Infos » hicago and Portugal on Friday in Foxbo

BARCELONA, Spain -- Atletico Madrid needed a second-half goal from midfielder Jorge "Koke" Resurreccion to eke out a 1-0 win at Malaga on Saturday, becoming the overnight leader of the Spanish league as it resumed following the winter break. Atletico built a provisional three-point advantage over Barcelona before the defending champion hosts Elche on Sunday. Barcelona then visits Atletico in the following round. "We will have to wait and see if Barcelona wins tomorrow to stay leader, as it is accustomed to doing," Atletico coach Diego Simeone said. Also, Valencias new manager, Juan Antonio Pizzi, debuted with a 2-0 victory at home over crosstown rival Levante. Almeria routed visiting Granada 3-0 to climb four points clear of the relegation zone, and Real Betis remained bottom of the table after a drab 0-0 draw at Valladolid. Atletico dominated possession but was held in check by Malagas five-man defence until Simeone sent on forwards Adrian Lopez and Cristian Rodriguez to join Diego Costa and David Villa up front for the final half hour. Diego Costa failed to add to his league-leading 19 goals, but the striker turned playmaker to unlock the hosts stingy defence in the 70th. Diego Costa slipped the ball to Adrian, whose rebound off goalkeeper Willy Caballero fell for Koke arriving late to rifle through the crowded area and into the back of the net to claim the winner. "They played a great game in defence but eventually we earned the victory with my goal. That is important for us to take three points back home," Koke said. "The team believes in what it is doing." Atletico moved eight points clear of third-place Real Madrid before it hosts Celta Vigo on Monday. Atletico continued to base its title challenge on Spains best defence, which again left its opponent without a clear scoring opportunity. It has conceded a competition-low 11 goals through 18 games. The loss was the first in four rounds for Bernd Schusters Malaga, leaving it in the middle of the standings. Schuster defended his strategy of trying to stop Atletico by playing with three central defenders, which arguably hurt its efforts in attack. "If somebody believes they can play Atletico as equals with what we have, then go ahead, Ill pay them to do it," Schuster said. "They are better than we are and didnt need a great game to beat us." Pizzi replaced the fired Miroslav Djukic over the two-week league break, and Valencia responded with a convincing win in the city derby against Levante at its Mestalla Stadium. After Pablo Piatti drilled in a clearance to put Valencia in front three minutes before halftime, forward Sofiane Feghouli dribbled through the defence and chipped the ball home via the crossbar in the 73rd to put the result beyond doubt. "We are happy, of course, but it is too early to take balance of the team," Pizzi said. "Im in favour of processes that take a long time. But yes, it helps that we were able to do what we wanted to do the first time. Now we have to work to improve and correct our mistakes." Pizzi will face a tough second test on Tuesday when Valencia hosts Atletico in the Copa del Rey. Almeria forward Aleix Vidal led the way past Granada by crossing for Sebastian Dubarbiers opener and adding a goal of his own after Jose "Verza" Garcia converted a penalty. Betis draw at Valladolid gave the Seville-based side its second point away from home this season. Also on Sunday, its: Real Sociedad vs. Athletic Bilbao, Sevilla vs. Getafe, and Osasuna vs. Espanyol. Villarreal plays at Rayo Vallecano also on Monday. Speedform Apollo Vent Blue . Jamies number grades given are out of five, with five being the best mark. Darcy Kuemper, Minnesota (5): He was calm, poised, and looked comfortable all game. Cheap Under Armour Shoes . Finlands Kari Lehtonen made 26 saves to lead Dallas over the Phoenix Coyotes 2-1 Saturday night. He received plenty of help from the Stars defence and got goals from Ray Whitney and Russias Valeri Nichushkin. http://www.hfpcm.com/ua-speedform-gemini-for-sale.html. Philbin said Thursday he wants players to treat one another with civility and he wont tolerate anything less. In taking questions for the first time since Ted Wells released his report into the bullying scandal that rocked the league, Philbin made it clear things would be cleaned up. Under Armour Scorpio For Sale . The two-time former Formula One champion downplayed his third-place finish three weeks ago in China and said progress is going slow for Ferrari as it tries to make up ground on Mercedes. Ua Phenom Proto Training Shoes . -- Steven Stamkos scored his first goal since returning from a major injury, Ryan Callahan had his first goal with Tampa Bay, and the Lightning beat the Florida Panthers 5-4 on Thursday night.ARLINGTON, Texas -- Luis Montes scored two minutes before a leg injury sent him to the hospital, helping Mexico beat Ecuador 3-1 Saturday in the first of three tuneups in the U.S. leading to the World Cup. Montes drove a left-footed shot into the lower left corner of the net from just outside the top of the goal box after a pass from Oribe Peralta in the 33rd minute. Shortly after the goal, Montes and Ecuadors Segundo Castillo became entangled and went down chasing a loose ball. Castillo limped off the field and didnt return. Montes never got up. Montes, a key member of El Tris midfield, covered his face as he was carried off on a stretcher to cheers from the pro-Mexican crowd of 84,876 at the home of the Dallas Cowboys. The club said he was being examined for a possible fracture of his lower right leg. Castillo was hospitalized for further evaluation of a right knee injury. Mexican captaain Rafael Marqez also went to the hospital for an injury to his right foot in a separate first-half play.dddddddddddd Mexico, coming off a 3-0 win over Israel, plays Bosnia-Herzegovina on Tuesday night in Chicago and Portugal on Friday in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Its World Cup opener in Brazil is June 13 against Cameroon. Ecuador has one more exhibition -- against England on Wednesday in Miami -- before opening the World Cup June 15 against Switzerland. Marco Fabian, who replaced Castillo, scored a long shot that again beat Ecuador keeper Maximo Banguera diving to his right for a 2-0 lead in the 69th minute. Giovani dos Santos made it 3-0 when his shot bounced off the post and went off Bangueras head into the net in the 76th minute. Ecuador scored in the 80th minute when Enner Valencias free kick just outside the goal box caromed into the net off Mexicos Hector Moreno. ' ' '