ROME -- Luca Toni scored twice as Hellas Verona beat AC Milan 2-1 Saturday to celebrate its return to Serie A after an 11-year absence as the Italian league opened with a shock. It was more to form, meanwhile, as Juventus kicked off its bid for a third consecutive title with Carlos Tevez scoring in the 58th minute of a 1-0 win at Sampdoria, which beat the Bianconeri in both league meetings last season. Juve didnt quite dominate like in its 4-0 rout of Lazio in last weekends Super Cup but Antonio Contes men showed the same poise and discipline of the past two seasons. Tevez, Juves big off-season acquisition from Manchester City, only had to tap in after taking a pass from Paul Pogba at the edge of the box on a rainy night at the Juventus Stadium. At the other end, Juves corp of quality defenders -- Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini -- cleared any danger. It was a different story in Verona, where Andrea Poli put Milan ahead in the 14th minute following a pass from Mario Balotelli before the 1.96-meter (6-foot-5) Toni struck back with headers in the 30th and 53rd. "Theres no better way to start the season," Verona midfielder Massimo Donati said. It was a disturbing result for Milan ahead of Wednesdays return-leg match with PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League playoffs. Milan also gave up a lead in the opening leg, drawing 1-1. Last season, Milan never lost in Serie A after establishing a lead, winning 21 matches and drawing four. "The explanation is simple: we played bad football and we played poorly as a squad," Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri said. "We needed to control the ball better. We played poorly and they deserved the victory. "We need to play with more nastiness and more attentively," Allegri added. "After we scored we stopped playing. Even though hes 36, Toni fought like a lion." The other eight matches of the opening weekend will be played Sunday, with last years runner-up Napoli hosting Bologna and Inter Milan facing Genoa at the San Siro. Also, Lazio opens against Udinese with one end of its stadium closed as punishment for fan racism in the Super Cup. There were concerns that Verona fans might direct racist chants at Balotelli but, with the issue discussed widely before the match, supporters responded by applauding him instead whenever he touched the ball -- albeit likely in an ironic manner. "The fans offered a great response," Donati said. After the final whistle, Milan fans grew unruly and began launching seats over a barrier at Verona supporters. Verona won its only Serie A title in 1985 and has had the dishonour of watching neighbour Chievo Verona play in the top division for much of the last decade while it toiled in Serie B. But a second-place result in Serie B last season earned Verona promotion and the signing of Toni in July to a one-year contract has already proved wise even though Daniele Cacia led the second division with 24 goals in 2012-13. The 36-year-old Toni also scored on his debut when Verona beat Palermo 1-0 in the Italian Cup last weekend. "Hes decisive on dead balls and hes a decisive player for us," Verona coach Andrea Mandorlini said of Toni, who formerly played for Palermo, Fiorentina and Bayern Munich and was a member of the Italy squad that won the 2006 World Cup. Balotelli had Milans first chance nine minutes in with a shot from beyond the area that was blocked by goalkeeper Rafael. Balotelli might have done better by passing the ball to one of two teammates striding toward the goal and he was wise to pass to Poli five minutes later to set up a goal. After collecting the pass, Poli dribbled in between two defenders and slotted the ball past Rafael. After struggling in the opening 20 minutes, Verona began to assert itself more as the half wore on and Toni took advantage when Milans defence lost track of him during a corner kick as the hosts equalized. Toni also had a chance in the 36th with a bouncing shot that Milan goalkeeper Christian Abbiati couldnt control but a defender cleared the danger. Still, it was Verona that came out in attack mode to start the second half and Abbiati had to leap high to tip over the bar a header from Bosko Jankovic in the 51st. Two minutes later, Toni put Verona ahead with a header from the edge of the box as he leaped over defender Cristian Zapata for his 111th career goal in Serie A. And in the 62nd, Abbiati had to punch away a dangerous cross to prevent Toni from doing any more damage. Toni exited to a standing ovation when he was replaced by Cacia in the 85th. Cacia nearly made it 3-1 in the 89th but Abbiati was able to stop the attempt. Balotelli grew frustrated and drew a yellow card for protests in the 90th. There was also a last-minute card in Genoa, as Sampdoria defender Paolo Castellini was shown red for a hard foul on Stephan Lichtsteiner.
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.Corey Brewer had 19 points eight rebounds, five assists and five steals for the Timberwolves, who snapped a six-game losing streak and won for just the third time since Ricky Rubio went out with an injured ankle on Nov.
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. Neither made it that far in 2013. Not even close. Federer lost his second match at the All England Club. Nadal exited in the first round, a year after bowing out in the second.Tiger Woods is ready to play golf again, just three days after it appeared his season was over. The 14-time major winner pulled into Valhalla on Tuesday afternoon, and mere moments after he parked his courtesy car in the spot reserved for him, it was as if someone had stepped on a wasps nest. Security people scuttled around. Photographers shuttered their lenses. TV cameras, which had been staking out the parking spot as if it was Geraldos safe, jumped to life and reporters jostled to hear his first words as if hed just returned from the moon. At one point, prior to Woods arrival, Rory McIlroy rolled in with his courtesy car, rolled down the window and jokingly asked the assembled horde: "Who are you guys waiting for?" He then laughed and maneuvered his car into its reserved spot. But Woods wasnt coming back from the moon or even a year away; he was merely returning from a tweaked back on Sunday. Not the portion of his back he had surgically repaired in March, mind you. Nope. This was a different part of the back that, according to Woods, popped out of place when he stepped awkwardly into a bunker at the Bridgestone Invitational after hitting a shot. "Basically when I landed on the bunker, my sacrum went out," said Woods, sending most within earshot to Google sacrum. "So [I] pinched the nerve and hence the spasm. My physio put it back in and weve just been treating it." Woods spent some time on the range where the horde of TV cameras reassembled to capture his swings, just in case that sacrum did pop out again. But nothing as exciting as that happened. He and coach Sean Foley simply worked on his swing and the balls soared down to the far end. Then, joined by pals Davis Love III and Steve Stricker, Woods headed out onto the front nine, a mass of people following along. If there was any other spectator on the golf course, it was hard to locate them; most were following allong as Woods hit shot after shot without a grimace or a twitch.dddddddddddd "I felt pretty good about how I played and the shots I hit," he said after the nine. "I need to get more feel for how this golf course is playing. Im not used to seeing the chipping areas like this. We didnt have that in 2000." That would be the year that Woods won his fifth major on this course, holding off Bob May in a playoff. That was nine majors and about a dozen major ailments ago. There might have been another sacrum pop-out during that period but were not quite sure. The fact that Woods is playing the PGA Championship is good news for fans and for television. Certainly the golf world was on the edge of its collective seat awaiting his decision. The media fed the beast with shots of Tigers empty parking space and of caddie Joe LaCava walking the course alone checking yardages, a solitary figure without a bag. Just a day earlier, there was talk of a new era with Rory McIlroy being crowned the new king. Well, that may be the case on the course, but off it? Tiger is still the undisputed ruler. No one turns the volume up as he does. Now well see if Woods can find a golf swing. He hasnt shown anything that resembles the guy who won here in 2000 since returning to play in July following his microdiscectomy. Hes been mediocre and inconsistent. It all makes you wonder what hes doing here, and, in some strange fashion, just what the fascination with his return is all about. You have to wonder if it would just make sense for him to shut it all down and start again in the New Year. To get healthy for the first time in a long time and to not have to worry whether his sacrum is about to pop out or whether hell get another stress fracture or if his neck might twinge. Nope, hell play here and he is in full belief that he can win. Stranger things have happened for sure. We just witnessed one on Wednesday. ' ' '
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