PERUGIA, Italy -- Italy was held to a 1-1 draw by Luxembourg on Wednesday in its final World Cup warm-up match before leaving fo

PERUGIA, Italy -- Italy was held to a 1-1 draw by Luxembourg on Wednesday in its final World Cup warm-up match before leaving for Brazil, with forward Mario Balotelli looking in impressive form. Nate Thurmond Jersey . Claudio Marchisio headed Italy in front in the ninth minute after a splendid assist from Balotelli but Maxime Chanot levelled five minutes from time. It was Italys seventh successive match without a win, although the six draws and a defeat to Spain have all happened after securing qualification for the World Cup. "This test is absolutely not a failure, we tried to do things we had practiced in training," Italy coach Cesare Prandelli said. "But its clear we have to improve. But we had to try certain things as we have very few matches. "We know that we werent brilliant, but we leave with the knowledge that we can have a great World Cup." Prandelli had said Balotelli would amaze with his improved form and the AC Milan forward was involved in most of the Azzurris best moves. He went close to scoring on several occasions and hit the crossbar as Italy dominated. Italy departs on Thursday and will play Brazilian club Fluminense in a final friendly match on June 8, six days before kicking off its World Cup campaign against England in Manaus. Prandellis side also faces Costa Rica and Uruguay in Group D. Italy started brightly and took an early lead when Marchisio picked out Balotelli from near the halfway line. The forward controlled the ball perfectly before crossing for the onrushing Marchisio to head home from close range. Balotelli almost doubled Italys advantage shortly afterward but a last-ditch tackle saw his effort deflected over the bar. The tempo slowed down somewhat but Italy should have extended its lead two minutes before halftime, when free-kick specialist Andrea Pirlo saw his effort parried with a diving save by Anthony Moris and Balotelli fired just wide of the left upright as the moved continued. Moments earlier, Antonio Candreva had also fired narrowly wide. Balotelli had another chance just after the interval when he sent a snapshot past the far post. Antonio Cassano came off the bench for only his second appearance since the European Championship final in 2012 and he almost made an immediate impact with a through ball to Balotelli, who bamboozled two players before evading a tackle from a third as he unleashed a shot which crashed off the crossbar. Candreva also hit the crossbar moments later. Luxembourg had barely troubled Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon but levelled in the final minutes when Chanot headed home Mario Mutschs corner. Ignazio Abate almost immediately restored Italys advantage but was denied by Moris. Latrell Sprewell Jersey . Only it wasnt the extended right pad of his old teammate Jonathan Bernier early in the final frame, it was James Reimer, who stole a night that was supposed to belong to the former King. Kevon Looney Jersey .com) - Novak Djokovic captured a mens Open Era-record fifth Australian Open title on Sunday by defeating rival Andy Murray in the final in Melbourne. http://www.nbawarriorsauthority.com/mitch-richmond-warriors-jersey-c-15/ . Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema scored two goals each Wednesday night in a 6-1 rout of Schalke in the first leg of their second-round matchup. "We played a very, very good match," Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. "We got well into the match, scored two early goals and that opened the game and left us able to counter and to use the speed of our players.Kyle Lowry scored 21 points and added five assists as the Toronto Raptors overcame a 15-0 start to the game in a 91-86 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday at the Wells Fargo Center. Toronto fell into the surprising 15-point hole, going 0-for-6 from the floor in the opening five minutes of the first quarter, before centre Jonas Valanciunas hit one of two free throws to put the visitors on the board. With 11 points, Valanciunas was one of five Raptors in double figures. Wilt Chamberlain Jersey. Patrick Patterson scored 14 points and collected 12 rebounds off the bench for the Raptors, who have won four of their last 12 games. Forward Robert Covington led the 76ers with 18 points and Nerlens Noel had 12 points and 14 assists of his own. Philadelphia has now lost four in a row and six of seven. China Jerseys Cheap Wholesale Authentic Jerseys NFL Jerseys Wholesale Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys China NFL Jerseys From China ' ' '