Allgemeines » trip. Anaheim also lost defenceman Francois Beauchemin in

They say a trip to play Celtic is a vital part of your footballing education. And, of course, when I say they, I mean some of the greatest to ever play the game. Barcelonas Xavi: "The atmosphere generated by the fans in Celtics stadium for our visit was the most impressive Ive ever witnessed. The grounds of Liverpool and Manchester United are good and the hostile feeling of playing against Real Madrid in the Bernabeu is also excellent, but the atmosphere against Celtic was the best." If the opinion of Xavi is not enough, how about someone equally as brilliant and smart. Someone like Paolo Maldini... "Every professional footballer should seek to play at least one game at Celtic Park. I have never felt anything like it," he said. The great thing about Maldini and Xavi is that they are all-time greats, not only for the way they played on the field but also for the way they carried themselves off it. They speak, you listen. They remain two of the smartest players I have ever watched and listened to. Throughout their long careers at the top of the game, they certainly never referred to themselves as one of the games best players. And then there is Mario Balotelli and the comments he made to the Scottish Sun newspaper this week: "I have heard all about the fans and the atmosphere they create - and my message to them is bring it on! "If fans want to try and make a stadium hostile for me - or boo me because I am one of the best players in the world - then I hope they do." One of the best players in the world, eh? Okay. The Italian touched down in Glasgow this week having played a total of 27 Champions League games in his career. For his three teams, Inter Milan, Manchester City and AC Milan, he was important enough to only have started just 11 of those, coming on 16 times as a substitute. He had scored just seven Champions League goals in 1,276 minutes played, averaging a goal every 182 minutes. For Inter, he was nothing more than an after-thought on their way to glory in 2010 while at City, he started just two of 12 matches, spread over two frustrating campaigns for both club and player. The third chapter in his Champions League career is back at the San Siro. For now. The thing with Mario is, you just never quite know what he is going to do next, and that includes choosing where to play. On Saturday, in a league game against Genoa, Balotelli missed a penalty in a frustrating 1-1 draw that sent the Italian giants down to 13th in Serie A. After the match he took to twitter to thicken the plot. This is the end. :-) - Mario Balotelli (@FinallyMario) November 24, 2013 Before the Genoa match, he had told the Italian press I am happy at Milan and I am happy to be here. Balotelli certainly played happy, despite making it eight straight games without a goal, and was a menace throughout the match and arguably Milans best performer. That didnt stop Milan fans from voicing their complaints after the game towards Balotelli and his teammates. It is hard to blame them. Their performances, just like their league position, have not been good enough. Yet, with the transfer window closed until January, this is not a club Balotelli can run away from. At Inter and Manchester City, Balotelli was surrounded by a plethora of outstanding players who could easily demand a starting spot ahead of the Italian, who could happily move aside and away from having to perform on the field. At Milan, things are very different. An out-of-form Balotelli, smiling or sulking, remains the clubs best option up front. There will be no sitting on the bench for Mario. And so with that presents the self-proclaimed one of the best players in the world an opportunity, a run of games to help carry Milan back towards the top three in Serie A and into the last 16 of the Champions League. "Great atmosphere always brings the best out of me," he had said in the run-up to the game and so it proved. The game was effectively over as a contest just after half-time, with Milans both goals coming from corners that Celtic failed to deal with, killing the usual atmosphere Celtic Park is famed for. Much will be made of Kakas easy header inside the box to open the scoring but it was Balotellis run from a deep position that led to a free kick that won the corner and placed Milan into scoring territory. It was to be that kind of day for Balotelli, a day where he would have to bide his time, show patience and a mature side to his game when waiting to receive the ball. It is these kind of games that people have wondered about the 23-year-old. He is built very much like a striker who can play up top on his own, but his overall attitude and tendency to drift out of games is one of the reasons he hasnt started as many Champions League games as he should have. At Celtic, he had an appetite to come deep to receive the ball, start quick counter-attacks with his midfielders and drift wide to provide key outlets and pull the central defenders into areas they dont want to go. Balotelli would get rewarded for his hard work when he scored his eighth career Champions League goal in the second half, coming deep, before timing a run superbly, sprinting into space to receive a great ball from Riccardo Montolivo and finishing it off at the near post. He also used his supreme strength to brush aside the defender, let the ball run, and not even touch it until he kicked it into the net. He wasnt the best player on the pitch for Milan but on this night, he didnt need to be. The fantastic Kaka, playing behind Balotelli, was, as the Brazilian rolled back the years with a sensational performance that included powerful runs from distance, incisive passes and an ease at finding space. Kaka, unfortunately, wont be given such space by many teams in Italy and so the responsibility of carrying Milan back towards respectability falls at the feet of Balotelli. In Glasgow, perhaps without even knowing or caring, he passed another test of his footballing education and finally showed signs that he does have an ability to lead the line for a team in Europes elite club competition. He is far from one of the worlds best players but if he wants to get anywhere near to the level once shown by Maldini, and still shown by Xavi, the European Champions League gives him the stage to perform. We know how much he likes a stage, now it is up to him to ensure what he does on it. Why Always Me? The truth is it hasnt been about you enough, Mario. Dave Parker Jersey . Joining him in this years class were Switzerlands Patrick Huerlimann and Norways Eigil Ramsfjell. The announcement was made at the world mens curling championship at Capital Indoor Stadium in China. Kent Tekulve Jersey . He made that dream a reality Wednesday night. Olt, who grew up in Branford, Connecticut, attended UConn and made a nearly 2 1-2 hour trek to Boston a handful of times to watch the Red Sox, belted a two-run homer, one of four hit by Cubs in a 16-9 rout that completed a three-game interleague series sweep. http://www.piratesrookiestore.com/Pirates-Roberto-Clemente-Kids-Jersey/ . Donald Young lost in straight sets to Israels Dudi Sela 6-3, 6-0. Querrey, ranked No. 61, is the second-highest ranked American, ahead of Johnson (64). Custom Pittsburgh Pirates Jerseys . -- LeBron James warned the Orlando Magic to stop double-teaming him and ignoring James Jones. Bill Mazeroski Jersey . Johns, N.L., to Thunder Bay, Ont., after a deal was announced to build a new $106-million "event centre" in the Lake Superior community. ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Nobody had beaten the Anaheim Ducks at home all season long, and they had another late lead until Jaromir Jagr got the New Jersey Devils to overtime. From there, the Ducks beat themselves. Jagr scored the tying goal with 1:01 left in regulation, and the Devils ended Anaheims eight-game home winning streak with a 4-3 victory on Wednesday night. Travis Zajac got credit for the winning goal at 1:58 of overtime, but the Ducks put it in their own net -- a fitting finish to what coach Bruce Boudreau saw as a tentative, reactionary effort. The Devils felt they got the reward they deserved for a gritty finish in the opener of a three-game California trip. "We knew we had to play better to give ourselves a chance, so we had to come out strong in the third period," Zajac said. "We started to win some forecheck battles and stuck with it right to the end. We got rewarded late in the game on Jagrs goal. It was kind of a lucky one there." After Jagr converted Patrik Elias pass from behind the net, with Martin Brodeur pulled for an extra attacker, New Jersey got even more luck on the winner. Ben Lovejoy hit teammate Corey Perry with the puck while attempting to clear the crease, and it caromed past Jonas Hiller to end the longest season-opening home winning streak in Anaheim history. "Thats obviously an incredibly unfortunate ending," Lovejoy said. "Thats a game we need. Were an incredibly desperate team, even though were still all right in the standings." With four wins in five games capped by this impressive comeback, the Devils are starting to feel better about their 8-8-5 spot in the standings. Moments after Brodeur made an exceptional save on Mathieu Perreaults attempt at an overtime goal, the Devils were rewarded with a gift from Lovejoy and Perry. "It was nice to pull it off because we worked very hard and we battled," said Brodeur, who stopped 22 shots. "When you win, you always look at these kinds of saves. Sometimes the games are ugly, and if you make one save like that, it makes the difference." Elias had three assists, and Marek Zidlicky and Eric Gelinas scored power-play goals in the first period after an incorrect high-sticking double minor call against Teemu Selanne. "I think the schedule worked to our advantage tonight," said Jagr, who scored his 689th NHL goal. "They had tto travel last night, and we had one extra day of rest here.dddddddddddd Maybe in the third period it showed. But theyre one of the best teams in the league -- maybe the best team -- so thats a huge two points for us." Ryan Getzlaf scored the tiebreaking power-play goal, and Nick Bonino had a goal and an assist for the NHL-leading Ducks, who have lost five straight. Anaheim was the leagues only remaining unbeaten home team, but the Ducks are in a skid after playing a league-high 24 games this season. Matt Beleskey also scored for the Ducks, still on top of the overall NHL standings despite going 0-3-2 in their last five. Hiller made 21 saves in just his second start in seven games. Boudreau bemoaned his clubs soft third-period effort, a creeping problem in recent days. "Thats all I talked about (in) the previous two games," Boudreau said. "We played not to lose in the third period. You cant play the game in your own zone and expect to win. ... I dont even call it a mistake (on the final goal). It was an accident. Thats the way the game was going. We missed two open nets. You knew something bad was going to happen." Dustin Penner had two assists for the Ducks, who stumbled home to friendly Honda Center after a winless four-game East Coast road trip. Anaheim also lost defenceman Francois Beauchemin in the second period to an upper-body injury. "We need to respond to this," Lovejoy said. "Were not playing great hockey right now. We want to be an elite team in this league, and were not playing like it." Until the big finish, New Jersey got all of its offence on a break from a blown call. Devils defenceman Andy Greene was left with a bloody mouth after a high-stick to the face, and Selanne was whistled for a double minor -- but a video replay clearly showed Zidlicky hit his teammate in the face while tussling with Perreault. Selannes stick was on the ice. Bonino tied it with his career-best sixth goal, and Getzlaf put the Ducks ahead with a vicious slap shot for the 12th goal of his stellar season. NOTES: After the game, Anaheim hired former Edmonton GM Steve Tambellini as a part-time pro scout. ... The NHLs competition committee recommended video review of all high-sticking double minor penalties last spring, but the league rejected the idea in September. ... The clubs met for the first time since February 2012. ' ' '