistant coach Mike Sullivan said his teams good start proved essential when the Oilers started to battle back in the third. "I thought we played hard, I thought we played smart, the first two periods I thought we played real well," he said. "We were playing with fire there in the second, they have a lot of skill and their power play was really good. I thought once we killed that off to get out of the second period, the key for us was to make sure we didnt give them another opportunity." Jordan Eberle replied for the Oilers (15-31-6), who have lost five in a row and 10 of their last 12. It was also Edmontons fourth losing streak that has gone five games or more this season. "We could have had two or three goals on the power play, but Luongo made some really good saves," Eberle said. "I thought we played a pretty good game, we just couldnt find a way to score. I think for sure the saves he made on our power plays made the difference." Oilers captain Andrew Ference said some progress was made, but it may have been a case of too little, too late. "We showed some great fight at the end and good pressure and some good chances," he said. "The penalty kill was excellent tonight. It was good, but there was still that extra little bit that everybody feels was left on the table a little bit at certain points in the game." Vancouver got on the board just over five minutes into the game as Oilers starter Ben Scrivens allowed a big rebound on a long shot from Dale Weise. Lain was there to swat at the rebound that glanced off of Scrivens arm and in. It was Lains first career NHL goal in just his second game. "You always dream of playing in the NHL, but you also dream of scoring that first goal," Lain said. "When you get it, its a pretty special moment. I just drove tto the net and the puck just popped out to me.dddddddddddd" Vancouver had nine first-period shots to Edmontons six on Luongo. Shortly after killing off a penalty where Luongo stood tall on several good Oiler chances, the Canucks made it 2-0 eight minutes into the second period as Ryan Kesler spotted Kassian streaking towards the net and fed a pass to set up a floater of a shot that beat Scrivens up high. It was Kassians 10th of the season. Edmonton coach Dallas Eakins was not thrilled with a line of questioning after the game that debated whether or not their should have been an attempt to send a message to Kassian. He was suspended earlier this season after he high-sticked Oiler Sam Gagner in the face in a pre-season game, breaking his jaw. "I saw a talk between a guy on our team that handles that kind of stuff very well and that player, and one player wasnt willing to engage," he said. "So Im not quite sure what else you want us to do. You can go jump him, go slash him, cross-check him in the face, something like that, but Im not sure how that helps us win a close game." Luongo did his part to keep the two-goal lead intact with five minutes to play in the second half as he came across to make a huge blocker save in tight on Eberle with the Oilers on the power play. Eberle, who also hit a post early in the third period, was finally rewarded with five minutes remaining as Gagner crashed the crease and a mad scramble ensued before the puck came loose. Eberle was able to send it through a forest of legs to make it 2-1 and spoil Luongos shutout bid. Edmonton had its chances late in the game with Scrivens on the bench, but couldnt get another goal past Luongo. Scrivens finished with 25 saves. The Canucks return home to start a four-game stand against Nashville on Thursday. The Oilers next game is on Friday, when they play host to the Phoenix Coyotes. Notes: It was the third of five games between the Pacific Division rivals. Vancouver won both of the previous encounters by a combined score of 10-2. The Canucks entered the game having won eight of the previous 11 games between the two squads ... A pair of players acquired during Edmontons four-game road trip made their Oilers debut as the fans got their first looks at forward Matt Hendricks (traded from Nashville) and Scrivens (trade with Los Angeles). Scrivens, from the Edmonton satellite community of Spruce Grove, Alta., was playing his first-ever game in Rexall Place. ... The Oilers were missing forwards Ales Hemsky (foot) and Nail Yakupov (head) and defenceman Philip Larsen (illness). Defenceman Corey Potter returned from missing the last 11 games with a groin injury. ... Also out for the Canucks were Mike Santorelli (shoulder), Ryan Stanton (ankle), Andrew Alberts (concussion) and Jordan Schroeder (ankle). ' ' '