DUBLIN, Ireland -- Marcel Kittel sprinted to a second straight stage victory in a wet third leg of the Giro dItalia on Sunday while Michael Matthews retained the overall leaders pink jersey. Kittel looked to have left it too late on his 26th birthday after losing contact with his rivals inside the final kilometre. But the German cyclist came from behind to edge out Ben Swift on the line and deny the Briton a maiden Grand Tour stage victory. Kittel finished in four hours 28 minutes 43 seconds. Elia Viviani was third in a bunch sprint at the end of the 187-kilometre cross-border leg from Armagh to Dublin. Svein Tuft of Langley, B.C., was 74th while Victorias Ryder Hesjedal finished 96th. Tuft is in a four-way tie for fourth in the overall standings while Hesjedal is tied for 156th. Matthews -- whose Orica-GreenEdge team won Fridays opening time trial -- will lead the race back to Italy and the Australian has an eight-second advantage over Italian cyclist Alessandro Petacchi. Rain fell intermittently for most of the day and wet roads caused several crashes, including two large ones, but all the riders were able to continue. Former winner Michele Scarponi was one of the riders caught up in a large crash around 60 kilometres from the finish. Several cyclists also suffered technical problems and Swift briefly dropped off the back of the peloton when he had to change his bike with 25 kilometres to go. Maarten Tjallingii, who is still wearing the blue King of the Mountains jersey, led for most of the stage for the second day in a row. He was part of an early breakaway of five riders, along with Yonder Godoy, Miguel Angel Rubiano Chavez, Gert Dockx and Giorgio Cecchinel. They had a lead of six minutes before the peloton started reeling them in with more than 100 kilometres remaining. Their advantage briefly increased as the peloton slowed to wait for riders involved in the major crashes to catch up, but the group was back together with more than seven kilometres remaining after a brief solo escape from Cecchinel. After three wet days in Northern Ireland and Ireland, the Giro takes a rest day on Monday as it travels back to Italy. The Giro ends in Trieste on June 1. Vapormax Sort Herre Danmark .com) - Top seed Klara Zakopalova reached the second round, while former French Open champion Francesca Schiavone came up a loser Tuesday at the inaugural Rio Open tennis event. Vapormax Hvid Danmark . For Sweed, a second round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2008, this will be his second go around in the CFL after previously having spent time with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. http://www.vapormaxdanmark.com/. QUARTERBACKS Carson Palmer (vs Colts)Last week: 30/42, 419 yards, 2 TDsWinners of their last three and now tied for the final wild card spot in the NFC, the Cardinals are worth keeping an eye on. Vapormax Dame 2020 . -- Craig Anderson has quite a record against his former team, the Florida Panthers. Vapormax Dame Danmark . Watch all the action unfold live on TSN and TSN Mobile TV at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. You can also watch the game live with the debut of Wednesday Night Hockey on TSN.ca and chat throughout the game with TSN.MANCHESTER, England -- Robin van Persie ushered Manchester United into the Champions League quarterfinals -- and potentially saved his managers job -- with a hat trick in a 3-0 victory over Olympiakos that completed one of the competitions greatest comebacks on Wednesday. On one of the memorable European nights at Old Trafford, Van Persie scored three times in a 27-minute span either side of halftime to overturn a 2-0 deficit from the first leg. A slew of brilliant saves by David de Gea were also key to a famous win for the English champions -- and a vital one for their manager, David Moyes. Moyes position had come under intense scrutiny after Uniteds humiliating 3-0 loss to fierce rival Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday, the latest in a string of dreadful results in his first season in charge. An early exit in Europe could have stretched the patience of fans and Uniteds hierarchy beyond breaking point -- but Moyes is left hoping this can be a watershed moment in his United career. "I dont want to come out here and say this is the moment," Moyes said, "but at the same time, I really hope it is." A nerve-shredding night ended with Olympiakos captain Giannis Maniatis on his knees and in floods of tears, and Moyes saluting home fans and wearing the broadest grin. The under-fire United manager was saved by the goal-scoring qualities of Van Persie, who converted a penalty in the 25th minute, side-footed home his second goal in first-half injury time and curled in a free kick in the 52nd. And he also had words of praise for Ryan Giggs, who at the age of 40 delivered a tireless performance in midfield. Giggs lasted the full match, despite having played only 81 minutes since Jan. 7, and played a crucial role in Van Persies first two goals. "His all-round play was very good," Moyes said. "He defies his age." Van Persie was carried off on a stretcher in the final minutes after hurting his leg in a challenge but Moyes said he didnt think it was a serious injury. Olympiakos slumped to its 12th straight away defeat in England and missed out on securing a place in the last eight for the first time since 1999. The Greek champions had their chances -- some of De Geas saves were breathtaking -- but defensively they were chaotic and they became only tthe sixth team to squander a two-goal lead from the first leg of a Champions League match.dddddddddddd "We were unlucky," Olympiakos midfielder David Fuster said, "and were pretty upset about it." In Wednesdays other last-16 match, Borussia Dortmund advanced 5-4 on aggregate despite losing the second leg 2-1 at home to Zenit St. Petersburg. The draw for the quarterfinals is held on Friday. "We probably now will go into it as underdogs," Moyes said. "If we play to our capabilities, which we have not done too often, then I think we will be a match for any team." Moyes insisted on the eve of the biggest game of his reign that his position was not under threat, saying Uniteds vision was "long term," the board was still supportive and stressing that he was in a six-year contract. Fans appeared to be starting to waver, although the banner reading "The Chosen One" -- a nickname given to Moyes after he was hand-picked for the job by predecessor Alex Ferguson -- remained hung up high in the Stretford End as Olympiakos kicked off. Initially, United was gripped by panic -- misplacing passes, diving into tackles and showing no shape defensively -- but the nerves were settled by Van Persies penalty. The Netherlands striker tumbled after being barged in the back by Jose Holebas after bringing down a cross-field pass from Giggs, and he got up to convert his penalty unerringly. Giggs was the architect of the second goal, too, floating another pass to Wayne Rooney, who crossed for Van Persie to caress his finish under goalkeeper Robertos dive. The aggregate score was now 2-2 and Moyes greeted the goal with repeated fist-pumps and marched back to the dressing rooms, breaking into a jog at one point. He was celebrating again within six minutes of the second half when Van Persie curled home a free kick from just outside the area, with Roberto earning the wrath of his defenders for not trusting his wall and vacating the area near where the ball crossed the line. With Olympiakos attacking relentlessly in the final 25 minutes, the final whistle was met with relief as much as joy by home fans. Languishing in seventh place in the Premier League, the Champions League remains a potential source of silverware for United this season. ' ' '