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09/11/2007 - Shanghai, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aya Miyama scored four minutes into stoppage time to help Japan earn a dramatic 2-2 draw with England in Group A play in the World Cup on Tuesday.
Miyama gave Japan the lead in the 55th minute on a free-kick goal, but England's Kelly Smith scored two goals in two minutes to put England ahead. However, Miyama was given one last chance before the final whistle on a free kick from 25 yards out and she made the most of it, drilling her kick over the wall and into the left corner as the whistle blew.
The result was a crucial one for both teams after Germany's 11-0 win over Argentina on Monday. The winner of this game would have had the inside track on the second spot in the group, but now these two teams will have to battle until the final day.
England will meet the powerful Germans on Friday, while Japan will be looking for nothing less than three points against Argentina in its next match on Friday.
After a lengthy feeling-out process in the opening 15 minutes, England began to control the possession and get the better of the play.
Smith got the first sight of goal in the 15th minute and she drove a low shot toward the right corner of the net that was just wide of the post.
Japan struggled to find offense in the opening 45 minutes as star midfielder Homare Sawa had little impact on the match and the Japanese attack showed little in the way of creativity.
The Asian side did get a look at goal after 26 minutes, but Miyama's shot was lofted over the net from just outside the box.
England missed a golden chance to get on the scoreboard before halftime when a through-ball from midfield allowed Eniola Aluko to get in behind the defense. The English striker beat the offside trap, and Japanese keeper Miho Fukumoto came off her line to challenge Aluko outside the area.
The keeper got to the ball first, but slid past it, allowing Aluko an open shot at goal from outside the box. Aluko drove a shot toward the far post but it slid inches past and kept the match scoreless into halftime.
England started strongly after the restart with Karen Carney being played into the box on the right and then driving a shot that was headed for the far corner. Fukumoto came up with a diving stop to keep England off the board, but it was a dangerous chance.
Despite controlling the run of play for the majority of the game, England found itself behind after 55 minutes. Miyama sent a dipping shot over the wall from 20 yards out that England keeper Rachel Brown was late to react to.
Following the goal, England continued to put pressure on the Japanese defense. Alex Scott slid a nice pass to Carney inside the box, but she shot right at the keeper. Smith then had a shot from 25 yards out just seconds later that narrowly missed the near post.
The pressure continued to mount as Aluko's header from close range was headed out of danger from inside the six-yard box, and Carney's driven cross was nodded wide by Rachel Yankey.
The stubborn Japan defense held out until the 81st minute, when Smith did well to turn with the ball inside the box and fire a low shot past the keeper to draw England level.
The England star was not done, however, and she soon added her second goal moments later to put England in front.
Smith picked up the ball on the left and carried it down the wing before beating her defender and cutting into the box. She drove a shot on goal from a tight angle that Fukumoto stopped, but Smith was not going to be denied on the rebound and she fired a right-footed shot into the back of the net.
It looked like England had survived until the final seconds, when a questionable foul call allowed Japan one last chance before the final whistle. The free kick was in a nearly identical spot, and Miyama produced the same result, driving her shot inside the left post to save a point for Japan.
<< United States rallies to tie North Korea
Chengdu, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Heather O'Reilly's goal in the 69th minute
helped the United States rally to tie North Korea, 2-2, on Tuesday and avoid
a stunning upset in its World Cup opener.
Abby Wambach also scored for the United
<< Detroit's Bonderman may still be out for year
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Detroit Tigers pitcher Jeremy Bonderman
could still be gone for the season despite test results Monday that showed
no structural damage in his elbow.
Bonderman had been pitching through pain inst
<< 49ers rally late to clip Cardinals
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arnaz Battle's one-yard touchdown run
with 22 seconds left in the contest gave San Francisco a 20-17 victory over
Arizona in the season opener for both teams at Monster Park.
Battle, who fumbled
<< Salazar's HR in ninth lifts D-Backs over Giants
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jeff Salazar, scratched from the opening
lineup due to a bad ankle, ripped a pinch-hit three-run homer in the ninth
inning, giving the Arizona Diamondbacks a thrilling 5-3 win over the San
Francis
Wild card-leading Padres open set with Dodgers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - San Diego Padres ace Jake Peavy will try to continue his
dominance over the Los Angeles Dodgers tonight in the opener of a three-game
series at Chavez Ravine.
Peavy is 8-1 with a 2.28 ERA in 17 career starts against the Do
Baker hopes to serve up a win for Twins versus Royals >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Scott Baker tries to duplicate his performance from less
than a month ago against Kansas City when the Minnesota Twins play game two of
their three-game series against the Royals at Kauffman Stadium.
Baker carried a perfec
Indians continue quest for division title versus White Sox >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Indians are in search of their first division
crown since the 2001 season, as they resume a three-game series tonight
against the AL Central-rival Chicago White Sox from U.S. Cellular Field.
Cleveland is six
Falling Mariners resume set with Athletics >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Seattle Mariners are falling out of the playoff picture
at a rapid pace and will resume a three-game series versus the Oakland
Athletics tonight at Safeco Field.
Seattle is 5 1/2 games behind the New York Yankees in th
Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.
NFL Betting
After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, online football betting he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
Trapped on the bench behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then unable to unseat Super Bowl MVP Brady at New England, Cassel seemed destined to be a backup all his life. As Brady was helped off the field last September, Cassel seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for since high school.
In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.
Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?
I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.
Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.
There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.
Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.
For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.
A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.
The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.
Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.
So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.
Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.
“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.
Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.
“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.
It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.
Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.
The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.
“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.
“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”
Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.
The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.
“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”
Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?
“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.
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