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07/02/2010 - Port Elizabeth, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - For the second successive FIFA World Cup, Brazil has failed to reach the semifinals as it suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of the Netherlands at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Friday in a quarterfinal match.
Brazil was knocked out in the quarterfinal round by France in 2006, but it was firmly in control in the first half of Friday's match and it took the lead after 10 minutes through Robinho.
However, Brazil failed to capitalize on a number of other chances and allowed the Netherlands to equalize early in the second half with a fluke own goal from Felipe Melo.
Wesley Sneijder then put the Dutch ahead with a 68th-minute header before Melo's night got even worse as he was sent off for stepping on Arjen Robben after the Dutchman had gone down in the 73rd minute, effectively ending Brazil's chances.
The Netherlands last reached the semifinals of the World Cup in 1998, when it was beaten by Brazil, and it will now play the winner of the other quarterfinal on Friday between Ghana and Uruguay.
The Dutch lost central defender Joris Mathijsen to a knee injury prior to the match and his absence was felt in the opening 10 minutes when Robinho sliced through the middle of the back line and took a pass from Melo before slotting his shot past goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg.
Brazil continued to pressure and Dani Alves should have done better with a low cross from Juan that he fired over the net from eight yards, while a brilliant build up followed six minutes later for the South Americans.
Robinho started the move by dancing down the left wing and playing a pass to Luis Fabiano, whose clever backheel found Kaka at the top of the box. He then sent a curling shot toward the upper-right corner of the net, but the ball was tipped past the post by a fine save from Stekelenburg.
The goalie also did well right before halftime to keep out a good first-time strike from Maicon, which proved huge as the game entered the second half.
The equalizing goal came very much against the run of play and it was an innocent looking cross from Sneijder that set it up.
The ball was played toward the front of goal from the right wing, but goalkeeper Julio Cesar was bumped by teammate Melo, allowing the ball to hit off Melo's head and go into the net.
It was a slice of good fortune for the Dutch, and it also saw Brazil come unhinged.
The winning goal came in the 68th minute from a corner kick as Arjen Robben played the ball to the near post for Dirk Kuyt, who flicked it into the path of Sneijder for a successful header.
Brazil was down to 10 men five minutes later when Robben went down and was stepped on by Melo, earning the midfielder a red card and severely damaging Brazil's chances.
The final 15 minutes saw Brazil unable to really threaten the Dutch net, with the best chance coming on a corner kick that was poorly handled by Stekelenburg but headed to safety by Kuyt.
<< Petulant players, underwhelming teams highlight World Cup
Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It was supposed to be a celebration of a
beautiful game, a gathering of some of the best soccer players in the world.
The 2010 World Cup, however, has raised concern in regards to some of the
world's best team
<< Okada steps down as Japan coach
Tokyo, Japan (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Japan coach Takeshi Okada has stepped down as
manager following the team's exit from the FIFA World Cup on Tuesday.
Okada guided Japan through the group stage, but the Samurai Blue lost in the
opening round
<< Celtics sign first-round pick Bradley
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Celtics have signed guard Avery
Bradley, their first-round pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. Terms of the deal were
not disclosed.
The Celtics took Bradley 19th overall in the draft after he played
<< Rays lefty Price goes for 12th win in Twin Cities
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Once the owners of the best record in baseball, the Rays
haven't won three straight games since early June. Joe Maddon's ballclub has
to like its chances of reaching that mark tonight, when David Price goes for
his 12
Oilers re-sign Strudwick >>
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Edmonton Oilers came to terms with
defenseman Jason Strudwick on a one-year contract Friday.
Strudwick, who turns 35 on July 17, played in 72 games with the Oilers last
season -- his second in
Argentina, Germany ready to move war onto the pitch >>
Cape Town, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Argentina and Germany reignited a
dormant rivalry four years ago in a World Cup quarterfinal that ended with a
melee, and they meet again in the final eight Saturday at Green Point Stadium
in what
Paraguay will have trouble stopping Spain >>
Johannesburg, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Spain coach Vincente del Bosque
admitted a few days ago "it's difficult to stop us" when we're in top form, so
Paraguay faces a huge challenge Saturday in the FIFA World Cup quarterfinals.
Spain
Lightning bring back Kubina on two-year deal >>
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed defenseman
Pavel Kubina to a two-year contract, bringing him back to the club he helped
to a Stanley Cup championship in 2004.
Kubina, 33, spent the first eight seasons
The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.
They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.
"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."
Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.
New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.
Not so sound on the ground
If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.
Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com
“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.
Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.
Brees says bring it on
Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.
Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.
Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.
"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."
SportsBooks ready for a shootout
Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.
“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”
New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.
The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.
“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”
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Academy Award Betting Odds for Best Picture Offer Great Value
If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture. Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet).
For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot. The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win.
TV Guide advises Oscar watchers should be cautioned not to discount the drama "Babel" with its strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures.
"While 'Babel' lost several guild awards to 'Sunshine' and 'Departed,' it still enjoys loyal support, and historically Oscar voters favor dramas with social messages over comedies like 'Sunshine' and violent crime movies like 'Departed'."
"It hasn't done well in the guilds, which means there isn't much industry support," said Tom O'Neil of awards site TheEnvelope.com, "But several critics are expecting it to win, and that gets my attention." Babel had 7 to 2 odds at press time.
Who is to say independently produced Little Miss Sunshine won't be this year's Crash. Last year, Crash won for Best Motion Picture, shocking those who bet on gay cowboy flick, Brokeback Mountain, as the favorite to win.
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