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GIBRALTAR, Gibraltar - The captain of Gibraltars national soccer team laughs as he contemplates the task facing his team of amateurs against Germany. Custom Nike Baseball Jerseys China .To put things in perspective, we have gone from Sunday league football to playing the world champions in 18 months, Roy Chipolina said, shaking his head in bewilderment. Sometimes I have to pinch myself.Win, lose or draw — and some locals here will be happy if Germany is kept to single figures in Fridays European Championship qualifier in Nuremberg — its a victory for Gibraltar just to be sharing a field with a team that beat Brazil 7-1 en route to winning the World Cup four months ago.After a 16-year fight, the tiny British colony — a rocky outcropping on the southern tip of Spain inhabited by about 30,000 people — became a fully recognized international team when it was accepted as the 54th and smallest member of UEFA in 2013. The move had previously been resisted by the Spanish, who dispute the sovereignty of the territory.The acceptance sparked wild celebrations in the narrow streets of Gibraltar, some of the biggest parties since one native won Miss World in 2009.A completely amateur set-up, from the players to the countrys football association, suddenly had to become a whole lot more professional. Within months, they had been drawn in a European qualifying group containing Germany, Poland, Ireland and Scotland.We have gone from 10 people watching us play to 35,000 people watching us play, Chipolina said in an interview just off the bustling main street that runs through Gibraltar, which has an area of just 7 square kilometres.The past 12 months has been a year of firsts for the Gibraltarians: A first official game — a creditable, unexpected 0-0 against Slovakia in November; a first (and so far only) win — 1-0 over Malta in June; a first Euro qualifier — a 7-0 loss to Poland in September.In their two other Group D qualifiers, theyve lost 7-0 to Ireland and 3-0 to Georgia. No points, no goals.Its been a culture shock for the players. Only three Gibraltar internationals play professionally — two of those in the English lower leagues — with the rest having to balance playing the game they love with holding down a full-time job.Take the teams main striker, Kyle Casciaro. He is an operations manager for a shipping firm in Gibraltar and works 9-6 Monday to Friday, as well as being on call every other weekend. In his spare time, he plays for Lincoln Red Imps — one of eight teams in the amateur Gibraltar Premier Division. They train three, sometimes four, nights a week before a weekend match. Then there is fitness work at the gym.Yesterday, I finished work, went home quickly, changed into my kit, had a banana, then went to get the coach to training in Spain, Casciaro said in an interview during a break from work.Going on international duty with Gibraltar involves taking a week off work for the likes of Casciaro and Lincoln teammate Chipolina, who is a customs officer. Representing Gibraltar in 10 European qualifiers per year requires 50 days off work and they have only 25 days of annual leave. So, they rely on the goodwill of their employers to accept a request from the Gibraltar FA to take special leave for international matches.Its hard enough balancing football, work and family, with your wife nagging at you when you go training every night, Chipolina said with a smile. Then youve got to use your annual leave for football, so you have to tell your wife we arent going on holiday this year.Firemen, a policeman, a store manager, a student, a teacher, a researcher — they come from all walks of life to play for Gibraltar.Admittance to UEFA means Gibraltars players are, however, getting a glimpse of what life would be like as a professional footballer. When they go away for international duty, players now wear suits instead of tracksuits, stay in five-star hotels and VIP areas, and are even starting to be asked for autographs. They follow a strict itinerary, when two years ago they would book their own hotels and everything would be fairly ad hoc.But back at their clubs, life can still be amateurish. Gibraltar midfielder Jeremy Lopez plays in the domestic league for Manchester 62 FC, which holds one of its three training sessions each week on a concrete parking lot behind a hotel.Can you imagine Bastian Schweinsteiger doing that? Lopez said, referring to the Germany midfielder he is about to confront.There are severe challenges and hardships facing Gibraltars footballers. There is only one full-sized field on the territory, at Victoria Stadium near the border with Spain. The arena has to be shared by teams from all leagues and age groups — juniors to seniors, men and women — so time is at a premium.Because Victoria Stadium only has a capacity of about 2,000 and doesnt meet UEFA requirements, Gibraltar has to play its home matches in Faro in Portugal — a five-hour drive for the team and their fans, who usually number around 500. The GFA is looking into building an 8,000-seat stadium at the other end of the territory but that is years away from being a reality.And Gibraltar coach Allen Bula said he realistically has a pool of only about 60 players to choose from when he selects his national squad.Still, Gibraltar isnt complaining, not after what it has been through to get recognition from the global football community. Long-awaited UEFA membership is offering the team and the country new opportunities.Its giving us international exposure, free publicity, PR that money cant buy, said GFA chief executive Dennis Beiso, whose target is for Gibraltar to become the best of the minnows within Europe on and off the field.A daunting trip to Germany awaits but its not the first huge obstacle to have faced Gibraltars footballers.It wont be the last.Its going to be a different level, a different planet, Casciaro said. I think, to be quite honest, they are going to score as many goals as they want. Custom Nike Chicago Cubs Jerseys .com) - The Buffalo Bills will return to the friendly confines of Ralph Wilson Stadium on Sunday when they welcome the upstart Cleveland Browns to town. Custom Nike Washington Nationals Jerseys . Over the course of his career Glenn is 79-71-1 in 151 starts for a .526 career winning percentage. Since becoming a Stampeder, he has elevated his play and raised his stock around the league. https://www.customnikebaseballjerseys.com/ . On Wednesday night, they showed that stellar defence and a little small ball can get the job done too. With pinch-runner Kevin Pillar aboard after Dioner Navarro opened the bottom of the ninth with a single, Anthony Gose dropped down an excellent bunt along the first-base line.Who were the best Premier League players from the weekend games? We take a look at the man-of-the-match performances in our hotlist. Chelsea moved to the top of the Premier League thanks to a 1-0 win at Middlesbrough on Sunday, while Manchester City also made ground in the title race after their 2-1 victory away to Crystal Palace on Saturday.Tottenham also picked up a valuable three points at home to West Ham, but Liverpool had to settle for a 0-0 draw at Southampton and Manchester United were held by Arsenal. But which players starred in particular? Read on to remind yourself of the standout displays - and let us know who you think deserves the plaudits by leaving a comment or tweeting us @SkyFootball...Antonio Valencia (MANCHESTER UNITED 1-1 Arsenal) Antonio Valencia was named man of the match during Manchester Uniteds 1-1 draw with Arsenal The United full-back was a constant thorn in Arsenals side at Old Trafford. He was solid in defence and was always a threat going forward, giving Nacho Monreal in particular a torrid time.He could have had a penalty on 35 minutes, taking a tumble in the penalty area after a coming together with Monreal but referee Andre Marriner waved away the appeals. Highlights - Man Utd 1-1 Arsenal The 31-year-olds performance drew praise from Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville, who awarded the Ecuador international man of the match and described him as Uniteds best player.Yaya Toure (Crystal Palace 1-2 MANCHESTER CITY) WATCH: Yaya Toure returns with double Toure was the surprise name in Pep Guardiolas starting line-up and he repaid his managers faith with two goals as City beat Palace 2-1 at Selhurst Park.The Ivory Coast international, making his first Premier League start since April, had been out in the cold since August but he showed no signs of rustiness, rolling back the years to put in a commanding performance in the middle of the park. Highlights - Crystal Palace 1-2 Man City The lack of game time did not affect his finishing either as he scored his 76th and 77th goals for City to mark a perfect return to action and help them secure a vital victory in the race for the Premier League title.Virgil van Dijk (SOUTHAMPTON 0-0 Liverpool) Virgil van Dijk beats Roberto Firmino (L) and Joel Matip in the air In a game that Liverpool largely dominated, it was Southamptons centre-backs who helped keep them at bay. Jose Fonte and Virgil van Dijk both made crucial last-ditch tackles, and the latter was particularly impressive throughout.Speaking afterwards, former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher said Van Dijk has everything. The two centre-backs can go up against anyone in the league. Fonte is a top level player and Van Dijk has impressed everyone since he came here, even though there were some doubts coming from Celtic, he added.Southampton manager Claude Puel was also impressed, even though he added: It is not a surprise, it is not amazing. Since the beginning of the season, Virgil has been excellent. Highlights - Southampton 0-0 Liverpool Aside from a couple of chances, Van Dijk and Fonte kept Liverpools attacking trio of Roberto Firmino, Philippe Coutinho and Sadio Mane quiet.And Van Dijk made a brilliant challenge to block a shot from Mane late in the first half.Victor Anichebe (SUNDERLAND 3-0 Hull City) Sunderland striker Victor Anichebe celebrates scoring his second goal against Hull City Jermain Defoe showed his class to set Sunderland on their way to victory with a coolly-taken 150th Premier League goal at home to Hull but it was Victor Anichebe whose power in front of goal put the seal on the result.Both of his second-half strikes were powerful efforts which beat goalkeeper David Marshall at his near post, and he showed plenty of strength on the ball in between them. Highlights - Sunderland 3-0 Hull It was enough for his manager David Moyes to describe him as a baby Drogba after the game and while such comparisons may be generous at this stage, Sunderland might just have found the goal source to complement the consistency of Defoe that could prove vital in their fight for survival.Ross Barkley (EVERTON 1-1 Swansea) Ross Barkley (L) gets past Federico Fernnandez during Evertons 1-1 draw with Swansea It was a frustrating afternoon for Everton against the Swans at Goodison but Barkley looked bright at times when his team-mates were often lacklustre. Custom Nike New York Yankees Jerseys. It was far from the perfect performance, as some Toffees fans may testify, but the midfielder constantly led Evertons attacks and came close to scoring on a couple of occasions. Highlights - Everton 1-1 Swansea Honourable mention to Jordi Amat at the back for Swansea, but it was his header which proved costly late on as it sailed straight to Coleman for the equaliser.Nordin Amrabat (WATFORD 2-1 Leicester City) Nordin Amrabat (C) is tackled by Shinji Okazaki (L) and Daniel Drinkwater (R) The Watford winger was a constant threat and gave Christian Fuchs in particular a torrid time, with the Austrian perhaps fortunate not to collect a second yellow card.Amrabat did blot his copybook when he failed to convert a pass from Troy Deeney before half-time but otherwise put in a good shift and played a key role in a decent win. Highlights - Watford 2-1 Leicester Steve Cook (Stoke 0-1 BOURNEMOUTH) Steve Cook (R) celebrates with Simon Francis (C) after the final whistle at the Bet365 Stadium Cook has played every minute for Bournemouth so far this season, but his showing at the Bet365 Stadium was up there with his best in a Cherries shirt.He was first to everything as Bournemouth earned their first away win of the season and their fourth Premier League clean sheet, making 11 clearances as Eddie Howes side put in the perfect defensive performance. Highlights - Stoke 0-1 Bournemouth He headed off the line in the first half from Ryan Shawcross header, but his contribution was more subtle than a key moment. He cleared everything that came into the box from Xherdan Shaqiri and Marko Arnautovic, and dealt with the physical threat of Wilfried Bony superbly.Harry Winks (TOTTENHAM 3-2 West Ham) WATCH: Harry Winks’ emotional celebration It was a dream maiden Premier League start for 20-year-old Winks, who not only scored the first equaliser for Tottenham but looked like an assured member of the team and arguably their best player.He continually set off attacks for his side, beating seasoned defenders in the West Ham back line and getting in a number of good crosses, before lurking in the box to net his first senior goal for Spurs. Highlights - Tottenham 3-2 West Ham Winks came in for praise from boss Mauricio Pochettino and if he manages to bring the same performance in multiple games, he could become a driving force behind Spurs unbeaten young guns.Victor Moses (Middlesbrough 0-1 CHELSEA) Highlights - Middlesbrough 0 - 1 Chelsea Sky Sports pundit Niall Quinn said Moses has been a revelation after his performance in Chelseas 1-0 win at Middlesbrough on Sunday.Moses, and Marcos Alonso on the other side, caused Middlesbrough problems down the flanks from start to finish as Chelsea kept a sixth successive clean sheet and moved to the top of the Premier League.After setting up Pedro for a chance that was brilliantly saved by Victor Valdes, Moses went close to scoring himself in the second half after being played through by Diego Costa.Hes had another brilliant game, said Quinn. Hes changed the scope and the ability of this team by being so good out on that right side. Also See: Toure the hero on City return Anichebe is a young Drogba Spurs fan Winks in dreamland Costa sends Chelsea top ' ' '