1 » for a World Juniors game played outside of North America

ZURICH, Switzerland -- It will be Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Zlatan Ibrahimovic for a place at the World Cup. Portugal and Sweden were the first two teams drawn by FIFA on Monday for the European playoffs, though the pairing was talked about as a clash of superstar forwards in a two-leg series scheduled for Nov. 15 and 19. "World-class players like Ronaldo and Ibrahimovic, they do something extra to change the game," Sweden coach Erik Hamren said. "I am pleased we have one, too. But we need our team to be really good." Also, France will play Ukraine, with the return game in Paris; Greece was paired with Romania; and Iceland, the lowest ranked of the eight teams at No. 46 in the world, will host the first leg against Croatia, which fired its coach last week. The four winners will complete Europes 13 entries in the 32-team World Cup draw on Dec. 6 in Salvador, Brazil. Ronaldo and Ibrahimovic were consigned to the playoffs after their teams finished second in their qualifying groups behind Russia and Germany, respectively. "They will be evenly balanced and very competitive games," Portugal coach Paulo Bento said. "Ibrahimovic is an imposing figure, but the Swedes are more than that, they are good collectively." Portugal also had to advance to the 2010 World Cup through a playoff, after twice drawing 0-0 with Sweden in the group. France, the 2006 World Cup runner-up, also makes its second straight trip to the playoffs after defending champion Spain won its group. Four years ago, a notorious handball by Thierry Henry helped France beat Ireland in extra time. "(Ukraine) dont concede many goals and it will be a long away trip for us," France coach Didier Deschamps said. "But to have the return leg at home is a good thing." France and Ukraine last met in a 2012 European Championship match which was delayed several minutes after kick off by a torrential rain storm in Donetsk. France eventually won 2-0. Iceland, which has a population of about 315,000, is looking to become the smallest country ever to play at the World Cup. That record is held by 2006 qualifier Trinidad and Tobago, which had about 1.2 million. Though Iceland lacks the recent pedigree of Croatia, the 1998 semifinalist, the pairing pits a veteran coach against a novice. Iceland coach Lars Lagerback will be trying to reach his fourth straight World Cup with a third different team. He coached his native Sweden at the 2002 and 2006 tournaments, and Nigeria in 2010. Croatias playoff matches mark the coaching debut of 42-year-old Niko Kovac, who stepped up from the under-21 team to replace Igor Stimac, who was fired after poor results. "I met Niko a little when he took his (coaching) license," Lagerback said. "He looks like a clever guy." Kovac said he "did not expect this situation" and will work alongside his brother, Robert, another former World Cup stalwart for Croatia. "With him I am never afraid," said Kovac, who will be focusing on teamwork. "There was no team on the pitch. We have some good players but everyone working for himself." Greece coach Fernando Santos said he would have preferred to play the first match in Romania. "My message to the fans is that they should believe in the national team, go to the stadium, fill it, and put pressure on our opponents," Santos said. Air Max 90 Cheap Uk .Y. -- As if the worst start in franchise history isnt bad enough, Buffalo Sabres President Ted Black braced his teams win-starved fans for potentially more tough times. Wholesale Air Max 90 . Red Sox outfielder Jonny Gomes, the bandleader of the beard brigade during Bostons run to the 2013 World Series title, said he will be shaving his off before spring training so that he can file it "in the archive" with his memories of the teams improbable championship. http://www.airmax90cheapuk.com/ . Joel Embiid was nearly unstoppable in the paint in the second half, and Naadir Tharpe seemingly couldnt miss. Air Max Cheap Uk .FIFA says it is relaxing the rule which forced match officials to leave its international list at the end of the year they turned 45. Air Max 90 Clearance . Canadas 5-1 loss to Finland in the semifinal ranks as the tournaments most-watched game with a record 2.7 million viewers, the largest ever for a World Juniors game played outside of North America, and winning Saturday as the most-watched program on Canadian television.(NLL) - Toronto Rock forward Garrett Billings was named the NLLs player of the month for February on Thursday. In five games last month, Billings led all scorers with 11 goals, 27 assists and 38 points as the Rock posted a 2-3 record. At home against Philadelphia, the Langley, BC native had a season high 12 points (six goals, six assists) in a 20-10 win over the Wings. "Our offensive group had some success last month," said Billings. "We are all very comfortable playing with each other, there is a lot of chemistry and familiarity that contributes a grreat deal to our success.dddddddddddd." The individual accolades are nice but Billings is focused on the team putting up more wins in the second half of the season. "We have put in some good efforts," explained Billings about the 4-6 start to the season. "However, we now have our work cut out for us over the final eight games to earn a playoff spot and peak at the right time." Billings currently leads the NLL in points (70) and assists (50). The NLL also announced the leagues rookie of the month, Minnesota forward Logan Schuss. ' ' '