rge crowd, Williams fought through a tough first set before she found

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands -- Robin van Persie scored his second goal in as many pre-World Cup friendlies as the Netherlands beat Ghana 1-0 on Saturday. On the day Louis van Gaal announced his final 23-man squad for Brazil, the Netherlands coach looked to have picked his strongest side for the match at Feyenoords De Kuip stadium, with the vastly experienced striking partnership of Van Persie and Arjen Robben fed by playmaker Wesley Sneijder. It was that trio who teamed up to unlock the Ghana defence in just the fifth minute. Sneijder played a one-two with Robben and then cut back the ball past the advancing goalkeeper to Van Persie who only had to tap into the open goal for his 43rd international goal. Robben should have doubled the lead seven minutes later but scuffed a close-range shot over the bar after a cross from left back Daley Blind set him free in front of goal at the end of a flowing attack. The Bayern Munich winger squandered another great chance when goalkeeper Adam Kwarasey blocked his shot when Robben was again on his own in front of goal after a cross from right back Daryl Janmaat. "I should have scored two. Im saving them up," Robben said. Both final passes came from backs functioning almost as wingers in Van Gaals new 5-3-2 formation. The defenders -- seen by many as the teams Achilles heel -- also ensured Jasper Cillessen kept a clean sheet. "In the second half, we created less but we gave away absolutely nothing," Van Gaal said. Ghana, which has a tough draw in Brazil together with Germany, Portugal and the United States in Group G, never looked like breaking down the Dutch back five. Coach James Kwesi Appiahs team stayed in the game thanks to Robbens misses and aggressive tackling and pressure that broke up the fluency of Dutch build-up play. "Ghana pinned us back and that makes it difficult," Van Gaal said. But he expects the attacking fluency to come as the squad continues to train together. "It will get better," Van Gaal said. "Weve only just started." The Netherlands plays Wales on Wednesday in Amsterdam and flies to Rio de Janeiro the following day. It is in Group B with Spain, Chile and Australia. Semyon Varlamov Jersey . Villa has already confirmed his short-term deal and the Daily Mirror reported early Tuesday that Lampard will join him as both build up match fitness ahead of moves to the new Major League Soccer franchise New York City. Nathan MacKinnon Jersey . The German has taken the pole for three straight races -- winning the first two. Hes aiming for a third consecutive win at the Yeongam circuit and, most importantly, a fourth consecutive F1 championship. http://www.authenticavalanchepro.com/Matt-nieto-avalanche-jersey/ . City has reached new heights under manager Manuel Pellegrini as they transition from big spending/immediate impact to perennial contender. Yaya Toures seeming discontent Tuesday may complicate that, as does the little issue of Financial Fair Play. Rob Ramage Jersey .J. -- Richard Sherman, Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch deservedly draw the attention for what theyve done in getting the Seattle Seahawks to the Super Bowl. Rene Robert Jersey . The 36-year-old said a few months ago he would hang up his boots at the end of the season, but has since changed his mind. "Its a pity the season is ending now, as I am in good physical shape and enjoying myself," Di Natale said.STANFORD, Calif. -- Top-ranked Serena Williams won in her first match since defaulting in a doubles match with sister Venus at Wimbledon, beating Karolina Pliskova 7-5, 6-2 on Wednesday in the second round of the Bank of the West Classic. At Wimbledon, Williams tried to play through a viral infection that caused her to lose her equilibrium during the doubles match. On Wednesday night, encouraged by a large crowd, Williams fought through a tough first set before she found her legs and took control of the match with a big second set. "I thought I played well," Williams said. "Im on the right path, Im excited and Im looking forward to my next match." In the quarterfinals, Williams will meet the winner of Thursdays match between fifth-seeded Ana Ivanovic and U.S. qualifier Carol Zhao. Williams casually deflected questions about her health, preferring to bring the conversation into the present. "Im still taking it a match at a time," she said. "It worked out. I was feeling fine. I made some silly errors early because I was not on my toes enough." Pliskova managed to hold her serve most of the first set but did not have an answer once Williams found her own serve. "I knew shes a player that is tough to break so it was important to me to be super focused on my serve," Williams said. "She served well and I tried to hang in there and get some break points.&quuot; She finally managed to reach break point in the 12th game and took control from there.dddddddddddd She was successful on all three break points she had. Williams took some time off after Wimbledon and vacationed in Croatia before returning to the U.S. for the hardcourt season. She said she has been working hard in preparation for a run at the U.S. Open. Earlier, Varvara Lepchenko beat second-seeded Angieszka Radwanska 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 to advance to the quarterfinals. Lepchenko beat the fifth-ranked Radwanska for the first time in six meetings, edging a top-10 player for only the third time in 24 matches. Radwanska, the runner-up last year, became the highest seeded player to fall in the tournament. The match was good," Radwanska said. "I wasnt serving enough." Lepchenko will face Sachia Vickery, the American qualifier who beat Monica Puig 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-1 to reach her first career WTA Tour quarterfinal. Vickery also won two straight in the main draw for the first time. Her only previous victory came at last years U.S. Open in her WTA main draw debut. Also, eighth-seeded Andrea Petkovic beat teenage qualifier Naomi Osaka, 6-2, 6-2. Petkovic will next meet the winner of Thursday nights match between Venus Williams and Victoria Azarenka. "It was so weird," Petkovic said. "Shes 16 and obviously very talented. If I played solid I knew I had a good shot." 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