BARCELONA, Spain - Bad World Cup memories be gone. Lionel Messi is back to his match-winning self. Not even a black cat — regarded as unlucky in Spain and other cultures — zigzagging across his path on Sunday could stop Messi from sending the message that the four-time world player of the year is ready to do battle once again with 2013 Ballon dOr winner Cristiano Ronaldo for the title of footballs best player. The trick now for new coach Luis Enrique will be ensuring that Messi stays as fit and hungry as he looked in scoring two sensational goals in Barcelonas Spanish league opener against Elche. Luis Enrique may need to temper Messis desire to play every minute of every game, so his team doesnt lose him to injury again at the tail end of the season when trophies are on the line. After the first season in six years without trophies, and a loss to Germany in the World Cup final for Argentina, everyone at the second highest-earning club in Europe after Real Madrid is eager to start afresh. No wonder the Camp Nou crowd looked nervous when a black cat streaked out to join the players. But Messis role in Barcelonas 3-0 victory quickly put superstitious thoughts to rest. The goals were vintage Messi, a mix of balance, quick judgment and reflexes, and changes of pace to open angles through Elches defence before slotting unstoppable shots just inside the uprights with the silky touch of his left boot. Even more encouraging was his hustle, last seen on a regular basis when former coach Pep Guardiola helped Messi exploit his incredible potential. In the 28th minute, Messi sprinted back to pressure an Elche player with the ball and cut him down with a nasty tackle. The home crowd wouldnt have minded if he had gotten booked because Messis effort, as always, was contagious. The team didnt skip a beat playing with 10 men in the second half after Javier Mascherano was sent off. If World Cup disappointment is still gnawing at Messi, it doesnt show. He looked buoyant, determined, even happy — nothing like the grim-faced losing finalist who appeared to have been hollowed out by the 1-0 extra time loss to Germany at the Maracana Stadium in July, a bitterness which his award as the competitions best player did nothing to sweeten. In Brazil, after wowing in the group stage, Messi seemed at times to be missing zip and incisiveness in later games. But the indications from Luis Enriques debut league game as coach seem to be that the former Barcelona player, known for his firm hand and forthright manner, has rekindled Messis fire. Over the past two seasons, Messi slowly settled into a rut of waiting for the ball to come to him at the point of attack. The same was also true in some of Argentinas games in Brazil. This despite the fact that Guardiola once said the key to winning with Messi was making sure that he runs as much as possible. Messi also has to watch his back. In signing Luis Suarez and Neymar over the last two years, Barcelona has attacking players who could challenge Messis leading role if he becomes complacent. With neither Neymar (injury) or Suarez (banned for biting an opponent at the World Cup) available on Sunday, Messi took full advantage to remind everyone that he is still the teams star. Messi also must compete against himself. After recording unprecedented tallies of 73 goals for Barcelona in 2011-12 and 60 more in 2012-13, it felt — ridiculously — like a let-down when Messi "only" found the net 41 times last season. Messis double on Sunday left him on the cusp of another scoring record. At 27, he is only six goals from equaling Athletic Bilbaos Telmo Zarra as the Spanish leagues all-time leading scorer with 251. Still, it will be over the course of the entire season that Messi will again be judged. He can either further cement his place as one of footballs all-time greats or risk talk of decline. Jon Gray Jersey . Greece was on the wrong end of a 3-0 rout to Colombia in its first game of the tournament. They surrendered a goal in just the sixth minute of the contest, and despite some promising attacking play, failed to crawl back into the match. Japan, on the other hand, struck first in its match with Ivory Coast, with Keisuke Honda putting his side into the lead in the 16th minute. Wes Parsons Jersey .com) - The Oklahoma City Thunder will try to get back on track Monday night when they welcome the Minnesota Timberwolves to Chesapeake Energy Arena. https://www.cheaprockiesjerseys.us/514t-...ey-rockies.html. 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Chris Paul added 13 points and 11 assists for the Clippers, who apparently are trying to make up for decades of humiliation at the hands of the Lakers all in one season; theyve won the last two meetings by a combined 84 points.DALY CITY, Calif. - After a whirlwind week featuring a multitude of celebrations that included her first LPGA Tour victory as a pro, Lydia Ko planned to sleep late Monday before catching a San Francisco cable car for a little bit of sightseeing. What a successful, memorable trip she had to the Bay Area. Ko turned 17 and had "Happy Birthday" sung to her at the first tee box to kick off the inaugural Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic, earned a spot as one of the 100 most influential people in the world by TIME magazine, and captured her first LPGA Tour title as a professional — all while playing with a fill-in caddie from the local club. "Normally they would say sweet 16, but I would say its sweet 17," Ko said. "I dont think I could have any better birthday week." Poised and unflappable, Ko made the perfect pitch up to the green from the rough to birdie the final hole Sunday, holding off Stacy Lewis and Jenny Shin for her third LPGA win in all. It went down to the final shots, and the teen made a 6-foot birdie putt moments before Lewis knocked in a 4-footer of her own to finish one stroke back. After beginning the day a stroke behind Lewis, Ko birdied three of her final four holes on the front nine on the way to a 3-under 69 and 12-under 276 total at Lake Merced. Ko earned $270,000, celebrating on the 18th green three days after celebrating her birthday at the first tee box with the gallery singing "Happy Birthday." Ko, born in South Korea and raised in New Zealand, will move up two spots to No. 2 in the next world ranking. Her father, G.H., got to see her win Sunday. "Tears nearly ran down my face. You may lose friends, but youre always going to have your parents," Ko said. "I try to make myself not cry of happiness, but it was coming to that point." She won the Canadian Womens Open as an amateur the last two years and took the Swinging Skirts World Ladies Masters in December in Taiwan in her second start as a professional. She has six victories in pro events, also winning in Australia and New Zealand. All three of Kos LPGA wins have come on courses most of the other golfers also played for the first time. The third-ranked Lewis finished with a 71 for her sixth runner-up finish since winning the Womens British Open in August. She will head to her home state of Texas next week loooking to build on a disappointing near miss in which she struggled all day with her short game.dddddddddddd "I knew she wasnt going away. Lydia played great," Lewis said. "Every time I hit a shot in there, she answered." Shin, still looking for her first tour win after her best finish this year, had a 68 to finish two shots behind. "They were fearless," Shin said about her playing partners, "They just went for it." Playing together for the fourth straight day, neither Ko nor Lewis hit any dazzling shots early. Kos second of three bogeys came on the 417-yard, par-4 seventh in which her tee shot hit a tree and dropped in the rough. Lewis 10-foot birdie putt on No. 9 lipped out. Ko pulled into a first-place tie at 10 under as they made the turn on a picture-perfect spring day, then took the lead with a birdie on No. 13. Lewis went in the bunker, missed the green and two-putted for bogey to fall two back. "The front nine, I did everything I wanted to do, the putts just didnt go in," Lewis said. "I expected her to do exactly what she did today. ... She hit every shot she needed to make from 13 on in." There were two holes-in-one Sunday: Jimin Kang on the 164-yard third and Dewi Claire Schreefel with a 7-iron on the 157-yard 12th hole that earned her a $100,000 prize from China Trust Bank. The weather held for the final day after fog and rain delays earlier in the tournament. This event was the LPGAs first in the Bay Area since the 2010 CVS/pharmacy LPGA Challenge at Blackhawk in Danville. Organizers and club officials are optimistic about keeping the tournament at Lake Merced. Donna Lowe, Lake Merced general manager, hopes an announcement would come within a month to begin planning for 2015. San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee has spoken with Swinging Skirts Chairman Johnson Wang, while Lowe has received positive feedback from LPGA Commissioner Michael Whan, players and their caddies. "So far, its just been amazing and very positive and uplifting," Lowe said of the feedback. DIVOTS: Michelle Wie, who won last week in her home state of Hawaii, tied for ninth at 2 under. Second-ranked Suzann Pettersen shot a 70 to finish at 3 over in her first event since last month after missing three tournaments with a back injury. Top-ranked Inbee Park tied for fourth at 6 under. ' ' '