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GENEVA -- Former European Cup winners Porto and Celtic took big steps toward the Champions League group stage on Wednesday, as home teams struggled in their playoff round, first-leg matches. Two-time champion Porto won 1-0 in Lille, and Celtic took advantage of a reprieve from UEFA to play in the competition by drawing 1-1 at Maribor. Russian league leader Zenit St. Petersburgs 1-0 victory at Standard Liege helped ensure all five home teams failed to win. APOEL is favoured to advance next week in Cyprus after drawing 1-1 against Aalborg in Denmark. BATE Borisov took a 1-1 draw back to Belarus after Slovan Bratislava got an 80th-minute equalizer from veteran Slovakia forward Robert Vittek. Second-leg matches are played next Tuesday, two days before the 32-team group stage is drawn in Monaco. Each club is then guaranteed at last 8.6 million euros ($11.5 million) in prize money from UEFA. Porto and Lille both finished third in their national leagues last season, and it was Portugal which looked the classier act on this evidence. The only goal, in the 61st minute, had a World Cup flavour to it. Portos Mexico midfielder Hector Herrera pounced from close-range after Lilles Nigeria goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama parried a header by Jackson Martinez, the Colombia forward. Lille rarely threatened, though defender Sebastien Corchia shot over from eight meters (yards) in the 45th after his first shot was blocked. Celtic, the 1967 champion, owed its appearance in the playoffs to UEFAs lawyers after losing home and away to previous opponent Legia Warsaw. Celtic advanced when the Polish champion was punished for fielding a suspended player. The Scottish side led in the sixth minute from a third goal in the competition by Callum McGregor, who seized on a loose ball after Jo Inge Bergets shot was saved. Maribor, seeking a first group-stage appearance for 15 years, levelled eight minutes with Damjan Bohars goal. Celtic would have retaken the lead but Stefan Johansen, standing on the goalline, inadvertently blocked teammate Virgil van Dijks header. After four straight wins in its national league, coach Andre Villas-Boas Zenit team also won in Belgium. Brazil forward Hulks pass across the penalty box set up Oleg Shatovs winning goal in the 16th minute. APOEL, a surprise quarterfinalist three seasons ago, made its first shot on target count in the 54th minute at Aalborg. Brazilian midfielder Vinicius finished a surging run into the penalty area with a rising shot into the net. The Danish champion Aalborg had dominated the first half and took the lead with Nicolaj Thomsens shot in the 16th from 15 metres (yards). BATE are well set to reach the group stage for the fourth time since 2008. It led with a 44th-minute own goal by Slovan defender Tomas Jablonsky. Vittek, whose four goals at the 2010 World Cup included two to eliminate defending champion Italy, came off the bench late to level the match with a left-foot shot from a tight angle. 17:22ET 20-08-14 Buy Air Max 720 Cheap . -- The Florida Gators are first yet again this season. Air Max 720 Clearance . Louis Cardinals continued their offensive tear with a 9-5 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the opener of a four-game series. http://www.cheapairmax720.net/.J. -- Fabian Johnson scored his first international goal and Clint Dempsey doubled the lead after a defensive lapse as the United States beat Turkey 2-1 Sunday in the second of three World Cup warm-up matches for the Americans before they head to Brazil. Air Max 720 Best Price .Y. -- A month ago, Syracuse was unbeaten, ranked No. Air Max 720 Sale .Martin Caceres marked his return from injury by scoring in the 3-1 win at Napoli and he believes Juventus sent out a warning to the rest of the league with that result.We go out on the pitch every game looking to give our all, Caceres said.ST. LOUIS -- Shaun Hill has been here before. A career backup quarterback, Hill is certain he will be able to successfully run the St. Louis Rams offence after Sam Bradford suffered a season-ending knee injury during the weekend. "This is not anything new, its not anything different," Hill said. "I keep the same mindset Ive always had." Hill has been forced into an extended relief role for the second time in his 13-year career. He replaced Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford for 10 games in 2010 when Stafford went down with a shoulder injury. "Ive always gone into every week as a backup as if I was going to play," Hill said. "Thats the only way I know how to do it." Hill is 13-13 as a starter including a 3-7 mark in relief of Stafford. St. Louis coach Jeff Fisher has the utmost confidence in Hill, who Fisher said looked good handling the offence in practice on Monday. "Hes ready to go, hes excited about this opportunity," Fisher said. "Hes a competitor and he knows what hes doing. He will make every opportunity count." Hills teammates also feel confident in their new field boss. "Hes a smart quarterback, he knows the system," wide receiver Tavon Austin said. "Hes been in the league a while. Theres nothing he cant handle." The 34-year-old Hill has hit on 591 passes in 954 attempts for 6,381 yards with 41 touchdowns and 23 interceptions during stops in Minnesota, San Francisco, Detroit and St. Louis. Hill admits he is a little rusty. He attemptted just 36 passes as a backup in Detroit the last three seasons, including just two snaps last year -- taking a knee twice in a season-ending 40-10 win over Green Bay.dddddddddddd But Hill is ready to embrace his new role. He was signed to a one-year deal by the Rams in March with this scenario in mind. "Im cranked up and ready to go," he said. When the Pittsburgh, Kansas, native takes the field for the season opener Sept. 7 against Minnesota, it will be his first start in 1,342 days. His last start came in the final week of the 2010 season. Bradford tore a ligament in his left knee in the first quarter Saturday and will be out the entire campaign. It was the same injury that sidelined him the last nine games of the 2013 campaign. The first overall pick in the 2010 draft, Bradford has been plagued by injuries throughout much of his career. Over his five years, he has missed 31 of 80 starts. "I feel terrible for Sam," Hill said. "I was really looking forward to seeing him play this year. He was going to light it up. But the nature of the business is next guy up -- and thats me." The Rams have a history of overcoming quarterback injuries. In 1999, Trent Green was lost for the season during the third exhibition game. Kurt Warner stepped in and guided the team to a Super Bowl title. The Rams released 10 players on Monday and are down to 79 with four more cuts needed by the Tuesday 3 p.m. deadline. Among those released was wide receiver T.J. Moe, a standout at the University of Missouri. ' ' '

GENEVA -- Former European Cup winners Porto and Celtic took big steps toward the Champions League group stage on Wednesday, as home teams struggled in their playoff round, first-leg matches. Two-time champion Porto won 1-0 in Lille, and Celtic took advantage of a reprieve from UEFA to play in the competition by drawing 1-1 at Maribor. Russian league leader Zenit St. Petersburgs 1-0 victory at Standard Liege helped ensure all five home teams failed to win. APOEL is favoured to advance next week in Cyprus after drawing 1-1 against Aalborg in Denmark. BATE Borisov took a 1-1 draw back to Belarus after Slovan Bratislava got an 80th-minute equalizer from veteran Slovakia forward Robert Vittek. Second-leg matches are played next Tuesday, two days before the 32-team group stage is drawn in Monaco. Each club is then guaranteed at last 8.6 million euros ($11.5 million) in prize money from UEFA. Porto and Lille both finished third in their national leagues last season, and it was Portugal which looked the classier act on this evidence. The only goal, in the 61st minute, had a World Cup flavour to it. Portos Mexico midfielder Hector Herrera pounced from close-range after Lilles Nigeria goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama parried a header by Jackson Martinez, the Colombia forward. Lille rarely threatened, though defender Sebastien Corchia shot over from eight meters (yards) in the 45th after his first shot was blocked. Celtic, the 1967 champion, owed its appearance in the playoffs to UEFAs lawyers after losing home and away to previous opponent Legia Warsaw. Celtic advanced when the Polish champion was punished for fielding a suspended player. The Scottish side led in the sixth minute from a third goal in the competition by Callum McGregor, who seized on a loose ball after Jo Inge Bergets shot was saved. Maribor, seeking a first group-stage appearance for 15 years, levelled eight minutes with Damjan Bohars goal. Celtic would have retaken the lead but Stefan Johansen, standing on the goalline, inadvertently blocked teammate Virgil van Dijks header. After four straight wins in its national league, coach Andre Villas-Boas Zenit team also won in Belgium. Brazil forward Hulks pass across the penalty box set up Oleg Shatovs winning goal in the 16th minute. APOEL, a surprise quarterfinalist three seasons ago, made its first shot on target count in the 54th minute at Aalborg. Brazilian midfielder Vinicius finished a surging run into the penalty area with a rising shot into the net. The Danish champion Aalborg had dominated the first half and took the lead with Nicolaj Thomsens shot in the 16th from 15 metres (yards). BATE are well set to reach the group stage for the fourth time since 2008. It led with a 44th-minute own goal by Slovan defender Tomas Jablonsky. Vittek, whose four goals at the 2010 World Cup included two to eliminate defending champion Italy, came off the bench late to level the match with a left-foot shot from a tight angle. 17:22ET 20-08-14 Buy Air Max 720 Cheap . -- The Florida Gators are first yet again this season. Air Max 720 Clearance . Louis Cardinals continued their offensive tear with a 9-5 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the opener of a four-game series. http://www.cheapairmax720.net/.J. -- Fabian Johnson scored his first international goal and Clint Dempsey doubled the lead after a defensive lapse as the United States beat Turkey 2-1 Sunday in the second of three World Cup warm-up matches for the Americans before they head to Brazil. Air Max 720 Best Price .Y. -- A month ago, Syracuse was unbeaten, ranked No. Air Max 720 Sale .Martin Caceres marked his return from injury by scoring in the 3-1 win at Napoli and he believes Juventus sent out a warning to the rest of the league with that result.We go out on the pitch every game looking to give our all, Caceres said.ST. LOUIS -- Shaun Hill has been here before. A career backup quarterback, Hill is certain he will be able to successfully run the St. Louis Rams offence after Sam Bradford suffered a season-ending knee injury during the weekend. "This is not anything new, its not anything different," Hill said. "I keep the same mindset Ive always had." Hill has been forced into an extended relief role for the second time in his 13-year career. He replaced Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford for 10 games in 2010 when Stafford went down with a shoulder injury. "Ive always gone into every week as a backup as if I was going to play," Hill said. "Thats the only way I know how to do it." Hill is 13-13 as a starter including a 3-7 mark in relief of Stafford. St. Louis coach Jeff Fisher has the utmost confidence in Hill, who Fisher said looked good handling the offence in practice on Monday. "Hes ready to go, hes excited about this opportunity," Fisher said. "Hes a competitor and he knows what hes doing. He will make every opportunity count." Hills teammates also feel confident in their new field boss. "Hes a smart quarterback, he knows the system," wide receiver Tavon Austin said. "Hes been in the league a while. Theres nothing he cant handle." The 34-year-old Hill has hit on 591 passes in 954 attempts for 6,381 yards with 41 touchdowns and 23 interceptions during stops in Minnesota, San Francisco, Detroit and St. Louis. Hill admits he is a little rusty. He attemptted just 36 passes as a backup in Detroit the last three seasons, including just two snaps last year -- taking a knee twice in a season-ending 40-10 win over Green Bay.dddddddddddd But Hill is ready to embrace his new role. He was signed to a one-year deal by the Rams in March with this scenario in mind. "Im cranked up and ready to go," he said. When the Pittsburgh, Kansas, native takes the field for the season opener Sept. 7 against Minnesota, it will be his first start in 1,342 days. His last start came in the final week of the 2010 season. Bradford tore a ligament in his left knee in the first quarter Saturday and will be out the entire campaign. It was the same injury that sidelined him the last nine games of the 2013 campaign. The first overall pick in the 2010 draft, Bradford has been plagued by injuries throughout much of his career. Over his five years, he has missed 31 of 80 starts. "I feel terrible for Sam," Hill said. "I was really looking forward to seeing him play this year. He was going to light it up. But the nature of the business is next guy up -- and thats me." The Rams have a history of overcoming quarterback injuries. In 1999, Trent Green was lost for the season during the third exhibition game. Kurt Warner stepped in and guided the team to a Super Bowl title. The Rams released 10 players on Monday and are down to 79 with four more cuts needed by the Tuesday 3 p.m. deadline. Among those released was wide receiver T.J. Moe, a standout at the University of Missouri. ' ' '