ouston took its first lead since it led 16-14 in the first quarter on a

BRISBANE, Australia - China coach Alain Perrin was thinking about uncorking some champagne as his players celebrated with raucous singing and high-fives after clinching a spot in the Asian Cup quarterfinals. Wholesale Dodgers Jerseys .Wu Xi and Sun Ke scored second-half goals to propel China to a 2-1 comeback win over 2011 semifinalist Uzbekistan on Wednesday, ensuring top spot in Group B and a Jan. 22 quarterfinal match against either Australia or South Korea.Theres still the matter of a remaining group match against winless North Korea on Sunday in Canberra, but with wins over Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan already, Perrin decided it was OK to celebrate Chinas first run to the knockout stage since it hosted the continental tournament in 2004.Perrin said hed open two bottles of good champagne back at the team hotel, adding that the coaching and staff had celebrated the opening win and now hed invite the players.We played a very beautiful match, the Frenchman said. Now we can move to the knockout stage in the first ranking of the group. Its fantastic.Australia and South Korea, each with six points from two wins, will meet on Saturday to determine top spot in Group A. Uzbekistan and Saudi Arabia will play in Melbourne on Sunday to decide which team goes through from Group B with China. Both teams have three points from wins over North Korea.The North Koreans are already out of contention following the 4-1 loss to the Saudis in Melbourne, where a small but vocal group chanted the name of Kim Jong Un during the match.Ryang Yong Gi gave North Korea the lead in the 11th minute when he swooped on a failed clearance from Saudi goalkeeper Waleed Abdullah — his countrys first goal in the Asian Cup since 1992 — but Naif Hazazi equalized before halftime and Mohammed Al Sahlawi scored twice in as many minutes to make it 3-1 in the 54th. Nawaf Al Abid added the fourth goal after Ri Yong Jik was sent off in the 77th for an intentional handball.Im happy we won the game and also we had a good performance, Saudi Arabia coach Cosmin Olaroiu said. Now we have to forget it quickly to prepare for the game against Uzbekistan.After weathering Chinas early attacking raids, Uzbekistan seized its first real opportunity when Odil Ahmedovs strike from 25 yards deflected off Wu and looped inside the far past. Uzbekistan appeared to be in control until holes opened up in the defence after halftime.Wu made amends when he equalized 10 minutes into the second half and Sun, who went on in the 66th, made an angled run from the left two minutes later and struck from the edge of the area.Uzbekistan coach Mirdjalal Kasimov said his squad needed to regroup quickly ahead of the last group match, and suggested changes were possible after he started with the same 11 for consecutive matches.Iran and United Arab Emirates have three points each and will be aiming to qualify from Group C with wins on Thursday. Iran takes on Gulf Cup champion Qatar in Sydney and the UAE plays Bahrain in Canberra. Dodgers Jerseys 2020 . The 27-year-old hit .209 in 86 at-bats last year after missing the 2010 season following surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. Maury Wills Jersey . Its the second of three meetings between these teams this season. Vancouver was a 2-1 winner on home ice December 22nd. https://www.cheapdodgersonline.com/ . The person, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the confidential nature of the search, confirmed reports by several media outlets. The interview took place in Southern California on Monday.Denver, CO (SportsNetwork.com) - James Harden scored a season-high 44 points on Thursday and posted his third career triple-double on Saturday. He continued the trend of MVP-like performances by dropping 41 points and 10 assists in the Houston Rockets 115-111 overtime win against the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday. After erupting for 23 points in the first half, Harden was limited to 10 in nearly 21 second-half minutes. He also missed a free throw late in regulation that could have sealed the victory. But he scored eight straight Houston points during the extra session to help the Rockets win their third straight game. I couldnt throw a rock in the ocean in those first 40-plus minutes of the game, Harden said. But I just have the confidence. I work on my shot every day. Confidence is a big thing. My teammates have confidence in me to shoot the basketball and I shot it. Dwight Howard added 24 points and 16 rebounds in his second game back from a knee injury, and Patrick Beverley gave 12 points and 12 boards. The Rockets trailed by three following Kenneth Farieds tip slam with 1:24 left in regulation. Howard, who missed three of his previous four free throws, sank a pair from the line to pull Houston within a point with just over a minute to go. A pair of misses on the other end led to Hardens stepback 3 from the left wing with 10.4 left. Out of a timeout, Harden intercepted Farieds pass under the basket and had a chance to seal it from the stripe, but he split the pair, leaving the door open. Out of timeouts, Ty Lawson raced down the floor and handed to Arron Afflalo, who forced OTT with a 3-ball as the buzzer went off. Maury Wills Dodgers Jersey. . Donatas Motiejunas, who scored 18 for Houston, made consecutive shots from the post to start overtime, but Denver went in front on Danilo Gallinaris 3- pointer with 2:43 remaining. But Harden scored the next four points and gave Houston a 111-108 cushion with 23.9 seconds left with two free throws. Beverley put the game away, making 4-of-4 from the line in the final 18 seconds. Wilson Chandler led Denver with 23 points, Afflalo scored 22 and Lawson handed out 16 assists. Im proud of the guys and the way they played. So these kinds of losses I can stomach a little bit better, Nuggets coach Brian Shaw said. Denver led 33-32 early in the second quarter when Lawsons short jumper sparked a 14-1 run. Faried capped the burst with a dunk, and the Nuggets had built a 47-33 advantage. The spread grew to 16 later in the period before Howard and Harden led the Rockets back. The duo combined for 20 of Houstons 30 points in the stanza, and the hosts trailed 60-55 at the half. Houston took its first lead since it led 16-14 in the first quarter on a Harden stepback jumper midway through the third, but Denver regained the lead and went into the fourth with a 78-75 lead. Game Notes The Rockets beat Denver 108-96 on Saturday ... Harden shot 18-for-21 from the foul line. The Nuggets shot 18-for-23 from the line as a team ... Denvers bench outscored Houstons, 42-7 ... Lawson played a game-high 46:45, while all five Rockets starters posted between 41:46 and 46:04 ... Denver has lost seven of eight. ' ' '