season. "Dont get me wrong I love football,

BARCELONA, Spain -- Barcelona lost its second straight game without injured star Lionel Messi when Athletic Bilbao handed the defending Spanish league champions a 1-0 loss Sunday at San Mames. Forward Iker Muniain scored the winner in the 70th minute after Bilbaos incessant pressure recovered the ball and sparked a counterattack inside Barcelonas half. Neymar was once again tagged to pick up Messis goal-scoring duties, but when he wasnt frustrated by slippery footing Bilbaos defence got the better of him. Barcelona was left level on points with Atletico Madrid and three points ahead of Real Madrid after both title rivals won on Saturday. Barcelonas first defeat in the domestic league following 13 wins and one draw came five days after it lost 2-1 at 10-man Ajax in the Champions League. Barcelona hadnt suffered consecutive defeats since March. "When you lose there are always doubts and questions that arise, but one game had nothing to do with the other," Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta said. "We have to correct our mistakes. Its a loss. That can happen. We shouldnt see it any other way." Gerardo Martinos team has won once and lost twice since Messi suffered a left hamstring injury that will likely keep him out until January. And while Barcelona sputters, Atletico and Madrid keep on churning out wins. "This team isnt used to losing two consecutive games," Martino said. "And we came here with the intention of rebounding from the first loss, so its a shame not to win after we did enough to deserve it. Until Bilbao scored we were the better side, controlling the ball and creating chances for long stretches. After their goal it was a different game." Also on Sunday, Valencia beat 10-man Osasuna 3-0, Sevilla won 2-1 at Granada, and Rayo Vallecano drew 2-2 at Real Betis. The match was billed as perhaps the toughest test of the season for Barcelona coming off its first setback in 21 games and without the injured Messi, goalkeeper Victor Valdes, and defenders Dani Alves, Carles Puyol and Jordi Alba. And so it proved to be as Bilbao stayed undefeated in seven games at its new San Mames Stadium. The victory lifted it into fourth place and in the final Champions League spot. Like so many times in past meetings between the Basque and Catalan clubs, the pace remained frenetic and intense with the ball constantly changing sides until Bilbao took charge late as Barcelona faded after falling behind. "I think we played a complete game from start to finish. I am very happy to have done my part to get the win by scoring the goal," said the 20-year-old Muniain, who added that Bilbao was aided by the fact that Barcelona had played a game midweek and arrived with wearier legs. Early on, Barcelona coolly worked its way through Bilbaos pressure and just past the 10-minute mark deployed a number of one-touch passes in a series of attacks that went unrewarded. Neymar first had his strike palmed over the bar by Bilbao goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz in the 12th before Iniesta spoiled a back-heeled flip by Sergio Busquets by firing wide. Then it was Bilbaos turn and Muniain had a golden chance to put the hosts ahead in the 29th, but he barely made contact on a deflected cross that reached him with only goalie Jose Pinto to beat. Barcelona looked to hit Bilbao on the break, but Neymar slipped several times while trying to dribble and had to change his shoes in the 34th. The new boots still didnt help the Brazil striker in the 50th when he wasted Cesc Fabregas pass by sailing his shot high, and his frustration at Carlos Gurpeguis marking boiled over and soon earned Neymar a yellow card when he retaliated. Neymar then drew a foul from Andre Iturraspe when he tackled the Brazilian from behind with only Iraizoz left. Barcelona clamoured for a red card, but the referee settled for yellow. Neymar curled the resulting free kick by the near post in the 59th. Bilbao kept up its pressure and it finally paid off when Ander Herrera stole the ball and passed to Markel Susaeta who crossed for the streaking Muniain to stab in the goal before Barcelona could recover in defence. Barcelona never threatened to equalize, and Bilbao striker Gaizka Toquero almost added a second goal when he headed into the body of Pinto in the 74th. "We said all week that we would play with the same intensity as always," Toquero said. "We pressured them well, stole a good number of balls and didnt let them play their game." Valencia forward Jonas scored a hat trick after Osasuna saw Patxi Punal sent off with a direct red for a low tackle on Dani Parejo. Sevilla striker Carlos Bacca scored one goal and set up Kevin Gameiros 86th-minute winner. Rayos Alberto Bueno scored a brace to help his team escape the relegation zone with the draw that kept Betis in last place. Adidas Aaron Dell Jersey . Signs of a turnaround have emerged in this series at Minnesota. Brian Roberts had three doubles and a triple for the first four-extra-base-hit game of his 14-year career, and the Yankees used their bullpen to preserve a 6-5 win over the Twins on Friday. Tomas Hertl Jersey . It was the most lopsided loss in Lakers history. Darren Collison had a team-high 24 points while starting at shooting guard for the injured Jamal Crawford. 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. http://www.cheapsharksjerseys.com/. Louis Cardinals, the team will be celebrating the 25th anniversary of the opening of the SkyDome. Jays legends Jimmy Key and Ernie Whitt, members of playoff and World Series-winning teams of the past, will be on hand for the festivities to look back at what was the beginning of the Jays halcyon years. Melker Karlsson Jersey . He never mentioned anything about his hitting. The 33-year-old right-hander had success with both Sunday, pitching six solid innings and helping the offence-starved Mets with an RBI single as New York salvaged a doubleheader split with a 4-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Chris Tierney Jersey . -- During a players meeting following the All-Star break, Jermaine ONeal promised his teammates to play the rest of the regular season like he would never play again -- because he very well might not.TORONTO -- Throughout his football career Swayze Waters never thought much about the significance of a jersey number. He was issued No. 94 as a freshman at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, then various other numbers by the five pro teams he auditioned for, including the No. 30 he has worn since 2012 as a punter/kicker with the Toronto Argonauts. His latest number will mean much more. Waters will don No. 34 this season in honour of his best friend, Tait Hendrix. Hendrix, 27, died recently in a motorcycle accident. Waters, also 27, took three days away from Torontos training camp to be family and friends as they paid their final respects to Hendrix. Upon returning to the Argos, Waters decided to wear Hendrixs No. 34 and dedicate the season to his memory. "For me, Ive never had a reason to put significance in a number until now," Waters said following Mondays practice. "That was Taits number . . . hes the guy I grew up playing any kind of sport you could think of with. "Its just my way of honouring him, the life he lived, all the things he taught me and the times we had." At the request of the Hendrix family, Waters spoke at the funeral. Waters also wrote about Hendrix on his website (www.swayzewaters.com). "First off, I just communicated to everyone there I was suffering with them," Waters said. "Then I talked about some of the good memories I had, not specifically stories of me and Tait personally but just the kind of guy he was, his smile, his laugh, his character. "He was just one of those guys you couldnt be around and not have a good time and not smile. He had this work ethic and mindset to get better every day . . . so I left everyone with that challenge: No matter what you do, get better at everything you do every day, keep alive that little piece of Tait thats in all of us. Thats how we can honour him as we go forward without him. It will never be the same, its going to be way different but as we move forward be the best we can every day." Trouble was, No. 34 in Toronto belonged to rookie defensive back Eric Black. However, its the number the Argos issued Black and it held no signiificance to him so when approached by Waters, Black willingly gave it up.dddddddddddd Waters said hell forever be indebted to the Argos and his teammates for their support. "It was anything but a vacation," Waters said. "But Im very thankful to the Argonauts for allowing me that opportunity to go home and be a part of that and just be with the family. "I know in this business not a lot of teams wouldve done that but its family around here and I really appreciate what everyone did for me." Waters said the three days he spent at home were invaluable to him. "It was huge," he said. "I think that was the biggest thing I could do, just be there. "There was a lot of laughing and a lot of crying. I got home and hugged my wife. We cried it out then went over to his house. Not a lot of words needed to be said. For me, that was a big part of it. Weve got to go on and things are going to be different but this is just one thing I wanted to do to honour my best friend." Waters said Hendrixs death is a sobering reminder of just how precious life is. "When you go through something like this it just puts everything in perspective," he said. "Youre reminded how short life is and that football is just a game." Its a perspective the Argos third-year kicker plans to lean on heavily this season. "Dont get me wrong I love football, its my job and Im always going to work as hard as I can to be the best I can to help my team," Waters said. "But football is not life. "Theres already enough pressure in professional sports. Youre playing in front of one million people on TV and 30,000 to 40,000 people in the stands. Youve got your job, your house payments, all that kind of stuff on the line. Theres no need to add any more pressure and this is one of those things that reminds me this is just a game. "Im going to go out there and do the best I can and the rest will take care of itself. Im just going to mainly take the kind of guy Tait was, work hard and get better at everything every day, into the season. Every day I put No. 34 on will remind me of that." ' ' '