Hobbyclub » n the offseason, he prided himself on not

SAO PAULO, Brazil -- Argentinas theme at this World Cup seems to be scrappy wins with Lionel Messi pulling through at the last minute to save the day. This time he didnt score on his own, but set the stage for Angel Di Maria to score an extra-time winner against Switzerland. "It doesnt matter if its beautiful or ugly," Di Maria said. "Only that Argentina won and will play another game in the tournament." Argentina will play Belgium in the quarterfinals. Except for its final group-stage win over Nigeria, Argentina has won its matches in Brazil in the same manner -- grinding down its opponents rather than dazzling them with brilliant football. In the first half Tuesday, Argentina struggled to find paths through Switzerlands five-man midfield, and it was the Swiss that produced the best chances. Granit Xhaka pushed Sergio Romero to a great save and Josip Drmic spoiled a great opportunity when he tried to chip the ball over the Argentina goalkeeper. When cracks started opening in the defence in the second half, goalkeeper Diego Benaglio kept Switzerland in the game, stopping Gonzalo Higuains header and Messis low shot in the 78th minute. Benaglio also saved a powerful attempt by Di Maria in extra time, and it looked like the Swiss would be able to push the game into a penalty shootout. Then, in the 118th, Rodrigo Palacio won the ball in midfield and fed Messi, who dribbled down the middle in trademark fashion, escaping a challenge from Swiss defender Fabian Schaer before poking the ball to Di Maria. Unmarked, the Real Madrid player beat Benaglio with his 10th goal in Argentinas colours. "Whats important is that we moved on to the next stage," said Messi, who has scored four of Argentinas seven goals, including an injury-time winner against Iran. "It was difficult. We knew it was going to be a hard match." Swiss substitute Blerim Dzemaili nearly equalized right before the end but his header hit the post, and the rebound bounced off his knee and wide of the goal. Switzerland coach Ottmar Hitzfeld, whose brother died at age 81 one the eve of the match, said his team leaves the tournament with "our heads high." "We made life very tough for them," he said. "They managed to keep their cool. It shows Argentina has a good team." Hitzfeld said it was his last match as a football coach. He had earlier said he would quit after the tournament. His Argentine counterpart, Alejandro Sabella, said he thought his team played a "wonderful match," though he conceded theres room for improvement. "It was a match that we deserved to win," said Sabella. "The first half was very even. They had two clear chances and after that the match was ours." Argentina will play its next match without left back Marcos Rojo, who is suspended after receiving his second yellow card on Tuesday. ------ Lineups: Argentina: Sergio Romero; Pablo Zabaleta, Federico Fernandez, Ezequiel Garay, Marcos Rojo (Jose Maria Basanta, 105); Fernando Gago (Lucas Biglia, 106), Javier Mascherano, Angel Di Maria; Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain, Ezequiel Lavezzi (Rodrigo Palacio, 74). Switzerland: Diego Benaglio; Stephan Lichtsteiner, Johan Djourou, Fabian Schaer, Ricardo Rodriquez; Xherdan Shaqiri, Gokhan Inler, Granit Xhaka (Gelson Fernandes, 66), Valon Behrami, Admir Mehmedi (Blerim Dzemaili, 113); Josip Drmic (Haris Seferovic, 82). Babe Ruth Braves Jersey . The league-leading New York Rangers outhit and outmuscled the Maple Leafs during a 3-0 victory on Saturday. Backup goalie Martin Biron stopped all 20 shots he faced to complete a nice workmanlike effort by the visitors. Adam Duvall Jersey . "Hes over there," the first baseman said. "You dont need to talk to anybody else." Indeed, Peralta did it all as the majors top team won again. http://www.baseballbravesproshop.com/ozz...-braves-jersey/. The Stampeders announced the move on Wednesday. Bell spent his first two CFL seasons with the B. Bob Uecker Jersey .com) - One point guard will return, while another will sit when the Minnesota Timberwolves visit American Airlines Center to take on the Dallas Mavericks. Brian McCann Jersey .com) - The collective hearts of Chicago Bulls fans sank on Friday night when Derrick Rose went down with a leg injury against the Cleveland Cavaliers.New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith is coming off a rookie season where he threw 21 interceptions to just 12 touchdowns. In the offseason, the Jets signed Michael Vick to compete with Smith, although the veteran signal-caller appears to have already surrendered the starting job. "I think everybody wants to start, but right now thats not my position," Vick told ESPN on Tuesday. "Geno was drafted in the second round and this is his second year and I think he deserves an opportunity to go out and play and show why hes been a high draft pick. It would be unfortunate for him to not get that opportunity." Head coach Rex Ryan reiterated on Tuesday that Vicks role is to push Smith for starting snaps, but admitted his role goes further than just holding the clipboard behind the West Virginia product. "Mikes role is to come in here and compete and be the best that he can possibly be and I think hes doing that," Ryan told TSN. "Also, it is to be a mentor to a young player like Geno Smith. We try to pride ourselves on creating a culture of competition and to make yourself the best you can be but also push the guy in front of you, behind you and across from you. I think when you do that, thats the best thing for this team and it develops the chemistry and thats what Mikes doing." Whether Vick is his backup or not, Smith is looking to take as much advice and experience from the former Philadelphia Eagle as possible as he attempts to improve on his disastrous 2013 stat line. "I look at him as a big brother" Smith said to TSN. "I look at him as the veteran that he is, a guy that can definitely lend a helping hand to us all, all of us younger guys in this locker room. Especially myself, you know, being that hes played in this system and been a quarterback in the NFL for 11 years now. Just learning from him as well as competing with him and us helping one another get better is definitely something thats helping me out." Ryan has yet to name the starter for the Jets, but he has hinted - albeit less strongly than Vick has - the nod will go to Smith. On Tuesday, the sixth-year coach praised Smiths improvement from the end of his 2013 season to his sophomore camp. "You have to start with how he finished last season," Ryan stated. "The first 12 weeks, I think he had a 28 quarterback rating and the last month he had the second highest rating in the NFL. It started with how he took care of the football and obviously became more accurate as he got used to seeing NFL coverages. "In the offseason, he prided himself on not just learning the offence but he wanted to build his body up, understanding the grind it takes in the NFL. Hes put on weight, hes put on muscle so hes improved physically, and mentally, hes really been in the playbook. The way he carries himself now on the practice field, its like hes been in the system for five years.ddddddddddddquot; Smiths offseason preparations ahead of 2014 had a one main focus; lowering his interception count from 21 - the fourth-most in the NFL last season. "The number one thing we studied is turnovers," said Smith, who also lost four of his eight fumbles in 2013. "Obviously we had a few too many turnovers last year and we feel that if we cut those down, wed have a pretty good year. The main thing was being able to improve on everything. My footwork, my reads and cutting down on my turnovers, taking less chances and being very careful with the ball." Smith also projects to improve in 2014 from the play of free-agent signees Eric Decker and Chris Johnson. Decker posted a career-high 1,288 receiving yards last season as he finished as the Denver Broncos second leading receiver. He has also posted back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons. Johnson was released by the Tennessee Titans after posting a career-worst 3.9 yards per carry average in 2013. However, Johnson has never rushed for less than 1,000 yards in a season. Now five years removed from his 2,000 yard season, Johnson scored 10 combined rushing and receiving touchdowns last year. Smith should also benefit from the additions the Jets made through the NFL Draft in May. The Jets selected tight end Jace Amaro in the second round and later selected receivers Jalen Saunders and Shaq Evans in the fourth round. "Having those guys in addition to the guys we got coming back is definitely going to help us out," Smith said. "We all collectively have to come together and just keep getting better and keep pushing one another." As for Vick, hes learning to accept the change from being the star starter to the veteran backup. "Its a different transition," the veteran said. "You go from taking all the snaps with (the first-string offence) and the feeling of being in control and knowing that everything falls on you as far as responsibilities to the quarterback position. Its different, Im used to that. Not having to be in that situation right now, I wont say its a breath of fresh air. But, as of right now, I get to tighten my game up, catch my breath for a second and watch Geno grow as a quarterback." When the Jets will officially announce their starting quarterback remains a mystery, though the decision may remain simply a formality. "Well do it when we think its right," Ryan said. "You have to be true to your team values in creating competition. We havent named (defensive lineman) Muhammad Wilkerson a starter even though he should be a starter in the Pro Bowl but we still havent named him yet. Ev